READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 35 - A Night of Memories
✦ Chapter 35 — A Night of Memories ✦
「Translator – Creator」
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃
As twilight drew its curtain,
Night crept in like shadows behind a theater’s veil.
Though Malideen Wall had buzzed with commotion at Rianna Helmund’s appearance, the chaos dissolved into distant memory as the grand demon beast nest began their assault on the Wall.
“You’ve all worked hard today. Get some rest.”
Except for Jonathan, who lay in the infirmary, the members of 5th Scouting Unit were preparing to wrap up their long day.
Meanwhile, from the front Wall still came the grotesque cries of beasts mingled with the urgent voices of soldiers.
“…Shouldn’t we go help them?”
“Resting is how we help. If we don’t rest, the ones fighting now won’t get their chance to.”
“Ah.”
“And judging by the scale of the attack, it’s not that large. They can handle it just fine.”
Shauren nodded in agreement, and Anna added a few reassuring words.
Finally, Silverna’s gaze turned to the red-haired woman standing beside Isaac.
“And Rianna Helmund.”
“…………..”
“While we’re grateful for your help, interrogation begins tomorrow. Why you disguised yourself as a handmaiden, why you remained hidden all this time – all of it.”
“Very well.”
Rianna accepted the statement calmly, with a composed demeanor that made Silverna scratch her head before continuing.
“Which means, for tonight at least, you can rest easy.”
A small gift from House Caldias to Rianna.
“Take it as you will and prepare yourself. That’s all.”
Silverna turned to leave, hesitated for a moment, then spoke with honest sentiment:
“Thank you, truly, for today. You saved many lives.”
Admitting it stung her pride a little, but what mattered more to her was that the nearby villagers had been spared from harm; that was enough to make her express her thanks sincerely.
“Anna! Let’s go grab a drink! I need at least one!”
“What?! Now?”
As Silverna headed toward the soldiers’ tavern within the Walls, Anna watched her retreating figure before turning to Isaac.
“I’ll have bedding sent to you.”
“Bedding?”
The seemingly random comment confused him until Anna grinned mischievously and leaned in to whisper.
“She can’t stay in the handmaids’ quarters anymore. It would be strange to give separate quarters to someone who might be imprisoned tomorrow, so naturally, you’ll stay together.”
“…Me?”
As Isaac asked blankly, Anna responded with surprise:
“Yes, you’re married after all.”
“Ah, right.”
“…………..”
At Isaac’s hesitant response, Rianna’s cheeks puffed slightly before returning to normal; the moment passed so quickly, none could have noticed.
“Just so you know,” Anna added with a playful glint in her eye, “the walls in that room aren’t particularly soundproof.”
“…………..”
“…………..”
“Anna! Hurry up!”
“Coming!”
As the two woman left, Isaac and Rianna stood in wordless silence, unable to voice the thoughts that hung between them like rose petals in the evening air.
🎕
*CREAK*
The door creaked open.
*THUD*
Then closed with a thud soon after.
Two figures stepped into the room.
The day’s fatigue pressed against them like a heavy mist.
And yet rather than finding relief, tension only mounted between them.
“…………..”
“…………..”
The awkward silence hung between them, intensified by the sight of the woman standing at the door, staring at him blankly.
Once they had been as close as two souls could be.
How had it come to this — where even the mere act of being in each other’s presence now felt so uncomfortable?
‘Perhaps this is what they call the passage of time.’
Isn’t that what we call these unknowing transformations – the slow work of years?
“Here.”
Since Rianna struggled with words, Isaac broke the silence first. From his chest, he produced a single note.
It was the note Rianna had passed through Shauren earlier that morning. Inside, it contained her thoughts on Isaac’s swordsmanship.
“Ah.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you know?”
“Kind of? The Shauren I know wouldn’t normally analyze swordsmanship this thoroughly.”
Isaac couldn’t help but agree, though he also realized that Shauren wasn’t even trying to hide it. It almost seemed like she had no intention of keeping it a secret.
“Isaa-“
“I’m going to wash up.”
“…………..”
She started to speak, but Isaac cut her off, leaving her to close her mouth again. Isaac glanced at her briefly, but when she avoided his gaze, signaling for him to go ahead, he stepped out of the room.
Thirty minutes later.
After taking turns bathing.
While Rianna was out, Isaac continued writing about swordsmanship.
He detailed his observations about Rianna’s sword technique from today, noting what he could learn from it.
“…Isaac.”
A voice called from behind, startling Isaac, causing him to jump up.
He turned to see Rianna, now back and wearing a simple, white nightgown.
“Oh, when did you get back?”
“Still can’t notice your surroundings when you’re focused, huh? Same as always.”
Had Rianna smiled?
It had been so brief that Isaac couldn’t tell, leaving him with only a fleeting impression.
Closing his notebook, he cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked at her.
Rianna met his gaze, her face tinged slightly pink.
“Sit here for a moment.”
He gestured to the bed, and she hesitated before sitting down on it, her body stiff with tension. Remembering his previous comment about her face tensing when nervous, she deliberately pressed her palms against her cheeks.
“Can you tell me why you came? I heard the Lord Patriarch sent Shauren.”
The time had come to sort things out properly.
At Isaac’s question, Rianna lowered her hands from her cheeks and carefully parted her lips, “I thought you might be in danger.”
“Because it’s the frontline? That’s only natural.”
“Not just that—”
She started to say something more but sealed her lips again. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t speak the words.
“…………..”
“…………..”
Silence wove itself between them once more.
A familiar atmosphere.
“So you came to protect me?”
“Yes.”
After hearing her out, Isaac nodded and responded.
“Honestly, Rianna, it doesn’t feel like a particularly convincing reason.”
