FYWAM CH 3

Chapter 3

• ────── ✦ ────── •

Survive

But that's not the case with death in real life. As though in a rush, her strength drained out, her dry and quivering eyelids froze as if frozen in time. That particular moment happened so fast.

“M-Mother.”

No tears came out. Her mother’s death was something she had experienced once. Contrary to Solita’s words that she had died comfortably without opening her eyes, the reason her mother’s eyes opened was not because of divine mercy.

Solita must have been unable to convey to Calliope the last sight of her mother who was looking for her as soon as she opened her eyes. She knew the weight of guilt Calliope would feel for not being there when her mother finally opened her eyes and was searching for her.

She looked at her mother's skinny face, now devoid of any warmth. Calliope didn’t even notice she herself wasn't breathing. The wind rushed in through the shutters. Like a grim reaper coming to take her mother's soul.

As the wind whipped through her face, Calliope suddenly looked up.

Sunset.

The sun was setting. The sky had turned red like the blood of a living being, was now gradually darkening. As if to signal the end of someone's life.

Thump. Thump.

A hot liquid trickled down her frozen cheek.

“... Mother.”

She had heard from somewhere that after a person dies, their hearing remains active for a very short time. She opened her mouth to utter the last words she couldn't say to her.

“Ah.”

A scream mixed with sorrow and despair followed. Her wails, like a scream, reverberated through the old, decrepit wooden house as if it would break. The sun had completely set. The embers of the makeshift stove was the only light in the darkened house.

Calliope who had thrown herself from the bell tower was transported back to the morning of her mother's death. Calliope cried out as if scraping her insides. God has never been on her side. Truly, not even once.

• ───────── ☽༓☾ ───────── •

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Solita, who had been cleaning the house since early morning, heard a knock. She hadn't expected a visitor this early in the morning.

“Could it be Ethiel? I’m worried because she had been feeling unwell recently, but she seemed to be doing better.”

She leaned the broom she was holding on the table and approached the door to ask,

“Who is it?”

“Aunt Solita.”

It wasn't Ethiel she was expecting, but Calliope. The child's voice, who is twelve years old this year was so deep that it was cracking like a parched land in drought. Solita suddenly felt anxious.

“Calliope, did something happened this morning…?”

She opened the door and found Calliope standing right in front of the door.

“Aunt…”

She was speechless when she saw the young daughter of Ethiel, whom she loved the most in the world. Calliope couldn't sleep all night and just held her mother's cold hand. She stayed there, unable to do anything until the sun set, the stars rose, and the stars set again and the sun rose.

Only after the new sun rose did Calliope got up from her seat. She couldn’t stay that way forever.

The kind and gentle Solita would surely help me this time again.

“I have to hold my mother's funeral.”

Solita couldn't answer her, her face contorted in disbelief. The platinum blonde hair that had clearly resembled Ethiel just the day before yesterday had turned completely white. Her clouded crimson eyes were black as hell, as if they had followed her mother's soul.

“Help me.”

Solita embraced the young, scrawny body into her arms. She couldn't believe that this little one had come to her for help after burning everything and to witness her mother's last moments alone.

Even while Solita swallowed her tears, Calliope just stared into space with her black and reddened eyes. All her tears had truly burned that night. And she thought back to her mother’s last words.

Survive.

That simple word.

With the help of the villagers, Calliope held her mother’s funeral. The snow continued to fall throughout the funeral, and the sound of crying continued intermittently.

The child’s year passed quickly.

• ───────── ☽༓☾ ───────── •

“Calliope, over there!”

“Yes!”

When Dalton's urgent voice pointed in one direction, Calliope in her leather shoes dashed on her feet. The white rabbits began to flee to the opposite side to avoid her, but Dalton's arrow quickly struck the rabbit's body. Even while watching the beast collapse completely, Calliope did not stop.

“Dalton, one more round!”

“I know!”

The rabbits swarmed toward Dalton. Like a skilled hunter, he fired arrows one after another, all but one hit the mark. The rabbits' red blood sprayed the white snow. Calliope paused, breathing heavily.

“How many did you catch?”

“Um, let's see. One, two, three. Four in total.”

“Wow, you caught a lot?”

“Definitely more than yesterday.”

