TTMLPTWW ~ Chapter 49

Cynthia and Masera’s cold war had begun.

There was no way the people in the residence wouldn’t notice the cold atmosphere between the two.

“Did they fight?”

“They did.”

The servants glanced at each other and nodded.

“Newlyweds often fight.”

The elderly butler, Milchenko, looked at them with pity.

The two didn’t talk or eat together. They acted distantly, like strangers living in the same house.

Masera thought Cynthia would chatter cheerfully as usual, as if nothing had happened, but Cynthia treated Masera like an invisible man.

Her bright smile was for everyone but Masera.

‘I was too harsh. But I didn’t say anything wrong.’

Masera glared at Cynthia, who was making a snowman with Eugene outside the window.

Her wounded face from that day kept flashing before his eyes, stirring his guilt.

“Still, you were too harsh. You don’t even know a single thing about me.”

He thought he knew everything.

Then he saw Cynthia smiling brightly and waving at someone.

It was Major Isaac Rodriguez.

That eyesore, Major Rodriguez, had been approaching Cynthia frequently lately.

Besides, wasn’t the rabbit brooch he wore on his uniform every day something Cynthia bought on their honeymoon?

‘A soldier wearing something like that.’

He couldn’t hear their conversation, but judging from their expressions and gestures, it seemed like they were suggesting going out together.

“What’s his angle?”

As Brigadier General Steve’s direct subordinate, who always found fault with everything, Major Rodriguez was not someone he could trust. It was definitely not anything else, that’s why he was annoyed and in a bad mood.

Cynthia had a habit of making big gestures when she was excited, and based on the information he had roughly observed so far, it seemed like they were going to buy materials to build a cat house.

She had failed twice trying to build it herself.

Soon, Cynthia, who had gone into the residence, came out shortly after with Eugene bundled up. The way he walked with heavy steps was like a gnome from a legend.

‘Is she sending him out to fight in a snowy field?’

Masera frowned as he watched Cynthia and Eugene get into Major Rodriguez’s car.

“What does the Major think he’s doing? Why is she so trusting of people?”

A moment later, Diego, who came in with a knock, widened his eyes.

“Brigadier General, where are you going?”

Masera was putting on his coat with a serious face.

* * *

In the afternoon, after the snow had stopped, Cynthia went to the shopping district with Major Rodriguez and Eugene. Dahlia was with them too.

Holding a parasol, Cynthia held Eugene’s hand and walked, crunching the snow piled up in the middle of the road.

Eugene was heavily armed with a scarf, a pom-pom hat, a thick coat, and bear gloves. It was the complete opposite of Eugene’s pursuit of neat, monochrome suits.

In the past, he would have refused, saying he hated looking like a colorful clown, but today he obediently wore whatever Cynthia dressed him in.

“Eugene, you know what? This is piled up for people who like snow to step on.”

“…….”

Crunch. Eugene stepped on the piled-up snow with one foot. His cheeks and nose, turned red from the cold, were very cute.

Major Rodriguez didn’t know why he was stepping on the snow with such an excited face.

“Isn’t the street beautiful? I wanted to show it to you.”

Major Rodriguez, holding Eugene’s other hand, smiled kindly.

“It is. I didn’t know because I haven’t been out lately, but it’s so pretty. Thank you, Major.”

There was Christmas here too, and the snowy streets were decorated with colorful Christmas decorations.

“I thought both Eugene and Lady Cynthia looked depressed lately. I hope this will cheer you up. I’ve also made a reservation at a nice restaurant.”

“Dahlia and I eat quite a lot, can you handle it?”

At Cynthia’s words, the Major nodded as if not to worry.

“I don’t have anywhere else to spend my money. Please eat as much as you like.”

Dahlia, who had as much pride in her eating habits as Cynthia, smiled slyly.

“Eugene, this is a gift.”

Cynthia, who had stopped by a small shop, handed Eugene a notebook and pen.

“It’s okay if it’s short, but write me a letter whenever you want.”

Eugene stared at the notebook for a moment, then scribbled something and handed it over.

Cynthia, leaning forward, looked at the notebook with an expectant face.

Hurry up and choose, I want to go home. I want to take off this clown suit.

‘He’s still prickly.’

“Lady Cynthia, would you like to stop by and take a look there?”

Dahlia pointed to a store that sold baby products.

Seeing Eugene’s expression harden, Cynthia shook her head strongly. She guessed that the child born between Masera and herself was a source of anxiety for Eugene.

Instead, she pointed to the toy store next to it and said.

“Eugene, shall we go look at toys?”

I’m not a kid.

“I’m going to buy it for myself? I’m planning to buy it and put it in your room. Adults make excuses for their kids when they don’t want to be teased for buying their own things. Everyone does that.”

That’s how she was heading to the toy store with Eugene when it happened.

Weeeeeee-

A siren, identical to an air raid alarm, began to blare loudly in the street.

“What’s going on?”

The Major, who was following behind the two, looked around in surprise.

Then, noticing Cynthia standing blankly, he felt something was wrong. She had no expression on her face, like a person whose soul had left her body.

“Lady Cynthia?”

Kwaang-!

A huge explosion was heard from a nearby factory. The surrounding buildings and streetlights shook from the impact of the explosion.

Having recently experienced war, screams erupted from people who felt the fear of bombing.

“Lady Cynthia! It’s dangerous!”

The Major, startled by the explosion and pushed by the crowd rushing in the opposite direction, shouted loudly. He tried to push through the receding crowd, but it wasn’t easy.

Meanwhile, Cynthia, standing blankly, couldn’t hear Dahlia and the Major’s voices.

Beeeep-

Tinnitus grew distant and then closer, blurring her vision, and panic and hallucinations assailed her.

The hallucination instantly transported her to the middle of an air raid. Like being paralyzed while standing, her body wouldn’t move.

“……Where’s the bomb shelter?”

The fighter jets flying in a row overhead were vividly hallucinated.

Cynthia looked around at the surroundings, which had turned black and white, and found Eugene, who was crouching down, covering his head among the fleeing people.

Eugene was also an air raid survivor and had a tremendous fear of air raid alarms.

Cynthia recalled Masera’s voice when she panicked at the sound of fireworks during their honeymoon.

“It’s okay.”

It’s okay, the war is over.

Cynthia trembled and repeated it to herself several times.

“The war is over, the war is over, the air raid alarm has been lifted…….”

She tried to dispel the sound of fighter jets filling her head and the whistling of bombs pouring down like shooting stars.

Then she saw a sign hit by debris flying from the factory about to fall.

Eugene was crouching under it.

“Eugene!”

Cynthia pushed through the people and ran to grab Eugene.

Eugene looked at Cynthia, who was hugging him, with a pale face.

She actually looked a lot like his mother.

Snow-white hair, a heartbreakingly kind face, a warm embrace, and a sweet scent.

Tears welled up in the child’s green eyes. The last image of his mother that he had seen overlapped with Cynthia and was engraved in his mind.

And behind her, he saw Masera running frantically.

He embraced the two of them, just like his father did back then.

“Our baby, you must live.”

Eugene’s parents had saved Eugene by holding him during the bombing, then died on the spot.

Kang-!

A steel sign narrowly fell next to the three of them and bounced off.

Eugene buried his face in Cynthia’s arms. His small, trembling lips opened.

“……Mom, Dad.”

Eugene, with a choked voice, tilted his head back and burst into tears.

“Mom, Dad, don’t leave me! Hwaaa!“