Chapter 94
Watching Cesar pouring alcohol into Evan’s glass, I felt a desire to compliment him later.
And exactly one hour later, I had to completely retract that thought.
“Cesar. Look here. A man should be as composed as our son-in-law. Just like I was in my youth!”
“Father, don’t lie. Mother told me that when you were young, you cried at the sight of falling leaves.”
I looked at the scene before me with disbelief.
The two drunken men, their faces flushed, were busy chatting animatedly with Evan in the middle.
My father, with a satisfied expression, sat to Evan’s right and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, while Cesar, sitting to his left, kept pouring more alcohol into Evan’s glass, laughing happily.
“I’m only saying this now, but I liked you from the very beginning. Come on, call me ‘Father’!”
“…Duke, you’re quite drunk.”
“Oh! Even if I tell you to call me ‘Father’!”
My father, thrilled by the long-awaited family gathering, quickly emptied his glass and soon became quite intoxicated.
From that moment on, he began to actively pester Evan.
Just like right now.
“Duke, how does the alcohol taste? I brought out the best one I’ve been saving to drink with you. Why, you ask? Because we’re family now!”
In that spirit, Cesar chimed in, saying he should call him ‘Brother.’
I stood a step away, observing the chaotic scene in the dining room, and quietly opened the door to slip out.
I felt sorry for Evan, who was being harassed by the two, but I had matters to attend to with Joy, so I had no choice.
***
Leaving the dining room, I headed toward the annex dining room where Joy was.
“Hmm? Joy. You’re already out here.”
As I passed through the path connecting the main building and the annex, I spotted Joy admiring the garden ahead.
“I’m not that hungry, so I just had dessert and came out. But is it okay to leave your husband all alone?”
“He’s fine; he gets along well with the family.”
It was more like a one-sided courtship, but there was no need to explain that.
Hearing my words, Joy nodded and straightened up from where he had been leaning against the railing.
“I took a quick look around, and there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly strange here. Where are the things that your ex-boyfriend gave you?”
“There are a few in my room, and the rest should be in the storage. The storage is locked right now, so let’s check my room first.”
I immediately led the way toward my room.
“By the way, Joy. It looks like you really like the garden.”
Noticing Joy frequently turning her head toward the garden, I struck up a conversation.
Come to think of it, Joy had been leaning against the railing for quite a while, admiring the garden before I arrived.
“Does it look that way…? I guess my eyes just keep wandering over there without me realizing it. Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen such a well-kept garden before.”
Only then did Joy realize he had been looking at the garden, and he scratched his cheek as he replied.
Certainly, the garden at the Balestain residence was well-maintained, but it lacked the charm of exploration.
In contrast, the garden at the Feldro residence was a creation of my mother’s touch, from every tree to every stone.
This garden was my mother’s favorite place, where she returned home every three months.
“Right? My mother loves to tend to the garden. When I was very young, our family even had a picnic right in the middle of it…”
As I spoke, memories of that time surfaced in my mind, and I unconsciously looked around the garden with a wistful expression.
Since my older brother went missing, family picnics had become something we could hardly imagine.
“By the way, your father and brother… they look just like you. I guess it’s natural since you’re family?”
At that moment, Joy, who had been following behind, spoke to me softly.
Having heard this phrase since I was young, I chuckled and replied.
“That’s right. We probably look more alike because we’re twins. What about you? Which side do you resemble more?”
As I casually returned the question I had received, I noticed Joy’s steps slowing down.
When I turned back with a puzzled expression, Joy seemed to hesitate, opening and closing his mouth a few times before finally managing a faint smile and speaking.
“Yeah, I’m curious about that too. I wish I had at least some memories left.”
Though Joy’s voice was the same as usual, it gradually became filled with bitterness towards the end.
“You don’t remember anything?”
I widened my eyes at Joy’s words.
I recalled how he had either avoided talking about himself or deliberately changed the subject until now.
So, I had assumed he must have a complicated past, but I never expected him to open up about it himself.
“Yeah. The beginning of my memories is a dark basement filled with screams. I don’t remember what my name was or how I lived before that.”
I quietly gazed at Joy as he murmured, sensing a certain unspoken loneliness emanating from his profile as he looked at the softly lit garden.
“Before, you were curious why I was saving so much money, right?”
Joy continued after a moment of contemplation.
Since it was a topic I had been curious about for a while, I nodded with a bewildered expression.
“There’s something I really want to get.”
“What is it?”
“A jewel that grants wishes.”
“Wishes?”
I frowned and looked at Joy, finding his answer somewhat unexpected.
Where could such a thing possibly exist in the world?
As I looked at him with my half-closed eyes, Joy protested, looking truly aggrieved.
“It’s true. The name that is secretly referred to is the jewel that grants wishes, and its official name is Ophilon.”
“Ophilon? I’ve never heard that name before.”
Having grown up seeing all the jewels that each country takes pride in, I had never encountered a jewel with such a name.
“That’s probably why. It’s a gem that’s somewhat distant from those handled by nobles.”
“What does it look like?”
“I don’t know. I read about it in a book a long time ago, and it seems that it looks different to everyone who sees it.”
The more I listened to him, the deeper the furrows in my brow became.
“Are you saying such a jewel really exists?”
“It must exist if it’s recorded in books, right? Anyway, they say that when a magician sees that jewel, they can feel some kind of mysterious power. And if you engrave your wish into it, it will be fulfilled, which is why it’s called the jewel of wishes.”
Listening to him, I threw a question at Joy.
“So, what wish are you trying to make with that jewel?”
A jewel that can grant any wish—what could Joy’s wish be that he is searching for it so desperately?
“I want…”
After hesitating for a while, his lips moving silently, Joy shared his wish in a voice barely audible.
“I want to regain the memories of before I was in the basement. So… I want to know if I even have a family.”
Even though it could grant any wish, what he wanted wasn’t the most precious treasure in the world, nor was it gaining immense power, but rather wanting to know if he had a family.
After a moment of contemplation, I gently patted Joy’s shoulder.
“I hope that wish comes true.”
Joy, who had been facing the garden the whole time, turned his head toward me.
I felt like I briefly caught a glimpse of his green eyes through his fluffy white hair.
Finally, Joy’s lips curved into a smile as he replied.
“Yeah. I will definitely find it.”
Just as I smiled at Joy, conveying that I believed he would succeed, he continued.
“I’ve talked too much about myself. A man without secrets isn’t attractive, you know.”
Adding a playful remark that handsome men are usually full of secrets, Joy then began to stride forward.
“Now, let’s go find the medium!”
“Oh, wait for me!”
Coming to my senses after a considerable distance had opened up between us, I quickly followed Joy with hurried steps.
