episode_0170

Fosao gave a fervent welcome to Tia, who returned home late at night. “Ti, Tia-!! I-I missed you so much!” He said he hadn’t been able to sleep for days. He’d been so worried she might have been dragged away by the Lord and harmed, or that she might have caught a disease and gotten sick.

“Don’t worry. Nothing like that happened. In fact—I brought good news!” “Good news?” “The Lord-nim said he’d specially reduce the taxes imposed on us!” “Wh-what?!”

Tia briefly explained what had happened. “And he also promised to find Mister a job! Now all our worries are solved! Mister!” “Really? Th-this… isn’t a dream, is it?” Fosao mumbled with a blank expression, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Of course. He hadn’t done anything. If anything, he had held Tia back when she tried to work hard. Their reputation was plummeting to its worst, and heavy fines had been imposed. They were in a situation where they would undoubtedly be expelled.

But Tia solved everything herself. No, she didn’t just solve it; she turned everything around. Yes. It was magic. It was such a mysterious thing that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it magic.

It seemed as if the saying, ‘everything flows smoothly,’ was made for Fosao. Because all he had done to get to this point was drink, play, and have his way with Tia.

The next day, as soon as morning broke, people arrived. It was the Lord’s knight and two of his subordinates. They took off their hats and greeted Tia, who opened the door for them, saying they had come to fetch Fosao. It took a while to wake him from his deep sleep, wash him, and get him dressed and ready to go, but the knight waited patiently.

However, upon seeing the sight of a young, beautiful woman diligently tending to the old, fat, ugly man, he merely wore an expression of disbelief.

The knight spoke again. “The Lord-nim has shown generosity on the condition that he stops gambling. Please give your firm promise.” Tia smiled and nodded. “Go on, tell him you won’t do it, Mister.” “Yes, yes. I won’t! I, I won’t touch ga-gambling ever again!” “Then follow me.”

Fosao headed to the central market. No one had willingly welcomed him anywhere he went before. But when the knight stepped forward and spoke to them, everyone’s attitude changed.

And according to Fosao’s wishes, they decided to look for professional work related to commerce, preferably with less manual labor.

“In that case, we happen to have an opening.” That was the reply when they inquired at a merchant company that didn’t seem to be short on manpower at all.

The merchant revealed that he was managing one of Gordburg’s massive warehouses. He needed someone meticulous, resourceful, and trustworthy to calculate the value of goods entering and leaving daily.

Fosao had worked at a general store for a long time and could handle money calculations thoroughly, but his gloomy appearance was a problem as it couldn’t inspire trust in customers.

In commerce, where mutual trust was crucial, that point made him unsuitable. But the knight summed it up in a single sentence: “He is a man certified by the Lord-nim.” How trustworthy those words were.

If the Lord himself sent a knight to recommend a person, there was no longer any room to doubt his trustworthiness. The manager of the merchant company readily accepted the offer.

And so, Fosao became responsible for managing the warehouse of a large merchant company.

Tia returned to her ordinary life. She decided to continue caring for and teaching the children at the request of the villagers.

Since Fosao had started earning money, she no longer had to worry. She didn’t depend on a daily wage like before.

One more task was added. Whenever someone fell ill in the village, everyone sought out Tia first. Since the children all said Tia could cure their illnesses, the adults also started coming to her to ask about their ailments.

So during the day, she looked after the children, and at night, she prepared medicine for people.

The Lord suggested she could operate a treatment room while residing in the castle, but Tia replied that she preferred to stay close to the people and would see patients at her own home. He was greatly pleased by this and sent pharmaceutical equipment like a distiller and various tools as gifts. He also offered assistance, telling her to ask anytime if she needed medicinal ingredients.

Both their reputations improved day by day.

A big change also occurred for Fosao. Although he was still gloomy, stuttered, and was slow-moving, causing people to view him unfavorably, he never caused any trouble.

Perhaps managing a warehouse suited his aptitude. If one thought about it, his general store, which never had customers, was no different from a warehouse anyway.

He just had to sit in a dark corner, guard the goods, and record numbers. And in front of Fosao’s face, so greedy that he wouldn’t miss a single coin, no foolish person dared to pull any tricks.

It was smooth. It truly felt as if this peaceful time would continue indefinitely.

Time flowed gently like a spring breeze, until it was almost the end of March. Thump.

One night, Fosao placed a small gift bundle in front of Tia. “What’s this?” “Heh- Open it.”

Tia opened the bundle. A small box, no bigger than her palm, appeared. She stared at the charming box, which looked like a miniature safe.

Carefully, she unlatched the small clasp and opened the lid. “…Ah.” Tia let out a gasp without realizing it.

Inside the box, soft white silk was neatly folded and filled it. And within the silk, a single fiery red ruby sparkled and shone.

I knew. That ruby ring… Joseph Uncle had given it to me. I had searched my house thoroughly and couldn’t find it, but Fosao had already taken it.

“……” Tia was so startled she couldn’t say anything. Because that ruby… was larger and more beautifully cut than any gem Tia had ever seen.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she barely managed to turn to Fosao. “This…?” “It’s a ring. A ring I’m gi-giving to Tia.”

It was too luxurious to be merely a gift. No, even a distinguished noble wouldn’t exchange such a ring as a simple present. Just like I hadn’t.

Tia didn’t know how to accept that ruby ring… which absolutely did not suit a commoner.

