Chapter 107
I intended to leave before my father-in-law could ask any more questions. Even if I told him the truth, he was powerless right now, so there would be nothing he could do. I didn’t want to burden his heart by revealing my illness.
A secret kept by one person alone was nothing but painful. That was why I had no intention of telling him. I smiled softly and bid him farewell.
“Father, you worked hard today. You must be tired, so please rest well. …I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“My dear?”
I heard his voice call after me, but I didn’t stop walking.
Just like yesterday, he didn’t approach me, perhaps fearing that he would only drain what little strength I had left. He called my name again and again from behind—my dear, my dear—until finally, his voice rang out one last time.
“Stay well!”
After that, there was only silence.
Stay well. Those two words pricked at my heart.
***
There, it’s done.
I made one final, tight knot so the thread wouldn’t unravel. The small images were embroidered on the handkerchiefs, looking reasonably neat.
Thanks to their small size, I had been able to finish quickly. My mother-in-law was scheduled to return for dinner this evening, and I was glad I could complete them before then.
I removed the embroidery hoop and carefully unfolded the handkerchiefs. One was embroidered with pale purple lilacs, the other two with yellow rapeseed flowers.
Is the embroidery too small? This probably isn’t good enough for a gift.
I hadn’t seen much of other people’s embroidery, so I had no way of knowing if mine was any good. Now that it was finished, it seemed a little clumsy.
And since they’re so small, they look even shabbier.
The thought of actually giving these as a gift made me blush with shame.
“Maybe I should just pretend this never happened.”
What I had received from them was immense affection that money could not buy, and priceless gifts. The thought of trying to repay that with something like this made me cringe.
What am I doing, giving gifts when I’m about to leave? Let’s just forget it.
Though no one had seen my embroidery, I was so mortified that I was about to crumple the handkerchiefs in my hand.
“Pretend what never happened?”
Huh? What? Daykin isn’t supposed to be here for a long time yet.
I was so flustered that my mouth just hung open.
How long had he been standing there? I hadn’t heard the door open!
Daykin strode toward me, his face a mask of intense curiosity. My eyes darted around in a way that would look suspicious to anyone, and I unnaturally hid the handkerchiefs behind my back.
“Oh, when did you get here? Why did you come in so quietly? You scared me!”
“Just now. It was so quiet I thought you might be taking a nap, so I came in very carefully. But you were so focused on something that I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt and just stood very still.”
Even if I had managed to hide the handkerchiefs, the table was still littered with an embroidery hoop, needles, and threads. Why did he have to come so early?
Daykin narrowed his eyes and asked, “By the way, I’m curious, my lady. What did you mean when you said you should pretend something never happened?”
“Oh, uh, it’s nothing.”
“Then what are all these needles and threads for?”
“This is just… my hobby.”
Daykin placed a hand on the back of my chair. He leaned over, and just like that, I was trapped between him and the chair, unable to even stand.
“It looks like you were embroidering, but I don’t see any fabric. And the hand behind your back seems quite heavy. Shall I help you?”
“No!”
If I had just reacted calmly, Daykin might have dropped his interrogation and backed off. But in my panic, my reactions kept bursting out before I could think.
Daykin stared quietly into my averted eyes, then a slow smile spread across his lips.
“That’s my gift, isn’t it?”
“What? W-Who said that!”
“It’s not? It looks like it is. Well, if it isn’t, I suppose it can’t be helped. In that case, could you at least let me have a look? I want to see how skilled my wife is at embroidery.”
This perceptive man.
I knew that with the slightest effort, he could snatch the handkerchiefs from my hand. He was so quick, I’d probably be robbed blind without even realizing what had happened. Would I suffer the humiliation of having them taken by force, or suffer the humiliation of giving them up voluntarily?
Daykin pressed me with a gentle smile, and my hands began to tremble.
“Ailee, I want to see what’s behind your back.”
In the end, I lowered my head and held the handkerchiefs out to him. It seemed this was better than the shame of having them forcefully taken from me.
I laid all three on the table. Since he was going to see them all anyway, I figured he might as well see everything from the start and laugh or do whatever he wanted.
The moment he saw them, Daykin let out a sound that was either a gasp of admiration or a sigh.
“Ah.”
His large hand touched a lilac petal. His long, elegant fingers carefully traced the outline of the flower.
Huuu. Daykin let out a long breath and wiped a hand over his face. Then he started to laugh strangely. “Heh, heh.”
“Why are you so cute every single time you do something?”
I wondered what he was going to say, and it was just more of his usual strangeness. Seeing no need to listen, I turned my gaze away from him, feeling nothing but embarrassment.
“Thank you. I’ll gratefully accept your gift. I’ll make it a family heirloom and pass it down for generations.”
“Wh-What? Who said I was giving that to you?”
“It’s obvious this one is mine. And the others are for Mother and Father. Am I wrong?”
“…I think you are.”
“Then don’t give them to your parents. I’ll just take this lilac one. Is that okay?”
“N-…”
“No?”
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