THM 05

Chapter 5

The man I had thought was missing was suddenly standing right in front of me. Yet no one seemed to know that he was the one who had been declared missing.

If no one knows him, how could they know he’s missing? And if others don’t know, how do you know him?

It was a situation that required a rather long explanation. To someone who didn’t know him, hearing this would have sparked countless questions and furrowed brows.

I was no different. The fact that I alone recognized him while everyone else didn’t amazed me, and I stared at him for a long while.

“The date for the joint funeral will be announced soon.”

I had received various help from him at the Navy headquarters, and that was the last thing he had said before we parted.

“Is it really okay for you to be walking around like this?”

I asked him a somewhat foolish question. The marquis’s forehead creased slightly.

“I don’t see a reason I can’t walk around.”

“But still, the navy would recognize you, Colonel.”

He didn’t answer. Feeling somewhat awkward, he lowered his head and began to speak words he didn’t need to say.

“Ah… I came looking for a job. Fortunately, there’s still an opening, so I’m scheduled for an interview in a week. At the house of Marquis Russell—”

Suddenly, he tugged at my shoulder, cutting off my words.

Startled, I looked up at him, only to hear a grumbling middle-aged man’s voice behind us.

“Hey, why are you blocking the entrance?”

There was a heavy tone of irritation. He lowered his hand from the air and clicked his tongue.

“You must be his girlfriend. Take care of him! Next time, there’ll be no leniency!”

Then, glaring at me, he strode straight into the post office.

I almost got pushed suddenly. I swallowed hard as my eyes fell on the sharp corner nearby.

It was treatment I had never experienced before.

The city of Myusen—prosperous and peaceful. A city where most people were kind and relaxed.

I witnessed with my own eyes how that image was gradually being distorted.

I gathered my composure and said,

“…Thank you.”

Once at the harbor, once at the Navy headquarters, and now once at the post office.

For some reason, I kept relying on him every time. I forced a nervous smile and continued speaking.

“I’ve probably said far too much useless talk. You must be busy, so you should—”

“This doesn’t seem like a suitable place for a conversation.”

He interrupted me with a low voice.

“…Pardon?”

I furrowed my brows and looked up at the marquis. Did he want to talk to me here?

“Don’t you have business at the post office?”

“It’s not important. By the way, where did you say you were applying for a job? I don’t think I heard it correctly.”

The marquis offered me his hand with a charming smile. I stared at his large hand in confusion, then, almost absentmindedly, took it. He guided me forward with just enough force.

What on earth? Why was he curious about my job?

Even after walking a long way from the post office, I had no answer. Then I remembered his question and quickly replied.

“I haven’t secured a job yet, but I’m scheduled for an interview in a week. At the house of Marquis Russell.”

I felt his arm stiffen slightly where my hand rested. He stopped walking.

“You mean the house of Marquis von Bueln?”

“Yes. The pay is good.”

“Well. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“If it’s because the dowager lady is particularly strict…”

Just as I tried to continue,

“Official document!”

Someone shouted from the square, their voice urgent. Our eyes simultaneously turned to the source of the voice.

“The military has issued an official document! Please check it!”

His expression darkened instantly.

If it was an official document from the military, it was about the date for the joint funeral of the fallen.

It was a gloomy Wednesday, with snowflakes drifting lazily in the air.

The joint funeral of the fallen was held.

Surviving soldiers, the families of the deceased, and I mourned the lives of my father and the soldiers who could no longer be seen.

I was throwing lilies beside my father’s coffin, placed in a deep grave, when someone approached me. Only one person could come to my father and me here.

Johannes Schultz.

But I didn’t have the strength to acknowledge him. I just blankly continued throwing lilies.

After a while, he finally spoke, breaking the silence I had assumed he would maintain.

“He was close to Sergeant Prim.”

“….”

“I feel it’s time to pass on his last words.”

I stopped tossing lilies and drew in a breath. I couldn’t respond. My rough breathing came out intermittently. My eyelids trembled, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Soon, his calm voice drifted to my ears on the wind.

“He said he truly loved you.”

I gripped the hem of my dress tightly. My entire arm trembled, and my fingertips turned pale white.

“If you don’t grieve too much and live happily, you’ll meet again someday.”

“….”

“That’s what he wanted me to convey.”

I hadn’t seen my father’s final moments, but I could guess what they might have been.

Tears kept threatening to spill, so I lowered my head.

I wanted to know exactly what illness my father had or how his last moments were.

Those questions rose to my throat, but I couldn’t ask because the tears would break free.

Clamping my lips shut to stop crying was all I could do.

“I’ll see him again?”

That miracle would never happen. My father had passed. I would never see him again.

“My sincere condolences.”

His quiet voice pressed down on me. It felt like he was telling me to finally let go of my father.

I closed my eyes gently, staring at the lilies stacked on the coffin.

I thought I had shed all my tears, but apparently, there were still many left.

In the end, I cried again—right in front of Johannes Schultz.

I only stopped once my eyes could barely open. By then, the military cemetery was empty.

The sun set in the west, painting the sky in sunset hues. And there he was.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I only show such foolishness when you’re around, Colonel.”

I brushed away the black veil blocking my vision and wiped my eyes with the handkerchief he offered. The marquis nodded slightly, signaling it was fine.

“I heard you lived with your father. Studying pharmacy, right?”

I looked up at him in surprise.

“Did your father really say that? You must have been close.”

He nodded silently.

Still, it was a relief that there was someone my father had been close with in the battlefield. At least he wouldn’t have felt lonely.

I faintly lifted the corners of my mouth, and he spoke while still gazing at my father’s coffin.

“It may be presumptuous of me, but I don’t recommend the house of Marquis Russell.”

“If it’s because of the dowager’s strict personality, I appreciate the concern. I’ve already decided.”

“No, it will be difficult to live far away. I want to offer more practical help.”

Help? Was he pitying me?

I frowned unconsciously and turned my body toward him. He also turned to face me.

“If you’re feeling pity, it’s unnecessary. I’ve already received enough help.”

“Pity, huh. That’s a plausible reason, I suppose.”

“…?”

The marquis’s eyes still revealed no emotion.

“Sorry, but it isn’t pity. I couldn’t just leave the daughter of someone who helped me so much, and by chance, I knew of a suitable job nearby.”

Nearby? A job offer did pique my interest, but I feigned disinterest and asked,

“Where?”

Looking back now, perhaps this was his first proposal.

With eyes tinged by the sunset, the marquis made his suggestion.

“How about taking on the duties of the Schultz family, Miss Prim?”