Chapter 28 - Reminiscence
"Oh? That’s strange."
"...What is it?"
Just as the large boulder came into view, Opal voiced her puzzlement. It was only then that Claude realized he had been lost in thought, silent for some time. He hastily brought his focus back to Opal and asked his question. She showed no sign of being upset with him, simply pointing at the boulder with a smile.
"I thought it was smaller than I remember. The last time I was here... was twelve years ago, and it doesn't seem as big as it did back then. It’s not as if I’ve grown any taller since, so it’s strange, isn’t it?"
"Then you can climb it easily?"
"Are you provoking me?"
"What do you think?"
"Well... In that case, it's a race!"
"Ah, hey!"
Seeing Claude’s mischievous grin, Opal pretended to think for a moment before suddenly breaking into a run. It was a race they often had in the old days. Opal would usually get a head start, but she would inevitably lose. This time was no different. Despite leaving a surprised Claude behind and getting a significant lead, she was overtaken in the blink of an eye.
They placed their feet on a few smaller rocks, leaped onto a slightly larger one, and finally scrambled up the biggest boulder. By the time they both reached the top, they were out of breath and collapsed into a sitting position.
"...Honestly, what are we doing..."
"Opal... you’re the one who started it..."
"The one who provoked me... was you, Claude. I’m... twenty-seven, you know?"
"I’m twenty-nine."
They both spoke of their age with regret, and then, without prompting, they burst into laughter. It was a struggle to laugh, their chests so tight for air. But as their breathing eventually evened out, they both fell silent, gazing at the nostalgic scenery. Their ages and stations in life had changed so much, yet being here like this, it felt as if nothing had changed at all. Realizing she couldn't stay like this forever, Opal took a deep breath and looked at Claude sitting beside her.
"Claude."
"What is it?"
"Thank you so much for investing in Mantest. If you hadn’t sent the engineers, if you hadn't put up the funds, the Duke would have been ruined. It must have been a huge risk for you, too... No amount of words is enough, but I am truly grateful. Thank you, Claude."
"...That’s nothing to be thanked for. I invested because I was confident that with Taisey Kingdom’s technology, it would certainly turn a profit. The initial investment was large, that’s true. But we’re steadily recouping it now, so it wasn’t a mistake. You know that, don’t you, Opal? You’re one of the investors, after all."
"Yes, well... The risk was quite high, though. Investing is just like gambling, isn’t it? I never want to go through that again."
At that time, if Marquis Rousel, if Claude, hadn’t helped them, Hubert would have been ruined. Now, nearly five years later, Taisey Kingdom was completely stable, sending its engineers to various countries which were, in turn, training their own. Building a railway was no longer so difficult. But it was precisely because of the timing back then that it was now yielding enormous profits. Opal took another deep breath, mustering the courage to face a reality she would rather not know.
"So... the reason you came back after so long, was it to introduce your family to... your wife?"
"...What? My wife?"
"Aren’t you married?"
"Who told you that? Such a lie."
"Eh? N, no. It’s not that I heard it from anyone... I just assumed..."
"Why did you just assume that?"
"W, well, you know, Claude is a Marquis, and you’ll be thirty soon..."
As Opal hurriedly explained herself to an irritated Claude, she was secretly overjoyed. It wasn't as if anything would change just because Claude was single. Still, if he were to find happiness, she had hoped it would be with a woman she didn’t know, in a place she didn’t know.
"Don’t talk about age. It’s just that all this time... I never felt up to it. Besides, I came this time because I can finally bring my family, my mother, to Taisey Kingdom, so I came to get her."
"Is your whole family... moving there?"
"No, that won’t happen. My mother came to this country prepared to be buried here with my father. Still, Taisey Kingdom is her homeland. Her close relatives have passed away, but she’ll want to visit their graves, and there are still servants at her childhood estate and the capital residence who know her. Well, she’ll probably be surprised by how much her home has changed in nearly forty years. You can travel all the way to the fief by train now."
Claude spoke with delight, a smile on his face unchanged from his boyhood. Opal felt a thrill of excitement herself, but she knew there was something she had to say and deliberately frowned.
