"You don't have that much time left"
After Mya's decisive words, a heavy silence envelopes the quiet room.
Thomas does not react strongly. He lowers his face slightly, his gaze falling onto his rough hands, tightly lined with calluses. He looks so quiet that one cannot guess where his mind is drifting.
A moment later, Thomas slowly raises his head, his tone calm.
"What is my specific situation, Ms. Mya?"
Mya clasps her hands together, resting them lightly on her lap. Her gaze does not avoid his.
"Your lungs and heart are gradually running out" She speaks clearly. "It is not a contagious disease or poisoning, but physical wear and tear. Due to overworking for too long, your organs are aging at an abnormal rate. The amount of blood your heart pumps is not enough to nourish your body, and it will only grow weaker and weaker"
"If left to take its natural course, you have about three months. If you agree to let me use magic for periodic intervention, it can be extended to one year at most"
Hearing that, Thomas lets out a soft sigh. The exhaled breath is light, carrying no panic or despair.
"Please give me a little time to think about that" He smiles faintly.
Mya knits her brows slightly. Thomas's hesitation puzzles her. But she does not object, merely nodding silently.
"You can always find me. I am not particularly busy these days anyway"
Mya stands up, pushes her chair back, and steps out of the room first, leaving Thomas alone to sink into unstated calculations.
A long while later, Thomas finally stands up and walks toward Emily's room.
When he pushes the door open, Cassius and Mya are standing beside the sickbed. Emily is awake. Though her face still bears a pale look, her expression is much brighter. She is sitting propped up against the headboard, happily chatting with Cassius.
In the corner of the room near the foot of the bed, Rimi is curled up. Upon hearing the door open, the cat turns her head, her sharp yellow eyes staring intently at Thomas.
Thomas holds back all heavy emotions, flashing a familiar gentle smile before walking to the bedside. The conversation between him and the two children proceeds completely naturally. There is not a single sign, not even the smallest, showing that this man has just received a death sentence.
Night falls. Cassius and Emily sleep together, while Rimi quietly climbs up to curl at the foot of the children's bed. Mya is arranged by the butler to rest in a luxurious guest room of the estate.
Meanwhile, Thomas steps into the quiet study of Marquess Leopold Prisce.
The two men sit across from each other at an oak table. Hot tea smoke rises in spirals.
"Lord Marquess" Thomas speaks first, his tone humble.
"I am merely a rough commoner, knowing only how to grow flowers my whole life. I certainly cannot possess deep political vision or experience like yours"
Leopold sets his teacup down and shakes his head.
"Do not say that, Thomas. Everyone has their own perspective. You are older than me, the ups and downs and hardships you have tasted in ordinary life are sometimes much deeper than the schemes in our noble circles."
Thomas smiles faintly. "I'd like to speak with you about something tonight"
"My remaining time is not long"
Leopold's motion of stroking his chin freezes. The Marquess's eyes widen, full of shock. He opens his mouth as if to say something, perhaps offering to use all the family's financial resources for treatment, but Thomas raises a hand to stop him.
"I know my limits" Thomas clears his throat. "Before I close my eyes, there is one question I must know the answer to. Please be honest with me"
Leopold remains silent, gesturing for him to continue.
"Cassius is a noble, isn't he?"
Seeing the brief confusion on Leopold's face, Thomas calmly analyzes.
"A child with lost memories yet possessing an exceptional appearance. And above all, a powerful family like Prisce easily approves the betrothal between Lady Eliana and someone with no background. Lord Marquess, you are not a person to make impulsive decisions."
Leopold lets out a long sigh.
"That is correct, Cassius is a noble." Leopold lowers his voice. "To be more precise, the boy is the sole heir of the ducal house of Eclipse."
Thomas's eyes shake in shock. Even though he anticipated Cassius is not an ordinary person, the name Eclipse is still something far beyond imagination.
"Eclipse?"
Leopold nods.
"But the boy looks as if he has been abandoned." Thomas asks hastily, his heart beating faster. "He lost all his memories. Wandering in the deep forest. Why does the Eclipse family take no action to search for or protect him?"
