It was beyond Elric's comprehension.
The thoughts that naturally came to mind were about how she had spent the past ten years.
The fact that their marriage hadn't been annulled yet meant she had lived in the Portman mansion as his wife for those ten long years.
It meant she had endured that endless wait without a husband, with no promise of his return.
Not only was it baffling why she would do such a thing, but there was an even greater mystery that overshadowed that question for now.
"Let's go inside first."
Why wasn't she asking anything?
Was that all she had to say upon seeing her husband who had fled on their wedding night?
The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to spit them out.
It would be far too rude to question her like that, after running away and now crawling back.
Wouldn't it mock the woman who had waited for him, no matter the reason?
Elric glanced at Tiria. She appeared calm, her steps straight and composed as she turned to walk.
In that instant, the shame he had felt ten years ago surged up again.
He never imagined he'd feel this emotion once more, but seeing his body and mind waver so unstably in stark contrast to her steady poise naturally filled him with embarrassment.
"Aren't you coming?"
"...Ah, yes, I am."
He forced a smile, though it surely didn't look natural.
Thud. He gripped his cane and steadied his limping gait.
Even so, with his uncomfortable body, his steps could only be slow.
Noticing this, perhaps, she slowed her pace markedly to match his.
She walked two or three steps ahead, so all he could see was her back.
The distance felt awkward.
Elric focused on his own heartbeat.
'It's not racing...'
Even upon seeing his wife, who was in some ways more beautiful than back then, his mind didn't go blank like it had when he was a boy.
Whether it was growth or wear, he couldn't say.
Whatever it was, it was a relief that he no longer made a fool of himself.
That sliver of calm soon became a challenge to the awkwardness.
"...What were you doing in the wheat field?"
Since she asked nothing, he pretended to be calm in return.
"I was checking on the wheat. Harvest season is coming soon, isn't it?"
"Ah, personally?"
"Yes."
That was the end of it.
The conversation didn't continue.
As the silence grew heavier than before, Elric inwardly scolded himself for his recklessness.
'Damn...'
If only he'd kept his mouth shut, it wouldn't have felt this awkward.
Walking through the sunset-lit wheat field felt like an eternity.
Elric even felt like swinging a sword on the battlefield instead.
In moments of life and death, trivial worries didn't creep in.
That discomfort dragged on for quite some time.
Just as it had during the week on the train, time busily did its work.
Though this time felt even more stifling, Elric had at least arrived at his destination.
"Please wait a moment. I'll fetch the butler."
Tiria said that and disappeared into the mansion.
Only then did Elric take a deep breath and finally look up at the mansion.
The three-story brick building, with its courtyard fountain as the pride and joy, blew away his prior worries.
"Ah...."
It was just as he remembered.
With the unease about Tiria gone, what filled the void was, as expected, nostalgia.
Even after ten years away, memories flooded back vividly: how many steps the stairs had, how the rooms were arranged, even the stains in certain spots.
A soft smile crept onto Elric's lips.
It was at that moment.
"Hmm? Who might you be?"
The voice came from behind him.
Elric turned and widened his eyes.
It was an elderly man with graying hair, impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo.
Wrinkles had deepened with age, but Elric recognized him at once.
'Our paths must have crossed.'
It seemed he had missed Tiria and run into him here.
It was the butler. Butler Aldio, Elric's staunchest ally who had filled in for his cold father—he stood before him now.
Elric's chest ached with the joy of reunion.
His voice carried that emotion, dripping with it.
"Don't you recognize me?"
Aldio's eyes narrowed.
Then, slowly, his expression began to change.
At first, wariness creased his wrinkles deeply, then his mouth fell open in daze, and finally, his eyes widened in shock.
"Y-Young Master!"
Aldio hurried over and grabbed Elric's shoulders.
"Young Master! Is it really you?"
His aged voice brimmed with every emotion imaginable.
Joy, pity, sorrow, and ecstasy.
That intense reaction stirred Elric's own feelings.
With his free arm, Elric embraced him.
"It's been a long time. I'm back."
In the old man's trembling, Elric felt warmth.
*
Aldio only calmed down after quite some time had passed.
Pounding his chest to catch his breath, he now spoke with a completely clear face.
"I nearly didn't recognize you. You've changed so much!"
Elric chuckled.
Well, the last time they'd met, he was still a boy who hadn't fully grown into a man.
Of course he wouldn't recognize him right away.
It wasn't just that he'd gotten bigger.
The past ten years of Elric's life had been brutal. To survive that battlefield, he'd gritted his teeth and trained his mana.
As a side effect, his frame had broadened. His body was sturdy now, unlike his scrawny past, and above all, his eyes had turned a deep crimson from the influence of mana.
For those who only knew his face from ten years ago, spotting him instantly wouldn't be easy.
"I've changed quite a bit, yes. I understand why you... "
Suddenly,
He froze—
Elric's words cut off.
"Hm? What's wrong, sir?"
Even to Aldio's question, Elric couldn't reply easily.
It was because, only after speaking, he realized something strange.
Elric's gaze turned toward the mansion.
More precisely, toward the entrance where Tiria had just gone in.
'...She recognized me at a glance?'
She hadn't shown any sign of uncertainty about his identity and had known him immediately.
Even though the only time she'd seen his face was at their wedding—the first and last time.
How on earth had she recognized the boy she'd seen only once in her life, even with how much he'd changed?
That point stirred doubt within Elric.
"Young Master? Are you all right?"
"...Ah, yes. Just had something on my mind."
Maybe she just has sharp eyes.
Elric rubbed his neck and shook off the thought.
*
Tiria gazed out the window at Elric conversing with the butler.
It had been ten years since she'd seen his face, but she'd recognized him instantly.
How could she not? It was the face of the man she'd pledged her life to.
His brown hair, his languid demeanor, his straight nose, the scar by his earlobe—they were exactly as she remembered.
Tiria's heart was still pounding.
She had been inspecting the wheat field when she came out and suddenly found him standing there—what a shock.
Hoping her surprise hadn't shown, she'd feigned calm, but thinking back, it had felt a bit awkward.
Please don't let him have noticed.
Feeling a touch of anxiety, Tiria took a deep breath.
As she replayed the moment of reunion to check for mistakes,
-Why...
Her shoulders twitched faintly as his words resurfaced.
Her fine brows furrowed.
Her lips pressed tight, and her gaze fixed on Elric smiling brightly outside the window.
A face he'd never shown her.
While walking together, he'd only brought awkward silence.
Not just now, but even before their reunion... on the day he left, it had been the same.
Throughout the wedding, his lips had curled downward obviously.
By the moment they exchanged rings, his face was fully creased in displeasure.
That had made her cry alone in sadness. But what truly saddened her came after.
That night, Elric left the mansion and never returned.
Her chest felt tight.
She pressed down on it with her hand, but it didn't help.
The joy was fleeting. What followed was reality.
Ten years later, his demeanor upon return was, as expected, not what Tiria had hoped for.
A questioning look, as if wishing she weren't here.
A bright smile he never showed her, and an attitude indifferent to everything.
A bitter, sad smile filled with sorrow rose to Tiria's lips.
'As I thought...'
Even after all this time, to him, she seemed like an unsatisfactory marriage partner.
That fact hurt.
And what hurt even more was the future where she couldn't let him go.
Just as she had for the past ten years, Tiria would continue her endless wait until the day his heart turned to her.
It might unfold into an even harder time than before.
Now, even the belief that he would one day return smiling and embrace her had shattered.
Holding feelings that would never be reciprocated was more painful than she could have imagined.
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