AFRPR 40

Episode 40

The inside of the waterfall was surprisingly wide.

Lennox stared at an opaque, black mineral that seemed to absorb light.

Adamantium.

It was stronger than steel but much lighter, and an extremely rare mineral.

Because so little of it had ever been found, it was worth more than gold.

The relic is over there.

And indeed, deeper inside, he could see a relic shaped like a pair of scales.

Just from its appearance, he couldn’t tell if it was real or fake, but it looked right.

Adamantium and a relic—
It was like finding a vault worth an astronomical fortune hidden inside Winterlen’s territory.

But Lennox couldn’t be entirely happy.

There was a problem.

“So I have to break through this to be acknowledged, huh?”

The path to it was blocked by a transparent magic barrier.

Lennox drew his sword without hesitation and struck the barrier.

Clang!

It made a crisp sound, but not even a crack appeared.

Both the adamantium and the relic were out of reach—like pie in the sky.

“Interesting.”

His face was expressionless, which somehow made him seem scarier.

“In my life, there’s never been a problem I couldn’t solve with strength.”

Clang.

The barrier remained intact.

Unwilling to give up, Lennox struck it again and again.

It seemed it would take longer than expected before he could return home.

No… maybe that’s a good thing.

He could use the time breaking the barrier to sort out his thoughts.

Even at that moment, one face kept drifting through his mind.

Estelle Winterlen.

She won’t collapse just because I’ve been away for a little while… right?

Forcing his worry into the back of his mind, Lennox struck the barrier once more.

Glessia was confident.

After how harshly I treated her yesterday, she must have lost all affection and be thinking of divorcing by now!

But the next day—

Estelle and Duren came to see her again.

They say it’s hard to spit at a smiling face.

“The soup was really hot yesterday. I’ve cooled this one down for you.”

“…”

“Godmother! Let’s go for a walk!”

“…”

Faced with Estelle’s kindness and Duren’s boundless energy, Glessia felt completely drained.

Before she knew it, she’d eaten with them again and even gone out for another walk.

I’m exhausted…

Lying down, she felt confused.

Why was today exactly the same as yesterday?

She could understand Duren, but… wasn’t Estelle angry with her?

“Godmother! Dudu dreamed about you!”

Before she could think more, Duren burst in holding both arms full of picture books.

And somehow, she ended up listening to Estelle read them aloud with Duren.

“This time, how about you read, Lady Glessia?”

“My voice… isn’t very nice.”

“I’ve read several in a row, so my throat is getting sore. Just for a little bit, please.”

Well, in that case… she had no excuse.

And Duren was already waiting for the next story expectantly.

Glessia awkwardly opened the book.

“A long, long time ago…”

But the letters wouldn’t read properly in her head.

It wasn’t her eyesight. She just couldn’t remember how to read.

Sometimes the letters seemed to ripple like waves.

Even as she read, she didn’t know what she was saying.

Am I even reading this right?

When she glanced at Duren, he was staring at the book as if he might fall into it.

Seeing his face, she couldn’t bring herself to stop in the middle.

She frowned slightly and forced herself to keep reading.

When Estelle and Duren visited, it was morning.

When they left, it was night.

Whether the sun or moon was actually in the sky didn’t matter—
That was how it felt to Glessia.

“Godmother!”

Morning had come again.

They had a light breakfast with food that was easy to digest.

She ate slowly, so she didn’t throw up at all.

And of course, after eating, it was time for the daily walk.

“Do you go out for a walk every day?”

“Yeah!”

“Why?”

To Glessia, going outside to walk felt like a waste of energy.

“Isn’t it boring to see the same scenery every day?”

“The outside is different every day!”

Sniff sniff.

Duren sniffed the air energetically.

“Today smells like water!”

“Water?”

“I can smell water!”

He smiled brightly and suddenly pointed at a tree.

“Look! A flower bloomed here! Yesterday it was all closed up!”

…Was that so?

She’d never looked around enough to notice.

After that conversation, she started noticing the scenery a little more.

Pitter-patter—

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a shower of rain poured down.

