After Story 19: Lover (2)
“…Are you going?” Michael stared at me without a word when I asked tearfully,
He slowly reached out for the letter I’ve held out before him.
Feeling like there would be no going back after he reads it, my hand gripped harder on the letter.
“Huu…”
In the end, Michael took the letter from me and opened it up to read it.
Surprise, sadness, delight, many emotions passed through his face.
I asked once more, “…Are you going?”
“Hm… I’d better, right?”
“I don’t know. It’s not that easy to end one’s life, I don’t think I can bear to see you do it. Can’t you just…”
“No, there’s no need for that. The truth is I have actually seen the future not long ago. I don’t seem to have much time left.”
“What?” I was surprised.
He saw the future. And one in which he died.
In other words, the current Michael Lighart did not need to take his own life, as he didn’t have much time left anyway.
“That’s… so that’s why you… asked me to look after Deborah.”
“Right. I was planning on not telling you since you might get sad for no reason, but seeing this, I see there’s no need.”
“What do you mean there’s no need?! I am sad to say goodbye to you no matter what circumstances are! Look! Even now my tears won’t… stop…”
“You have a child, I hear?” Michael asked affectionately as he wiped my eyes.
It was something I was saving for later to be congratulated by him, but it seemed that Hades told him already.
I nodded, sniffling. Michael grinned.
“Congratulations. They would be my nephew or niece, would I be able to see them before I go?”
“Don’t die…”
“It’s not like we won’t be able to meet ever again.”
“Still… we won’t be able to remember each other when we meet again, right?”
“Who cares? What matters is that we will meet again. Anyways, how is … the world Procreathor had made?”
“It’s really good. I’m sure you’ll like it too. And wherever it may be…you will be happy.”
A comfortable death without any pain or sadness. And a long-awaited reunion with his lover.
All that was left for him was happiness as well.
But despite knowing that, I couldn’t help but tear up at the brief farewell.
“Huaaa…”
“Stop crying. The baby would hate me for making their mother cry.”
“Don’t, go anywhere until you die. Stay here. Until the end, stay with me…”
“Alright, alright.”
Michael laughed and held me sobbing in his arms and soothed me.
Knock knock-
“Grand priest, are you there? I’m going in.”
While I was busy crying, Hades entered with a familiar voice.
He looked surprised the moment he opened the door and had bafflement on his face seeing the two of us stuck to each other in tight embrace.
“What is the meaning of…”
“You are misunderstanding, Your Grace. Please let my head stay unburnt.”
Hades dragged me out of Michael’s arms at once.
Before he made some absurd assumptions, Michael handed him Procreathor’s letter.
Hades read the letter as he skimmed over Michael with a look of suspicion, then turned to see me standing behind and asked.
“…Are you alright?”
“Er, Your Grace? It’s me who is dying, why would you be asking if she is alright…?”
Michael laughed with a look of irritation and Hades turned to see him with a long sigh.
Because Hades had already heard of Michael’s death in advance, there was a sense of slight relief in his long sigh.
“It must be a happy death.”
“Hahaha… A happy death you say, you are not wrong, but it is rather awkward.”
“Don’t go anywhere and stay. So that you are not alone in your last minute.”
“I intend to do just that.”
“Huaaa…”
“Shh.”
“Stop crying. It’s not like the Grand priest is being perished for good from dying, why are you overreacting?”
It was just as Hades said, but…
I couldn’t stop crying for a long while that day and the two men had to spend a long time soothing me.
* * *
Today was finally the day of Abel’s 14th birthday. It also was the starting day of Louvremont’s grand celebration.
The truth was that his birthday had always been grand every year, but this year was more so.
Hades went overboard asserting this is to celebrate him finding out his ‘real parents’.
On the morning of Abel’s birthday.
Since it was the tradition to have a meal with the vassals and meet the people of the duchy in the afternoon, this would be the last of a private family gathering for a while.
Entering the dining room with a table full of overly fancy food for breakfast, Hades dropped something before Abel.
“Your gift.”
A white envelope.
Though it seemed like an insignificant letter, Abel was overjoyed.
Ah, in case you misunderstand, he isn’t excited like this because he is a good kid who is happy with mere small gifts.
“T-this is the best of all the gifts I’ve had so far!”