"Still, it’s cruel of you not to have sent a single word all this time. Your mother was so worried about you."
As Opal voiced her complaint, she remembered the letter she herself had written long ago and felt a pang of awkwardness. But Claude, too, wore an uneasy expression.
"I’m sorry, Opal. The truth is, I’ve been in contact with my mother the whole time."
"...The whole time?"
"For about four years, to be precise. Before that, I was completely preoccupied with rebuilding the country alongside His Majesty. I also thought that if she knew I was in Taisey Kingdom, it would only cause her more worry. So, I had Count Holloway keep it a secret. Then, once the country had stabilized, Duke McLeod arrived... and it was only then that I wrote a letter to contact my mother, my family."
"Then why didn’t my aunt... why didn’t anyone from the Baron’s family tell me? I was worried, too..."
She had met with the Baron’s wife just a year ago, but her questions had been deflected, and she hadn’t been told anything. Opal had thought she was quite close with the Baron’s family, and she was on the verge of feeling dejected. But for some reason, it was Claude who apologized again.
"I’m sorry about that, too. Forgive me."
"Why are you apologizing, Claude?"
"I was the one who asked my mother and the others not to say anything. I asked them not to tell you, Opal, not to tell anyone."
"Is that, by any chance... because you read that letter?"
"That letter?"
She thought Claude’s reluctance to contact her was because of that confessional letter she had written. Even Claude must have felt contempt for a woman who would swindle her own husband out of his fortune. But Claude didn't seem to understand right away.
"The letter I wrote to you about seven years ago. The one your mother was keeping for me because she didn't know where you were."
"Oh, that one! The one about you stealing the Duke’s fortune."
"Hey, don’t say it so loudly."
"There’s no one around to hear, is there? Besides, about that... can I be honest?"
"Y, yes. Go ahead."
"Sorry, but it made me laugh my head off."
"What?"
"Well, normally you might think it was a joke or something. But I knew it was absolutely true. That if it was you, Opal, you’d do it without a doubt."
"...You don’t despise me? You don’t think I’m a terrible person?"
For more than seven years, Opal had agonized over sending that letter, sometimes regretting it, sometimes telling herself it was for the best. And yet, Claude was telling her he had laughed his head off when he read it. As Opal stared at him, dumbfounded, Claude’s expression turned serious, and he gently stroked her head, just like he used to.
"I didn’t just laugh. The truth is, I was pretty angry, too."
"At me?"
"No. At the Duke. The fact that you did something like that meant you had a good reason, right? And yet, I was angry at myself for not being able to do anything to help."
"That’s not true, Claude wasn’t at fault for anything..."
"No, I never should have left this country. But by then, I couldn’t just go back. Still, you persevered on your own. You must have gone through so much pain, yet I hear the Duke McLeod's fief is now as prosperous as this Holloway fief. Opal, you’ve done something worthy of everyone’s praise. So you can hold your head high. You’re the best."
"Claude..."
She had sworn to her mother that she wouldn't cry, but she had already shed so many tears. She had just been crying a moment ago. And yet, tears started to flow from her eyes one after another.
"...You idiot, Claude."
"Why?"
"Because I was worried. So much..."
"I know, I’m sorry. Forgive me, Opal."
As Opal cried with her head down, her hands braced on the large rock, Claude pulled her into his arms. It was a rather bold thing to do in such an exposed place, but Opal said nothing and remained still. She wondered when the last time was that someone had held her like this to comfort her. And then she remembered it had been nearly fifteen years ago. The person who had held her then was not her father or her brother, but Claude.
It was the same feeling of security, of being protected, as back then. She wanted to stay like this forever. She suppressed the thought, telling herself she had to pull away soon, but her body wouldn't listen. Indulging herself for just a little longer, Opal continued to speak.
"...So, why did you keep it a secret from me?"
"Because I was weak."
"You, Claude...?"
"I couldn't get over it within myself, so I couldn't do it."
Before Opal could comprehend the meaning of his words, Claude whispered in her ear.
"Hey, Opal."
"...W, what is it?"
"Will you come with me to Taisey Kingdom?"