11 – Sunset
Today was a special day.
The large theater that had been built nearby was ready to accommodate the audience. The extensive promotion was so lively that even the quiet nursery heard the news.
It was the day of the momentous first performance.
I was heading to the grand theater with the children.
“Hee hee, hm, hmmm~.”
Tina sang a little tune as she walked nervously. It was a clumsy melody, but in Tina’s mind, a performance that rivaled an orchestra was unfolding.
I didn’t want to shatter that fantasy.
“My dear child, with such a beautiful voice, you could be an opera singer, couldn’t you?”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course. Your voice is so sweet that Julian is falling asleep.”
“I’m not falling asleep.”
“Actually, Glen was falling asleep.”
“From now on, I’ll try falling asleep.”
These rascals, they’re trouble.
One doesn’t listen, so he’s trouble, and one listens too well, so he’s trouble.
Even though they are the protagonists and villains, doesn’t it seem like their roles have been reversed somehow? That’s why raising kids is so unpredictable.
“Well… I don’t really mind…?”
“What?”
Tina looked at me with reproachful eyes. It felt like she could catch me in a well-intentioned lie at any moment.
There’s no helping it.
No one is better than Yurian at overturning a gloomy atmosphere in an instant.
So I decided to take advantage of the brief moment.
“Kk, Director? What’s all this sudden…”
“Huff…”
I took a deep breath. And right after that, I started running, making Yurian experience a running gag firsthand.
“People of the neighborhood!!! Our Yurian!!! Didn’t!!! Fall asleep!!! Admirably!!!”
“What, what are you doing, Director! Is this something you can do without feeling embarrassed by the looks of others!?”
“Even in an opera performance! Our child who can endure sleepiness! Please praise them to your heart’s content!!!”
“Are you crazy…? Director!!!”
Ignoring Yurian, whose voice was trembling, I turned around and winked at Tina. Then Tina laughed so much that tears welled up, and she and Glen ran towards us.
Meanwhile, Yurian used all their strength to catch up to me after escaping the running gag.
“There’s no need for an opinion like ‘It was fun.’ Yurian.”
“That is an opinion that is absolutely unnecessary to the point of death!”
“Let’s leave it to the rest to decide whether your words are right or wrong.”
I lifted Tina and Glen up. They were already eleven years old, so they were quite big. They might not be able to carry them on both shoulders like this if they grew a little more.
“Wow, it’s high!”
“… Surprisingly enjoyable.”
On the left shoulder, Tina giggled and swayed, while on the right shoulder, Glenn subtly enjoyed and sparkled his eyes.
Of course, I crafted a victory salute as annoyingly as possible to make it look despicable to Yurian.
“Look at this, actually, you were Papa’s favorite little pet, weren’t you?”
“These… traitors…!”
Galgu thought that her sister-in-law restraining her was more hateful than her mother-in-law, and on Yurian’s side, Tina and Glenn seemed more annoying, seemingly enjoying it.
Tina shouted with excitement, completely ignoring Yurian’s disapproval.
“Wow… all the streets are beneath me. It’s so fascinating.”
“Really? If you didn’t have such discerning eyes, I would have shown you around the capital.”
“The capital? I want to see it…”
When Tina asked, Yurian’s shoulders twitched, trembling.
As the third prince, he had lived in the center of the capital, the palace, and witnessed the essence of all kinds of luxury.
What exactly he experienced there was unknown, but it seemed like not very pleasant memories were resurfacing.
Feeling somewhat sorry, I casually mumbled.
“Well, it’s just a slightly larger city, actually.”
“Did Dad visit the capital?”
“Well, at least once.”
The temple where I worked until just before my escape was the capital’s temple.
The temples were distributed in various parts of the empire, and at that time, as a holy knight, I was assigned to the capital’s temple.
As a knight tasked with guarding a prominent figure in the temple, I had firmly decided to live my entire life that way. Until the day I plunged my head into the sacred pond…
Suddenly, something bothered me.
“Come to think of it, I wonder how he’s doing?”
He left the temple without saying anything, so he might be disappointed.
It was a hasty decision without the luxury of investigating the situation.
“…Or not? We weren’t that close, so I can’t be sure.”
Although it was a relationship between the guarded target and the guardian knight, spending a long time together had made me attached.
Perhaps in the barren temple life, I unilaterally formed an affection.
I reminisced about Tyna and Glen as I put them back on the ground. It was truly an endlessly free temple, but the days were comfortable. There was no resentment.
Even if I hadn’t known the future where I lose my life, I would have stayed in the temple without complaints.
“Of course… With no complaints, there’s no regret either.”
