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Chapter 181

Claire often told Yeon-woo to be more mature. Complaining about why he never contacted her and how he should appear more often.

At that time, Yeon-woo thought there was no reason to contact her since he had started living independently, but looking back now, he wondered if it was just pure embarrassment.

However, Yeon-woo felt that now was the time to return those words to Claire. In the middle of a meeting, when his phone buzzed, he checked it and found a message:

“I came up to see my son and daughter-in-law…^^”

Seeing that phrase, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but panic. He had to abruptly end his conversation with Lee Seol and rush out.

“Please, Sister!! Just a little!!”

He could’ve told her right before boarding the train. He could’ve at least contacted her a bit later, or given her a call.

But Claire had chosen to take a selfie at a station near Harmony City and send it!

What was captured at the edge of the photo was… a woman who, though not blonde, looked familiar.

Yeon-woo had to doubt his eyes. Despite the color being different, the curly hair, the outfit, and the figure…

Everything was so familiar. The person he thought he’d have to wait years to meet was right there in the picture.

Although Yeon-woo was panicking, he didn’t view the situation optimistically. It was only natural. Yeon-woo had returned to the past. That meant the few days he and Alkeinea spent together had become a history that no longer existed in this world.

His mind was in chaos. How on earth was he supposed to greet her? If it had been far into the future, he might have prepared a grand proposal, but he never dreamed he would face her this soon… just 6 months later.

‘There must be a reason.’

He realized instinctively. Such an occurrence wouldn’t happen without reason. In such cases, fate generally wasn’t on Yeon-woo’s side, so he steeled his heart and ran towards the city gate.

[Can I see Mom?]

[How could Mom… ?]

– This is the tense moment of being a mistress.

Tae-oh, Shar, and Lunaria each made a comment. Tae-oh was filled with excitement, Shar was bewildered, and Lunaria was babbling nonsense. Who was the mistress?

‘Don’t interfere with my pure love, Lunaria!!’

– This is something. Not even a joke is forgiven. Well, shall we witness this touching reunion?

…What was up with that? Thinking back, it made sense since there had been a telegram like that before. The sender was Killian.

“I remember something like, ‘These days, the Goddess has been asking about polygamy, what’s up with that?'” It all clicked as to why she stepped back so easily.

– Ha ha, if you think about it, as long as the wife acknowledges it, that’s all that matters. I hope you have a good meeting with her, kid.

This goddess isn’t giving up at all…!! It was indescribably intense to have a friend actively throwing out hints.

But even knowing Lunaria had such a temperament, he couldn’t help but fall for the bait of the Stigmata. He just had to endure it.

Regardless, Yeon-woo was fully aware he would never give up his love for Alkeinea. Though it had been a brief love, or perhaps because it had been brief, his feelings only worsened.

As the familiar black silhouette began to appear, passing through the straightforward inspection at the city gate, he spotted it.

There weren’t many people wearing nun habits in this era, but they weren’t nonexistent either, so Yeon-woo raced over.

*

“Look, here she comes, Alkeinea,” Claire said.

“…Is that the Yeon-woo you mentioned?”

From afar, he could see a boy rushing towards them with light brown hair. Claire nodded in cheer, and Alkeinea narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the boy.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a face she recognized. But the energy felt familiar.

His harnessed Mana stirred within her. That golden Aura slowly wrapped around Alkeinea, not in a threatening manner, but rather in a warm embrace.

“…That was the condition.”

“Yeah, thank you for remembering. I don’t want to draw my sword where there’s attention on us.”

“You’ve received help from a hermit in the mountains, so you should return the favor. You can rest easy, my friend. I swear, I won’t do anything unless I’m certain.”

“I’m glad we can communicate.”

The two exchanged smiles while engaging in a somewhat tense conversation. In the meantime, the moment approached when the two advancing points drew closer.

Panting heavily, Yeon-woo came to a halt in front of Claire and Alkeinea, who had transformed with brown hair. Of all colors, it had to be brown. Gan couldn’t help but feel a prickling in his chest upon seeing her. He wanted to say something, but words lodged in his throat.

Breaking the awkward silence was Claire, who smiled as usual and opened her mouth.

“First, let’s move. There’s bound to be eyes on us here.”

Only then did Yeon-woo realize that people were indeed watching. Not only were Alkeinea and Claire beautiful, but more and more people had begun to recognize the student known as Choi Yeon-woo.

“Wow, long time no see, Sister. And….”

Yeon-woo stuttered as he was about to greet them but turned away, unable to voice his stuck words like a fish bone caught in his throat.

He didn’t know what to say. He wished she would remember him. Even though he knew there was no chance, part of him still hoped.

“…For now, let me take you to a place where we can talk comfortably.”

However, the glimpse of Alkeinea’s expression told him that she, no matter how hard he squinted, did not seem to remember him. A look fraught with complex emotions.

That expression, tinged with faint hostility, coincidentally harbored a face he had never seen even before his return.

