Chapter 101

Chapter 101 – When We Meet Again

To Hadius, a gift was never about what he wanted to receive, but rather about what he wanted to give. Since the gift of his father’s pistol, he had lived his life completely blocking off the joy of receiving.

Receiving something inevitably led to expectations, and expectations always brought disappointment. To avoid being consumed by emotions, he had learned not to have expectations at all.

But his heart had already crossed that line, racing breathlessly.

Did she personally choose this? Thinking of me?

As if she could read his inner thoughts, she answered.

“…Isn’t it strange? When I happened to come across it at the antique shop….”

Emilia hesitated for a moment, then turned her head as he urged her. Just before their faces met, her blue eyes turned toward the sea once again. Even though she kept avoiding his gaze as if playing hide-and-seek, Emilia spoke earnestly.

“I thought of you, my lord. I don’t know why… but…”

Hadius’ heartbeat accelerated even more, and Emilia lowered her blushing face toward the ground. As her small hand tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her well-defined earlobe and slender neck were revealed.

Hadius clenched his empty fist, trying his best not to trace the smooth curves that extended from her white nape to her collarbone and shoulders.

“…Why don’t you open it?”

Is there a need to open it?

Regardless of what’s inside, what difference does it make?

Even if it turns out to be an empty box, this restless and intense joy that tightens his chest will never disappear.

“Ah.”

Hadius replied tersely, diligently unlocking the clasp of the box and removing the thin wrapping paper.

Finally, the contents revealed themselves. It was a bronze Pegasus sculpture.

His gaze traced the delicate carving of the eyes, the fluttering mane from the intricately carved wings, and the forcefully extended muscles. Slowly, he immersed himself in the elegant curves.

“Do you… like it?”

A soft voice pierced through the chilly air.

Do I like it?

Of course.

He tried to answer, but his throat was tightly closed, and no sound came out. While Hadius cleared his throat, Emilia suddenly burst into a shy giggle.

“No, you don’t have to answer. I’m giving it to you because I want to…”

Her perfect lips curled up slightly, as if blushing. Once again, Hadius felt his mind go blank.

Regardless of her intentions, she wouldn’t have expected such a clumsy reaction like that of a child.

But his consciousness kept fading, unable to even recall a brief phrase like “Thank you, I like it.”

His gaze, unable to find its place, naturally turned toward the sea.

It was an unusually calm day, with the waves lapping quietly. The sea was serene and silent, resembling a lake.

He focused his eyes on the peaceful surface of the seawater, suppressing many things simmering beneath.

He must not be swept away by desire and impulse. Now was the time to be colder and more composed than ever before.

While Hadius tried to calm the turbulent thoughts with a long breath, Emilia rose from the rock and headed toward the shoreline.

Just like when she stomped on the grapes, she lifted the edge of her skirt and dipped her toes into the oncoming waves.

He was captivated by her white and slender ankles and only realized after a while that there were no bandages.

“Is your leg… alright?”

“…Yes.”

She answered, lightly jumping over the incoming white foam as if admiring it. Her disheveled hair was pinned back behind her ears, and her face was overflowing with vitality as she chuckled softly.

It was the face he had always wanted to see.

Hadius lowered his gaze back to the sculpture he held.

…Can I expect it? Like in Elver, can I go back to that time…?

Blood spewed from his heart and surged through his veins, causing his hands to tremble continuously. He struggled with the emotions welling up inside him as he put the sculpture back in its box and closed the lid.

“Emilia,”

His suddenly lowered voice was enough to startle Emilia.

“I’ll be in Elingore for a while.”

“Elingore…?”

“Yes, it’s where the second mill of Meyer Steel is located. I have to go there to handle a small problem. It’s a pre-planned task, so don’t worry.”

Emilia approached slowly. Her gaze was calm and serene.

“How long will you be there?”

“Shortest two weeks, longest about a month.”

Ah, sudden doubt filled Emilia’s face as she nodded.

“But, my lord, what about the graduation ceremony? It’s next week. And your birthday…?”

“I won’t attend the graduation ceremony. There won’t be any party either.”

Emilia looked at him in surprise. The weight of his brief announcement pressed heavily on the space between them.

“…Is it dangerous?”

“No.”

His concise and resolute answer only made her more anxious.

“It’s nothing serious. It’s something I’ve been planning for a long time.”

Emilia nodded and quickly put on a smile.

