A Shadow Cast in Paradise - Chapter 64

When I reached the pier where seagulls cried, the weather had completely cleared and was bright.

Over the blue sky blew the fair winds that had once made Hellinguen port prosper.

Riana, with her hair cut short to her shoulder line and wearing an old brown vest, looked at the shabby port.

Hellinguen was once the largest port city in Ideana.

But as people left, the warehouses on the pier became empty, covered in weeds and dust, and the signs of taverns once full of sailors had all crumbled.

However, the central street of the port was slowly regaining vitality.

As ships from the Bitel family came and went to send supplies to Paradel Castle, it somewhat regained its old energy.

It was a strange thing.

How did those people know, and with what thoughts did they come here?

How could a land thought to be completely dead regain its breath so quickly?

Riana pondered as she listened to the sound of blue waves.

At that moment, Grita handed her a piece of paper.

“Lea”

It was her new name.

Below the name were written her basic personal information and family relationships.

The same was true for her past actions.

‘Lea’ was written to have grown up on a small island in the Sizzlon Islands ruled by the Bitel family and occasionally ran errands for the Bitel family.

It seemed the Bitel family had arranged to vouch for past information in case of emergency.

“Should I memorize it and burn it?”

Riana stared at Grita, knowing she wouldn’t answer.

But then.

“Of course, Miss Lea.”

Someone suddenly tapped her shoulder.

Startled, she turned her head to find an ordinary-looking man wearing a flat cap pulled low and suspenders.

It took Riana a moment to realize it was Eclas Bitel.

It’s amazing how much the atmosphere can change just with clothing.

It was a perfect disguise, hard to notice even upon close inspection.

“Congratulations on safely arriving in Hellinguen, Miss Lea.”

He stood beside her, naturally calling her by her new name.

“Young lord, that appearance…”

“Egon Benesi.”

“Pardon?”

“My name. Lea, and Egon.”

He introduced the new names, pointing alternately at Riana and himself.

Eclas seemed to want to hide his identity as he moved about.

This was Hellinguen, once again prospering thanks to the Bitel merchant group. Most people here would know Eclas.

Eclas didn’t want to cause unnecessary burden and concern by announcing that the young lord had come.

Grita stood with an unchanging expression, as if she had often seen Eclas walking around in such a disguise.

“Get used to your new name. From now on, Riana will no longer exist in this world.”

Eclas, no, Egon said as he guided her into the village.

Egon reassured her not to worry, as there was no risk of the forged identity being discovered unless her acting was extremely poor.

“I dare say our family’s identity forgery technology is the best in the Empire.”

Egon whispered in her ear, lowering his voice.

It wasn’t exactly a proud skill for a noble family holding the title of count to possess.

It was illegal, and also closely related to other illegal activities…

‘…Is there something I don’t know?’

But on the other hand, she thought it was natural.

For a very long time, the Bitel family’s intelligence had been supernaturally excellent, as if receiving help from a divine being.

She had heard that ‘Bitel’s birds’ brought information from all over the world.

‘I suppose those who gather that information also go around with such forged identities…’

A place where all the world’s information gathers.

Surely, secretive means were necessary to gather that information.

The ‘Bitel Merchant Group’, which she had thought was an ordinary merchant group, might be closer to a secret organization.

In amassing the Empire’s greatest wealth, their hands couldn’t always have remained clean.

She mulled over her new name of unknown origin.

“I’m getting more and more names…”

“Everyone does. No one lives with just one name.”

Egon gently grasped her shoulder as if it wasn’t anything special, and pointed with his eyes to a distant place.

At the end of his gaze was a middle-aged woman sitting in an old fish shop, shooing away flies.

“You see that woman over there? Her name is Joanna. But I’ve never seen her called Joanna.”

The woman named Joanna was usually called ‘Paul’s mom’, ‘Mrs. Hans’, the fish shop owner, auntie, or the smelly lady, among other names.

Because of this, among the customers who had visited her shop for years, hardly anyone knew her real name.

“Everyone lives with many faces. Me too.”

Egon showed the same smile as Eclas.

It wasn’t a matter of hypocrisy or pretense.

The same person could become a sharp businessman, a timid younger sibling, a cheerful friend, or a strict parent.

“Whether Louise, Riana, or Lea. It’s just one of the many names you’ll have.”

What changes is the name, not the essence.

When Eclas said it like that, it really seemed like it wasn’t a big deal.

