After a few more hours of simply fooling around as a family, we had finished our drinks and thanked Gligo before heading out to the inn. With each step, our hope about the place being vacant grew, but so too did our doubt and anxiety. By the end, I had actually caught all of us subconsciously speeding up on the way to the place, as if we were on the clock or something. This detail doesn’t hold any importance, it’s just a funny little thing I noticed while running to the house.

“Whoa, this place looks untouched since I last saw it.” I admired the tranquility of it, “It’s as if we left it to go to our honeymoon yesterday or something.”

“…Just remember to knock on the door before entering.” Cecily warned, “What’s the landlord like? It’s best if we appeal as much as possible to him, so don’t do anything rude like simply barging in.”

“Oh, landlady actually.” I corrected her, “She’s a bit grumpy, but she was always hiding a kind side to her. Then again, I don’t even think we’ve talked five times in the period Marina and I had lived here.”

“That’s… really awful of you.”

“Yeah, I’ll apologize right now…”

Knocking on the door did nothing, so after waiting a bit more, I actually tried just opening it flat out. That being said, the door didn’t budge. Obviously, I figured, of course it’d be locked.

“You’re looking for the landlady there?” A woman walked up behind us, “I’m sorry to say, but she passed a couple years ago.”

“Wait, really?” I turned around, “By the way, do I know you?”

“I guess you could say that, teehee! Oh, but rest easy, I’m just a mother taking a walk with her son.” She smiled, somewhat proudly showcasing the baby boy she had nestled on her bosom, “Humu, looks like he’s saying hello.”

The boy couldn’t have even been a year old, at least judging by my very limited knowledge of newborns and babies. Well, he sort of resembles Nelly when we had just saved her, so my guess might just be biased. Even still, it’s a shame the landlady passed, looks like we’ll need to find another place to stay at.

“Oh, there’s a note here.” I noticed something behind the plant pot right next to the door, “Says here that she leaves the house to the kind couple that lived here before going off on their honeymoon. Ah, it’s talking about…!”

“The Famed Inventor, yes.” The mother suddenly donned a serious expression, “It’s for Sol and Mariabelle, the young couple that died on that very same honeymoon in Lichtenstelle.”

“Oh really now?” I chuckled menacingly, “Then how would you explain me knowing the location of… the key to the house that I’d always leave just for these types of occasions!”

Immediately after striking a villainous pose, I had dug out the earth in the potted plant and uncovered a dirty key that fit perfectly in the front door’s keyhole. Heh, with this, the lady will surely believe… Eh?

“Huh?” The mysterious lady could be seen with tears in her eyes, “But, that can’t be… A-Are you two really… them?”

“It’s a long story, but if you’ve got time, how about you sit down and we have a nice long chat explaining everything.”

Ushering everyone into the house, I was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia that can hardly be put into words. It’s like it hasn’t even been a single day since I had last stepped foot inside here. Seriously, it’s that familiar of a feeling to be in this place. Heck, even that stain on the wall is still here, which makes me wonder…

“Erm, Lune?” Cecily asked, “What are you doing?”

“Just checking for bullet holes.” I said as I immediately bolted to remove the framed picture on the wall, “A-ha! It’s still there! See here, this is the first bullet hole of the world! Feel proud for being in its presence!”

I was feeling pretty proud about the entire unveiling, expecting the girls to react the same. Sadly though, it seems that this sight only annoyed them, leaving only the baby boy nestled in this woman’s arms to react positively. Seems like it’s a beauty only true men understand.

“Dammit, why’d you have to go ahead and show me that?” Cecily clicked her tongue, “Now it’s gonna keep bugging me forever.”

“Seriously? Wipe that proud grin off your face, playing with guns indoors isn’t safe one bit.” The woman rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, dad.” Nelly glared at me, “Not cool.”

“S-Shut up!” I shot back, “It’s this house’s first battle scar! Each one of these holes, scratches and tears in the walls and flooring have really interesting stories behind each of them!”

“Whatever, I’ll just have some tea and get going.” The lady sat down on the sofa.

“Calm down lady, we just got here.” I chuckled, “At least let us unpack some stuff first.”

“Lady? Oh, now that you mention it, we’ve never properly introduced each other by name.” She realized, “I am Elaine, and this little guy’s name is Allen. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

There it is again, the name that’s oh so familiar to my ears. Now, just where have I heard it before? Ugh, it’s on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t remember fully to save my life.

“Likewise.” Cecily returned the gesture, “My name is Cecily, this guy’s name is Lune, and our girl’s name is Nelly. Although, you probably already knew that from our previous conversations.”

“Yeah, but that’s the thing that irks me.” Elaine once again seemed worried as she turned her attention over to me, “You are without a doubt the Famed Inventor, married to one of the Grys’ maids, Mariabelle. There are too many questions, such as what happened to you? Where is she, and why did your name change?”

“Alright, let’s start from the beginning.” I explained, “Lune Grimheart is my real name. Sol is just a pseudonym I went by because I never planned to be him long-term from the get-go.”

“Then what happened to her?” She held her breath as she asked.

