The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy and Buys an Enemy General
Vol. 1 - Ch. 46 - Days Ahead, Fresh Beginnings - Part 2

Getting out of the bath, I had a new conviction.

Confirming that Julius was still sleeping in my bed, I changed into a cream-colored dress with an apron to cover the lower part, keeping it clean.

With a new determination, I used up all the stored food to prepare a meal and arranged it on the table.

Though not much different from usual, there was bean soup, processed meat, fried eggs with cheese, sandwiches, stewed dried fish and vegetables seasoned with plenty of oil and herbs. I brought out two glasses and lined up a bottle of red wine.

Lighting up the favorite grape flavoured owl-shaped alchemy lamp, it felt somewhat presentable, not quite like the extravagant noble dinners I once attended, but it would do.

If only I could wear a dress, but it wouldn't suit me now, and it was unnecessary.

Even my hair was only long enough to tie into a single knot, not long enough to be tied up.

When I went to call Julius, he unusually woke up on his own and peeked out.

He must have woken up by the smell of food, being quite hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since morning and had been active all day, so I was hungry too.

"Dinner is ready. It turned out to be a big dinner because there were too many options for our first meal today, didn't it?"

"Ah... sorry. Didn't you want to rest too?" Julius apologized and seemed to be trying to be considerate of me.

I shook my head, feeling a bit unsettled inside.

Usually, I would joke about Julius being kind or make light of the situation, but now it felt wrong to do so.

"I'll be fine. I hardly got injured and moving around helps distract me."

Julius sat in front of the two-person wooden table.

I poured wine into the glasses.

The orange glow of the alchemy lamp on the decorative shelf by the window illuminated Julius.

Outside the window, it was already night time. Darkness had gathered in the dim corners of the room, and shadows danced across the walls and ceiling with every movement like shadow puppets.

I sat in front of Julius, feeling a bit hesitant before deciding to pour wine into my own glass. I thought it would be okay to drink occasionally.

---Especially on a day like today.

"I caused you a lot of trouble today... Feel free to eat and drink without any worries. Tomorrow seems like it will be tough again."

"Yeah, you're right. There's a chance I'll be summoned to the castle to replace out what happened. Don't try to distance yourself from me unnecessarily this time."

Julius's words hit me like a nail, and I lowered my gaze to the red soup on my plate.

With graceful movements, Julius quickly finished his soup and moved on to the stewed fish. It also disappeared from his plate in no time.

I scooped up a spoonful of bean soup and tasted it.

The acidity of the tomatoes mixed with the mellow sweetness of the beans filled my mouth. Feeling the warm liquid flow down my throat, I let out a sigh.

I had to say it, no matter what. I had already made up my mind.

"...Julius, I've been thinking."

"It's probably not good news. You don't need to worry about unnecessary things."

"J-Julius, please don't jump to conclusions before hearing me out. This is important!"

Dismissively, Julius took a bite of the sandwich with vegetables stuffed inside.

His movements were elegant, yet he took large bites and ate quickly.

There probably wasn't any time to eat slowly on the battlefield, so maybe that was why he developed that habit.

I haven't even finished eating yet.

Come to think of it, Julius has never complained about my eating speed.

He seemed like he'd be the type to tell me to hurry up or something.

Usually, he finished eating first and then watched me eat slowly while drinking tea or something afterwards. At first, I was self-conscious about being watched, but I've gotten used to it.

Maybe he was just watching me because he didn't have anything else to do. Once I realized there wasn't any deeper reason behind his gaze, I stopped worrying about it as much.

"Um... I... I didn't know anything. I didn't know that Aliza was suffering, or that my father was trying to protect me, or that Aliza... had a demon attached to her."

"Your sister is probably relieved to be dead. She harbored resentment toward the world... It's a familiar feeling. I can understand it."

Julius spoke in a quiet voice.

The golden lashes lining his downcast eyelids casted shadows on his cheeks.

There was no sadness or regret in his tone, just a calm recitation of facts that weighed heavily on my heart.

"Are you... like Aliza, too...?"

