novelraw Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Episode 134
TN: Changes, I have decided to drop all "Korean honorifics."
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Flora remained brazen even in the face of the Grand Marquis Eisollen's flustered expression.
After all, it had vanished without a trace, and there were no witnesses, so pleading ignorance would suffice.
She watched him wander near the gravestone after letting go of his hand, then quietly approached.
She took the Grand Marquis's hand again with a beaming smile.
"If you need support, I can help you. Isn't a granddaughter better than a cane?"
Seeing the granddaughter who had been so prickly until now approach him warmly, he seemed newly moved, as his eyes began to grow moist again.
"Hmph, hmph. Very well."
It sounded like a brusque reply, but the corners of the Grand Marquis's mouth were lifted higher than usual.
He clearly looked pleased, but when his gaze returned to the gravestone, the smile on his lips slowly faded.
The Grand Marquis stared at the gravestone with a face full of longing, maintaining his silence.
The quiet atmosphere was too solemn to interrupt, so Flora also remained silent, lost in thought.
'I wonder what Grandfather was thinking when he placed Mother's grave here.'
Usually, married women have their funerals conducted by the family they married into; it's a mark of respect for them, a rule that extends beyond noble society to commoners alike.
Since it's considered proper etiquette for the family they've joined, even couples on bad terms rarely hand over funeral arrangements to the wife's family.
But the Eisollen Marquisate defiantly refused to allow the Lucifers to visit the territory, and Athanas, not wanting to make an enemy of the Marquisate, ultimately couldn't retrieve his wife's body or hold a funeral for her.
'Dad probably just accepted that humiliation.'
Even if the reason was the Eisollen Marquisate's refusal to release the body, outsiders would have perceived the Lucifers as unscrupulous for not even holding a funeral for the wife.
They might have even pointed fingers, saying they should have expected it from a family with such a terrible reputation.
'Mother probably never imagined that seeking refuge here would become a turning point that worsened relations between the two families.'
If she had foreseen this future, she might not have come to Eisollen and instead given birth at the Lucifer estate, protecting Flora alongside her family.
'This is strange. I was sure I felt nothing, and thought I would continue to feel nothing, but I can't stop thinking about Mother.'
She was angry at herself for making such absurd assumptions, yet the thoughts filling her head showed no sign of disappearing.
'Giving birth to me outside and abandoning me might have been the best choice. But was it truly to protect me?'
She left only the name given at the orphanage and information about the necklace left as a memento, then passed from this world.
Knowing how hard Athanas worked to find her, Flora couldn't understand Nersha's actions.
'Leaving the necklace suggests she didn't want me to never meet my family... Maybe she didn't abandon me out of fear that I would become a calamity.'
Since she couldn't have an honest conversation with Nersha, who was no longer in this world, no one, including Flora, could know her true intentions.
Frustrated, Flora couldn't hold back and let out a soft sigh.
Seeing her staring so seriously at the grave, she felt his grip on her hand tighten.
"Flora, it wouldn't be strange if you hated Nersha. As you said, it's only natural. It seems I was blinded by rage and said terrible things that hurt you."
At his words, regretting his past actions, Flora shook her head.
'That was all because you were being controlled; it couldn't be helped.'
But since she couldn't explain the circumstances honestly, she brought up something else.
"No. I was just curious."
"Curious about what?"
"Why Mother left me at the orphanage. Since she's not in this world, I can't ask, and we can only guess."
Oh no.
Intending to change the subject entirely, the thoughts crowding her mind had spilled out, leading her to broach an even more serious topic.
As silence descended between them once more, Flora felt her shoulders grow heavy for no reason.
"Nersha truly tried her best to protect you. I'm not saying this just because she's my daughter and I'm taking her side... I could see with my own eyes that she truly loved you. Even in her anxiety, she would always stroke her swollen belly, and the sparkling light in her eyes is something I still cannot forget."
"......"
