IDIBC Chapter 135

Again, Resotia

My thoughts quickly flew somewhere else as Ricardo gently embraced me.

“I don’t want to let you go.”

“But you said you’d visit often.”

“Of course. But it’s different from seeing you every day.”

I didn’t want to leave either, but right now I couldn’t stay by his side.

The reason was decidedly political.

The Grand Temple had regained stability by welcoming a new Grand Priest, but its power had greatly weakened and it couldn’t interfere in imperial affairs for the time being.

Currently, the nobles of the empire were gathering their strength to pull Stuart down from the emperor’s throne, citing the reason that the new emperor wouldn’t live long.

[Even if you do nothing, you’ll be caught up in tremendous turmoil.]

I immediately understood what Ricardo’s concerned voice meant.

After Judith was confined to the temple on grounds of blasphemy, people unanimously agreed that I was the empress chosen by the gods. Since I, Ricardo’s wife, was born with the empress’s oracle, the prevailing opinion was that Ricardo should naturally become emperor.

I couldn’t refute their words. That was precisely the blind spot of oracles. They existed only as conclusions, with no before or after.

People feared the unfulfilled oracle, and that fear united them.

In this state, there was bound to be great upheaval within the empire before Stuart could pass the imperial throne to his son.

“You know, Lienne?”

“What?”

Ricardo’s face became quite solemn, making me tense up as well.

“I actually read your heart.”

‘My heart?’

“Your truth is still quite violent to me.”

What was he trying to say with this? My eyes naturally narrowed.

“You want to go, don’t you. To Resotia.”

“What?”

I still hadn’t forgotten the expression Ricardo wore when I said I would leave for Resotia. Not even the eyes of a puppy abandoned by its trusted owner could be more pitiful than that.

But soon we both agreed with the idea and hurried to push things forward. Since it was a decision made to be together even one day sooner, there was no fear in parting.

“Do I?”

But perhaps, without even realizing it, there was a corner of my heart that wanted to return to Resotia. It wasn’t a place with only beautiful memories, yet just hearing the name made longing wash over me.

“I’ll be leaving without seeing the snow or spring flowers of the empire.”

When I subtly changed the subject with feigned indifference, Ricardo chuckled. He embraced me from behind again and whispered in my ear.

“That’s right. Especially the spring in Rochester is truly beautiful.”

I had come to the empire with him in late spring. Now, in the middle of winter, I found myself looking back on the three seasons I had spent here.

“You don’t remember this, Young Duke, but…”

He silently held me tighter. I stroked Ricardo’s arms wrapped around my waist and continued speaking as if in a dream.

“When you were a nameless child in the eastern wing, you really loved Resotia’s spring. In Resotia’s spring, for exactly one month, it rains as if the sky has opened up.”

He nodded with his lips pressed against my neck.

“On rainy days, you would sit by the window all day long drawing pictures. So please come before then. I’d like us to look out the window together on a day when it rains heavily. I’ll be waiting.”

Instead of answering, Ricardo kissed me deeply. It was somehow a warm and tender kiss that made me feel new hope.

****

Tonight too, Sabrina came home only after passing midnight.

Perhaps having drunk a lot despite not being able to hold her liquor well, she was flushed red up to her neck and grinned at me.

“What excellent behavior.”

“You’re the one who told me to fully enjoy the aristocratic culture.”

As soon as our family settled into Count Fennel’s estate, Resotia’s social circles sent party invitations day after day as if they’d been waiting. There were even rumors that Resotia’s social season, which starts in spring and ends at the beginning of summer, would be extended because of the Fennels.

“Are you sure this is aristocratic culture?”

“Lienne, everything nobles do is aristocratic culture. I don’t find it to my taste to sit in gardens with demure ladies discussing embroidery.”

“The aristocratic culture I meant is exactly that. Who was it that said you need to frequently attend tea parties hosted by ladies of prestigious families to find a good marriage match?”

When I glared at her with narrowed eyes, she smiled with her eyes crinkling pleasantly and casually linked arms with me. Even though I knew I shouldn’t let her off so easily, I ended up laughing helplessly at her actions.

“I know. That’s why tomorrow I’m scheduled to attend Lady Mablin’s tea party.”

Sabrina seemed unchanged from before, but in fact many parts of her had changed. She no longer had casual encounters with men, nor did she view meetings as contests. Nevertheless, Sabrina still seemed unable to start proper love.

After all, new love couldn’t possibly come to someone already full of longing for someone else.

“Where did you go out and play tonight?”

According to what I’d heard from Ricardo who visited recently, Julian was the same way.

