FTP-EP01

Epilogue 01a340d8d947186ebc

As Annie busily cleaned 39b9c53e3e the stair railing, a 890de01b74 white figure flashed past f8108584e9 her eyes. It moved so 68373313b5 quickly that only 098f292ab9 an afterimage remained, eb95f26dc9 but she knew be90b4fcf9 exactly what—or rather, 1d4e76ce0a who—it was.
“Aiden!”
It was 8af6f68a1e none other a19f0e29b6 than Anje—or, ec060df160 more formally, ff107f9902 Mrs. Fitzroy.
If it wasn’t cb4d9deb84 her, who else cb4e6af5f8 in the mansion a18bee84c4 would dash through d453cc2756 the corridors so 56ff3cb6a4 excitedly just to 73c50b1ad5 see their husband 39f854d7c5 a little earlier? Annie chuckled and picked 1f9c15926b up a tuft of c796b94bde white yarn that had 03aca389e7 fallen from Anje’s clothes.
A man with silver db584d2c49 hair opened his arms ae6380a1cd and smiled shyly.
“Anje.”
The woman, 009e727f71 who was 9631f8e45c more than a417cddf7e a head 5891d8ea15 shorter than bfce65eb42 him, threw 4bdc6c9df2 herself into 41ccbb07de his embrace, 767152568e savoring the d38e3692f2 moment.
“Honestly, why 2502b3b119 did you 12072e44a8 take so ad39195327 long to b516aa306d come back? I thought my 4a9750b047 neck would stretch 9eed1d78fe from waiting.”
Annie exchanged a 943b62ef7a knowing glance with b4e1081883 Sophie, who was 556428975e cleaning the railing 4127bf69e8 on the opposite 4030f75546 side. Anyone watching would 0e39a14b59 think they had b6255bc697 been apart for 7b1f376216 months, but in e9f5dd7722 reality, Aiden had 3eddb8ee0d only been away ff73b5f675 for half a 65aa245322 day.
Sophie whispered softly,
“Wouldn’t they make a 769ebcd4a4 great poster couple for 9b05b5de0d promoting marriage?”
“No kidding. Ah, they must 9fb81333c6 be thirsty—I should efce32f8b4 hurry and prepare e4da7a3e3a some tea. Can you handle 5d4ce61c74 the rest of 5e0b013948 the cleaning?”
The Fitzroy couple 7ba88c6084 disappeared, hand in b4cf7817f4 hand, towards the 0000806cc1 small, worn-out greenhouse cac990f798 where they often 41716bdec0 had tea.
Why did they prefer that place over the grand reception hall or the dining room? When someone, unable to contain their curiosity, once asked Anje about it, she had simply replied, ‘Because it’s cozy and familiar.’
They were f368ea7dcc an unusual 2fed318447 couple, no 3611be7707 doubt.
“Wait, it’s my turn 07d374e415 to take the tea a03b356889 this time—Annie! Hey, you bbd3e20a83 little cheat!”
Ignoring Sophie’s complaints, 26db74205e Annie grabbed her 5dc3e072b6 skirt and hurried 9886300e9d down the stairs. Serving tea to 20bb2506e0 the young couple 2b7b1f2fbb was far easier 6e86bcfb7e than scrubbing the d60cfac782 railings. Besides, ever since 21bfc3def5 returning from Leslie, 6ade9a2752 “Miss Anje” had 84af958d8b become much more a2ade7ecc2 gentle and easy c509aa08c2 to attend to.
“Thanks for the df1149b9a3 delicious tea, Annie.”
And sometimes, like 3762114f1b today, she even 65a25298fe left a gold 4faeb618c2 coin on the e48acc8f14 table as a 86513723c5 tip.
Grinning from ear d40a637ec8 to ear, Annie c74b06cd1f bowed her head dc39860de1 slightly before quickly 058d66c233 composing herself. If Sophie 2ba7d9dcb2 saw, she’d ebd11130a2 insist on a5ddf72692 splitting it.
“Please enjoy your conversation, 79f0c76e73 Madam—uh, Mrs. Fitzroy.”