The one who pitied him while claiming to respect him was gone. The current her was undoubtedly a separate Alkeinea.

*

In silence, the three of them moved to a different location. They headed to Relin’s Archive. There was no better place to have an uninterrupted conversation.

The three of them sat facing each other on the sofa in the boss’s room. An awkward silence ensued. For whatever reason, it seemed Yeon-woo’s mouth had broken down today, preventing even the usual frivolous chatter from starting.

Every time he glanced at Alkeinea’s face, the searing pain in his heart made him feel utterly useless.

‘…Did I love Nea this much?’

He thought it was alright. Even if she didn’t remember him when they faced each other again, he believed he could greet her warmly.

Why had he ever thought that? He had claimed to love her earnestly enough to declare it even after ten years of not seeing her.

And now, just now, Yeon-woo was starting to grasp what love truly felt like.

Some might describe this emotion as it slowly soaking in like a gentle rain, but to Yeon-woo, this felt anything but simple.

It was like addiction. As if he had unwittingly doused himself in some drug, love soaked through his entire being, leaving him with no escape. He didn’t want Nea to catch onto those feelings that had crept up on him, so he averted her gaze.

“I’m going to get straight to the point, Yeon-woo,” Nea said, her voice gently infiltrating his ears. Though a bit sharp, the sound was sweet to his ears. However, her next sentence differed from his expectations.

“Are you the one who stole your own egg, Shar?”

“…Huh, yes?”

At those words, Yeon-woo raised his head. He had heard something incomprehensible. The intent glimmered in her eyes. Instinctively, he attempted to meet her gaze to interpret that intent.

[…Oh, so that’s how it is.]

[What’s going on? Did you steal your sister?]

[That can’t be! You idiot, Tae-oh.]

[Hmph.]

Shar muttered as if she had understood. After a brief back-and-forth with Tae-oh, she raised her voice for explanation.

[Returning to the past caused problems. While Dad simply needs his consciousness reversed, I exist here in this world in two separate identities.]

It’s the kind of time paradox that had worried him since the incident with Baek In-hwa.

It seemed that causality had little regard for Yeon-woo, but even so, having one existence in two places simultaneously didn’t seem permissible.

It had a similar principle to the attribute of the Elemental Mana of deception. But why was it tolerable on one side and not the other?

Yeon-woo, who had buried his face in his hands, absorbed in thought, was snapped out of it when Alkeinea tapped the table with her fingertips, her motions sharp.

As soon as he regained composure, Yeon-woo decided he needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

While it might be easy to clarify things through Shar, explaining it through his own words seemed necessary first.

Alkeinea must have noticed that he had made a contract with Shar, so it was natural for her to ponder that Shar might be bound by that contract.

In reality, it was Yeon-woo who had made a family-like contract, but the nature of contracts isn’t always horizontal.

‘But doing this means I have to explain the fact that I returned…’

Lunaria and Nea were unrelated. They were transcendent beings slightly removed from this world. But would Claire accept the fact that he’d returned?

No, she would believe it if Yeon-woo said so. He was more worried about whether she’d start probing into events before his return. In the end, anything he hadn’t gotten scolded for before would likely lead him to be scolded now….

Ending his fierce contemplation, Yeon-woo slowly opened his mouth. He would lay it all bare. He would tell Claire, and eventually tell Yuri and Kim Hyun-soo as well.

As for whether he’d be able to tell his friends… honestly, he wasn’t sure. Still, perhaps the day would come when he would have to.

“I didn’t steal the egg, Nea.”

“…Well, look at you calling me by name. You haven’t even been told mine.”

What appeared on Nea’s face was more curiosity than displeasure. At that reaction, Yeon-woo smiled slightly. It seemed she still preferred boldness over timidity.

“I received custody of Shar by your hand. Yes, in the name of husband and wife.”

“How curious. I don’t recall such a thing.”

Yeon-woo’s tone was soft, while Alkeinea’s tone was sharp. It seemed no matter a hint of interest, it was inevitable that an insignificant being like him referring to her as a wife was intolerable.

Claire, in the middle of it all, watched the two. She remained balanced, unbending towards either side, simply observing them with her usual warm gaze.

“Yes, you never did. I made a contract with the Alkeinea who loved a child so much she said she could even offer her own heart while it was still beating. She asked me to take her child away, pleading with an unwitting hunter.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Claire spoke with an odd tone, sounding perplexed. It was a strange statement, almost as though she were gazing at something far away. It was as if she were speaking about something neither past nor present.

“A 25-year-old, mana-incompatible Yeon-woo was asked by an ancient golden dragon to release her child into the world. She said she’d do anything if he complied.”

“…Wait, what?”

“Having traveled back ten years, I’m here with your daughter, Alkeinea. It’s okay if you don’t remember me. I remember you.”

Even if you don’t love me, a part of my heart already belongs to you, so it was alright. If this pain in my heart and the warmth of my body were given by you, then I would endure it.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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