Ch. 165

What Irene had envisioned when planning the outing was not for everyone to be scattered, each spending time alone.

After all, they had come out together as a family, so why were they sticking to themselves?

When Rose, who was in her arms, fell asleep, Irene gently placed her in the cradle and looked at the group gathered around.

“Does anyone remember why we came here?”

“Isn’t it a family outing?”

When Evan answered, Irene glared at him and clicked her tongue. Did he still decide to stay apart despite knowing that?

Scarlett glanced at Kaisel upon seeing Irene’s expression.

Kaisel, too, looked just as puzzled, causing Scarlett to frown slightly and let out a small sigh.

“If everyone keeps being so distant, it doesn’t feel like a family outing but just like we came out to hang around.”

Levi only stood there blankly, listening to Irene’s words.

Come to think of it, she was the only one in the family gathering who didn’t really have any ties to it, so she was puzzled about how she’d ended up here in the first place.

The duke had told her to come along, so she did, but… given the situation, shouldn’t she just leave?

As time passed, she only felt more out of place, and the thought of excusing herself from the group started creeping up on her.

Arthur, who was next to her, was also silent and with no one giving her any instructions, it made her feel completely isolated.

‘Should I just walk back?’

As Levi stood there idly, she felt a nudge at her side. When she turned her head, she met a familiar pair of blue eyes.

“Arthur, what?”

“Mom must’ve thought it was fine, so she brought you along. No need to be so stiff.”

“Oh… was it obvious?”

“No, I just kept watching.”

If it were anyone else, they might not have noticed, but Arthur, who was beside Levi, could quickly tell what Levi was thinking.

Wasn’t Levi someone who, despite being a year older, wasn’t exactly mature?

Arthur had figured Levi would sulk over the whole <family outing> thing, and her reaction was precisely as expected, which made Arthur chuckle slightly.

Though Levi blushed at the remark about being watched, as usual, Arthur didn’t pay it much mind. Perhaps he’d seen this reaction so often that it didn’t even register anymore.

“Since we’re all here… hmm.”

Irene, who had been talking for quite a while, realized she hadn’t actually planned anything.

She had just wanted everyone to be together, not necessarily to do something specific.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t prepare anything?”

“Nope. People don’t usually plan specific activities for an outing.”

“Well… then maybe just walking around the area wouldn’t be a bad idea. Or would that be too dull?”

When Kaisel cautiously suggested this, Irene and Scarlett exchanged glances. It didn’t seem like a bad idea, so they quickly agreed.

#

The square was a familiar place for Evan and Irene.

Before confessing, even before becoming adults, the two had first walked together alone in this very square and on these streets.

For Arthur and Lobelia, it was their first time seeing the place in person rather than just hearing about it, and they gazed at the statue standing tall in the center of the square with sparkling eyes.

“Is that dad?”

“… I don’t recall seeing that before; when did this get put up?”

“I gave permission to make it. You’re the mascot of Yurice, after all.”

Kaisel chuckled, nudging Evan as he looked at the large statue of Evan, his sword raised towards the sky, standing prominently in the center of the square.

Since he hadn’t visited here often, he didn’t realize a statue had been put up.

Even people were sitting in front of it, offering prayers, which made Evan’s face flush as he quickly turned his head.

A statue, really? It would’ve made sense if he were dead, but seeing a statue of himself while he was still alive was just embarrassing.

Quietly, he lifted Lobelia, who was hanging on his shoulder, onto his neck and rubbed his now warm cheek.

The children gazed at it in fascination, but Scarlett and Kaisel wore expressions filled with the intent of teasing him.

Unable to say anything to Irene, Evan quietly covered Arthur’s eyes and began to speak, gazing at the empty space in the square.

That empty space once held a tent—one of the things Evan and Irene both remembered vividly.

A prediction they’d heard from a fortune teller in that purple tent could very well be the reason they’d come this far.

Irene also looked at the empty space, recalling those memories. She met Evan’s eyes and shrugged slightly.

It had been painful, just as foretold, and they had both shed a lot of blood. But in the end, hadn’t they met and even married?

Now, they had children who resembled them both, and their lives were so content that Evan didn’t view that old prophecy negatively.

Suddenly, Irene remembered that the fortune teller had actually been the wizard Azest.

Perhaps it was when he’d come to Yurice to study dragon blood.

However, recalling that Azest later mentioned he owed Evan a favor, Irene cautiously approached Evan and quietly asked.

“By the way, how did you first meet Mr. Azest? You didn’t know he was Azest when you met him as a fortune teller, right?”

“Ah, I met him briefly while hunting down a warlock. We were quite busy afterward, weren’t we?”

That time had been when Evan was busy with subjugation.

As Irene’s knight, he would leave for the subjugation whenever the crown prince summoned him, only to return afterward.

Evan laughed, remembering how much he had resented Kaisel back then. He then recalled his encounter with Azest.

Azest could easily have died back then.

A warlock, skilled in curses and traps rather than raw magical power, had targeted Azest. Had Evan been even a little late, Azest might not have survived.

If he hadn’t intervened, they would have lost a wizard. If Azest had died back then…

‘We probably wouldn’t be here right now.’

Azest played a significant role in the large-scale punitive campaign targeting Extermination. If he hadn’t saved him, they might still be dealing with the remnants today.

The thought alone made him shudder, and Evan dismissed it, quietly staring at an alley.

“Do you remember that alley?”

“Alley? Oh. How could I forget? It’s where we had our first date.”

Once a worn-out alley, it had now been completely renovated.

The road was now neatly paved, and the broken bricks had been replaced with new ones.

Back then, they hadn’t thought of it as a date. Now, the word came naturally to their lips.

It was the alley they had once walked down together, uncertain of their feelings, with Irene feeling nothing special for Evan.

Perhaps it had been a one-sided love. Now, with their children beside them, it all felt like a wonder.

From age 15 to 30. In those 15 years, so much had changed.

“Dad, when did you start liking Mom?”

At Lobelia’s question, who sat on his shoulder, Evan couldn’t respond easily.

Could love even have a specific moment? One day he’d simply realized that his feelings had blossomed into love.

When Evan hesitated, Irene squinted at him in a playful glare.

“Why won’t you answer? You always said you liked me since we were young.”

“Well… I think I first became aware of my feelings when we came out here together. Shortly after the first snow fell.”

“Did you two come here together?”

“Yes, we even ate at that restaurant over there.”

Since it was around lunchtime, Evan and Irene called for Kaisel’s family and entered the restaurant.

Despite the renovated street outside, the restaurant had barely changed.

The floors were still creaked, and the entrance had cobwebs.

Scarlet was taken aback by this, but Irene, ignoring the restaurant’s rustic appearance, sat comfortably.

“Nothing here has changed. I think it was the same back then.”

“It would feel strange if it had changed, don’t you think? It’s a place filled with memories.”

“… but there’s something I’ve always wondered. Why did you bring me here at that time? You knew fancier restaurants, didn’t you? Normally, wouldn’t you want to take someone you like somewhere nice?”

If she asked if he had a reason, he did.

He hadn’t been well-off at the time, and he’d spent much of his money buying Irene a birthday present.

“I spent quite a bit on a necklace.”

Hearing the word <necklace>, Irene hesitated, then touched the necklace on her neck.

The one Evan had originally given her had broken, but she still had the replacement he’d bought later.

She was surprised that this was the reason, finding it amusing after having pondered it for so long.

Memories were precious, perhaps because they brought joy when remembered.

And now, remembering those times, Irene smiled with true happiness.