It was something beyond Elric’s understanding.
Naturally, the thoughts that came to mind were about how she had been doing over the past ten years.
The fact that the marriage has not yet been annulled means that this woman has been living in Portman’s mansion as his wife for the past 10 years.
It means that she has been waiting without a husband for such a long time without any promise.
It was a question of why he did such a thing, but for now there was a bigger question that could overshadow that question.
“Let’s go in first.”
Why aren’t you asking anything?
Is that the first thing you said when you saw your husband run away on your first night as a newlywed?
Those words rose up in my throat, but I couldn’t get them out.
It was judged to be too rude to ask about a subject who had run away and returned.
Isn’t that so? Wouldn’t that question be ridiculing the woman who had to wait for him for whatever reason?
Elric glanced at Tyria. She seemed calm and her gait was very straight as she turned her body.
What suddenly filled me was the shame I felt 10 years ago.
I didn’t expect to feel this way again, but the stark contrast between me and her, both physically and mentally stumbling, made me naturally feel embarrassed.
“Aren’t you going?”
“… Oh, I’ll go.”
I tried to smile, but it probably wasn’t natural.
Suddenly, I used my cane to steady my limping steps.
Even so, I had no choice but to walk slowly because my body was uncomfortable.
As if she had noticed this, she began to pace at a noticeably slower pace than before.
Because I was walking a couple of steps ahead, I could only see her back.
The distance created awkwardness.
Elric focused on his own heartbeat.
‘Don’t go wild… ‘You don’t.’
Just like back then, even though I saw my wife who was even more beautiful than before, in some ways, my mind didn’t turn blank like it did when I was a boy.
I didn’t know if it was growth or wear and tear.
Whatever it was, I guess I should be glad that I stopped looking like an idiot.
That bit of tranquility soon became a challenge to awkwardness.
“… “How did you get into the wheat field?”
Since she didn’t ask anything, I pretended to be calm as well.
“I was checking the condition of the wheat. “Isn’t it almost harvest season?”
“Oh, directly?”
“yes.”
That was the end.
There was no further conversation.
As the silence became even heavier than before, Elric reprimanded his own recklessness.
‘this… .’
It wouldn’t have been this awkward if I had just kept my mouth shut.
The moment I walked through the wheat field burning in the sunset felt like an eternity.
Elric felt like he would rather wield a sword on the battlefield.
When it comes to life and death, you don’t have to worry about anything.
That discomfort continued for a long time.
As with the week on the train, time worked diligently.
It was a more frustrating time than before, but Elric arrived at his destination anyway.
“Please wait a moment. “I will call the butler.”
Tyria said that and disappeared into the mansion.
Only then did Elric take a deep breath and belatedly looked up at the mansion.
The three-story brick building boasting a fountain in the yard was blowing away all my worries.
“ah… .”
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It’s the same.
As the discomfort related to Tyria disappeared, what filled the empty space was, of course, memories.
Even though I had been away for 10 years, I began to remember everything about this mansion, including how many stairs there were, how the rooms were decorated, and even what stains were in which places.
A sad smile appeared on Elric’s lips.
It was that moment.
“Hmm? “Who are you?”
It was a voice coming from behind me.
Elric looked back and opened his eyes wide.
It was an old man with whitish hair, well dressed in a black tuxedo.
Although the wrinkles deepened over time, Elric was able to recognize his identity right away.
‘I guess our paths diverged.’
It seems that Tyria and I faced each other in different directions.
He was a butler. Deacon Al Dio, Elric’s most reliable ally, who took on the role of his extremely cold father, was in front of him.
Elric felt his heart ache at the reunion.
Those emotions were evident in the voice that came out.
“You don’t recognize me?”
Rdio’s eyes narrowed.
Immediately afterwards, his expression slowly began to change.
At first, his wrinkles darkened as if he was wary, but then he opened his mouth blankly, and at the end, his eyes widened and he was shocked.
“Do, master!”
Rdio walked up quickly and grabbed Elric’s shoulder.
“young master! “Are you right, Master?”
