Not long ago, Julia had some special visitors. Children from the orphanage where she had spent much time. A few of them had come to the capital, deciding to stay by Julia’s side to help her. Erin enjoyed tea time with Julia and her siblings, sharing various stories.
“Some have decided to work in the salon with the help of the princess.”
“That’s good to hear. Working there offers much to learn and see, which will be beneficial.”
“And this one is my assistant.”
“My name is Owen.”
The child standing next to Julia greeted Erin awkwardly but with a determined politeness.
“He’s been helping me out with my sculpting since our time at the orphanage.”
“He’s quite skilled with his hands.”
“One should speak properly. It wasn’t helping; it was more like… being exploited…”
“Owen. So, you have complaints?”
“Who said I’m complaining?”
He murmured sullenly and turned his head away. Despite his outward rebellious appearance, he quickly backed down at Julia’s words.
Watching them, laughter came naturally. They were truly siblings, a family, relying on each other.
The Count of Charte’s family welcomed them as well.
The Count and his wife embraced them as Julia’s own siblings. Erin smiled lightly and turned her gaze to the children playing in the garden.
It was clear at a glance that everything Julia had spoken about was sincere, which made her feel even warmer and happier.
“Speaking of which, I received a letter a while ago.”
Julia turned her attention from the children as she spoke.
“A letter?”
“It was from Lord Demielan.”
Amazingly, although she thought their connection had ended when he departed, he had maintained occasional contact with Julia. She still regarded Demielan as her mentor.
“He’s been travEring far on a ship.”
“It must have been a long voyage.”
“It seems he suffered badly from seasickness.”
“Is he coming to the capital?”
“I don’t know. There was no mention of that.”
He returned to the empire, but he had no intention to come to the capital. Julia said with meaningful, narrowed eyes, “He plans to tour other regions within the empire.”
Julia’s eyes crinkled with a smile, as if enjoying a delightful thought, and laughter spilled out. Erin looked on and smiled softly, reminded of the last day she saw Demielan.
“I was only admiring you from afar, holding my feelings within.”
When he said those words, Demielan had a look of powerlessness, as if he didn’t dare to desire more from his own heart.
“Of course, I never once thought to confess. It was enough just to watch.”
He described his feelings for Erin as unrequited love.
“Is that really so?” Frances recalled the look he had seen in Demielan’s eyes.
Erin might not know everything, but sometimes she could sense a person’s feelings just by their gaze.
She wasn’t sure if her feelings for Demielan were the same, but, “It must have been special.” Slowly, a curve formed in Erin’s eyes.
***
Meanwhile, the Pheron vineyard was steadily establishing itself. Nearby, a wanderer was travEring through.
He looked at the vineyard from a distance, contemplating whether he yearned for the landscape for inspiration, or perhaps for a certain someone inside.
Just then, a woman surveying the farm felt his gaze and turned around. Silence.
Their eyes met. A moment of tension.
Flickers of recognition. His head turned away, as if to avoid hers. But she continued to watch him. A slow, pleased smile spread across her lips.
A warm breeze was blowing. The story they thought had completely ended might, perhaps, be written anew.
***
Julia returned with the children.
Before long, Aiden had taken the seat next to Erin. Erin turned to Aiden and spoke.
“If it’s destiny, we’ll meet again someday.”
But Erin’s thoughts did not end there. She wondered, can you meet and hold onto every fate just by waiting? It might just pass by.
So, if it’s truly precious, one must grasp that fate themselves. ‘That’s why it’s a relief. The fact that I failed to divorce Aiden.’
Erin and Aiden held on to each other.
Thanks to this, they were still together. Perhaps, by each taking steps forward, they could build a new connection in that tranquil place rarely tread by others. A serene smile appeared on Erin’s face.
“Should I ask to find out?” Aiden, having heard the story of Demielan from Erin, suggested.
He seemed ready to send someone to find out immediately.
“Don’t. I am curious, but… that’s between those two.”
Whether the two would reunite and form a new relationship, or simply pass each other by, was a decision they needed to make and act upon.
Aiden readily agreed with Erin’s words. However, his attention shifted elsewhere.
“The wind is getting colder, do you want to stay out here? Shall I get a blanket?” The sun was setting, and as it did, it felt a little chilly.
“Let’s go inside,” said Erin, taking Aiden’s hand.
Just then, there it was. Thump, thump, thump. Erin felt something kicking inside her belly.
She lovingly stroked her belly. Aiden wrapped his arm around Erin’s waist, helping her to comfortably get up. But at that moment.
“Ah…!” Erin, rising up from her seat, clutched her belly.
“Erin. What’s wrong? Could it be…?” Aiden looked at her anxiously. Erin’s eyes widened.
Labor pains had begun.
“Prepare for the birth right now! Immediately!” Aiden shouted urgently to Mona and the servants who were already getting ready to take swift action.
Despite all the preparations, the moment of childbirth made everything else seem insignificant. Aiden stayed by Erin’s side throughout. He was consumed by fear that something might go wrong with Erin, but he never left her side.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
After a long and arduous labor, the cry they had been eagerly awaiting finally filled the room.
“It’s a prince…!”
“Hello, my baby. I’m so glad to meet you.”
Erin greeted the newborn – who had not yet opened his eyes – with a loving gaze.
***
Before they knew it, the child was asleep between Erin and Aiden. Surrounded by stillness, Erin and Aiden were having a quiet conversation.
“What kind of person do you hope our child will become?” Erin asked.
“What kind of person…,” Aiden’s eyes deepened in thought, and after a pause, he slowly parted his lips to speak.
“I think I’d like them to be someone who knows how to be loved.”
“Someone who knows how to be loved?” Erin echoed with a hint of curiosity.
Aiden nodded slightly as he shifted his gaze toward the child. The baby resembled Aiden a lot. It was almost like looking in a mirror. And perhaps because of this resemblance, Aiden found himself reminiscing about his own childhood.
“Life is not full of just joy and good times. We can’t protect our child forever, and inevitably, they will endure tough times.”
For where there is light, shadows are cast as well.
He knew it was too much to ask for a life of only happiness.
Aiden continued slowly, “But just knowing that there are people who love them can give them strength.”
He did not know that he was loved. That’s why every situation felt tough and overwhelming.
As the heir to the family, yet feeling abandoned, he endured time alone with the thought of being utterly solitary.
At that time, what Aiden desperately needed, he wanted to give to his child.
A shade to rest in and a pillar to lean on during times of exhaustion and hardship.
That alone was enough.
The first person to become that for Aiden during his childhood was Erin.
Until she appeared, Aiden was always enduring the present for the future.
He intended to gain strength by any means necessary and then take revenge on everyone.
Grinding his teeth, he vowed to leave a stain of disgrace on the history of the Lienster family.
But everything changed with just the existence of Erin.
So for his child, he wanted to be that presence.
Yes. More than what he wished the child to become, it was about becoming that person for his child.
That’s what Aiden looked forward to from now on.
“The child will grow up in their own way; that’s enough.”
She hoped to grow just as she was, without struggling to meet someone else’s expectations.
Erin understood even the unspoken feelings of Aiden.
“Right. Let’s love each other so that our child can grow up freely.”
Erin agreed with that sentiment. Conveying that feeling properly would be enough.
Erin and Aiden, holding their child’s hand, smiled at each other.
That’s when it happened.
The quietly sleeping child suddenly burst into tears, awakening.
At the same time, the peaceful conversation between Erin and Aiden came to an end. They both moved in a flurry.
It was the moment that the Lienster family began their new chapter with the arrival of their child.
