The future is a realm of uncertainty in many ways.
Countless variables and causes move chaotically, creating results that are simply unpredictable.
As a result, people inevitably face unexpected situations with deep confusion.
And it was the same for me, even though I knew the overall flow through the name “original work.”
Of course, I had an advantage in predicting the future compared to others in this world.
For example, I knew that thick fog would blanket the area from morning to afternoon during the last war.
Or how after losing a battle, Anhalt desperately fled to the Kalmar United States, only to rush back in a panic upon hearing news of victory.
Through the natural phenomena beyond human control or the characters’ personalities, situations, and mental states depicted in the original work, I could predict how they would move and act more comfortably than others.
However, even I could not fully predict the difference in the future caused by the significant variable of my own actions as Santana.
And this “uncertainty of the future” at this moment was making me feel immense regret over what I had done just days ago.
“Damn…”
The word that perfectly expressed the feelings surfacing in my mind.
Swallowing it countless times, I began to mentally pound the ground in regret over the past events I wished I could take back.
*
“So, you mean you want to go back to your hometown?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Cazerose, sitting opposite me, spoke in a calm voice.
I felt a rush of confusion upon hearing her unexpected request along with her plea for my help.
Following our victory in the war, everyone was sighing in relief.
So, since she had already left Milano to come here, Cazerose wanted to visit her not-so-far-off hometown.
Of course, such a request didn’t leave much room for objections from my side at face value.
Cazerose wasn’t bound to me, after all; we were just close comrades.
It was natural she would want to visit home, and I couldn’t possibly stop her.
In fact, bringing this up was more about informing a comrade about her plans rather than seeking permission.
But honestly, I wished more than anything to stop her from making such a move.
Our relationship had grown much closer since we kissed right after the recent banquet.
Though we still couldn’t publicly declare ourselves a couple due to the surrounding circumstances, I couldn’t help but want to take the next step with her as soon as possible.
Truly, if she were okay with it, I wanted to officially engage and marry her.
Of course, to overcome that desire, we would have to scale the considerable wall of our social standings, but I was ready to endure any hardship for her, as I thought very little of such things.
However, at this moment, she was asking me—rather insistently—to allow her to go home.
To see her parents after a long time and to greet them.
Hearing her request, I felt an urge to refuse and cautiously asked, “Is it really necessary to go now? I mean, can’t this wait until later when things settle down between us a bit more?”
“…I’m sorry… But if I don’t go now, I don’t think I’ll have the courage to do it later.”
“…What?”
Cazerose’s voice came with much more seriousness than I had expected.
Hearing her, I naturally expressed my confusion, and she quickly met my eyes, offering me a small smile.
A warm yet somehow lonely smile, and she said to me, “Honestly, I want to continue living like this. I want to be with you, Mr. Santana, no matter the circumstances.”
“W-Well, if that’s the case…”
I tried to interrupt her again, but she waved her hand to stop me, continuing on.
“But… right now, I can’t do that. I still have matters to settle regarding my past, much like you did.”
“Like my past…?”
Hearing her words sparked multiple questions in my mind.
I couldn’t immediately think of anything specific I settled in my past.
Yet suddenly, a particular fact began to emerge in my mind, tied to the keywords of family and hometown.
‘Ah… Could it be? Could Cazerose be running away like me…?’
Recalling how she harbored some reluctance regarding her connection to the Dragona Empire, I suddenly felt a puzzle piece clicking into place.
Although it wasn’t intentional, my journey had led to me returning home to reconcile with my parents after a long period of wandering.
I had no idea such backstory existed, nor could I ever imagine the target of it being a prominent noble from Bohemia.
Regardless, witnessing my situation likely gave Cazerose a sense of understanding, leading her to think she, too, should reconcile with her family, and now she was trying to act on that thought…
Of course, it was only natural that I couldn’t stop her from doing that.
It wasn’t intentional, but through me, Cazerose had obtained a kind of “enlightenment.”
I needed to support the decision of the woman I loved, who was growing.
“If you go home, how long will it take?”
“Well… it might take a while, as I have quite a bit to take care of.”
“…That makes sense.”
With those words, I slowly rose from my seat, wearing a wistful smile.
And…
“…”
“…”
I embraced her tightly.
With a voice filled with both reluctance and encouragement, I earnestly said to the woman I truly loved,
“Please be careful on your journey… and come back as soon as possible.”
“…Yes. I will do so, as quickly as I can…”
She replied, her voice tinged with a hint of tears.
For a while, we remained in silence, feeling each other’s warmth.
Just to engrave a little more of each other’s touch into our beings.
*
As the sun set and darkness blanketed the area, the stars twinkled in the sky, and the moonlight softly illuminated the world.
It was a scene imbued with a dreamlike quality beyond the ordinary.
Caught in that moonlight, Cazerose slowly focused on what lay ahead.
Late at night, escorted by guards, a woman made her way out of the city.
Her steps were filled with a strong sense of longing, yet she did not stop, moving forward.
To the place she needed to go…
At this moment, for herself…
And for the person she cared for, she sought the best answer that existed in that very location…
Watching her, a gentle calm smile began to spread across the person’s lips.
‘In the end… she’s leaving. No, to be precise, it’s more correct to say she’s returning, right?’
Considering who she was, the latter was the correct interpretation.
Yet, at the same time, this person knew.
What would happen soon afterward…
The situations that would arise right after she departed,
And… the “fun things” that would occur upon her return.
*
“…What? What do you mean…?”
I put on a blank expression, completely taken aback by what I had just heard.
And while looking at me like that…
My father, Count Turun, spoke with a broad smile.
“Haha, there’s no need to be so embarrassed. You’re of an age where you should be thinking about marriage, aren’t you? That’s why your younger sibling has already sent letters to various noble ladies. You’ll probably hear back within a few days.”
A bombshell announcement just days after Cazerose’s departure.
I found myself rendered temporarily speechless by the shock of this revelation.
After a moment, as I finally gathered my thoughts, a curse automatically sprang to mind.
“Damn…”
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