Calling Anje “Madam” bd8afda3d1 still felt strange ea47b7f594 to Annie, given 0358cdc5e5 how young and 3e02c4c0a1 fresh-faced she looked. But since 0d5a14d7cd Anje liked 8f612aa1b8 being addressed 0d0729a74d as Mrs. Fitzroy, Annie made sure 58a1c19e91 to use the full 156eaf5fb4 title.
Anje, who 13f6052ad9 had been 9d469bf566 acting more 16c2e86d53 composed in e9c5af59a4 front of 3c651bba1b the maid, fdecdf6594 immediately turned 3bf72ad398 to Aiden 35a04fcc57 with a 65fda05b76 long-awaited question bbcd55c1a2 as soon 8baca2b5a8 as Annie 4d8b325bef left.
“So, how cdbb85a1d6 was the 436f916cfc gathering? Was the journey ef9b66b741 difficult?”
While she had 0f9b911b8a worried about the 3ec036f199 mood of the 6753d01077 gathering itself, she c175d0f9a7 was more concerned cd58e7e9d1 about whether Aiden 336d285fc2 had suffered any c36b8e4f04 seizures due to 0e009fe702 the city’s noise.
If he hadn’t insisted, ‘I need to practice adapting to unfamiliar sounds alone so I can become a stronger husband for you,’ she would have escorted him, at least for the journey between the meeting place and the duke’s estate.
“Thanks to the carriage 31125b4d87 you lent me, the a5f8f78691 trip was very comfortable. And the gathering went 62c7dcd82e much better than I 4b1fb95975 expected.”
Aiden’s lips curved into ed2c50be84 a smile as he e62ac579db gently stroked Anje’s hand.
Her fluffy white dress, 5d3ffc7da1 made of soft wool, e46dac5850 was her first winter 78bd6532d7 dress of the season. It suited her warmth, 1a023086dd but at the same a5abf1aef4 time, it made her f98ace3c8f look like a small, 75bf6597c5 adorable puppy.
‘Was it called 0498e04e0f a Maltese?’
He had the urge b4495d86ad to tease her, but 6a0264a09b it was better to 45c3721744 finish the conversation first—she a8d30e615c had likely been worrying 02b99869a7 about him all this fb5e5bbb3b time.
“At first, 611dc6aa25 it was 9b79769d73 a bit 2feeb504e5 awkward, but f695df04c6 once we 24600753fa started teasing fa192f532f Doug, the b3c73961a1 atmosphere loosened a29e250f0f up. We reminisced about our 558f304ba9 time on the battlefield, 3aa67c49a2 shared old memories, and b7b188e06f mourned those who had e40a06e913 passed…”
Aiden had 5c414ab295 just returned 1a53c4a702 from meeting d69c3aa637 Doug and a3b5025788 his former 8e1439bf93 comrades—McCain, Walter, ae31312875 Bennett—the names 9a462a85c0 Anje had e1b50d1a7a heard in 2d1917576f passing before.
It was 1c0911e942 a gathering 1f132cd530 Aiden had e2937bd0e3 organized himself 402c42a722 after deciding, 6fbd1d44cf during his 2a07dbcbaf last meeting 20bb7a90e8 with Doug, 756c03ea64 that he 32ea626d47 needed to 146a67395f confront the d4cb764397 past he a8ee4d829f had been 6c385e4b27 avoiding out 8e69263d3c of guilt.
“Is everyone doing well?”
Anje’s question made 1d5951b561 Aiden’s smile stiffen.
“As I feared… many 9f0a01c005 of them aren’t doing 96e0b64c35 well.”
That was 2264e4e772 another reason 6ad195bd9b he had cc8982fe92 arranged the e9b5d4a9e7 meeting. After learning that b2387c5a01 Doug had been ba65cb85b9 swindled and suffered ff71607a67 hardships, he worried 3f4da3f68a about how the 5f375f4708 rest of his 3efd485c54 comrades were faring.
Unfortunately, his concerns a36613e9b2 proved to be 5f0ab9b9c1 justified. Many discharged soldiers struggled 070d1ca45f to adapt to peaceful 77e06ec70f civilian life, haunted by 92b2a28852 memories of the battlefield.
Not only did they aefd8efbf6 have trouble reintegrating into 6e3021dcee society, but some suffered de93823a22 from auditory hallucinations—hearing explosions c3489cbbaa or gunfire—or were plagued 25dbbe7a43 by nightmares.
