ERTHMB Chapter 11

The child, who was still too young to be left alone, gripped my hand tightly with pale fingers and spoke with gentle breaths.

[Sister, you don’t need to come anymore. I know the Grand Duke… doesn’t like you coming here.]

[Basil.]

[I’m fine. Just grant me one favor. Later, later… if I die before you… bury me in Praeterita’s cemetery.]

[…Basil.]

The small child who used to comfort me when I cried.

[Old lady Margo from the house behind is there, and the butcher’s little one, and Mom too. Promise me you’ll do it, okay?]

[…Alright, I promise.]

[Thank you, sister. You must be happy. You must.]

The small embrace that once held me. Now I’ll never know how warm that touch was. There’s no one left to tell me.

No family but in name, no lover who promised forever, no mother, no Basil. No one remained.

Everyone was as resentful as they were missed, and as missed as they were resentful.

“If you were both going to leave so quickly, why not let me die too?”

Why, why. Why leave me behind alone?

I don’t want to be here by myself. I’m tired of waiting. Take me with you too, Mother. Please, please…

Helena hunched over as if embracing an invisible form. Dry grass tore between her scraping fingers.

What could they possibly want from her, to make her repeat such a painful life?

Helena remained curled up like that for a long time, as if dead. It was only after an hour that she moved from her spot.

She held back her tears and forcibly raised her stiffened body. She prayed that her retreating figure wouldn’t appear lonely. But she knew herself.

She was perfectly alone.

****

The hallway with its classic brown arch columns and softly glowing ivory marble floors exuded Evergale’s unique, pristine atmosphere.

Adding more weight to this dignity, rhythmic footsteps echoed.

Upon recognizing the owner of these footsteps, the manor’s servants stopped what they were doing and uniformly paid their respects.

When Eugene returned from work, there was usually more bustle than usual. The hallway split into order in an instant.

Eugene strode through without hesitation. The butler waiting by the main entrance opened the door to match his pace and stood beside him.

He asked the butler as he removed his coat and handed it over.

“Helena?”

“Still no news.”

The butler bowed his head briefly as he answered. A faint sneer escaped through Eugene’s teeth.

“She certainly gets around.”

Without further instruction, Eugene moved on.

Despite having just returned after leaving early in the morning, there wasn’t a trace of fatigue on his face.

Instead, he was busy seeking out the training ground first thing. Nothing was as excellent as overexerting his muscles to release the day’s accumulated frustrations.

Though he rarely held a sword these days, having had his fill of metallic scents on battlefields in the past, lately he had been irritable like this often.

He found it difficult to maintain his composure even over trivial matters he would have overlooked before.

Upon reaching the training ground, Eugene unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves while glancing to the side.

A large, middle-aged knight was steadfastly keeping his post. He was a loyal knight who had served Evergale since Eugene’s father’s time.

“You’re certainly consistent.”

Eugene turned his head forward again and selected two suitable swords. He tossed one to the middle-aged knight while asking casually.

“Sir. Do you know Helena?”

“……”

“Sir Agyle.”

“…It’s the first time.”

Though he hadn’t thrown the question expecting any meaningful answer, he also hadn’t expected such a contextless reply.

As Eugene’s brow furrowed in displeasure, the middle-aged knight added to his words.

“It’s the first time Your Grace has asked me about the Madam.”

“……”

This time Eugene cut off the conversation. The movement to draw his sword from its scabbard momentarily stopped.

Was it the first time?

Yes, that could well be the case. There had been no need to make an effort to know.

The Helena Evergale who stood before Eugene Evergale was Helena Evergale in herself.

Always, ever, unchanging.

That’s why Eugene didn’t believe her farewell words. Instead, he believed in her constancy, which was exasperating to the point of tedium.

Even if he placed her next to the stuffed deer head mounted in the hallway, he could boast that she would last longer.

“It’s stranger for a husband to ask about his wife. Makes it seem like there’s no trust in the relationship.”

Eugene said as he moved to the spacious area. The tip of the sword, forged under the afternoon sunlight, lightly scraped the ground.

“So, how much do you think you know about Helena?”

His tone was feigned nonchalance but oddly sharp. The middle-aged knight pondered for a moment before quietly murmuring.

“I’m not sure if my answer will have any meaning. In the end, the only person Madam would want to know her is you, Your Grace.”

“…I suppose so. That would be natural.”

Eugene exhaled softly, holding the sword in the most comfortable position.

