Chapter 84

Chapter 84

***

There were many different moods to wake up to. Sometimes you wake up from a terrifying dream and feel a sense of relief; sometimes you wake up in a foul mood because of an unpleasant nightmare; and sometimes you wake up from a sweet dream and try in vain to fall back asleep, unwilling to leave it.

But surely the best was when you wake up naturally after a sound sleep without any dreams at all, feeling no fatigue whatsoever.

That was how Rickart opened his eyes. The chirping of birds tickled his ears. Why was his bed so comfortable? And then there was that familiar scent. It felt as if he had come home. 'Home? Wait a minute.'

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the wall, but as he turned his head, he saw a familiar ceiling.

Though there were no chandeliers or anything grand, the way the stones fit together and the shape of the ceiling supports were all too familiar.

It wasn't an inn, nor the building of the Ehrenberg branch, nor his quarters in the Imperial Palace of Nibelungen. It was his own room at Stormhearts. Huh?

Rickart sat up. Looking around, the room seemed a bit empty as his belongings were gone, but it was undoubtedly his room. Was he dreaming even now?

However, he soon realized it wasn't a dream. Because right next to him, Marie was sleeping.

She was lying on her side, her hands folded, tucked close to his side. She was breathing softly, like a baby.

In any case, her nightgown was somewhat translucent, so Rickart squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.

It felt as if a devil was filling his mind, but as his final memories rushed back, his attention quickly shifted.

After winning the final match, Rickart hadn't known exactly what had happened because his vision was so blurred. He thought he remembered hearing screams, but his memory cut off there.

Inferring from the situation, it seemed Marie had brought him to Stormhearts after he lost consciousness.

The Emperor had his direct territories and satellite fiefs surrounding them; thus, Nibelungen and Stormhearts were close yet far.

The Caldebern family had begun when Caldebert achieved military merit during the reign of the 6th Emperor, Martelus II, and was granted a fief. Since an Emperor could not grant land that didn't exist, he had carved out a portion of his own direct holdings.

In other words, the Count's fief of Caldebern, as one of the Imperial family's satellite fiefs, was both near and far from the capital. It was fortunate that Marie had traveled by carriage; on foot, it was a three-day journey.

In any case, Rickart's family lived on Stormhearts, a corner of the fief that had been partitioned off within the Caldebern House.

The family name was Caldebern, and their home and ancestral seat was Stormhearts. They were technically the same family as the Count's house, and since the eldest brother, Graut, had married the Count's daughter, the two houses were essentially one.

There was even a pact that if one line died out, the other would inherit the house.

Naturally, the Count's house was the primary branch, but they weren't in a master-servant relationship; rather, Stormhearts generally followed the decisions of the Count's house.

It was a bit complicated, but to put it simply, to outsiders, they appeared like a Baron who was a vassal to the Count. Looking inside, they were just the same family.

Regardless, the important thing was that Marie, unknowingly fleeing toward the lands of the Caldebern family, had encountered Abelrich, who was patrolling the border of the fief.

It was like a gift from God, or a miracle.

Marie hadn't come here intentionally, but Rickart thought she was remarkably wise. It was a pleasant misunderstanding.

Rickart composed his agitated lower half, got out of bed, and opened the wooden shutter-like window, propping it open. Fresh morning sunlight poured in, and his cherished hometown stretched out before him.

Delicious-looking white smoke was curling up from the chimneys of every house. He could see the fief's residents, who had just finished the harvest, busy threshing from early morning.

He felt the cool autumn morning air on his skin. Rickart instinctively took a deep breath, but was stopped halfway. He felt a pain as if a needle were piercing his chest.

"Ugh!"

Rickart clutched his chest and grimaced. It seemed to be an aftereffect of the poison.

He tried breathing deeply again with caution; regular breathing was fine, but taking a deep breath caused pain. It was a truly lethal poison, matching the grudge behind it.

But he didn't despair. He was lucky just to be alive. Since there was no immediate remedy, he put it out of his mind.

Noticing Marie shivering in the cold, Rickart closed the window again and tucked the blanket around her.

Just then, the door opened and someone walked in. It was his sister-in-law, Eileen.

"Oh my, pardon me."

"Huh? Ah, no. It's not like that."

Click.

Before he could even greet her or offer an excuse, his sister-in-law had already closed the door.

Rickart thought about chasing after her to clarify, but then he decided against it. It didn't matter if they misunderstood or not.

Still, it was awkward. To have returned after so long and have this happen...

Presumably, his father had gone out on patrol early in the morning, and his brother Graut had also likely gone out to oversee the fief.

Suddenly, he wondered about the wellbeing of his second brother, Vilter. But since he was at the edge of the world, it wasn't easy to get news. He could only pray that he was doing well.

