Three days later, Vicente’s family was forcibly sent to the organization’s gambling den.
I had already sent a letter to the Dowager Duchess, detailing the outrageous behavior they had displayed at the official residence, along with their extravagant spending.
The organization would need to get paid, so they would contact the Duchy. The Dowager Duchess would hold Helene accountable.
Having already taken several missteps, Count Queensguard didn’t seem inclined to help her this time. He wasn’t one to show leniency just because she was his child.
‘I wonder if Brigadier General is alright.’
I could sense him avoiding me outright, so I couldn’t bring myself to seek him out.
In truth, I was also fretting over what I should even say to him, all by myself.
I knew well enough that it was uncomfortable to be around someone who knew a secret you wanted to hide.
“Maybe time is the answer.”
I mumbled, fiddling with the neck where the cute duck bandage was stuck.
Why, even if things became a little awkward, people often became close again over some trivial matter, without having to have an uncomfortable conversation.
I was curious about how the Allied Forces meeting went, what the country he went to was like, and what delicious things he ate.
In the meantime, I aimlessly wandered around the kitchen, peeling onions and potatoes, playing with the cats who had gotten noticeably rounder with their fattened fur, and making plans for the next volunteer work, doing my part.
I thought I would tell him if something interesting happened, but nothing of the sort occurred.
Without being able to chat with Masera, life had become a little less interesting. He didn’t react much, but the subtle changes in his expression as he suppressed his laughter were thrilling and made me feel accomplished.
“Then let’s find some material so funny that he absolutely can’t help but laugh.”
What I did then was ‘spacing out.’ I would sit in a chair with a view I liked and quietly pass the time.
Having lived two lives, I sometimes needed time to sort out my thoughts.
‘I can see why they erase memories in the afterlife.’
My head was definitely more complicated than in my previous life.
Maybe the Grim Reaper forgot to erase my memories and just abandoned me in some novel. They could have at least told me the plot. Then I could have solved all the problems easily.
“…”
Then I could have kept Masera from suffering from painful memories.
Looking at the scenery, which was covered entirely in white and looked like a blank canvas, I felt a little sad.
“…I could have found a way to resolve things without hurting him.”
But now, no matter how much I racked my brain, the only ending that came out was one where I ended up hurting him.
‘I want to be with him without any worries.’
At some point, I had become overly greedy.
Masera, who was in his office, saw Cynthia sitting alone on a bench in the garden.
She was sitting still again, staring blankly at something.
Masera grabbed his coat and went outside, approaching her.
Snow had already piled up on her shoulders.
“What are you looking at this time?”
He was curious about what she was seeing. Just that, and nothing more.
As Masera draped his coat over her shoulders, Cynthia looked up at him and smiled brightly as usual.
“I’m looking for something fun. I’m going to tell Brigadier General.”
He still couldn’t understand her thoughts. Instead, he carefully placed a duck doll on her lap.
“I bought it because it reminded me of you.”
Cynthia looked over the funny-looking duck doll. Seeing that the doll quacked when pressed, she asked.
“Why did this make you think of me? Don’t tell me you think it looks like me?”
“Because you like things like this.”
“Correct.”
Cynthia pressed the duck, making it quack as if she were putting on a puppet show.
He was relieved to see her as usual, but at the same time, he sat next to her warily.
After some time passed, he cautiously brought up the main topic.
“I thought it would be better for you to hear about my past from me, rather than from someone else, so I came.”
“Good. I’m curious about what kind of child Brigadier General was. What your dream was, what you liked, and good memories with your birth parents.”
Cynthia smiled with her eyes.
Masera opened his mouth with a faint smile on his face.
“My father was a navy officer. He was on a warship called the Nautilus. The warship toy that Eugene bought is the now-sunken Nautilus.”
He told her about the memories he had with his kind and caring parents.
