Chapter 003
「Now, let’s go eat. From the moment we step out of this room, you must follow the rules we set, okay?」
Hagenti’s eyes narrowed.
Shasha had intentionally emphasized the word “rules,” but it seemed as if Hagenti couldn’t even see the rest of the sentence.
His eyes widened, he straightened his back, and let out a shout:
“Food!”
Shasha burst into a silent laugh.
Seven years old.
The prime age for a healthy appetite.
The lisping voice demanding “strawberry flavor” had been quite a shock, but fortunately, Hagenti wasn’t a picky eater.
In fact, he ate so well—almost like someone who had been starving for days—that Shasha had to restrain him a few times. After all, she had to consider the watchful eyes of the servants in the mansion.
She had guessed as much since he mentioned “Rose-Noona,” but it appeared Hagenti had regressed to a very specific point in time twenty years ago. To put it simply, from his perspective, he was seven years old just yesterday, only to wake up today twenty years into the future.
Usually, he would have eaten in his office….
When was the last time they had sat at a table together like this?
Even though it was a standard meal, seeing Hagenti’s eyes sparkle every time a new dish was served made Shasha quietly slide her own plate toward him.
After finishing the meal, she escorted Hagenti back to his bedroom—which felt more like confinement—and headed to the study.
Aide Aiden Lane was immersed in work, bathed in the warm spring sunlight. He had been Hagenti’s business partner even before the marriage, and even back then, he was so capable that even Shasha had heard his name several times.
On the large executive desk made of dark oak, countless documents were stacked like towers. Normally, this workload would have been shared with Hagenti.
Knock, knock.
When Shasha tapped on the wall, Aiden tucked a strand of his long blonde hair behind his ear and looked up.
A glint of surprise flashed in his green eyes as he belatedly noticed the mistress of the house.
“Madam.”
「I’m sorry to disturb you. Is there anything I can help with?」
“No. It’s quite alright.”
The dark circles already forming around his eyes made him look exhausted, yet he firmly declined Shasha’s help. Shasha made an effort to ignore the ashtray filled with cigarette butts.
Aiden pushed a stack of papers aside to clear his view and spoke.
“I heard from the doctor. Regarding the Lord’s condition, I will do my best to manage it so that word doesn’t spread outside. Though, we won’t be able to block it perfectly. You know better than anyone how fast servants spread rumors, Madam.”
Yes, she knew. She knew it so well it was a problem.
As tension tightened between her brows, Shasha carefully managed her expression and nodded. Aiden watched her intently, then opened the top drawer and rummaged through it.
“But about that matter… no, the divorce. What do you intend to do? Ah, I don’t mean to pressure you. It’s just that, in the current situation, I have to handle those affairs as well….”
Shasha smiled at the troubled man to reassure him.
She thought of the strange boy she was with just moments ago, and after a brief deliberation, she opened her notebook.
「I will maintain the marriage as long as Hagenti is seven. But please prepare everything so that we can end the relationship the moment he returns.」
“…….”
Aiden opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it. He calmly accepted her decision.
Hagenti had married Shasha in the form of a son-in-law taking the bride’s name, but he did not live with her family; he only took the surname. Shasha’s family held little power over Hagenti.
The Evreux family was a famous lineage of musicians, owning an opera house in their name. However, since Shasha’s parents passed away, the family’s fortunes had declined. They were currently maintaining ownership of the opera house only through Hagenti’s financial support.
Hagenti gained a noble surname; my family gained his money.
In the middle of that trade, what exactly did I gain?
No, let’s not think like that.
Since deciding on the divorce, gloomy thoughts had become a habit. Shasha forced herself to look out the sunny window, turning her attention to other memories.
A kiss….
She recalled that word, which didn’t suit Hagenti at “all,” and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Even that man liked kisses when he was seven.
I should write this in my diary. Honestly, it was too delightful an incident not to record.
However, at that point, she didn’t realize one thing: seven is an age far more fragile, emotional, and imaginative than she thought.
* * *
In the middle of the night, while the nightjars cried, Shasha—who had fallen into a light sleep—opened her eyes to a hand tapping her shoulder.
What is it now….
Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, she sat up only to discover a pair of blue eyes staring down at her in the dark. Startled, she kicked out.
“Agh!” A short cry erupted from where those eyes had been.
Hagenti, who had been struck in the face and tumbled back, soon crawled back onto the bed and tightly hugged Shasha’s legs. He whispered in a terrified, pleading voice.
“I’m so scared here. I think there’s a ghost outside the window.”
His eyes sparkled like those of a pitiful kitten.
“Can’t I sleep with you?”
For a brief moment, Shasha felt as if her body was floating away from reality.
…Am I having a long dream right now?
But the strength in the arms hugging her legs was too vivid to be dismissed as a dream. When a gust of wind blew and the dark shadows outside the window swayed, Hagenti jumped in fright and leaped onto the bed, burying himself in Shasha’s chest.
“See! I told you there’s a ghost out there!”
No, to anyone else, it was clearly just the wind….
His tensed muscles felt firm. Shasha tried to push him away, but she froze at the unexpected sensation.
Her shoulder was getting wet.
“Don’t send me away, okay? I’m really scared.”
…Hagenti?
In the wake of her bewilderment, a crack formed and a cold shock seeped in. Shasha remained dazed for a while, only realizing the reality of the situation when she heard a faint sob.
He’s crying.
Hagenti is crying.
She couldn’t believe it. He was a man who seemed like he wouldn’t shed a single drop of blood if pricked with a needle, let alone tears. She had thought Hagenti’s tear ducts were as dried up as her own vocal cords.
You could cry, too….
The surrounding darkness wavered like a fast-moving landscape. Hagenti’s past criticisms, which she had intentionally buried in her subconscious, resurfaced like a nightmare, piercing her heart.
“Are you crying again?”
And after saying that, you would always sigh.
“Does shedding a few tears solve the problem? If you have a grievance, speak up. Write it down.”
Then please just wait a little. Actually, I don’t want to cry like a fool either….
How much courage had it taken to grasp the hem of his colorless clothes? Yet, even after squeezing out that nonexistent courage, the answer was always the same.
“Go back. I don’t want to waste time doing this with you.”
…That was the kind of man he was.
For some reason, she suddenly felt all the tension leave her body. Meanwhile, Hagenti was trembling in his bear-like frame, desperately craving affection.
“I’m scared. I want to go home. I want to go home.”
Seven years old….
Shasha stared at her palm, which was beaded with cold sweat, then very gently caressed his waist.
The moment he felt that touch, Hagenti’s pent-up sorrow seemed to explode, and he began to sob even more piteously.
“I hate it here, I want to go home….”
Ah. Perhaps what this boy feared wasn’t the shadow outside.
A warmth spread through her chest. She couldn’t say exactly why, but she felt as though new skin was growing over the wounds in her heart—wounds that had only grown larger after a lifetime of being rejected by others.
“…….”
Once more, the wind blew and the shadows outside the window swayed.
Shasha wore a faint smile and gently pulled Hagenti into an embrace. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and patted his back, as if soothing a child.
Don’t worry. You’ll be able to go back soon.
Don’t cry, Hagenti.
You’ll go back soon.
