Sweet you who doesn’t love me - Chapter 1: Homecoming

“It’s been three years, hasn’t it?”

 

“No.”

 

When he left, it was early spring. The sunlight was faint, and the breeze still carried the scent of winter.

 

“It’s been a little longer.”

 

However, upon his return, what unfolded before his eyes was a dazzling midsummer landscape.

 

“Well, summer has already arrived.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Three years, and a little more.

 

Truly, it was a long-awaited homecoming.

 

“I didn’t expect to return so quickly.”

 

Elijah, the adjutant who had been riding alongside him, kept adding words to the conversation.

 

“Are you disappointed?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

As a sailor who had roamed the seas for a long time, his manner of speaking was somewhat blunt. However, despite his rough words, a certain joy could be felt emanating from him.

 

“And rightfully so.”

 

For those who always sailed on the sea, setting foot on their homeland unharmed was always a joyous occasion. Elijah was the only one among Cassio’s subordinates who hailed from Sardania.

 

“I’m glad I could return before summer. They say summer is a blessed season in Sardania.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“The weather has to be exceptionally good.”

 

Indeed, it was true.

 

Dappled sunlight filtered through the plane tree leaves, pouring down merrily along the road. Even on Cassio’s cheek, as he rode leisurely, sunbeams danced and brushed past.

 

As always, the sunlight of midsummer was blindingly golden. He instinctively squinted his eyes, like seasoned sailors often did.

 

“…I see.”

 

The sunlight that shone on the swaying mast of a rocking ship was also a dazzling golden hue. However, it did not bring about a sense of warmth.

 

Intensely bright sunlight on a ship surrounded by the sea from all sides would injure the eyes. If one were to gaze at it without avoiding it, a faint red and blue residue would remain beneath the eyelids.

 

Once imprinted, such residue would not disappear for a long time.

 

That’s why, on days when the sunlight was particularly pleasant, Cassio would often toss and turn, unable to fall asleep until late at night.

 

However, the sunlight he encountered in Sardania was gentle and soothing. The scattered fragments of light felt delicate to the touch.

 

As if one could reach out and shape them with one’s hand at any time.

 

“Colonel?”

 

Cassio reached out to grasp the sunlight, but then withdrew his hand.

 

“Why do you hesitate?”

 

“…It’s nothing.”

 

It was a foolish act, knowing well it couldn’t be caught. In his clenched hand, only a faint warmth lingered as a trace.

 

Such sunlight, leaving a faint warmth when barely touched.

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

Sardania’s sunlight resembled Juliet.

 

“The Duchess will be pleased as well. Now that Colonel has finally returned.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Cassio replied with a cheerful smile, waving his right arm playfully. Elijah’s face instantly filled with an awkward expression.

 

“Oh, no, I mean…”

 

His journey, which began from the infamous pirate Lorgodor, made him believe that sailing the sea was his destiny. He was familiar and skilled in such matters, but at the end of the day, he was still young.

 

“After all, it’s been a while since you’ve seen each other. You had to leave for war right after your wedding…”

 

“I know. I was joking.”

 

Cassio chuckled as he looked at Elijah’s blushing cheek.

 

‘Would she be happy just because her heartless husband returned after merely five days and nights together?’

 

“It’s probably your parents who will be pleased. They’ll say, ‘Finally, you brought back our precious son after pampering him for too long.’”

 

“You’re too kind. My mother will say I become useless the moment I set foot on land.”

 

“Useless?”

 

“Oh, she always says it like that.”

 

“Is that Corsican dialect?”

 

“Lurian dialect, actually. But well, we use it in Corsica too.”

 

Perhaps because he was a native Sardanian or because he grew up sailing around, Elijah occasionally blurted out words that Cassio couldn’t understand.

 

Having been born and raised in Aragon, Cassio still couldn’t comprehend all of his speech.

 

“Sardanian is getting somewhat understandable now. But I’m still unfamiliar with the dialects.”

 

“You’re already doing great with it. You’ve been in Sardania for a few years, haven’t you?”

 

“Living as your adjutant made me grow.”

 

“I hope you’re being sincere. You can even speak Sassarian quite well now. You know, these days, even kids in Sardania can’t understand it.”

 

“Oh, becoming a kid now isn’t going to help. I shouldn’t have learned it in the first place.”

 

Elijah erupted into laughter like a true pirate. The sound of his hearty laughter filled the air, and somewhere, a bird took flight, startled.

 

Hearing the faint flapping sound of the bird flying farther away, Cassio also chuckled softly.

 

“What’s so great about being a kid?”

 

“You won’t get it because you’re still a kid.”

 

“I’ve been an adult for quite a while now, haven’t I?”

 

They chatted playfully while riding. And then, suddenly…

 

‘The smell of water.’ 

 

As they moved away from the harbor, a different scent of water, though faint, but still lingering around their noses, replaced the gradually fading smell of the sea.

