TISND Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Jeremy stood in the entrance hall, where a crowd of servants had gathered, hurling harsh words at them.

“Get out of my sight and leave me the hell alone!”

Caligo was well aware of Jeremy’s poor language and behavior. He had warned him several times, but the habit was hard to break.

“A-Ah… Father.”

Jeremy’s face turned pale as he noticed Caligo. He quickly straightened up and bowed, his expression filled with fear.

On any other day, Caligo might not have even glanced at the boy’s face. But something about the way Jeremy looked at him felt unfamiliar.

How did the child see him?

For the first time, he found himself wondering.

Perhaps it was because of her—the woman who had once told him to listen to the child rather than scold him.

Caligo had punished Jeremy before when he had done wrong. But had those punishments always been fair?

Had the strict discipline of a commander felt too oppressive to a child?

Without realizing it, Caligo relaxed the tension in his throat.

“…Butler, has a message arrived from His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Bring it to my office. I will review it there.”

Without acknowledging Jeremy, Caligo walked past him as if he weren’t even there.

As soon as their master left, the hesitant servants returned to their duties.

Jeremy, who had been bracing himself as Caligo approached, stood frozen in shock when his father ignored him entirely.

Time passed.

He remained standing in the entrance hall—where the most people came and went.

He had to accept greetings from the passing servants and, more than that, endure their gazes.

Even the servant he had just yelled at still bowed to him.

It made him feel uneasy.

His father’s reaction weighed on him, and so did the servants’ expressions.

What unsettled him the most, however, was that some of them still worried about him.

Their eyes were filled with concern—concern that he might break down in tears, that he might be hurt.

It made him want to cry.

No, he *was* crying.

Jeremy bit his lip hard.

“Jeremy.”

After some time had passed, Caligo finally called out to him.

But he wasn’t angry.

He simply asked, quietly,

“How did it feel to stand there?”

“…It felt really uncomfortable.”

“Why?”

“Because even though I lashed out, the servants still bowed to me. They… worried about me.”

“You are a part of Frantor.”

“I know.”

“And these people are the ones who support and care for you.”

“…….”

“If you want them to continue supporting and caring for you, treat them accordingly.”

“…I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before… Oh…!”

It was something Helena had often said.

Caligo only realized it himself at that moment.

As he looked at Jeremy’s tear-streaked face, he let out a faint, bittersweet smile and gently brushed the boy’s hair.

—

And then, there was one more thing.

In the vast mansion, Caligo found yet another trace of her.

A clearing.

It was just an ordinary, unremarkable space—one he would have normally overlooked.

He could have sworn that, once, it had been nothing more than an overgrown patch of weeds.

The once-barren clearing had become smooth, now filled with a mixture of herbs and flowers.

They were not as dazzling as roses nor as fragrant as lilacs. Instead, nameless blossoms stretched their heads toward the sky, swaying gently in the breeze.

“……”

A small trowel and a bucket lay to one side.

They were the ones Jeremy often carried around.

But now, having been left unattended for quite some time, they were covered in dust.

Forget-me-nots.

Amid the wild grass, Caligo spotted a single forget-me-not.

He hesitated before carefully brushing his fingers over its petals.

Strangely, standing here brought him peace of mind.

And so, he spent a long time in that clearing.

He had thought he had erased all traces of her.

From the belongings she had brought with her to Frantor to the newly tailored dresses she once wore—he had discarded everything.

But even if he had thrown away the things she used, her memory remained vivid.

Every time he turned his head, it was as if he could see her lingering presence, like an illusion.

And as memory intertwined with those echoes, they became even clearer.

The woman who loved sunlight, who found joy in leaves and foliage.

On days when the weather was especially pleasant, she would dress simply and gaze up at the sky.

He had only watched her from the window, yet he could still remember the faint smile on her face.

She was not an expressive woman.

She never spoke much either, so the rare sight of her smiling had intrigued him.