It had been three years since he had left home, and now he had returned. Because of that, even the empty room looked different.

His precious memories from childhood seemed to come alive. 'Nothing has changed here.' A sense of peace washed over him.

Rickart wasn't reading a book or doing any other task, but simply looking around the room and thinking of old times was enough to keep him from being bored.

He found himself smiling for no reason, but he also missed his mother, worried about Vilter, and wondered how much his nephew had grown. He also thought of Butch and the other people of the fief.

"Thinking of the old days?"

Marie, who had woken up at some point, asked while lying in bed with the blanket pulled up to her chin.

"Oh? Yeah, I guess so."

"Your father seems like a good man."

"He doesn't say much. Did you see my brother? And my sister-in-law?"

"I saw them briefly. We didn't get to talk for long."

"I see. Hmm... want me to show you around the fief?"

"Yes."

Rickart washed up briefly with water from a basin and put on clean, folded clothes. They appeared to be his brother's clothes, but they fit his body perfectly.

In any case, his meteor steel sword was broken, and only his dagger remained—just as it had been when he first left here.

Although the sword was broken, the material was so high-quality that he could have taken it to a blacksmith or at least sold it for a high price. He felt a bit of regret but didn't dwell on it.

Marie's outfit was a blue dress that was convenient for movement. It seemed to belong to his sister-in-law, but since Marie was tall, it was a bit short. The hem, which should have reached her calves, ended above her knees.

It didn't matter even if it didn't fit perfectly. Since this wasn't the city, there were no fashions to speak of.

After Marie tied up her long hair and finished her brief grooming, Rickart left the room with her.

But before that, Marie called out to him.

"Wait."

"Hmm?"

When Rickart turned around, Marie pulled on his clothes and kissed him. There was no longer any embarrassment; this much was natural now.

They looked at each other with shining eyes and smiled.

They left the room and entered the hallway. Since the manor wasn't particularly large, the hallway was short, and they went straight to his sister-in-law's room to greet her.

Eileen was sewing, and his nephew was fidgeting beside her, dressed in girl's clothes.

Dressing a young boy in girl's clothes was a tradition and a superstition. It was believed that doing so would help them live a long life without illness. Naturally, Rickart had worn them too—until he was five.

From the age of five to ten, he could wear either boy's or girl's clothes, but from ten onward, he began to wear only boy's clothes, as he was expected to be manly and do his part as a member of society.

And Rickart was doing his part perfectly—more than his part, in fact.

"Sister-in-law, I'm going to show Marie around the fief."

"Oh? Already finished?"

"Pardon? Finished what? No."

Eileen smiled as if she knew everything. 'I'm telling you, it's not like that.'

"Say hello. This is your second uncle."

The three-year-old nephew hid behind his mother, peeking out with half his face, and quickly offered a bow. He seemed more shy than afraid.

"You have to greet him properly."

"H-hello. I'm P-Prithrit."

His nephew's name was Prithrit. Since he had only recently started speaking, his pronunciation wasn't perfect.

"Hello. Call me Uncle Ricky."

"I'm Marie. I'm the one who's going to be your aunt."

Marie introduced herself boldly. It wasn't a lie. She was supposed to be engaged to the winner of the swordsmanship tournament, and Rickart had won.

Furthermore, the family members had heard a brief explanation of the situation yesterday, so they already knew about Marie.

Only Rickart felt a bit self-conscious.

"Are you feeling alright?" Eileen asked Rickart. Rickart didn't say that his lungs were in poor condition, not wanting to cause worry.

"Yes, you don't need to worry."

"What about a meal? I should at least treat my future sister-in-law."

"Hahaha..."

"I'm fine. I'm sure Ricky will take care of feeding me in his own way."

"Oh my, how scandalous."

"Pardon? S-scandalous?"

"It's a joke. Even as a child, Young Master Ricky was good at finding things to eat wherever he went."

It seemed Eileen wanted to keep teasing him. They hadn't been this close in the past, but now that Rickart had grown up so much, she seemed comfortable talking to him. 'She was quite a playful person.'

Perhaps she had wanted to be like a friend to Vilter or Rickart once they grew up. Back then, they had been too young.

"Your father and my husband will be back by evening. You know that, right?"

No matter what happened, all family members had to be together for dinner.

"Of course. I'll be back by dinner time."

With that, he took Marie's hand and left his brother's room. There wasn't much to see in the defensive towers attached to the manor, so Rickart went straight to the inner courtyard.

There, he saw the village women walking about, carrying various items. As it was a rural fief, they didn't have separate servants; the village women came to help with the chores.

If hands were short, even the Lord's wife had to step in to clear animal waste or move things. That was the kind of place Stormhearts was.

"Young Master!"

"Hello."

