Chapter 86 – 86
“Pardon?”
Dent’s eyes widened at Euro’s words. Euro, however, remained composed.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no point in finding out now.”
“Shouldn’t we find out? If His Excellency were to discover this….”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“…….”
“It’s reached the point where it would be better if I just told him everything.”
But even that was meaningless now. He had risked his own life, only to realize there was no way to save Melione; what was the point of delivering that truth when all that would remain was despair?
“When I was very young, before I entered the palace.”
After a brief silence, Euro began to speak, gazing out the window.
“I once asked why my name was Euro.”
Euro intentionally blended the life of Euro Leches with his own. In truth, it wasn’t a story from before he entered the palace, but from before his possession.
“It’s an uncommon name, so the neighborhood children kept teasing me. I asked why I had been given such a name.”
“…….”
“But I never got an answer. They told me they didn’t know.”
It was only natural that they wouldn’t know. He had been found abandoned with nothing but a note that read ‘Kim Euro.’ Even the director of the facility, who had eventually met his biological mother, said she hadn’t been able to ask why he was named Euro.
After returning home from a fight with school children who had mocked his name, Euro had fumed and demanded that his name be changed. Seeing this, the director had crouched down to meet his eyes with a gentle expression.
‘When I first saw your name, I spent the whole day struggling with a dictionary. I wanted to find a very wonderful meaning in Hanja for you.’
She had taken Euro’s trembling hand and stroked it, as if she understood that his resentment stemmed from more than just the teasing.
‘But at some point, I realized. A name doesn’t actually need a meaning. Because regardless of what your name means, the fact that you are you never changes.’
With that, she told him that she could change his name if Read on Read BL Novelshe wished. She believed there would be meaning in naming himself.
‘In that moment, the perfect characters came to mind. The character for ‘existence’ and the character for ‘road.’ I named you this with the hope that there would always be a path for you. And also, with the hope that wherever you walk, you would become the path for others.’
As if praying, she had wrapped her hands around Euro’s small hand, pressed her forehead against it, and whispered.
‘It might be hard to understand now, but whenever you feel like you’ve lost your way, remember this. That you have never been lost for a single moment.’
From then on, Euro stopped wondering why his name was Euro. He realized that a name itself held no meaning; only the heart of the person who gave it mattered.
At the same time, the current Euro thought to himself. Whether he had become Euro Leches or Euro Spioren, it didn’t matter—he was simply Euro.
“I used to think it was a carelessly chosen name, though I don’t anymore. I actually quite like it.”
Not knowing why he had brought up such a story, Euro wrapped up the conversation abruptly. Then, Dent, who had been listening in silence, spoke.
“Perhaps it was derived from the name Europa?”
“Hmm?”
Dent narrowed his brow for a moment as if searching his memory before continuing.
“I once read a legend. A book about a woman with a [unauthorized copy]foreign appearance from a distant continent who stolen contentcrossed over to this continent on a bull and became an ancestor.”
“…….”
“Europa also means ‘evening.’ If you look at it that way, perhaps it was named that because the Madam’s hair color is like the sunset?”
Dent spoke quite seriously, causing Euro to blink. He thought that perhaps Euro Leches’ name had indeed been chosen that way.
“Forgive me for overstepping, but I believe your mother’s name is Helen… and the name Helen also means ‘torch.’ Didn’t you say your hair color takes after your mother’s?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Euro nodded with a bewildered expression.
“Perhaps the family has always named their children that way. Fire and sunsets share the same light, after all.”
“…….”
“It likely wasn’t a name given without meaning. We simply don’t know it.”
Though the words were meant as comfort, Euro found Dent’s story about the legend of Europa more intriguing.
A foreign appearance from a distant land. For some reason, [unauthorized copy]Euro felt as if that [visit our site]described himself—Kim [visit our site]Euro. Though it was an absurd thought.
ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ
After traveling for a full day, Euro left Silon and arrived in Flynn, where he encountered a familiar face.
“Madam!”
The person greeting Euro with a wide smile was Captain Elon. When Euro looked at Dent as if asking what was going on, Dent calmly explained.
“Since the decision to head to the capital was made hastily, I sent someone ahead to secure an inn. It happened that Elon runs an inn in Flynn, so we received his help.”
Euro nodded at Dent’s words.
“You said your wife and daughter work in the Flynn estate, right? But didn’t you say you returned to Silon?”
“Yes, but my daughter had someone she was seeing in Flynn….”
“Ah, is that so?”
“I purchased the inn with the intention of leaving it to her later. Once my daughter is married off, I couldn’t possibly leave my wife behind to go to sea, could I?”
