Chapter 88 – 7 Years Later (2)
“…? Do you know me?”
The moment Kate tilted her head, I realized I had made a mistake and put her hand over her mouth. But he couldn’t hide the laughter that erupted.
Okay. Kate. The one in front of me was that Kate. He looked much more mature than I knew him, but his playful glances and expressions were definitely his. No, maybe this was Kate’s true self. I would have grown up in a better environment than back then, so it would be right to see this as a normal state. But before I knew it, the way she jumped up and tried to reach the tip of my chin was so awkward that I stuttered.
“Ah…No…I…Just…”
“Just?”
“Uh…”
Like Ellie said, I wasn’t very good at lying. Besides, I couldn’t stand the twitching of the corners of my mouth, probably because I had unexpectedly welcomed a welcome guest. Fortunately, however, Kate shrugged her shoulders and ignored it.
“Well, the snobbish director must have sent me a picture. Anyway, nice to meet you, Mr. Luca.”
Kate said that and stared right into my face. It was as if he was observing me. After being soaked in shock and joy for a while, I finally came to my senses and pointed to the inside of the door.
“Uh…Yes. I don’t know what it is, but shall we talk inside?”
“No. There’s no need to. I didn’t come here for a long time.”
“Really? Didn’t the others come by the way? The director…Or the other kids…”
“No. I came alone.”
“You came alone?”
When I questioned Kate, she answered with a slight wink in her eyes.
“Yes. To be honest, I ran away from home or something. Don’t ask for details. It’s just personal.”
“Runaway… I see.”
It’s a runaway. I answered with a little awkwardness at the words that a puberty child would say. No, could that be the case with Kate now? After all, she must have lived a very different life than she did back then. I asked, trying to suppress the growing sense of alienation in my heart.
“Yes. I understand that, but how did you know about our house? Why did you come in the first place?”
“After I got the address from the postman, I asked from the nearby village to come. Well, it wasn’t that easy. But fortunately, there were a lot of nice people. And if you ask me why I came…”
Kate paused for a bit, then she looked me in the face once more and she said.
“…I thought you were my father.”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t be too surprised. I knew it wasn’t the first time I saw it.”
Again, an embarrassing laugh broke out. However, Kate’s expression was more serious than ever.
“But Mr. No, listen. The people who sponsor our orphanage are only aristocrats and strange people in collusion with the director, but one man with no connections keeps sending donations. Even the director was caught embezzling, and the few remaining sponsors You kept sending them even after they were cut off.”
“It’s just because of circumstances…”
“Shit. So what the hell is the situation? Is not drawn?”
“No. It’s not drawn at all.”
“I-Sir. It’s like that, Mister, you know everything. I’m just an ignorant orphan. So, how can you not imagine this?”
“Um…Sorry for letting you down. But I’m not your father.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. Actually, I hoped it wasn’t true. The house is a little smaller than I thought.”
I don’t know the person himself, but I could feel Vanessa’s fragrance in her sharp tone. Seeing her like this, I don’t know what happened to her, but she seems like going back. But Kate was smart enough to be herself even if she didn’t have to listen to that advice.
“Sir. If you do this, you have to go back. What the hell are you saying? Or should I go to another orphanage right now…”
“It must be difficult.”
“I know. Well, anyway, it was nice to see your face, Sponsor Luca. Then I’ll go. Enough.”
“Now…Wait a minute!”
Kate was about to leave just as abruptly as she did when she came. I said, holding Kate’s hand as she turned around feeling relieved.
“The forest road is rough, I’ll take you there.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t like guys who touch little girls just because they want to.”
“I’ll take care of the car expenses as well.”
“But it’s not bad if it’s an aid relationship.”
Kate suddenly spun around and grabbed my hand. Apparently, Vanessa couldn’t be a good teacher even in this time period. But even so, it was warm to the touch in her palm. Like the touch of that pendant she felt that day.
So we walked for a long time. At first, Kate, who was wary of me with a pretentious attitude, gradually revealed her true self as we shared her story. After all, no matter how much she grew up, she was still a child. She reacted in an unusual way, especially when she brought up her story about her Bella.
“…She’s a kid who doesn’t know what true gratitude is. In fact, I raised her on her back, but she keeps messing around. It’s not once or twice that she almost got scolded by the director for breaking a window, and got scolded instead for me for waking up.”
“Bella must be grateful from the bottom of her heart.”
“Ha. If you’ve seen what he’s doing, you wouldn’t have said that. Every day he takes away all my food, tries to take all the good things himself, gets angry with me and gets very… Uh. Even when I said I was going out, he cried and cried and screamed that he would go with me. How annoying.”
“Still, it seems that he likes you a lot. Seeing that you take care of him while suffering, he has affection in his own way.”
