Chapter 17 — The Farewell Gifts
Chapter 17 — The Farewell Gifts
Translation: Godtl
"I specially requested my father to have it made. It's a bit early, but it's a gift for you all who will be returning to your home countries."
"But what about what you said earlier? You mentioned magic was cast on it."
At Lelia's question, Romeo chuckled and swept back his golden hair. Then he said with a hint of pride.
"This is a fountain pen that allows the five of us to share messages. If someone writes a letter, it will be transmitted exactly to all five people."
"Wow!"
Lelia exclaimed briefly. It was indeed a gift befitting a prince of a magical power.
Romeo gave a brief demonstration. When he wrote characters on a random piece of paper, paper appeared next to the other four fountain pens.
Romeo: It's my gift.
Moreover, thanks to the names engraved on the fountain pens, they could tell who had written the message.
"That's killer."
Kalix also expressed delight, finding it fascinating. Oscar and Griffith also seemed pleased with the gift.
"So make sure everyone writes letters even after you go back. Oh right, the jewel embedded at this end is a magic stone? If this comes out, you won't be able to exchange letters, so be careful."
At Romeo's words, Lelia smiled brightly as she looked at the fountain pen.
'Right, I should use it diligently until the Crown Prince officially dies.'
Even as Lelia made this resolution, she kept glancing at Kalix sitting across from her.
Perhaps because she had thought about this child's future yesterday, she found herself paying more attention to him today than usual. Especially those amber eyes.
"Hey, captain crybaby. What are you glaring at like that?"
"Who's a crybaby!"
"It wasn't you? Guys, even without me-e-e, you guys a-a-are… hu-u-uk…."
Kalix teasingly mimicked Lelia crying from before. Lelia could no longer hold back and opened the fountain pen cap, rushing at him.
"I'm going to kill you!"
"W-wait. Leo!"
Oscar and Griffith each grabbed one of her arms to stop her.
The next day. Lelia celebrated her real birthday together with her friends.
The children commemorated the day together as she requested, without even knowing whose birthday it was.
It was the last birthday she would spend with her friends.
They gathered together in her room's living area, placed a birthday cake, and lit the candles.
"Thank you for celebrating with me, guys."
Lelia blew out the candles and smiled at them.
"She's crying again."
At Kalix's words, she glared.
"Whose birthday is it that you're even crying?"
"D-don't tell me… a dead girlfriend…?"
Griffith and Oscar asked in turn, but Lelia shouted "I didn't cry!" and vigorously wiped her eyes.
Perhaps because she thought of it as the last birthday she'd spend with them, tears had come out.
"Leo, don't tell me you don't have a mom either? Is it actually your birth mother's birthday or something?"
"……."
At Romeo's question, Lelia gazed at him with a sour expression.
Hey, how could you say something like that….
'Huh? Come to think of it….'
Lelia blinked as she looked at the children. Somehow it really turned out….
'It's a gathering of kids without moms, completely!'
Oscar lost his mother when he was young, killed by his father, the Psycho Emperor.
Also, Kalix lost both parents right after he was born, so he never even saw their faces.
And Griffith didn't have his birth mother either. He only had a stepmother who hated him.
Even Romeo's mother had committed suicide in front of her son's eyes during his childhood.
Finally, Lelia's mother had also passed away.
"……."
Lelia abruptly stopped her tears and started eating the cake. The other children didn't ask anything more either.
For some reason, she felt too apologetic at the thought of appearing to cry because of her mother in front of these children.
They were all children with heartbreaking stories, with no way to determine who was more unfortunate.
However, Lelia still thought her situation was slightly better.
At least she remembered her past life and knew what would happen in the future.
Moreover, her friends would participate in the dragon subjugation battle a few years later and truly go through hell.
"Thank you. For celebrating with me."
Lelia smiled at her friends who were eating cake.
She wanted to tell them truthfully that it was her birthday, but she kept her lips tightly sealed.
'Next year I'll be spending it alone again.'
Lelia stopped her lonely thoughts and made a resolution. During the remaining time ahead, she would create even more memories she would never forget for the rest of her life.
The remaining time flowed faster than all the time that had come before.
Before returning to their home countries, the five children created many memories together.
They learned to swim together in the lake, watched the setting sunset, and watched the sun rise.
They watched rain fall, rainbows appear, and snow come down, capturing each other's images in their eyes.
They tried sneaking out of the temple without the priests knowing, and they also played pranks on the priest they usually found annoying.
They climbed and ran around big trees together, read the same books, and shared their five different thoughts.
Thus time flowed like water, and soon the day of parting arrived.
Before the sun rose, the envoys from their home countries came to fetch them.
Lelia cried her heart out like a child in front of her friends who stood a full span taller than her.
"Hey, stop crying! We'll see each other again in a few years, do you really have to bawl like that?"
Kalix scolded her like that, but he too was straining his eyes hard to hold back his own tears.
"You have to write letters...."
Seeing Lelia cry, Oscar also started shedding tears drop by drop.
"...I'll miss you."
Griffith, who usually never said such things calling them embarrassing, spoke with his head lowered.
"I really hate this kind of atmosphere... Stop crying already!"
Romeo, though showing his distaste, pulled each person one by one for a hug.
Lelia suddenly remembered when Romeo had pointed at each person saying "I hate those guys," and laughter escaped her.
"Geez, not even a child... Hey, if you laugh while crying, you..."
"...Shut up!"
When Kalix started teasing again, Lelia clenched her fist.
After the commotion passed, Lelia wiped her tears firmly with her sleeve and spoke with a more serious expression than before.
"Kalix Ascard, always be careful. Especially be careful of your uncle."
"...I know."
"Good."
With those words, Lelia shook hands and hugged each of the other children one by one, saying her final goodbyes.
"Oscar, don't forget to take good care of your doll and sleep. Got it?"
"Yeah. Leo, you too."
Lelia hugged Oscar and stroked his silver hair.
"Griffith, you... be careful not to be used."
Griffith had awakened his divine power. When he returns to his home country, his father will scheme all sorts of things to use Griffith. Griffith's stepmother will try to harm him.
"Worry about yourself."
Griffith smiled slightly, and Lelia looked at him for a moment before standing in front of Romeo.
Despite scolding her to stop crying, tears also streamed down Romeo's blue eyes.
"You... fix that personality of yours. I have nothing else to say."
"You're really something!"
Romeo pretended to hit Lelia's head with his fist but instead pulled her straight into a hug.
Lelia ended up shedding tears all over again because he was crying.
We'll see each other again in a few years. Everyone said that, comforting Lelia who was uniquely sorrowful.
Lelia held back the words she wanted to say deep inside her heart.
'We can't meet anymore.'
There will never be a chance to meet again.
She will officially become a dead person, and this curse that would kill her if she reveals the secret will continue even after the Emperor and Crown Prince die.
"Take care, everyone."
"Write letters."
"Stop crying, you crybaby."
"Everyone be careful...."
"Bye."
Lelia raised her arm high and waved to the children leaving with the envoys from each country.
So that she could be seen even from afar.
'Everyone stay healthy.'
Goodbye, bye. Thank you.
After offering her final goodbye in her heart, Lelia turned to follow the envoy from her home country. Her feet did not move easily due to her lingering attachment.
However, Lelia wiped her tears firmly and deliberately walked toward the carriage with even more energy.
It was time to be alone again.
But her heart would never be alone.
"...."