ERTHMB Chapter 85

Pitiful, and Because I Love

“Is it delicious? There’s plenty, so eat more.”

Lily had truly kept her word about being able to raise it.

At least that had been the case since bringing the rabbit home.

For several days now, all her attention and concern had been entirely occupied by that small creature.

A rabbit with black spots around its eyes. It was cute, of course. But Helena had more important matters to attend to.

The regular subjugation scheduled for next week. Today, as part of training for that, she had gone out to the clearing and discovered Lily there.

Helena put down the wooden sword she had finished training with in the weapons storage and approached her.

“It’s grown already.”

The rabbit, showing off its soft fur while nibbling grass, had plumped up beyond recognition. Lily bragged while busily weaving passion flowers.

“Ahem, it’s all because I’ve been caring for it with love.”

The circular flower stem that had seemed destined to become a bracelet settled over the rabbit’s ears. It made quite a splendid decoration. The claim about caring with love was truly no lie. So Helena found herself asking suddenly.

“Why, because you felt sorry for it?”

“Um… No.”

Lily’s contemplation was shorter than expected. Helena, growing more interested, knelt and leaned her upper body forward.

“Then?”

“Because I felt sorry for it, and because I love it.”

“That’s different?”

“Of course it’s different! I felt sorry for it, and I love it.”

After answering that far, Lily muttered quietly.

“Just like Gelda did.”

At that moment, the rabbit that had been busily moving its small mouth attached itself to Lily’s calf. The rabbit also readily jumped into Lily’s outstretched hand. Lily’s mouth fell open in delight at the rabbit’s affectionate behavior.

“It seems to think you’re its mother.”

“Mother?”

Lily’s face, which had been beaming with joy, became thoughtful for a moment as if pondering something. But again, her contemplation wasn’t long.

“I guess it’s because I’m the first thing it saw when it opened its eyes.”

…The first thing it saw. The first.

Helena slowly sat down with both legs together on the ground and advised.

“Don’t abandon it, and raise it well.”

“Of course! I’ll naturally raise it to the end!”

Lily’s tone suggested nothing could be more natural. However, Helena thought quietly.

‘There’s nothing in the world that’s naturally guaranteed to the end, Lily.’

Unfortunately, they were living life. Reality, not a dream. Even things that seem eternal or invincible eventually crumble.

It had taken Helena a long time to accept that. Realizing that this wasn’t foolish or weak required someone else’s even more arduous patience.

Still, watching the child’s innocent idealism felt refreshing in itself. Like this rabbit that didn’t run away even from her touch.

Helena continued stroking that soft back. Then she followed Lily’s example and wove passion flowers. Soon a flower crown, matching the rabbit’s, was placed on Lily’s head.

“It looks so pretty, sister!”

“Shall I make another one?”

“Then give that one to me.”

“…!”

Ian appeared suddenly from behind without any warning. And then he brazenly made his demand right away. Helena scolded him not to act childishly while calmly moving her hands.

The second flower crown was gently placed on his fluttering silver hair as he wished. As she placed it, she noticed he seemed to have been waiting more for this act of placing it than for the crown itself.

“I have something to give you too.”

And a flower ring was slipped onto Helena’s finger. While she had been making the flower crown, she had thought he was fiddling with something. So this was it.

Helena stared at her fourth finger intently, then glanced at Ian. When she moved the ring to her middle finger, he looked a bit dejected.

Fortunately, Helena also knew how to easily soothe an easily sulking man. With just one comment that the flower suited him very well, he immediately lifted the corners of his mouth. It was a smile as blissful as the passion flower field that covered the clearing in white.

The three people enjoyed their leisurely afternoon and returned when Lily complained of sleepiness. Lily carried the rabbit, Ian carried Lily with one arm while holding Helena’s hand with the other as they walked along the plane tree path.

When they passed the smithy, Flam was just setting down a pile of split firewood. Lily, spotting him, quickly jumped down from Ian’s arms.

“Uncle!”

Flam lightly caught and lifted up Lily as she ran over with short steps. As soon as Lily changed nests, she showed off her flower crown and ring.

“Uncle, look at this! I made all of this myself, isn’t it pretty?”

“Of course, of course, who made it indeed. Even if they offered all the gold and silver treasures in the world, they couldn’t buy something this pretty.”

“You’re spoiling the child, stop holding her.”

Gelda also appeared before Flam, who was earnestly appreciating Lily’s boasting.

Lily put bracelets on them one by one, saying this one was for the captain, this one for uncle. The corners of Gelda’s mouth twitched and then curled upward.