“Still, he’s the only one who can talk at that orphanage. Except for Bella, it’s at least Jake. No. He’s just fine with his looks…”
Come to think of it, there was a kid like that. Her face was blurry, but she remembered that Kate and Bella had been bullying her. Maybe Jake is in the ‘good stuff’ she’s competing with Bella for. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a funny imagination. It felt like going back to my childhood.
“By the way, you don’t have any family? Oh, forget it. That must have been a sensitive question.”
“Huh? No. I have a family. I’m married and I have kids…”
“No. You don’t have to. I understand everything.”
“Um… Just because you don’t have a family doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t have a family.”
“Oh. You know how to tell rude jokes. Do you want to fight?”
“Why, do you want to go to Myler on a stretcher?”
“There must be a man in the seat next to him. His face is covered with a white cloth.”
“Haha…”
I knew you would make a joke like this. I thought she was just a precocious kid with a lot of love interests.
As I walked, counting the points that had not changed and the points that I had newly discovered, the densely stretched trees disappeared and the end of the forest approached. Kate naturally stopped, perhaps noticing that fact. She then looked up at me and she said.
“We’re almost there. From now on, I can go alone.”
“Yes? Can you?”
“Yes. You look a little disappointed. I guess I should have let you touch my butt.”
“Because it’s not really like that.”
“It’s like that. But if you feel sorry for it, touch it anywhere. I’ll pretend I don’t know.”
Even as Kate said that, she twisted her lips a bit bitterly. But she shrugged her shoulders and said.
“Well…But it’s a pity. It’s been a while since I’ve met someone I can communicate with so well. I should have stayed a bit longer before leaving.”
“Okay? Would you like a cup of tea then?”
“No, that’s fine. If you do, you’ll look like a very strange person. Even if you don’t procrastinate now, we’ll have a chance to meet again someday, don’t we?”
“…That’s right.”
There was still an unchildlike insight in Kate’s words. I couldn’t do anything but nod this time. If it got better, I wonder if I was able to smile like a real smile this time.
Come to think of it, I have changed a lot too. If Kate then saw me, she might be as surprised as I am now.
“Whoa…”
Sensing that the moment of her farewell was approaching, Kate let out a small sigh. Then she threw in a little bit of sincerity and she cracked a light joke.
“If you really want to be my father, come to Myler with the application form, okay?”
“Even if it’s not that, I’ll visit you someday, Kate. Really.”
“Ac. It’s a bit embarrassing because he reacts to jokes with sincerity. Then I’ll go, Mister.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
With one last word, Kate tried to turn behind her, but suddenly she stopped and she looked at me.
“Oops. I almost forgot this.”
Then he put his hand in her arms. Maybe she wants to give you a gift? In the midst of her strange anticipation, she was in her hand, and all that came was a white envelope. There were no letters written on her envelope, so at first I thought it was a donation stolen from the orphanage.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a letter. It’s addressed to Luca-san.”
“A letter?”
She accepted it haphazardly, but there was nothing written on the envelope. Sender map, address map. Even the recipient. Kate only shrugged her shoulders when I questioned her with a look on her face.
“I told you earlier. There are people who helped me come this far. One of them gave it to me. Please pass it along on the way.”
“On the way…You said you asked for it?”
“Yes. It was a woman. I don’t remember the details.”
She was a woman
…
“Well, then I’ll really go, Mr. Luca. See you next time.”
“Huh…”
Lost in her thoughts, I couldn’t even look at Kate’s back. He just stared at the white envelope endlessly.
Who sent the letter? Even if I tried to count the people I knew, there weren’t many candidates, so I didn’t come to mind. There’s no way Sarah would send a letter like this. There is no one like this among the people I know in the village.
Could it be something dangerous? I looked carefully, but I didn’t feel anything like that. It was just a very ordinary letter. Of course, the contents inside are not so ordinary, but that’s for sure.
I couldn’t figure it out until I finally opened it up. After a bit of hesitation, I tore off the top and took out the stationery inside and carefully unfolded it. Soon, the contents of the letter, written in black letters, caught my eye.
And as soon as I saw the first words of the letter, I froze on the spot.
To Luca.
“…”
A voice seemed to be heard. That voice, calm and serene.
I grabbed the letter and read the contents as it is.
To Luca.
Hello Luca. Long time no see. Sorry for not revealing your name first. But I thought that if I did, you might tear it up before you even read it. So I have no choice but to leave a letter in this way.
Yes. Is it so.
I haven’t lost my memory either. Mr Luca.
I’m not sure why. Because I’m not as strong or strong as you. Maybe it’s another prank of the goddess. It’s probably very likely. I don’t know how you are, but I guess I’m still playing in her clutches.
Why did I not lose my memory for a while? I just thought about why. I sat on the throne and thought about that for a long time. But no clear answer came out. Everything was really questionable.
So I started doing what I had to do.
No, should I say it was something I had to do?
The first thing I went to was the archer. As expected, he was living like garbage. I was living on the border, preying on good people. I won’t be able to do that anymore.
