After that, everything moved along swiftly.
It was Sefiut who took on the task of bringing Hillein. Ries stayed close by Justyn’s side, not leaving him for a second as the man seemed deep in thought.
A sideways glance, full of unspoken worries, turned toward the person who was both his master and, just recently, his lover.
There was a time when Ries had proudly claimed he could tell what Justyn was feeling just by looking into his eyes. But today, that wasn’t the case.
The look in Justyn’s eyes as he gazed out the window was unusually complex. It was difficult to decipher what was going through his mind. He seemed tense… or maybe not.
“……”
If anything, Ries looked more nervous from the outside.
He’d been overjoyed at finally taking a step forward, but the moment he loosened his grip on his composure, his legs began trembling in sync with the anxious flutter in his chest.
And how could he not be? Neither of them were the type to speak carelessly, but… we’re talking over twenty years.
After all that time running in parallel, these two were finally about to reunite properly. There was no way not to be nervous.
“It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.”
And so Ries tightly held Justyn’s hand, repeating the same phrase like a magic spell that could make anything come true.
Not realizing that his own transparent worry was bringing a sense of calm to Justyn. Their clasped hands pressed even closer together.
And then—when that long-awaited moment finally approached, bringing with it vague unease for one and a storm of emotion for the other—
Justyn found himself staring, entranced, at the woman being revealed through Ries’s power.
Her softly fluttering brown hair, her eyes like the twilight sky, and the vivid, trembling emotion within them—all of it drew his gaze in, piece by piece.
Though she appeared youthful, like someone his age, likely due to the age she had died, her face alone was enough to dredge up long-buried memories.
—…Hello, Justyn.
A ticklish, cautious voice gently spoke his name, and in that moment, a hazy fragment of the past began to sharpen into clarity.
The portrait of a woman he had seen only once as a child.
After his father caught him looking at it and beat him severely, he’d never seen it again—but the memory of it had never left him, even after all these years.
“…H-Hello.”
Only now did it begin to sink in—that the woman standing before him was truly his family. Justyn greeted her, stammering, which was rare for him.
His red eyes, briefly wavering, settled on the woman before him.
In a life filled with malice and hatred, he had grown attuned to the subtleties of people’s emotions. Just looking someone in the eye often told him everything he needed to know.
Awkwardness, fear, people trying to hide their inner thoughts—it was usually obvious in how they distanced themselves.
But he sensed none of that in this woman.
And with that came a surprising realization: Ries had been right. This woman—his birth mother—did not resent him.
—I’m so glad I get to talk to you like this. My name is Hillein. Hillein Laufe.
“Yes. I heard from Ries and… from our ancestor. I’m Justyn Laufe.”
And then, that was it.
—……
“……”
A heavy silence fell between them, crushing the air. Aside from exchanging names and greetings, mother and son couldn’t get a single other word out.
Of course, they each had their reasons.
One was still weighed down by deep guilt. The other, meeting his birth mother—his kind family—for the first time in his life, was overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity.
Instinctively, they both kept their distance. And caught between them, Ries became the one most awkwardly stuck in the middle.
I—I can’t breathe.
Hillein’s partial manifestation was only possible through him.
To maintain the link for their communication, he had no choice but to remain sandwiched between them.
But neither showed any signs of opening up. Hillein’s lips moved slightly, like she was trying to speak but couldn’t, and Justyn…
…Yeah.
Ries gave up on expectations quickly after that.
The more time they’d spent together, the more they opened up, and the deeper their emotions grew—he and Justyn had come to share a lot. But early on? That was impossible.
Even getting a proper answer had taken minutes of waiting. Now it was just a funny memory, but back then, it had been a desperate struggle.
So of course Justyn wouldn’t be the first to close the gap or bare his feelings. This was going to take time—a lot of it.
At last, Hillein managed to speak.
—I know I must feel unfamiliar to you. And I understand if it’s hard for you to think of me as a parent right away.
“…That’s…”
—But… if you’re okay with it—if I won’t be a burden to you—could I stay by your side? It’d mean so much to me if we could talk like this sometimes.