Now she was certain. That man becomes inexplicably calm when things are at their boiling point.

In an instant, her breath caught in her throat, and her tongue moved involuntarily.

“I… I can wait as long as it takes.”

Without realizing it herself, she was thinking about Hadius before anyone else, for the first time.

For a brief moment, the sun peeked through the dense clouds, casting a radiant light that enveloped them and bringing warmth.

“Promise me. When we meet again, there will be no need to hide.”

Hadius spoke calmly yet firmly.

“Because I will be the Duke of Meyer.”

Kallia looked at Charlotte with a bewildered and shocked expression. Her head was spinning with confusion and disbelief.

She had simply asked out of concern for Emilia and Lord Meyer’s relationship, but Charlotte’s unexpected reaction completely froze Kallia.

“Don’t try to come between my sister and Lord Meyer.”

As she spoke, clenching her fists tightly, the child looked like a lioness protecting her cubs.

“I will do whatever it takes to help the two of them. Lord Meyer is… an unbearable, divine gift to my sister. That’s why someone has to help.”

“Charlotte, what on earth are you saying?”

“You’re trying to forcibly separate the two of them.”

“What?”

“I know what Mother is trying to say. I’ve heard it from Mitch so many times that it sickens me.”

Her tone seemed like a blade, and Kallia was once again shocked while Mitch’s eyes widened.

“Don’t try to dissuade me. It’s useless. My feelings will never change. Even if the young lord becomes someone unbearable, as big as the entire estate, I will never tell my sister to give up. Even if it means fighting against Mother and Mitch.”

“Charlotte!”

“Charlotte…”

Kallia and Mitch almost simultaneously shouted, but Charlotte paid them no attention and continued speaking.

“I am family. That’s what family means… I am your only family, Sister….”

Tears welled up in the child’s eyes, while she muttered incoherently.

“Charlotte, my dear, how…”

Kallia didn’t know what to do, and Mitch, too, didn’t know what to say and could only blink. Charlotte seemed so resolute that they couldn’t dismiss her words as naive, ignorant of reality.

“Do you know? Sister and I really do love Mother and Mitch… but sometimes… it feels like our emotions are one-sided.”

“……!”

“So just leave me alone. Both of you.”

With that order, the child leaped into the attic room.

Amid the recurring waves of shock, Kallia found herself pondering many things she had never thought about before.

“I am your only family, Sister.”

Charlotte had never expected her sister to think so deeply. To draw such a clear line…

Oh, divine one.

Kallia clasped her hands together as if praying.

“Mother…”

“Mitch, just a moment… Give me some time to think….”

“…Okay.”

Mitch silently looked toward the attic room where Charlotte had disappeared and tightly sealed his lips. “I’ll be in the barn,” he said and walked outside.

Her dizzying shock subsided, and realization rushed over her like an aftershock.

Yes, we are a family. I am the mother, and Emilia is my daughter. She is not a companion to rely on and cling to, but my daughter who needs care and protection.

Kallia sank into a chair, pondering deeply.

How could she have lived without understanding this? No, it’s not that she didn’t know. She knew, but chose to turn a blind eye.

Emilia was merely nineteen, just entering adulthood.

She wasn’t a real adult just because she diligently took care of things in front of her and even looked after her younger brother.

Yet she had abandoned the child.

She sent her alone to the engagement ceremony, never visited the Canterbury Mansion even once, and never had a proper conversation about her relationship with the young lord.

If Mitch were in Emilia’s situation, would she have left him like that?

She would have found a way to accompany him to the engagement ceremony, checked if he was receiving proper marriage training, and visited the Canterbury Mansion at least once. Every time the child wore a gloomy expression, she would have tried to start a conversation, to understand his innermost thoughts.

Kallia realized with a near-shocking revelation just how much she had neglected Emilia.

“We truly love Mother and Mitch, my sister and I… but sometimes… it feels like our emotions are one-sided.”

Would Charlotte have ever thought such thoughts?

“I will help my sister. Even if the young lord grows to be as unmanageable as a mansion, I will never tell her to give up.”

It was something that their own mother should have done, not a naive younger sister.

She had always regarded Emilia as her own daughter… but was she ultimately just a stepmother?

As Kallia wrestled with her heavy heart and clutched her chest, the sound of a barking dog reached her ears. She turned her heavy body toward the window.

The young lord was in the carriage, and Emilia was bidding him farewell from a reasonable distance.

