Chapter 8

Following the cipher in "The Lost Crown," it was decided that we would set out to search for something called a crown.

"Going out~ going out~"

Nonna, who had quickly finished packing, was in a very good mood. I watched her while listening to Bersa's conversation.

"Madam, you have just returned from the Shen Kingdom. I am worried that you might still be tired."

"Bersa, while we were in the Shen Kingdom, we didn't take a proper break for five years. So this time, we're going for a breather, our first since we got married."

"Oh, I see. Five years. Then, Madam, please enjoy your trip. I will take care of things while you are away."

"Thank you. It was my own choice not to rest, but the work was interesting. Ah, that's right."

I handed her a box filled with homemade hand cream, burn ointment, stomach medicine, and cold medicine. The contents were quite substantial.

"These are medicines I learned to make in the Shen Kingdom. The usage instructions are all written in detail. Feel free to use them if you like."

"Oh, such valuable items. Thank you."

As we were having this conversation, Lord Clark entered through the gate.

"Jeff, Lord Clark is here."

While Jeffrey was checking from the window, Nonna ran out. She then returned, talking to Lord Clark.

"Uncle Jeff, good morning."

"Clark, aren't you supposed to be working today?"

"I came for work. Uncle Edward said that if you were going out, I should get permission and accompany you as part of my duties in the Records Department. I was appointed as the recorder last night."

For a moment, Jeffrey looked puzzled.

"Brother? Ah, I see. Did he hear it from Uncle? Because it might lead to the discovery of historical facts?"

"That seems to be the case, but, are you already packing?"

"Yes. We plan to leave early tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow? Early morning? Uncle, can I accompany you as the recorder?"

"Clark, if you come, there's something I want you to promise."

Jeffrey's face was very serious, and Lord Clark looked taken aback.

"It's fine to record what we discover, but please don't report anything about our family. This is a reward trip for working for the country for five years."

"Of course, I won't talk or report about you. I promise I won't report on your personal life."

"Alright. Then you can come along."

Lord Clark ran back home.

"Jeff, wasn't Edward in charge of the Institutional Maintenance Department?"

"Yes, my brother was told by the Chancellor that he could take on additional roles in a less busy department. He's now in charge of the Institutional Maintenance Department, the Records Department, and the Repair Department."

"I see. That's why he's so busy."

Nonna must have been very happy that Lord Clark was coming along. She stood with her legs slightly apart, lowered her hips, and demonstrated a punch. Her fist shot out and retracted at incredible speed, making a whooshing sound. Bersa, who was present, looked surprised.

"Hmm, hmm!"

When I cleared my throat, Nonna looked at Bersa and me in surprise.

"Bersa, Nonna seems to have learned some guard training in the Shen Kingdom. She's quite a tomboy."

"Oh, I see. She's become quite skilled."

After Bersa left with a smile, I faced Nonna.

"I understand. I'm sorry. I won't do it in front of Bersa."

"Nonna, I'm not angry. It's not a good idea to show your cards to everyone. Show them only when you need to use them."

"Yes, Mother."

"Still, I sometimes accidentally show my cards too. Let's be careful together."

We laughed together.

◇ ◇ ◇

That night, after dinner, I asked Jeff a favor.

"Can I go and say hello to someone I used to know? I want to give them some medicine I made. I'll be back in an hour. It's an old favorite tavern. Can I go alone?"

"Of course. It's late, so use a carriage."

"Thank you, Jeff. I'll try to come back as soon as possible."

"It's fine. Take your time."

I touched my forehead to Jeff's chest. It was meant to say thank you.

I opened the door of the tavern "Black Thrush" and looked inside. Zahar saw me and stopped what he was doing. He put down the glass he was polishing and walked over to me. The place looked exactly the same as it did five years ago.

"You're alive. Where have you been? We were worried when you stopped coming."

"I'm sorry. I've been working abroad for five years."

"Abroad? Well, sit down. At the counter, okay?"

"Yes."

There were only two other customers, a couple sitting in a corner, talking closely.

Zahar poured the distilled liquor I used to like into a glass and served it to me.

