I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 156

22. This Is a Common Transmigration

“Haa……! As expected, I love Ryzen so much.”

We stayed in the capital for another month, even after Erdin’s baptism, before returning to Ryzen.

Breathing in the fresh air blowing from Mount Philiac, I felt like I was back home.

The capital had all sorts of conveniences, and we could buy all sorts of things, but it was in Ryzen that Killian and I felt truly attached.

But it wasn’t just the crisp breeze of the Mount Philiac that awaited us.

“I expected it, but…… work piled up like a mountain.”

“That’s because we’ve been in the capital longer than expected.”

Killian and I let out a small sigh, but we weren’t about to complain.

We’ve been promoting health insurance and finished building the road crossing Mount Philiac.

We set up guard posts in every village to keep the estate safe, and recruited doctors and nurses for the medical clinic available to residents.

Even those who had initially complained about the young lord and his wife’s futile endeavors began to hope for a better life on the estate.

Everything was still in its infancy, but I was happy every day that I was getting closer to my dreams.

I’ll never forget the day I went to check on the progress of the medical clinic.

“Thank you, madam.”

A skinny girl held out a yellow flower to me, freshly picked from somewhere. It was a weed that resembled a rape flower, but it was as pretty as the girl’s smile.

“Oh, it’s beautiful. Are you giving it to me?”

The child nodded shyly.

She’s a sickly child no matter how you look at her, but there’s a sparkle in her big eyes. I think I’ve seen such clear, pretty eyes somewhere before.

“Thank you, I’ll be sure to put it in the vase.”

With that, the little girl blushed and turned away, running back to her mom.

As I stood watching, Killian’s aide, Sir Altens, spoke in a low voice, “This is a child who is dying of Crusoe’s disease. Thanks to her parents actively participating in the health insurance program, she was able to be cured as soon as the medical clinic was built.”

“Ah……!”

“It’s too soon to say she’s cured, but she’s much healthier, and after seeing her case, people around her are responding positively to health insurance.”

Perhaps hearing Sir Altens’ explanation, the child’s mother approached, bowed her head, and spoke in a trembling voice, 

Bowing her head, she said in a trembling voice, “My daughter is the reason we live. If it weren’t for the health insurance, we would never have been able to pay for her treatment, and I will never forget your grace, my lord and lady.”

Those words brought tears to my eyes.

And then I remembered where I had seen those pretty eyes of hers.

Poking her head out from behind the bustle of her mother’s skirt and smiling, I caught a glimpse of the child who had said she envied me because I received my brother’s bone marrow transplant.

“Edith, what’s wrong, why are you crying……?!”

Killian, who had just come to my side, asked, surprised to see me. I really had some tears in my eyes.

But I couldn’t have been happier.

I felt like I could finally let go of a long-held guilt.

***

“Mom! Lilia keeps trying to……!”

“Oppa~”

With two kids, there’s never a quiet day at home. Even today, when we’re busy preparing to leave for the capital.

Erdin, who was gentle from the womb, grew up to be a gentle and affectionate son.

But my daughter Lilia, has a tomboyish side to her that is evident even before she can speak.

Behold, even today, Erdin, who had just begun to run, came running to me with a pouty face.

“What’s wrong with Lilia?”

“She keeps climbing on my back and pulling my hair! Here, I’ve got saliva on it, and it’s brand new……”

Erdin’s eyebrows furrowed as if he was about to cry, and he pointed to his wet shoulder.

Erdin’s hair, which I’d combed neatly in the morning, was messy as a bird’s nest, and the shoulders of his light green jacket were darker in color.

His cheeks were scratched by fingernails.

It was one of Erdin’s sweet, good-natured traits that, after all he’d been through, he’d come running slowly to match his sister’s pace.

“Lilia loves you so much. That’s why she follows you around every day.”

“Yeah, I know, but……”

Erdin stamped his foot in frustration.

Erdin is five and Lilia is three, and in a castle with no peers, Erdin and Lilia have no choice but to play with each other.

Normally a mother would worry about her daughter getting hurt because of the difference in strength with her older brother, but in my family, the opposite is true.

Lilia, who was always full of energy, would spend all day clinging to Erdin, who preferred to read books and play quietly.

Erdin usually tolerated his sister’s playfulness, but as time went by, Lilia’s behavior became more aggressive, but lately Erdin often ran away from her, coming to me looking like he was going to cry like this.