"My, you've grown so much! And your bride is so beautiful."

No one would dislike hearing they were beautiful. A smile bloomed on Marie's face.

"You are beautiful too, ma'am."

"Hohoho, you're quite good with words."

"But is there anything to eat?" Rickart asked.

"You're not having a proper meal? You're still the same, picking up things to eat here and there. We have some fresh butter. The bread was baked not long ago, so it won't be hard."

"I don't just pick up anything to eat. We'll be going now," Rickart said with a smile.

When he went to the pantry, he saw the freshly made butter and bread. He sliced the large loaf of bread with his dagger, gave some to Marie, and spread plenty of butter on it. Then, they each took an apple and left the inner courtyard.

They strolled through the fief, munching on their food. Houses were scattered about, and he could see fields that looked like shaven heads as the harvest had just ended.

Autumn was a busy time with many things to do. Everyone seemed preoccupied. Yet, they all looked happy, as they had plenty to eat for now.

"I'm envious," Marie said as they walked together.

"Hmm? Of what?"

"Everyone likes you."

"When I was little, everyone called me 'Gentle Master Ricky.' I must have been well-behaved. I didn't throw tantrums, cry, or cause trouble."

"Really? That's different from now."

"Why? How am I now?"

"You're incredibly stubborn."

"Marie is the same. But we suit each other, don't we?"

"True."

It was strange that two stubborn people suited each other well. But in a way, they weren't just blindly stubborn. They were usually gentle, but once they made a major decision, they were unshakeable.

"There's a place where I used to play in the hunting grounds over there. Let's go see it."

"Okay."

Rickart and Marie walked across the field where autumn flowers were in bloom and entered the forest. Before long, they reached a place where a small stream flowed. It was the spot where he had built a hideout and played with the older boys in the village.

To his surprise, the hideout was still there. Since it was harvest season, the village children weren't around, as they were helping with the work.

A crude but charming hut stood between large trees. Now, it was a size he would barely be able to fit into even if he curled up his body.

"I guess kids still play like this," Rickart said, a pleasant smile playing on his lips.

"When I used to play here and the sun began to set, my eldest brother used to carry me on his shoulders all the way home. While watching the sunset over the fields."

The memories of those days were still vivid. His second brother, Vilter, used to beg for a ride too, but their eldest brother would refuse, saying he was too heavy, making Vilter pout. Later, Vilter would try to give Rickart a ride but couldn't even stand up because of the weight.

Rickart felt a warmth in his heart, but also a touch of sadness. It was nostalgia and longing. Even though he had come home, those days would never return.

"Let's go over there."

"Okay."

Marie followed Rickart's lead, walking through the path of his childhood. Since Rickart hardly ever talked about his hometown or family, even the simplest things felt special.

And since she had grown up in an environment that was not just stark but cold and harsh, it all seemed even more extraordinary to her. No wonder her only wish had been for freedom.

She truly envied Rickart, yet at the same time, she felt even more drawn to him. Experiencing his happy childhood indirectly made her feel that the two of them could surely live a happy life together. Having children, raising them, growing old, and even death—it all seemed like it would be happy.

And so, Rickart and Marie explored Stormhearts. When they were tired, they sat and rested; when they were hungry, they shared soup or stew they were offered; and they warmly greeted the people they hadn't seen in a long time.

Everyone truly smiled brightly when they saw Rickart. There was no fear of nobles or any awkwardness; they all seemed to treat him like their own son or younger brother. To Marie, it was strange and like a dream.

By nature, rural areas were insular and had a strong sense of community. If it went poorly, it could become stagnant like trapped water, but in the case of Stormhearts, the sense of bond and unity was exceptionally strong.

Because they were so insular, even if Rickart had achieved great fame in the outside world, they simply heard bits and pieces of it and thought he was doing well.

This was because what mattered to these people was living their own way of life.

Rickart actually preferred it that way—being treated the same as always.

The people of Stormhearts hoped they would have enough to eat, helped each other as if it were their own task when things were difficult, and when war broke out, they answered the call and did their duty. They were simple yet solid people.

Perhaps such things had heavily influenced the formation of Rickart's inner self. In his past life, he had been too preoccupied with surviving alone while drifting in pursuit of death.

Before long, the sun began to set. On their way back, Rickart suddenly crouched down and patted his shoulders, speaking to Marie.

"Get on."

Marie let out a chuckle but thought it would be fun. She didn't refuse and climbed onto Rickart's shoulders.

Rickart stood up effortlessly, as if he felt no weight at all.

"Eek! You should have warned me!"

Marie nearly lost her balance but steadied herself by grabbing Rickart's hair. Rickart chuckled as he walked back toward the manor.

The sunset over the autumn fields—it was a perfect day.