Chapter 28

“Huh? That’s strange.”

“…What’s wrong?”

Just as they could finally see the large rock, Opal voiced her doubt. Claude, who had been lost in thought, suddenly realized he had been silent and hurriedly turned his attention back to Opal, asking her what was wrong. Opal, not appearing upset with Claude, pointed at the large rock and laughed.

“It seems smaller than I remember. The last time I came here was twelve years ago, and it doesn’t feel as big as it did then. And I haven’t grown taller since then, so it’s strange, isn’t it?”

“So, you can climb it easily, right?”

“Are you trying to provoke me?”

“What do you think?”

“Well… Then, let’s have a race!”

“Oh, hey!”

Seeing Claude’s mischievous smile, Opal pretended to think for a moment before suddenly starting to run. In the races they used to have, Opal usually started first, but inevitably lost. This time, even though she started quite a bit ahead of Claude, he quickly caught up and overtook her.

Putting their feet on a few smaller rocks, they leaped onto a larger one, and finally climbed the largest rock. By the time they reached the top of the large rock, both were out of breath and sat down.

“…What are we doing…?”

“You started it, Opal…”

“You’re the one who provoked me. I’m twenty-seven, you know?”

“I’m twenty-nine.”

While regretting their actions, they started talking about their ages and both began to laugh. They were so out of breath that even laughing was a struggle. Eventually, their breathing steadied, and they silently enjoyed the nostalgic view. Despite the significant changes in their ages and positions, it felt as if nothing had changed from the past. However, Opal took a deep breath and looked at Claude, who was sitting next to her.

“Claude”

“What is it?”

“Thank you so much for investing in the Man Test. If you hadn’t sent the engineers and invested the funds, Duke Hubert would have gone bankrupt. It was a big risk for you too… No matter how much I say, it’s not enough. I’m truly grateful. Thank you, Claude.”

“…That’s not something to be thanked for. I invested because I believed that the technology of the Taisei Kingdom would definitely bring profits. The initial investment was large, but we are recovering it smoothly now, so it wasn’t a mistake. You know that, right? As one of the investors.”

“Yeah… It was a big risk. Investing is like gambling. I never want to go through that again.”

Back then, if the Marquis Lucel hadn’t—Claude hadn’t helped, Hubert would have gone bankrupt. Now, after nearly five years, the Taisei Kingdom has stabilized, and engineers have been sent to various countries, which are also training their own engineers. Building railways is no longer as difficult as it once was. However, it was precisely because of that period that they are now reaping huge profits. Opal took a deep breath again, mustering the courage to face the reality she didn’t want to know.

“So… This time, you came back after a long time to introduce your family… and your wife?”

“…What? Wife?”

“Did you get married?”

“Who told you that? It’s a lie.”

“Eh? N-no. No one told me… I just thought that…”

“Why did you just think that?”

“Well, you know, Claude is a marquis and is almost thirty…”

Despite explaining herself in a flustered manner to Claude’s angry tone, Opal was secretly relieved. It didn’t change anything that Claude was single, but she had hoped he would be happy with a woman she didn’t know in a place she didn’t know.

“Don’t talk about age. I just… never felt like it. Besides, I finally have the means to bring my family—my mother—to the Taisei Kingdom, so I came to fetch her.”

“Your family… is moving?”

“No, not really. My mother came to this country with the determination to spend the rest of her life here with my father. However, the Taisei Kingdom is her hometown. She has lost close family members, but she wants to visit their graves. There are still servants who know her at the manor where she grew up and the mansion in the capital. Well, she might be surprised by how much her hometown has changed in the past forty years. She can now travel to the estate by train.”

Claude spoke with a smile, just like in his youth. Opal felt excited too, but she deliberately frowned.

“Still, it’s pretty bad that you didn’t even contact us. Your aunt was very worried.”

As Opal complained, she remembered the letter she had written before and felt awkward. However, Claude also looked uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, Opal. Actually, I’ve been in contact with my mother for a long time.”

“…For a long time?”

“More precisely, for about four years. Until then, I was too busy rebuilding the country with the king. I thought that if they knew I was in the Taisei Kingdom, it would worry them. So, I asked the Earl Holloway to keep it a secret. Then, when the country stabilized and the Duke MacLaud came, I finally wrote to my mother—my family.”

“Then, why didn’t your aunt… or anyone from the baron’s family tell me? I was worried…”

About a year ago, when she met the baroness, the topic was deflected, and she didn’t get any information. Opal felt disappointed, thinking she was quite close to the people of the baron’s family. However, Claude apologized again.

“I’m sorry about that too. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, Claude?”

“I had them keep it a secret. I didn’t want anyone—Opal included—to know.”

“Is that because… you read that letter?”

“What letter?”

Claude didn’t seem to understand immediately, but Opal thought that the reason he didn’t want to contact her was because of the letter she had written, which was more like a confession. She thought Claude, being a man of integrity, would despise a woman who had deceived her husband to take his property. However, Claude didn’t seem to understand.

“The letter I wrote to Claude about seven years ago. But since I didn’t know where you were, my aunt kept it for me.”

“Oh, that one! The one about taking the duke’s property?”

“Don’t say it so loudly!”

“No one is listening. Besides, can I be honest?”

“Yes, please.”

“To be honest, I laughed a lot.”

“Eh?”

“Well, anyone might think it’s a joke, but I was sure it was the truth. If it was Opal, she would definitely do it.”

“…You don’t despise me? You don’t think I’m a terrible person?”

For over seven years, Opal had regretted sending the letter, convincing herself it was for the best. Yet, Claude said he had laughed at it. Opal, stunned, asked him, and Claude, with a serious expression, gently patted her head, just like in the past.

“I didn’t just laugh. I was also quite angry.”

“At me?”

“No, at the duke. If you did something like that, there must have been a reason. I was also angry at myself for not being able to help you.”

“But, Claude, you didn’t do anything wrong…”

“No, I shouldn’t have left this country. But it was too late to come back. Still, Opal, you did it on your own. I heard that the MacLaud duchy is as prosperous as the Holloway barony now. Opal, you did something that deserves praise. You should be proud. You’re the best.”

“Claude…”

She had promised her mother she wouldn’t cry, yet she had shed tears many times. She had just cried a moment ago. Yet, tears kept streaming down her face.

“…You’re such a fool, Claude.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was worried. So much…”

“So, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Opal.”

Claude pulled Opal, who was leaning against the large rock and crying, into his arms. It was a bit bold for a place with a good view, but Opal didn’t say anything and remained quiet. She wondered when she had last been comforted like this. It had been almost fifteen years, and the person who had done it was Claude.

The same sense of security she felt back then. She wanted to stay like this forever. But she told herself she had to let go. Her body, however, wouldn’t listen. She indulged herself a little more and continued talking.

“…So, why did you keep it a secret from me?”

“Because I was weak.”

“Claude…?”

“I couldn’t resolve it within myself, so I couldn’t do it.”

Before Opal could understand his words, Claude whispered in her ear.

“Hey, Opal”

“…What?”

“Will you come with me to the Taisei Kingdom?”