Anyway, neither Louise nor Riana were names with good memories.

Yet, the foolish lingering attachment was probably… due to hesitation in cutting off all connections with ‘him’.

Riana looked at the vast sea stretched out in the distance.

‘Forget it, Riana.’

Riana shook off her remaining attachment in the salty sea breeze.

And willingly accepted the new name of Lea.

[This is the timeline separator]

Lea and Grita followed Egon’s guidance down to the port.

At the port was a merchant ship so large it seemed out of place in this small village.

“Fortunately, Hellinguen’s port facilities remained usable with just a little repair.”

Once the trade center of Ideana, this place used to have several merchant ships larger than houses coming and going.

“You see that ship?”

Egon pointed to the largest ship in the port.

On the huge hull was written ‘Pedica’ in white letters.

The large ship with its massive hull about five stories high and huge sails looked like it could move an entire village.

Though she had traveled here and there, it seemed the largest merchant ship she had seen so far.

On the flag hung on the tall mast was the emblem of a hawk clutching a silver scale in its talons.

It was the coat of arms of the Bitel family.

That Bitel merchant ship would have brought all sorts of goods and supplies needed for the reconstruction of Ideana.

“Riana Serpens will board that ship. It’s scheduled to go to Blankas in the north.”

Bitel smiled, pointing at the enormous merchant ship.

Blankas was a huge kingdom in the northern part of the Empire.

Once treated as barbaric nomads, they had sorted out their civil war in just a few years, grew in power, and established the foundations of a kingdom that threatened the Empire.

It was because of Blankas’s provocations that Sched had repeatedly gone to the battlefield for years and returned.

Recently, they even shook the Empire by isolating the Emperor, but Sched completely turned the tide of war by rescuing the Emperor.

Thanks to that, Sched was granted the territory of Ideana.

Yet, to engage in such large-scale trade with Blankas, which had poor relations with the Empire…

She marveled at the Bitel Merchant Group’s political acumen.

“Then will I be going to Blankas…?”

“No. Our Miss Lea.”

Egon grabbed her shoulders and turned her body to the opposite side.

“Will board this ship.”

A small ship was floating leisurely at the opposite pier.

It looked far too small for fleeing to a distant place.

“Large ships have more witnesses and it’s harder to keep people quiet.”

Egon spoke in his consistently gentle voice.

No matter how thorough, it’s common for words to leak through tiny needle holes.

Therefore, Egon filled the small ship with only loyal and trustworthy individuals.

“Where is this ship going?”

Lea had no idea where she would be going.

Egon smiled.

“We won’t be going far. The darkest place is under the lamp, you know.”

Egon lightly hopped onto the ship.

“You said you wanted a quiet and peaceful life, right?”

Egon smiled sweetly.

Before leaving Paradel, he had asked her where she wanted to live.

She had answered then that she wanted to live quietly and peacefully.

She just wanted to break away from everything and be free.

“I’ll take you to the greatest paradise on earth.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Was it because she had moved too busily, tense all the way from Paradel to Hellinguen?

As soon as she boarded the ship, Lea fell asleep on the swaying waves.

It was a night of entrusting herself to the gentle rocking like a cradle.

When she opened her eyes again, what filled her sight was a grassy field softly bathed in sunlight.

In the deep blue sky floated a few clouds as if modestly adorned, and among the softly grown grass bloomed white wildflowers like the Milky Way.

It was weather that made one feel good just by taking a clear breath.

At that moment, a small bird flew into view.

Its white feathers were as fluffy as clouds, dazzlingly bright.

The baby bird, small enough to fit in one palm, fluttered around her, its sprout-green eyes sparkling.

As she reached out as if entranced, the bird flapped its white wings and flew porong into the green field.

She walked through the soft grass, following the bird.

The tender grass blades tickled her ankles with a rustle.

Following the bird up a hill, at its peak stood a large lemon tree in full bloom with pure white lemon blossoms.

The fresh scent of lemons tickled her nose.

She had never seen such a large lemon tree in her life.

The blooming lemon tree created a wide shade like an elm tree.

The bird gently flapped its wings towards the lush tree.

When she reached the top of the hill following it, she discovered a person wearing a white shirt.

She could recognize who it was just by that back view.

Thump, her heart beat.

“Louise.”

As she stopped walking, he turned his head from under the tree to greet her.

On his cheek bloomed a smile she had seen very long ago.