The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 326

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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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Special Side Story, Chapter 10
Kalid furrowed his brow and turned his gaze forward. In the distance, I could see the twins playing joyfully with Mother.
“Perhaps that’s true.”
“….”
“…To be precise, I don’t think I want to become a parent? A guardian? Something like that… it seems.”
It was as I’d expected.
“Why?”
“People are bound to give only what they’ve received. I….”
His voice sank low.
“I won’t be able to.”
“….”
“What should I even know? I still don’t understand how to treat those things. All I know is how to hit and intimidate. What if those actions come out unconsciously?”
“….”
“No, I’ve never even dreamed of forming a family in the first place….”
He glanced at me sideways and bit his lip.
“So.”
His quiet voice drifted on the wind.
“You should think it over carefully too. Marrying that guy… no, me.”
“….”
“That might be more unfortunate than you think… wait, are you crying?!”
Kalid stared at me with a flustered expression. He fumbled about helplessly, yet couldn’t even bring himself to touch my face.
I wiped my tears away roughly.
‘So that’s what it was.’
Your fear.
Kalid had no home to speak of.
His parents abandoned him as a child in a place no better than the Junkyard.
Because of that, Kalid had to grow up in the Mercenary Company, enduring all manner of verbal abuse and violence.
Without a single adult to protect him.
‘Perhaps Kalid had always viewed parents and guardians… negatively.’
And then, when he thought he might become that parent himself, rejection welled up inside him.
When I think about it.
Even as a child, Kalid was mature and didn’t trust people easily. He never let anyone into his circle.
His memories from his past life were sealed as the price of spirit servitude, and even without memories of the time he was abused in the Mercenary Company, he was still that way….
‘Now that I’ve recalled all my childhood memories… perhaps this backlash is only now arriving.’
Some wounds go unnoticed when inflicted, only to be discovered belatedly.
‘But rather than that….’
I felt it was a good thing.
Finally, I could see the fragile heart of Kalid, who had been holed up in that Cave.
His anxiety about relationships and his deeply rooted self-loathing.
“Why, why do you keep crying? Did I say something wrong? Do you want to hit me? That might ease your heart a little….”
He was at a loss for what to do.
“I need to know why she’s crying… damn it, what would he do in a situation like this…?”
I rubbed my face vigorously and seized Kalid’s hand.
“Kalid! Let’s go!”
“…Where?”
“Just follow me!”
He startled, his eyes widening.
From afar, Mother seemed to be watching us with a puzzled expression, but I didn’t care.
“Sorry, I’m borrowing some of your power!”
“…Okay.”
I pulled his mana toward me in one swift motion.
A massive magic circle was inscribed beneath our feet.
* * *
The two of us were instantly transported to a vast Flower Field.
“…?”
It was a place breathtakingly beautiful.
A gentle breeze swept across the land, and birds chirped melodiously as they soared through the sky.
Atop a well-maintained tree, a curious Squirrel peeked its head out to observe the visitors.
In the distance, against a sky dotted with wispy clouds, a small hill came into view.
Upon it stood a mansion as picturesque as a painting. Following the delicate Narrow Path lined with wildflowers, one could reach it without difficulty.
But that wasn’t all.
“What… so many flowers…?”
This many?
Indeed, this Flower Field was an ocean of countless blooms.
It was as if we had stepped into a kingdom of flowers itself.
“You gave this to me.”
“…?”
“Since a ring has a fixed size, you said you wanted to give me the largest bouquet in the world instead.”
“…?”
“When you proposed!”
Kalid blinked quietly.
The rich fragrance of flowers made his head spin.
Amidst thousands of blooms, Rubian stood with a smile warmer than the sunlight itself.
‘Ugh…’
He swallowed a groan internally.
The headache that had returned was tormenting him.
In truth, he had wanted to recover his memories ever since Rubian was crying earlier.
He thought that if he did, she would be delighted and her tears would cease immediately.
The headache intensified further.
The rich fragrance kept touching something within him.
A memory suddenly flashed through my mind.
“What is it, Kalid?”
“…I was curious how you proposed.”
“Huh?”
“…There’s really no one else I can ask about this.”
Leviathan had laughed, ruffling Kalid’s hair like when they were children.
“I gave you a ring and a bouquet.”
“A ring and… a bouquet.”
“Hmm, you don’t seem to grasp it. Well, I was a bit lost myself.”
“…”
“Do you understand, Kalid? It has to be big and grand. Absolutely—the bigger, the better.”
My head throbbed. The image of that man speaking with such subtle pride flickered through my mind.
‘A ring and a bouquet…’
There was a limit to how large a ring could be made. So I wanted to make the bouquet as grand as possible and present it.
‘That’s why… I bought this land, I think…’
“Who told you to buy land to make a proposal bouquet?”
“You said the bigger, the better.”
“I meant the ring, the ring.”
“…? I already bought the biggest and most expensive ring long ago.”
“…”
“Rubian can’t wear something the size of my face around. So the bouquet instead… isn’t this it?”
“You’re something else, you know that?”
I recalled how he had clicked his tongue, saying he’d given me a rose garden as a gift, never expecting I’d give him land as a proposal bouquet.
It was such a fragmented memory.
That was when it happened.
Without knowing what Kalid was remembering, Rubian suddenly pulled the ring from his hand.
“…What are you—”
Then she removed the ring from her own hand as well.
Kalid felt despair wash over him at that alone.
But only for a moment.
Rubian slipped the ring back onto his hand.
“Kalid, marry me.”
“…”
“I love you even without your memories. I love everything about you! So marry me. I’m going to spend my whole life with you. I’ll stay right by your side. No matter what happens!”
Her blue eyes gazed at Kalid without a single flicker of hesitation.
“Since you said you can’t remember, I’m proposing again. Of course, reusing the ring and location is a bit embarrassing…”
Rubian cried out eagerly.
“Answer me!”
“…Y-yes. I do.”
I answered before I could think.
In truth, there was no way I could have disliked her.
You were the most precious thing I possessed.
I was merely afraid of making you unhappy. I was terrified of disappointing you.
Yet Rubian’s expression suggested she wasn’t entirely satisfied with Kalid’s answer.
“You really mean it, right?”
“….”
“I really love you. I love you so much! More than anything in the world! I love you enough to give everything I have….”
“Stop.”
Kalid’s ears flushed crimson as he gently silenced Rubian’s words with his fingertips.
His trembling hand barely made contact, lacking any real force.
“I understand….”
“Even if you disappoint me or make me a little sad, I’ll keep loving you. Always.”
“….”
For a moment, I wondered if she could read my thoughts.
She let out a soft laugh.
“Of course, that won’t happen.”
Rubian’s gaze shifted away momentarily.
“Look at me now. I love you so much, yet I never even imagined a proposal like this, did I?”
“….”
“But you did it. And now you’re saying you regret not pouring your entire heart into it.”
“….”
“Even after all this… do you still think you’re someone incapable of returning love?”
He blinked blankly.
“Don’t you understand yet? You’re the greatest boyfriend I could ask for!”
She seized Kalid’s arm firmly.
“And you’ll be the greatest husband and family I could ever have!”
Her eyes held not a shred of doubt. Tears glistened in her azure gaze.
“So… don’t hate yourself. You’re not lacking or insufficient, Kalid.”
Kalid blinked blankly.
Was that true?
‘Had I been hating myself all along?’

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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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