Side Story 4 - News From Far Away |
Letters piled up regularly once a month. Celia regretted every time she saw the letter filling the jewellery box. She was worried about how hard his sister with a child in another country would be suffering.
“Did I make the right decision?”
She thought she should have secretly sent someone to see where she lived. She was sure she was doing well because she was the main character of the original.
Even if she was thrown into the middle of the desert, Lily seemed like she would live well and build a village.
However, the younger sister that Celia remembers was…
“I didn’t like her at first.”
It was a condition she could not like. Who would want to keep evidence that their father had lied to them and betrayed the family? However, when she learned about the abuse, she could no longer pretend not to know. That was why she looked at her.
Celia could not ignore the young figure clinging to her. A small amount of affection was shown to her…… She didn’t want to live close to me, but she didn’t want her to be unhappy.
Celia did not know about Lily’s biological mother. Her only piece of information was that the child’s father would not have brought her if the child’s mother had been still alive.
She heard she met someone she loves. Is there anyone around her? She may be having a hard time as it is her first child, but who will be taking care of the child?
Was she suffering from morning sickness? Celia, with her modern memories, pondered what she knew about the pregnancy.
She wasn’t sure if it would be acceptable if Lily married a man of status, so she couldn’t say for sure whether or not it would be. On the other hand, he would not have requested that she stop looking for him under those circumstances.
Even though he was a nobleman, he was probably a low-ranking person, and he might have been in a relationship with a commoner.
The Marquis of Montague was not a kind or generous person in any way. If he had known that Lily was married to a commoner, he might have tried to kill his husband in an attempt to assert his aristocratic superiority over him.
Even if Celia and Leonis protect them, their lives could be completely ruined. She had to be careful.
During the time that she was fretting, another letter was added to the stack, and time passed.
Every time that Celia read the letter that contained Lily’s news, she was plagued with the same concerns. Even though she consistently ended up with the same thing, she couldn’t help but be anxious.
‘What should I do?’
✦ ✦ ✦
The snow had not yet stopped piling up. Children who are born in the winter are thought to have a natural resistance to the cold in this part of the nation, but… Lily hated it. Her hands and feet still felt cold, even though she was standing close to the bonfire because she felt frozen to the bone.
“Ahh!”
Sister. If her sister had been there, do you think she would have felt safer in the situation? When Lily was going through the most excruciating pain, Celia was the one she thought about.
If she abandons her, then she will have the opportunity to go back to her sister’s side. Because now she can avoid marrying someone she doesn’t want by her side.
But that was all. It would be difficult for her to be allowed to be with him.
Watching their father send Celia to Cardian at the behest of the Emperor, Lily thought that her father had abandoned her sister.
To a man who thinks he’s a monster.
It was not his action for Celia. It was nothing more than a decision he made to protect what he had and his family’s wellbeing. After that choice, the Marquis of Montague looked as if he remembered Lily’s existence for the first time.
He looked as if he had finally found her value for the first time.
She knew that her education as a noblewoman would begin in order to marry her off to the ‘man who could succeed the Marquis of Montague’ of his choosing.
Lily did not desire to live that kind of life. She had the wanderlust to experience more of the world.
It was Lily’s dream to travel around the world like the wind, encounter all kinds of things, write them down and publish a book. She wants to become a travel writer!
The man who is now Lily’s husband was the one who supported her and helped her in pursuing that dream.
He was a powerful wizard as well as a successful merchant who owned dozens of large ships.
His abilities as a wizard were not particularly strong, but when combined with his prowess in combat, he was more than capable of defending both himself and Lily.
‘I won’t give up on the life I have now.’
Lily said, taking her deep breaths as instructed by the midwife. She missed her sister, but other than that, there was nothing else she could think of to say about it other than that it hurt so much that she wanted to die.
As expected, Celia respected her wishes.
She was screaming and fighting back tears while light was streaming into her room through the window. The maid, who was assisting the midwife and was standing next to her, was surprised.
Even Lily’s husband was skewed, and his eyes widened in a way that suggested he had discovered something. Just then, Lily let out a painful scream as she gave birth to her baby.
The housekeeper turned around and went to the window in the back of the room, She opened it, and something golden and shiny flew out of the opening.
― Don’t worry about anything. No one knows this place… I came at the request of the saintess.
A magic pouch about the size of a palm was slung around the divine beast’s neck as he made his way over to Lily’s side. After the scream, Lily turned her attention to the silver-furred tiger and forgot all about it.
The divine beast slowly flapped his wings and approached her. As if he were telling them not to be surprised.
The light that had been dispersed in all directions by the wings was now falling directly on the tops of the heads of the people around them. Lily let out a sigh as she perceived the pain to be lessening, like a lie.
