17 – Tears Seeping into the Mud
Rona was a woman who had grown up in an extremely ordinary household.
Under the gentle care of harmonious parents, Rona grew up in an environment free from hardships, blossoming into a maiden with a bright smile.
Perhaps that’s why the older youths in the village subtly cast glances towards Rona.
Whenever she danced at the village festival, monopolizing dance requests became a routine.
Occasionally, she received courtship proposals accompanied by beautifully bloomed flowers.
Sometimes, Rona enjoyed the efforts of these men but consistently declined them firmly.
There was no specific reason.
It was just that, in relation to her popularity, Rona held fantasies about love pure enough to be considered naive.
Someday, her destined partner would appear.
Someone who she would feel, “This is the one!” Otherwise, she wouldn’t engage in a romantic relationship.
Ah! Someone a bit lacking might be nice.
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There would be the fun of filling the gaps together.
Moreover, they might rely on her as much as they lacked.
…And if they were fit and good-looking, it would be the icing on the cake, wouldn’t it?
Despite being drawn to love, she patiently endured. All for the destined partner who would eventually appear.
However, was it a stroke of luck?
The fated partner visited unexpectedly, like an uninvited guest.
“I… don’t remember. Who I am… What I do… My name… Everything…”
The man who suddenly appeared in the village had impressively fiery red hair that seemed passionately ablaze.
And when he blinked, the summer sun reflected on the blue lake like a momentary mirage, repeatedly revealing itself.
Rona swore she had never seen someone as handsome as that man before.
Moreover, the slightly open buttons beneath the broad shoulders, revealing the chest, were screaming in discomfort.
Internally, the paper resounded crystal clear.
This was a signal that the first love, which should not be missed, was here.
Rona was firmly convinced.
This man was undoubtedly the destined one.
Therefore, the moment of determined commitment was brief.
“I’ll help you!”
From that day on, everyday life continued with a heart full of vitality.
Teaching wholeheartedly how to live by the inexperienced man’s side with sincerity, regardless of what it was.
The kinder Rona treated him, the man responded with an exciting smile.
As time passed, it was true that the man’s identity became more intriguing.
With this level of beauty, he could easily be called a nobleman… Could he be an aristocrat who suffered amnesia?
Perhaps when he regained his memory, he might make me his lady.
She knew it herself. It was a foolish delusion.
A noble lord struck by amnesia.
It was like a farce that could only be found in novels.
Nevertheless, she considered it fortunate.
To have a man so fitting to her ideal, relying on her.
And occasionally, even subtly expressing a hidden affection with a blush.
Finally, when he proposed with his absent-minded household, Rona felt like she had everything in the world.
—
Surely, ahead, only happy days would continue.
He believed that. From the first night, nestled in the arms of the man, until the moment the sun rose the next morning.
“Where are you…?”
Disappeared like a mirage. As if he had never existed in the world.
Delusion? Dream? Mental illness?
I explored various possibilities, but the changes brought about by the cycles of the sun and the moon revealed the answer to me.
“You’re not avoiding… the night…?”
It was pregnancy.
A single night’s rest had brought life into the womb.
The child of the man who disappeared right after the first night…
Parents opposed it, but she wanted to give birth to the child.
Even if she was driven out of her home and wandered as a wanderer.
Because it was his child.
Wasn’t it the result of the long, affectionate love with the man over the years?
The girl who carried the child for ten months was so adorable that she could forget all the hardships.
From the hair color to the eye color, the child resembled him entirely.
It felt like this child was proving that the time they had loved each other was real.
… Until the second winter after giving birth circled around, it was undoubtedly so.
The year the child turned two.
He began to utter words, enough for short communication.
—
Before intelligence, it was a matter of the physical possibility.
I’ve never heard of a case where a two-year-old baby established linguistic communication.
Somehow eerie, but there was no reason not to love.
Three months later, until the child could not just walk but run.
*Thud!*
The midnight cry of a wild dog echoed.
Thinking a dangerous beast had appeared, I hurriedly went out to assess the situation.
It wasn’t a sharp-toothed wolf or a bear larger than a person that was there.
It was her child.
A mere two-year-old baby, rummaging through the entrails of a wild dog, covered in blood, stared at Rona intently.
For the first time then, the mother was frightened of her child.
Doubts even arose as to whether the child, who had come out of her womb just two years ago, was real.
Rona froze in place.
The year the child turned four.
Rona would bear scars that she would have to carry for a lifetime.
All because of the attack from none other than her own child.
From that moment on, Rona gave up raising Tina and ran away. Far away, just in case her child’s footsteps accidentally reached her.
◇
A life turned away from the child was peaceful.
Farming surprisingly suited her, and the villagers showed kindness even to Rona, an outsider. Perhaps they speculated that she had her own desperate story.
After getting used to the village, I started hanging out with a man frequently.
His melancholic expression bothered me, so I asked him about it. He said he was reminded of his deceased wife.
Lona could sympathize to some extent with the man’s story.
Because her first love and husband had disappeared overnight.
Both of them had lost their spouses, so they quickly became close.
It was enough time for them to remarry in just six months.
This time, they even had a normal baby boy.
As expected, the problem was with the former husband’s side.
Thanks to that, Lona felt relieved. She thought she would finally be able to build a normal home with the person she loves.
