My Childhood Friend is Like a Stone - Chapter 28

Episode 28. Chapter 5. Life always goes in an unexpected direction (7)

 

Fall in love? Cyril Valentin de Thesar to Adrienne de Cassinel Bluea?

 

What in the world would be more absurd than that?

 

“If that’s the case, why didn’t he fall for me sooner? He’s a child who has never said anything nice to me.”

 

Pretty, handsome, eyes like starlight—

 

Adrienne had been pouring out all kinds of compliments towards Cyril since an early age, but on the contrary, she had no memory of ever receiving compliments.

 

Apart from the compliments, it was fortunate that he didn’t look at her as pathetic.

 

Since then, Cyril Valentin, who had been doing well, became very hard-mouthed.

 

Come to think of it, it was a little unfair.

 

Was he the only one who looked good? I’m a little good too— Adrienne, who felt it was unfair for no reason, sighed inside.

 

“I think it’s because Sir Cyril is very shy—”

 

“What type of shy is that jerk going to be for the rest of his life?”

 

“Lena, will you keep saying that?”

 

“Yes, yes. Everything Emma says is right.”

 

Emma’s attempt to somehow cover Cyril was blocked by Lena. Lena pouted her lips and squeaked, and then got kicked out again.

 

Adrienne, who laughed at the play-like quarrel between the two, stood up.

 

It was time to go.

 

“Are you sure you will be okay?”

 

Emma, who was standing in front of the front door, asked with a serious face. When the time came, she looked worried. Adrienne smiled as if reassuring Emma.

 

“Of course. I’m only doing what I have to do.”

She’s not pretending to be okay, Adrienne was really okay. She was just causing herself harm by clinging to things that couldn’t be solved by worrying. Rather, it was beneficial in many ways to discover the best in a given situation.

 

She was still trying to organize her thoughts over Cyril of her childhood who had gone away. But it was enough for her to move forward as a companion for the family.

 

Indeed, that was enough.

 

Adrienne left the house to walk on a new path.

 

*****

Cyril, who had just arrived at the mansion, found a horse he had never seen at the stable. However, since Cassinel’s carriage was next to it, he could tell without having to ask whose horse it was.

 

“Mademoiselle Cassinel is in the greenhouse. Should I bring her to the drawing room?”

 

“No. I’ll go instead.”

 

The butler who approached confirmed that Cyril’s prediction was true. And he said everything was ready.

 

After ordering them all to be sent to Cassinel’s mansion, Cyril moved on.

 

Long legs stretched out over the white marble floor. His steps felt impatient.

 

Cyril finally stopped in front of the transparent glass door.

 

‘—Marriage.’

 

It was his first meeting with Adrienne, the person involved, since that day, but the two families had already finished their marriage through a letter.

 

However, everything that was done with paper hardly touched the skin.

 

If he passed this glass door and faced Adrienne, he would only see reality then.

 

‘Adrienne and—’

 

Cyril was fiddling with the inner pocket of his uniform. The case he had put in it in advance was irritating like candy stuck in his throat.

 

The guilt that seemed to have taken away the happiest moment in Adrienne’s life was tormenting Cyril.

 

His father interpreted the situation as he was comfortable with it, but from Cassinel’s point of view, Cyril would not have been the only answer.

 

Among the children of the great aristocracy, there would be a few unmarried noble sons, and some of them must have accepted Adrienne.

 

In contrast, the Young Lady, who had a lineage similar to Cassinel’s, was explaining that she would not reject Cyril, but Cyril saw that as rejecting it in the first place.

 

After removing this and that, the only thing that remained was guilt. Even though it wasn’t his fault in the first place.

 

Cyril, who stared at his reflection in the glass door for a moment, slowly entered inside.

 

And Cyril, who found Adrienne after a while, was at a loss for words.

 

******

 

‘…..’

 

Adrienne squatted low in the greenhouse.

 

There was a table and chairs right next to it, but he had no idea why she was in that position.

 

He wondered if she had not yet given up the habit of digging up the garden by getting her hands dirty every day, as she had enjoyed playing with the dirt as a child.

 

Why didn’t she dig a tunnel to build a castle and go inside— When he questioned if she was digging up a grave, he couldn’t forget the look on her face, as if she had been insulted.

 

‘Come to think of it, she’s really shameless.’

 

He laughed again, and heard the sound of something crunching under his feet. Perhaps he stepped on a fallen branch.

 

“Cyril?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“When did you get here?”