“There was spring at the naval base where I lived. In the spring, there was a naval port festival, and I got to ride on a warship with my parents. My father always bought desserts whenever he came on leave, and I would always look forward to that day.”
That was one of the reasons why Masera liked desserts.
Having lived in a place with the sea, Masera ate so much fish that he was sick of it, and he said that the reason he could eat the terrible eel jelly at the Duke’s residence was because he was used to the fishy taste.
“No wonder.”
Cynthia burst out laughing.
It was almost the first time she had laughed while listening to Masera’s personal stories. Most of the time, Cynthia was the one telling the stories.
“There was a custom of giving embroidered handkerchiefs to wish for the safety of one’s spouse, and I liked lying on my mother’s lap as she sat in the garden embroidering.”
He told her about the good memories, not the painful ones.
Cynthia was as happy as if she were there at that time.
“If it’s hard to share difficult memories, talk about good memories. It will be comforting to each other.”
Masera suddenly remembered the psychiatrist’s words as he looked at her smiling face.
“I heard you’ve been sleeping well lately, but is Brigadier General’s mind at ease?”
I should have known from the start when he asked me such a question out of the blue. I should have known from the start when he made me do this and that, saying that he needed to know the psychological state of the guardian. He was treating me like a patient too.
Cynthia said with her unique innocent face.
“Your parents must have been great people. It seems like those happy memories made you who you are now, Brigadier General.”
“What am I like now?”
“A good person. I just feel that way in my heart.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Masera’s body slowly leaned towards her, and he laid his head on her lap. The sunlight, which was out for the first time in a while, was dazzling, so he covered his eyes with his bandaged hand.
“Aren’t you scared of me?”
At his question, she paused for a moment before stroking his platinum blonde hair.
“What’s there to be scared of when a big man is acting like this? It’s so trivial it’s cute.”
She wasn’t wrong. I guess married men can’t help but become like children.
Masera said, still blocking his vision with his hand.
“My mother said that the heart is like a box. If you put treasures in it, it becomes a treasure chest, and if you put trash in it, it becomes a trash can.”
Cynthia listened to his words with a calm face.
“The memories my parents left me raised me, and made me try to be a good adult.”
He continued with a sigh.
“I’m not the devil or monster that the world calls me.”
Cynthia’s hand, which had been touching his hair, stopped for a moment before stroking it gently again.
“I know. Good memories are continuous and give you the strength to overcome misfortune.”
Cynthia smiled as she thought of her family in her previous life.
Her parents, who taught her about love, and her older siblings, who loved their youngest sibling.
The memories of being loved in her previous life made her who she was now.
Finding happiness in the little things, not getting hurt by most things, and getting back up quickly even when she fell.
“We’ve become adults who can share good memories too.”
At Cynthia’s words, Masera lowered his bandaged hand and looked up at her.
Cynthia also looked down at him.
He stared at her for a long time before opening his mouth.
“…When I went to the neutral country for the Allied Forces meeting this time.”
He caressed her soft hair.
“I didn’t know it when I went back and forth before, but there was spring there. As you said, there were flowers, and a fragrant breeze blew under the warm sunlight. At that time, I thought I was the first to find spring.”
The hand that had been caressing her hair was now touching Cynthia’s cheek.
“But on second thought, it was you who brought spring back to me.”
Cynthia’s surprised eyes widened before curving gently.
Masera, who had slowly sat up, faced her.
“I like spring. More than I can bear.”
Whether it was a harsh fate, a past he wanted to forget, or a reason to hate.
He just liked it, regardless of everything.
A breeze carrying sparkling snowflakes blew. Cynthia smiled, tucking her fluttering silver hair behind her ear.
“I like it too.”
He recalled the moment he first saw Cynthia.
More noticeable than the red necklace was her warm smile, which held the sunlight.
A voice that had been buried in his heart and ignored whispered.
Maybe he had fallen in love from the first moment he saw her.
Oh gosh. Yes you have but the future looks rather scary. I hope you guys will get happiness.