He was happy because that was a letter full of his love for him. this would be the most ordinary gift he had received so far.
‘Is it really a letter?’ I mouthed to Hades, worried for Abel who seemed to have high expectations. He seemed a little caught off guard by how much Abel seemed to be happy.
From his expression, it didn’t seem like a letter…
“Haa…”
I had seen him give Abel his birthday gift three times throughout the three birthdays during my time here.
A rapier with a ruby the size of a fist attached to it worth one billion nort, a magical cloak that is known to be just three existing in desert land Kazit—he spent about three billion nort in getting this— and lastly a sculpture of Abel made from blue diamond found in Southern margraviate.
The blue diamond sculpture was literally priceless.
This was because, unlike the other world where diamonds were more expensively priced the more colorless and transparent it was, a colored diamond in this world was almost unheard of.
Though he said thank you, Abel looked to be at a loss because of the expensive gifts that he had no use for the time being…
“M-may I read it before the meal?”
“Ah, er… Abel.”
Barely glancing at Hades trying to stop him, Abel ripped open the envelope.
With excitement on his face, Abel took out a paper from inside and opened it, his face froze in an instant after he checked the contents of it.
Like a person who had just fallen to hell from heaven, Abel let out a sigh with a darkened complexion.
“Haa…”
“W-what is it?”
“What would I need a diamond mine worth 80 billion nort for?”
Aha. That diamond mine that could have become my dowry back then.
It was like Hades’ emergency fund. He had made a contract under a borrowed name, hidden away from vassals’ eyes.
The gift he gave Abel must have been a document that transfers the ownership to him.
“Come on kid, that is super meaningful. I have been saving it for years to hand it to you later.”
“Sure… thank you.”
Thanking him reluctantly, Abel raised his fork and knife.
Whew. And this was why I told him to write a letter at least. He never listens.
Seeing my blaming eyes, Hades shrugged and waved his hand at Abel.
“Isn’t there something else in there?”
“Huh?”
He smiled and pointed at the envelope. Curious, Abel opened it up from the side where it was placed.
“Whoa!”
Surprised, Abel found a letter he didn’t manage to find inside and opened it.
This time it really did seem to be a handwritten letter. Abel couldn’t even read it straight away and folded it back, shouting with excitement on his face.
“T-thank you father!”
“Sure, make sure to read it when you are left alone later. It’s embarrassing for me.”
“Heh heh… okay! I will read it back in my room after I finish eating quickly!”
“Eat slowly, Abel.”
Seeming to want to read the letter in a hurry, Abel started to busily shove food into his mouth.
“And mommy has a gift too.”
“Huh? But you bought me clothes two days ago. You also wrote me three pages of letters.”
“That’s that.”
I took out two handmade handkerchiefs I made for Abel from my inner pocket.
In truth, my embroidery skills had not improved at all, but I had faith that Abel would understand.
Beside Abel’s adorable face was Deborah’s lovely face also embroidered diligently to create two handkerchiefs.
Abel’s eyes widened as he received them.
“Oh, this is…”
“Mhm. Go and share one each with Deborah. People call something like this a ‘matching item for couples’, see?”
“Er, I…”
Reddened to his ears, my son looked through the handkerchiefs over and over with shaking hands.
“I am not getting better all that well no matter how much I practice. It does give away how clumsy I am, right? Sorry.”
“No! It’s really pretty! I’m sure the priestess will really like it too, if it’s anything that you make, mother.”
“Heh heh.”
“Wow, it must be nice. You should be honored.”
Hades muttered with his chin in his hand with a look of discontent.
“Er, I should hurry…”
Abel shoved all his food in his mouth in 5 minutes and picked up Hades’ letter and my handkerchief and shot out from his seat.
“I should get going first! I need to read father’s letter and meet the priestess too!”
“Careful, you might fall while walking.”
‘Yep’, Abel answered without much attention and disappeared at once.
Hades muttered picking up his fork and knife only now.
“All she cares about is the son. It’s only the butler who packs me handkerchiefs. How does this make any sense?”
Seeing Hades muttering as if he was talking to himself while cutting his meat aggressively, I couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
How adorable and pitiful Hades was when he had confessed to me that he thought that was supposed to be his at first?
I rose from my seat and stepped behind Hades who was cutting with his knife with a look of discontent.
