"Eugene... you mean?
I blurred my voice returning it to a word I never thought I would. My heart starts hitting the early bell.
From Claire's mouth, why does Eugene's name come up? It's about my ancestors five hundred years ago.
"I want you to see this."
Claire took something small out of the bag and offered it to Liz.
"It's something that's passed down to our Howard family from generation to generation. Eugene Howard had it all her life."
What Claire offered was a ring. Silver ring with blue stone.
The moment I saw it, my chest became bitter so that it could be tightened. The back of my throat trembles in small pieces. There is a mix of anticipation of no way and denial that it is impossible.
(Lies. But could it be...)
The color of this stone. Refreshing blue like a bright early morning.
This is the color of Cecil's eyes. Every day in my previous life, it was just like the color of my own eyes I had seen over the mirror.
If you look inside the silver ring with your trembling hands, the engraved letters do "go to Cecil"
Isn't that a dream?
But in the evidence that it's real, the ring shows a definite presence in your hands.
(Why? Why, why...?
Only doubts arise one after another in my head that turns bright white.
Before Eugene went to the Howard family in her previous life, the words she told Cecil came back to life.
"I'll give you the ring when I get back. Give me a ring with blue stones, the same color as Cecil's eyes" -.
(He prepared it for me...)
Give me a ring for the wedding. Give me a ring to give to my loved one...
My chest hurts so tight. Tears spilled.
Eugene married someone else but hadn't forgotten Cecil. There was certainly Cecil in Eugene's mind just a little bit. I couldn't wait to be happy enough to thank God for that.
Claire opened her eyes to surprise Liz, who wrapped the ring in care with her palms like a broken object and gave her a whimper, "A Diaper". Then I smiled relieved.
"Good. I knew I should have told Liz. This ring is usually closed to my parents' bedroom shelves and never comes out on the surface. I don't know anyone but my family.
I'm magical, but I told you before that a lot of magic can't be used at all, right? But this time I was called to the temple as a candidate for the Virgin... and it's a funny story, but I felt I had to bring this ring. "
Claire dyes her cheeks and laughs proudly.
It's as if for the first time in my life, my magic helped.
"The owner of this ring is Eugene, but it was Eugene's son, Theo Howard, who said he wanted the ring to remain until future generations. Eugene seems to have asked me to bury this ring in the grave with myself, but my son Theo didn't. Theo told his children - Eugene's grandchildren, right?
'I don't know how many hundred years away, but one day someone will show up who has to give me this ring. So never let go of the ring'
Theo Howard also had dark hair, dark eyed magic. Well, he's with me, and I'm told he was a very useless magician. There was definite magic. "
Speak slowly as Claire remembers what she heard a long time ago.
Liz could hardly speak with a full heart, and finally blurred about it.
"... Eugene had a boy named Theo, and you lived happily ever after"
Eugene lived a happy life surrounded by good sons and grandchildren. Of course there are feelings of regret and sadness. There is also a deep feeling of resentment for being unfair.
But I'm glad Eugene seemed happy.
I'm glad that I was the one in my previous life - the one who kept loving Cecil until she died.
Claire shook her neck to the side in front of Liz smiling in tears.
"No. Theo is not Eugene's real child. He said he was a distant child and was taken away as an adopted child."
Liz slowly opened her eyes. I felt my heart jump small.
Claire continues.
"Eugene Howard never married. I've been single my whole life. My lover betrayed me, but I couldn't forget that lover or something. I don't know if it's true because Grandma Hii used to tell me that.
But nobility weighs heavily on pedigree, so they were very opposed to not getting married at the time, but Eugene didn't shake his head vertically. "
(... what? What do you mean?)
I can't follow your thoughts. Doesn't move well like the core of my head is numb.
Didn't Eugene marry that Gurud lady - that one who looked down cold on Cecil?
'Cause didn't the Howard family butler tell Cecil that? Isn't that what the lady said?
(Were you lying?
Didn't Eugene marry that lady? Did you inherit the Howard family without getting married? But I can't explain this ring to Cecil. If you hadn't forgotten about Cecil, if you loved her enough to take care of her all your life, you could come and see her once or write to me.
But I didn't come back to Cecil. I didn't even get a single letter.
Because Cecil quickly went to the Howard family and suffered an epidemic disease, and he died quickly, but until then, he was in one of those collective homes where he lived with Eugene for a long time.
And what's "betrayed by a lover"? Cecil has not betrayed anyone. Instead, even after Eugene betrayed me, I always thought of Eugene. What's this all about?
In front of confused Liz, she laughed as small as Claire remembered.
"They told me never to let go of that ring, but they've thought about selling it several times in the last five hundred years. First, when the Howard family became civilians after collapsing two hundred years ago. Not that expensive ring, but because I heard you sold everything you could sell, garbage or anything.
Again about ten years ago now, when I was seven or eight. My father is a gardener, but a man I know deceived me into carrying a lot of debts. My parents didn't say anything, but they probably stuck their wings so much that they had to sell me and my other brothers.
No more, an arrow tip that I decided was all I had in the family, a young man in his mid-twenties with a scarred black cape on his cheek, and he showed up refreshed and saved the crisis. All my debts disappeared clean, and I deceived my father. That the man I knew never showed up again.
My parents didn't even know who the benefactor of that cloak was, and I looked for him, but I didn't know. But our family is still deeply grateful to him.
Sorry, that's what I said, but other than that, I hear you've thought about letting go of the chills.
But for Liz, you're a very important thing. Theo Howard said, "Someday I'll show up, someone I have to give it to" was about Liz. I'm so glad your ancestors didn't let go. "
Claire smiles satisfied that it was good to give it to her. Liz nodded loudly.
"Something very important that will solve five hundred years of straying. Thank you, Claire. Bring me this ring, give it to me. Thank you so much."
"Oh no - my parents were so happy this time when I was chosen as a candidate for the Virgin because they knew I had always been worried about magic being a burden. I knew it meant a lot to be born with magic.
But I couldn't because I didn't have a holy bud...... honestly, my heart was heavy. I don't know what face to see my parents. But the ring helped. My magical possession was not in vain. I can go home with my chest up. "
To Claire with a sunny grin, Liz nodded unspoken, "Yeah, yeah," over and over again.
We both take our seats at the same time. And Claire looked sorry.
"I could give you the ring, but there's a lot of ambiguity about your ancestor Eugene because when I was a kid, I just heard it from his grandmothers as an old story. I'm sorry."
"Enough."
Liz laughed and shook her head sideways. And...
"It's okay."
The rain, which had been falling since morning, had stopped at some point. Bright sunlight plunges in through the window.
Liz gripped the ring tightly and laughed with all her strength in her shining red eyes.
"To someone who knows more, I'm going to see you now"