Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Lady Waits in the Wheat Field (5)
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Chapter 5 - #1 Homecoming (5)
The place they arrived was a hill that overlooked the Weibin lands at a glance.
Even in this autumn, green grass spread lushly, and it seemed all trees blocking the view had been uprooted, leaving only small shrubs landscaped at regular intervals.
The gravestone stood right in the center.
『Hoven Portman. Sleeping here.』
It was a brief inscription.
Elric sat down before the gravestone with a bitter smile.
“You're so typical.”
The location chosen to overlook the land he had carved out himself, the impeccably neat landscaping, the curt words on the stone—everything reflected the personality of the father he remembered.
Given his nature, he must have handled all these arrangements personally before passing.
Just seeing the gravestone was enough for Elric to picture his father's final moments.
“You always loved perfection, so you must have hounded the workers relentlessly.”
A man who tolerated no flaws would have put quite a few laborers through hell to set up this grave. They must have caught plenty of his ire, too. And his father would have known that but pretended not to notice.
No wonder his nickname was Cold-Blooded.
“I never imagined we'd meet like this. The reunion I pictured was a bit different.”
What was the point of saying it now? Elric's lips twitched, but he gave up on further complaints.
It was pointless.
As he did, his hand reached out to stroke the gravestone.
Made of fine stone, it was still smooth even after a year.
And, as expected, cold.
That chill drew forth memories of his father.
The pivotal figure who had elevated the mere merchant Portman family into the leading trading house of Weibin, a ruthless man who made countless enemies.
A loner who never even smiled at his own child.
As Elric reflected on all that, realization dawned.
“I don't resent you like I used to anymore.”
Even facing the man he had once hated to the point of shedding bloody tears, no emotions surged within him.
He had thought it was because life was too hectic, too consumed by rolling in the battlefield. But no—the resentment had already faded.
It was laughable.
Once he shed his youthful impulsiveness and let go, all that remained was pity.
What had his end been like?
How had he lived those nine years without his son?
Lost in such thoughts, he stared at the name carved on the gravestone for a long while.
“He remained rational until the very moment he closed his eyes.”
It was Aldio, who had tied up the carriage and come over.
Elric looked at him.
Aldio's face was lost in reminiscence.
“He had heart disease. He kept it secret to the end, so only I and the family physician knew of the master's illness.”
“Was that so?”
“Once his end drew near, he poured all his effort into wrapping up business and liquidating assets. I had my hands full, too.”
Aldio chuckled dryly as he continued.
A snort escaped Elric's lips.
“The butler really is an odd one. What did you see in this cold-blooded bastard to follow him so loyally?”
Thinking back, it was true.
In every moment Elric remembered, Aldio had been at his father's side, supporting him.
He cleaned up after the things his father overlooked, tended to the self his father ignored.
Thanks to that, Aldio remained unmarried even at his age, living as a cog in the mansion without siblings or family.
He must know his father's will played no small part in that life, yet Aldio showed no sign of minding.
“He paid me handsomely. What other reason could there be?”
Shrugging all the way to his shoulders, he even seemed cheeky.
Another snort slipped from Elric.
“But you haven't asked.”
“Hm?”
“About the master's estate. Didn't I say he liquidated everything possible into cash?”
Elric furrowed his brow in confusion, and Aldio smiled.
“All that cash has been inherited to you, Young Master.”
Twitch—
Elric's fingertips trembled.
His gaze turned to the gravestone.
Shock was etched plainly on his face.
“That man?”
“Yes, the master willed it so.”
What shook Elric was bewilderment.
He simply couldn't fathom why his father would leave him an inheritance.
Hadn't he been the sort who could have done exactly that if he wanted to be seen? If there had been regret, he could have left an apology instead of wealth.
Elric gaped blankly, then stammered.
“…Is there a will or something?”
Perhaps he had put his true intentions into words, but
“That wasn't his style, was it? It only contains instructions regarding the inheritance. If you're curious, I can show it to you, though…”
As expected, his father wasn't the type to leave tender words like the wind.
A sigh escaped him.
Feeling a bit stifled, he looked to Aldio with a thirst for answers, but the man just shook his head.
“I don't know the master's inner thoughts. On that matter, he was colder than ever.”
Elric's lips pressed tight.
What on earth had driven him to do such a thing, leaving only this turmoil to the end? His father seemed almost spiteful.
“What will you do about the inheritance?”
Elric didn't answer the question.
A dilemma he hadn't considered since boyhood now churned his guts once more.
He let out a long breath, delaying his response, and Aldio bowed his head.
“Take your time to think it over.”
Elric nodded.
*
He returned with nothing but a restless heart.
Gazing blankly at the scenery, Elric finally voiced a belated question.
“…Come to think of it.”
“Hm?”
“My….”
He faltered, the word catching in his throat.
“Wife” felt oddly embarrassing for some reason.
In the end, Elric glossed over it.
“…Why is she still at the mansion? With me gone like that, the marriage should be annulled by rights.”
No immediate answer came.
Aldio drove the carriage in silence for a moment before responding belatedly.
“It was a political marriage, wasn't it? A deal disguised as matrimony.”
His voice carried a note of bitterness.
“…Is that reason enough?”
“It is. Now that I think about it, I never told you.”
“Told me what?”
“The Portmans have become a hereditary barony.”
Elric's mouth fell open.
Aldio turned to look at him, his expression a touch cautious.
“The master received a title. When you inherit the estate, the title passes to you. And if you recall…”
Only then did Elric remember a forgotten fact.
It was something said on the wedding day.
“…The Weibin barony was poor.”
The Weibins, a noble house so impoverished they had no choice but to wed the merchant Portmans. In that political marriage, they took Tiria Weibin as collateral and received funds. The title must have been the price.
Elric understood the connection.
“She's still a hostage, then….”
His stomach soured a bit.
If anything, it was pity.
But what he couldn't understand was why, even a year after his father's death, she remained here.
With the heir absent.
Tiria could have claimed the inheritance as proxy and returned to her family anytime if she wished, so why hadn't she?
When he asked about that, the answer was this.
“On that point, it was the Lady's will.”
“…She chose to stay?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
“She's not one for many words. Truth be told, embarrassingly, we never got that close.”
Aldio spoke apologetically.
But Elric understood.
Why wouldn't he? Her aura was so aloof it kept people at bay.
Moreover, she tended to cut conversations short with brief replies, so Aldio, as a servant, couldn't press her.
Elric gave an awkward smile.
“Hm, she's a tough one.”
“She's your wife, Young Master.”
“She might as well be a stranger. I've only seen her face once.”
“Everyone starts out that way.”
Aldio spoke playfully, but it was truly troubling for Elric.
Just that morning, breakfast had been so awkward he'd stuffed his mouth and fled.
How was he supposed to face her?
Embarrassment welled up, and he rubbed his nape again.
Before he knew it, chatting idly like that, they had arrived at the mansion.
“Go on in first. I'll tend to the carriage.”
“Got it.”
Aldio departed.
It was then, as Elric leaned on his cane and entered the mansion, that a most awkward encounter took place.
“…Ah, you're back?”
“Yes.”
It was Tiria.
Fresh from the wheat field, perhaps, she wore a straw hat and clutched a few stalks of wheat to her chest. Her simple attire could pass for a laborer's, but that aura of hers made her seem noble even as a farmhand.
Ah, how to handle this awkwardness.
A forced smile rose to Elric's lips.
“Uh, well….”
“Speak.”
“Heading in?”
Tiria stared straight at Elric's face, then nodded.
“Yes.”
Elric regretted it again.
Dragging out the awkwardness himself—what a mess his damn mouth was.