Third Prince Elmer 3.8 Mother and Memento

[Elmer]

“El-sama, why don’t you go rest on the bed?”

Edna-san quietly tapped my shoulder.

Even though I’m supposed to be studying, it seemed that I somehow doze off in the dim room. The room had already became dark.

“Uh uh, I’ll go sleep.”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes while answering.

It’s been a little less than a month since I’ve come to the West Vern House. I wake up early in the morning to go to the kitchen, eat breakfast, play with Leont and Matthias and sometimes with Richard-san, everyday pa.s.ses by with my time full of everything. But, I was told by Leon’t that I don’t need to study anymore. There’s no way I’ll give up so right now, I’m studying alone steadily to make an effort to honestly improve my knowledge.

“Please remember that you need to be early tomorrow.”

That’s right. I also have to wash the dishes tomorrow…

Although I’m doing that because I also wanted to do something, I came to think that I should help that apprentice everytime he gets scolded, since he does his utmost effort even if his skills are bad.

I’ve gotten used to was.h.i.+ng, so I’m quite happy. Of course, I secretly observe how they cook.

“I missed it. When I come visit El-sama’s mother at night, she also often sleep face down on the desk.”

When I raised my face from rustling the bed, Edna was smiling.

“Mother?”

It’s the first time I heard someone talk about my mother in this world. I was surprised of those words that came from Edna’s mouth.

“I worked as the lady attendant of El-sama’s mother.”

I didn’t know that. So that’s why she took care of me.

“What kind of person was she?”

“Let’s see. Her overflowing smiles always made the surroundings brighter. She loved surprising and pleasing others. His Majesty loved your mother very much. To the extent that when I looked at their way, I became very embarrased. But, her body was a little weak to bear El-sama.”

“Is… that so…”

I thought my mother got defeated in a war and was executed. Did my father thought she died because she gave birth to me? In other words, if she didn’t gave birth to me…

“She understood that. Even so, she still gave birth and never surrendered. She loved El-sama even if you weren’t born yet.”

“Yes. Thank you…”

Did all my thoughts showed on my face?

“Which reminds me, I think there’s something she always wanted to hand down to El.”

Edna took out something important from her pocket and placed the box in my hand.

I opened the white box, and inside it was a necklace.

“El-sama’s mother pa.s.sed it over in her last moments. She said she doesn’t need it anymore.”

“Doesn’t need it anymore?”

I thought she would say something like ‘Please take care of this for me’ when she pa.s.sed it over.

“She had others. This necklace, she slipped out of the castle just to buy this from the town, she also bought it with her own money.”

“She wanted this that much?”

While I asked that, I lifted the necklace and it made a small sound while I examined it. It’s a normal necklace. At least, that’s how I see it.

“Sh got a lot of presents from His Majesty that she can’t even count the accessories she owned. When she bought that, she said it was a present. In the end, she didn’t get the chance to hand it over so I had to unwrap it myself.”

“It’s not a present for my father?”

It’s a men’s necklace from what I see so I asked. To whom did she wanted to hand this down?

“That’s right. There’s supposed to be a letter she wrote with all her effort. I don’t know who had it, but no one came to pa.s.s the message. Right now, I don’t know anything. But I think she’ll be pleased if El-sama keeps it.”

“I’ll treasure it! Good night, Edna…”

“Please have a good night.”

“Ah, please wait.”

I stooped Edna who was on the way out of the room.

“What is it?”

“Thanks you for loving my mother and staying with her.”

She’s the person who died just to give birth to me. Even if I want to apologize or say thank you, I can’t meet her anymore. But when I saw Edna’s expression when she talked about ‘Mother’, it saved me a little. Even now, there’s still someone who loves her dearly.

After Edna left, I got up one again held up the necklace near the lamp.

───A

A very tiny letter was engraved on it. I noticed it when I touched it a while ago. Perhaps, Edna didn’t notice it because the light’s condition made her unable to see it.

Was it her name or the initial of someone’s name? Or could it be that it’s supposed to mean something? Don’t tell me it’s for someone she had an affair with.

“Even if I think of it, I can’t really comprehend it.”

I’ll just sleep.

Thank you for giving birth to me, I mumbled to the necklace.