News spread throughout the social community that Seidrick returned safely, and Cruno had injured an ankle. Seidrick wasn't a stupid man. He moved first before Cruno condemned him. He first spread rumors to the social world.
People were talking about Cruno, who was knocked down by a tree branch, and not about Cruno, whom Seidrick hurt. Everyone knows the truth, so Cruno can't punish him by condemning him.
And after such a trivial happening, Kendrick's anniversary ritual was just around the corner.
Rather, this was a more difficult challenge for Seidrick.
“Ophelia, what should I do?”
“Just say it. The sooner you tell the truth, the better.”
“…”
Seidrick bites his mouth firmly.
Nothing has been solved yet, and he couldn't stand proud in front of Alyssa. Ophelia sighed, reading the answer from the silent Seidrick. She doesn't know what's so difficult for Kendrick and Seidrick. Both of them really have no skill in dealing with a woman's heart.
As Ophelia pouted her lips, she reached out her hand to Seidrick.
“What are you going to do?”
"What?"
“Then shouldn’t you ask Alyssa to make sure it doesn't overlap with Seidrick’s movement? In fact, at the ritual dinner, Seidrick has to go to Kendrick's cemetery. You just have to be careful before that.”
Ophelia has regained her former sense. She returned to the tomboy when she was a child.
“Tell me what you're going to do, Seidrick.”
Ophelia laughed lightly. Seidrick put a fountain pen in his sister's palm with a face that couldn't help it. Ophelia had been coveting it from the past, but Seidrick hasn’t given it away. It was released as a limited edition for the 100th anniversary from the most famous fountain pen shop in the kingdom, but only seven were produced at the time.
The young Seidrick, ten years ago, bought it by being in line since dawn.
Since it is a shop famous for its elaborate craftsmanship, the limited edition fountain pens contain a boy and a girl the size of a metal nail as a decoration on the body. Besides it, there were elegant patterns engraved on the surface.
Ophelia’s eyes sparkled.
She struggled for three years, but Seidrick did not hand it over to her.
"Wow! You’re giving me this?”
Ophelia, who knows how much Seidrick loved this, was about to laugh. The sparkling fountain pen lit up in the lights here and there.
"Alright. Now that I have received something valuable, I can't betray your expectations. Leave it to me, Seidrick.”
Ophelia and Seidrick joined hands.
* * *
Alyssa pressed down her stiff eyes.
It is because she was not sleeping properly while writing the next manuscript. The scenes were elaborately made, and the emotional lines of the characters were inserted between them. Alyssa sighed and rolled the fountain pen in her hand. It was a fountain pen that Alyssa bought ten years ago.
She didn't buy it in the first place.
That day was the day when she escaped the queen and secretly escaped from the royal castle.
The king betrayed the queen, and he met another woman. It didn't matter who the woman was. It was important that the queen only had a good prey named Alyssa in front of her eyes. The queen attributed all the king’s faults to Alyssa, relieving all the stress she felt from him.
Because Alyssa was also evidence that the king betrayed the queen.
She was the first to suffer at the hands of the queen. She was beaten countless times; she felt like she would die like this, so she ran for her life. All she had was the jewelry she wore on her body, so no place accepted her.
Those who saw Alyssa, beaten up and disheveled, seemed to think that she was a maid who stole fine clothes and ran away.
She walked endlessly, crouching under the wide-shaded fountain pen shop, and woke up at dawn. Fortunately, it was summer, so little Alyssa did not freeze and die.
Was it around the time of dawn?
Despite the early hours, a little boy came to the store.
Her memories of that day were still apparent.
“Oh, there was a kid who came before me.”
Alyssa raised her head. She saw a boy standing in front of her.
"What…"
“What are you doing, sneaking out without your mom and dad? I also came out secretly. I saved money all year round to buy a limited edition fountain pen. But I can't miss it just because I’m not an adult.”
Then he sat down next to Alyssa.
The sloppy boy pulled things out of his pocket, showing what he had packed so much. There was savory cheese, sweet chocolate, as well as a sandwich.
“Umm… I brought everything, but it's out of context. Do you want to eat too? I'm giving it because we’re comrades who came to buy fountain pens together. In fact, my younger sister also wanted to come, but he couldn't get up.”
Alyssa, starving since last night, accepted the boy's food. As her hunger eased, both her mood and body seemed to feel better. As the boy said, he came out to buy a fountain pen. When she thought about it, she felt more comfortable.