 

After hearing the sound, Adrienne, who had turned her head without thinking, was startled and hid her hands behind her back.

 

It seemed to be a reflexive action, but that made it look only more suspicious. Adrienne faltered and stood up. At the same time, her hands were still hidden behind her.

 

Cyril looked at her silently and said.

 

“—I will say this just in case, but this place is far from a Mine.”

 

“Do you think I found a gold ore here?”

 

“Don’t be disappointed.”

 

Shrugging his shoulders and clenching his lips, he looked exactly as he did when he was a child.

 

Not when he was young at all, but about when he was eight— So, it was similar to Adrienne when she began to understand what he said.

 

Teasing Adrienne during those days was so much fun.

 

“Who do you think is a fool?”

 

“You’re all grown up. Surely, you’ve started to notice it.”

 

“This—”

 

If there was a difference from back then, the threat was funny now.

 

Even then, she wasn’t really scared at all, but—. Anyway, there was a big difference between seeing from below and seeing from above.

 

Now Cyril could look down at Adrienne at any time. The satisfaction from looking down on them was surprisingly considerable.

 

“If you’re going to stay there, I won’t stop you.”

 

“Can’t you just tell me to come and sit down?”

 

“You’ve always liked the soil for a long time.”

 

First, Cyril, who was seated in the chair, responded bluntly, and Adrienne walked away as if not wanting to talk.

 

Cyril paid attention to Adrienne’s hand, which was rounded with little space.

 

It was clear that she was holding something that was hastily hidden. He doesn’t know what it is, but it would be useless if he didn’t see it.

 

“The greenhouse was pretty. Thanks to you, I enjoyed looking at it.”

 

Adrienne, who was sitting across from him, fixed her gaze on one place instead of looking around the greenhouse. As soon as he followed her gaze, he saw a yellow rose in full bloom.

 

Adrienne was looking at the rose with blue eyes that twinkled as if thinking about something.

 

When he saw that, a bad memory naturally came to mind.

 

For example, Adrienne when she cherished dried roses that day.

 

“—So you still like roses until now.”

 

That’s why he spoke out impulsively.

 

The question he wanted to ask was something else, but he couldn’t because he knew that the moment he asked, they would fight again.

 

After a brief moment, Adrienne, who was looking at the rose, raised her head lightly.

 

“I like any flower. I’m not particularly fond of roses.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“—Are you interrogating me? Are there any drugs in that rose or anything? I’m innocent. I didn’t even touch it.”

 

What else is that—

 

Bursting into laughter at the absurdity, Adrienne added in a serious voice.

 

“The capital city was scary. They said there was a riot because of drugs? They said they hid it in a flower and brought it in.”

 

“—I think I forgot, I haven’t been back from the war for half a year.”

 

“Oh, is that so?”

 

She seemed to have heard all sorts of strange stories during her stay in the capital.

 

Well, people like Maxel were all over the place, so if she went to any party, she was bound to hear all sorts of things. It wasn’t surprising that the more provocative the topic, the more widespread it was.

 

“How was your trip to Thesar?”

 

“Nothing special. It’s always the same place.”

 

Adrienne was fed up with the blunt words that had gone out like a habit, and then started to laugh.

 

“—Why?”

 

“Look. Look at this. You’re really the same as before.”

 

Adrienne laughed so hard that tears were coming out her eyes.

 

At her words, Cyril, who had been deemed the same person as before, leaned back and crossed his legs. The crossed arms was a bonus.

 

Adrienne, who noticed Cyril’s unpleasant expression, said with tears in her eyes.

 

“You were like that when you were young, too. Whenever I ask about Thesar, you get upset.”

 

“That’s—”

 

Cyril stopped talking.

 

Every time he talked about Thesar, he realized that he won’t be staying at Cassinel forever, that he was just a guest who would leave someday—

 

He didn’t want to say that he didn’t like it, even if he died. It was only then that he thought about it because he was so young, but now he didn’t think so. If he said such strange things, hives would grow all over his body.

 

“That, what?”

 

“Enough.”

 

“The kid who joined the army no longer—”

 

It was like she was saying something to a nephew she hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

No, it was more than that. At the very least, he believed she was more sympathetic to her nephew than she was to him.

 

However, it would have been easier to be insulted by the Viscountess Parte than to seek culture from Adrienne.

 

Cyril drew his arms to his chest.

 

“Cyril.”

 

“What?”

 

“Let’s get married.”