No, perhaps even worse.

After Sabrina left, he’d spent the past six months living almost constantly drunk, Ricardo said. The expression on Ricardo’s face as he mischievously laughed, saying I should see that unseemly sight too, was still vivid.

Ricardo said he’d bet big money that Julian wouldn’t be able to endure and would soon come to Resotia to see Sabrina.

The parties to that bet were none other than Walter and Stuart.

I wanted to ask where Walter had placed his bet, but when Ricardo noticed my curiosity about Walter with eyes that gauged the truth, he sulked so much that I had to spend the whole day that day soothing him.

“I went to the Schmitz estate.”

“Ah, it’s been a while since I heard that name.”

At my grumbling words, Sabrina giggled. She led me toward her bedroom and began chattering away.

“That family held a party in their garden today.”

“For what reason?”

“Well, there was a reason, but I don’t remember. That’s not what’s important.”

“Then what is important?”

“There’s a big maze forest in the estate garden. Compared to the Dermeier imperial palace, it would be hard to call it big, but…”

“And?”

“While I was wandering through that maze, I suddenly remembered something Julian said.”

“What?”

“Our Young Duke apparently had a terrible time in the labyrinth.”

Hearing a story about Ricardo, one side of my heart sank without me realizing it. It hadn’t been long since he’d visited, but longing was already washing over me, keeping me awake.

“I hadn’t heard that story…”

“He apparently had no memory at all of the entrance to the labyrinth.”

Was that possible? As I was thinking that, a memory suddenly came to mind.

“And… so?”

“But our Young Duke isn’t the type to give up just because of that. Breaking through and taking wrong paths, he eventually made it to where his memories remained. While barely surviving, that is. Julian said that’s why it took almost four more days.”

While I continued my thoughts with furrowed brows, Sabrina added:

“But today, when I went into the Schmitz family’s maze, a very strange memory came back to me.”

No way. I looked at Sabrina with widened eyes in surprise. She too stopped walking and looked at me, nodding.

“Right, left, and then left again. The maze I saw in the Young Duke’s drawings unfolded before my eyes like a picture. The part we burned, I mean.”

“…”

“Could it be… that the part erased from his memory was that?”

Was that all? I had very diligently scrubbed away the maze that Ricardo had drawn as if crushing it with ink and his own blood. If that part was erased from Ricardo’s memory, then as Sabrina said, he would have wandered through the labyrinth for quite a long time.

“Oh my…”

“So, let’s keep this a complete secret between us.”

At Sabrina’s secretive proposal, I nodded vigorously. If that matter was revealed, I might naturally have to explain the method I used to awaken Ricardo.

As we stepped on the last stair leading to Sabrina’s room, our eyes naturally met. Then, as if by agreement, we burst into loud laughter.

At that moment, the door at the opposite end of the stairs opened and Countess Fennel appeared.

“You two, what time is it that you’re still awake making noise? Lienne, you may be temporarily staying at your family home, but you must remember that you’re to be the lady of the Rochester household.”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

When I answered biting my lower lip, she glared sharply at Sabrina.

“How did I end up raising such a wild child? I’m worried that tonight in my dreams, my mother in heaven will appear and scold me.”

“I’m sorry too, Mother.”

Even though Sabrina apologized, Countess Fennel’s nagging continued for a while. Though I didn’t say it, even this moment felt like a miracle to me.

The year after returning to Resotia, on a day when spring was in full bloom at the count’s estate, the countess, my mother, prepared refreshments in the garden and called us three siblings together.

At first she just silently watched us chatter, then began adding a word or two, and later naturally exchanged conversation with us, gradually increasing the time she spent with us.

Only after Countess Fennel pressed her forehead and went inside could we finally enter the room and catch our breath. Sabrina flopped onto the bed and smiled brightly at me.

“Everything feels like a dream.”

“I know.”

“Lienne…”

When Sabrina turned on her side and her eyes sparkled, moonlight glinted in her clever-looking green eyes.

“I’m really happy right now. It’s thanks to you.”

I also lay down properly beside her.

“It’s thanks to all our efforts.”

“That’s also true.”

Sabrina moved noisily again, pulled the blanket over herself, and whispered, ‘Still, thank you, Lienne.’ After that, as she quietly chattered about what happened today, her voice gradually subsided and soon her breathing became steady.

“Wash up before bed. You’ll regret it tomorrow.”

I shook her shoulders to wake her, but she wouldn’t budge. I gave up trying to wake Sabrina and loosened some of the buttons that were constricting her body.

The night grew deep on this particularly lonely evening when I missed Ricardo.