𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟔: 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬
―Mabel was having a dream.
Outside the castle.
Mabel stood in a vast grassland.
In her line of sight was Eugene, and Mabel tried to call his name while running toward him.
But her legs wouldn’t move as she wanted.
Curious, she looked down and saw that her legs were thin, weak, and she was sitting in a wheelchair. Desperately, she tried to push the wheels with unfamiliar movements, but she couldn’t move properly. Even her hands, which exerted force, were marked with many wrinkles.
Unable to bear it, Mabel and Eugene shouted.
But their mouths moved without making any sound. Eventually, a shadow of someone appeared beside him. Long hair. Was it a woman?
Then Eugene gently took the hand of the woman standing next to him. There was no mask on his face, and his beautiful countenance had a serene smile.
‘No!’
What had been directed only at Mabel until now was being dedicated to someone she didn’t know at all.
Mabel continued to try to get closer to them, but the distance didn’t shrink at all.
Eventually, Eugene embraced the woman and brought his face closer.
“Stop!”
Mabel blinked her eyes wide open several times.
In Mabel’s own room in the palace.
Confirming the familiar ceiling, Mabel slowly raised her upper body while exhaling a deep sigh. Her eyelids had become swollen from crying continuously since yesterday. She felt a stinging pain in her eyes.
‘That’s right. Yesterday, Row-san gave me a ride.’
Mabel had been vaguely thinking about expressing her gratitude, but soon the conversation she had with Eugene yesterday came back to her.
‘Why did I say such a thing…’
―If I’m not here anymore, I want you to find someone else you love.
Despite saying it for Eugene’s sake, Mabel herself hadn’t made that resolution at all. She cried just from dreaming about it.
‘I made Eugene-san angry because I thoughtlessly said such a thing.’
But there was something that Mabel couldn’t forgive either.
―To nullify the engagement.
Remembering the words Eugene was about to say, Mabel vigorously shook her head. She didn’t want to hear those words.
It was also because the conversation about dissolving the engagement had just happened.
Mabel couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that was angry at Eugene for easily saying something she absolutely didn’t want.
“But, that’s a separate matter.”
Just thinking about apologizing and being forgiven made tears well up in the corners of her eyes. But crying wouldn’t solve anything, so Mabel closed her eyes tightly, desperately trying to push away her sadness.
However, she didn’t have the courage to return to Eugene immediately.
With a clouded mind, Mabel headed to the library in a corner of the palace, holding a book about mages and carefully flipping through the pages.
Perhaps there would be records of people who married mages, and she had a slight hope as she took this action. But the reality was harsh.
‘As expected, they’re all fairy tales and legends.’
The book only contained tales of mages from a time when mages were less rare than now, and anecdotes about the magic they displayed. It further emphasized how special and different mages were from ordinary people, and Mabel continued reading the next section.
But no matter which part she read, there was no mention of anyone marrying a mage.
Was there really no one until now, Mabel thought dejectedly, but then she remembered the white mask depicted in the illustrations.
“What about Mutabilis’s master?”
Melveilleuse, Mabel’s mother, fell in love with Mutabilis’s master.
They fell in love, but the mage bid farewell and offered his own magical power instead. If she understood his feelings, maybe she could understand Eugene’s feelings too.
“I want to find a way to ask him…”
If she asked Eugene or Row, it should be possible to contact Mutabilis.
However, Mabel is not yet prepared to return to that castle. Besides, if asked why she wanted to contact Mutabilis, she wasn’t confident that she could answer well.
Mabel, who once again held her head, suddenly lifted her face.
‘If I ask Luxen Trading Company, maybe I can get in touch.’
Cero was delivering supplies to Eugene’s castle.
Similarly, there might be merchants with connections to Mutabilis. Realizing this, Mabel couldn’t sit still and stood up from her chair.
She quickly wrote a letter addressed to Mutabilis and headed to the Luxen Trading Company in the city. However, just as she left the palace, she was called out by a familiar voice.
“Mabel! You’re back.”
“Amane-san, what are you doing here?”
Amane waved his hand and approached Mabel. Seeing his energetic appearance after a long time, Mabel felt relieved.
“I was called here for a bit. Are you going out?”
“Yes. I’m going to the town for a bit.”
“I see. Well, I’ll accompany you.”
“Huh?! It’s okay, really!”
“I’ll be your escort. Don’t worry about it.”
Without wasting any time, Amane took Mabel’s hand and started walking, pulling her along. Mabel was surprised by his forcefulness, but she also found comfort in Amane’s brightness at the moment.
They descended to the town and headed towards the main street. As they walked through the bustling city, the heart of Eakes, they arrived at a massive brick building. There, they found double doors at the entrance, proudly displaying the sign of “Luxen Trading Company” above.
After being called by the receptionist, Cero appeared in a fluster.
“Mabel, what’s the rush?”
“I’m sorry for coming suddenly. Actually, I have a favor to ask.”
Mabel explained the situation, and Cero immediately agreed. It seemed that, as Mabel had expected, Luxen Trading Company had connections with mages in various places and promised to pass the message to a merchant who could contact Mutabilis.
“But wouldn’t it be faster to ask the master?”
“Well, that’s…”
In response to Cero’s honest question, Mabel blinked a few times and then lowered her face quietly. Perhaps sensing something from her attitude, Cero quickly shook his head and said, “Ah, never mind, never mind.”
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