Chapter 5
Homecoming (5)
The place he arrived at was a hill overlooking the entire Yubin estate.
Even in autumn, green grass stretched vibrantly across the land. It seemed all trees that might obstruct the view had been removed, leaving only small plants arranged neatly at regular intervals.
At the very center stood a gravestone.
—
*“Hoben Portman. Resting here.”*
—
It was a short inscription.
Elric gave a bitter smile and sat down in front of the grave.
“Just like you.”
From the carefully chosen location overlooking the land he had built himself, to the clean and orderly landscaping, to the brief words on the stone—everything reflected exactly the personality of the father Elric remembered.
Given his nature, he must have arranged all of this himself before dying.
Just looking at the gravestone, Elric could almost picture his father’s final days.
“You always loved perfection… I bet you drove the workers crazy until the end.”
A man who tolerated not even the smallest flaw—no doubt many laborers had suffered before this grave was completed. They must have cursed him plenty, and his father likely ignored it all, fully aware.
There was a reason his nickname had been “the cold-blooded one.”
“I never imagined we’d meet like this. The reunion I had in mind was… different.”
Elric’s lips moved as if to complain further, but he gave up.
It was pointless.
His hand reached out and brushed the gravestone. Perhaps it was made of high-quality stone—it remained smooth even after a year.
And, as expected, it was cold.
That chill drew out memories of his father.
A man who had raised the Portman family—from mere merchants—into the leading trading company of Yubin. A ruthless figure who had made countless enemies. A man who never once smiled, even at his own child, and lived a profoundly lonely life.
As Elric reflected on all of it, he realized something.
“…I don’t resent you anymore.”
Even standing before the man he had once hated enough to weep tears of blood, no surge of emotion came.
He had thought it was because life had been too busy, too consumed by battle—but in truth, the resentment had already faded.
It was almost laughable.
Once the childish anger was stripped away—once he let him go—nothing remained but pity.
What had his final moments been like?
How had he lived those nine years without him?
Lost in thought, Elric stared at the name on the gravestone for a long time.
“Until the moment he closed his eyes, he remained rational.”
It was Aldio, who had come after tying up the carriage.
Elric looked at him. Aldio’s face was filled with nostalgia.
“He had heart disease. He concealed it until the end—only I and his physician knew.”
“Is that so?”
“As his death approached, he focused on settling his business and converting everything into cash. I had quite a hard time because of it.”
Aldio chuckled as he spoke.
A faint laugh slipped from Elric.
“You’re a strange butler. What did you see in that cold-hearted man to follow him so loyally?”
Thinking about it, it was true.
In every memory Elric had, Aldio had always been at his father’s side. Cleaning up after things Elric never saw, and taking care of Elric himself when no one else did.
Because of that, Aldio had remained unmarried even at his age—no family, no siblings, living as a mere part of the estate.
He must have known that life wasn’t entirely his own choice, yet he didn’t seem to mind.
“He paid me well. What other reason would I need?”
He even shrugged, almost playfully.
Elric let out another quiet laugh.
“But you’re not asking, are you?”
“Asking what?”
“About the inheritance. Didn’t I say? He converted everything into cash.”
Elric frowned in confusion, and Aldio smiled.
“All of that money… was inherited by you, young master.”
Elric flinched.
His fingertips trembled.
His gaze turned back to the gravestone.
“…That man did?”
“Yes. It was his decision.”
What shook Elric was confusion.
Why would his father leave him an inheritance?
If he had wanted to see him, he could have. If he had felt regret, he could have left an apology instead.
“…Did he leave a will?”
Perhaps he had written down his intentions—
“But that wasn’t his nature. There are only instructions regarding the inheritance. I can show them to you if you wish…”
As expected, his father was not the type to leave behind explanations.
A sigh escaped him.
Elric looked to Aldio for answers, but Aldio only shook his head.
“I do not know his true intentions. He was more guarded about that than anything.”
Elric pressed his lips together.
What reason could he have had? Even in death, his father left him unsettled.
“What will you do about the inheritance?”
Elric did not answer.
A dilemma he hadn’t faced since childhood resurfaced, stirring him deeply.
After a long breath, he postponed his answer.
“Take your time,” Aldio said, bowing his head.
Elric nodded.
—
*
—
On the way back, his thoughts remained unsettled.
Staring blankly at the scenery, a question suddenly came to him.
“…Come to think of it.”
“Yes?”
“My… wife…”
The word caught in his throat. For some reason, it felt embarrassingly unfamiliar.
He avoided it.
“…Why is she still at the estate? If I disappeared like that, the marriage should have been annulled.”
Aldio didn’t answer immediately.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
“It was a political marriage. A transaction disguised as one.”
“…Does that explain it?”
“It does. Come to think of it, I haven’t told you yet.”
“Told me what?”
“The Portman family has been granted a hereditary barony.”
Elric’s mouth fell open.
“Your father obtained a title. If you accept the inheritance, that title will pass to you. And if you recall…”
Only then did Elric remember something he had forgotten.
“…The Yubin barony was poor.”
They had been so poor that they had to marry into a merchant family like the Portmans. It had been a political marriage using Tiria Yubin as collateral, in exchange for money—and likely, the title.
“I see… so she’s still essentially a hostage.”
He felt a twinge of discomfort—perhaps pity.
But what he didn’t understand was why she had remained even a year after his father’s death, when Elric himself had not returned.
She could have claimed the inheritance as a proxy and returned to her family.
“Why didn’t she?”
“That was her choice.”
“…Her choice?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
“She’s not very talkative. To be honest… we’re not that close.”
Elric understood.
She had an air that made approaching her difficult—dignified, distant. And even when spoken to, she tended to end conversations with short replies.
“She sounds like a difficult person.”
“She is your wife, after all.”
“A stranger, really. I’ve only seen her face once.”
“Everyone starts somewhere.”
Aldio said it jokingly, but for Elric, it was genuinely troubling.
Even that morning, he had found the meal so awkward that he stuffed food into his mouth and fled.
How was he supposed to face her?
By the time they finished chatting, they had arrived at the estate.
“Please go in first. I’ll take care of the carriage.”
“Alright.”
As Aldio walked away, Elric entered the estate with his cane—
And immediately ran into her.
“…Ah, you’ve returned.”
“Yes.”
It was Tiria.
Perhaps she had been to the wheat fields—she wore a straw hat and held bundles of wheat in her arms. Her clothes were simple enough to pass for a worker’s, yet somehow, she still carried the unmistakable aura of nobility.
This awkwardness…
An artificial smile formed on Elric’s lips.
“Well… um…”
“Go ahead.”
“…Shall we go inside?”
Tiria looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes.”
Elric immediately regretted it.
Trying to prolong this awkwardness—honestly, his own mouth was the problem.