"So, what happened? Was it related to Hector?"

"No, it was my own doing. I studied medicine in the Shen Kingdom. I brought this."

Zahar sniffed the medicine.

"It smells like herbs."

"It's an ointment for chapped hands and frostbite. Your hands must get rough from using water, right?"

"You took that child all the way to the Shen Kingdom?"

"Yes, I got married, so my husband and the child came with me."

"Married?"

"Yes."

Zahar poured more distilled liquor into a new glass and raised it.

"I see. Let's have a toast."

"Thank you."

"Hey, you got married. I was aiming for you. That's a real shame."

"Zahar, your face and words don't match."

"Caught me."

We clinked glasses and drank the strong liquor. It burned my throat as it went down, and a warm glow spread in my stomach. My blood vessels relaxed, and I felt my folded wings slowly stretch. Drinking alone is a good thing.

"So, where are you now?"

"In the East District."

"Married and living in the East District. Did you become a noble?"

"Yes. A lot has happened, of course, and Nonna is with me too."

"A lot has happened, indeed."

"Indeed."

After one more drink, I left the Black Thrush. Zahar said I didn't have to pay for the drinks as a celebration. He saw me off with a smile.

"Good night, Zahar."

"Good night."

I waved to Zahar, who was smiling, and closed the carriage door. The lights were on in all the rooms of our house, as if welcoming me back. I remembered how I used to sneak over the wall to return to the annex of Lady Yorana's mansion. The change in circumstances made me feel a bit uneasy.

Jeffrey opened the front door and came out.

"Welcome back, Anna."

"Back, Jeff."

"Did you manage to say hello?"

"Yes, I also told them about our marriage."

"I see."

After entering the house and using the bath, I was brushing my hair in the room when Nonna came in.

"Mom, Dad was really worried. So I told him not to worry, that I was just visiting a man who likes sweets."

"Thank you."

Nonna left the room with a look that said, "I was helpful," and I continued brushing my hair. Jeffrey was still worried about me going out alone, I guess. No, that's only natural.

Still, "a man who likes sweets." That might make him even more worried.

Just as I was about to go to sleep, Jeffrey came to my bedroom late at night.

"What's wrong, Jeff?"

"I want to sleep with you."

"Alright. Come on in."

Jeffrey slipped into bed next to me like a big cat. I decided to add what I had heard from Nonna.

"By the way, the place I went tonight is a tavern I talked about before. I had two drinks, reported our marriage, and gave him some ointment. That's all."

"I see. You don't have to report everything to me."

"No, I want you to know. I don't want to worry you. We're going to live together for a long time, so it's better for you to know who I am and what I do when you're not around. But, I don't want you to feel obligated to report to me."

Jeffrey propped his head on his arm, which made me worry if it would go numb, as it always did.

"I don't have anything to hide from you, and I don't want to hide anything."

"Okay."

"But I did feel a little jealous."

"I thought you might. I won't go there anymore."

Jeffrey pulled me closer with his left arm, which was propping his head.

"No, go when you want. I don't want to hold you back. Sometimes I'm afraid I might become like my arrogant father, who made me half of who I am."

"Jeff..."

"I don't want to be a man who dominates his family like my father."

Jeffrey's heart wounds were still bleeding.

The fear and disgust from his childhood, when he couldn't resist, were still fresh wounds. They were the same kind of wounds I carried from my days as an agent.

"If only we could overwrite painful memories with happy ones."

"True."

"Drinking alone is a way for me to be just myself, no one else. Just sitting and having a couple of drinks is enough."

"Okay."

"It makes me feel like my wings are slowly stretching. But I have no intention of flying far away. I always come back to your side."

"Hehe."

"Why are you laughing? I was being serious."

"Sorry. In the world, that's something men say. 'I'll always come back to you,' it's a standard excuse for men who play around."

"Jeff, I didn't mean it that way."

"I know. I just found it funny because you said, 'I'll protect you and Nonna' when I proposed."

"Oh, I did say something like that."

We chuckled together and fell asleep peacefully.