~Chapter 109~
I froze for a moment, but then somehow managed to take a step toward my grandfather.
He didn’t even notice I had entered the room—there was no sign of life from him.
“…”
His hand, pale and limp, was hanging off the side of the bed.
Without even realizing, I dropped to my knees and pressed my ear to his chest.
But all I could hear was the deafening sound of my own panicked heartbeat. No sound came from him.
“W-what do I do…”
I quickly reached to his nose with my fingers, and only then did I feel a warm breath.
At that moment, the strength in my legs gave out.
Thud!
Relief flooded me all at once, and I collapsed onto the floor.
Thank goodness…
My dark and blurry vision slowly cleared.
…Not yet.
I hadn’t even had the chance to thank him yet.
I had received so much from him that I didn’t even know how to repay him.
“Grandfather…”
I clumsily grabbed his hand. Thankfully, it was still warm.
“Just a little longer… could you wait for me, just a little longer?”
That’s not what I really wanted to say.
But my lips, full of anxiety, ended up whining like a child.
I hated how weak I sounded, and I hung my head low.
“There’s still so much I want to do with you.”
I didn’t want to say goodbye.
It felt too much like the end was truly near.
“Do you remember? When you said you’d teach me how to ride a horse?”
…
“But I was so scared, so you promised you’d always ride with me until I wasn’t afraid anymore.”
I bit my lip hard.
“You even said you’d teach me again when I wasn’t scared anymore.”
A lot of time had passed.
The little girl who couldn’t even put her foot in the stirrup was now able to get on a horse without hesitation.
The girl who had once feared the outside world was now brave enough to walk out of her room.
“You still see me as a coward, but I’m not scared anymore.”
Back then, what scared me the most was the idea of never returning to where I came from.
But now, the thing I feared most… was saying goodbye to him.
“There’s still so much I want to tell you. I haven’t even said thank you yet. So please… wait for me until I come back.”
As I began to pull my hand away, afraid he might catch a chill from me, I felt a faint grip.
“…!”
His fingers twitched.
Just as my lips trembled, I heard voices outside the door—servants bringing food.
I finally managed to speak.
“I won’t do anything that would make you hate me.”
At the very least, I wanted the final sight he saw to be peaceful.
***
[To my dear Miss Bianca,
Bianca, it seems I won’t be able to make time for a while. So first, I’m sending you the address of where my father is staying.
If you say you’re my friend, he’ll welcome you with open arms!
He always worried about my lack of social life, so he might go overboard with hospitality. Don’t be too surprised.
I truly wish I could go with you, which makes me quite sad.
Please forgive my rudeness with your kind heart.
—Your eternal friend, Idette
P.S. Actually, you’re the first friend I’ve ever introduced to my father.
I hope you can feel just how happy that makes me!]
I held the letter Idette had sent and headed straight for the address.
But my mind was still in a fog, so I kept biting my lips nervously. Arkan gave me a strange look.
[My lady, is something not going well?]
Something not going well…?
It was a simple question, but I couldn’t answer it. So instead, I threw the question back at him.
“What do you think?”
[That’s a difficult question! I only guide the way. The decisions must be made by you, my lady, to be correct.]
He looked at me quietly, then continued.
[Is it because you fear what lies at the end of this journey?]
[A journey with no clear destination will eventually come to a stop. If that happens, the path I guide loses its meaning.]
“My goal has always been clear.”
I had received so much love with no conditions.
I had promised myself to do everything I could to cure my grandfather’s illness.
I had received the love that the original Bianca should have had, so at the very least, I had to repay it.
[Then that is a relief! I’m glad I could be of help to you, my lady.]
Normally, Arkan would disappear after saying his piece.
But today, he oddly hesitated—writing and erasing words several times.
[But then… why does your expression look like that?]
His next words made me pause.
[This path is perfect. If your goal remains the same, your face should reflect the confidence of a conqueror near victory. But your expression keeps surprising me. It’s so different from what I expected.]
[The adventurers I’ve journeyed with before always acted like greedy creatures. They’d praise me endlessly, saying how amazing I was and stroking my ego.]
[That was my only joy… but now you don’t look excited at all. And honestly… it’s not just a little sad. It’s very sad…]
I laughed and responded,
“You don’t need to feel down. I’m just not used to showing my emotions.”
At that, he again started writing and erasing, over and over.
…What was he trying to say?
Just as I was waiting for his response, we arrived at the address Idette had given me.
I put Arkan back in my bag and carefully knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
‘I hope he has the item Arkan mentioned…’
If not, I would have come all this way for nothing. The thought made me nervous.
“Excuse me, is this Mr. Edmund’s house?”
Right after I spoke, I heard a loud crash inside. Something broke with a bang, making me flinch.
Moments later—
BANG!
“Ah, rent’s due at the end of the month…”
A man opened the door, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
When he saw me standing there, his eyes widened.
Then he tilted his head and muttered to himself.
“Did the landlord change?”
He looked just like Idette.
Her gentle charm was all over his face.
‘…There’s no doubt they’re father and daughter.’
I was stunned by the resemblance for a second but quickly spoke up.
“No! I’m a friend of Miss Idette…”
Just as I was about to continue, Edmund’s mouth dropped open.
“She… she actually has a real friend?!”
Was it really that shocking?
Everything in the letter was true.
No exaggeration.
“Oh, wait. Then you must be Bianca, right?”
“…Huh? How did you know?”
“Well, that’s the only female name she’s ever mentioned to me.”
Thank goodness Idette had told him in advance.
That would make everything easier.
Relieved, I began explaining the situation quickly.
But… it didn’t seem like he was really listening.
It was like—
Instead of focusing on my words, he just stared at me with a proud smile.
As if he couldn’t be more proud of his daughter, Idette.
Aw, arkan is kinda cute