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Chapter 113: Spring Flowers (6)

Rachel, Lucy, Ariel, and I—the four of us left the mansion, neatly dressed.

The suit I hadn\'t worn in a while felt awkward.

As I fiddled with my tie, lost in thought, a bright voice reached my ears.

"So... Brother, where are we going? You\'re all dressed up."

Ariel\'s question was almost a whine, demanding an answer.

I chuckled softly.

Now that she mentioned it, I had brushed aside her question yesterday.

Glancing down at her fiery red hair, I spoke, my voice measured.

"It\'s not that far... We\'re going to the Forest of Rest."

"Ah..."

Ariel let out a soft gasp as the name left my lips.

She stared at me blankly for a moment, then seemed to collect herself, her eyes darting nervously towards me.

"Brother..."

Her gaze was filled with worry, her lips trembling slightly.

I couldn\'t help but smile, reaching out to gently stroke her hair.

"Don\'t worry, it\'s going to be alright."

"But..."

"It\'s a place we have to visit someday."

My voice was deliberately calm, masking the turmoil brewing within me.

The Forest of Rest. It was a place we had to pass through to reach the hope I had promised them.

We set off towards our destination.

Crunch... Crunch...

With each step, the snow crunched beneath our feet.

The snowflakes that had fallen throughout the night had transformed the world into a pristine white canvas.

The winter wind whispered through the trees, sending the snow cascading down from the bare branches.

Fragments of the season are scattered around us.

Holding Ariel\'s hand tightly, I led the way through the snow-covered path.

After some time,

our white footprints finally reached their destination.

We paused, our gazes fixed on the forest that lay before us.

"We\'re here..."

"Yes..."

The Forest of Rest.

A small, tranquil forest nestled near the Lishite estate.

Home to a variety of trees and flowers that bloomed throughout the year, it was a place where nature\'s beauty truly shone.

It was also said to be the place with the most breathtaking snowy landscapes on the continent.

And...

It was the place where my late mother rested.

"Let\'s go. Don\'t just stand there."

My voice was firm, urging the hesitant girls forward.

My feigned composure felt brittle, riddled with cracks.

Rachel and Lucy must have sensed my unease, for they followed silently.

Crunch... Crunch...

The sound of our footsteps crunching on the snow echoed through the silent woods as we walked among the bare trees.

Then, amidst the pristine landscape, a lone tombstone came into view.

We approached it in silence.

The pale gray surface of the stone bore only a few lines of neatly engraved inscription.

[The Most Radiant Flower of the Empire]

-Phillipa Lishite, rests here-

"..."

I held my breath, my gaze meeting my mother\'s for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

Her appearance in my memories had faded, but this was unmistakably her.

-Come here, Raiden.

-Aren\'t you being a bit clingy these days? You\'ll be an adult soon...

-Don\'t worry. Mother will always be by your side.

Echoes of a bygone yesterday whispered in my ears.

I bit my lip, fighting back the wave of emotions threatening to spill over.

"Young Master, are you alright...?"

"...I\'m fine."

I nodded, my voice steady.

Without realizing it, I had begun brushing the snow off her tombstone.

The biting cold sent a shiver through me.

"Haah..."

My breath formed a cloud of white in the frigid air.

My eyes remained fixed on my mother.

Even in the harsh winter, her resting place exuded a sense of serenity.

A small, awkward smile touched my lips.

"It\'s been a while... Mother."

My quiet greeting dissipated into the cold air.

Blinking back the sudden sting in my eyes, I continued.

"This is the first time I\'ve visited since the funeral... I\'m sorry, things have been rather hectic."

Well, I suppose things are a little better now.

"I\'ve decided to stop hurting alone."

Just like how I was looking at her now,

was she also watching over me?

From high above, from somewhere beyond this world,

was she looking down at me, her breath catching in her throat as she witnessed me navigating the path of life?

If so...

"It\'s all thanks to you, Mother. That I\'m alive, that I can dream of a future filled with hope..."