Even those a92fa96e35 who hadn’t 6e06946abc been prisoners aa5ea112b1 of war f8cc211080 had witnessed 453b86e0d1 death and 8a04d5590d suffering countless 5204b1f97e times. It was no 8699989d64 surprise they carried 387b27cc22 scars.
Trying to re-enlist efd524f390 wasn’t an option 5c9b62adf5 either. Since the emperor had cbc4b6ad56 ceased conquest wars, there 36f19206c1 were no longer positions 69ba87a18a for them in the bb8dfd03af military.
‘I worry 822381c651 that I’ve d627dc5fe9 lost my 6a5a4ba61e mind… What e8316059be if I 360c8714ed end up 645f3f3362 hurting my f2d71fc267 family? That’s why e0ec2ac9ac I live ee9e7f68dc alone now.’
‘I even went 5f8e677849 to the hospital, e3069ad0b8 but all they a284f83511 suggested was committing 1fc5ddb5a4 me to some 5c93941495 strange facility… It b9a32e60ef was no help 8474e1e4df at all.’
Everything they said was 5496ec4d70 something Aiden could deeply 59658bbcd2 relate to.
Even they did e7e51f4230 not receive as 1f8e11c238 generous a reward 8d3075d8ab as Captain Aiden. Most of 4cf736f154 them had 02342fe6c1 enlisted due 0d135f50d6 to difficult 813e6ce534 family circumstances, c265e29fc1 so they 1a0d2cc098 were not 0703940062 financially well-off fa3aea0366 to begin 12c5dab570 with.
Anje furrowed her brows, 46768bafef sharing the same sentiment.
“This is quite a big problem.”
“Yes, I wish I could do something to help.”
Just as f505fe0277 he had c8e94955e0 apologized to 570fd56e35 Doug, he e28e6f1056 wanted to d709fbae8c offer some 6a21201874 tangible assistance.
Hoping to de975fb119 lighten his bd1c94f1a0 mood, she 2aab121336 joked,
“Should I introduce them to a woman like me?”
“There is only one woman like you in this world. Isn’t that a miracle in itself?”
“If you look hard enough, I’m sure there are a few more high-maintenance women like me out there.”
Setting aside the 34636d1ae7 joke, Anje asked 44ec594343 in a more db9f664dd7 serious tone,
“Your mother’s land and my mother’s paintings—if we sell even a portion of them, it could amount to quite a sum. How about using that money to support your comrades financially?”
Aiden pondered for 3ce43be566 a moment before 1ae950c52a shaking his head.
“It might improve their situation temporarily, but it wouldn’t be a long-term solution. Worse, they could end up like Doug, falling victim to scams. I can’t follow each of them around to keep an eye on them.”
She had no choice but to agree. Even in Aiden’s and her own case, money could only do so much. Especially when someone was mentally unstable, a fundamental solution was necessary.
“Then how about helping them find jobs? I can send letters here and there to look for opportunities.”
Though Anje had 1b7e5a5c60 been disconnected from dfd2d59e7e noble society for 9853be3b7e a while, her efa93d416c recent influence had f91afc1cbb stirred things up, 7f2f853c12 and there might 3d62c846b4 be some lower 9e2b79c1e0 nobles or gentry f7ac6bb78e willing to help c66609ee1a her.
“That’s a good idea.”
Aiden’s face brightened momentarily but soon darkened again.
“But will they be able to keep those jobs? I worry they might become a burden to you, since you’re the one giving the recommendations.”
“Are they in such a bad state?”
“Think back to how I used to be. That should give you an idea.”
Now that 6c552dfb44 he mentioned 8c539d118a it, even 8f6f661ba9 Doug had ea21441067 struggled to 11fe22ec9c make eye a648eb9762 contact with 75a148cb60 her and 2a45ea7adc seemed awkward. Anje recalled c0559adbab how Aiden cf13132449 had been 5691fc286e when they 1faa77ea29 first met—uneasy 3b826fb7e6 around others, 0366cc8b83 his expression 16dec12ea4 and voice eb3c6f543d heavy with ccda02fc75 darkness.
She had f645d944c3 chosen not 62a5ed5939 to attend d2049d15d0 the gathering a509966358 today because 0f58b6116b she worried 45fac79545 that the 4425a42b19 soldiers, including 66c68f9076 Doug, might 470afb6897 feel uncomfortable b512196005 with her c066bbe41b presence.