Then I went to see the priest. However, because he was deeply sinful, he went to the side of the goddess after receiving religious judgment before I could do anything about it. No, maybe it just went to Hell. Either way she would have taken care of it.
Finally, we headed to the capital. There, I was able to meet the man who still clings to others and lives like a parasite. Eventually, his identity was discovered, and he met his end like a parasite.
I don’t think it’s pitiful. Because this is their destiny. I was born as a wicked person, and because I gave up on rebirth, I died as a wicked person. It’s just that it was destined to happen.
So I don’t think this will atone for the sins I’ve committed against you. I don’t even believe there is a way to do that in the first place. Besides, there was still one more person left to die.
And that would be me.
So at first, I wanted to visit you when I finished everything. I’m risen from the dead, and I’ve already disturbed enough that I must be beheaded by you at last. I thought so.
But, by chance, seeing you live happily, I thought that. I wonder if it’s just my selfishness that I’m forcing something like a prophecy to you, who forgets everything and is happy with a sincere smile.
Ennesic’s prophecy has already been twisted once, and you don’t even live in the town of mint blossoms anymore. If you forcibly twist the prophecy, you might be able to attach it somehow, but that would be meaningless. That’s because, as I said before, it’s forcibly putting the name of a hero on you. I had strong doubts that this might be what I was trying to do.
But in the end, all of this is just my opinion. The important thing is not my thoughts, the goddess’ thoughts, or the world’s thoughts, but your thoughts.
I want to ask. What do you think?
Of course, even that might not be a question you need right now. You might dismiss it as something you don’t have to think about and don’t want to hear. But Luca. Even if it is, that is. I’m still waiting for you Because I haven’t heard the answer yet. I am not free to draw my own conclusions.
So, Luca. Luca, please do as you please. You can just tear up the letter and forget everything. You can just think of it as madwoman’s bullshit and ignore it altogether. But if. Very if. If you have nightmares every night because you can’t get rid of the lingering discomfort in your heart, and you feel like you can’t move forward without trampling on the past.
Then. Come and cut my throat.
Bassrock.
“…!!!”
Luca raised his head. The sound of grass coming from somewhere caught his attention. So he turned his gaze over the hills he hadn’t noticed before.
And I met the snowy rabbit’s eyes.
At first glance, it was just a rabbit. No, no matter who sees it, it was just a rabbit. But Luca stared intently at the white body, as if the rabbit’s appearance meant something. The rabbit also faced him without averting his eyes, unlike a wild animal.
Eyes crossed, fates met. Man and beast looked at each other for so long. Suddenly, Luca took the first step. Toward the rabbit. He still had the letter in his hand. And with a little, hardened expression. Seeing this, the rabbit closed its eyes.
However, the next moment, the two of them turned their heads at the same time at the voice they heard from behind.
“Dad! I have a younger brother!!!”
“Huh…?”
“Luca!”
A bright girl’s voice spread over the time that had stopped for a very short time. Luka opened his mouth blankly and turned his head towards the girl. Then Ellie smiled broadly and stroked her stomach a little.
“They said they had a second one.”
“What…?”
“He said he has another baby. Handsome older brother.”
The answering voice was so clear that not even the slightest cloud could be found. Luka slowly moved his eyes as he realized the meaning of the words stuck in his ears.
And he said with a very clear smile.
“Really?”
With that word, she let go of her letter and ran straight to her wife and daughter.
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Um… Just? I thought I needed some good news these days. I left it as a surprise.”
“I have something else to hide! No…How long has it been? Are you feeling well? Is there anything you want to eat right now?”
“Luka. Slow down a little…”
“That’s right, Dad! And look at how I pulled out my teeth. Wind comes out.”
“Aren’t you uncomfortable, Ellie? Is it okay if I walk?”
“Why are you making such a fuss? It’s not even the first time.”
“No, but…Because it’s too sudden…”
“Oh Dad! Look at me! The wind is coming out!”
“I think you’re jealous already?”
“Haha…”
“…”
The fluttering letter flew towards the other side of the forest riding the cold wind. If you miss the trail now, you may not be able to find it forever, but Luca didn’t care. No, she didn’t seem to care. He seemed to find it daunting even to welcome the sudden happiness that came to him now.
The rabbit, who had been watching the scene, slowly lowered his gaze. The lowered gaze stayed in his own shadow. After standing there for a while, the rabbit suddenly started running backwards.
He didn’t know where he was going. The only thing that was clear was that the distance between the rabbit and Luca was steadily increasing.
As soon as the rabbit’s run, which had been moving away from it, subsided, the grasses that had been holding their breath on the hill began to raise their heads. Among them, one flower, which had been stepped on by a rabbit and buried its head in the ground for a while, struggled to get up. Although it was a slow and difficult movement, the flower radiated clear vitality and straightened its bent back.
After such a long time of patience, a single flower that welcomed spring opened its petals towards the sun. Even the remaining soil was shaken off and the face of the flower facing the world was a clear yellow color.
