CH 103

It was the last night before he left.

Rumors have subsided, and I was just trying to get used to the time I spend with him, but a month has passed. It happened to be snowing heavily again today. I knew it didn’t matter because he would use a teleportation stone, but it was an unusually gloomy day.  This wouldn’t be our end, but I couldn’t help but feel very sad that he was leaving.

I’ve been sick and tired of him digging into my arms, but today, I dug into his arms first.

“I’ll be right back.”

I burst into laughter at the words. “Why are you coming again?”

“I think I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll see each other again soon anyway. So, please wait there. I’ll really go when I’m done.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“Soon, I’ll be there soon. Really.”

I stared up at his face shimmering in the orange light from the fireplace. Then I reached out my hand and slowly moved down from his eyebrows.

“If I run further away.”

“…”

“If you hadn’t found me, you wouldn’t be here right now, right?”

I touched Valery’s bridge of nose and lips for a moment.

“Still, I would have found you.”

It was a voice that remained unshakable. I smiled and nodded. “Yes, I think so. I don’t think you would have answered like that before, but I think I know now.”

After endless conversations with him, I decided to abandon the Rudbihi surname from my name. The name that I love hate, and like a nightmare that haunts me.

Carbella Rudbihi

Lucellai Rudbihi.

I know I’m alone now, but I no longer want to get hurt. So I decided to throw it away. Valery readily accepted my opinion. He probably would have accepted anything I said.

I was a little scared and excited because I thought it would be a really new beginning again. Those who already know my face might be a bit surprised.

Not all my memories were completely gone.

It was said that Valery renovated the house where I first met him in Northern Shiseta. At first, I wanted to forget even that. Still, when I thought about it, it didn’t seem to have any particularly bad memories in there. I didn’t do anything bad; at least, it seemed like the only good memory I could take. So if I ever returned to the empire, I decided to go there.

“Juri will probably be surprised when I go back. She even came all the way here.”

“You mean Marchioness Chartero?”

“Yes. I thought she would feel betrayed, but she didn’t. She came before I came back. Ah, no way… Did you ask her to do it?”

Ian said he came to me because Valery saved him and asked for his help.

Valerie drew my hand and kissed the back of my hand deeply instead of answering.

“You’re the one who asked.”

“…It was what she wanted. I asked for help a few times, but she said she was curious about Bella.”

“I think everyone is too soft.”

He smiled as he leaned his forehead against his chest. “At least because she knows that Bella’s help was genuine.”

“Still, I wouldn’t have thought that if it were me. I would think that I have been taken advantage of.”

His scent was so sweet that I felt drowsy, but I forcibly held back my drowsiness. It made me remember the time when I suffered from insomnia.

“Take a sleep.” He rubbed my eyelids gently.

“You’re going to leave and work hard.”

“Yes.”

“Even if it takes a while, don’t leave your work like this again.”

“I hope it won’t be too long. Won’t you tell me how long you’re going to leave?”

“Yes. Then it would be no fun.”

He kept asking me for the exact date. Whether it would take a week, 15 days, or a month. I stood firm in avoiding answering that.

“Please.” He thrust his face into me and asked.

I closed my eyes again instead of answering.

* * *

The day was bright. I woke up in his arms, which I had become accustomed to. I started sleeping late these days, but I woke up first like a ghost on the day he would leave.

At dawn, he tried to close his eyes while playing with me, but it seemed that he had fallen asleep. Now he was really leaving.

“Valery, wake up.”

“…Um.”

He clung to me. His arms wrapped around my waist. Judging by the fluttering of his eyelashes, it was clear that he had woken up before me.

“Hurry up.”

“There is still time.”

In the end, after three more hours had passed since I opened my eyes, he got up completely. A pure white world greeted us as he prepared to leave and went outside. The snow, which had fallen all night long enough to reach your knees, reflected the light, making your eyes blurry.

“It’s already been a month.”

Kuren and Amaterin, who came to see Valery off, were also sad.  

“I know. I thought time would slow down.”

“Can I see you again?” Amaterin asked Valery.

“Of course.”

At his pleasant reply, Amaterin said he was so handsome, and Kuren groaned, covering Amaterin’s eyes. I burst into laughter at those two.

Valery was very envious of Amaterin and Kuren. The reason was simple. Because they are a married couple. He said he wanted to marry me as soon as I got back, but I couldn’t agree.

The fact that I would marry him meant that I would become the empress, but that was still a burden to me. I wanted to start slowly, just like how I approached him as Blake Ariandel. We still have a lot of time.

Not long ago, I also had the desire to raise a new family myself.

“I’ll call you as soon as I get there.”

“If you’re too busy, being a little late is okay.”

“I wish you would come back quickly.”

Eventually, Valery couldn’t stand it and hugged me again. Next to him, Amaterin screamed.

“When you go back, give my regards to the prince. He might hate me for holding on to you for so long.”

“Yes.”

“You should really go now. I think you’re going to be late at this rate.”

He nodded reluctantly.

I hugged him one more time and kissed him briefly.

“See you again.”

It wasn’t long before he really went back to where he was supposed to be.

* * *

I became very busy after Valery left. Organizing my luggage with Ian, I started preparing to go back. Instead of disposing of most of my belongings, Amaterin and Kuren decided to take care of them.

I also left the rest of the communication stones to them. This was the way to contact the couple when I wanted to hear about them.

Even without me, the two of them would live happily as they did from the beginning. Rather, they might be a little relieved to get rid of the burden they had taken care of every day.

I also told people a little close to me that I was returning to my hometown. Sagrina asked if I was following my lover, and I just replied with a smile. Maybe if I go, there will be a tremendous rumor again.

It had been a week since I finished organizing everything like that.

“You’re really going back.”

“I know. I thought it would never happen.”

“Don’t get sick even when you leave.”

“I don’t have to take you breakfast now.”

“That’s true. I’ve got rid of the burden.”

I burst into laughter at Amaterin’s mischievous words. At the same time, Amaterin told me to come often because she would always prepare breakfast for me.

“Yes, you two should always be happy.”

“Of course. We can’t live without each other.”

Amaterin hugged Kuren’s side as if showing off.

“Visit us to play, by all means,” said Kuren while tapping me on the shoulder.

“Thank you so much. I’ll be visiting to play soon. I’ll bring you many good things from the land below.”

“Goodbye to you too, Ian.”

“I owe you.”

“Thank you for giving us a lot of firewood until the end.”

Ian also became attached to them, so he cut firewood constantly with Kuren a few days before he left and eventually prepared firewood as much as a house.

Now it was really time for me to go back. I hugged Amaterin and Kuren in turn.

“You really have to be healthy.”

“You too. See you again next time.”

“Please contact me as soon as you get back. Because I’m worried.”

“You know how to use it, don’t you? If it shines, you can hold it tightly and talk to it.”

“Do you think I’m a little kid? You already explained it three times.”

I held the teleportation stone that Valery had left behind. Ian and I held the luggage, which had been worn for two years, and squeezed the teleportation stone tightly. Moving around a few times, I closed and opened my eyes to see a familiar landscape with a slight dizziness.

“…”

“Lady?” Ian asked anxiously as I stood still despite having opened my eyes.

“I’m really here.”

“Yes.”

“I’m really here, Ian.”

“Yes, Lady.”

I’m really, really back.

To my hometown.