I packed the bare essentials into an old trunk and bid farewell to the landlord of my tenement before heading towards the lower district. Having sold off most of my furniture long ago, only a simple bed remained, leaving the place almost vacant.
In the lower district resides Chelsea, the beloved of Elliott’s colleague, Kevin.
Despite my inability to find work or even go shopping, Chelsea was always considerate, looking after me until the very end. Without her, I would have struggled to make it through these past days.
“Miss Flora…? Are you going somewhere in that outfit with those bags…?”
Chelsea looked surprised at my travel attire. Given that the knight order had just returned triumphantly, her reaction was understandable. I couldn’t find the right words to respond, so I simply smiled and decided to get straight to the point of my visit.
“Chelsea, I don’t have anything to repay you with, but if it’s alright, would you accept this?”
What I offered was a wedding dress I had sewn long ago, one that had never seen the light of day. It felt a bit ill-fated to present it, especially since I had just gone through a divorce. Still, if it could be sold, it might fetch a decent amount. I had nothing else left to express my gratitude to Chelsea.
“Such a thing… This is precious, isn’t it?!”
“…It’s something I no longer need.”
The perceptive Chelsea seemed to grasp the situation from just that.
Once we were in the living room, I recounted the events of this morning, and she became quite upset, shedding tears for me. It seemed that since this morning, my own emotions had vanished somewhere, and I found solace in Chelsea’s tears.
“Miss Flora, just a moment.”
Chelsea stood up and returned from the kitchen with a small box. Turning it upside down, she gathered silver coins from within and placed them before me.
“I’ll buy this dress. I don’t have much, but…”
“…Isn’t this the money you were saving for your wedding with Kevin?”
“It’s such a beautiful dress. This amount isn’t nearly enough. I’m sorry I can’t think of anything else to do… You’ll need travel money, right?”
Her tearful words made me realize I had completely forgotten about the travel expenses. I had been so focused on leaving this town that I hadn’t considered anything else. The time we spent together after getting married was far too short, and without children, I wouldn’t receive any form of alimony according to the laws of this country. I was left with nothing.
“I came here intending to repay you, but in the end, I’ve only been a burden to you, Chelsea.”
My voice trembled, echoing her sorrow. It seemed I still had a bit of emotion left, and relief washed over me.
“It’s alright, that’s perfectly fine. Just make sure you find happiness somewhere, and then come back to repay me.”
It felt like a promise to continue living in the future.
I hadn’t thought at all about where to go or what to do after leaving this town, but at the very least, I knew I had to repay Chelsea someday. Just thinking about it lifted my spirits a little.
As we parted, Chelsea embraced me tightly. Strangely, I felt lighter than when I had left the house.
—That’s right, since I’m leaving the Royal Capital, I should pay a visit to Mr. Dolf as well.
Mr. Dolf lived in a village about two days away by carriage from the Royal Capital and worked as a blacksmith. It was about four years ago that he crafted the sword I gifted to Elliott when he became a knight.
—I wonder what happened to that sword…
If Elliott had obtained the Holy Sword, did he pass it on to someone else, or was it still tucked away somewhere?
The image of Elliott, who used to meticulously care for his sword every day, came to mind, causing my vision to blur. I looked up at the sky, hoping the wind would dry my tears before they fell.