When I lightly hugged him from behind, he looked back at me with a pouty face.
Acting upset? But his hand caressing my arm alone was affectionate.
“Tadah!”
I took out another handkerchief I’d hidden in my sleeve and placed it before Hades.
This time it was really… a handkerchief that had Hades’ face embroidered.
He looked at the handkerchief closely and laughed out loud, pahaha.
“This time it really is you.”
“Of course, it better be.”
“Heh heh… I love you honey~!”
I wrapped my arms around Hades’ neck and kissed him on the cheek. He laughed and kissed me again on the lips.
“I love you more.”
“Heh heh…”
“Anyways, we have another birthday gift for him, no? When are you thinking of giving it to him?”
He was asking when we would inform Abel of my pregnancy.
I smirked with a light laugh.
“That, I decided to get our genius magician’s assistance.”
* * *
The top floor of Louvremont mansion.
On the rooftop with all four sides open, magicians from the magical association had gathered around.
They were responsible for decorating Abel’s birthday finale.
To be precise, the initiator would be the headmaster Roxa and the magicians would be supporting him with mana he would be running out of, a mana supply, so to say.
“Why don’t you continue after having some of these?!”
Anne was busy fixing them with snacks since they were busy since dawn.
“Huaaam…!”
But Roxa, who should be the busiest of them all, arrived slowly with an enormous yawn.
Anne found him first and greeted him.
“My, magician. You are here!”
“Aye~!”
“Wow…”
Anne exclaimed at how Roxa looked.
With his long hair tied back neatly, he was in a dashing uniform.
His navy uniform was covered in a luxurious looking epaulet that signified house Louvremont. The white gloves made contrast and went well with Roxa’s silver hair.
Anne could swear that she had never seen Roxa this neat for the last 4 years.
“Ugh- wot fuss. Why is His Grace fussing over how I should dress in something like dis…”
Roxa was slightly uncomfortable in the uniform he had never put on after receiving it at the beginning of the magical association being made.
Though he had given into Hades’ forceful demand that he must wear the uniform no matter what instead of the ragged robe…
Feeling awkward about the black cravat tightening around his neck, Roxa kept fidgeting with it.
“Magician, you really, really look dashing. My days…”
“Eh?”
“Wow, I never knew since you always wandered around looking like a beggar, but you are much better looking than I thought. I see you in a different light now.”
“B-b-beggar?”
“Oh my. I beg your pardon. My tongue slipped…”
Anne tapped her mouth and laughed awkwardly.
“But this is slightly crooked.”
Anne suddenly reached out her hand and held a cravat around his neck, making Roxa flinch.
When they got close, a slight wind blew from somewhere, ruffling through Anne’s neatly untied hair, sending a whiff of foreign scent to his nose.
Roxa was frozen solid.
“But did you prepare our childe’s Birthday gift properly? Our mistress has left it in your hand. I mean, everyone else is working hard but you seem so passionless.”
Redoing Roxa’s cravat, Anne scolded him with worried looks on her face.
Why is it? Her face was a face he bumped into quite often for the last 4 years but Roxa was looking at Anne differently all of a sudden.
Her transparent green eyes, and freckles over her white cheeks that Aisha always complimented to be painfully adorable…
‘She really is a cutie.’
“…Sir?”
It seemed that Anne was chirping something for quite a while, but Roxa couldn’t hear any of it.
“Excuse me!”
“Aye, aye!”
“Now I’m really worried. Did you really prepare what the mistress asked for… what was it again?”
“Fireworks. Tis fireworks…”
“Yes, that! What did she say it looked like? Some light in all kinds of colors scattering across the sky like flowers… Can you really do that? You aren’t going to make a mistake, right? The mistress is so looking forward to it, if you ever… oh my!”
At that moment, Roxa suddenly shoved his face closely.
Looking at the suddenly closed in face, Anne tilted her head with her eyes wide.
“Who ye think I am? Tis Roxa Tribolt, da genius magician.”
With a grin, Roxa snapped his finger once.
At that moment, a long stream of light shot up into the still bright sky. Red stream of light exploded sky high, deciding into streaks of light in various hues, soon to create someone’s face.
“Oh my!”
Anne was startled looking up at the sky.
Red hair, green eyes.
Upon a blue sky without even a spot of cloud, beautiful sparks of light were creating her face.