Chapter 61
“…….”
Closing her eyes, Selakia could distinctly feel Tenus sitting across from her in the darkened space. Her heart, which had been pounding wildly, gradually settled in response to his calm and still presence.
It was a relief not to be alone.
Having someone solid to lean on turned out to be unexpectedly encouraging. The shallow resentment she had felt toward him didn’t matter at this moment.
Selakia took a deep breath and slowly lifted her closed eyelids. A faint glimmer of light shone through the narrow opening of her eyes.
“This is…….”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
The Farewell Pearl Necklace.
A necklace modeled after the historic necklace of the Renshee family was right there.
The only difference was that the original Farewell Pearl Necklace had five strands, but the one before her had only four.
Selakia counted the strands multiple times, unable to believe it. Every time, it was exactly four strands.
Tenus, noticing her inability to speak as her eyes shimmered, carefully broke the silence.
“The Farewell Pearl Necklace is usually given when parting ways. As a Renshee, you know its meaning better than anyone.”
“…….”
“Yet it seems the Viscount Renshee hadn’t paid much attention to the necklace before, considering he miscounted the strands.”
Selakia could only shake her head. If she tried to speak, sobs would escape her throat.
She understood why the Viscount had sent a necklace with four strands. Only she could know.
The Farewell Pearl Necklace was quietly famous in social circles.
It was the first gift given by a mermaid to the only human she loved, imbued with her blessing.
Remembering its origin, influential families of the Pangaea Empire often gave pearl necklaces modeled after it to loved ones who were about to depart. The five-strand pearl necklace also served as a display of their wealth and power.
But the reason it had five strands was deliberate. The direct descendants of the Renshee family knew its origin.
The mermaids who blessed the first head of the Renshee family, including a sea god, were four in total. Before sending the human to land, each strung a strand of pearls imbued with their abilities.
Yet to them, a necklace of only four strands seemed insufficient. Out of concern for the human, they carefully added one more strand.
Thus, the five strands were complete, each representing one of them: the sea god, the mermaids, and the human.
The five-strand necklace was proof that these distinct beings had cherished each other as one.
It was a story known only to the direct Renshee descendants.
Because of this, the Renshee family had a long tradition of making pearl jewelry according to the number of family members.
Selakia’s mother had given her a four-strand pearl bracelet for this reason: mother, father, Selakia, and her half-brother—four family members.
Her mother had always worn four-strand pearl jewelry, even when her half-brother refused to join family dinners or trips; the strands never reduced from four.
Selakia had once worn a four-strand bracelet every day, subtly showing her wrist when passing her half-brother, just to convey her feelings indirectly.
But each time, his cold gaze met her wrist, and she eventually heard harsh words:
“Your family may have four members, but mine has only three. Neither you nor your father count.”
Selakia couldn’t answer. After that, she never wore her bracelet in front of him again. She couldn’t bear to reduce four strands to three.
And now, that same half-brother had given her a four-strand necklace.
Understanding his intention was difficult.
Selakia gazed endlessly at the necklace, as if trying to find an answer. Tenus gently encouraged her, noticing she didn’t even reach for it.
“Check the bottom part of the fabric.”
“The bottom……?”
Hesitating, she followed his suggestion and discovered a folded piece of paper under the velvet fabric holding the necklace.
Embossed on the front was a shell holding pearls, the symbol of the Viscount Renshee.
With trembling hands, Selakia unfolded and read the letter.
“…….”
The folded letter contained only two sentences. Selakia stared at it for a long while, once, twice, thrice…
The more she read, the more moisture gathered in her blue eyes. She bit her lower lip, the tender skin stinging, yet she could not relax her grip.
She did not want to cry like a child, especially not in front of Tenus.
Her vision blurred, but she could hold back.
As she braced herself, biting her lower lip even harder to prevent tears, a scraping sound echoed in the quiet room—the sound of a chair. Tenus had risen and turned away, heading to the balcony.
He had been silently waiting all the while as she opened the box and read the letter—a behavior uncharacteristic of him.
Feeling somewhat abrupt, Selakia asked in a husky voice:
“What… are you doing out there?”
“Nothing.”
His low voice, carrying the sound of the waves, drifted faintly.
“Moon watching.”
Without looking back at her, Tenus fixed his gaze on the dark sky that offered no trace of moonlight.
At that moment, Selakia could no longer hold back her tears. Once they started, they streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks and jaw.
Her quiet sobbing seemed to release all the pent-up sorrow she had carried for so long.
These weren’t tears of grief or pain—they felt almost liberating, a small relief.
She carefully read the letter again in her hands:
[It may be an early gift, but I send it when I have the chance, Selakia Seiden.
Seiden always had a household of two children.]
Heavy tears fell, leaving round stains on the letter. Selakia stared blankly at the blurring letters.
The necklace from the Viscount Renshee was not a gift of the past or present—it was a gift for the future.
The four-strand necklace symbolized the family she might now have. At the same time, it meant she had not been fully acknowledged as his family.
It felt hollow and empty.
Yet surprisingly, she didn’t feel particularly sad. Perhaps she had expected it. The unexpected gift instead felt pleasing.
Farewell. Her half-brother, heir to the Renshee family, would understand the meaning better than anyone.
That was enough.
The knot of grief that had lingered in her heart since childhood seemed to unravel.
Tears, which she had never shed since her parents’ death, moistened the parched heart she had carried all this time.
Selakia lifted her head, feeling lighter than ever.
“…….”
A breeze carrying the scent of the sea brushed against her, revealing Tenus’ broad back as he leaned against the balcony, gazing at the ocean.
She remembered that the Viscount’s gift, like the bracelet from her mother, had four strands.
Previously, she could never wear the bracelet openly at home.
Would she be unable to wear the necklace this time as well?
The night air was warm, and summer was approaching.
With her tears finally stopped, Selakia quietly observed Tenus from behind.
For an immeasurable length of time, he remained there, quietly showing his back.
Selakia stirred under the sting of sunlight, heavy eyelids like wet cotton refusing to lift.
Frowning, she felt a sudden shade block the harsh light.
Relaxing slightly, she tried to sink back into sleep when a strange sensation ran through her body. Selakia opened her eyes abruptly.
In her unusually narrow field of vision, a large hand appeared.
What was that?
Blinking and forcing her eyes open, the hand vanished. Instead, she saw a handsome face bathed in bright morning sunlight.
“…….”
Still groggy from sleep, her mind caught up slowly. She realized the face belonged to Tenus. The empty space beside her every morning made his presence seem strangely unfamiliar.
Tenus had set down the papers he was holding onto the bed and was quietly watching her.
“What…?”
Selakia murmured with a hoarse voice, blinking her heavy eyelids. Her mind was still fuzzy.
The morning bedroom, lit by sunlight, was unusually serene. As sleep crept back, Tenus’ short laugh startled her awake.
“Goldfish.”
His hand gently brushed her eyes.
Startled by his unexpected warmth, Selakia froze, then repeated the word he had spoken, dazed:
“……Goldfish?”
