TISND Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Spotting Helena in the distance, Jeremy immediately followed her.

“Y-young master, I think it might be better to return to the inn.”

“This isn’t the time for that.”

“Pardon?”

“Helena’s alone.”

Jane hesitated for a moment before clearing her throat and speaking.

“They could be moving separately due to their own business. It doesn’t seem like anything urgent is happening.”

“That’s true.”

“Then shall we return, young master?”

‘Please, I beg you.’ Jane asked in a pleading voice.

“Hmm, in that case, let’s go straight to Helena.”

“What? But you just said nothing’s wrong! Why are you going to Madam now?”

“As a gentleman, it’s only proper to escort a lady who’s alone. How can I just leave her by herself in the streets?”

“She probably has a knight escorting her nearby.”

“No more arguing! Follow me!”

‘Oh no, young master…’

In the end, Jane could only give up. Since Jeremy already liked Helena, he was far too excited about the prospect of spending time alone with her.

“She’s likely never been to Seantillen before, so I should show her around. Maybe I’ll buy her something to eat.”

While pondering why Helena was alone, Jeremy noticed her entering a strange building. From the outside, the place looked tidy enough. However, standing at the entrance, he began to hesitate. If his father was inside, it could create an awkward situation for them both.

Just as he was debating what to do, he noticed a rough-looking man enter the same building Helena had just gone into. Without any further hesitation, Jeremy stepped inside.

Despite Jane’s nagging voice echoing from behind, he didn’t care. Whatever this place was, it didn’t matter to him. If it turned out to be dangerous, all the better—he could rescue Helena in a heroic fashion.

“Uh… a customer?”

The interior, though relatively clean, was filled with intimidating men. They all looked rugged and unfriendly.

‘Who are these guys?’

“Who’s this? Are you here to make a request or something?”

“A kid like you doesn’t look like you belong in a place like this.”

“Who are you calling a kid, you… you idiot—”

Jeremy stopped himself mid-shout.
He remembered Helena’s advice: if you want someone to treat you politely, you must first act politely yourself. Besides, these men might know Helena, so it wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression.

“Hmm? Where are you from, young master?”

“It’s… nice to meet you,” Jeremy said hesitantly, recalling Helena’s teachings.

“I am Jeremy of the Frantor family. Might Helena be here? If so, I’d greatly appreciate it if you brought her to me immediately.”

The mercenaries stared, unsure whether he was being polite or condescending. Finally, one of them snapped out of his confusion.

“Wait a second. Frantor?”

“You mean the duke’s son?”

“Whoa, what do we do now?”

The towering mercenaries, built like mountains, began moving about in a flurry.

“Do we tell the boss?”

“Or do we call the duke?”

“Let’s do both.”

They couldn’t bring themselves to throw the boy out, but they also couldn’t tell him that Helena was with Joshua.

“Looking for your mom, kid? Hmm, maybe if you wait, she’ll show up?”

“Why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit?”

“Do you want something to eat?”

“No need. But I appreciate the thought.”

“Uh, o-okay.”

Even though they had taken care of Joshua before, the mercenaries still found it awkward dealing with children. They fumbled, unsure of what to do, while Jeremy continued his search for Helena. Ignoring the noise and commotion caused by the mercenaries behind him, Jeremy pressed forward.

He had no idea where he was, and Helena was nowhere to be found. As time went on, his worry only grew. Then, he spotted Helena—together with Joshua.

‘Why is Joshua here?’

“This happened because of me! It’s my fault, so I have to take responsibility and fix it!”

Jeremy hadn’t expected Joshua to feel guilty. From the beginning, he had never thought any of this was his fault. After all, it wasn’t just Joshua who had longed for their mother—Jeremy had too.

Hiding behind a wall, Jeremy listened as his twin brother cried. Despite trying to hold back, tears and snot began to stream down his own face. It was the first time he had seen Joshua cry so bitterly.

To Jeremy, Joshua had always seemed much more mature than his age. There were even times when Jeremy felt ashamed of himself for acting like a child while his brother seemed so grown-up. But now he realized that Joshua had only been trying to act mature. Deep down, he felt the same way Jeremy did.

