26 – Blanket
People learn something new from experience.
This applies even to students who prefer knowledge from books over experience.
Just because it is far from experience does not mean that experience can be underestimated. In the latter case, it is called “desk-bound” and naturally tends to fade away.
As if to prove this, I was learning from experience once again.
“This time, I’ll ask. What do you do?”
Even if you have done nothing particularly wrong, it is quite difficult to answer such a question when someone grabs you by the collar.
“…”
Lena’s grimacing face is so close that our noses almost touch.
Due to the height difference of about two heads, she is grabbing my collar while lifting her heels.
If I set my mind to it, it wouldn’t be difficult to shake her off, but I wanted to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
I slowly raised both arms.
“That’s it, calm down for a moment.”
“…Answer the question. Who are you?”
“Um.”
After a brief pause, an air of arrogance emanated from Lena’s lips.
Now, if only I could answer well, we could smoothly dispel any misunderstandings.
But where should I start?
Being Benjamin’s disciple. Dorang. Or even the fact that I am an imperial.
Nothing should be casually revealed.
As I hesitated to respond, Lena tightened her grip even more.
“I told you to answer!”
That’s when it happened.
Creak—
The door of the house in front of us slowly opened, revealing a shadowy figure inside.
A woman of elegance.
Softly curved eyes and an attire exuding a sense of daily life.
Breaking through that limited atmosphere, an uncanny impression emerged, reminding me of someone I knew very well.
The old woman alternately glanced at me and Lena before opening her mouth again.
“Lena. I thought something was going on outside due to the commotion. What on earth is happening?”
“Oh, Mother.”
Mother.
So, she’s Susanne Oslo, Benjamin’s wife.
Lena visibly startled, releasing her grip on my collar and beginning to fidget.
It was understandable. Just as I didn’t know how to respond to Lena’s question, she had no way of explaining the situation as long as she didn’t know my true identity.
It seems like things have been tangled from the very beginning.
Someone has to step forward to end this confusion.
I passed by Lena’s right side and took a step forward.
“…?”
Though Lena shot me a suspicious glance, I paid it no mind.
With one arm placed over my chest and a polite bow, I greeted Susanne, who stood on the porch above the stairs.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Eugene.”
“Eugene?”
A brief silence.
“No way.”
Wide-eyed, Susanne quickly scanned me from head to toe.
What she saw would include a travel bag that seemed to come from afar, a face marked by the aftermath of coal mining labor, and ash-colored hair.
Decisively, Susanne must have known the name Eugene.
As she realized the truth, Susanne’s expression shifted to one of utter astonishment.
She stepped aside and swung the front door wide open.
“Lena. And Eugene. Come in.”
“Uh, Mother?!”
“Lena.”
Shh. Susan pressed her index finger to her lips.
“Come in.”
*
As I set foot in the house for the first time, a familiar atmosphere greeted me.
A duplex residence.
Adorned with greenish wallpaper, the wooden furniture scattered throughout the house exuded the charm of years gone by. Somehow, the interior carried a faint scent of flowers.
A cozy space radiating a sense of daily life.
Though the structure of the house and its occupants might differ, gazing upon this house brought to mind Leman’s Oslo residence.
Seated on the living room sofa at Susan’s urging, I embarked on a journey into the realm of memories.
“……”
“……”
At least, I didn’t have to worry about Lena, who sat on a nearby single-person sofa, glaring at me while I was lost in my own thoughts.
A chilly silence.
Escaping into memories had its limits.
I turned my gaze to survey the surroundings of the house again.
While somewhat similar to Leman’s house, the Prussian ancestral home was much larger.
If I recall correctly, there were only five daughters below.
Excluding Benjamin and Dorothy, that meant five people lived in this house. Naturally, they would need many rooms and ample space.
It was when I turned my head towards the stairs, contemplating such thoughts.
There was something.
“……?”
Blink.
Midway up the stairs, between the railings, I discovered two pairs of pupils staring at me from the gap.
Green irises resembling each other closely.
As if they were secretly watching each other, the moment our eyes met, they jumped up the stairs in surprise and vanished.
Despite the curiosity, I seemed to know who those two children were.
Fourth and fifth.
The youngest daughters of the Oslo family – probably twins.
I considered striking up a conversation, but with Lena’s sharp gaze fixed on me, it was not easy to act freely.
“You’ve been waiting long?”
The chilly atmosphere that seemed endless was relieved as Susan returned from the kitchen.