Dalton, the village hunter, picked up the dead rabbits one by one. Today is the day Calliope goes hunting with Dalton. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, she hunts with Dalton. And on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, she learns self-defense from Dora, the only blacksmith in the village, cutting firewood and helping with odd jobs at the blacksmith’s shop

When Dalton gathered all four rabbits, he kept two for himself and placed the other two in Calliope's hands.

“Thank you, I'll take one to Solita.”

“I don't think Solita would mind if you ate them both.”

“That’s true, but what should I do? I still got some porridge not long ago.”

“That dried grass porridge? It must have been tasteless.”

“I'll tell Solita exactly what you said.”

“What? No, no, no!”

Calliope came down from the mountain, giggling. It didn't snow as much as last year, but it was enough to sink up to her ankles. Fortunately, it rained a lot this summer and the weather was good. So, the small crops grew well and the population of rabbits living in the mountains increased, allowing her to get by without going hungry.

The sun was already setting as Dalton and her spent the morning practicing with the bow and hunting in the afternoon.

“I think it's going to snow tonight, so I think you should call it a night.”

“Okay. Goodbye, Dalton.”

Dalton felt a bit puzzled when Calliope who usually greeted him with a “see you later,” greeted him differently but waved at Calliope without thinking much of it. Calliope ran holding the two rabbits and reached Solita’s house next door.

“Solita!”

Bang. Bang.

As she knocked in a way that wasn't really knocking, Solita who was cleaning, opened the door.

“You're getting stronger by the day.”

“Haha, here are the rabbits I caught today. You can have one.”

“Oh, not again. You don't have to do this every time.”

“You gave me porridge last time, and I enjoyed it.”

Solita snorted as Calliope lied without spitting.

“That porridge didn’t taste good even to me.”

Calliope burst into laughter. After delivering the rabbit, Calliope turned to head home, and Solita looked at Calliope with pride in her eyes who now grew much taller.

“When did you grow so much?”

Now thirteen years old, Calliope grew nearly a hand taller than last year and was now one hundred fifty centimetres. Her mother, Ethiel, was not short either and could be even taller.

As Calliope's shadow entered her house, Solita also closed the door.

Calliope locked the door and boiled hot water. With the knife Dora had given her, she began skinning the rabbit and trimming the meat.

Since it's winter, it won't spoil easily, but if I don't prepare and dry it in advance, I won't be able to eat it for long.

Calliope suddenly stopped what she was doing

“Ah, I won’t be able to eat this for a long time.”

She would be leaving town this Sunday, which was why she had said goodbye to Dalton earlier. Calliope hesitated, then moved her hands again as if to dismiss her thoughts.

I'll have the meat trimmed and give it to Solita when I leave.

In truth, she wanted to leave quietly without alerting anyone. But there was no way Solita wouldn't notice the commotion as Solita’s house was just right next door. She could give it to her, say goodbye, and then leave. Then tell her to pass her greetings to the others.

Calliope finished preparing the entrails and meat she had pulled out and washed her hands with the cold water she had scooped.

“It was a better year than I thought.”

It was enough to make her think that it would be okay to continue living with the villagers here. After her mother passed away, the villagers took turns taking care of her especially Dalton the hunter, Dora, the village's only blacksmith, and Solita, her neighbour.

Still, I can't stay here forever. Let's leave without any regret.

She never visited the village again after she became a marquess. The rumor that the noble lady lived in poverty, worked, and mingled with commoners became a significant stain on the family that they absolutely forbade her from interacting with the villagers.

And she had her reasons to return to the marquessate.

Isaac.

The man she thought was the only one who understood her, the one she felt connected to more than anything else. Until the Saintess arrived, he had only looked at her and considered her his entire world. The reason why he suddenly changed his mind was something neither her past self nor her present self can understand, but now it didn't matter anymore.

Because now that I regressed, no one would ever take him away from me.

“I'll make sure of it.”

Whatever it takes, Calliope was going to make him all hers. She wasn't going to be foolish enough to have him taken away from her twice. That won’t be possible, and neither will it happen.

Calliope muttered as she folded the blood-soaked quilt, the only keepsake of her mother.

“This time, I won't miss it for sure. Absolutely, never….”

Chapter 2

Chapter List

Chapter 4