“……….”
“It feels like you’ve come too far for me to feel touched or grateful.”
“I suppose so.”
“I know what kind of woman you are, so I understand you’re not seeking anything in return.”
“…………”
“Is there really no other reason?”
Rianna hadn’t come with any shameless intentions of asking him to withdraw the divorce or to love her again.
“Just……”
She hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with her folded hands before confessing, “I hoped you wouldn’t leave bearing wounds.”
“………….”
“So that after leaving the family, you could live well.”
Like when you used to row alone.
When Isaac stared at her directly, she lowered her gaze slightly and began explaining earnestly, “I’m also investigating the incident from our anniversary. Though the Sword Festival keeps me busy, I’m still working hard—”
“It was Aloise.”
“……………”
Rianna’s body froze mid-explanation.
She slowly raised her head to look at Isaac, asking—
“What?”
“The third son of House Helmund, Aloise, was the culprit.”
Like a portrait frozen in time, she maintained her straight posture as she carefully asked, “Why would Aloise-?”
“Ask him yourself when you return.”
“…I will.”
She exhaled slowly, her expression now resolute. It seemed she was already planning to confront Alois as soon as she returned to her family.
“…………”
“…………”
Silence descended once more.
Isaac tested the waters with a question.
“Do you believe me?”
“Hm?”
“Well, he’s your younger brother. And I’m… a husband who’s about to leave.”
To his question of why she should trust someone about to leave, Rianna responded with an expression of incomprehension—
“Why would you tell such a lie?”
Her matter-of-fact response momentarily stunned Isaac, though he struggled to hide his emotions.
“Haah.”
She took a deep breath, clenching her fists as if steeling herself, “Isaac, since we’re talking about family, there’s something I want to say.”
“Are you going to apologize?”
“………..”
Her silence confirmed he had hit the mark.
Tears quivered at the edges of Isaac’s gentle smile as he shook his head.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t?”
“Yes, there’s no need.”
Even though only about a month had passed in this world, for Isaac, it felt like a matter of the distant past.
“The time for apologies seems to have already slipped away.”
To him, it was a memory from ten years ago. He had already forgotten, overcome, or buried it deep within. He had no desire to receive an apology for something that had long passed.
“I won’t accept it anyway.”
“…………”
“There was a time when I wondered why you abandoned me.”
But not anymore.
“I don’t want to know about House Helmund’s family matters anymore.”
“………….”
“That you had reasons for neglecting me?”
Slowly.
Isaac rose and approached Rianna.
He crouched before her as she sat on the bed, bringing their eyes level.
“I’m sure you did. After all, you came all the way to the frontlines for my sake. Surely, misunderstandings have tangled themselves between us.”
He gently wiped away the tears welling in her eyes.
Rianna closed her eyes softly, feeling his touch.
“But Rianna.”
Regrettably.
“I don’t want to hear even that.”
“………….”
“I might understand. I might even want to forgive. But that would mean returning to House Helmund.”
No matter what.
“I don’t want that.”
Yet.
If there was one fortunate thing—
He had pondered this countless times.
Why had Rianna worn her ring until her dying breath, even after ten years?
The answer was simple, though accepting it had been difficult.
“That we-“
But,
Seeing Rianna like this, he couldn’t deny at least this one truth.
“Never regretted loving each other.”
He took her hand with gentle tenderness.
And emotion stirred in Rianna’s eyes.
Fresh tears traced paths down her cheeks as her parched lips parted.
“Do you not regret-“
Her voice trembled.
“Loving me?”
To Rianna’s plaintive question, Isaac answered with quiet certainty.
“Though there were times I hated you, times I resented you—”
So many times they couldn’t be counted.
“I never regretted the days we spent in love.”
Because.
Those memories shone brilliantly.
Bright enough to illuminate even the darkest corners of the Helmund mansion.
“*sob* I… too…”
Through flowing tears, Rianna nodded.
“I felt the same, Isaac.”
With the Sword Festival approaching swiftly,
Though the grand demon beast nest might delay it somewhat, Isaac remembered that the festival would proceed without fail.
At that time, Isaac had not attended the Sword Festival and had locked himself away in his room. But when the time came, everything would likely be settled.
“Huu.”
Rianna swallowed her tears and took a deep breath. Isaac, seeing this, was about to release her hand, but she gripped it tightly, as if unwilling to let go.
“…………”
“Ah, Isaac.”
It was hard to tell whether her face was red from crying or from embarrassment. As Isaac looked down at her, she hesitated, then whispered secretly.
“Please… hold me.”
“Rianna?”
It was such an unexpected request. However, Rianna was surprisingly serious.
“Please. Just for one day, that’s all I ask. I’m not trying to hold you responsible for anything. You can treat me like one of those fleeting pleasures from the pleasure district… just once more…”
At that moment.
Like our first night together.
“Hold me.”
🎕
In the quiet depths of Shauren’s room, though exhaustion from wielding Red Descent should have claimed her long ago, sleep remained elusive.
“Ah, what should I do?!”
Lying on her bed, she kicked the covers in frustration, her face contorted in distress.
“Sister’s going to kill me!”
*Knock knock*
A gentle tapping reached her ears through her desperate flailing.
“W-who is it?”
Startled by the unexpected visitor at this hour, Shauren cautiously rose from her bed and opened the door.
“Ah, S-sister?”
There stood Rianna.
“Why-why are you here?! Weren’t you supposed to be staying with Isaac?”
Though Shauren stammered through her words, Rianna, seemingly oblivious to such simple implications, responded through quiet sniffles.
“I was-“
“Was?”
“Kicked out.”
“……….”
END of CHAPTER
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