Her neatly arched brows drooped ever so slightly, and her voice was infinitely careful. That gentle sorrow in her tone made Justyn’s gaze drift into the air.
Tap tap. Ries quickly tapped the back of the hand they were holding. Justyn finally began to respond, haltingly.
“You wouldn’t be… a burden. I never thought of you that way.”
—Really?
“Yes.”
—……
Hillein’s lips wobbled slightly. Then quivered, then pouted a bit, then dropped into a nearly crying frown—before finally lifting into a clear, radiant smile.
—…Thank you. You’ve grown up so, so well.
She was overjoyed. Even from the sidelines, it was impossible not to sense just how immense her emotions must have been.
Justyn, watching her face head-on, visibly flinched. His gaze flitted about even faster now.
No more words were exchanged, but the air wasn’t as heavy as before. Ries, sighing inwardly, had to admit it:
For now, this distance and pace are just right for the two of them. It still made his heart twist with anxiety and frustration—but there was no helping it.
And he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
—Ugh. Just when one side starts to get better, now the other…
He heard a sigh and muttered complaint beside him. The first part felt a bit too close to home, but Ries silently agreed with Sefiut’s grumbling.
***
Hillein kept her promise. She stayed by Justyn’s side, without being a burden, every single moment she could.
When he slept, when he ate, when he worked through his backlog of documents, when he took walks, when he visited the training grounds to practice swordsmanship.
Even when others were around, she remained close.
Though invisible, she lingered nearby without fail—her devotion unmistakable, as if making up for the long years of distance.
At times, light conversation would pass between them.
—Are you a picky eater? What kind of food do you like?
—Your handwriting’s gotten so neat. Last time I saw it, it was all messy… I’m proud of you, Justyn. You’ve become a responsible adult who leads his house.
—Your swordsmanship’s improved so much. I may not know much about swords, but I can tell you’ve worked incredibly hard. …Wait, they say you’re one of the top swordsmen in the Empire? Really? The best? Oh my goodness!
—How many combs do you have? Isn’t that too many? Huh? They’re all for grooming Ries’s fur? Oh, I see… Hmm, well then it seems like you don’t have enough. You should definitely get a comb for each color—one for every mood of the day so you can pick the one that suits the vibe…
Food, handwriting, swordsmanship, the trinkets tucked away in the corners of his office or bedroom—the topics varied by the day, but her interest never waned.
It was as if she were trying to learn everything about Justyn—his habits, his tone, his preferences—so she could treasure each piece in her heart.
And little by little, Justyn changed too.
The initial awkwardness faded. His responses gained some warmth. Sometimes, he’d even speak first, unprompted—clumsy, but sincere.
Ries observed it all with the utmost care. It was the expression of someone who had realized that what he thought he’d never have in this life—was already in his hands. That he, too, had been loved.
“It’s okay, Justyn. She’s going to love it.”
Even now.
Justyn, feeling the warmth in his hand and encouraged by those gentle words, hesitated a little less. After taking a slow breath, for the first time, he made a suggestion to his birth mother.
“…Would you like to take a walk? We’ve recently redone the garden. The flowers should be blooming nicely by now.”
—Ah…
Her eyes, held together by Ries’s power, wavered as if caught in a storm. Like sunlight dancing on water at dusk, they rippled before breaking into a gentle smile.
—Of course. I’d love to.
Justyn cautiously held out his hand. Though she couldn’t touch it, couldn’t feel its warmth, Hillein reached out and mimed placing her hand atop his.
I’m so happy I could cry.
If she let her focus slip for even a second, she was certain she’d start crying.
But as a grown woman, she couldn’t very well break down in tears—so instead, she smiled even brighter to soothe the emotion swelling in her chest.
And watching her… there was one gaze that lingered, quietly.
—……
Sefiut turned his eyes away from the ghost he’d been watching so intently. His round button eyes briefly swirled with tangled emotions, then stilled.
—The gods are truly cruel.
A crossroads had opened before them—but no matter which path they chose, it all led to the same ending. An ending that no one wanted.
