Chapter 109
Yuri’s eyes, which had been locked on his wife as if spellbound, softened like white foam.
“……Yeah, I guess so.”
“Sometimes starfish get washed up on the shore too, and when that happens, I bring a small glass bottle……”
His wife’s quiet voice continued gently.
Yuri tried not to miss a single word, following her immediately.
The closer they got to the beach, the louder the sound of the waves became. Cecilia’s hair swayed lightly with each step, moving in time with the slow yet majestic rhythm.
Bending down to pick up a shiny seashell by hand, his wife looked directly into his eyes, her gaze filled with excitement.
Because of the shoes she wore, which fastened with straps, when the waves rolled unusually far up the shore, some of that vast water would briefly brush Cecilia’s toes before retreating.
Yuri glanced at her wet white toes and, feeling an inexplicable shyness, cleared his throat and looked away.
“It’s a pity. If there were a shop selling glass bottles around here, I would’ve put a little sand and a few seashells inside to take home.”
“That would just be extra luggage.”
“Still, there’s nothing better for reminiscing, you know.”
Hearing words with not a teaspoon of romance in them, Cecilia pouted slightly.
Yuri raised an eyebrow, looking slightly perplexed, and replied sulkily,
“Even without something like that, we can always revive memories just by talking.”
“……That’s not wrong either.”
Convinced by her husband’s words, Cecilia nodded slowly.
He was right.
No matter when, if they saw something resembling the colors of this sea and sunset, they could talk about how beautiful the sea had been that autumn, and how excited they had felt.
Her heart, which had nearly frozen from her dry emotions, began to melt little by little.
The strength left her hands that were linked with her husband’s arm.
Having unknowingly overcome a small crisis, Yuri rolled his eyes thoughtfully, reflecting on his wife’s story.
When Cecilia had originally suggested making a sand-filled bottle, he had thought it a strange game.
But now, seeing his wife appear to have let go of the idea, a sudden feeling of regret struck him.
‘Should I suggest making one even now?’
It felt awkward to say this after having previously scolded her.
Even when Cecilia once again became absorbed in watching the waves, Yuri crouched down, gazing at the ground in thought, and picked up an unusually shiny seashell.
The water reflected the sunlight at just the right moment, and the light struck his eyes.
Upon closer inspection, the shell had no holes, and its pattern was evenly drawn, which pleased him greatly.
Holding it up and turning it in his hand, he offered it to his wife, who was looking at him curiously.
“Here, a gift.”
“You said everything is just extra luggage.”
“This is different. It’s small and pretty.”
Yuri, answering with a shameless grin, cleared his throat awkwardly.
“……I didn’t mean to embarrass you earlier. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t really upset. Honestly, I find it amazing and nice that you’re apologizing like this.”
“Amazing, huh?”
Yuri muttered under his breath, feeling slightly flustered.
Occasionally, when his wife brought up stories from the past to tease him, even knowing it was a joke, a certain corner of his heart would still twitch.
This would likely continue for a while.
Knowing this, Yuri desperately tried to explain himself.
“My mother didn’t like this kind of thing. She thought there was no need to collect such things in a fuss.”
Listening to him, Cecilia let out a faint note of admiration at the corners of her lips.
She hadn’t heard many stories about the previous duke, so she was drawn quickly into his tale.
Yuri continued awkwardly. Since he rarely had the opportunity to talk about his parents, recalling them often felt like opening a delicate book on the verge of crumbling.
“My father occasionally thought it was necessary to leave proof of memories. But he mostly followed my mother’s opinion, so I never really felt the desire to collect things like this myself.”
“That makes sense. ……I think I would have gotten along really well with your father.”
“Certainly seems like it. My father would have liked you a lot. He would even sometimes scold my mother for not understanding romance.”
“Surprising. That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you just now.”
Hearing her mischievous addition, Yuri pressed his lips together, feeling a bit guilty.
Seeing him like that, Cecilia laughed and shrugged.
“Anyway…… I wasn’t trying to force anything. I just grew up thinking it was nice to leave small memories behind.”
She moved her lips as if to say more, but after a moment’s hesitation, decided to remain silent.
It wasn’t the right moment to bring up such things.
Things like how everyone had tried to leave even a trace of themselves, not knowing when they would die.
Cecilia, turning over her thoughts, hurriedly finished her sentence.
“But I’m not saying I tried to record daily life excessively or luxuriously. A single seashell, a four-leaf clover—I just got into the habit of putting little treasures into my personal treasure box.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Next time I find a clover or something, I’ll pick one for you too.”
Yuri’s playful response was slightly subdued.
It was as if he had guessed what words she had swallowed without saying.
But just as she refrained from mentioning it, he too chose not to bring it up, occasionally picking up unusual stones, unusually large seashells, or very dry starfish, participating in her habit.
As these small treasures accumulated, by the time they returned to the Viscount’s mansion, his large hands were full of odds and ends.
Cecilia, who shared about half of them, carefully ensured that the weight didn’t ruin the shapes.
“Will these go into your treasure box too?”
Yuri, walking silently beside her, suddenly asked.
Cecilia barely caught a small piece of stone slipping through her fingers and tilted her head.
She smiled faintly, as if saying it was obvious.
“I’ll put them in the best spot of the best chest.”
Hearing that, Yuri smiled satisfactorily.
Cecilia’s steps began to slow gradually as the mansion came into view, and the smile on her lips started to fade.
She paused briefly, narrowed her eyes, tilted her head, and then hesitated with each step.
By then, Yuri couldn’t help but notice that something was amiss.
“……What’s wrong?”
Nervously swallowing, he whispered softly.
There was no real reason for caution, but the tension on Cecilia’s face made him lower his voice instinctively.
Cecilia, uncertain, stared off into the distance and furrowed her brow.
Her answer came only after Yuri’s heart had practically shriveled from anxiety.
“I see an unfamiliar carriage by the front gate. I think…… Leona’s family has arrived.”
