Chapter 464 – #98_Fragrance(5)
#463
1.
Just like how the acrid smoke of burning wet firewood brings to mind a cozy fireplace in a cabin.
Just like how the smell of soil mixed with fresh grass evokes a spring picnic.
The sense of smell is the sense most closely linked to memory.
The last letter left by my teacher.
That will wasn’t just paper with writing on it.
It was magic that materialized the connection between the scent sprinkled on the letter and memories, creating the clearest memories.
Amelia wiped her blurry vision several times.
“Amelia.”
As she wiped away the tears that had been blurring the edges of her vision with her sleeve, her teacher, whom she had missed so much, was sitting there.
Except for the simple flower-decorated hat, she wore a modest witch’s robe and the cloak that had now become a keepsake.
Her graceful, benevolent eyes and light blonde hair.
In the same spot on the sofa where she used to greet Amelia with a gentle smile when she came in after playing as a child.
Just as she was in life.
Amelia bit her trembling lip.
Her teacher’s eyes, though facing forward, did not look at Amelia but wandered in the air.
A phantom that wouldn’t come running to hug her or whisper words of love.
This wasn’t a miracle that turned back time.
It was an illusion that used magic to let her have a happy dream for a brief moment.
Nevertheless, the sight of her teacher, whom she thought she would never see again, felt like a small miracle to Amelia.
“Teacher…”
The teacher in front of her looked much younger than Amelia remembered.
Also, she wasn’t the perfect, saintly figure full of only kindness as she remembered.
A hint of mischievous playfulness could be seen in the slightly protruding tongue in her soft smile, and her wandering eyes seemed a little lacking in composure.
Well, a lot of time had passed since then.
Amelia had lived more years than her teacher had.
“I don’t know when you’ll be reading this letter.
You have a tendency to run away from things you don’t like. How many springs have come and how many winters have you spent?”
As if she had finally calmed herself, her teacher spoke only after a long time of calling Amelia’s name.
“I already have so many questions.
Are you eating well? Are you sleeping on time even without me? Are you drinking too much cocoa? Are you getting along with Sophia? Are you studying magic hard?
Oh, you’re not an apprentice witch anymore, but a full-fledged witch, right? It was a needless worry.
But I hope you understand. Parents still see their children as little kids no matter how old they get… I guess this is a mother’s heart.”
She wasn’t just reading something she had written beforehand.
As if she was awkward talking to herself, her teacher, who was recalling and unraveling the words she had suppressed to prevent Amelia from learning the truth of the succession, subtly stroked her hair.
“You must be very angry with me, right? For leaving without telling you properly. You must think I was too selfish. Maybe it’s not that different from the truth… I’m sorry. You must have resented me a lot, hated me?”
She had hated her.
She had resented her more than anyone in the world.
Why did she leave her alone?
She wanted to cry, shout, argue, and get angry.
She had vowed that even if she met her teacher again someday, she would definitely question her about that…
“I don’t hate you… I don’t resent you…”
This was just a video letter recorded in the past; her teacher hadn’t returned.
Nevertheless, Amelia took steps toward her teacher.
Even though she knew it was futile, she hugged her teacher.
At that moment.
As if it were a lie, two arms wrapped around Amelia’s back, warmly embracing her.
Surprised, Amelia looked up, and her teacher responded with a gentle smile.
“Yes, I thought you might be hugging me by now. I tried my best too. Isn’t it amazing magic?”
From her teacher, who was clearly an illusion, she could clearly feel her scent, warmth, and even the small rustling sound of her clothes.
The touch she used to feel when she fell asleep in her arms, stroking her back with a whisper of ‘Good girl. Good girl.’
“Teacher, I… I missed you…”
Amelia, who had been holding back her tears, couldn’t hold on any longer and buried her face in her teacher’s neck.
“If you’re blaming yourself, I want you to stop.
Amelia, do you know how much of a happy gift you were to me?
You would bring me a lot of pretty strawberries, even after getting pricked by the wild strawberry bushes.
It was so amazing how all my fatigue would disappear just by looking at your face sleeping like an angel in my arms… I would stroke you for a long time and stay up all night.
When I forced you to do your homework, you would pout like a squirrel, but then you would smile at the sight of a single cookie. How could you be so adorable without anyone’s permission?
The times when you insisted on sleeping together whenever it rained, the time you set the oven on fire trying to bake a birthday cake, the moments when I scolded you for throwing your homework into the fireplace and pretending you didn’t do it—all of them were happy like a lie.”
Her teacher’s hand stroked her hair.
“Amelia. You were a precious miracle to me. So,
It might sound shameless, but I won’t ask you to forgive me for leaving without a word.
Because even if I had several chances, I would have made the same choice. I will never regret this decision.”
I forgave you.
I don’t hate you anymore.
I just wanted to be held like this.
The words that had risen to her throat were just replaced by tears.