Erdin’s face was so cute as he held back his tears, probably thinking, “What if my mom doesn’t take my side?”

He might really cry if I pretended not to notice. I don’t want to teach him to accept his sister’s behavior unconditionally.

I scooped Lilia into my arms with a stern face. “Lily. No matter how much you love your brother, you can’t do this, you’re making him suffer.”

When Lilia realized that she was being scolded, she shut her babbling mouth and started fiddling with the buttons on my dress. The look of innocence on her face was pure angelic.

But I wasn’t about to fall for it. “Lilia Ryzen! Are you listening? You didn’t suddenly forget what I just said, did you?”

“Mmm…… I just, got bored……”

“You’ll have plenty of friends your own age in the capital, Lilia.”

It was Killian who answered the sulking Lilia.

“When did you get here?”

Killian, who had gone to see the knight commander, entered the room and walked over.

“Just now. Looks like Erdin lost to Lilia again today.”

“I didn’t lose! Lilia is a baby, and I’m a big brother!”

“Yeah, well done, Erdin. You should be more careful and gentlemanly, especially with someone weaker than you.”

Killian gently stroked Erdin’s head as he angrily protested, smoothing out his messy hair.

Erdin was instantly in a better mood, and a smile slipped through his tightly clenched lips.

Of course, it wasn’t just Killian’s compliments that made Erdin smile.

We’re leaving for the capital’s mansion today, and Erdin is excited to meet many of his peers.

“It’s a little bit daunting, having to juggle life in the capital and Ryzen.”

“But that’s what most nobles do, and with the children’s education, we can’t completely ignore the social circle.”

In the capital, we’ll be staying in a newly bought mansion. It’s a pretty nice one, and it’s been ownerless for a long time, but we bought it and have been fixing it up inside and out for the past year.

It’s not far from the Ludwig estate, so it wouldn’t be hard to take the kids to meet the Duke and Duchess.

Once the preparations were done, we headed for the capital, receiving farewells from the castle workers.

The ten-day trip to the capital would have been daunting, but the children were excited. The nonstop barrage of questions about this, that, and the other was enough to drive Killian and me crazy.

But I was also a little excited. The weather was nice too, it would be great if we could have a picnic.

“Has it been two years since Cliff’s wedding?”

“That’s about right. We attended it at the same time as Lilia’s baptism.”

“I assume he’s doing well?”

“I believe he’s doing well, because when I saw him at the wedding, and in his letters since then, I’ve gotten the sense that he’s gotten more at ease.”

I nodded.

Cliff had married a very different type of young lady than Lizé, a viscount’s daughter with dark chestnut hair, clear green eyes, a round face, and a gentle demeanor.

She wasn’t a great beauty, nor did she have any eye-catching charms, so there was quite a bit of gossip about their unexpected marriage at the time.

But after meeting her and exchanging a few words, I quickly realized why they were getting married.

She had a personality that put people at ease, and she was very wise. And most of all, she loved Cliff, not as the heir to House Ludwig, but as Cliff himself.

Cliff, too, was madly in love with her.

It wasn’t a burning love like he had with Lizé, but that made it all the more “long and happy.”

Lizé……

“Is there any news from Rodanthe Monastery?”

“Yes. Lizé seems to be more at ease now.”

Lizé, who had been acting strangely for a while, as if she had lost her mind, had quieted down since hearing about Cliff’s marriage.

The abbot’s letter said she had laid aside all her earthly burdens.

I prayed that her soul would be saved in return. Even if it was by a god we don’t believe in……

“Mom, Mom, I see a village over there!”

Erdin’s shout brought me out of my reverie.

The two children poked their heads out of the carriage window, their eyes sparkling.

Killian half leaning toward them to keep them in check in case they got hurt.

The fresh spring breeze, the glorious sunshine.

Suddenly, I laughed.

“Killian. I think this is…… a common transmigration.”

“What do you mean?”

Killian looked at me, tilting his head.

“It’s…… there is such a thing.”

The story of the female lead overcoming the hardships of the flow of the original and eventually finding happiness with her husband is a common trope.

It may be a cliché for readers, but for me, it’s a life that is neither cliché nor common. It’s a life that I’ve risked my life to achieve.

I’m here, and I will continue to work hard for my happiness and the happiness of my people.

Even beyond the word ‘end’, until the day we take our last breath, forever.

The End.