An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 63
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#63
Everything so far had fallen into place exactly according to Eurich’s plan.
Having arranged everything, Eurich gleefully watched as Orphea put a noose around her own neck and walked step by step toward the cliff.
Ding——.
Sure enough, as her stamina ran out, the performance that had been racing endlessly began to gradually slow down.
The intense presence vanished without a trace, leaving only faintly scattered melodies. Like fallen flower petals being mercilessly trampled and crushed, Orphea’s pitiful state was vivid before his eyes….
But the moment he was so certain.
“…!”
Eurich’s eyes widened.
Right now, something impossible was happening.
***
If the deer could sense the baby’s presence, it would calm down immediately.
It seemed that in its frenzy, it could only perceive what was visible and audible right in front of it.
Then what I needed to do was….
So you with the golden horns
Stop your steps and listen
For a fragile cry
Is calling out to you
I lowered the interlude even more. Then I pursed my lips and whistled.
Whiiiiiii——
The whistle blended with the low lyre performance, sounding just like the baby deer’s cry I had heard earlier.
The frenzied deer was also startled by the familiar voice of its baby, looking around with its neck stretched long as if searching for the fawn.
‘I’m glad I was able to hear the baby deer’s cry.’
Fortunately, I had a talent for mimicking bird songs and animal cries. However, to imitate the sound of a specific individual, I had to hear it directly at least once.
Confused by hearing the baby’s voice but not being able to see it no matter how much it looked, the deer no longer charged at me. I put even more earnest wishes for calm into my whistle.
Whiiiiiii——
The whistle soon became invisible chains that tightly bound the deer trying to rampage. The deer struggled, but I had no intention of letting it go easily.
Ding, ding, diring, ding—
The movement of my fingers plucking the strings became as dazzling as a spider weaving its web.
Soon, like a pearl necklace breaking and beads scattering in all directions, nearly twenty, no, close to thirty notes impossible for a 7-string instrument poured out.
This was exactly why I had tuned the intervals between notes so wide.
Sequential notes could be adjusted by the position where I pressed the strings, so to get as many notes as possible, I configured the intervals to avoid duplicate notes.
The difficulty increased exponentially, but it wasn’t particularly difficult for me. Even with wide pitch leaps, my hands accurately hit the positions I desired.
I could feel the deer’s resistance gradually weakening as the lyre performance became more dazzling.
It was almost done.
Nothing would be more foolish than losing focus here and letting the deer escape. I continued the song without letting go of my careful attention.
You with bronze hooves
Where are you trying to go?
Your young one
Will soon come running to you.
Clatter, clatter!
I plucked the strings while kicking the floor with my heel. It sounded like a baby deer’s hooves hitting the stone floor.
Clatter, clatter!
Before long, another harmony layered over the melody that had been continuing in steady rhythm.
Clatter, clatter!
Clatter, clatter!
“Kiiiiing….”
Along with that came the cry of a baby deer. Not the sound I had imitated with my whistle, but the real cry of the baby.
I turned my head toward where the sound came from.
A small shadow appeared at the end of the alley. A baby deer walking unsteadily. Behind it, I could see Princess Lairinne and Helena.
***
‘Why did I believe Eurich’s words?’
Princess Lairinne’s mind was complicated as she walked briskly with the instrument merchant leading the way.
She wasn’t referring to the moment when she borrowed Aliphas’s net, saying it was just to give Orphea trouble.
Thinking about it, it was much earlier than that. The moment Eurich, who had returned from finishing the expedition, spoke ill of Orphea—the buttons had already been fastened wrong from that moment.
But even if she could go back to that time, Princess Lairinne would have believed Eurich’s words. At that time, Eurich was the only person who could tell Princess Lairinne about the expedition.
“If someone were to hide a baby deer, this is the only place in my instrument shop.”
The instrument merchant, who had exited the building through the back door, rattled as he unlocked the attached warehouse.
Creak.
Along with the sound of hinges opening, the scent of dry wood wafted out. Princess Lairinne stepped into the warehouse. Countless lyres and flutes, giant harps, and other unknown instruments surrounded them.
“But I check here every time. Yesterday too…. There was no opportunity for an intruder to enter, and if anything had changed even slightly, I would have noticed immediately.”
