Lantern Against the Wind

Ryu Hyang5-7 minutes 20.02.2022

It was the first time Elena had heard such a story since her father had never spoken about political matters in detail.
“Are you going to side with him, then?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ll be leaving in 10 days.”

Elena remained silent for a moment.
Just thinking about a war made her shudder.
She couldn’t believe life-threatening bloodshed incomparable to the conflicts she had witnessed at Townsend estate was just around the corner.

As if he had noticed her fears, Gareth rubbed his lips against her shoulder and whispered, “We’ll win, Elena, We’ll be back safely.
Just lock the gates and wait for me like this.”

‘Ah… 10 days later…’ Elena took Gareth’s hand and kissed it dearly, causing unexpected emotions to surge up within Gareth.

“Elena…” he trailed off, feeling her passionate affections being carved into his palm.

“You must come back safely without getting hurt,” she said firmly.

The intense emotions were now flowing out of Gareth.
He hugged her tightly and whispered, “I love you, Elena.
I love you.
I love you, my Elena.” Tears welled up in his eyes at an instant, trickling down his face.

Elena closed her eyes, her lips trembling.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Gareth confessed as tears continued to fall from his closed eyes.
“I love you, Elena.”

Elena clenched his hand at that moment and kissed him.
She then replied, “I love you, too, Gareth.
I love you.”

Gareth shut his eyes tight as his fiery emotions overwhelmed him.
Hot tears squeezed through his closed eyes and fell on Elena’s shoulder.

Ten days later, Gareth set off with his men, watching Elena waving goodbye to him at the castle gates.

* * *

Rowena opened her eyes in horror as she jolted awake from a terrible nightmare.
She had been suffering from unusual dreams for days on end, seeing even her deceased mother several times in her sleep.
Unable to close her eyes again, Rowena gave up on going back to sleep and slipped out of her bedroom, tossing on a heavy coat over her thin dress.
There was still a little time left before dawn, but she deemed it impossible to get more sleep.

Rowena shuddered as she walked through the long hallway and ascended to the castle walls to calm her mind.
The bitter wind squeezed through the shabby walls and shook her body.
She had been sick with insomnia for a while now, feeling distressed with ominous thoughts for an unknown reason.

“Elena…” she called out her sister’s name as she thought about how Elena could put her worrisome mind to rest in an instant.
If Elena said it was okay, she believed that everything was going to be fine.
Rowena missed her exceptionally tonight.

After Elena had suddenly left, Rowena became in charge of taking care of the castle.
The process brought only shock and astonishment to her.
She had already known her family was poor, but she didn’t know how terrible it had been.
Such a revelation made her wonder how Elena had led and taken care of such a poor estate for so long.
Rowena, as well as Count Townsend, was left to realize that they were indeed powerless.

Rowena quickly realized that her father didn’t trust her when she caught him trying to meddle with the estate affairs himself.
However, he became severely ill and bedridden soon after.

“I have no idea how Elena did this…” her father had said in a frail voice.
Rowena had finally learned that her father had been neglecting the reality before him.
She could also feel to her bones how devoted Elena had been to her family.

“I have nothing to say even if Elena were to resent me,” Rowena muttered to herself.

Count Townsend, who had barely managed to recover from his illness, had told Rowena that she could write a letter to Elena and have William deliver it.
A few days later, William had returned with news that Elena had been living a happy life.

Rowena smiled faintly, thinking about how brave her older sister was to make happiness out of a forced marriage.
Such thoughts seemed to make her anxiety subside little by little.
Rowena decided to brush off her dreams as ones with little meaning to them… when she heard something from beyond the castle walls.
She stopped walking at an instant and inhaled sharply.
She was positive that they were sounds of hooves—warhorses.