Side Story 12. [After Story] Mason
Imperial Year 662.
Ten years since the final battle against the monsters.
The Imperial Capital, New Terra.
A lavish tavern on the outskirts.
“Woooooo!”
As a female singer finished her live performance for the evening, the audience around the stage erupted into applause and whistles.
“Thank you! Thank you, everyone! Have a wonderful night!”
The singer—Susanna—blew kisses to all sides before stepping down from the stage.
Even after she left the stage, patrons waved at her and tossed flowers her way.“Susanna! Bravo!”
“You were amazing tonight!”
“I heard you’ll be performing a song at the Count’s party tomorrow? I’m going too—looking forward to it!”
Susanna gave each of the regular patrons a playful wink with her heavily made-up eyes and exchanged a few words of greeting with them.
After settling her day’s wages with the manager and receiving compliments for her efforts, she stepped out of the tavern.
‘Phew.’
Every Friday night, Susanna sang at this establishment.
She was a fairly well-known singer in the nightlife scene. Some patrons even came here at the same time every week just to hear her sing.
‘Tomorrow’s the noble family’s party… I’d better get home quickly, drink some honey water, and sleep early.’
She hurried her steps, her recently purchased, flamboyant red dress fluttering as she walked.
But as she opened the gate of the tavern’s yard and stepped onto the chilly spring night streets of the capital, where the air was cold enough to scatter flecks of frost, she turned into an alleyway—
And stopped in her tracks.
“…”
Standing at the dark entrance of the alley was a tall, blond knight, his cold eyes gleaming.
Susanna involuntarily let out a shriek.
“Kyaaah! You scared me!”
At that moment, a voice came from the carriage parked behind the knight.
“Wow, she reacted just like I did when I first saw Lucas.”
“…Anyone would jump out of their skin if they saw a stranger standing in an alley like this. I doubt it’s because of me personally.”
“Well, regardless, apologies for scaring you. Are you alright?”
The man inside the carriage waved toward Susanna.
Though she’d never seen him before, he was far too famous to not recognize. Holding her pounding chest, Susanna stammered in disbelief.
“His Highness, the Crown Prince…?”
The hero who saved the world during the monster wars. The Crown Prince of the Empire.
Ash “Born Hater” Everblack called her name casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Susanna, right?”
His dark eyes gleamed with sincerity as he continued.
“I’ve come to meet you.”
Inside a carriage leisurely crossing through the streets of New Terra.
Holding the warm teacup Ash had handed her, Susanna forced a calm smile.
“Well, this is a surprise. I’ve been gaining a bit of fame in this scene lately, but I never imagined His Highness the Crown Prince would personally come to meet me.” ř𝙖ŊꝊ฿Ęs̈
“I heard you’re a singer. Susanna. They say you’re talented.”
When Ash complimented her, Susanna responded with modesty.
“Who isn’t talented in this field? Everyone sings beautifully. The problem is whether or not you can step onto a big stage.”
“A big stage?”
Susanna chuckled cynically at his question.
“You need to perform on a big stage a few times to make a name for yourself. Only then will people start requesting you, and that’s when you can actually make a living as a singer… But getting onto a big stage is no small feat.”
“What does it take to get onto a big stage?”
“You have to get on the good side of the manager in charge. Whether that means sweet-talking them, blackmailing them by finding some dirt, or…”
Susanna raised her eyebrows playfully and made a circle with her fingers.
“Or handing over a pile of money.”
“You’re saying that, in order to earn money as a singer, you first need to gather money to pay off the big stage manager?”
“Isn’t that how the world works? Someone once said life is a festival, but you need to pay an entrance fee to join the party.”
Ash smiled faintly at her response, then pulled out a document and began reading the details aloud.
“Let’s start with verification. Name: Susanna. Occupation: Singer. Native of New Terra. Age: 48 this year. Correct?”
“It’s bad manners to ask a woman’s age or about her past, and it’s also my right not to answer. Still, where’s the harm in being honest when there’s no danger? Yes, that’s correct.”
“I see your voice has risen in tone. Seems you’re a bit less nervous now than earlier.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m skilled enough to be useful to His Highness, and since I’ve done nothing wrong, I doubt you’re here to execute me. So yes, I feel a bit more at ease. Oh, and this tea is delightful.”
She took a sip with a soft slurp, finishing her tea, as Ash let out a hearty laugh, watching her calmly.
“You’re probably wondering why I came looking for you.”
“Yes. The gap between Your Highness and someone like me is, quite literally, as vast as the heavens and the earth. It’s thrilling to have such an intimate moment with Your Highness, but curiosity definitely outweighs the excitement.”
Ash stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point.
“About ten years ago, did you take a part-time job as a stand-in lover?”
Without hesitation, Susanna answered immediately.
“Yes. I did.”
“There’s no shame in any profession, but why did you take that job?”
“To gather the bribe money I needed to get onto that ‘big stage’ I mentioned earlier. A no-name singer’s income wasn’t nearly enough, so I picked up a side gig.”
“Judging by your way with words, you must have been quite popular in that part-time job.”
“Even ten years ago, I was a woman past her prime for marriage, and sadly, I was even less popular than I am now. Still, there were men past their prime as well, and even they needed stand-in lover services. I guess I was more appealing to them with my maturity than the younger, fresher women. So yes, there was plenty of demand.”
Susanna smiled with a playful glint in her eyes.
“Yes, thanks to that part-time job, I earned quite a bit. It’s because of that job that I’m where I am today.”