I wished she could hear these meager words of gratitude.

A small tribute to her love, a love that my younger, foolish self had failed to comprehend.

"Haha... This is the first time I\'ve ever said anything like this. Every time I visited you, all I did was blame you for sacrificing yourself for me."

I had blamed her, truly.

Back then, I had cried, believing that it should have been me, not her, who had died that day.

If only she hadn\'t saved me.

More people would have been happy.

Fewer people would have been hurt.

Even in this hellish present, she would have been a shining star, illuminating the world with her light.

"To be honest, I still think that sometimes."

Regret was like a pencil mark left on a notepad.

Even after erasing it, realizing the line was out of place,

a faint scar always remained.

It was the same for me.

The regret that had taken root deep within my heart would continue to torment me for the rest of my life.

"...But, even so, I\'m going to try to live."

My life wasn\'t just my own.

It belonged to those who loved me, who worried for me, who found joy in me.

And that\'s why I had no right to treat my life carelessly.

"Please watch over me, Mother."

I\'m still clumsy and struggling, but I\'ll do my best.

There will be more stumbles and hardships ahead, but I won\'t falter.

I\'ll live on.

I\'ll live tenaciously so that one day I can let go of these foolish regrets.

And when the time comes for me to return to your embrace,

I\'ll be able to run towards you with a clear smile, without a single tear.

"Thank you... These are the words I\'ve always wanted to say."

I made a silent promise in front of my mother, who could no longer reply.

That I would remember her sacrifice, the sacrifice she made to protect me.

That I would fight fiercely against the world, with the same intensity as the longing her love had etched into my heart.

- Whoosh...

A gust of winter wind brushed past me, sending a chill across my cheeks.

It was a biting cold, but I embraced it without resistance.

This winter\'s chill was mine alone to bear.

I etched every detail of this moment into my memory.

The falling snowflakes transformed into musical notes.

The scent of the season, a gathering of tiny flowers, became a vibrant winter chorus.

.

.

.

"Haa... We\'re back."

"There\'s no place like home."

"Brother... My legs hurt..."

"Let\'s rest for a bit... Raiden."

Back home after visiting Mother.

We each let out groans, massaging our stiff legs.

Perhaps it was because it was our first outing in a while,

but the aftereffects of the journey weighed heavily upon us.

As I sat on the sofa, soothing my aching muscles,

Gilbert approached, a letter in his hand.

"Young Master... A letter has arrived from the Phyler family."

"...From the Phyler family?"

I tilted my head at the unexpected name, a sense of unease settling over me.

I accepted the letter, its seal adorned with an elaborate crest and stamp.

The name \'Raymond Phyler\' was inscribed on the front in elegant script.

\'Raymond Phyler...\'

The current Duke Phyler, Margaret\'s father.

He had personally sent me a letter...?

I stared at the Phyler family crest for a moment before carefully breaking the seal.

*Rip…*

With a soft tearing sound, a single sheet of paper emerged from the envelope.

The message within read:

[To Raiden Lishite, Eldest Son of the Lishite Dukedom]

-Greetings.

-It has been quite some time since I last wrote to you.

-The last time we corresponded was regarding the annulment of your engagement with my daughter, approximately two years ago.

-Please forgive my sudden intrusion after such a long silence.

-And please forgive the rather presumptuous request I am about to make.

-To be frank,

-I would like to request your presence at the Phyler estate.

-My daughter\'s condition has taken a turn for the worse.

-For the past few weeks, she has been suffering from an unknown fever, nightmares, hallucinations, and auditory illusions.

-I have been informed that this matter is somehow related to you.

-Would you be willing to visit and see my daughter?

-I implore you.

[From Raymond Phyler, Head of the Phyler Family]

"Young Master, this..."

"...It seems we need to prepare the carriage."

I refolded the letter, placing it back in the envelope, before addressing Gilbert, who stood frozen in place.

As I rose from the sofa, the texture of the letter lingered on my fingertips.

It was time to confront a knot that had remained untied for far too long.

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