Surely, that’s how it would be.
“Mama! There’s a sister I’ve never seen before here!”
“Jed? Did a guest come?”
Lona hurriedly went outside to greet the rare guest.
And in the moment when the bright sunlight hit her eyes, she blinked.
Her legs suddenly went weak. No, it was impossible to even give them strength.
It wasn’t a physical issue. It was closer to a mental problem.
That child, the beast that had tried to harm its birth parents, appeared before my eyes again.
The unforgettable red hair. It still burned with the same intensity.
The inhuman blue eyes were shining beautifully, just like that day.
The size of the body had doubled, but she recognized him at a glance.
“You…!”
The worst daughter who only brought cruel memories.
“Zed! Jump behind Mom right now!”
“Gasp, okay!”
Dudududu.
Rona’s ordinary son moved his short legs diligently. Then, behind her, he shot a glance and observed Tina, bowing only her head.
Tina had two hats in her eyes, where the shockwaves resonated.
“Mom…”
“What?”
“Mom… That’s Tina… your daughter…”
Tina reached out her hand as if trying to grab the empty air. However, her hand stopped before it could go up to her waist.
“Who… Who says you’re my daughter! I’ve never given birth to a monster… Yeah, there was never such a daughter from the beginning…”
“What…?”
“Please leave this place, I said leave! Who else do you want to harm? Not as much as my son… As long as I’m alive… Never…!!!”
It felt like Tina’s world was collapsing.
Ironically, the first daughter was yearning for a tender motherhood to protect her own child.
She was aware of the unilateral hostility and motherhood, all being her own karma.
“Mom…”
Children are blind.
The choice for a child, unlike parents who have multiple options, tends to be one-sided. This is because a child’s world is entirely composed of parents.
Facing a reality detached from ideals, she asked as if pleading visibly,
“Mom… Is it too much for me…?”
“Get out… right now…!!!”
The hesitating mother screamed with a mixture of anger and fear.
With that fragile shout, Tina’s world refracted and crumpled.
“Do not let a monster like you ruin our daily lives!!!”
“Ah… sniff…”
Tears welled up in her blue eyes.
The tears that soon flowed down her cheeks mixed with the mud soaked in the dawn rain, as if implying that those tears were worthless to the reunited mother.
Tina’s tears were no different from a mud puddle trampled by passersby.
Then, from somewhere, a sharp sound, like something snapping, echoed.
A cruel tone.
It was only today that Tina finally realized the sound of the thread of fate being cut.
Just like the release of Lona’s power, Tina’s legs also lost strength.
Amidst that, her thoughts were only filled with worries that made her heart ache.
Her buttocks would sink into the mud puddle.
Then, her clothes would get dirty.
Certainly, it would cause trouble.
… It would be dreadful.
Tina tightly closed her eyes.
How long had it been?
She let out a faint moan.
“Huh…?”
No shock was felt.
There was no splattering mud, no dirtying of clothes.
Upon opening her eyes, the sensation was comforting.
Firm, spacious, warm. A feeling now incredibly familiar. Somehow, it was a reassuring embrace.
Tina called out to the one who steadfastly supported her crumbling self.
“Dad…?”
“Yeah, your foolish and clumsy dad.”
Harte regretted her decision.
If she had known, she would have sent a letter first.
That way, she wouldn’t have left any unpleasant memories from the beginning.
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Blinded by positivity, she bestowed indelible scars upon the child who believed in her.
“I’ll be back in a moment, Tina.”
Leaving Tina standing upright, Harte approached Rona without hesitation. In response, Rona recoiled with extreme vigilance.
“You, what are you trying to do…!”
“I can’t just leave it like this.”
Though Harte’s steps were slow, they were faster than the struggling woman on the ground. Eventually, he knelt down, placing his hand on the woman’s legs.
Subsequently, softly shining golden orbs.
A miraculous light, reminiscent of the noble glimmer of life, circulated through her body.
The moment the lady sensed the change was swift.
The ankle, which had lacked strength, moved freely, and the once stiff knees regained the flexibility of her maiden years.
Without undergoing any special rehabilitation, she could move the other leg as comfortably as the opposite side.
“High priest…? A temple person… why…”
Rona, still sitting hesitantly, formed an unfinished question in her mouth.
Harte’s response to such a question was clear.
“From today on, I am your real father.”
“What…?”
“Parents who do not take responsibility for their child’s mistakes… they shouldn’t exist.”
Harte spoke with clarity, adding one final statement.
“However, as Tyna’s family, there’s one thing I must make clear.”
He bent his waist at a right angle, showing courtesy to Rona.
“I express my respect for allowing me to have such an exceptional daughter in this world.”
“What…?”
Enduring the woman’s gaze as if finding him absurd, Harte continued with words that needed to be said.
“I will dare to accept this miracle and love Tyna as my own. And I will raise her more lovingly than anyone else in the world. As much as you, who wanted to love Tyna but couldn’t quite…”
Harte does not resent Rona.
He does not deny that she did her best as a mother.
But, the situation was unavoidable.
The cruel twist of fate had torn apart their connection.
It was water that had already been spilled.
Now, they each had to live with their own connections and their own worlds.
“…May blessings accompany your life, where you find solace.”
Kill them with kindness
Well that was sad