🌻 🌻 🌻
THAT night, as I dozed off in bed, I heard footsteps approaching, creating a symphony with the low roar of the waves that constantly crashed in the distance. Just as I sat up, Lucas entered the room. He was fresh out of the bath, and his canary-yellow hair was still damp, the scent of soap lingering in the air.
His gaze softened as it fixed on me. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I was waiting for you,” I said.
“It seems you took it easy today. I’m proud of you.”
“I apologize for making you worry.”
Lucas stroked the area around my eye just as I completely sat up, in high spirits. I was embarrassed but was happier to see him touching me so dearly.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked. “If you want to rest by yourself tonight, I can leave.”
“No, please stay by my side, Lucas,” I replied.
“Okay.”
His voice was sweet as he drew me close. My heart grew full from the warmth of my beloved on my skin. I was so comforted that I almost forgot what I was going to say to him. After grounding myself, I stared into my husband’s eyes.
“Lucas, there’s something that I’d like to tell you,” I said. “May I?”
“Of course,” he replied. “What’s on your mind?”
I slipped out of bed and handed Lucas a sketchbook I’d taken from the table.
When Lucas opened the book, his eyes grew wide. “These are Cano’s…”
I sat beside my husband, completely drawn by the picture on the page, and gazed down as well. The illustration was done in pencil, depicting the splendid scenery of Solalitika.
“I had Cano draw this for me in the afternoon,” I said.
“I knew he was good at drawing, but wow…” Lucas murmured.
He flipped through the pages, only gasping in shock. Cano had drawn the Solalitikan manor at the top of the hill, the Stock Trading Company’s building by the newly built station, and the merchant vessel. The pictures accurately portrayed the expressions of people who were busily working in the city, and of course, Lucas was in the middle of it all.
The illustrations looked like photographs, a moment of time caught forever within the pages. Cano’s splendid pencil strokes depicted Lucas’s daily life so precisely.
“I was thinking of handing these drawings to your father,” I suggested beside him. “He can have an image of your life in Eizeria. A picture is worth a thousand words at times. Details you may struggle to verbalize can be elegantly conveyed through Cano’s artwork.”
“You’re right,” Lucas replied. “It’s not so easy to show him Solalitika’s port in person. This will work.”
He fell silent, engrossed in the illustrations as he turned the pages. There were drawings of life in the manor, Lucas being hard at work, and the magnificent new railroad station. There was even a drawing of our wedding. The scene was when we exchanged rings and said our vows in the church as we stared into each other’s eyes. I didn’t expect that to be drawn, and I covered my mouth in awe while Lucas smiled deviously.
“Did you ask him to draw this, too?” he inquired.
“N-No,” I replied.
I shook my head, but Lucas was visibly pleased. He readjusted his grip on the drawings and gazed intently at that particular illustration.
“It looks nice,” he said. “Your composed expression is great, but you look the most beautiful with this serene smile. I don’t like that Cano seems to have been especially meticulous with this detail and drew you very well…”
“E-Enough about me…” I stammered.
“Okay, okay.”
He flipped through the pages and settled on the final illustration—the convent where his mother was forever resting.
“He drew this too?” Lucas whispered. He stared at the drawing for a while before carefully shutting the book. “All right, I’ve decided,” he said. “Tomorrow, I’ll take Cano with me to meet my dad. I want him to draw this place. And my dad, too.”
“That’s a splendid idea,” I replied.
“I’ll leave Leik as your guard.”
He placed the sketchbook on the table and swiftly turned the lights off. At once, I felt a shift in the air.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Lucas whispered, nestling me in his arms.
I felt his warmth through the thin negligee and closed my eyes, entrusting myself to this comfort.
✦ ✦ ✦
🌻 🌻 🌻
LUCAS spent the remaining days of the trip taking care of matters with his father and work. Now and then, I joined in and spoke of my life in Solalitika as well as the grave within the convent where Matilda Stock was resting. When Lucas’s father heard of what had occurred at House Diascia, where his wife originated from, he laughed boisterously for the first time. He was chuckling as he wiped tears from his eyes and gave a beaming smile; he looked refreshed.
“Well done!” he complimented. “You burned that house down, huh? Ha ha ha ha!”
“We didn’t burn the house down, just the surrounding forest,” Lucas replied.
“Either way, good going! Oh, I’m sure Matilda is leaping with joy about it.”
“Mom isn’t the type to be happy upon hearing that her family house burned down!”
Leik, Cano, and Kiki, who were standing by the wall, gave awkward smiles as the two men bickered. Both Lucas and his father seemed to be trying to make up for the time they’d lost. Their time together was enjoyable and warm. In the blink of an eye, our final day at Lapisasther arrived.
We stayed in the hotel lobby until the absolute last second, reluctant to board the ship and part ways with Lucas’s father.
“Mr. Stock! Pardon me, but I’d like your input,” an employee said.
“Sorry, I’ll be back in a jiff,” Lucas said as he stood up.
“Good luck,” I said.
The moment I was left alone with his father, he stared at my face solemnly.
“Miss Iris, I know I’m repeating myself, but thank you for marrying my son,” he said.
“The pleasure is all mine,” I replied. “Lucas saved me as well.”
“I didn’t think both myself and my son would have Eizerian noblewomen as wives… Like father, like son, I suppose. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
He brushed his fingers against the sketchbook cover on the table and smiled faintly. He was reminiscing. Cano had drawn more pictures since, at the request of Lucas’s father. The sketchbook was now crammed until the final page with images of Solalitika.
“Lucas, my son, resembles Matilda so much,” he said. “His profile looks just like hers. The way he speaks and his minute gestures remind me of my wife. I’m truly happy, from the bottom of my heart, that he came to meet me.” Lucas’s father locked eyes with me. “Miss Iris, he’ll be fine. Unlike me, I’m certain that he’ll make you happy. I beg of you to stay by his side.”
He gave a deep, deep bow, filled with regret for being unable to protect his wife and child. He was frustrated at being unable to do a thing for his son and could only be indebted to his own child. There was helplessness, anxiety, loneliness, and powerlessness in his heart. But amid all that, there was hope. The melting pot of emotions he must’ve felt was painfully obvious.
“Please raise your head, Father. I’ve already vowed to spend the rest of my life by Lucas’s side. And above all, I’m your daughter-in-law,” I said. The man jolted and faced me. I smiled and continued, “I would also like to meet you again, so I shall be back soon.”
“You’ll…accept me as your father-in-law?” he asked in disbelief.
“Of course. Life isn’t that short. We’ve still got plenty of time. Why not slowly build our family relations?”
Leik and Lucas returned, having finished their business meeting.
“Iris, the ship’s ready to depart. Let’s go,” Lucas said.
“Very well,” I replied as I stood up.
This was where we’d part ways for now. We left the hotel lobby and headed for the carriage parked out front. Before Lucas boarded the vehicle, he turned toward his father.
“Later. I’ll be in contact with you,” my husband said.
“Be well, Luka, my son,” his father replied.
“Yeah. You too, Dad.”
It was a simple farewell, but they exchanged a smile. Lucas helped me into the carriage before he stepped inside himself. The wheels creaked forward as we made our way to the ship, but not once did Lucas turn back.