“…Hmm, for such a little one, you put some effort into it.”

Gelda took Lily from Flam and held her. Lily naturally wrapped her arms around Gelda’s neck.

It was a scene like transferring the warmest afternoon sunlight onto carefully chosen pretty stationery.

Helena suddenly voiced a word that came to mind while watching the three people.

“You look like a family.”

Then Gelda’s gaze turned to Helena. And to Ian, who was grinning while wearing his flower crown beside her.

Gelda looked briefly back and forth between the two, then chuckled.

“What, introducing yourselves? I had exactly that thought when Lily and you two came over.”

…Family. This man and I.

Helena hurriedly turned around. Knowing how her face must look, she left a hasty greeting and rushed back to her room.

Sitting on the bed trying to cool down, Eugene’s dagger from not long ago flashed through her mind.

‘Ah, our child that you failed to protect twice?’

Family. Child.

Helena gently rubbed her flat stomach. It felt like a distant memory that once, a life resembling her and Eugene had filled this place.

‘Could Eugene and I… have perhaps become a family too.’

Of course, now it was all pointless speculation. Helena brushed her hand away from her stomach and curled up on her side on the bed. The dainty flower adorning her middle finger came into view.

Helena played with it a little, then carefully removed it and moved it to a different position.

The flower ring looked quite nice on her ring finger too.

****

Helena Owen. The time when that girl held her wedding ceremony with Eugene was actually not a peaceful period.

Four years of war participation, and then a ceasefire. The period Eugene stayed in Evergale was only during the early newlywed phase.

Eugene prepared to leave less than a month after the ceremony. It was to change the ceasefire into an end to the war.

“Can’t you not go?”

“…You know, Helena.”

Christine stood on the second-floor railing, looking down at Eugene kissing Helena’s forehead.

With nothing that could be done about it, Helena had a face that was holding back tears. Her lips, which must have swallowed down the resentful feelings, trembled.

If not for her son and Helena Owen, they would have been a pair of lovers exchanging farewells touching enough to break one’s heart.

That the girl was Eugene’s beloved was an undeniable fact.

But he was also a hero to the empire’s citizens. A hero’s place was on the battlefield, not beside his wife.

In the end, Eugene may have been a hero, but he wasn’t a good husband.

Christine already knew this fact through experience. However, she didn’t know whether she should be happy or curse her already departed husband.

It was around that time that Helena was completely entrusted to Christine’s hands.

“From now on, come to Grand Bleu every week. I’ll teach you etiquette and basic social culture. With all the parties you’ll have to attend from now on, I need to at least present a daughter-in-law who can function as a person so I can show my face.”

Christine summoned Helena to her in-laws’ house daily with strange reasons. And she poured out various verbal abuse and physical punishment disguised as etiquette education. It was the most refreshing time of her day.

On the other hand, that girl wouldn’t have been free from suffering even after leaving Grand Bleu.

Christine would call the maid she had assigned to Helena’s side and have her describe that suffering in detail. It was work that filled her relieved chest with joy and sealed it tight.

Christine smiled with delight at reports that there were days when Helena complained of dizziness and nausea, and even retched severely.

That girl was like compensation for her own difficult past. What other use could there be otherwise?

And now, Christine hoped the same for the new parasite that had crawled into Evergale.

Two women sitting with deeply brewed tea between them.

After dismissing the servants, Christine tilted her teacup with economical movements and moistened her lips.

The gaze she then directed at Natasha was quite bitter, unlike the soft rosemary scent lingering on her tongue. Christine began with cultured pronunciation.

“I don’t know if you can even dare to imagine, but just a few years ago, Eugene always smelled of blood. The battlefield was no different from his home.”

For having something she wanted, it was quite an ambiguous hint. But Natasha read it exactly right. Not content with that, she chose to defy rather than submit.

“I don’t know if you can dare to imagine either, Madam, but I too have fought through battlefields to get here. Having rolled around in pools of blood, I know well.”

An ambiguous smile hung on Natasha’s lips as she pretended to answer submissively. She paused before adding.

“It’s also one of the reasons I love His Grace.”

“Ha.”

Christine exhaled as if exasperated. This cunning thing, where does she dare to speak of love?

There were those who had to get their noses broken before they learned. She threatened in an ominous warning tone.

“You won’t be able to handle Eugene.”

“We’re the same people, I can hold him sufficiently, Madam. He already quite likes my embrace.”

“Even if you’re the same people, you’re different humans. If you carelessly embrace him, you’ll burst. When that happens, regret will be too late.”

“Then please watch once. Whether I’ll regret it or not.”