“I’m afraid that’s where the story aligns…” I looked down, “Mariabelle’s real name is Marina Dola, and she died while we were on our honeymoon in Lichtenstelle. She was shot and killed by accident-”

“Cut the crap!” She yelled, throwing the cup of coffee we brewed her to the ground, “Accident, my ass! You killed her, didn’t you!?”

Well, I take it this lady was either really fond of Marina while she was still alive here, or she’s just been reading too many murder mystery novels. Either way, I don’t quite appreciate her staining the carpet Marina had spent so much time keeping clean and tidy.

“…” I remained composed, “And that’s what happens when you don’t let me finish, because everything makes sense when you stop being a pretentious idiot.”

“A what?!”

“Just shut up and listen.” I clicked my tongue at her, “Marina isn’t the first woman I had a developed relationship with. That title falls to Cecily. That being the case, it’d make Marina a mistress, technically, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t call her that. Please and thank you.”

“Eh?” She seemed even more confused.

“While we were on our honeymoon together, my old pal had arrived there shortly after, found out about my new relationship with Marina, and rightfully threw a fit. One thing led to another, and in the end, the gun he had holstered in his pockets was pulled out and fired off during the scuffle, barely missing me and instead hitting her in the abdomen. Both Marina and our child died that day.”

For the latter half of the story, I had actually covered Nelly’s ears again, but given how often this damned topic came up, I’m pretty sure she knew about all this ages ago. She’s six, but that doesn’t mean she’s dumb or anything. Even still, she’s been awfully quiet ever since we got here. Maybe she’s feeling uncomfortable about the place after all?

“I… Is this true?” She turned to Cecily, as if she would somehow clear the air around the situation, “This bastard being the victim, I just can’t accept that. I… I told Mariabelle that she’d regret marrying such a scumbag, but she still didn’t listen, and look what happened!”

“If you’re gonna cry, go look for pity elsewhere.” Cecily seemed oddly ticked off, “I’ve never met either one of you two, so I can’t say for certain what she should and shouldn’t have done, but I know Lune. Despite having lost two super important people to him, he still knew better than to just sweep them under the rug. Instead, he chose to immediately let me know and asked me to come over so we can talk about all this in person. I do agree that he can be a bit crummy at times, but there’s no denying that the people he values in his life are the ones he’s always transparent with, at the least. So I’d appreciate it if you stop talking badly of him.”

That’s all well and good, Cecily, but it isn’t the thing that’s bothering me. What’s that saying again, something about sticks and stones? Well, it doesn’t matter. Basically I’m saying that I’ve been insulted so much that it really doesn’t bother me anymore, at least not when a random person I’ve just met does it.

No, the thing that’s bothering me is that thing she said right at the end of her rant. She mentioned that she was telling Marina to not marry me, meaning that she must be someone close her in the period of time when we were preparing for the wedding. That’s a small timeframe, and a particularly dangerous one at that, as the only people she interacted with at that time were the Grys maids and family.

“I know it’s a bit late to ask this, but are you in any way affiliated with the Grys Royal Family?”

“I guess you could say that…” She dodged the question, “Although, I’m not gonna tell you my real title nor last name, as I have no intentions of ever speaking with you people again. Thank you for the subpar coffee, and I’ll be taking my leave!”

She was picking up her son and got up from the sofa before stomping off to the front door as if she had won the entire argument. The worst part about this is that we had given her all of our information, but she refused to even give us anything more than a name. This could be dangerous, as she might out us to either the Gryses or the ITA, which would put our entire plan to live here in jeopardy. Ugh, now I’m gonna have to follow her and keep pestering her about it…

“Hey, Missus Queen, you left your hankie!” Nelly waved the fancy looking handkerchief with a golden letter ‘G’ embroidered on it high above herself.

The mysterious lady suddenly halted without turning back, probably from the shock of getting outed by a literal six year old. Both Cecily and I glanced back and forth between Nelly and Elaine, but Nelly didn’t seem to have cared in the slightest.

“Hey, Missus Queen! I’m talking to you!” She approached Elained before tucking it in her pockets, “Here you go. There, good job Nelly! Heh, gold star.”

“How did you-?!” Elaine suddenly screamed out before looking like she finally remembered, “Hold on a second, Nelly… Grimheart? How could I have forgotten, you’re that girl from the festival!”

“The festival?” Cecily asked.

“Yeah, look here, mom!” Nelly said, “I was a bit nervous about pointing it out, but this lady was the one that helped me out when I got lost! Oh, but that was before that scary creep started questioning me.”

“He’s not a scary creep!” Elaine shot back, “He’s the kindest, most nicest man you’re ever gonna meet, not to mention the King of this entire continent! And besides, stop telling them I’m the one who helped you!”

“Looks like you’ve got a soft spot for kids, pfft!” Cecily and I stifled our laughter, “Seriously, now it all makes sense. No wonder I found you so familiar. So you’re Adam’s wifey, huh?”

“Shut it!” She stormed out of the house, “I hope I never see your ugly mugs again!”

“Yeah yeah, we’ll come visit you guys soon enough, heheh~!”