TWMP 61

Chapter 61

“Anna Luibisha”

[No information can be confirmed since it was 20 years ago.]

Late at night, when the moon had hidden behind the clouds and deep darkness had settled, the small note in Edwin’s hand was crumpled into a mess. A voice like a groan escaped his lips.

“…Anna Luibisha.”

It was a name he had never once forgotten, not even in his dreams.

And yet, it was also a name he had never been able to speak. A name that held the faded memories he had nursed and kept to himself alone—now, after so many years, it slipped from his lips.

“Why… why only now?”

Anna wishes to see you.

When he had first heard those words from Crocan, the emotion he felt was confusion.

It had been over ten years since they had each built their own families, so why only now?

If your wife has little time left to live, isn’t it a man’s duty to grant her at least one of her wishes?

He thought it was a lie.

That cruel woman who had left him behind wouldn’t suddenly want to see him now, and the greedy, unreadable Marquis Piace wouldn’t pass on such words just for Anna’s sake.

“….”

A curse rose to the tip of his tongue.

Dozens of times he had thought it wasn’t true, telling himself he was being played by Crocan’s tricks, and yet… deep down, he knew.

As long as Anna was involved, he would never be able to ignore such words.

Edwin.

She was a beautiful woman, with lavender-colored hair and ruby-like red eyes.

Her smile was innocent like a child’s, and her voice when whispering love was as sweet as honey.

Whenever he saw Anna speaking brightly of their future together, Edwin’s heart would swell.

Edwin, I just want our child to live the life they want.
Our child?
W-what’s with that face? Were you not thinking of marrying me?

The sight of Anna, pouting with her whole face flushed red, was so lovely he couldn’t put it into words.

So much so that he couldn’t bear not to kiss her blushing cheeks.

Of course not. I want our child to grow up like that too.
Not “if” they can grow up like that, you have to make it happen! I’ll be that kind of parent.

But not long after dreaming of a future together, Anna told him she wanted to break up.

When he asked why, she answered with a shadowed expression.

I just thought the Marquis Piace family could give our child a more perfect life than the Count Eliana family.
What are you saying?
To me, our child’s life is more important than my own, Edwin.
…
I’m sorry to you.

He didn’t understand what that meant until months later.

Anna—no, I suppose she’s now the Marchioness Piace—gave birth to a daughter.
W-what do you mean, Mother?
It means she fooled you, Edwin. I never liked that girl from the start. The greedy Luibisha blood—she couldn’t escape it.

The Anna Luibisha who had whispered love to him became Anna Piace after marrying Crocan Piace, and gave birth to a lovely daughter who looked just like her.

When Edwin learned that the news he hadn’t wanted to believe was true, he too met Elena, the bride his family had chosen for him, and married her, having a daughter—Heidi.

“….”

But even after Heidi was born, he couldn’t fully erase Anna from his heart.

Feeling guilty for not loving Elena, he tried to pour all his love into Heidi instead.

He vowed that Heidi would live the life she wanted—that at least she would be able to love and marry someone she truly liked—and he was proud he had lived that way.

It wasn’t the future he had dreamed of with Anna, but he thought it wasn’t a bad life.

Each time he faced the increasingly blurred memory of Anna, he thought he was finally forgetting her…

Then why?

Why now, of all times?

Anna wishes to see you.
If your wife has little time left to live, isn’t it a man’s duty to grant her at least one of her wishes?

When Edwin heard those words from Crocan, he realized he had never truly erased Anna from his heart.

The memories he thought were faded had only grown clearer over the years, and he still longed for her, still wanted to see her.

“…Heidi.”

And perhaps… his beloved daughter Heidi had noticed the way he held onto fragments of those memories.

The one who made me like this is you, Father.

Edwin bit his lip again as he recalled Heidi’s face, darkened in shadow.

No matter how many times he pondered, his choice was already made.

Once the fear of being discovered had faded, the silence outside began to feel strange.

Of course, beyond my bedroom was Calier’s bedroom, so it would be strange if it was noisy—

“But still, isn’t it too quiet? Is he even alive?”

Normally, I’d think I should worry about my own safety rather than Calier’s, but this time, an unfamiliar anxiety filled me.

…Maybe it’s just because I’ve never seen him this badly hurt before.

It wasn’t that I didn’t believe the doctor’s words that the worst had passed, but unease still lingered in my heart.

“Sigh…”

I told myself he’d be fine, that he was Calier, and he’d recover quickly. But whenever I closed my eyes, I saw his face—drained of blood from losing so much of it.

A face that looked like it could stop breathing at any moment, making my heart pound as if I’d run a race, refusing to calm down.

“If I could just check with my own eyes that he’s really okay, maybe I could sleep better.”

Staring at the silent door, I felt my soul slipping away.

I stopped in front of the door and muttered,

“Should I just check if he’s really sleeping well?”

It was an impulsive thought, but not a bad one.

After all, Zember had just checked on Calier ten minutes ago, so he wouldn’t be back for at least two hours.

“Right. Calier won’t wake up because of the medicine, and I’m not going far—it’s right next door.”

It was almost as if I had been using the room adjoining his for a moment like this. Everything was perfect.

Looking at the closed door, I clenched my fist and nodded firmly.

“Just slip out and check if he’s breathing properly.”

I reached for the doorknob—then my eyes caught on a thin blanket lying on my bed.

It was one May had brought in case it got too warm as summer approached.

“Perfect.”

Wrapping it around myself like a hijab, I carefully opened the door.

Beyond the silently opening gap, I saw a room drowned in darkness.

…No one’s there, right?

There was no sign of anyone in Calier’s bedroom. Feeling braver, I opened the door a bit more and peeked in.

Thanks to the moonlight slipping between the curtains, it wasn’t too hard to make out the shapes in the room.

I crept toward his bed, quiet as a cat.

Seeing the blanket bulging where he lay made my throat go dry.

Thump, thump—my heart pounded, though I couldn’t tell if it was from fear of being caught or from worrying about whether he was alright.

It’s fine. Calier is fine… and I’m fine too.

Repeating that like a mantra, I stepped closer to the bed and saw his face—sleeping as if dead.

The moment I saw the bloodless pallor of his face, the blanket in my hands slipped to the floor.

“C-Calier?”

I flinched and stopped the hand that had been about to touch his face. After steadying my breath, I slowly reached out again.

Placing my hand under his nose, I closed my eyes—and felt a faint breath against my tense skin.

H-he’s alive.

I let out a breath of relief and started to withdraw my hand—when someone grabbed my wrist.