“You idiot!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Jeremy rushed toward his twin brother and grabbed him by the collar. The two fell to the ground in a heap, but Jeremy didn’t care.

“How is any of this your fault?!”

“J-Jeremy…”

“Yeah, I’m scared of that woman too! I hate her just as much as you do! But you’re scared of her too, aren’t you? So why are you trying to handle this all by yourself?”

“…”

“Why do you keep trying to take responsibility on your own?!”

Jeremy’s tears dripped onto Joshua’s cheeks.

“You lied about going to the academy, and now you’re here doing this by yourself? Didn’t we promise to do everything together? Stop doing things alone!”

“Waaah! Jeremy!”

“You idiot!”

Jeremy seemed to understand the pain Joshua was going through without needing any further explanation.

“Jeremy! Joshua!”

Just then, Caligo appeared.

When Joshua saw their father rushing toward him, he began crying even harder. Emotions and tears poured out like a flood.

“F-Father!”

Joshua ran into his arms, wailing uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry for saying you’re not my real father. I’ll never say that again. I’m sorry for acting however I wanted until now!”

“It’s alright.”

Caligo looked momentarily surprised at the boy suddenly hugging him, but he quickly softened, stroking his hair gently.

“I’m sorry for trying to force you to come with me. From now on, I’ll teach you swordsmanship myself.”

“Waaah! Then I won’t try to force myself to learn daggers anymore!” Joshua sobbed.

“I’ll grow up strong, and from now on, I’ll protect both you and Jeremy!”

“What do you mean protect us, you idiot Joshua?”

“I really will, you jerk!”

In the past, Jeremy had thought that being family meant knowing everything about each other. That as family, you’d always understand what the other was thinking. But now he realized that there were some things even family couldn’t say.

Helena watched the scene, feeling a pang of envy.

Even if they fought, they could reconcile and grow closer as a family. That was something she didn’t have.

Feeling a little gloomy, Helena turned away to let the three of them have their time together.

Thankfully, the family had reconciled, but Helena still had something left to do. It was about Melissa.

Caligo and Jeremy only knew that Joshua was working hard to grow stronger out of fear of the past. However, they still had no idea that ‘she’ had been lurking around Joshua as well. Joshua, for his part, seemed intent on keeping this fact hidden from everyone.

Perhaps he wanted to avoid any conflict between Caligo and Melissa’s family. Whatever the reason, it was clear that Joshua still intended to handle things on his own.

But Helena had no intention of letting him step up to handle this by himself. Nor could Caligo be allowed to get involved directly. Joshua’s argument—that they couldn’t afford to make more enemies within the Emperor’s faction—was a valid one.

Caligo already carried a heavy sense of guilt over Joshua coming to Seantillen. If he learned that Melissa was lurking nearby, his anger would likely boil over, and he would undoubtedly cut ties with her family—regardless of the tense political situation. That was exactly what Joshua feared most.

Thus, Helena had only one choice.

Melissa couldn’t be dealt with by the Frantor family—it had to be the Eskel family. That was the right decision.

It would make everything easier—politics, power, and any lingering concerns would no longer be an issue.

“At least it’s a relief they’ve reconciled…”

Helena, walking away from the trio, turned back briefly to take in the heartwarming scene. It was such a beautiful sight that it warmed her heart just to witness it.

But she knew she couldn’t intrude.

‘If only I had a family like that…’ Helena thought wistfully. A family to share joyful moments with, to lean on when times were tough—a family to cherish.

But wishing for that now would be asking for too much.

Biting her lip slightly, she turned and headed back into the mercenary building.

—

“Uh, where’s Helena?”

Jeremy, who had been crying his heart out moments ago, suddenly realized she was missing.

“Good question. She was here just a moment ago.”

“She’s always saying she’ll stay by my side, but when I need her, she’s nowhere to be found.”

“Stupid Helena,” Jeremy grumbled irritably.

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