Chapter 94
The moment I saw the familiar exterior of the house, my heart began beating a little faster.
And when I reached the house.
Giggle—
The innocent laughter of a baby reached my ears.
A familiar man stepped out of the small house holding a child.
The ordinary man I had married in my first regressed life.
A man with a warm, good-natured face.
His features had grown so faint in my memory that I could barely remember them anymore, but he was smiling brightly as he lifted the baby high into the air.
The child burst into laughter.
‘Ah…’
At that moment, an indescribable emotion washed over me.
Happiness at seeing him?
Disappointment?
Emptiness?
Betrayal?
No.
This was, yes… relief…
You’re living happily because I’m not here.
You had a child.
I’m glad.
You were so worried back then because we couldn’t have children…
I’m glad.
You look happy…
But despite the relief, something inside me felt hollow, as though a great hole had opened there.
It wasn’t that I missed my marriage to him.
In truth, even his face and name had grown faint in my memory.
But seeing the man who could finally smile because I wasn’t there…
Seeing the man who could finally have a child and become the perfect head of a family only because I wasn’t there.
It felt strange.
As though there were no place for me anywhere…
“Hans! Dinner’s ready, so bring the baby inside!”
A window opened, and an ordinary woman with a warm face leaned out.
Hans approached the woman with the child in his arms and affectionately kissed her forehead.
They suited each other perfectly as husband and wife.
As though unwilling to be left out, the baby giggled and planted a kiss on the woman’s cheek.
They looked like such a happy family.
Such a beautiful…
Drop—
Suddenly, a tear rolled down my cheek and fell to the ground.
Only belatedly realizing that I was crying, I slowly touched my cheek.
My fingertips were damp.
Why am I crying…?
What do these tears mean…?
Even I could no longer understand the meaning of my own emotions, dulled after so long.
That was when it happened.
“Juliana…”
A familiar voice.
A gentle voice filled with worry.
I slowly turned toward the sound.
He stood there.
Lloyd de Silverstel.
The husband from my eleventh and final previous life.
“How are you here…”
At my bewildered question, Lloyd gave a bitter smile.
“A merchant guild I’m doing business with passes through this village. I stopped by for a while and happened to see you, Juliana.”
Then he smiled gently.
“I was very lucky, wasn’t I?”
* * *
As we walked through the town, which was fairly familiar to me, I tried not to look at Lloyd.
In my current weakened state, the one thing I wanted to avoid was leaning on him.
Just as Hans had, Lloyd would only be happy if I weren’t in his life.
Only then could he find the place that truly belonged to him.
I felt certain of it.
“You have no idea how hard I’ve been holding myself back because I thought you’d dislike it if I sent another letter. So imagine how happy I was to see you somewhere like this.”
Unlike the excited Lloyd, I stared indifferently ahead as I walked.
Then I sighed as though steeling myself and turned toward him.
“You said you stopped in this village because of work, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then don’t worry about me and go take care of your work.”
When I turned away after saying that, he quickly stepped in front of me.
I frowned as I looked at him.
Then he gave me another handsome smile.
“How far are you going? I’ll escort you.”
I deliberately spoke coldly while avoiding his gaze.
“There’s a Baldomer carriage nearby. I’m returning to the Baldomer estate.”
It was a lie.
I had simply chosen the easiest excuse to draw a boundary with Lloyd.
Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Lloyd took a step back and smiled bitterly.
“I see.”
I forced myself to ignore his expression and bowed my head.
“It was nice seeing you, Lloyd de Silverstel. Then I’ll be going.”
After saying goodbye, I walked straight into the crowd without looking back.
I intended to disappear among the people so he couldn’t follow me.
After walking for quite a while, I glanced behind me and saw no sign that he was following.
Only then did I relax and slowly head toward the inn where I was staying.
Feeling strangely exhausted, I trudged toward the inn until its faint lights came into view.
Just as I quickened my pace in relief, I saw a familiar man standing beneath the inn’s light.
“Is this the Baldomer estate?”
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