Chapter 303
On a spring night where flowers remain untouched and stars sing
Izar was aware that he was trapped in a dream.
However, the reason he couldn’t wake easily was because his body was that weary and wounded.
But more than that, it was likely because of the happiness on his wife’s face that he saw within the dream.
In the dream, although his pride was wounded, he hadn’t made any mistakes. He gradually came to accept the bride who had been thrust upon him.
At first, his heart had been bruised from the Emperor’s insult… but it hadn’t taken long for him to fall for her.
Even if he had once extinguished the spark in his heart at the age of eighteen, a heart always reignites when given the right reason.
Because his attitude had been amicable from the beginning, the woman was able to adjust easily to the ducal estate.
There were no scars left on his wife’s legs. And their first child was safely born.
“Duke.”
One day, upon returning from a subjugation campaign, his wife, waiting in the room, smiled with both cheeks flushed like apple blossoms.
Because Izar had stayed by her side before and after the birth, she had recovered her health without issue.
“Welcome back. You returned earlier than expected this time.”
“……”
Izar gave a slight nod in response to her greeting.
‘It’s alright. I know.’
This is a dream.
Once, he had gone mad refusing to accept the reality that his wife had died, but now he no longer became lost in illusions or delusions.
This was merely… a wistful illusion of what might have been, had he not been so foolish.
Yet because his feelings of longing were real, Izar gently cupped one of the woman’s cheeks.
Unaccustomed still to his displays of affection, she froze up immediately.
The more he caressed her cheek, the redder her face turned, right up to the line of her forehead.
“D-Duke? What’s wrong…?”
“Why don’t you call me Izar?”
“Huh…?”
“When it’s just the two of us, I think it’s about time you did.”
“Even so, h-how could I!”
Even after having a child together and spending the nights as husband and wife countless times…
The woman still flustered like a newlywed bride, bashful and floundering.
He found it adorable, and the sight was pleasing to him, but he had the sense that if he pressed her further, she might start to tear up in embarrassment. That would’ve been cute too, but Izar instead pushed down his regret and asked her,
“…Is our child asleep?”
“Ah, yes! That’s right.”
Relieved to move on from the embarrassing topic, his wife fanned her burning face.
“He just fell asleep. Would you like to come see?”
“……”
Izar nodded and allowed himself to be led toward the cradle in one corner of the room.
His wife only lightly grasped the end of his sleeve, but he intertwined his fingers with hers instead.
She blushed again, just as she had when he touched her cheek, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she smiled bashfully.
It was a radiant smile, born of her unwavering belief that no matter what happened, he would always protect her and their child.
This is a dream. I mustn’t forget that.
Izar repeated the thought to himself.
Even so… he wanted to stay here longer.
Even more so as he looked down at the peacefully sleeping baby boy in the cradle.
‘So this is what he would’ve looked like.’
The color of the boy’s hair inevitably resembled his own, but it was as if he was a spirit from an ancient forest. In this manner, he resembled her completely.
Izar felt certain that when those eyes opened, they would be light green.
This child, at least, was the one who resembled his wife more, just as he had always wished in both lifetimes.
…But even so, Izar deeply loved his daughter too, who resembled him more.
Though they hadn’t spent much time together, it couldn’t be helped. His love for her was overwhelming.
Izar slowly turned toward his wife.
“Freesia.”
All he did was call her name, but she blushed as if he’d kissed her.
Still, flustered and flailing as she was, she eventually smiled like a blooming flower.
“Yes, Izar.”
“I love you.”
At his blunt, clumsy confession, every inch of visible skin on her body turned red.
She covered her cheeks and didn’t know what to do, but after that moment of confusion passed, she fiddled with her fingers and whispered softly.
“Y-You’ve said it enough that I already know. And I… me too… kyaah!”
Without a word, he picked up the baby, and then drew her into his arms as well, her eyes wide in surprise.
Freesia gasped and held her breath, startled, but soon she looked up at him with a slight pout.
Yet when her lovely lips curved into a smile, Izar realized something.
That even the Freesia of the past could smile this brightly.
That if he hadn’t made that first mistake, they could’ve been this happy all along.
“Izar… those words… that you love me…”
Freesia rested her head against his chest and whispered gently:
“You’ll keep saying them to me in the future too… right?”
“……”
Unable to speak through the tightness in his throat, Izar simply nodded in response.
And in that moment, he also realized.
It was time to wake up.
But even so, the three of them remained together under the translucent spring sunlight.
In a dream of a future that never came to be…
For a long, long time, until the moment Izar opened his eyes.
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