Chapter 28
In the backyard surrounded by an iron fence, under the shade of an elm tree, stood a tall stone tomb.
I walked toward my father and brother, dressed neatly.
On the pure white marble bathed in faint sunlight, the countess’s name was engraved in elegant writing. The scent of white lilies placed below the tombstone drifted in the wind.
I stood a little distance away without making my presence known and watched the two of them. My brother’s fingertips trembled slightly as he bowed his head deeply. My father, who was also hunching his shoulders, kept wiping the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief.
In Ries Brant’s diary, it was written that father and brother were doing well even without mother, but to me, both of them still looked very sad.
‘They probably didn’t show it in front of their young daughter or sister.’
I also held my breath for a while, so the silence wouldn’t break if they noticed I had come.
As I went through the album of memories rising again, my throat felt sore.
When I sniffled, my father heard it and turned around.
“Ries. When did you come?”
“…About ten minutes ago.”
I forced out my heavy voice, and my father smiled softly, stretching his arms.
I ran over and hugged him.
My brother glanced at us and faintly curved his lips into a smile.
“Why didn’t you bring me along?”
“…Hmm. Sorry.”
Even though I knew they were thinking about protecting me because I had lost my memories, I still acted a little spoiled. My father didn’t add anything else and just apologized.
“…If both of you just stay quiet and leave like this, mother will be bored.”
I turned my body and looked up at the stone tomb.
“Mother. We are here. It’s already the fourth year without you. We are all living healthy lives.”
“The nagging big brother Simon has become the top student at the Royal Military Academy. Hard to believe, right?”
After a light staring contest with my brother, I continued.
“Father still worries a lot and cries easily. Please take good care of him so he doesn’t feel your absence.”
“Two days ago, we got a new family member. It’s a foal with dazzling white fur. It’s very pretty. I will tell you more about Seolgi from time to time.”
“And I—”
I paused and took a deep breath.
“I reread , the book I read most with you.”
“Volume 9 was released recently. But reading it alone makes some parts feel a little sad.”
“When I was little, you changed your voice and read it to me. Princess voice, hero voice, even the old wizard voice.”
I could feel my father and brother’s shocked eyes looking at me, so I smiled gently.
I took a piece of parchment from my arms and placed it lightly in front of the tomb.
“Mother, we promised that when I grow a little bigger, we would write adventure stories together.”
“So I hurriedly wrote one last night. It’s only one page for now, but I brought it first so you could see it. Please enjoy reading it! I will bring the next part soon. Please watch over our family from the sky.”
“I love you.”
When I finished the letter sent to my mother, my tearful father and brother both rushed toward me.
“Ries. Your memory has returned!”
“Seriously, you kept worrying us, you little kid.”
My father, who burst into tears, hugged me tightly, and my brother gently tapped my head.
After that, like I did with Millie, we spent some time sharing our feelings happily. Especially since my father forgot his dignity and kept crying, I had a hard time comforting him.
It would be nice if it could end like this.
But there was something I had to confess to the family who truly loved me.
Even though I inherited memories after being asked by the soul of Brant Countess (Ries’ mother), I could never be exactly the same as her.
After leaving my father’s arms, I stood firmly.
“Brother, Father. I was seriously ill this spring, right?”
“…Yes, you were.”
“Actually, something big changed inside me at that time. I can’t explain it in detail, but starting from that period, everything about me became different. My values, personality, attitude toward life, even my food preferences and small habits.”
The two exchanged confused glances.
“I have my memories back, but… I may still feel like a different child than before. Especially Father, you might feel disappointed or confused…, so I’m sorry in advance.”
Living my whole life pretending to be the original personality of Ries was also tiring, and even if I tried, it would be impossible to perfectly deceive my family.
I raised my head, imagining the surprised and troubled faces of the two.
But what entered my sight was my father laughing heartily and my brother snickering.
“Haha. My daughter, as I said before, as long as you are healthy and happy, it doesn’t matter how you change.”
“What is this? Talking about having a puberty phase for so long.”