Thanks to leaving the temple, I gained a stable family. Moreover, even if not for Urian, Tyna and Glen’s childhood destinies took a positive turn.
The more I pondered on these strange encounters, the more I felt a smile forming on my lips.
I made the right choice. Leaving the temple.
“Huh?”
During those peaceful days, Glen made a surprised sound.
“Master, over there…!”
Following Glen’s urgent call, I looked to where his gaze was fixed. There was someone crossing the street wearing a hooded robe, and the problem was that a carriage was speeding towards them on the road.
The hood was pressed too deeply, narrowing the peripheral vision. It would have been good if we could hear the noisy carriage sound, but it seemed even that was difficult.
“Kuk…!”
hehehehe!
Nolan’s words echoed loudly, a surprised exclamation mixed with a burst of laughter.
Only then did he shrink back as if startled. It was a moment when clarity returned to his mind in the face of imminent crisis.
One couldn’t afford to show the sight of a person dying in front of the kids.
The judgment was swift, and the action was rapid.
As I raced with all my might, I wrapped my arms around him. Then, with a slight reduction in the speed of the hooves, supported by small sacred particles, we leaped together, embracing him with a dramatic short arc.
After safely landing on the opposite side of the road, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Haah… What on earth is wrong with people…!”
I didn’t know who he was, but it seemed like he had an excessive lack of safety awareness. I was about to scold him like that.
I had no choice but to tightly bite down on my lips that were about to part.
“… Ugh.”
Long chestnut-colored hair flowed out from the hood that was completely laid back. The eyes, with a dignified atmosphere, were red, and the skin was as clear as if made of porcelain.
A beautiful person. It was an undeniable fact, but it was too mundane a reason to have consciousness taken away.
Why?
Something was different.
‘Yes… something is… different.’
A sense of discomfort.
For some reason, even though it wasn’t the level of seeing someone for the first time, there was an unease that couldn’t be shaken off, making my throat feel parched.
“Ugh.”
Flutter!
Without a moment to infer the identity of the discomfort, the woman immediately flipped her hood.
Without even expressing gratitude, she ran away, but instead of anger, a strange feeling lingered.
“… Have I seen her somewhere before?”
A beauty so conspicuous would have left a memory.
It felt like experiencing a strangely unique encounter.
“”Director!””
“Dad!”
The children ran over.
It was time to forget the unexpectedly unfamiliar experience and focus on the present.
I am their family.
◇
Today was a special day.
Near the completed grand theater, there was a branch of a highly reputable bank.
So, Elyssia Luminel deposited all the cash she had on hand into the bank accounts and walked back.
The given freedom felt unfamiliar.
Walking without a carriage or attendants was a rare act. It made me excited and immersed in deep contemplation.
A life without attendants was not yet entirely familiar, so I lacked vigilance. I realized once again that unexpected accidents could happen when immersed in my own world.
A carriage accident.
Boarding the transportation I had never expected to collide with, I felt a sense of crisis. And at the end of it…
…
……
Yes, today was indeed a special day.
It was such a special day, guided by luck I never wished for.
◇
The early evening when the sunset.
Leaves were piled up in front of the orphanage that had returned from watching an opera performance at the grand theater. So, I ushered the drowsy children inside first and was left with a broom or a dustpan.
Not just that.
Due to the wind revealing the reality our children showed at the grand theater, the major couldn’t help but be disappointed.
“These kids… every single one fell asleep during the performance.”
Especially Tina, who snored, was more shocking.
Not Yuri, not Glenn, but Tina!
I tried to cover her nose or gently turn her head, but it was all in vain.
If it weren’t for the VIP tickets the Count sent, we would have undoubtedly attracted numerous eyes.
“Phew, the chairs were as soft as clouds. To buy the same one… it’s too expensive.”
Even though I had no business in the wholesale of furniture, it was easy to deduce just from the comfort. It was clear that these luxurious furnishings were not suitable for my situation.
It was during such contemplations of the past day that I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts by the lively voice of a woman.
“Excuse me.”
“Hmm, over there…”
She immediately recognized who it was.
It was the woman who had almost been in a carriage accident during the day. The discomfort from that moment was still vivid, making her presence linger in her mind.
The only difference now was perhaps her attire.
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She was wearing a dazzling red dress that seemed almost too flashy, carrying a simple-looking bag. The paradoxical appearance created a mysterious atmosphere.
On the other hand, her presence seemed suspicious, yet she opened her mouth calmly, not showing any signs of the guarded posture I was expecting.
“Harte of the Holy Knights. Am I correct?” She stated, revealing my identity as if it were obvious.