The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 86

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Husband Who Should Have Died Returns Episode 086
Today was Hayden’s birthday.
“We cannot simply let Young Master’s birthday pass without celebration.”
Yureain spoke first. In the old days, had we still been in the Bereidan Household, we might have thrown a grand birthday party. But now….
“I would like to make a cake, but the ingredients….”
Yureain sighed deeply. Our food stores were pitifully sparse.
“Didn’t Gania bring us some flour before? There should be a little left.”
“Three handfuls.”
“Three handfuls should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
I blinked, meeting Yureain’s gaze. Ignorance breeds confidence, after all.
“I have an idea.”
Mila interjected.
“With three handfuls of flour, two eggs, and a bit of honey, we can make something like a pancake. If we top it with wild berries, it should look quite presentable.”
“Do we have wild berries?”
“I saw some yesterday while gathering. They were clustered together beside the valley.”
Wild berry pancakes. Even if not a true cake, it would at least have the appearance of one.
“It seems like a decent plan. I’m in favor.”
“I agree as well.”
With only three handfuls of flour, that would be quite splendid, really.

* * *
Everyone moved about busily from morning onward.
Mila went up the mountain to gather wild berries, while Yureain took command of the kitchen with flour, eggs, and honey in hand. When I tried to enter the kitchen, Yureain blocked the doorway.
“You should go outside, madam.”
“Why? I can help too. Besides, it’s Hayden’s birthday cake.”
“…Still, I think it would be better if I handled this today.”
Yureain spoke with utter seriousness.
“You burned a pot while making soup not long ago. Thanks to that, our already meager food stores dwindled further.”
Yureain delivered a harsh truth. But cooking here was completely different from what I’d done in the Bereidan Household. Honestly, what could a modern person do well in that kitchen anyway? I’d always had servants helping with the cooking. So it was true that I’d burned a few pots since arriving here.
“…That was just a matter of fire control.”
“I really think it would be better if you went outside, madam. I do hope you’ll remember that we have only three handfuls of flour left.”
Yureain was resolute. So all I could do was contact the townspeople.
Even if we didn’t have much to offer, I wanted to repay them for the dinner they had shared with us last time. The others at this villa agreed with that sentiment as well.

* * *
Mila returned in good time, her basket brimming with wild raspberries—tiny crimson jewels heaped abundantly within.
From the kitchen came the sound of Yureain preparing something, and a sweet aroma wafted through the air. It was a dessert we hadn’t tasted in far too long.
Just then, Hayden—who had drifted over like a bee drawn to flowers—tilted his head curiously.
“What is it? Hayden! Hayden!”
Mila showed him the wild raspberries in her basket.
“They’re wild raspberries. You’ve tasted them before, haven’t you?”
Mila gave Hayden a single berry. He chewed it thoughtfully, then his eyes widened. He seemed utterly enchanted by the sweet-tart flavor. Children do love berries, though I hadn’t realized Hayden enjoyed wild raspberries too.
“More! More! More!”
I scooped Hayden up before he could dive headfirst into the basket.
“Hayden! Ha! Mama! Hayden!”
“Let’s save these for dinner, Hayden. Can you wait?”
“No! No! Hayden, ha!”
He seems to understand every word I say.
“No, Hayden can be patient. You can wait!”
I carried Hayden out of the villa in my arms. It appeared my task for the day was simply to mind the child.
Outside, Robin and Dorpin were busily preparing something.
Perhaps the Sea God himself had blessed Hayden’s birthday—five large fish had been caught in the nets. That’s why I’d boldly invited guests for dinner.
“…If we do it this way, I think we can remove the entrails. Dorpin, if you insert the knife like this….”
“Ugh!”
Dorpin sprang to his feet with surprising vigor for his size.
“Dorpin, what’s wrong?”
Robin asked cheerfully as he struck the fish’s head with the flat of his blade to stun it.
Robin was quite strong with such matters. Dorpin, on the other hand, was rather squeamish.

* * *
As evening fell, the villagers climbed up to the villa. Gania arrived with a basket overflowing with delicious pan-fried potato cakes, while Jake brought a bundle of smoked meat. Among them, an elderly man carried up a bottle of grain liquor.
The children came with boundless energy. Toby bounded up at the front, Luke followed and tumbled, while four-year-old Anna giggled at the sight and toddled after them.
We gathered around a table in the front yard of the villa. Hayden stood in the center of the yard and threw both arms up high.
“Hello! Hello! Hayden says hello!”
Jake lifted Hayden up effortlessly.
“Happy birthday, little one!”
Hayden burst into delighted laughter. Whether he truly understood what a birthday meant, I couldn’t say, but he clearly enjoyed being lifted into the air.
Yureain emerged from the kitchen, carrying a wide, flat plate. Upon it lay a perfectly round pancake, heaped with wild raspberries glistening with honey. It was a miracle wrought from three handfuls of flour, honey gathered from a beehive, and the raspberries Mila had procured.
Everyone gathered around the table.
Fish dishes and other foods the villagers had brought were set out as well. A humble yet abundant table had been completed.
“Happy birthday.”
Yureain’s voice trembled.
Hayden’s eyes sparkled as he reached out his hand. I quickly stopped him from grabbing the raspberries—his movements were growing faster each day.
“We’ll sing the birthday song first.”
I popped a single raspberry into Hayden’s whimpering mouth, then poked his chubby, beaming face as he grinned with delight.
The villagers sang the birthday song.
The raspberry dessert was truly small. We cut it into pieces and shared it among twenty people. Yet it tasted better than any cake I had eaten in my past life. No one complained, and everyone was content with what they received.
It was an evening meal where everyone looked happy.
The children loved Jake’s smoked meat most, while Gania, I, and Yureain enjoyed the fish dish. The remaining raspberries set aside in a basket fell to Jake’s share.
Hayden began eating the raspberries with his hands. His clothes, mouth, and hands all turned bright red.
He seemed to be growing drowsy.
Yet Hayden remained excited, rummaging through the basket.
“Hayden, did you finish the berries?”
Anna asked. Even at four years old, her pronunciation was clearer than Hayden’s.
Hayden willingly held out a raspberry. Anna took it and ate it. The two of them smiled brightly with red-stained lips.
As the children grew increasingly stained with red, the sun set completely. A bonfire burned slowly. The grain liquor the elderly man had brought was shared among the adults.
It had been so long since I tasted alcohol. Someone began plucking a worn, four-stringed instrument, playing a slow melody. They said it was a traditional song of Carencia.
The children ran about ceaselessly.
Yureain sat beside me, gazing at the bonfire while murmuring softly—her voice so quiet that only I could hear it.
“I wish His Excellency could have seen this.”
What Yureain was looking at was not the bonfire. It was Hayden, drowsy as he stuffed raspberries into his mouth.
Cherez. That name struck my chest. If Cherez had been here.
If he had witnessed Hayden’s second birthday.
Out of habit, I touched the bracelet on my wrist. Two beads clinked softly.
The crackling of the bonfire added to the melancholic atmosphere. If only Cherez could come to enjoy all of this. But I had failed, and the bell would surely be destroyed. Since nothing had changed, according to the original story, Cherez would never return.
Hayden, growing drowsy, crawled into my lap. His mouth, stained red with raspberries, opened wide as he yawned, then nestled against my chest.
I placed a brief kiss on Hayden’s forehead.
“Happy birthday, Hayden.”
Remember, Hayden, who is protecting this precious moment you now enjoy.
That Cherez truly loves you.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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