Their reactions were so casual that it felt like my serious confession was nothing.
“Ah, no. Really. I mean it. I’ve changed! My personality might have become more mean and more cynical.”
“Alright, alright. At your age, people usually change a little like that.”
“I’m worried it might get even worse.”
I was the one who became flustered.
Unable to find words to respond, I stammered, and my father patted both of our backs and walked ahead.
“Alright. We’ve paid our respects to mother, so let’s go eat, kids.”
“Helping deal with my useless little sister made me hungry.”
Watching the backs of the two slowly walking away, I laughed in vain.
My serious confession being treated as just a teenage girl’s whim felt absurd, but if it didn’t hurt them and they accepted it, then it was probably fine.
Following my calmer feelings, my steps also became lighter.
“Wait for me!”
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and shimmered as it sent us off.
It was the beginning of a long summer.
2
Kyle disappeared.
Darius Dierne immediately told father and brother about his disappearance.
Father gathered several nearby knights to search for Kyle.
“You must not move. Stay here quietly and wait with the duchess.”
Brother firmly instructed before closing the door.
The silhouettes of knights scattering to search were faintly reflected outside the window.
As the raindrops that had been falling slowly became heavier, anxiety grew inside me.
Father seemed to assume kidnapping or an accident and ordered the mountain lodge area to be searched, but I thought differently.
‘Kyle… he left on his own.’
When I recalled the last expression Kyle had, I was certain this was a runaway.
I told the duchess a lie that I would go to the next room, then covered myself with a cloak and ran out.
“I can’t just stay still.”
Jumping over the lodge fence, I looked into the fir forest where the mountain path continued.
Following the muddy path while looking at the ground, I found a clue.
There were traces of broken grass and branches leading into places where there was no road.
There were also impressions that looked like human footprints.
‘Should I call the knights or my brother?’
But I was afraid the traces might disappear while returning to the lodge.
In the end, I tore the hem of my skirt and tied it to a tree branch.
If I leave markers like this, someone might find them and understand my intention.
After that, I left the road and followed the uncertain trail, pushing through bushes and trees into the forest.
Cold crosswinds carried heavy rain.
To avoid getting lost, I tied pieces of my torn clothes to tree trunks from time to time, but I wasn’t sure they would stay if a strong gust swept them away.
When I lost my balance and fell onto the ground, my hood fell off.
Raindrops hit my cheeks like arrows.
The wet clothes pressed heavily against my body, but I stood up and kept walking step by step.
Sadly, because of the increasingly violent wind and rain, Kyle’s traces and footprints were slowly being erased.
“Kyle!! Where are you?!”
I shouted loudly toward the roaring forest.
Lightning drew a line across the gray sky. Soon thunder shook the mountain ridge angrily.
The dense and beautiful fir forest that once looked like the home of elves had turned into a creepy dark forest.
Once night fell, the forest would become even more dangerous. I had to find Kyle before that.
“Kyle! Please answer me!!”
My desperate voice was swallowed by the storm.
Hearing the rushing water, I turned my head and saw the swollen stream flowing like a waterfall.
The sight of broken trees floating in the water made my stomach sink.
‘Don’t tell me… he didn’t jump off a cliff.’
Terrible thoughts made my whole body tremble like a leaf.
If I hadn’t said unnecessary things earlier.
No, I shouldn’t have brought Kyle here in the first place.
I felt ashamed of the past when I proudly said I would make the best vacation for Kylerus Dierne (Kyle), Darius Dierne, and the duchess.
Would all this have become hope torture for Kyle, who might have been looking forward to getting closer to his mother?
‘Trying to save Kyle, I only accelerated his potential dark transformation.’
My chest tightened with anxiety over the butterfly effect of events not written in the original story.
At that moment, my foot caught on a protruding tree root, and I fell forward again.
Blood spread from the scraped palm.
The self-blame rising from inside hurt more than the cold rain.
All of this started three weeks ago, when I invited the Dierne family to the Brant territory.