A premonition of danger and a feeling that it was undeserved. Her expression showed confusion, crushed by the overwhelming presence it exuded.

But Fosao knew. Like the final strawberry placed on a cake. The moment a ‘special meaning for a woman’ was gently placed upon a ring of unknown origin. That kind of thing would make everything else seem fine.

“Ma-marry me, Tia.”

The two had already lived virtually as a married couple. The villagers simply thought of Tia and Fosao as husband and wife, even if they didn’t explicitly mention it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have told Tia about Fosao’s gambling habits from the beginning.

They had simply assumed that there were deep circumstances between the two that were delaying their marriage.

The ‘marriage’ Fosao spoke of now meant discarding that ambiguous form. To all the people living in Gordburg. It meant declaring that Fosao Modaless and Tia Anshier had officially become husband and wife. And holding a wedding ceremony where many people would attend and act as witnesses.

The ruby ring Fosao offered was a token containing all that meaning.

What did Tia truly think? There might not have been any other choice, given she was already carrying his baby in her womb.

Yet, having watched Fosao until now… did she truly believe he could protect her and make her happy? The ‘man’ she could only choose once in her eventful life of infinite possibilities. That sole choice remaining for a woman born to live until death. Did Tia truly desire to become the wife of such an old, fat, and ugly man?

“…Alright.” It seemed she did. She was crying. With a girlish face that was so happy, so overjoyed, she didn’t know what to do.

Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.

…With the happiest smile she had never shown me. With the most beautiful face of a woman who had finally become one man’s. Tia cried like that, embraced in Fosao’s arms.

* * *

Two days later, the wedding was held. The area in front of the couple’s house was more crowded than usual.

Wooden chairs were amply arranged throughout the yard for the attendees, and delicious fruits from Gordburg were laid out for everyone to pick and eat at any time.

The children, thoroughly excited by the festive atmosphere, ran around scattering flowers they had picked from some hill.

The Lord’s representative acted as the officiant. It wasn’t because of any special treatment. It was because the Lord himself oversaw marriages in this land.

“The groom and bride shall enter.” Amidst the villagers’ cheers. The back door opened, and Fosao appeared, waddling across the yard.

He, who always walked with a stooped posture and dressed shabbily, came out neatly dressed today. Of course, the buttons on his vest looked precarious, as if they would burst any moment over his protruding belly.

His sparse hair seemed to have been combed and neatly styled to cover the top. Although he had groomed himself as much as possible, the crinkled wrinkles etched on his cheeks and neck could not be erased.

Judging by his appearance, he looked more like the officiant or a father attending to send off the bride. This man, so old and pot-bellied that he looked like he’d been married 30 years ago… was the groom.

The women whispered and laughed. “It’s late, but Mister Fosao is finally getting married.” “Hohoho—Indeed. They say every pot has its lid.”

Rodya said, looking at the girl walking from the other side. “…There’s probably only one woman in the world who would accept a man like that.”

Suddenly, the yard fell silent. It was because everyone was looking in that direction.

Had roses bloomed so early? It was a beautiful afternoon, bathed in orange sunlight. Fiery red hair danced softly over a dazzlingly white dress.

When the Saintess who brought warm spring to Gordburg, ‘Tia Anshier,’ appeared.

The villagers, captivated by her radiant beauty, simply forgot what they were going to say.

Boys who were just beginning to discover love bowed their heads in shyness. Even farmers, whose hearts had grown dull over time, felt them pound again. Undoubtedly, Tia was the most lovely sight in the world.

If a ruby were to reincarnate as a woman, would it not descend upon this world with such beauty?

“The two shall face each other.” Fosao and Tia stood side by side. Standing so close, Tia looked incredibly small compared to the large-built Fosao.

Everyone must have felt a sense of incongruity. On one side stood a beautiful girl, as if she had just stepped out of a painting. On the other stood an utterly dark and fat man.

It was surreal.

“Fosao Modaless. Do you vow to make your bride happy throughout your life?” “I-I vow.” “Tia Anshier. Do you vow to live happily with Fosao Modaless throughout your life?”

“Yes. In sorrow, in hardship, forever… I will be with you.”

Like water and oil. The two, who seemed as if they would never mix, were slowly blending together as they made their vows to the heavens.

“I have confirmed. Now, the groom shall present the proof of his love to the bride.” Fosao took out the ruby ring. Then he gently took Tia’s small hand. And carefully slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

Ah… Beautiful. So beautiful it was agonizing. The one to hold that delicate hand and put the ring on… …It should have been me.

It was Tia’s turn. She slipped the silver ring, which she had bought with the money she painstakingly saved, onto Fosao’s thick finger.

“By the words of the Lord-nim, I declare. Let it be known that a new family has been born in Gordburg. The groom, Fosao Modaless.” The officiant paused and spoke solemnly. “…The bride, Tia Modaless.”

Ah, so that’s it. Now, ‘Tia Anshier’ no longer exists in this world. The girl from my memories, who smiled brightly and looked towards the future with me, had vanished.

Tia Modaless. A woman who bore Fosao’s surname, who had forever become his possession. That was all that was there.

The wedding concluded with the final congratulatory speech. “May your path ahead be filled with blessings.” Amidst the cheers and applause of the villagers.

The bouquet of daffodils Tia threw soared high into the sky.