He had stared at her for a long time, trying to understand it.

Sometimes, she would close her eyes, savoring the warmth of the sun and the breeze.

Other times, she would watch the birds soaring across the sky with an unreadable gaze.

And then, that woman—Helena—had left.

He had believed that everything was over.

That life would return to how it had been before.

That although they might occasionally meet under awkward circumstances, they would become little more than strangers.

She had contributed to Frantor, fulfilled the contract marriage, and was now paying the appropriate price for it.

He had thought that, in time, she would slowly fade from his memory.

But no matter how much he erased her presence from his surroundings, he could not erase her from his mind.

—

One night, Caligo awoke from his sleep and sat up in bed.

He had enjoyed taking naps since childhood.

But lately, he hadn’t been able to nap at all.

His nights were restless, his sleep disturbed.

She appeared in his dreams.

And in those dreams, she looked miserable.

‘Why? You were the one who chose to leave.’

Whenever he asked, she would disappear like mist.

And then, he would wake up.

Why had she seemed so unhappy in his dreams?

Caligo had made the best decision he could.

She had wanted to leave this estate, and he had wanted peace.

Perhaps, back in Eskel, she was searching for some brilliant doctor or traveling the world.

Maybe she considered everything that had happened here to be nothing more than a bad dream.

Maybe, just like him, she wanted to forget.

Things had become complicated, but in the end, they had both made rational and reasonable choices.

So why did his chest feel so tight?

It was as if he were wandering endlessly, unable to escape from a path that had gone astray.

Unable to bear it any longer, Caligo left his bedroom and set out for a walk.

But instead of heading toward the training grounds, as he usually did, he found himself walking down the corridor.

Unconsciously, as if drawn by something—or perhaps searching for something—his steps moved on their own.

“……This place.”

It was where Helena’s bedroom used to be.

Come to think of it, he had never checked what had become of her room since she left.

The spacious bedroom was utterly empty.

Even if the owner had died, it wouldn’t have felt this vacant.

The bed was gone. The bookshelves were emptied. Even the carpet that once covered the floor had disappeared.

Because he had ordered it that way.

He had instructed them to leave no trace of Helena behind.

That was what he had said.

“Master?”

Emma’s voice called out. Only then did Caligo break free from his thoughts.

He was usually sensitive to even the slightest sound, yet he had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed her approach.

With a deep sigh, he ran a hand through his overgrown bangs.

“What are you doing here?” Emma asked.

“What about you? Why are you here?”

“…I couldn’t sleep,” she hesitated before drawing out her answer.

“I keep coming back here out of habit. Just in case. To check if anything was left behind.”

“All of her belongings were thrown away.”

“Yes.”

“That quickly?”

Erasing all traces of someone who had lived here should have taken time—especially considering the sheer amount of belongings a noblewoman like Helena must have owned.

“Yes, but she had so few possessions that it didn’t take long at all,” Emma murmured with a hint of regret.

“It was strange how little she owned.”

“What do you mean?”

“Things people usually cherish from childhood. Like your watch, Master. I have a music box. But Madam had nothing like that.”

Emma continued, “Even when she first arrived at Frantor, she brought so little with her. It was odd. Even a traveler would carry more.”

“……”

“She wouldn’t even buy dresses or bonnets unless I pestered her about it.”

There were plenty of memories, but nothing tangible left behind to remind them of her.

Now that he thought about it, it was true.

Regardless of wealth, most people had a natural desire to own things.

But Helena had never seemed to have that.

Even the business she had started in Frantor had been handed over to Emma and other trusted people.

Why was it that she had possessed so little?

“Master? Are you looking for something?”

“What?”

“You came to Madam’s room. I thought perhaps you were searching for something.”

‘Searching?’

Emma’s question struck him like a blow.

What was he doing?

A hollow sense of realization settled in.

“No,” Caligo replied coldly. “There’s nothing.”

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