“But regardless of what I know, sometimes… I find I don’t understand Helena.”

“…I see.”

The conversation ended with a quiet acknowledgment. The middle-aged knight bowed slightly and took his stance.

From now on, he needed to concentrate all his focus. Otherwise, he might find himself facing the ground in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the tension in the air, Eugene also slightly lowered his upper body.

“I might be a bit rough today, Sir. I’m not in a good mood due to the unsatisfactory results of the morning meeting.”

“I understand.”

Eugene moved first.

Soon, sharp metallic sounds filled the training ground incessantly.

****

Eugene returned to his office, kicking the door open irritably. The closed space constricted his breathing slightly, but he forced himself into the chair.

He focused solely on work to soothe his unsettled mind. It wasn’t as easy as he’d decided.

Knock knock.

As he was just staring at documents he couldn’t concentrate on, Butler Gordon knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Soon, a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair and a monocle stood before Eugene. As always, a tidy report followed.

The content was the same as usual, but there was an addition at the end. A man of shabby appearance was lurking in front of the mansion.

“Send him away as you see fit. Must I deal with even country nobles?”

“The thing is… he’s looking for Madam.”

“Helena?”

Eugene’s eyebrows rose in a frown.

After a moment’s consideration, Eugene decided to meet him willingly. He might be a visitor bringing news about Helena’s whereabouts.

Eugene went down to the backyard himself and dismissed the eyes around. Sensing his presence, the visitor who had been standing with his back turned approached slowly.

He was somewhat different from what Eugene had expected. He was a bit too conspicuous to be an ordinary passerby.

A solid-colored shirt, a plain vest, and a long gray robe. His clothes were neat but didn’t appear expensive. That made him seem all the more out of place.

He seemed to be forcibly putting on a rough demeanor to hide his true appearance. There was a restrained authority flowing within his free-spirited ambiance.

Eugene didn’t hide his irritation as he asked.

“Who are you to be looking for my wife?”

Wife. At that single word, the man’s face faltered for a moment.

It was a subtle tremor, like a crack forming on a smooth sheet of ice, but Eugene saw it.

Why would he make such a face just because Eugene claimed Helena was his wife? Despite being strangers, the man had quite a provocative aspect.

By then, the crack had been mended without showing a trace. He met Eugene’s gaze with his original neat countenance.

“I owe her a great debt from childhood and wish to repay it. I desperately want to see her. Please, I beg you to let me meet her, even if just for a moment.”

Eugene felt not just uncomfortable but twisted inside. His mouth was unbearably bitter.

Not only was he confronted with aspects of Helena he didn’t know, but also time she had spent with someone he didn’t know.

Hadn’t she shared everything with me, down to the last detail of her childhood? He even felt somewhat betrayed.

He suppressed his rising anger and replied harshly.

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible for the time being. Helen isn’t here. She left.”

“Left? Where to?”

“I don’t think I have any obligation to tell you that.”

“…I see.”

The man backed down more easily than expected. He seemed to have intuited that he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted no matter how much he pressed.

His ability to read Eugene’s expression and atmosphere at a glance, his demeanor exuding dignity despite his appearance.

And his claim of being acquainted with Helena.

During their brief encounter, Eugene only grew more displeased.

“Do you want me to leave a message that you visited when Helena returns?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I will find her myself.”

“Yourself?”

Yes, he was truly becoming more and more unpleasant.

“Didn’t you say you met her as a child? How will you recognize her?”

“You needn’t worry. I’ll know her at a glance. She’s that kind of person, someone impossible to forget.”

Despite Eugene’s disgruntled questioning, the man asserted this as if it were an established fact. His tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

Eugene finally realized the source of his displeasure.

He and this man had a gap that was similar yet impossible to bridge. They stood at opposite ends, looking at Helena.

Helena. Helena Evergale.

Where are you looking now? Did you really leave to forget me?

You, forget me?

Lost in thought, Eugene didn’t notice as the man briefly bowed his head. Just as he was about to turn away, he surveyed the Grand Duke’s residence once more, and then,

“It seems your wife had a good reason to leave.”

He dropped these words and vanished too quickly to be stopped. His exit was as imperceptible as his entrance.

Only dark clouds filled the empty space, making it gloomy.

Left alone, Eugene was engulfed by an inexplicable sense of defeat. All the time he had been ignoring was now eating away at him.

Eugene remained standing in place for quite some time after the man had left.

It felt as though Helena might appear at any moment, calling his name.