Nigotta Hitomi no Lilianne

At that time, he and my elder brother――Aleksander were close friends, often fooling around to the degree that my best friend Claire and I had to scold them.

Being the best friend of my cheerful, slightly stupid and gentle elder brother, he was also bottomlessly cheerful and very gentle person.

My elder brother fell in love with my best friend Claire, and the four of us often met, naturally improving our relationship.

Although I was taken aback by his sudden confession, because he has shown an unusually serious expression with red ears, my ears also became bright while I nodded.

After that, time passed quickly.

Joshua and I. Alek and Claire. The four close friends would go on dates and share various things.

I was surprised at Claire’s pregnancy in the senior high school, but it was a good memory that was grandly celebrated.

Alek and Claire have already finished the oath of marriage, but I really didn’t think that Claire would get pregnant while attending school.

Those who attend high school while married, usually plan their pregnancy.

Therefore, it made a lot of noise around the campus, but what to say, Claire is Claire. Because she is a talented woman gifted with both beauty and intelligence, she continued going to the school even during pregnancy, and she never surrendered the spot of the school’s number one.

As expected, I was astonished as well, but it was very Claire-like.

Although Joshua and I have not married yet, I have strongly thought that I would like to in the future.

Two years after that. Various problems have arisen, but we safely finished the oath of marriage, and it has been decided that I will marry into the Museline house.

Joshua’s Otousama didn’t seem to like me that much at the beginning, but because of my few achievements at the school, he started looking at me with different eyes, so there was not a problem.

Rather, he took good care of me.

Because Mother-in-law-sama is a very warm-hearted person, she took good care of me regardless of my achievements, so there was no problem there.

My friendship deepened even further as Joshua and Alek started serving in the same 2nd Knights Order.

I visited Christophe house almost every day and spend fun days with her.

Soon afterwards, I found employment in the Christophe house as the head educator of the eldest son Theodore and the eldest daughter Ellistina who was born two years after him.

Claire demonstrated her great ability, and at twenty years old, she was standing at the position that could be said to be the highest peak of the sorcerers, she became the court sorceress.

Although Joshua and I couldn’t quite conceive a child, we still spend every day happily.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

An opportunity seven years after the marriage.

It was several weeks before this year’s long-term clean-up of the 2nd Knights Order.

My pregnancy was announced, and both Museline and Christophe families were celebrating.

Those days, Museline and Christophe houses were very close.

The long-term clean-up is the subjugation of monsters in the Ovent Kingdom’s greatest labyrinth Krishna.

Because the monsters will overflow to above the ground from the labyrinth if left alone, deep searches of the large labyrinths are done at fixed times.

The clean-up activity divided into several times a year conducted by 2nd Knights Order is one of the heroic activities of the highly popular 2nd Knights Order.

It’s duty with many dangers, but without this clean-up mission, the overflowing monsters would ruin the country in a flash.

It’s one of the great national events.

This long-term clean-up is naturally a dangerous mission.

But, many applicants aware of the danger enroll to the 2nd Knights Order every year. Joshua and Alek enrolled in this Knights Order with such ratio of success and high reliance.

Moreover, Alek is in the vice-commander seat. His swordsmanship and the skill of using elementary sorcery is referred to us the Ovent Kingdom’s greatest.

Those who can use both the sword and sorcery are scarce.

Even in the powerful 2nd Knights Order, there are only five people including Alek.

Joshua can’t use sorcery, but he acts as the captain of the 2nd Knights Order’s 7th unit with a swordsmanship that won’t lose to Alek’s.

Both of them are a valuable force against the dangerous deep levels.

Before he went on such dangerous long-term clean-up, Joshua and I had a little quarrel over the unborn child’s name.

The gentle Joshua immediately backed down, but I slightly couldn’t accept it, so on the day of the long-term clean-up departure, instead of the usual forehead kiss blessing...... I kissed him on the cheek.

Joshua’s wry smile was the last I saw of him.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

It was two weeks after he departed on the long-term clean-up that I heard of his death.

The 7th unit has been destroyed, the soldier who brought the message informed us that he commanded his subordinates until the end and died an honorable death...... I think.

I don’t think I heard the soldier’s message until the end.

Because together with the sound of crumbling, I got dragged into the darkness.

How much time has passed after that?

On top of the tragedy that was sufficient to destroy my heart...... another one occurred when I woke up.

Miscarriage.

Little by little...... the fruits of that person’s and my love crumbled away.

My heart couldn’t endure the two tragedies, and it broke.

I don’t remember well what happened after that.

I felt like I was in a jet-black and very cold place, I felt like I was in a place in which I couldn’t feel anything.

The only thing I remember is, that I was angry at Joshua when sending him off and I did not give him a blessing kiss on the forehead?

Just this continued endlessly tormenting me.

If I only kissed him on the forehead that time.

He might have returned home safely.

If I only kissed him on the forehead that time.

I wouldn’t lose the child that I had with that person.

If only......

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

What brought me to being me, was a warm, shining like sunlight voice and the agonizing voice of my best friend that was with me since I was little.

She who is groaning in pain with a big stomach.

When did her stomach get so big?

The last I remember, her belly was of a normal size.

I remember that a couple of days after my pregnancy was announced, Claire got pregnant as well, and both families held a grand celebration.

But, it wasn’t time for that.

This were labor pains.

My consciousness that should have been in the bottom of darkness has completely reawakened.

I immediately called my trusted retainer I have raised since child――Scarlet and have her arrange hot water and a midwife.

Scarlet who heard my voice barged in, immediately guessed the situation, largely nodded and she swiftly took action with tears in her big eyes.

Many people were delighted that I have been resurrected from the depths of despair, I have heard that I was expelled from Museline house and sheltered by the Christophe house, but although I was sorry, I ignored it because there wasn’t time for it.

The hectic times passed in a blink of an eye and the midwife wasn’t on time in the end so――I have delivered my best friends child.

The knowledge of child rearing as well as the knowledge of childbirth I studied for my child, it was really helpful that I studied so much.

The first noises of the tiny child felt familiar for some reason.

The newborn child was named Lilianne, and it was immediately ascertained that she suffers from Cloudy Eyes.

My time that had stopped started moving again with her birth, it was even to the extent that my breast milk appeared right after Lilianne’s birth.

According to Randolph-sama who examined me, it has stopped because of the shock of losing husband and child, but Lilianne’s birth has revived it.

Randolph-sama is the Ovent Kingdom’s distinguished doctor.

And I certainly believe his words.

A voice that has freed me from the darkness.

My best friend Claire and that warm, shining voice of light.

It was Lilianne who was born who rescued me.

The familiar voice I heard was certainly heard at that time, it was a warm shining sunlight like voice.

On behalf of that child, I wasn’t able to meet, the precious child that has rescued me...... I swear I will raise her while staking my all.