Ash nodded and then pulled something from his coat, extending it toward her.
“Do you remember this pocket watch?”
It was an old pocket watch.
The outer casing had cracks, and a few strands of fur, resembling that of an animal, were stuck to its surface. When Ash opened the front cover of the pocket watch, a small portrait of a young woman was revealed inside.
Susanna’s playful smile stiffened.
Because the portrait was of her younger self.
“…Of course, I remember it.”
Susanna admitted without hesitation.
“It was a gift I gave to one of my clients—someone who requested my stand-in lover service.”
“Did you normally give gifts to your clients?”
“There’s no harm in earning some goodwill from a client, is there?”
“A pocket watch seems like quite an expensive gift for such an occasion.”
“That particular client… well, he frequently requested me. I gave it to him as a gesture, hoping he’d continue calling on me in the future.”
“Do you remember that client’s name?”
“No.”
Susanna shook her head.
“It’s been ten years. I’ve long forgotten.”
“Would you want to know his name?”
“No.”
She shook her head again, this time more firmly.
“I don’t want to know. It was just a fleeting encounter. I don’t want to burden myself with unnecessary memories.”
“…Did you have any idea what kind of work that man did?”
“He was probably a soldier, wasn’t he? Or am I wrong?”
Susanna glanced out the carriage window at the frosty night streets where faint snowflakes danced.
“That year, so many soldiers died.”
“…”
“There was a civil war here in the capital, and across the southern continent, there was a grand war that determined the fate of the world. When Your Highness fought the Evil Dragon, even here in New Terra, we couldn’t sleep at night.”
For the first prince, for the second prince, for the third prince, for the Emperor.
And to protect the world…
Countless soldiers, carrying flags far greater than themselves, gave their lives.
“So many people died. There’s no one who didn’t lose a family member or a friend. Everyone had to struggle desperately to forget their own scars.”
Susanna shrugged.
“I struggled desperately too, just to survive as a singer. And in the chaos of my life, I completely forgot about… that man.”
“I see.”
Ash nodded.
“I’m sure he would’ve wanted you to live well, just like this.”
“…”
“He asked me to return this pocket watch to you—or more specifically, the portrait inside. That’s why I came here. I know it’s a burden, but can you accept it?”
“Of course.”
Susanna’s hands, holding the pocket watch, clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.
“After all, he was just… someone who passed by in my life. It’s just a pocket watch.”
Clack, clack, clack…
A brief silence filled the carriage, broken only by the sound of wheels as they crossed New Terra’s streets and approached the outskirts, heading toward the residential area.
It was where Susanna’s house was located. Ash had taken it upon himself to escort her home.
As they neared their destination, Ash spoke.
“I’ve heard that there’s one unbreakable rule in the stand-in lover service.”
“Yes.”
“No physical contact. No unnecessary intimacy. Is that correct?”
“You’re well-informed. That’s correct.”
“Then, if someone were to break that rule and make contact with their client…”
Ash looked at Susanna steadily.
“Could that mean, even just a little, that there were genuine feelings involved?”
“…Who knows?”
Susanna deflected the gaze with a practiced smile.
“It was all so long ago—ten years, to be exact.”
“I see.”
The carriage stopped in front of Susanna’s house.
Lucas opened the door and placed the step down for her. Taking Lucas’s hand, Susanna carefully alighted from the carriage. Ash gave her a polite nod.
“Thank you for your time, Susanna. I’d like to come see one of your performances someday.”
“I would be honored if that day comes, Your Highness. Meeting you has been the greatest privilege of my life.”
With a flourish befitting a performer, Susanna gave him a dazzling bow.
As Lucas climbed back to the coachman’s seat and the carriage began to pull away, Susanna hesitated before calling out.
“…Your Highness!”
Ash opened the window, looking back at her.
After a few moments of hesitation, she finally asked.
“Could you tell me just one thing?”
Ash waited patiently as she struggled to find her words.
“That man… is he… still alive somewhere?”
Ash smiled bitterly before replying.
“He’s gone.”
“…”
“Like all the other old soldiers.”
The carriage departed, leaving Susanna standing there in the quiet street.
Staring blankly at the spot where the carriage had disappeared, Susanna slowly lowered her gaze to the pocket watch in her hands.
Instead of opening the front cover with the portrait, she carefully opened the back cover of the pocket watch.
Click.
From the small compartment at the back, a few gold coins fell into her palm.
They were ancient gold coins from a magical kingdom in the far south, minted over 500 years ago.
“…”
Susanna ran her fingers over the worn gold coins.
She recalled the smile of the man who, no matter what his work entailed, would always bring back coins from foreign countries, calling them souvenirs of his travels.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
The heavy makeup around her eyes cracked slightly, revealing the deep wrinkles etched into her skin by a decade of a desperate, hard-fought life.
“Men, honestly…”
The war had ended, and ten years had passed.
Countless lives had been lost, yet the world had survived. And Susanna had forgotten that man’s name.
She had to forget in order to keep living.
“…”
She had forgotten his name.
But she still remembered the warmth of his hand.
On a night like this, when flecks of snow swirled in the air, she remembered his large, shy hand holding her cold one.
She needed to forget that, too.
Susanna placed the gold coins back into the pocket watch.
Click.
With a coarse sound, the pocket watch cover snapped shut.
Along with it, she folded away the memories of the man who had disappeared—memories she tucked neatly away and sealed, just like the watch.
–TL Notes–
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