"It is not that they take no action" Leopold shakes his head. "Even I cannot fully understand the thoughts of the Eclipse family. I can only assure you of one thing. Cassius is currently extremely safe. The Eclipse family knows his situation well, they are always watching, and up to this point, they have no malicious motives whatsoever"
Hearing that confirmation, a heavy stone in Thomas's heart seems to be lifted. The conversation then shifts to his illness. Thomas speaks only in general terms, entrusting a few small matters, hoping Leopold will look after the children if one day he suddenly passes away.
—
The next morning.
Thomas smiles and proposes taking Cassius and Emily to Solaris Church in the neighboring town. The two children happily agree right away.
Although Emily's body has recovered significantly after Mya's treatment, her legs still have not regained full sensation. Mya warned beforehand that this process requires time. Therefore, Cassius borrows a wooden wheelchair from the estate, carefully helping Emily onto it before pushing it himself. Emily wore a hat with a veil to hide the black marks on her face.
The path from the Prisce estate to the town is bathed in th e pale morning sunlight. Unlike every other day when he glides past everything, today Thomas walks very slowly. His gaze sweeps over each dew-dropped leaf, the red-tiled roofs peeking behind rows of trees, and the innocent smiles of the two children walking ahead. The scenery is simple, yet it causes him to sink deeply into thought.
After walking for a while, they stop before the arched wooden doors of the Church of Goddess Solaris. Ever since moving to live near the Prisce estate, this is the first time Thomas has visited a church.
Inside, the church is quiet and faintly smells of incense. Thomas selects a wooden bench near the aisle and sits down. Cassius pushes Emily's wheelchair right beside him.
Looking up at the statue of Goddess Solaris stretching her arms in mercy before him, Thomas's gaze gradually turns distant. His mind follows the scent of incense, drifting back to a memory from many years ago.
…
At that time, Thomas was only in his early twenties.
He also used to sit praying at a Solaris church in his hometown. But that day is not like any ordinary day. Mingled among the common crowd, there is a man possessing an extremely striking appearance. Slightly messy jet-black hair, sharp crimson eyes, and a flawless profile.
'Must be some lost noble guy' the young Thomas thinks back then, shrugging his shoulders and shifting his attention elsewhere.
But late that evening, while Thomas is enjoying a cold mug of beer in a noisy corner tavern on the street, he is surprised to realize the man from this morning is also sitting at the bar. The man's red eyes happen to sweep past and meet Thomas's gaze. He seems slightly embarrassed, but then, as if remembering something, he takes a foaming mug of beer and strides straight toward his table.
"It seems you were at the church this morning too, right?" The man smiles, a very bright smile.
Thomas raises his brows slightly in surprise. His own appearance is utterly plain and ordinary, rarely does anyone remember his face after a single glance.
"It seems fate has arranged for us to meet" The man naturally pulls a chair and sits down. "What do you say about clinking a glass together?"
Being an easygoing person who goes with the flow, Thomas sees no reason to refuse. He raises his wooden beer mug, clinking it hard against the glass of the person opposite him. White foam spills over.
"By the way, I am Felix. Felix Vermilion" After chugging down half the mug, it seems the man finally remembers the greeting protocol. "And what is your name?"
"Thomas Foden"
Looking at the attire and demeanor of the other party, Thomas cannot suppress his curiosity. "Felix, are you a noble?"
"Noble or commoner, right at this drinking table, does it really matter?" Felix laughs loudly, refreshingly chugging the rest of his beer.
Hearing that answer, Thomas bursts out laughing. "Right, at present, it means nothing at all"
From that night on, Thomas and Felix become close drinking buddies.
Felix is the type of person with boundless energy, extremely open and charismatic. Wherever he goes, he easily makes friends. Thanks to being beside Felix, a quiet person like Thomas naturally gets to know many more people in town.
On an evening a few months later.
"Thomas, do you remember the girl I told you about last time?" Felix leans across the table, his red eyes blazing with excitement.
"The one you happened to see while walking through the market?" Thomas picks up a piece of appetizer with his chopsticks.
