Married Couple’s Qualifications - Chapter 205

Episode 205 Side story: Daily life and change (3)
2023.09.18.

“Who is that friend?”

“Uhm, it’s a secret.”

“secret?”

“I’ll tell you something special, just for you.”

Merial turned her head as if imitating Calix just before, and then she raised the blade of her hand and covered her mouth.

“Ariel is a fairy.”

“Ariel is a doll.”

Deep wrinkles appeared on Calix’s smooth forehead.

She only carries Ariel around, calling her her own sister, and in the first place, Ariel was just a doll made of her cloth. Apparently, Merial’s friend, as always, was a fictional character created by her child’s rich imagination.

She said, “She’s not a doll, she’s a fairy. She said her mother would teach her how not to get sick.”

“……I guess so.”

Carl Rix nodded his head awkwardly and slowly.

I couldn’t give a cool rebuttal because I had a history of making people cry when I firmly explained the reality and said it was nonsense. What was more difficult than hanging out with a child was comforting a crying child.

I have learned from past experience that it is easier to nod your head obediently than to explain the difference between reality and imagination.

“Did he say anything else?”

“i did it!”

“What did you say?”

“I’m going to have a younger brother.”

“Brother?”

It was a rough story, but it wasn’t an unfamiliar story. Merial always wanted to have a younger sibling, so much so that she gave her doll a separate name.

“So I said I have to give this to you. Oh, and this is your last chance.”

last chance.

I guess it’s not just my mood that makes those words ring in my ears.

Calix looked at Merial with her narrowed eyes.

She doesn’t know anything, and the bright child is just an ordinary child. She didn’t look as weird as she used to.

But there is something about her that makes it hard to just ignore it.

Carl Rix deliberately maintained an indifferent expression and opened her mouth again.

“Tell me more about that fairy friend.”

“Ariel?”

“Did you say anything more?”

“Well, they say Mary becomes a bad girl if she gets greedy for her little brother.”

“under…….”

Carl Rix turned her head.

Her endless sea was wide, and the child in her hands was small. In a place like this, there was no way she would be able to find her child even if she disappeared.

It was clear what Merial said her friend’s intentions were.

“Where is that friend?”

“It’s Ariel.”

I didn’t know if I really had to ask about that, but my stubbornly closed mouth seemed to open only when my wishes were fulfilled.

Calix frowned. I didn’t want to call a non-human doll by its name, but it’s also funny to fight with a child over something like that. In the end, it was the adult who had to break his stubbornness.

“……Yes, Ariel.”

“Ariel doesn’t talk all the time. She talks sometimes.”

“Then tell me when your friend comes.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“If you’re going to talk nonsense one more time, don’t come visit me again.”

To be honest, dealing with a child wasn’t easy for her, but she never thought about abandoning him. Accepting a child with whom she was not related by blood was not simple, but she eventually decided to go along with it. If I was going to give up, I wouldn’t have even tried.

“That’s a mean word!”

“You were the one who got on my nerves first.”

“Ariel is nice.”

“She is not good, she is foolish.”

“What is regret?”

“Like your friend.”

Merial’s lips became sharp like a bird’s beak at her insincere answer. Carlix complained that he didn’t like her answer, but he didn’t care.

The secret that her friend revealed to Merial was cruel when you consider her reality. She was not a friend; it was more appropriate to call her an evil woo.

Still, I can’t say anything because they are the same person.

Calix adjusted her marriage and hugged her. The child who came into his arms obediently was now accustomed to being held in his arms.

“If you don’t want to say that, say something else.”

“What do you mean?”

“We are living well without everyone worrying about us.

Although they have deep-set eyes, if you look closely, their essence is still not much different from that of a child. All you have to do is give something you want as a gift and hope that the other person likes it.

Ultimately, at the bottom of it all, I’m longing for affection.

I did everything I could and gave everything I could because I wanted to get my affection back, even if it meant doing it in the end.

Calix stared at the child.

In the past I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart, but not now. He could see what eyes were hungry for affection and how their hearts were twisted.

“Don’t be jealous. This child is you too.”

“…….”

The reason why strangers kept tripping over his mail was because he was worried that he would become an obstacle and at the same time, he was jealous of himself.

He is what he wanted, and at the same time, Merial has what he cannot have.

“If you want to see it, you can. If you want to be around, it doesn’t matter. But even if you do, no one will recognize you.”

Because this is not the place for you.

The child’s pupils shook at the cold voice without any emotion. But rather than stop his words, Carl Rix continued speaking.

Even though it was cruel, this was reality.

“Go back to where you belong.”

“…There’s no point in going back. I’m alone there. There’s no one there.”

“Still live.”

“Do you know that this is irresponsible?”

“But that’s the best. Even if it’s obvious that opportunities will come to you as you go through life, at least that’s what I did.”

He couldn’t know everything about the child’s life, but he could guess that he must have been unhappy. But that’s why a clear line, not kind words, was needed.

“I know what you did gave me an opportunity, but that’s all. Even if you devote yourself, there’s nothing I can do for you. The most I can do is say thank you.”

“…….”

“So stop. Enough is enough already.”

“Aren’t you anxious? If only I could help you sometimes-.”

“Being different from others isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

Calix’s eyes shone sharply. The fact that he was able to do something that ordinary people could not do also meant that he had to make a lot of sacrifices.

As Calix began to see shadows that foreshadowed his death, it was clear that he had paid a price, as instead of giving him the basis to make rational decisions, he had to lose his emotions.

