Episode 158

“Noah, is that really you?”

As soon as I saw my brother Noah, I blinked several times, unable to believe my eyes.

I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or if this was real.

But no matter how many times I blinked, he didn’t disappear. He was really standing right in front of me.

“Is this… really you, Noah?”

“Ayla. It’s been a while.”

His calm, deep voice, unique to him, reassured me. I stood there, staring at him in disbelief before quickly snapping out of it and running toward him.

“Brother!”

I threw myself into Noah’s arms, which I had longed for so much.

“Ayla!”

“Why did it take you so long to come back?”

I hugged him tightly, pouring out my frustration at how he had been away for more than a year.

“I’ve missed you so much…”

“I missed you too.”

Unlike the tears I had shed earlier in the carriage, these were tears of joy as I clung to my brother.

Feeling Noah’s hand gently patting my back, I finally realized that he had truly returned to our family.

“How long are you two going to keep hugging?”

As I was lost in the emotions of reuniting with Noah, my brother Luke’s voice cut through the moment.

Still in Noah’s embrace, I lifted my head.

My father, mother, Jade, and Luke were all standing nearby, smiling at us.

“Ayla, are you crying?”

Luke looked at me with playful curiosity, as if he’d just witnessed something rare.

“No! I’m not crying.”

I turned my head away, trying to avoid Luke’s teasing gaze.

“You totally are.”

Luke kept teasing, his voice filled with amusement.

“I’m not!”

That annoying brother of mine!

Thanks to Luke, my emotional tears vanished in an instant.

I glared at him before finally pulling away from Noah.

“You two are still the same, I see.”

Noah smiled as he looked between me and Luke.

“Luke can’t go a single day without teasing me. It must hurt his mouth or something.”

I shot a pleading look at Noah, hoping he’d scold Luke on my behalf.

“Luke, ease up a little.”

“What did I do?”

At Noah’s mild reprimand, Luke protested with exaggerated indignation.

Feeling triumphant, I linked arms with Noah.

“Brother, let’s go inside. I have so much to tell you.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

“I’m coming too!”

Ignoring Luke’s calls from behind, Noah and I made our way toward the house.

“Father, Mother.”

“Ayla, I heard you were out early this morning. Where have you been?”

Father’s question caught me off guard, and I hesitated, unsure how to respond.

I wasn’t sure if I should hide the fact that I had seen Lloydin or tell the truth.

“You sent your carriage back and returned in another one… Wait, is that the Blighton family’s crest on that carriage?”

Father pointed to the emblem on the carriage I had arrived in.

“Did you visit the Blighton estate? To see the Duke?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“The Duke? He must have left to join the expedition by now.”

“It’s a long story. It’s cold out here, so let’s go inside, and I’ll explain everything.”

“Very well. Everyone, let’s go in.”

“Yes, Father.”

And so, our family, finally gathered together after a long time, entered Father’s office.

We all sat around the sofa, with Father at the head. Mother, Noah, and I sat on his left, while Jade and Luke sat on his right.

“So, Noah, when did you arrive?”

As soon as we sat down, I immediately started bombarding Noah with questions.

“I got here two hours ago.”

“Two hours? Then you arrived shortly after I left.”

“I filled Noah in on what’s been happening lately. I hope that’s alright.”

Jade, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.

“Thanks for doing that, Brother.”

I smiled at Jade, appreciating his thoughtfulness in catching Noah up so I wouldn’t have to.

“Ahem, let’s start with your story first, Ayla.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You went to the Blighton estate to see the Duke?”

“Yes.”

“And did you meet with him?”

“I did.”

“Then why did you send the carriage back?”

“Well… something came up, so I had to send the carriage back first.”

“Something came up? What was it?”

Father clearly wasn’t planning to let this go easily, questioning me in detail.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided to tell the truth.

There was no point in hiding anything from my family anymore.

“When I arrived at the Duke’s estate, I was told that he had already left, so I chased after him on horseback.”

“Chased after him on horseback?”

“Ayla, you rode a horse by yourself? How could you do something so dangerous?”

Before Father could even finish speaking, Luke jumped in, his voice filled with shock. His face was contorted with concern, and the expressions of my parents and my other two brothers mirrored his worry.

I understood why they were so concerned. The accident I had as a child, when I fell off a horse due to my illness, had left a deep scar not just on me but on my entire family.

“I can ride on my own now. The Duke taught me, remember? And don’t forget, I’m fully recovered.”

“Oh, right…”

Luke seemed to accept my reasoning, but his brows still furrowed.

“Even so, it’s ridiculous to think you could catch up to Duke Blighton.”

“I know. But I was lucky. I met him because he had stopped by here to see me and got delayed.”

“He came here?”

“Yes. So we ended up just missing each other.”

Now that I thought about it, if I hadn’t met Lloydin earlier, it would’ve been such a frustrating coincidence for both of us.

“So, you two…”

“Luke.”

Just as Luke was about to say something more, Father interrupted him.

“Yes?”

“Stop talking now.”

“But Father, she—”

“I’ll ask Ayla myself from here.”

“…Understood.”

After silencing Luke, Father turned his attention back to me.

“Why did you go to see Duke Blighton?”

“…I went to ask him about the divorce papers. I haven’t received them back yet.”

“And?”

“What?”

“Is that all?”

“That’s…”

It felt as though Father could see right through me.

“Well… since the Duke was leaving, I just wanted to make sure he returned safely. I wanted to wish him well. That’s all… there’s nothing more to it.”

I mumbled the last part, unable to confidently lie to him.

“I see.”

“Yes…”

“And what did he say about the divorce papers?”

“He said he’d send them after he returns from the expedition. He said everything would be settled on the day he comes back… and told me not to worry and just wait.”

Saying the word “settled” again made my chest tighten with emotion.

‘No, I can’t.’

I was with my family right now, and I couldn’t afford to let my emotions show.

I fought back the urge to cry, trying my best to keep my composure.

“After the expedition, huh…”

“He’ll return. He promised me. He’ll come back safe, I know it.”

“Indeed, he should.”

Father fell silent, deep in thought.

The rest of us waited quietly until he spoke again.

“Let’s leave your story here for now.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Now, Noah, tell us about you. Where on earth have you been wandering all this time?”

Father’s gaze shifted from me to Noah.

“I’ve been traveling.”

“We all know that. What were you doing during your travels?”

Father’s slight frustration showed through as he frowned at Noah’s vague answer.

“I was curious about what the world looked like. As a priest, I had lived my entire life confined to the temple. The world outside was vast and fascinating, so I traveled across different countries. I met many people, learned new languages, visited diverse places, and heard stories I had never known before.”

Noah’s voice was calm and steady as he met Father’s gaze.

“Stories?”

“Yes. About how this world began and how it could become more peaceful.”

“…And did you find any answers?”

“As I said, the world is vast, and the time I had was too short to truly understand it.”

“I see. So, are you planning to leave again?”

Father’s question made the rest of us tense up.

“…Yes. I plan to leave again. There’s still so much I want to learn.”

“You’re leaving again?”

Mother’s voice trembled with worry as she asked.

“Yes, Mother. I no longer want to be confined anywhere.”