“Instead of all of you staying in Silon.”
“It’s not that we’ve left Silon forever. My wife and I plan to return once the inn’s operation stabilizes. How could I leave that place behind?”
His plan was to run the inn with his daughter and her husband in Flynn until he could no longer work, and then spend his retirement in Silon.
Silon already had an abundance of inns, and because it was a major port with a massive scale, he had chosen this path as he lacked the experience to take on such a large venture.
“Anyway, please come inside. It is a humble place, and I am embarrassed, but since I heard the Madam and His Excellency were coming, I have kept the entire place vacant.”
“Thank you, especially since it must have been short notice.”
“Of course, I still owe you for the kindness you’ve shown me.”
Euro smiled and stepped into the inn first. Shortly after, Melione’s carriage came to a halt, and as soon as Elon noticed, he rushed over and bowed before the carriage.
Regardless, Euro entered the inn and exchanged greetings with Elon’s wife, daughter, and future son-in-law, whom he had only heard about.
They all welcomed Euro warmly, and while they exchanged light pleasantries, Melione also entered the inn.
“You must be tired, so I will show you to your rooms immediately. Please follow me.”
Elon led the way for Euro and Melione. Melione stared intently at Euro’s back; [Read on Read BL Novels]Euro had not once made eye contact with him since stepping out of the carriage.
As if putting into practice his word that he would no longer be a nuisance, Euro followed Elon ahead, and Melione followed him with a feeling of stifling frustration.
“Compared to the mansion in Silon, it would be embarrassing to call this a large room, but it is the best one we have. It should be sufficient for the two of you to spend the night.”
At those words, Euro’s brow furrowed slightly. It seemed they had prepared for Euro and Melione to share a room.
“……Is there only one room?”
“Ah, yes. The inn is not very large….”
Elon looked between Euro and Melione with a strange expression. Now that he looked, the two, who had seemed so harmonious during the spring festival, appeared somewhat distant from each other.
Meanwhile, Raymond and Dent, who had come up to the second floor after gathering the luggage, broke into a cold sweat as they locked eyes over the unexpected situation.
The root of the problem was that in the chaos, they had forgotten to specify that separate rooms should be prepared. In the first place, the fact that the two were traveling together had been unforeseen.
Euro and Melione remained silent, and as a look of distress crossed Elon’s face, Dent quickly stepped in.
“If we rearrange things, we should be able to free up one room. Elon, I’m sorry for the trouble, but if we go together….”
“It’s fine.”
Dent had spoken with the intention of offering his own room, but Melione cut him off.
“I don’t mind sharing, so you may leave.”
Melione spoke as if it were a nuisance. Euro stared at him, his lips pressed firmly together. It was somewhat absurd that he was suggesting they stay together in a room far smaller than the main house, from which he had been practically kicked out.
He was dissatisfied from the start that they had chosen to travel together. Even if they departed at the same time, they could have easily moved separately. Since they each had their own invitations, it wouldn’t have been a problem.
Dent and Raymond, fidgeting at the order to leave, eventually exited the room with Elon. Elon, not knowing the reason, asked if he had made a mistake, but neither of them could give a clear answer.
Even they didn’t know what result the current situation would produce.
Once left alone with Melione, Euro suppressed a reflexive sigh. He quietly closed and opened his eyes, then spoke to Melione.
“You must be tired, so please wash up first. Shall I have dinner brought up, or would you prefer to go down and eat?”
If they ate on the first floor, they would likely be eating with servants or attendants. Therefore, Melione would naturally say he wanted to eat in the room, and if so, Euro intended to go down and eat separately.
Melione stared at Euro, who was asking him kindly as if nothing had happened, and replied.
“……I’ll eat in the room.”
“I will ask them to prepare it and bring it up. Please rest comfortably.”
Euro nodded as if he had expected that answer and turned around. As Euro attempted to leave the room, Melione, who had been standing still, instinctively reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Startled by the sudden grip, Euro jumped and stared at Melione.
“Where are you going?”
“……I’m going down to eat.”
“Why?”
“Because, well, it would be uncomfortable for you….”
“I never said I was uncomfortable.”
At those words, a surge of irritation rose within Euro, but he suppressed it. He could manage eating together, but he didn’t want to be alone with him in this cramped room.
Thus, Euro looked at Melione and said.
“Then please go down and eat. I don’t want to eat in the room.”
“…….”
“If you don’t want to, then please eat alone in the room.”
Enjoying the story?Support me on Ko-fi
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!