[CHAPTER 119]
“It’s nothing important. My knight just happened to bring your will.”
Harvich followed Lincia’s movements with his eyes as he entered her bedroom.
He wasn’t expecting much from this situation, having already heard about the horrors the North had inflicted on her, but seeing Lincia handling things so plainly made him feel a distance between them.
“I’m sorry for taking up your time. I was worried it might be a problem if others saw it.”
Lincia handed him the carefully kept will.
Harvich knew that the will had also been with Tereo, but he hadn’t gone looking for it.
Not out of some noble thought, but for a single reason:
The will belonged to Lincia.
The paper was folded twice lengthwise, sealed with wax in the center.
It looked a bit plain to be held by a woman.
Harvich, seeing it in her small hands, had a fleeting, trivial thought:
“…And thank you for being careful with the child as well. That must have been difficult for you.”
“I only did what needed to be done.”
The images of her dried, lifeless, or crying still remained vivid in his mind, but seeing her faint smile felt unfamiliar.
She really doesn’t need me.
No, she becomes complete only without me.
“Won’t you take it?”
Lincia shook the will slightly in front of him.
Harvich calmly replied:
“It’s yours.”
“…Huh?”
“Even though we’re divorced, the fact that you are Lucas’ mother doesn’t disappear. Keep it just in case.”
Lincia moved her lips but said nothing.
“The will will naturally lose effect once Lucas grows up and becomes the heir of the duchy. So…”
“Wait, just a moment.”
Lincia interrupted him.
“May I check its contents? I’ll decide after reading.”
Whether to keep it or not…
Lincia added quickly.
“Very well.”
Harvich still remembered the contents of the will he had written two years ago vividly.
He had been meticulous and thorough for Lincia’s sake, in case she were left behind.
He watched silently as she read it, and a single line suddenly came to mind:
[I, Harvich Cassius, in the event of death, disappearance, or a situation where judgment is impossible due to mental illness, delegate all authority related to the Duchy of Cassius to Lincia Cassius-Durand.]
Lincia handed the will back.
“We’re divorced.”
“…Yes.”
“If I keep this, it feels like we aren’t really finished.”
It was amusing that she spoke so firmly, even though she hadn’t submitted the divorce papers to the administration either.
Still, Lincia wanted Harvich to no longer be bound to her.
Harvich fiddled with the will she returned for a long moment before speaking again:
“…I’m sorry for causing you pain.”
It’s not your fault.
“If there’s ever anything wrong with your health, please tell me.”
Harvich bowed respectfully and left the bedroom.
His back, always solid, looked small and frail today.
* * *
The will had crumpled in Harvich’s hand.
Why did I even show it?
Why did I stir trouble for a woman who’s doing well?
Why am I so foolish and lacking?
You didn’t think of me as Lucas’ father until you faced death and went to war.
Harvich could understand the emotions rising in Lincia’s face.
Bitterness. Even though she said she wouldn’t blame him, it sounded like she no longer expected anything from him, leaving a hole in his chest.
“If I keep this, it feels like we aren’t finished.”
It was as if she had seen through him, wanting him to keep the will.
Harvich returned to the guest room.
The child, sensitive to noise, had woken up.
With sleepy eyes, Lucas approached him saying “Dad,” whining that he wanted to cling around his waist.
Harvich knelt down to meet his gaze and gently stroked his hair.
Looking into his eyes, it was almost as if he could see Lincia’s face.
Somehow I feel like I’m about to cry.
He bit the inside of his cheek to hold back tears.
“Dad, when will mom come back?”
The innocent question made his heart drop.
The night before, he had declared to Lincia that he would tell the child she was dead, but now he couldn’t.
Instead, he gave another explanation:
“…Your mom is very sick right now.”
“Mom is so sick she can’t even see Rous?”
“Yes, so she went far away.”
Harvich nodded with difficulty at the child’s naive question.
He knew the explanation meant little.
He also knew the child might resent him later when learning the truth.
“The princess here now isn’t my mom?”
“Mm, she went to apologize.”
Harvich couldn’t stop Lucas from moving, so he only taught him basic manners and lifted him into his arms.
“Dad, the princess hugged me and patted my head, does that mean I’m all better now?”
“Huh?”
“Mom was too sick to see Rous, so she left.”
Harvich froze in place.
But now that you’ve been hugged…
Seeing the child’s pure, clear eyes, Harvich felt guilty.
“Sorry. I don’t have the words and explained it poorly.”
He felt like his fault caused the child to lose his mother.
“Mom being sick isn’t Rous’ fault. It’s Dad’s fault.”
Lucas looked at him.
“Dad did something very wrong to Mom?”
“Yes. A lot. Even now… she’s far away because of me.”
Lucas was silent for a long while. Then he asked:
“Will mom come back when she’s all better?”
No.
Harvich knew the answer.
But seeing the child’s hopeful face, he couldn’t give the cruel truth, and took a long moment before answering:
“…It will take a very long time for mom to fully recover.”