Merial lowered her head, unable to resist Calix’s gaze on her.

“……This is why I can’t hate my father.”

“…….”

“You didn’t say anything kind, but you didn’t say anything wrong either. That’s why I sometimes think about what it would have been like if I had asked you what to do at that time.”

“…….”

“I’m sure you would have answered.”

The voice was so full of regret that it almost sounded like crying.

Calix remained silent.

He said it wasn’t him that the child was missing. As if what he was trying to protect wasn’t a child.

It may be surprising, but the two people were in different time zones.

“I really need to stop now. There is no place for me here.”

“okay.”

“In cases like this, don’t you usually catch it once?”

“If you gain something, you also lose something.”

It’s a hassle, but I don’t hate it. I’m just so used to the child being pushed around by the hem of my clothes even though it’s not friendly, that I just think about it when it’s not there.

“But I wasn’t lying when I said I had a younger sibling. And I also said I would be jealous.”

“…….”

“You don’t know it when you’re young, but honestly, when your head is big, it becomes obvious.”

A child who has it all and a child who doesn’t. Putting the two together would usually lead to an unfortunate ending, but Carl Rix just calmly put his hands in his pockets.

“It’s not something you should worry about though.”

“You’re cool. Don’t regret not being able to use me later.”

Unlike the sharp tone of voice, the child’s eyes were much softer. Thanks to this, Calix was able to sense that today was truly the last day.

“I’ve already used enough. Your mother won’t like it any more.”

“…….”

“Are you not planning on revealing yourself to your mother until the end?”

She thought Merial hated Livianna, but she didn’t. The child didn’t hate his mother, he just avoided her.

“Because you’ll be sad to see me like this.”

“I don’t think your mother would care about that.”

Carl Rix briefly shook his head from side to side. Livianna knew Merial had a hard time, and when she was sad, she was sad, but she was not one to be sad, as she resented her daughter for growing up so badly.

“I know, but everyone wants to look pretty. I wish I could do that for my mother.”

“…….”

“My mother always said, as she always said, that I was the prettiest person in the world.”

“You remember-.”

“Carl! Merial!”

Calix habitually turned around when he heard a voice coming from behind him.

Livianna was visible from the other side.

“It’s mom!”

The voice that resonates in your arms is sonorous. Before I even had time to say goodbye, the child had already returned to his familiar self.

Calix looked down at Meriel, who was laughing heartily at just finding her mother, and then she quickly hugged her child.

Even the time that briefly passed by, like a midsummer night’s dream, was just time. Rather, I needed to be faithful to the present.

“I told you to rest a little more.”

“I wanted to do that, but a guest came.”

Over Livianna’s shoulder, she saw Cheshire with both her hands full of luggage, and Ethan following behind her.

It was the appearance of an uninvited guest. Calix frowned.

“Don’t just watch, please accept it.”

“under?”

As time passed, she realized that it wasn’t just Merial who thought she had it easy. Calix raised an eyebrow as he saw Cheshire handing over a burden to him as a matter of course.

But he was of little use. If it had been Cheshire in the past, he would have recoiled from the stares, but now he only returned the stares asking why he wasn’t receiving them.

“What is it?”

“I heard you spend your summer vacation here every year. I was curious about how nice it is.”

“If you’re going to make an excuse, why don’t you think of something more plausible?”

“Isn’t it better when there are more people on vacation?”

“Because I hate making noise.”

Even if you say it coldly, the only thing that comes back is laughter.

Carlix let out a short sigh as he looked at Ethan calmly passing by him.

In fact, no matter what anyone said, Eden was the one who found Calix the most easygoing. It wasn’t easy to overcome Eden, who would just laugh and ignore anything I said.

“Even though I say this, I actually came to check on the herbs.”

“Herbs?”

“I heard that there is good medicine around here.”

Eden, who had fallen in love with medicine in earnest, felt that studying his existing medicine was not enough and began traveling around the country to search for medicinal ingredients. Because of his physical discomfort, he tried to move around as much as possible, even if it wasn’t often.

However, this time there was a more personal desire to participate in his younger brother and his wife’s vacation.

Eden pointed towards the beach so that Calix could no longer shout. The cliff was too steep to climb with his walking stick.

“I heard about medicinal herbs, but my body is like this so I can’t access them easily. So I thought I’d get some help.”

“I guess they’re trying to exploit me.”

“I can’t help it. I’m still receiving treatment.”

It’s clear what Eden is thinking, but you can’t help but feel weak at the sound of his treatment. He knows everything and just lets it go.

“So what should I do?”

“They say it grows on a rock near here, but it’s just beginning to bloom, so it should be easy to find. Just wait. I brought you a picture…”

“…….”

Calix stopped as he was about to put Merial down. Somehow the flower growing on the rock sounded familiar.

“Is this really it?”

“What? Where did you find this?”

Instead of answering, Calix looked at Merial. Merial is just bursting into laughter in front of Cheshire whom she hasn’t seen in a long time.

“Where did you find this?”

“……Wait a minute, there’s something I need to check.”

Calix’s gaze fell on Livianna this time.

Livianna was unable to have children, but even if she did, it was questionable whether she would be able to bear it. but… … .

She felt a bit awkward saying something like this, but she couldn’t think of a good expression other than the one that came to mind.

“It seems like a miracle has happened.”

Calix took Livianna’s hand. Perhaps because it was a midsummer day, the hand I held was unusually hot.