― Celia is worried about you a lot.
As soon as the longed-for name came out of the divine beast’s mouth, tears poured out. The divine beast made its way over to the bed where Lily was resting in a cautious manner and took a seat on the floor next to the mattress.
― Your sister can’t come, but I am here at your sister’s request, and nothing will happen to you and your children.
“Hmm….Hik, my sister……”
― She is doing fine. She gave you a gift and wrote you a letter, so please take care of yourself.
Lily was able to give birth to her child without any complications, thanks to the assistance of the divine beast. It was twice as difficult for her because her babies were twins, but she wasn’t hurt, and it made her feel better that a divine beast was with her.
✦ ✦ ✦
“….Popo, can you tell me where my sister is? Because you are a divine beast.”
When Celia, who was worried, asked the divine beast this, it was getting closer and closer to Lily’s due date. Even though she got letters from time to time, she didn’t know when her child was born.
―Even though I am a divine beast, I do not have that much mana. but… The God of HanswereavenHeaven.
At one point in time, it was said that the divine beast only spent about 15 days out of each month down here on earth. The rest of the time, it went back to the god’s side and served as a messenger.
Now, his time on earth was almost up, and it was almost time for him to return to God.
The story said that after being with the god for 15 days, he would ask the God of Heaven where she was and get an answer. Then he would come down and check it out.
Since the divine beast loved the saintess, he gladly agreed.
✦ ✦ ✦
Lily, who had barely managed to come to her senses, removed the pouch that the divine beast had been wearing around its neck and placed it in her hands. It was filled with several letters and gifts that Celia had written from time to time.
When Lily saw that the mother’s health food package included not only the baby clothes, shoes, swaddles, and other assorted baby items for her twins but also her own clothes, she burst out laughing.
Although her husband was a commoner, he was wealthy. There was nothing material that Lily lacked. But just thinking about Celia picking that item didn’t stop her from crying.
‘Ah…… This is something my sister makes. She says she doesn’t like embroidering.’
Just by looking at her meticulous and delicate handwork, she could tell it was her artwork. Celia was one of those people who was good at embroidery, but she hated to do it.
It takes a lot of work, but she finished it.
No matter how much Ramona coaxed her, the one thing she wouldn’t do was make embroidery or handkerchiefs. Even the Marquis of Montague had not received it from Celia.
It was only then that she was forced to learn that it was the qualities of a noble lady. After that, she remembered telling him to put it away as if it were annoying.
Lily wanted it as her treasure, but Celia gave it away even though she did not understand.
“Sister……”
While Lily sobbed into the gift that Celia had sent her, her husband carefully encircled and comforted her in the embrace. He didn’t know Lily’s exact identity, but he knew that her older sister had become the empress of the Yelmor Empire.
The divine beast stayed by Lily’s side for two more days to check on her and her twins’ health, then flew away in the sky just as he came.
✦ ✦ ✦
When the divine beast returned, the magic pouch was still attached to his neck. Even the bag itself was a gift to her, but Lily wanted to make sure that Celia received a present as well.
Celia was given a letter, which she had previously been given, as well as a present, which would have been prepared by Lily’s husband.
― Your sister is safe. Your niece and nephew will be healthy and grow up very well!
“Really?”
Celia used both hands to catch the flying divine beast and then hugged him tightly; he looked as if asking for praise for completing her duty.
“Did she look happy?”
―She looked happy. Your sister’s husband was truly in love with her.
“Lily too?”
― Your sister too. Those four people are already happy and will become even happier.
Was Celia relieved to bury her face in the divine beast’s soft fur? She thought so. Lily was a strong child who could get through life on her own.
“It’s going to be okay, right? We will continue to contact you in the future.”
Celia caught the flying divine beast with both hands and hugged it tightly, as if asking for praise for completing its mission.
“Lily too?”
―Your sister too. Those four people are happy now, and their happiness will continue to grow in the future.
Celia tries to calm herself by burying her face in the soft fur of the divine beast. Did this help? She acted as well as thought about it. Lily was a resilient child who was able to handle the challenges of life on her own.
“It’s going to be okay, right? I plan to stay in touch with her in the years to come.”
A letter came to Lily, but she seemed to be far away. Even if she asks for help by letter, it takes time.
Celia was worried that Lily might be in danger in a place she did not know. The most precarious and dangerous place was the Empire, but that has now changed.
She kept wondering if, now that she had the power, she could bring Lily back.
But it still wasn’t possible. Lily always wanted to live a free life.
Celia might be able to protect Lily, but it would mean breaking her barely spread wings again.
‘I will continue to worry in the future, but…’
Lily and her family will still be safe and happy. Celia decided to believe in it.