"That's right!" Felix nods repeatedly. "We just happened to bump into each other again. This time I managed to strike up a conversation with her"
Felix takes a sip of beer, his voice proud. "Her name is Ferin. Don't you think our names were born for each other? Felix and Ferin. I have a hunch she is the other half of my life. This is definitely the arrangement of fate!"
Thomas almost chokes on his beer, holding his stomach and laughing hysterically.
"If fate has already arranged it, shouldn't there already be a red thread binding the two of you together?" Thomas teases.
Felix waves his hand, his face full of arrogance. "Who cares about those foolish red threads? This is our life, I will not let an invisible thread decide my path. Just you wait, she and I will get married. When that time comes, I will buy out all the flowers in your garden to decorate the wedding"
"You are moving a bit too fast" Thomas smiles warmly. "But fine. If you manage to marry her, I will give you a ten percent discount on the flowers"
The two men burst out laughing, clinking their glasses together again until beer splashes everywhere.
And Felix is not speaking empty words. Not long after, he and Ferin officially begin dating.
The day Felix brings his lover over to introduce her, Thomas realizes Ferin is also an extremely interesting person. The three of them naturally form a very close group of friends.
"Thomas, when are you finally going to get a girlfriend? Are you planning to stay single until you are old?" Felix drapes an arm over his friend's shoulder, teasing him.
"Felix is right, Thomas" Ferin smiles along. "The sooner you find a loved one, the more someone can share your life later, making it much happier"
Thomas can only smile dryly, shrugging his shoulders. "What can I do? I don't have a lady-killer face like Felix. Just leave it be, I will let life push me along. Wherever it drifts, I will eventually meet the right person."
"Don't put yourself down like that. At least your personality is extremely good" Felix pats his shoulder heavily.
"Yeah yeah, as if people can see right through someone's personality at first sight" Thomas chuckles.
…
After some time passes.
Felix suddenly asks to meet Thomas privately. Contrary to his usual playful self, the atmosphere that day is unusually tense and serious.
Felix bluntly reveals that his family fiercely opposes the marriage between him and Ferin.
Thomas cannot help but smack his lips. He always feels the barriers and rules of the nobility are truly too bizarre. Why force calculation onto a human's emotions?
"I plan to elope with Ferin" Felix speaks, his gaze firm.
Thomas shows no surprise at all. He smirks. "Sounds very much like a crazy thing you would do"
"Once we run away, it will be very difficult for us to have the chance to sit and drink beer together" Felix's voice drops. "Perhaps in the future, we can only correspond through letters"
"No problem at all." Thomas raises his beer mug, lightly clinking it against his friend's glass. "As long as you and Ferin are happy, everything will be fine"
Felix and Ferin depart that very night. Their love journey transitions to a new bend, full of storms.
Occasionally, Thomas still receives anonymous letters sent over, updating the situation of the two. It seems Felix's family is an extremely formidable force, forcing them to rarely rest in one place for too long. Thomas can only sigh, clasping his hands in prayer for his friends' safety.
Time slips by just like that.
A long time later, a letter from Felix arrives bearing shocking news: Ferin is pregnant.
Thomas holds the letter, both overjoyed and feeling a hollow loneliness creeping into his chest. He knows this day would come, only not expecting it to arrive so late . Throughout all these years, Felix always remembers to write to him, but Thomas cannot reply with even a single word because they constantly have to change locations.
As the years pass, Thomas remains alone. He has never met anyone who makes his heart flutter. Seeing the fierce love of Felix and Ferin even while living on the run, Thomas begins to doubt his philosophy of "going with the flow." Is drifting aimlessly like this truly fine?
Thomas's quiet life drifts on like that. Letters still arrive occasionally, updating about the new member of their family, little Emily.
Everything seems to be set, until one day, fate pushes Thomas deep into a deserted forest, where he happens to pick up a young boy with golden eyes.
…
A cold gust of wind blows through the church window, snapping Thomas back to reality.
He blinks. The scent of incense still lingers faintly.
Thomas turns his head slightly to the side. Cassius is closing his eyes in prayer, while Emily is intently admiring the patterns on the stained-glass window.
Thomas's lips unconsciously curve into a gentle smile. Perhaps the aimless flow of his life has finally washed him onto the right shore it needed to reach.