Julius had once said that there were no humans worth protecting in this world. Aliza had said that this country didn't matter.

If Aliza found relief in death, then perhaps Julius...

"Before you bought me... I didn't want to live, nor did I want to die. I lived lazily because there was no one who could kill me. That's all... But when I look at you... I lose the will to die."

Julius paused his meal and spoke slowly, as if confirming each of his own emotions.

"That's right. You have Helios, who is important to you, right? And you are his father, right? If so, dying is not an option."

I felt relieved and wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of my eyes.

It might be selfish of me, but I wanted Julius to stay alive.

And if possible, I wanted to help Aliza too. Regardless of the facts, I was Aliza's half-blood sister.

Even though Aliza had screamed that she hated having an older sister, her words also sounded like a desperate plea for help.

"Julius, let's remove the magical restraint on your neck. I don't think of you as a slave anymore, and I don't want to take away your freedom by imposing constraints."

I conveyed my thoughts carefully, making sure my voice didn't tremble.

It was something I had been considering for a while.

Julius wasn't the type to needlessly take lives. He was just one of the soldiers who fought in the war.

So there was no need for restraints. He didn't have to obey my orders.

He had already worked enough to pay for the expensive purchase.

So I wanted him to be free now.

He didn't need to get involved in my problems.

"And then? Are you planning to remove the restraints and let me go anywhere I want?"  Julius's voice was laced with irritation.

I couldn't meet his gaze as he stared at me.

"There might be someone waiting for you in the Dystiana Empire. And... the sky doesn't belong to anyone, right? With Helios by your side, flying freely suits you."

I managed to say just that.

Words got stuck in my throat, and I couldn't speak well.

I tried to convince myself that it was okay, that it was right, but deep down, I was angry at myself for saying such things like a stubborn child.

"Chloe. There's only one more constraint left on the collar now. I won't do anything you dislike. That's all there is to it, so there's no need to remove it. I'll keep this as a memento... If you allow it, I'll return to the Dystiana Empire. There are unfinished matters."

Julius, who seemed irritated, played with the small golden padlock at the end of the black collar as he spoke.

"Yes..."

Was this really okay?

The dishes on the table, which had looked so appetizing, now seemed tasteless, and despite being hungry, I had lost my appetite entirely.

"I won't do anything you dislike. It's part of the contract of the enchantment on the collar. If you don't want me to leave right now, there will be intense pain inflicted on my body. Do you understand?"

Julius said with a wicked grin.

I compared the magical collar to Julius's face.

Of course, I didn't want that.

Realizing that I had been tricked into agreeing to not remove the magical collar, I covered my face with both hands.

This isn't fair. Isn't that unfair? Please, let me remove the magical collar...!

"That's why I told you not to think too much, you fool. There's no one waiting for me in the Empire. There's nothing I need to do there. Even if I were to gain freedom without you, all I'd do is wander aimlessly to some empty place and die."

"Why would you say such things? It's as if... as if you can't live without me, and I... I..."

I realized... yes.

Why had I been so cowardly? When I was imprisoned in the castle, I had thought that if we ever met again, I would tell him.

Because I didn't want to involve him. Because it was dangerous. Because... because I didn't want him to get hurt.

All of it... everything because...

"I... I love you, Julius."

"Chloe."

Julius called my name in his usual flat tone.

I had confessed, but... I had tried so hard.

He probably didn't even care about me at all. Maybe he just saw me as the master who bought him with money.

"You're always so sarcastic, calling me a fool or an idiot, you're unsociable and domineering... but... sometimes, you're unfairly kind. I love you. That's why I wanted you to be free, if it meant you might be in danger if you stayed close to me."

Once I started pouring out my feelings, more and more emotions flooded in.

It was painful, agonizing, my heart felt full to bursting. Tears flowed like a fountain, no matter how much I wiped them away, my palms remained wet.

I felt like I had regressed into a small child.

"Please forget what I just said. It's a bother, isn't it? I'm sorry..."

With a heavy sigh, Julius stood up from his chair.

Leaning forward over the table, his face drew closer to mine.

Our lips touched ever so slightly.