"That child's eyes were always so beautiful whenever she looked at something she loved passionately. Enough for someone as slow-witted as me to notice."
The Grand Marquis's words ended with a bitter smile. Flora stood silently in the quiet atmosphere, gazing at the gravestone without a word.
'This is strange. That such simple words make me want to believe in Mother.'
In her past life as Morse, she had trusted humans and those she considered friends simply because she wanted to believe.
But what that trust brought back was scorn, fearful gazes, and an unimaginable betrayal.
So, even though she knew she shouldn't be swayed, the desire to forgive kept running wild on its own.
The rustling summer night breeze brushed against her cheeks and exposed limbs.
It felt as if it was cooling her head, which had grown hot from her thoughts, and the straight line of Flora's mouth twitched.
As the wind blew, swishhh, the leaves rustled, creating a sound like rising waves.
It felt as if her complicated thoughts were being swept away like waves.
'The weather is really nice.'
It was a sudden, disconnected thought, but a smile had already formed on Flora's lips.
'If I'm stuck in negative thoughts and can't do anything during such a lovely season, it would be my loss, right?'
Yes, that's why she would forgive everyone.
No, was there even anything to forgive?
She would simply trust the family members who were on her side.
'We're bound as family. If I doubt and distrust them, I'll be the one who suffers.'
She wanted to stop the complicated thoughts and accept the facts as they were presented.
This might be the wrong way to avoid things.
But trusting someone isn't a bad thing, is it?
'Especially when it's family.'
Perhaps from hearing various stories in that short time, or perhaps some affection had formed, the entity known as 'Mother,' who hadn't been within that small yet vast fence called 'family,' had now found a place.
'Maybe I've been avoiding Mother's existence until now and have finally accepted it.'
Flora sorted through her heavy, stifling emotions and smiled faintly.
"Grandfather."
"...Yes, did you call?"
"I think I'll trust what you said, Grandfather."
"...!"
The Grand Marquis's eyes widened in surprise. He even pinched his cheek quickly, thinking he had misheard.
"And I wish my brother were here too."
"...Yes, we should call him to come quickly."
"I wish Dad were here too. Everyone must want to see Mother after so long."
"...Of course. It's time for the family to gather, even now."
His voice, tinged with deep regret, still seemed unable to come to terms with his own actions.
'If the Temple side was deliberately hypnotizing him, now that the cane is gone, we can't interrogate his past attitude or figure out the related cause.'
For now, they needed to secure Nersha's will and investigate the oracle from the Temple and the person who secretly delivered the information.
'Luckily, I have the two demons, so their range of activity will be wide too.'
The cute and reliable Janet and Pascal were watching the two of them, who had grown warm and affectionate, from afar. Seeing their readiness to fly over at a moment's notice if the Grand Marquis did anything untoward to Flora, she didn't forget to smile and signal that it was okay.
"First, let's start with my brother, not Dad..."
She was about to speak, wanting to reunite the family as soon as possible, when a throat-clearing sound was heard from a distance.
"Ahem, ahem."
Then the closed door opened, and a sturdy shadow appeared there.
"I wondered where you had gone. So you came to see Grandfather."
A familiar voice, mixed with surprise.
It was Benio.
"Brother? I thought you went back to your room?"
Even though the closed door had blocked the view, Flora felt guilty about using demonic energy and asked in a fluster.
"I was going to, but I was worried about you. I went to see Basil just in case, but you weren't there, so I came looking for you, startled. Luckily, Basil had an idea where you might be, so we came together."
Following Benio's explanation, Basilian appeared behind him.
"We haven't been here long. We couldn't bring ourselves to open the door because of the crying. We weren't trying to eavesdrop on your conversation."
The moment he appeared, he alleviated Flora's biggest concern.
Thanks to that, she knew their view had been properly blocked and there was nothing to worry about.
Inwardly, Flora breathed a sigh of relief, but outwardly, she made a sullen face and let her shoulders slump.
"...I'm sorry, brother. I didn't mean to deceive you."