Ch.214I’ll Give You My Last Name (4)

Rhezein tried to understand Eidel’s intentions.

Why did he send refreshments? Why did he make Seti the vice-head? Why did he remember their wedding anniversary, and why did he reserve this expensive restaurant to feed them?

A last supper? Final act of mercy? Or was there another motive?

Such thoughts were swept away like beach sand by the bizarre food Eidel had just created.

“Oh, it’s rising.”

“What madness are you doing with food! Father, look at him!”

Suspicion, anxiety, fear.

The first two emotions she had previously felt toward Eidel were completely devoured by fear. Eidel was shoveling food into his mouth that was beyond Rhezein’s comprehension.

“Eidel, stop that immediately! How can the head of a noble family behave so vulgarly!”

That was exactly what Rhezein meant.

Normally, family heads don’t do such things. Of course not, when they value appearances more than their lives.

“What on earth are you making in such an expensive place!”

“What’s wrong with sea squirt-durian-anchovy sauce-crab marinated risotto?”

“Just hearing it makes me feel insane! Throw it away right now!”

“Since I made it, I’ll dispose of it in my stomach. Urp, urgh.”

“Eidel…!”

“Wow, even foreign media would be shocked by this.”

Seti, who was holding her nose against the smell of fish sauce and durian, muttered nasally with disdain. Rhezein found herself nodding unconsciously.

“Ugh, see how the smell won’t go away. Do you want to die?”

“Sorry.”

“Is being sorry enough? If you’re going to eat monstrosities, do it alone!”

“But honestly, bizarre food is better than overeating.”

“You’re asking for a beating today.”

Eidel and Seti bickered back and forth.

“I’ll have some steak to cleanse my palate.”

“Hey! I waited in line for 30 minutes to get that!”

“Mmm, yummy~”

“You, you’re really dead. I’m going to cut your R&D budget from now on.”

“…That’s crossing the line?”

“What, want me to take away your vice-head position? Go ahead. Try it. As if you could manage the family assets without me. Bleh bleh bleh.”

This was the extent of political infighting within one of the ten great families controlling the Laniakea Federation. Rhezein felt her chest tighten with pettiness.

“Mother, don’t worry about it. He’s always like this. I just didn’t expect him to gift biochemical terrorism on your anniversary…”

“Gift? Ah, right. The gift.”

Eidel snapped his fingers, changing the subject. His voice became notably solemn.

“An anniversary must have a commemorative gift.”

Rhezein’s expression hardened.

The word “gift” could be interpreted in opposite ways.

Something joyful to receive.

Or something that brings misfortune.

If it was the latter, then what followed would be the main point. Rhezein steeled herself. The future of Seti and herself would be determined by the intention behind the gift she would receive in a few seconds.

“This might be presumptuous, but…”

Eidel took out a small box.

Huh? A box?

There’s only one thing that could be in such a small box?

Just as Rhezein’s thoughts reached that point, a clicking sound revealed a pair of silver rings.

“This is…”

“It doesn’t make sense not to wear wedding rings on your wedding anniversary.”

Imperial yellow topaz.

A rare gem at least thousands of times more expensive than regular topaz. It was known for its strong birefringence, glowing like fluorescence even in minimal light.

Indeed, the pair of rings emitted a soft glow.

Truly, beautifully.

Rhezein stared blankly at the gift Eidel was offering.

“What do you think?”

“…They’re beautiful.”

“They say topaz symbolizes happiness, patience, hope, friendship, and innocence. I had these 20th anniversary rings custom-made to wish for your happiness.”

She felt dizzy.

It wasn’t a love confession, but Rhezein couldn’t close her mouth, as if she’d been confessed to by a man she liked. She hadn’t expected Eidel to give such a gift at all.

“My arm’s getting tired. Please take them.”

Seti urged.

Rhezein accepted the box and asked.

“…Don’t tell me, you two prepared this?”

“Who knows?”

Seti played innocent.

“It must be an expensive ring…”

“Compared to our family’s wealth, it’s nothing special. We’re giving it because parents are more important than money.”

Eidel and Seti looked at each other and grinned. They seemed to get along so well that one could hardly believe they were the same siblings who had been squabbling moments ago.

“Try them on.”

“Ahem.”

“…”

It was their children’s encouragement.

They had no choice but to put them on, if only for the atmosphere.

Wearing the ring gave her a strange feeling. Rhezein glanced sideways at Arnold. Arnold was silently scratching his head.

“Right. We need to take a commemorative photo.”

Seti opened a screen. The multi-dimensional camera had a wide enough angle to comfortably capture all five people.

Seti stood beside them, and Eidel pulled the hesitant Cartrick by the shoulder. Cartrick groaned before quieting down. Eidel casually smiled and patted Cartrick’s shoulder.

“Okay, let’s take it. One, two, three, cheese~!”

“Research paper~!”

“Done. I’ll send it to Mother and Father right away.”

Rhezein slowly browsed through the photo bundle Seti had sent.

Seeing her husband’s expression in the photo felt somewhat different. It wasn’t his usual stoic face, but one that seemed slightly embarrassed.

Why?