There were all kinds of emotions in the old voice.
Joy, sadness, sadness and joy.
Such a strong reaction again made my emotions fluctuate.
Elric wrapped his free arm around him and hugged him.
“It’s been a while. “I’m back.”
As the old man trembled, Elric felt warm.
*
It was some time later that Rdio calmed down.
He was pounding his chest to regain his breath and now spoke with a completely clear face.
“I almost didn’t recognize you. “You’ve changed so much!”
Elric chuckled.
The last time I saw him was when I was a boy who couldn’t even show off as a boy.
No wonder you don’t recognize me.
If it’s just something big, it doesn’t make sense.
How rough were the last 10 years of Elric’s life. In order to survive on the battlefield, he had to grit his teeth and practice mana.
The skeleton grew larger due to the recoil. Unlike in the past when it was skinny, the body became stocky, and more than anything, the eyes became dark red due to the influence of mana.
This means that it will not be easy for people who only know what he was like 10 years ago to recognize him right away.
“It’s changed quite a bit. I understand what you are saying… .”
Moment,
Stop-
Elric stopped talking.
“hmm? “Why are you doing this?”
Elric could not easily answer Rdio’s question.
This is because there is a strange thing that I only realized after speaking out for myself.
Elric’s gaze turned towards the mansion.
To be exact, we headed towards the entrance to the mansion where Tyria had entered just before.
‘… Didn’t you recognize it at once?’
Even though she didn’t reveal anything about her identity, she recognized her right away.
Even though the wedding day was the first and last time I actually saw their faces.
How on earth could I immediately recognize a boy I had only seen once in my life, even though his appearance had changed so much?
That raised a doubt in Elric’s mind.
“young master? Are you okay?”
“… Oh, no. “I have something to think about for a moment.”
Maybe I just have a good sense of humor.
Elric rubbed his neck to shake off his thoughts.
*
Tyria looked at Elric talking with the butler through the window.
Although it was my first time seeing this face in 10 years, I recognized it right away.
How could you not recognize the face of a man with whom you had promised your whole life?
The brown hair, the languid look, the sharp bridge of the nose, and the scar next to the earlobe were exactly as she remembered.
Tyria’s heart was still pounding.
As I was looking through the wheat field, I was surprised to see him suddenly standing there.
I pretended to be calm, hoping that my embarrassment wouldn’t show, but when I thought about it again, it seemed like there was an awkward aspect to it.
Please don’t get caught.
Feeling a little anxious, Tyria took a deep breath.
As I did so, I was ruminating on the moment of our reunion to see if I had made any mistakes.
-why… .
Shockingly, the moment his words came to mind, Tyria’s shoulders trembled slightly.
The fine eyebrows furrowed.
His lips were also tightly shut, and his gaze was directed at Elric, who was smiling brightly outside the window.
It’s a face he never showed to himself.
He created only uncomfortable silence as we walked together.
Not just now, but before we meet again… It was the same on the day I left.
The corners of his mouth were blatantly turned downward during the wedding ceremony.
When he finally put the ring on, his face was full of frowns.
It was sad and I cried alone. One thing that really saddened her happened next.
That night, Elric left the mansion and did not return.
My heart feels tight.
I tried pressing my hand on my chest, but there was no improvement.
The joy was short-lived. What follows is reality.
When he returned 10 years later, his expression was, as expected, different from Tyria’s wishes.
A question as if he wished he were not here.
A bright smile that he never showed and an attitude that showed no curiosity about anything.
A sad smile full of bitterness appeared on Tyria’s lips.
‘also… .’
Even though so much time has passed, she seems to be a marriage partner that he is not satisfied with.
That fact hurt.
And, what was more painful than that fact was the future of not being able to let him go.
As she had done for the past 10 years, Tyria would continue to wait indefinitely until the day his heart turned towards her.
Maybe times will be even more difficult than before.
Now, even the belief that he would come back and hug me with a smile has been broken.
Holding unrequited feelings in my arms was more painful than I could imagine.
romance, fantasy,