The child no longer blushed or acted like a shy young lady. Even the gaze of the young lord looking at Emilia lacked its usual indifference.

However, perhaps due to the conversation with Charlotte just before, the distance between the two of them that always reassured Kallia now felt incredibly fragile.

What should she do?

Kallia fell into chaos beyond confusion.

In the meantime, the young lord’s carriage grew distant, and Emilia opened the door and entered the house.

“Aren’t you hungry, Mother?”

Emilia asked with a smile. Her face appeared remarkably calm and serene, as if nothing had happened.

But through her composed gaze, Kallia saw something tremble beyond. That’s why she needed to hold onto the child and ask.

Rather than pouring her worries and concerns onto the child, she needed to soothe the child’s heart like a real mother and relieve the burdens weighing heavily on them.

However, the ingrained inertia of Kallia’s tongue had made it stiff and unyielding.

“Uh, yeah… What should we… eat?”

In the end, she could only ask in a dazed and listless manner.

Two days later, Hadius finally paid a visit to Krambits. Instead of heading straight to his mother’s study, as he usually did, he made his way to his father’s chamber for the first time in years.

He sat by the bedside, gazing down at his father’s face. The presence of the man who had caused him so much pain in his childhood no longer stirred any emotions within him. He felt as though his father was merely an object, as lifeless as a lump of dry dough…

As Hadius looked down at his father’s hands, pale and delicate as winter branches, he turned abruptly and left the room, shivering.

“Hadii?”

Caitlyn was taken aback when she saw her son emerging from the Duke of Meyer’s room.

“It’s been a while, Mother.”

Hadius greeted her casually, and Caitlyn responded with a natural smile.

“I was actually planning to visit you soon. It’s good that you came.”

“Yes.”

“It’s about the graduation ceremony. It may be sudden, but… how about attending with Bianca?”

Without waiting for an answer from her unresponsive son, Caitlyn continued.

“Of course, Countess Leichenen has already obtained permission from His Majesty the King. Even though you’ve already broken off the engagement, it might be better to avoid unnecessary rumors and complications.”

“Do as you wish.”

Hadius nodded lightly and walked toward the study. Caitlyn had to hurry to keep up with his brisk pace.

“Oh, your birthday is approaching. The Duchess mentioned that she wants to prepare this year’s party in Tobarro…”

“I don’t mind. Do as you wish.”

Hadius continued his steady stride.

“At this age, I thought I would be tired of balls and parties, but thanks to Bianca, I feel as excited as a child.”

“That’s good to hear, Mother.”

Caitlyn’s voice trembled slightly as she drew a delicate line. For some reason, her son’s extremely cold attitude made her increasingly uneasy.

“Since you’ve come all this way, would you like to have dinner together?”

She expected him to refuse the sudden invitation. However, Hadius unexpectedly replied, “Yes, I was thinking the same thing,” and smiled gently.

Feeling flustered, Caitlyn called for the butler to prepare the meal.

The dinner was unremarkable. Although the two sat facing each other, the dining room was enveloped in silence, with only the occasional sound of forks clashing against plates.

And then, just as the servants had brought out dessert, the meal was interrupted.

“Lord Meyer! Your Grace!”

A sharp cry echoed from afar, accompanied by the sound of someone rushing over. Moments later, the door swung open, and a man burst into the room. It was Erdua, the chief officer of Erenor Ironworks, who hurriedly rushed in. Kneeling before Hadius, trembling uncontrollably, he shouted.

“Something terrible has happened! Right now… bandits… they’ve attacked the ironworkers…!”

His voice was filled with desperation.

“They’ve blocked the foundry’s trenches! They’re staging a protest in front of the smelting furnace at the second refinery!”

“What?!”

Caitlyn dropped her fork, and Hadius calmly set down his napkin.

While the commotion unfolded in the dining room, the butler was clandestinely meeting with the chimney sweep in the thorny forest surrounding the villa.

The butler reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small envelope, showing it to the other person. They exchanged meaningful glances.

“You know what needs to be done, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Never forget. You are tracking down someone who may have committed murder and their loyal followers. Be careful not to get caught.”

“Do not worry. I will never be discovered. I will obtain evidence without fail, proving that Caitlyn Meyer has ruthlessly murdered my innocent sister and nephew.”

“Very well. From now on, you must track Jetson without leaving any gaps. This letter will be delivered to Lady Meyer before the end of this week.”

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