She couldn’t understand the reason.

She had always thought he was someone without any affection…

“I look really ugly in this.”

“Mr. Nam.”

Rhezein fell into thought as she watched Eidel and Seti giggling.

They looked like ordinary, close siblings.

This warm atmosphere was unfamiliar, something never seen in the Adelbein family where even family members would be trampled if they became useless.

But she didn’t dislike it.

“…”

Rhezein sighed as she looked down at the sparkling topaz ring again.

Perhaps she had been mistaken all along.

Filial piety.

If it was simply about being filial, then Eidel’s actions so far made sense. If not, she couldn’t understand the intention behind this ring she had just received.

“Father, you need to wear yours too.”

“Ahem.”

Arnold put the ring on his left ring finger.

Rhezein felt inexplicably relieved watching him do so.

***

Arnold fiddled with the ring on his hand.

It felt awkward.

Since Reika’s death, he had worn nothing on that hand. He had placed his wedding ring with her deep in a safe to avoid losing it, while his wedding ring with Rhezein was carelessly stored in a drawer.

One love in a lifetime.

When that ended, he had vowed never to look at another woman again.

This ring would probably end up in the drawer in a few days too…

It was then that Eidel, with his arm around Seti’s shoulders, spoke up.

“Mother, I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor, you say?”

“Yes.”

Eidel smiled while patting Seti’s head.

“Seti is my real sibling. Although you’re not my birth mother, I’d like to honor you as if you were my real mother from now on.”

Rhezein’s shoulders twitched.

Arnold was even more surprised than her.

For Eidel, who held the position of family head, to say such things meant he wanted to bring Rhezein into the Council of Elders. Being brought into the Council carried many implications.

The right to participate in family decision-making.

Internal redistribution of family assets.

Incorporation into the Rheinland medical community.

Simply put, it meant recognizing her as part of the Rheinland family despite her different maiden name.

“If it’s alright with you, may I continue to call you Mother?”

“…”

Rhezein struggled to speak.

“…Yes, that’s fine.”

Arnold, already troubled by Brian’s license revocation, needed time to ask directly since Eidel had brought it up first. After the meal, Arnold called Eidel outside to speak privately.

“What do you plan to do with your brother?”

“I’ll send him to a distant planetary system. Not to the frontier, but somewhere he can live comfortably. Of course, he won’t be able to join the Council of Elders. That alone should prevent him from coveting my position as family head.”

“…Good, make sure you keep that promise.”

No matter what wrongs he had committed, Arnold didn’t want to lose any child born of Reika. He breathed a sigh of relief at Eidel’s merciful treatment.

He naturally changed the subject.

“Eidel, now that you’re grown, you’ve probably noticed. Rhezein and I are not a loving couple.”

“I know. It was an arranged marriage.”

“Even arranged marriages can be good relationships, like you and your fiancée.”

“Most aren’t.”

Arnold reluctantly nodded. His gaze was fixed on the sky, where countless stars twinkled.

“We started without knowing each other well. It was worse than a blind date. So before we could even find out if we were compatible, we were already full of hostility.”

“The Adelbein family has lost its power. The head selection ceremony is over too. You don’t need to be wary of Mother anymore.”

“That’s not the issue.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’ve only ever loved one woman.”

Arnold removed the ring Eidel had given him and slipped it into his pocket.

“Eidel, your birth mother wasn’t from a particularly powerful family. She wasn’t at the level to marry into our family. Yet I didn’t insist on marrying someone of equal status. That’s because I decided to give everything to your mother.”

Arnold was now lost in the past as he spoke.

“I first met Reika during my Academia days. She was a simple, pure girl. But as time passed, I discovered she had a mischievous side too. She was especially skilled at teasing me.”

Eidel listened quietly.

There was the sound of footsteps, but they were completely drowned out by Arnold’s gradually rising voice. His story continued for more than ten minutes.

How they met. How they fell in love. Who confessed first, and what difficulties they faced during the family introductions. Eidel learned many things.

“…She had a knack for chemistry and biology, and said she wanted to become a scholar when she grew up. Whether a biologist, chemist, or pharmacist. She said she would find ways to defeat the foreign gods, and ordered me to take good care of injured soldiers on the battlefield in the meantime. Such a little girl making threats, before she’d even been accepted to college.”

Arnold chuckled.

The father’s rough hand covered Eidel.

“Eidel, looking at you now, I see you’re the spitting image of Reika.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. You’re fulfilling the dreams Reika couldn’t achieve. Looking back, I think it was truly fortunate that you were accepted into Stellarium.”

The conversation paused briefly.

Rhezein, who had been hiding behind an oak tree, peeked out.

It was unexpected.

She had thought he was just a cold, unfeeling person, but he was simply devoted to his late wife. This was something she learned for the first time today, despite living together for over 20 years.

In fact, it made sense. They had always kept their distance due to the subtle power struggle between their families, and there was a psychological barrier too. Arnold longed for his former wife, while Rhezein yearned for an old lover.

It was the result of two devoted lovers pushing each other away.

Rhezein fiddled with her ring out of sympathy.

The truly important conversation began in the next moment.