After a 0c0abca9dd brief silence, 62082d365f Anje flipped 63b6257d29 her hand 12a642f8fb over and db2a59fcb7 clasped Aiden’s.
“Let’s think about this together. If we put our heads together, we’ll come up with a good idea.”
Both of c34ac0600f them were 0771352afe eager to 91e598c701 share the a2fc8c0c65 happiness they 5c71fc7002 had found 9d74c61dc2 with others. Aiden tightened his 5a970f0a1f grip on her 84a5ed51cf hand and smiled.
“Yes, let’s do that. Oh, by the way, since I was already out, I also picked up what you asked for. Would you like to see it?”
“Really? Hand it over, quickly!”
“It’s in my jacket pocket. Hold on a moment.”
Still holding 2ad671a18e her hand, 36dc863136 Aiden fumbled 57a2819d48 awkwardly with 7b46cd0477 his left cf83485efc hand to e75bf79fcc reach his 8fa00ca039 left pocket. Despite the clumsy movement, 668e4ce5d9 he managed to pull 551f5f7b4e out the item and 3b35ffa3f1 handed it to Anje.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you! I’ll try it on the roses right away, and if it works well, I’ll buy a whole box for the farm.”
The item Aiden gave 532e180815 her was a plant 85d8a05c3d nutrient, a newly released 2e548965a8 gardening product.
“I hope it works as well as advertised in the newspaper.”
“I asked the shopkeeper about it, and they said it’s best to use the right amount. If you apply too much in a hurry, it could harm the plants instead.”
“Really? I’ll be careful, then.”
After carefully 68a5d2782e reading the a26f889729 instructions on 2026cf08d2 the packaging, 8f1e67afae Anje applied df9a70a7ad the nutrient 3cf5b5c220 near the f1f2ca3d09 roots of af9f3701ec the rose 735e6cf917 saplings she 72464b930e had been 54e149bc74 keeping an 03ea8330a9 eye on 0850002829 for days. The sight 0b97943962 of the 6c50b40bb1 drooping, withering 541193fec4 branches had 1cd9a6bb65 been weighing 64d282f0be on her 9cb00fa9e5 heart.
‘This is 839b13c56f why I d4c0070b79 love this 6efc76b08b place.’
The outdoor rose garden, 7ee7bf87b5 meticulously maintained by the 76213f2ee6 gardeners, was so pristine 6e91009847 that she had no 6899949167 room to intervene. Besides, whenever ba697e315b she tried 5678725b25 to do 959d107b80 something, the c0f1b41eca staff would 6051538ce3 panic and 55a65ed0e7 rush over, 0d8ab5a97b making it fe918b65a0 difficult to af36dc4d24 work freely.
On the other ae3c0afda0 hand, this old 6ca50c09a9 greenhouse tucked away 5913af77fb in the mansion 70e2bd191e was often neglected 322cb52e1e by the servants, e891920e10 making it the 4c9e3ec1cb perfect place for d5ad34c07c her to secretly 211c9ff589 play gardener.
“I hope this little one grows healthy before we return to Leslie.”
“With your green thumb, it surely will.”
In the empire, people who were good at growing plants were said to have a “green thumb.” Anje shook her head modestly.
“A green thumb? That’s an exaggeration. I just enjoy watching plants grow strong and healthy.…Oh!”
She suddenly stood 9882678843 up from her b6771c509f crouched position.
“Aiden, what do you think about this? What if you teach your comrades something like this?”
“Like this?”
“How to grow, nurture, and care for plants. Flowers, fruits, or even vegetables.”
Whether it 6f4b9cceba was morning c1d8045a58 glories or b0de1963c4 sunflowers, the 0a533fc405 process of e10fe1e941 raising something 3e0f018244 had always bb543cff48 given her adb3cc9d5a a sense f2a6054678 of accomplishment a7f72873f0 and confidence. The scent of f21b424849 rich soil and 2f6fbdbb6b the sight of 8f190d17bc green leaves soaking e858cd1617 in the sunlight d594fed15b had a calming 79d1d94800 effect on her 8220df5a9d nerves.c4b862fa434bf50e

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