The owner added anxiously. But Princess Lairinne was certain the baby deer was here. It was a kind of intuition.
And Princess Lairinne was confident in her intuition. Especially her intuition for finding what she sought.
This was a kind of bloodline ability passed down through the Petallien Royal Family, who worshipped Alifer, the god of thieves.
The ability inherited through bloodline was merciful even to Princess Lairinne, who was an illegitimate child.
Just like how Gert, despite being a bastard, was born as Alkides.
Despite both being illegitimate children, unlike Princess Lairinne who always watched the reactions of Dietrich and others around her, Gert was confident with those around him. To Princess Lairinne, that appearance looked as bright and dazzling as Hyperion, the sun god.
That’s why she admired Gert.
If I became like Gert, could I become that confident? If I helped others like Gert who saved me, could I be recognized?
But look at her current state. Gert was a hero who saved the world, but Princess Lairinne herself was….
‘Do I have the right to blame Orphea for not being suitable for Brother Gert?’
Being swayed by others’ words, misunderstanding other people, and setting traps.
The reason Orphea had to face that danger was ultimately because of Princess Lairinne—because of her.
It couldn’t get any worse than this.
So she had to be helpful in some way, anything at all.
Finding a deer in a space filled with countless instruments, wooden planks, and boxes was not an easy task. Princess Lairinne steadied her breathing and headed toward where her heart directed her.
“Be careful!”
As soon as the instrument merchant shouted, one of the stacked wooden planks tilted and fell toward Princess Lairinne. She barely managed to raise her arm and block the plank.
“…This much is fine. It’s nothing.”
Compared to the commotion outside, it wasn’t even stones falling, just wooden planks. Princess Lairinne paid no attention to the instrument merchant’s fuss and rummaged through the boxes.
“Help me with this.”
It was too heavy to lift alone. Helena and the instrument merchant helped move them one by one. Sweat beaded on all three people’s foreheads.
How many boxes had they moved like this?
“…!”
She intuitively felt a box that seemed right—this was it. Princess Lairinne lifted the box. It was the same size as the boxes they had moved earlier, but much heavier.
Princess Lairinne carefully undid the lock and opened the lid.
Creak—
And what the three people discovered there was a baby deer with its limbs and even its mouth tightly bound, looking at them with tired and frightened eyes.
***
“Kiiiiiiik!”
The mother deer also discovered the baby deer and let out a long cry.
The barrier surrounding the deer’s heart momentarily crumbled.
And I didn’t miss that moment, spurring on my performance even more.
The already splendid melody soon took on layers of harmony, one layer, then two. A magnificent and rich melody, as if countless birds were chirping simultaneously.
The notes pouring from my fingers rushed in like a flood, swallowing up every sound in this place.
Meanwhile, my voice clearly penetrated between the lyre performance.
You who have found your young
Now that you have found peace
Follow the path
That moonlight illuminates
The baby deer staggered toward the mother deer.
“Kiiiik…”
At the small cry, the mother deer hesitated. Then she carefully lowered her head to smell the baby’s scent.
I held my breath and watched the scene.
‘Please…!’
If the mother deer couldn’t calm down even after all this, there really would be no other way. Moreover, my stamina and concentration were at their limits.
As I was growing anxious, the baby rubbed its head against the mother’s thigh. Then the mother also licked the baby’s face. Once, twice. As if telling it that it was safe now.
The madness that had filled the mother deer’s eyes as she looked at the baby deer was disappearing.
‘Haah…’
Only after seeing the deer’s gaze turn gentle could I finally feel at ease.
Since the deer seemed to have calmed down somewhat, it was time to gradually wrap up the song.
Like flowers withering and petals falling, the notes dropped one by one and the splendid harmony disappeared.
What followed was a slow and peaceful melody. In the fading tune, I whispered like a murmur.
To the Ceryneia Forest
That awaits you
As if the lyre’s sound tickled the deer’s ears like forest leaves swaying in the breeze, the mother deer’s ears perked up after checking on her baby for a long while. She seemed to sense the Ceryneia Forest.
Gradually finishing the lyre performance, I repeated the refrain and put a period to the song.
To the Ceryneia Forest
That awaits you
***
“This is impossible!”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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