How long should we face each other in silence?
Jared endured the silent moments before his father, who had asked to speak with him.
In his heart, he was begging Olivier, who had gone to his deceased mother’s room, to return quickly and help him.
It would have been nice if Johan had said something, but the silence had already lasted for ten minutes.
Jared, who had endured battles as a magician and harsh training from his master Almeida, thought he could tolerate most things.
“But this is impossible!”
He even considered speaking first, but he couldn’t find the words, not knowing what to say.
His relationship with his father had been distant since he could remember, and he had even harbored hatred and homicidal intent towards him. Even if he was told that there was love and it was all a misunderstanding, he couldn’t simply accept it.
He was trying. He couldn’t hide his shock about his mother, but he wanted to respond sincerely to his father, who had earnestly confessed everything.
However, witty remarks wouldn’t come to him, and he was at a loss.
“Well, you know, we’ve been through a lot. I understand that I caused you pain, and I know you resent me.”
Johan finally spoke to Jared, who was desperately searching for words.
“Jared… I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done to you.”
Johan’s apology spilled out.
Though his words were weak, his gaze was fixed on Jared. His unwavering gaze told Jared that the apology was sincere.
“I can’t say ‘don’t worry about it,’ no matter how much I try.”
“I understand.”
“I was shocked by what you hid.”
“Of course. I’m sorry.”
“But I don’t hate you anymore, and I don’t want anything now. Please don’t apologize again. Just apologize once, and that’s enough.”
He knew he couldn’t simply wash away everything, and the past wouldn’t change.
For Jared, even though he had suffered painful experiences in the past, he had also made good encounters. He could protect those he cared about with the strength he had cultivated.
So, it was enough now.
“Looking back, I think I’ve had a surprisingly fortunate life. So, it’s okay now.”
These were Jared’s true feelings.
He was able to express himself so easily, perhaps because he was happy now.
He had Olivier and the others, who called him family.
He also had Pfeil and his companions, with whom he had fought as enemies but inexplicably shared their lives.
He was blessed with friends, and he had met his older brother and a good master. His acquaintances were all good people too.
He had met many malicious people, but still, his surroundings were so bright that he felt fortunate.
Upon hearing Jared’s words, Johan softly expressed his gratitude.
It was then that,
“I’m sorry! But, Jared! Father-in! I found it!”
Olivier burst in with such force that she kicked open the door, startling both father and son.
“Wh-what is it, Olivier?”
“This, look at this!”
“A diary?”
“Yes, a diary. I found it in Liz’s room just now!”
He remembered his mother keeping a diary. However, it shouldn’t have been something to be brought with such excitement.
“Is that diary really Liz’s?”
“Yes, it belongs to Liz.”
“But I don’t recognize it. I thought I had sorted through all her belongings…”
To his father’s doubtful voice, Olivier placed her hands on her hips and held up the diary.
“Women prepare diaries just for themselves. Wouldn’t men do the same? Like, to hide an affair, you know how it is.”
“Ah, that’s true. There are hidden diaries, or things written that you don’t want anyone to see even after you die. Could it be, Olivier, that you have one too?”
“D-don’t say such foolish things. I would never do that. I write in my diary, but I don’t write anything that can’t be shown. Besides, a diary isn’t meant to be shown to others, is it?”
Jared, who was nodding in agreement, didn’t notice Olivier’s agitation hidden behind him.
As she had stated, she didn’t have a hidden diary. However, she was hiding something far worse.
A fantasy novel written to relieve her daily stress and frustrations. Its descriptions were somewhat extreme, filled with a dense narrative that a woman who read romance novels without experiencing love would write. If a third party, even her beloved mother, were to see it, she would surely die of embarrassment.
“Olivier, is the diary you’re holding truly Liz’s?”
“Yes. And it is also what I was looking for.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand what you’re trying to say, Olivier.”
Jared agreed with his father.
Olivier held the diary as if she had discovered a treasure, but what meaning did its contents hold? Of course, he wanted to know more about his late mother’s memories, but after hearing his father’s story, he was also a little scared.
Besides, he wondered if it was okay to casually read someone else’s diary, even if they were deceased.
“I wanted to know Liz’s true feelings. I apologize for the intrusion, but I searched her room and found it. And its contents were exactly as I had imagined.”
“…No, surely not.”
Johan finally understood the meaning of Olivier’s words, his voice trembling with both anxiety and anticipation.
Jared felt similarly. He was the child his mother desired, but there was no love there. However, what if that was a mistake—it was natural for a child to think that.
Even though he had memories of being loved by his mother, he couldn’t help but feel anxious, wondering if perhaps…
“I have already read it, but please take a look, Father-in. There are truths you should know written within.”
Saying so, Olivier approached Johan and handed him the diary.
With his son and his fiancé watching, Johan stroked the cover of the old diary. He caught a faint scent of his late wife’s perfume.
He savored the nostalgia, fought his anxiety, and gently opened the diary.