 

“Is there a fountain nearby?”

 

Cassio furrowed his brows slightly, as something passed through his mind. He narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead.

 

Beyond his narrowed gaze, in the distance, a small square came into view.

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

There was a fountain in that square. Considering it was built on an island surrounded by the sea, it felt quite extravagant, as it was quite large.

 

“A… fountain?”

 

Elijah let out an astonished sound as he looked at the fountain that was approaching rapidly.

 

“Was this here before?”

 

“Maybe they built it recently.”

 

Clip-clop, clip-clop

 

The sound of horseshoes hitting the cobblestones slowed down. Elijah, still on the horse, looked around the fountain, his eyes glittering.

 

“It feels real that we’ve been away for three years. All this has been created…”

 

The cobblestones beneath the horse’s hooves were smooth, without a single cracked spot. They seemed almost freshly laid.

 

“Yes, I’ve been away for quite a while.”

 

Longer and farther than he thought.

 

Cassio swallowed his next words and gestured to Elijah with a nod.

 

“Enough sightseeing. Let’s head home quickly.”

 

“Yes…”

 

“Your son will be happy to see you return after completing your work.”

 

Elijah turned his head towards Cassio, then released the reins and made a fist, placing it in front of his chest. It was a formal salute.

 

“I’ll visit your home later.”

 

“No need for that.”

 

“Well, it might be a bother if I come.”

 

“Yeah, so just stay home and have fun speaking Corsican, which I don’t understand.”

 

Elijah burst into laughter once again. Cassio playfully threw a few more jokes at his beaming adjutant before finally turning away.

 

Cassio’s horse picked up speed as it galloped away on the dirt road. A faint cloud of dust rose behind him.

 

— Because you’re the only one who calls me by my name.

 

The echoing voice in his ears belonged to Juliet. Faintly familiar, as if heard a long time ago, yet vividly resurrected, as if it were just a few weeks back.

 

— They all talk about love as something magnificent. Like a destiny or a calling… Something that pours down like relentless rain.

 

— But I…

 

As Cassio slowly pulled on the reins, the sound of horseshoes on the ground slowed down slightly. Only then did the unfolding landscape come into view.

 

A hill covered with wildflowers and grass. A small forest where a few trees stood closely together, scarcely taller than a person…

 

Everything seemed familiar as if seen for a very long time, but suddenly transformed into something entirely unfamiliar.

 

He had been away for only three years.

 

But it felt as if he had wandered to a faraway place for a very long time.

 

— I want you to return… return safely to Sardania.

 

Her soft brown eyes looked up at him. Her rich curly brown hair. Her slender body and petite figure.

 

Everything seemed so distant that he suddenly felt breathless.

 

— I’ll be waiting…

 

As he took in the scenery, Cassio urged the horse to pick up the pace. Restlessness surged within him.

 

“…I have to go.”

 

Following the road lined with plane trees, crossing a narrow bridge over a small river, passing through fields dotted with wildflowers and gentle hills… When he turned right after the small forest and the stream, he saw it.

 

A grey stone castle perched atop a distant hill, bathed in radiant sunlight.

 

Cagliari.

 

No, it was Escalus now.

 

***

 

In front of the castle, all the people of Escalus had come out. Juliet stood in line with them, tilting her head slightly.

 

“I can’t see the sea.”

 

Though she knew it well, there was a slight sense of disappointment because she hadn’t seen the sea for a long time.

 

It had been three years, and a few more months since Juliet stepped outside the castle. From within the castle walls, the sea was hardly visible.

 

Instead, all that could be seen was the abundant warm sunlight and the vibrant hues of green that sprouted.

 

It was simply the familiar summer of Sardania.

 

The bright golden sunlight poured down upon the dense dark green leaves of the silver fir trees surrounding the castle, causing them to sway and fall, drop by drop.

 

“Madam, aren’t you feeling hot?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Juliet brushed off the maid’s concern as she stood in the sunlight. She wasn’t of delicate constitution to feel dizzy just because of the sun.

 

“If only there was a breeze, you might feel better…”

 

“Yes, that would have been nice.”

 

If there was a breeze, the trees would rustle, leaves brushing against each other, and the sound would resemble waves.

 

However, in early summer in Sardania, there was hardly any wind.

 

“Still, I’m okay. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

 

Juliet absentmindedly reassured the maid and turned her gaze back to the front. The words she had spoken lingered on her tongue.

 

“A beautiful day.”

 

It wasn’t a wrong statement. It was a fine day with the abundant sunshine of early summer.

 

The day her husband, Cassio Bellanea Escalus, returned.

 

“Well…”

 

Then, Cassio Bellanea Escalus returning to Sardania, to Escalus, could be considered a homecoming?

 

“Maybe not.”

 

Juliet thought absentmindedly.

 

About the man who left without a word about when he would come back.

 

***