In her hand was a teapot filled with the fragrance of flowers.
Pouring fragrant tea into three cups, Susan slowly parted her lips.
“About a week ago, I received a letter. A letter stating that ‘Eugene’ had boarded a ship heading to the Federation.”
“…Is that so?”
Benjamin must have written a new letter.
Considering I recognized the name Eugene because of the letter he sent like iron a while ago.
“If it were a report, I wouldn’t be worried, but since the mail has to cross the sea, it takes time to deliver. Even though more than a month has passed since the departure date mentioned in the letter, there was no news, so I quietly worried that the voyage might have failed.”
Susanne looked at me with a gentle smile.
“It seems like you’ve been through a lot.”
Even now, faint dark bruises stained my skin and fingertips.
Although they were barely noticeable at a glance, Susanne could see them in her eyes.
I slowly nodded my head.
On the other hand, Lena, who didn’t understand the situation, was tilting her head with a strange expression.
“Oh my. ‘This person’? I’m pretty sure I heard someone say something like, ‘Who is this person, probably a stalker.’”
“What? I never said anything like that….”
Seeing Lena clenching her fist and trembling, I wondered if this kind of thing happened frequently.
“Well, it’s no joke.”
Susanne, who burst into laughter, summed up the situation.
“Eugene Oslo. Nineteen years old. He’s your older brother who has been learning magic from Benjamin for the past three years and has now come over to the Federation.”
“!”
I was surprised.
Eugene Oslo.
Their family name combined with a given name.
Benjamin used that name in the letter, and it also meant that Susanne readily accepted a new family member whom she had never seen before.
“….”
Can I be accepted so easily as a member of the Oslo family?
On the other hand, there was one more person who harbored similar thoughts.
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“Are you my brother?”
“Yeah.”
“And if it’s been three years, and if you’ve come from the Federation?”
“Yeah. You can tell by the gray hair, can’t you? I’m from the Empire.”
Susan explained patiently, but it was obvious that it wasn’t a problem that could be understood and accepted slowly.
While calmly staring at Lena, who began to fidget with trembling hands, he whispered to me.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t talked to the kids in detail about the letter, so it’s understandable that they’re a little surprised.”
“No, it’s okay.”
Susan seemed unaware.
That I was surprised too, even more than Lena was.
An imperial.
Just by having gray hair, I’ve heard countless times that it’s a sign of the barbarian bloodline. Even just the color of their hair alone, the Federation people openly express feelings of disgust and contempt without reservation.
But this family was different.
Susan, who directly mentioned the word “imperial”, and Lena, who unexpectedly came face to face with an imperial.
In their attitudes, there was no trace of disgust.
Even Lena’s confusion seemed to stem from the unexpected appearance of an imperial man who claimed to be her brother.
Do they both know?
Benjamin and Dorothy. And even now, how much help and comfort I am receiving from the Oslo family.
I made the decision right away.
I am an imperial, an outsider.
Rather than hearing my brother’s voice, this harmonious family maintaining a peaceful daily life was more precious.
After finishing the tea, I intentionally placed the teacup down, making a sound.
Confirming the convergence of their gazes, I slowly rose from my seat.
“It was nice meeting you today.”
“What are you talking about?”
There was no intention to confuse or extend my hands to them.
It was a courtesy to the Oslo family, who raised and took care of a beggar boy under their feet.
I would knock on this door again after settling down in Prussia and entering university.
I had conveyed my intentions well to Suzan and Lena.
However,
A reaction completely different from what I expected came back.
“Eugene. It seems like you have a big misunderstanding about family.”
Suzan earnestly held my hand with a serious expression.
“The world is cold. To live without trembling in the cold, you need someone to embrace. Living with expectations is what makes us human, and family is about holding each other and relying on each other. It’s an invaluable relationship. There’s no room for silver linings or losses.”
“….”
“Family is completed by being by each other’s side. Being far away for our sake. That’s the essence.”
Listening to Suzan’s calm words, I found myself sitting on the sofa before I knew it.
It felt like I had heard similar words three years ago during a winter night.
Without embracing the warmth in your chest like a bonfire, how can one share such warmth with others?
It was the moment when I was about to nod, moved by Susan’s words.
“…I, oppose.”
A crawling voice.
Rena, who had deeply lowered her head while listening to Susan’s story, threw that remark and climbed the stairs without looking back.
Susan smiled bitterly.
“Rena treasures her family too much, that’s why she refuses.”
