Chapter 139
(Special Side Story Chapter 4)
“Even if we had broken up because you were willing to accept my request for a divorce, you would have come back to me at some point.”
“Yes. I’m sure I did.”
Cassis let out a small laugh and bit her earlobe soothingly.
“But why are you suddenly bringing that up? Was there something I did that upset you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Evelia cupped Cassis’s cheeks and pressed her lips to his high nose.
“I think you would have really done that. No, you definitely would have.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t believe me all this time?”
“Of course I believed you, but you know, things might not work out, and even if you wanted to come to me, you might not be able to….”
“Hmm.”
Cassis seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon gave a faint smile.
“Then I guess I’ll have to make it clear again.”
“You don’t have to, I know now, you would have come back to me no matter what.”
Evelia decided to keep the dream she had a while ago a secret.
No one knows what actually happened when Cassis accepted the breakup.
She didn’t know if the same thing would have happened or not.
But she was strangely certain.
The man before her eyes, Cassis Adelhard, would have come back for her.
Special Side Story 2. Luck? No, happiness!
It was a spring day in the year Ruth turned eleven.
When Ruth returned to the empire after spending the winter in the Kingdom of Cesia, his second younger brother, Edwin, had grown up a lot.
“Abuu!”
Sure enough, the little brother who could barely flip over the last time he had seen him was now rolling around on his belly on the carpet.
Ruth carefully picked up Edwin. Edwin stared blankly at his brother for a moment, perhaps because he was not used to seeing his brother’s face after such a long time.
“Uuhh.”
Soon, tears began to well up in his red eyes, which were just like Ruth’s.
“Oh, Ed, it’s big brother, I played with you so much before I went to the Kingdom of Cesia!”
Ruth was taken aback for a moment, then moved his body around to comfort Edwin.
“Are you shy because you haven’t seen me for such a long time? What should I do? Brother has to go to the Academy now.”
“Uuuhh…”
“The Academy is nice, but I wish I could live in the mansion with Sylvia, Ed, Mom, and Dad.”
Edwin, who was on the verge of tears, smiled, feeling Ruth’s love.
Ruth smiled back at his brother.
“Do you recognize your brother now?”
“Abu!”
“That’s good. But if Brother leaves the mansion again, won’t you forget me?”
“Buu?”
“Hmm, what should I do?”
Ruth, holding Edwin in his arms, thought for a moment and then came up with a plan.
“Yes, that will do!”
* * *
[Will this work?]
Celsion, who had barged into the garden, stirred up the wind and swung around here and there.
The delicate flowers swayed dangerously in the wind stronger than the spring breeze.
“Don’t do that, Celsion!”
Ruth, who had belatedly chased after Celsion, stopped the wolf.
[Why? If you do that, you’ll find them quickly.]
“If you do that, you won’t find what you’re looking for, you’ll just ruin all the flowers, and you’ll just watch from the sidelines. Oh, and if you sit on the grass, you’ll crush it!”
Celsion, who had been nagged again, lay down on the bare tile floor. His fluffy tail wagged in frustration.
Ruth patted Celsion’s head apologetically.
“I didn’t mean to say it, but just in case the shamrocks are ruined and I can’t find the four-leaf clover… Anyway, just wait there and be a good boy, okay?”
[Sometimes you seem to treat me like a puppy.]
“Hehe, that’s because you’re Celsion.”
Celsion howled in frustration, but he did as Ruth said and didn’t climb up onto the grass.
[But what on earth are you going to do with a piece of grass?]
“It’s not a piece of grass, it’s a four-leaf clover.”
[It’s a piece of grass.]
“If you say that, I have nothing to say…”
At that moment, a bright voice was heard from the entrance to the garden.
“Ruth! Celsion! What are you two doing there?”
Ruth, who had been squatting in the shamrock garden, jumped to her feet.
“Aria!”
[It’s been a long time].
Aria, dressed up in a pretty dress, crossed her arms and looked at Ruth and Celsion with a fresh expression.
“What on earth were you two doing that neither of you knew I was here?”
[I knew but I pretended not to know.]
“You’re lying.”
[It’s true. Do you really think this body didn’t notice you, I let it go because it wasn’t doing any harm].
Aria, who was immediately convinced by those words, glared at Ruth with sharp eyes this time.
“Then you, Ruth?”
“Oh, I….”
Ruth, who was bad at lying, couldn’t bring himself to make up a lie and tried to mumble.
Aria’s eyes narrowed even more.
“You really didn’t know, did you, Ruth?”
“…….”
“How can that be? You’ve always been so aware of my arrival, even when I sneak up on you quietly to intentionally scare you. Have you lost interest in me already?” “That’s not it…”
“And you said you would definitely come to greet me when you returned to the Empire, so why didn’t you come?”
Ruth was at a loss for words as Aria’s words continued to pour in.
He remembered the promise he had made months ago to visit the Marquis Denoa when he returned from the Kingdom of Cesia.
In fact, before arriving at the Adelhard Mansion, he had been planning to greet his family and go to Aria.
“You said I was your first best friend, but you were lying, weren’t you?”
Aria turned her head away, clearly showing her anger. Judging by her cherry lips sticking out like a duck’s, she must have been really angry.
Celsion settled back into his seat and watched the youngsters’ love affair with interest.
Hoping that Ruth, his friend and master, would give a proper answer.
“No! Of course you are my first and best friend!”
“Hmp.”
“I swear, I missed you so much during my time in the Kingdom of Cesia!”
Ruth explained, waving his hands wildly to express his sincerity.
The longer Ruth rambled on, the more the smile on Aria’s face grew.
Ruth, still flustered, didn’t notice.
“I was really going to go! But something urgent came up…”
“What’s that?”
“Ah, so….”
Aria firmly uncrossed her arms and moved closer to Ruth’s side, then slipped her arm through his.
Ruth blushed and faced Aria, linking arms.
“So, what were you doing? What was the emergency?”
“Edwin was shy because he hadn’t seen me in a long time. He definitely followed me well before I left.”
“I’ve read in the books that little babies like Edwin’s size are very shy.”
“I’ve heard that, too, it’s true. But, Sylvia wasn’t this shy.”
“So what does Edwin’s shyness have to do with you sitting alone in the garden, oh?”
Aria’s eyes widened as she noticed the grass spread out at her feet.
“You were looking for a four-leaf clover again?”
Ruth lowered his head to hide his now red face.
“Ugh.”
Aria leaned down to look up into his face.
“You’re going to find a four-leaf clover and pray that Edwin won’t be shy next time?”
“… That’s right.”
“Silly, there’s no way that grass will grant your wish.”
Aria said firmly.
