OHNIR – Chapter 52
Chapter 52: The Past
“Ding. Gloria’s affection level +20.”
The familiar, mechanical notification sound rang in her ear, stiffly reporting the fluctuation in value. But the content was far from as straightforward as the tone, making one want to weep with emotion on the spot.
But Kelusta had no time for surprise, still staring blankly into the deep eyes of the girl before her. They were no longer tranquil, no longer gentle; all that remained was a distinct longing and lingering fear, and even a hint of well-hidden despondency.
Kelusta gazed at her, bewildered, understanding Gloria’s expression with perfect clarity. The heartstrings that had been strummed into chaos by her words just moments ago settled back into place, leaving only endless worry and doubt.
She frowned slightly and, lying back, reached out to cautiously touch the silver-haired girl’s cheek with her fingertips. The touch was as gentle as brushing the tip of a swan’s wing, yet filled with a tentative quality.
“Senior, what’s wrong?”
“…”
Gloria gently lowered her eyes. As she did, her silvery-white, snowflake-like lashes brushed lightly against Kelusta’s eyelids. Kelusta’s eyes paused, and she shied back slightly as if ticklish, which only gave Gloria the opportunity to draw even closer.
The distance between them shrank further, so much so that when the silver-haired girl spoke, her orchid-like breath easily ghosted over Kelusta’s lips, which had now faded from their crimson hue.
“You just called me Lux.”
Gloria said faintly, “Why did you stop?”
“Lux… Light?”
“Yes. —Light, that is my name.”
Her gentle voice carried an undeniable urgency, and her deep blue eyes were filled with complex emotions, as if she were trying to convey something with her gaze alone.
At first, Kelusta didn’t understand, but after gazing for a moment longer, she suddenly realized.
—This was the first time Gloria had clearly conveyed to her the emotion called “fear.”
She was afraid of her own changes, afraid of Kelusta’s forgetting, and afraid that even now, she would still receive the same, unchanged answer from her.
The brown-haired girl closed her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting into a tearful smile. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Gloria’s neck, as intimate as they had been in childhood, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, “I remember now, Lux.”
“I’m sorry for making you wait so long. I finally remember.”
Fifteen years ago, Seaside Town.
The sound of the waves echoed from morning till night, and the damp, salty sea breeze traveled across the ocean to blow through the entire town. When the first rays of sunlight touched the rooftops, a restless cat from some household or another would be lounging on the rafters, slowly rolling over and letting out lazy meows, as punctual as a diligent alarm clock.
A day in Seaside Town officially began at this moment.
“Good morning, Uncle Rake.”
“The sea breeze sends its regards, dear Madam Maity!”
The old sailor, Rake, smiled as he dropped a bag of scrambling crabs onto the ground. The green fishing net was tangled with seaweed, and the crabs’ long legs poked through the mesh. Their shiny black shells reflected the bright morning sun as they scrabbled toward the soft grass growing in the fine sand. Following the direction of the grass, one would see, not far off behind a fence, clusters of lush, glittering golden roses.
Madam Maity, her delight showing on her face, pushed open the gate and walked over to the bag of seafood. She bent down slightly to inspect it for a moment, then praised briskly, “The quality is excellent as always. Truly worthy of being Seaside’s most experienced crew. It seems Kevit will be singing your praises at the dinner table again tonight!”
“Hahahaha, to receive praise from young Mr. Maity is an honor for old Rake!”
The dark-skinned sailor patted his chest and gave Kevit’s mother a rough bow. Just as he was about to turn, he seemed to remember something and asked suspiciously, “Oh, Madam, forgive my impertinence… but the whole crew has been wondering why we haven’t seen Mr. Sogeta come to order seafood for two whole days? —Just last night we caught a full net of fresh Holt white shrimp, and that’s little Ruth’s favorite thing!”
“The Brevious?” Madam Maity was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless smile and waved her hand. “They’ve been hosting guests who’ve come all the way from the center of the kingdom! I imagine they haven’t contacted you because their guests have lived inland for a long time and aren’t used to the taste of the sea. It’s kind of you to still be thinking of them, Uncle Rake.”
“Guests?”
Old Rake was taken aback as well. He had been at sea all week and had no idea that the large, reclusive wooden house on the easternmost edge of Seaside Town was hosting guests. “Aren’t the Brevious old residents of this town? I’ve never heard of Mr. Sogeta having any friends or relatives from inland…”
“Uncle Rake, you’re really getting on in years, and more gossipy too!” Madam Maity said, picking up the net of crabs with one hand and pushing open her gate with the other. She rolled her eyes unceremoniously at the familiar elder. “Of course those two guests aren’t Mr. Sogeta’s relatives. They’re friends of Mrs. Breviou!”
“Mrs. Breviou?”
Watching Madam Maity’s back disappear into her garden, Old Rake rubbed his chin with his rough, calloused hands. He sighed softly, then finally turned and ambled toward the docks.
“Time really flies when you talk about it… In the blink of an eye, four years have already passed.”
…
The Breviou family were old residents, known to everyone on the west coast. They had lived alongside the ocean for generations.
If one had to trace it back, it was likely that when the waves of Nobili had just eroded the surrounding area into a beautiful beach, the very first Breviou brought his family and made the decision to settle in this remote little town.
After generations of living there, their house was the largest and most impressive in the whole town. It covered a large area and even had a small garden. Aside from being a bit far from the sea, it had no other real drawbacks.
However, Seaside Town wasn’t very large. The Breviou’s wooden house sounded like it was on the far east side, but in reality, it was only a ten-minute walk or so straight through town to the sea.
