-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Leaving the Count's Family (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At his appearance, Crisna's smile deepened. She stepped swiftly towards Sei-an, greeting him with exaggerated warmth.
"I heard the news. Oh, how worried I was."
"..."
He remained silent for a moment, watching her approach, take his hand, and feign an expression on the verge of tears.
'An actress?'
Because within seconds of him entering the room, her beaming smile had twisted into a tearful gaze, as if he were watching a one-woman show.
"Oh dear! They said you lost your memory in the accident, but surely you haven't forgotten *me*?"
When he remained silent, Crisna immediately dropped her tearful act, her eyes now wide with a curious gaze as she scrutinized him from head to toe.
"Good heavens... Why would you make such a choice and put everyone through such worry?"
Crisna, speaking as if to chide Sei-an, continued without pause.
"After how you were born, how could you make such a choice? Suicide, no less."
"...! Stop this!"
At her words, Lucian flinched and hastily tried to cut her off. But she appeared to have no intention of stopping, merely continuing to speak while looking at Sei-an.
"You should think of your birth mother, who died bringing you into this world."
"...She passed away giving birth to me?"
"Oh, my! Have you forgotten that too? How could you possibly forget the mother who endured such hardship to bring you into this world, only to then pass away?"
"..."
"Yes, I understand your feelings completely. How agonizing it must have been, remembering your mother who died because of you. That's why you chose death, I suppose."
"..."
"As I always say, then you should have known that you must live even more, for the life your mother gave up. Don't you understand you should try a little harder... just a little harder?"
So this was it.
Sei-an watched Crisna's incessant monologue and let out a soft, inward chuckle.
He'd wondered why Sei-an's life had become so twisted, but only now did he realize Lucian wasn't the root of the problem.
With someone constantly engraving and resurrecting his wounds right beside him, it was perhaps inevitable for his personality to become warped.
To others, it might sound like words of profound concern for Sei-an, but to the one hearing them, it was nothing more than salt being vigorously rubbed into a wound.
"Nevertheless, as I've repeatedly told you, your birth mother's death during your birth was absolutely not your fault. That was..."
"That goes without saying."
"Yes, of course—wait, what?"
Crisna, who had been spewing words with all the emotion of an actress lost in her own performance, visibly flinched at the sudden, flat tone of Sei-an's voice.
"My mother's passing was naturally not my fault."
"!"
As Sei-an continued to speak, Crisna could only stare at him with wide, astonished eyes.
"That was simply a fate preordained by Shainos, the God of Death. It's not a situation to be blamed on a mere mortal."
"..."
"I know full well that she didn't die because of me, so you needn't waste your breath repeating such things anymore."
"..."
Watching Sei-an conclude his words with an impassive face, utterly devoid of emotion, Crisna remained dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word for a long moment.
Was this child truly the Sei-an she knew? Was this really the Sei-an who, whenever she spoke such words, would become even more deeply wounded and retreat with a crumpled face?
Crisna was utterly disoriented by Sei-an's drastically changed demeanor.
'This is impossible!'
What on earth had happened while she was away? They said he lost his memory, but it seemed everything, even his personality, had changed.
Crisna could only stare blankly at Sei-an for a long time, like someone utterly bereft.
'Ha... Haha!'
Meanwhile, Lucian, who had been sitting and observing the scene, burst into loud, inward laughter.
If Crisna hadn't been present at that moment, he might have laughed out loud for the very first time.
'Sei-an...'
For a long time, what had burdened Sei-an the most was the fact that his mother died giving birth to him.
The immense pressure to prove that his mother's sacrifice hadn't been in vain—to display even greater aptitude than others, having been born at the cost of her life—had made Sei-an's existence excruciatingly difficult.
'Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness...'
But now, seeing Sei-an no longer suffering under that crushing pressure, Lucian could finally smile with genuine relief.
For the first time, he found himself feeling grateful to Crisna for having confirmed it.
***
"Just now... what did you say?"
"I said I would leave."
"What?"
"Sei-an!"
The following afternoon, Sei-an, having sought out Count Shurayton, informed both him and Lucian of a decision.
"Wouldn't it be proper to receive my diploma first?"
"..."
He announced that he would return to complete his academy studies, which had been interrupted by the accident.
"There's no need for that."
"Yes, just stay here."
However, at Sei-an's words, the two men's expressions hardened, and they vehemently tried to dissuade him from returning to Juist Academy.
"And there are things I need to look into."
But Sei-an, as if his mind were already made up, showed no sign of yielding.
It was because he wanted to visit the place where Sei-an had supposedly attempted suicide, and he also wanted to understand why he had felt compelled to make such a choice.
Moreover, Sei-an was also curious about what kind of place the academy truly was.
"But..."
"Very well, I understand. I'll make the preparations."
"Father!"
"It's the first time that child has made a decision for himself."
"..."
Count Shurayton looked on with pride, seeing Sei-an, unlike before, making his own decisions and acting on his own behalf.
He intended to respect this decision as well.
"When do you plan to leave?"
"Tomorrow."
"What? So soon?"
"Yes. Isn't it only natural to act once one has made up their mind?"
"..."
At Sei-an's declaration that he would depart tomorrow, as if all his plans were already set and merely being announced, Lucian's expression quickly hardened.
And as Lucian had suspected, Sei-an had already been contemplating a return to Juist Academy the moment he first heard it was the place where he had supposedly taken his own life.
"Very well."
Ultimately, Lucian, realizing he could no longer dissuade him, sighed and had no choice but to nod.
"I'll return safely, so please don't worry."
"...Very well."
Sei-an even offered a faint smile, as if to reassure the two of them.
Of course, even with Sei-an's reassuring demeanor, Lucian found it difficult to entirely shake off his worried gaze.
***
"G-good heavens..."
Meanwhile, on the day Sei-an departed, Besen, despite feeling unwell, heard news of the Countess's return and headed to the garden early that morning to complete the sculpture he hadn't finished.
However, he couldn't close his gaping mouth at the sight of the garden spread out before him.
"Who on earth..."
Because new sculptures filled every corner of the garden.
Even the statue of the Goddess of Nature that he had intended to create was completed, its form perfect.
At its intricacy and delicate detail, Besen once again found himself uttering words of pure admiration.
"It's that sculpting skill I saw before..."
As Besen gazed at the sculptures, he recalled a particular one someone had crafted in a corner of the garden long ago.
It was a sculpture of a young girl, so exquisitely delicate and intricate.
Besen realized that the hand that crafted that earlier piece was the same one that had created these now before his eyes.
"Who could it be?"
Besen, pondering the identity of the person who had helped him with his work, remained lost in thought for a long time.