“Duren!”

“Mom!”

Before they could react, Estelle came running toward them.

She took off her outer coat and put it over Duren’s head.

“What about you, Mom?”

“I’m fine. You run ahead, Duren. I’ll follow.”

“Okay!”

Duren sprinted toward the manor.

Glessia stood frozen watching him run away, until Estelle waved at her.

“Lady Glessia, run too!”

But when Glessia didn’t move, Estelle grabbed her wrist.

“Hurry! You’ll catch a cold!”

Glessia could have easily shaken off her hand—
But she didn’t. She let herself be pulled along.

The rain grew heavier.

Running through the downpour with Estelle, the damp air filled her lungs.

The rain was icy cold as it struck her body,
and the sound of it hitting the ground was deafening.

Then she saw Duren standing in the rain not far ahead.

“Duren! I told you to go first!”

Even with the coat, it hadn’t kept him completely dry.

“I was waiting for you!” he said with a wide smile.

He’d run ahead but stopped when he saw Estelle wasn’t coming, hopping impatiently in place.

“Let’s get inside.”

“Okay!”

They hurried back, but by the time they reached the manor, all three were soaked.

Duren shook himself like a puppy, splashing water all over both women.

“Oh!”

He hadn’t meant to, and looked startled.

“You’re so full of energy, even a cold would run away from you. Look—your splashes even went higher than your head.”

Estelle poked his cheek as she laughed.

“Hehe. Dudu’s super strong!”

Instead of being scolded, he felt like he was being praised, so he laughed with her.

They were all drenched, but the air was full of cheerful laughter.

“You’re cold, right? Let’s get you into a warm bath and some cozy clothes.”

“Okay!”

“Right, Lady Glessia, you too—
Lady Glessia?”

Glessia stood there as if watching them from another world.

Their shapes blurred, not because of the rain,
but because tears were running down her cheeks.

“Why are you nice to me?”

“…”

“To someone like me… why…”

When she lost the person she loved,
when she lost the child who hadn’t even been born—
no tears had come.

But now, they flowed endlessly, like something broken inside her.

It was as if she was crying out all the tears she hadn’t shed back then.

Duren tilted his head, not understanding.

“Why would you ask that?”

He looked at her with clear, innocent eyes.

“Godmother, you’re Dudu’s family.”

Everyone around Duren was kind to him.
He’d never asked why.

They were family, and family cared for each other. That was normal.

Hic.

Glessia tried desperately to swallow her tears, but they came again, harder.

Startled, Duren patted her—
well, her legs, since her back was too high.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

He comforted her in the same gentle tone Estelle once used for him.

But the more he did, the harder she cried.

Uh… Mom? What do I do?

Duren turned to Estelle with a worried face.

Estelle was just as surprised.

She calmly patted Duren’s head.

“Why don’t you go wash up first, Duren?”

“Okay!”

While Glessia’s sobs still didn’t stop, the servants began to gather.

Estelle waved them over and sent Duren with them.

“You should wash up too, Lady Glessia. If the rainwater dries on you, it’ll feel unpleasant.”

She wanted to say, I don’t care. Bathing is a bother. Don’t mind me.

But only more sobs came out instead.

Eventually, without saying a word, she sniffled her way to the bathroom.

“Lady Glessia.”

After crying in the bath for a long time, she finally calmed down.

Waiting for her was Estelle, holding a cup of hot cocoa.

She didn’t want to drink it.

But, like the roses she’d been given last time, she didn’t push it away—
because that would spill the cocoa and probably burn Estelle.

Glessia only wanted to protect Estelle.

She’d tried to keep her distance for that reason,
but she didn’t want Estelle hurt because of it.

The sweet smell of the cocoa teased her nose, awakening feelings she didn’t want.

“Duren’s asleep now. He was really worried about you,
but after washing up, he passed out right away.”

Glessia didn’t drink, just stared at the cup in her hands.

“Earlier, you asked why I’m nice to you.”

“…”

“I took the mandrake medicine that was meant for you.
That’s why.”