“I regret not showing you a wider world and only pushing you to study magic… I regret not spending more time with you.”
Amelia shook her head vigorously.
She understood the circumstances that had forced her to do so.
Just like Amelia, her teacher had loved Amelia so much.
Although what she faced at the end of being left alone was a colorless, dark world, the days she had spent with her teacher were not imprisonment in a narrow cage.
Each small, trivial moment was a precious memory that allowed her to endure the pain.
“The moment of parting will be short. I probably won’t be able to say much. I’m not good with words, and… honestly, I think I’ll be too busy trying not to cry when that time comes.”
Her teacher’s voice trembled.
Her hand didn’t stop stroking her back, caressing Amelia’s past regrets and tear stains.
“So, I’ll leave this now. Will you listen?”
At her teacher’s belated message, Amelia slowly nodded.
As if she had been waiting for that, a voice whispered in her ear.
“Don’t be too sad. Just like how sprouts bloom even in the frozen soil covered in winter snow, beautiful flowers will bloom over your sadness. I hope you will be as happy as half the happiness I received from you.
The cabin was too small, wasn’t it? The world is very wide. Wander around and explore everywhere. From Border Town to Ars Magna Town, to every nameless place. The world you haven’t experienced will give you new experiences. I’ve never been there, but go out into the present world too. It’s such a beautiful world, it’s too boring to live only studying magic, isn’t it?
Make a lot of good friends. Sophia has a mischievous side, but she’s a very considerate child. Don’t hate her too much and play with her often. If you cherish friendship, it will surely repay you someday.
Get enough sleep. Even if witches don’t need sleep, it helps clear your head. If you have a problem that you can’t solve, lay your head on a soft pillow and close your eyes. Sometimes, you can solve a problem by looking away.
Don’t neglect your appearance. People say that the essence is in the inner self, not the outer appearance, but they don’t look at your inner self first. Comb your hair neatly, and when you go to important places, put on makeup and show off. And…”
The hesitation from before had disappeared.
To hide the truth of the succession, her teacher continued without a break, saying the words she hadn’t been able to say at the right time.
Amelia nodded at each word and hugged her teacher tightly.
“Is this… enough? Was it too long and boring? I thought it would end simply… I had so much to say.”
With a wry smile, her teacher hugged her tightly once more.
“You don’t have to try too hard to be a great person. You’re already an amazing and precious person, Amelia.
But if you play too recklessly, it will tarnish the name of the previous witch. Live like a witch, and like a noble, and…”
At the same time as her teacher’s last words in her memory, her two hands grabbed Amelia’s cheeks.
Even though she shouldn’t be able to see it, their foreheads touched as if she was going to tell her something really important.
“Fall in love.”
Her tearful eyes were looking directly at Amelia, as if saying, ‘You’re watching, right?’
“Fall in love with someone who makes your heart feel like it’s going to burst with happiness, someone who makes you smile just by closing your eyes and thinking of them, someone whose embrace is as warm as a fireplace.
It could be a witch, or it could be a handsome man.
It’s my only regret that I can’t see who will take our cute Amelia.
But if it’s someone you chose, they must be a wonderful and kind person.”
Finally, tears began to fall, dripping onto Amelia’s hand.
“Not every moment will be sweet. Sometimes you will get hurt because of your clumsy actions, and sometimes you will hurt others. Maybe it will end in vain without being fulfilled. There may come a day when you have to part even if you want to be together longer.
So, even more, when you meet someone who makes your heart race, hug them with all your might.
Even when you’re angry because they did something wrong, don’t hesitate to slap them hard on the cheek and then kiss them.
So that you don’t have any regrets, so that you don’t think, ‘I should have loved them more.’
Even if you’re scared, even if you’re afraid. Stand up and move forward.”
Her forehead touching Amelia’s, her teacher sighed with relief after a long time, as if she had no regrets.
There was no trace of lingering feelings on her face.
“I love you so much. Amelia, my proud daughter, my breath, my miracle.”
After hugging Amelia tightly one last time, she released her arms.
With a bittersweet smile, as if telling her to leave the nest and fly freely.
“I hope you will be happier than anyone in the world. From Malika, your loving mother.”
She ended the letter without using the witch name she always used when introducing herself.
Because Amelia had taken over the name of Marigold.
The letter was over.
Just like flipping through photos in an album full of memories, the scenery of the cabin, which had been full of life, returned to its original state.
The only trace left in the cabin, which had become so desolate, was the firewood in the fireplace that had been completely burned.
Nevertheless.
Even in the room that was so cold that she could see her breath, Amelia felt a warm heat.
Because her warm support and love remained in her heart.
“I love you too, Teacher.”
The words she hadn’t been able to say when her teacher left.
Amelia, who belatedly whispered the words she had to say, burst out of the cabin door.
There was no need to look back.
Feeling the hand that her teacher had pushed her with.
She was just running to the person she wanted to see more than anyone at this moment.
FINALLY