Moreover, he was to become the head of the Obelton family, so he couldn’t stay here forever. I hoped my thoughts would reach Ian as I boarded the carriage.
“Please give me your luggage.”
Just as I was completely entering the carriage, a knight standing in front of the carriage approached.
The knight, with noticeable dark black hair and green eyes, had an indifferent expression.
After staring at the knight for a moment and handing him my bag, he seemed puzzled by the relatively small size of the bag and asked,
“Is this it?”
“Yes, this is everything.”
I nodded and smiled brightly. Since the mansion already had everything necessary, there wasn’t much to take from here anyway.
At most, a few outfits, a couple of books, and small gifts from the villagers were all I had.
With no further doubts after my answer, the knight briefly responded with understanding and then disappeared towards the back of the carriage.
Only after the knight was out of sight did I, now seated next to my mother, rest my chin in my hand and look out the window.
So this is goodbye to this place as well.
With that thought, as I was taking in the peaceful village, the carriage, now also carrying Ian, slowly started to move.
***
The carriage ran for two straight days. And finally, on the morning of the third day, we arrived at the Duke of Obelton’s mansion.
“Please disembark carefully.”
As the carriage came to a stop and I got off with the help of the knight captain, a huge mansion appeared before my eyes. It was the Duke of Obelton’s mansion, looking exactly as it did in the past.
“Ah.”
As I fully took in the sight of the mansion with my eyes, I let out a small sigh.
The mansion, blending ivory and white, gave off an elegant vibe, and the garden, covered in white snow, reminded me of a vast snowy field.
Everything was as I remembered.
Except for one thing.
I looked around the garden and smirked.
Everything was the same, but the warmth that used to exist was no longer there.
While I was standing there lost in thought, someone took my hand.
“Sister.”
It was Ian.
“Ah, Ian.”
“What are you doing standing still?”
“I just can’t believe it.”
“Can’t believe what?”
“It’s said that many people died here. Even our father.”
I said that, lowering the corners of my mouth that had faintly risen.
Noticing the change in my emotions, Ian also wore a sad look.
Seeing him like that, my gloomy mood slightly lifted, and a tiny smile broke through.
I’ve felt this since we were young, but Ian has always been good at reading my thoughts and emotions without me having to say anything.
I gently pressed my index finger on Ian’s furrowed brow, speaking in a tone tinged with laughter.
“It’s not a story told to make you sad, so don’t look at me with those eyes.”
After I said that, I could see the negative emotions slowly disappearing from his expression.
While I was pleased to see this, suddenly, I remembered the cabin in the forest we used to visit often.
It was old and shabby, but because of that, it was more cozy—a small hideout of mine filled with memories with Luce. I wondered if it was still the same as the mansion, or if it had changed somehow.
Becoming curious all of a sudden, I decided to put my luggage in my old bedroom and then set out to find the cabin.
***
After placing my bag in my usual bedroom, I came out to find it was around lunchtime. I told my family that I was going for a walk and headed towards the forest. Before, I could travel quickly using a teleportation stone, but walking on foot took some time.
As I arrived in the forest and followed the familiar path that my body remembered, a familiar cabin came into view. Nothing about its exterior had changed in the past ten years, and unbleached memories began to surface one by one.
“Thank you…”
“I think it’s okay to make an exception once in a while.”
“From now on, we are playing hide and seek.”
Of course, most of the memories were related to Ruth.
Lost in these memories, I wore a deep smile on my lips as I entered the cabin. While its exterior appeared unchanged, the inside of the cabin had become a bit dirtier. There were signs that people had come and gone occasionally, with shoe prints and traces of the window being opened and closed multiple times.
“I thought this was my own hideout, but it seems it wasn’t.”
Muttering quietly to myself, I slowly looked around the cabin. When I approached the armchair in the living room, I remembered the treasures I had hidden here in the past.
I think I hid them under the cushion of the armchair.
As I rummaged through my memories and lifted the cushion of the armchair, a palm-sized brown box appeared.
The box, luxurious yet clearly worn, was a gift from my father when I was young.
I sat in the armchair, gently touched the box, and slowly opened it.
Inside were a diamond ring, a pearl necklace, and a single ruby earring.
They all sparkled, and I seemed to remember why I, as a child, had brought these.
Seeing the jewels reminded me of a dream I had in my childhood. I think it was about seeing the sea that I had only read about in books.
Looking back, it seems modest, but at that time, when I lacked freedom, it was an incredible dream.
It occurs to me now that I still haven’t seen the sea. I must make time to go someday. I was about to close the box when I had this resolve.
“Huh?”
A pendant hidden among the jewels caught my eye. The gold pendant, with an amethyst in the center, felt strangely familiar.
“Where have I seen this before…?”
I fiddled with the pendant and racked my brain, but couldn’t remember anything.
I ended up opening the pendant, unable to shake off the uneasy feeling. Inside the pendant, there was a portrait of a woman. She had silver hair and black eyes and was very beautiful.
I was captivated by the unique aura the woman exuded and was staring at her blankly when I heard it.
A voice, familiar and dearly missed, sounded from somewhere. Snapping back to reality, I hurriedly looked around but there was no one. Had I heard wrong? Just as I had that thought, the voice sounded again.
“…….”
I hadn’t heard wrong. I realized that the voice was coming from the pendant and clamped my mouth shut.
The voice, stern but with a hint of warmth, was undoubtedly Ruth’s. Thus, the familiar pendant must also belong to Ruth.
……Ruth hadn’t left without a word 10 years ago.
“I didn’t know that and… Ah.”
A bitter laugh escaped me upon realizing the truth much too late.
Even as I reacted, the tale in the voice continued.
Please don’t misunderstand, it’s not because I didn’t like you that I’m leaving. The words that followed made me burst into laughter, imagining Ruth blushing while speaking to the pendant alone.
The sincere confession highlighted the memories of my first love, which were dull in color, gradually becoming vibrant. And with that, my heart began to beat slowly, very slowly.
The feelings, undiminished by time, prominently declared their presence.
I smiled even wider recalling the day Ruth caught me crying.
On a particularly warm spring day, Ruth, who seemed just like a prince from a fairy tale, oddly suggested we play hide and seek.
He may not know, but Ruth looked more radiant that day than ever before. Like a star shining in the night sky.
As I was sinking deeper into my thoughts, it was Ruth’s voice that pulled me out.
Listening to his words, drenched in memories, I dropped my jaw upon hearing the last sentence.
“He definitely just said Serbia Obelton…”
My voice trailed off as I covered my mouth with my hand.
I had never once revealed to Ruth that I was an Obelton.
How could he possibly know?
As I pondered various possibilities, I realized that I had brought him a few books.
“Could it be?”
Suppressing my swirling suspicions, I picked up one of the books from the neatly arranged pile on my desk.
Unlike other items in the cabin, the book, surprisingly free of dust, was examined back and front before I opened it.
“……”
As soon as I opened the book, I could tell how Ruth found out I was an Obelton. At the very bottom of the first page, it was written [Obelton].
“Ah, I really did something foolish, Selena Obelton.”
I murmured to myself and sighed. Then I put the book down and placed the pendant back in the box.
Since it was all in the past, there was no need to dwell on it significantly.
Even though I tried hard, the fact that Ruth found out I was an Obelton was somewhat bitter, but it wasn’t going to be a problem.
Having made peace with myself internally, I took the box and left the cabin.
While reminiscing, before I knew it, the sun had tilted to the west.
I planned to return quickly before my family noticed my absence and found it strange.
Before heading back to the mansion through the woodland path, I took one last look at the cabin and then moved on. Somehow, my steps felt lighter than when I arrived.