…However, Kelusta, who usually went to the beach to wade in the water every evening, hadn’t been to the seaside for two whole days.
Because two very special guests had come to her home.
Guests who were either especially picky or especially silent.
“—Your black tea is still so inferior.”
A woman in a gorgeous black dress sat ramrod straight on the sofa, her ebony hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her demantoid-green eyes were filled with melancholy. With gloved fingertips that couldn’t hide their slender curve, she held the teacup’s handle and took a small sip of the light red liquid. “Even the fresh water has a fishy sea smell,” she said coolly. “It’s hard to imagine Ricana could endure such a difficult environment, let alone stay here for so many years!”
Even though the other person mentioned his late wife with a resentful tone, Mr. Sogeta still smiled good-naturedly. He said sincerely and apologetically, “It’s my clumsy hands, I don’t know how to brew tea… Madam, you don’t have to force yourself. It’s just a cup of tea, I’ll take it out and pour it away.”
After speaking, he immediately stood up and reached out slightly, trying to take the teacup from the black-dressed woman’s hand.
Unexpectedly, however, she dodged sharply to the side. Her dark eyes stared coldly at Sogeta, the corners of her lips twisting into an emotionless, sarcastic smile. Her tone was barbed.
“Are you telling me what to do?”
Sogeta: “…No, Madam, that’s not what I meant—If I have offended you, I am terribly sorry—”
Sitting quietly to the side, Kelusta silently put down her teacup. Her short legs kicked restlessly, and her large, honey-gold eyes glanced uneasily at her father, only to receive a reassuring smile from him in the midst of the tense exchange.
She lowered her eyes and sighed quietly, like a little adult.
Ever since this beautiful but harsh auntie came to their house, she had taken every opportunity to find fault: the interior layout was a mess, the tableware and ingredients were plain and tough, the sofa mattress was hard enough to hurt one’s back, and even the humidity in the air seemed to be a terrible crime.
And after every sarcastic remark, she would always angrily add, “How could Ricana have endured this for so many years!”
Normally, if a stranger frequently insulted her father and constantly brought up her deceased mother like this, Kelusta would have probably already started thinking of ways to spike the person’s food and drink, or stuff sea roaches under her mattress—at the very least, she would have to splash some vegetable-washing water in her face when she wasn’t looking. In any case, she couldn’t let her get away with it!
But… after spending two days with her, even though the woman in black was always speaking harshly to her father and deliberately finding fault, those rebellious and malicious thoughts never once appeared in Kelusta’s mind.
This was because, even as a young child, she could hear in the black-clad woman’s complaints… a certain sadness and longing that she hadn’t hidden so perfectly.
This genuine emotion made Kelusta involuntarily realize—this auntie she had never met before was genuinely indignant about the material hardships and roughness her mother had lived through.
Kelusta unconsciously squeezed the cup in her hand, her gaze unfocused. Her neatly trimmed nails tapped lightly on the edge of the saucer.
Who was she? And what was her relationship with her own mother…?
As Kelusta thought, she shifted her gaze, thinking she was being subtle, and secretly looked at the black-haired girl sitting elegantly beside the woman, just like her mother used to, gently sipping her tea.
She’s so beautiful.
She was like the legendary Goddess Clara reborn, beautiful beyond description. —Aside from that exaggerated metaphor, Kelusta felt it was difficult for her to come up with any other words to describe a face so exquisite it defied simple description.
Just as the brown-haired girl was slightly lost in thought, the other girl, as if sensing her gaze, suddenly turned her head. She gave Kelusta, who had been caught staring, a gentle and kind smile.
Those deep blue eyes, hidden behind silvery-white lashes, were like the sea meeting snow-white waves, possessing a naturally irresistible, mysterious allure.
“…”
Kelusta gave an awkward smile, timidly retracting her gaze, and pretended to focus intently on the tea in her hands.
But in her heart, she was still secretly thinking—
How strange, why did that girl clearly have long black hair and black, arched eyebrows… but uniquely have a pair of silver eyelashes?
However, before Kelusta could think too deeply, the woman in black, who was in a standoff with her father, spoke again, immediately drawing Kelusta’s attention.
“…Forget it. I’m not so ignorant of customs.”
The woman in black huffed. Although the content of her words had softened somewhat, her tone hadn’t improved much. It was still cold and hard. “I learned before I came that the custom for hosting guests in your Seaside Town is to serve Sea Offering Tea—to show respect for guests, for the first three days, you must brew a cup of black tea with West Sea salt in the afternoon, to convey the kindness of the seaside people…”
Sogeta’s expression shifted slightly. Even Kelusta couldn’t help but look in surprise at this young woman who always spoke so arrogantly. The woman inadvertently shifted her gaze and happened to meet Kelusta’s large, watery, honey-colored eyes. She seemed to freeze for a moment, her expression becoming dazed.
She paused for a long while. Not until the girl who was quietly sipping her tea reached out and tugged on her mother’s clothes did the woman in black snap back to her senses. She sighed, softened her gaze, and gave Kelusta a gentle smile. Her tone became much more peaceful.
“So, these three cups of tea, I will definitely drink them completely, without leaving a single drop.”
She turned her eyes, meeting Sogeta’s faint smile again. She frowned slightly and continued in a soft voice, “Because the sentiment they express… comes from the place Ricana loved most when she was alive.”
Author's Notes
Ricana (黎卡娜): Full name Ricanarias (黎卡娜瑞亞斯), derived from a combination of the Latin words for freedom (Liber) and canary (Canarias).
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