Side Story 05. [After Story] Evangeline

    Half a year later. Imperial Year 657, autumn.@@@@

    Five years after the final battle against the monsters.

    Southern Empire. Crossroad.

    Southern part of the city. Orchard.

    Snip!

    With a crisp sound, a cluster of grapes was neatly clipped off the vine.

    “My, my, what a fine bunch~”

    Evangeline, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, whistled cheerfully.

    She held the plump cluster of grapes in her hand, weighing it thoughtfully. Then she plucked a single grape, popped it into her mouth, and—

    “...!”

    Her previously skeptical expression lit up with sweet delight. Fist clenched in triumph, she grinned.

    “Ahh... it’s sweet. This is it!”

    Beaming, Evangeline turned to her side.

    “Looks like we can actually sell them this year!”

    Before her stretched rows upon rows of grapevines—thousands of them. Under the southern sun, the vines were heavy with bountiful fruit.

    People who once wielded spears and swords to slay monsters now busied themselves with pruning shears and shovels, moving efficiently between the vines.

    This orchard project had been started by her late predecessor, the frontier margrave.

    Once the monsters disappeared and the sinister energy lingering in the land dissipated, Evangeline made it her priority to restart the orchard business.

    After a few trials, errors, and years of effort, she had finally achieved visible success.

    “If they could see this, my parents would be happy, wouldn’t they...?”

    Evangeline murmured softly.

    Her eyes scanned the clusters of grapes hanging from the vines, brimming with a sense of nostalgia.

    This orchard held the wishes of her parents and the people of Crossroad who came before her.

    Now, in a world where monsters no longer invaded, the fruit ripened beautifully.

    At that moment—

    Thump!

    Evangeline felt a small movement in her belly.

    Smiling, she gently caressed her round stomach.

    “Alright, Bean Rice Cake. I’ll give you some. Geez, just like your mom, you’re such a foodie...”

    Evangeline was heavily pregnant.

    Having been four months along half a year ago, she was now nearing her due date.

    She swallowed another grape, rubbing her belly as she did. The baby, seemingly satisfied, stopped kicking.

    “It’s amazing, isn’t it? How we’re so connected.”

    Looking at the ripening grapevines, Evangeline stroked her belly—stroking the child within.

    “We’re all connected...”

    With a soft smile, she turned her gaze toward a nearby building—once her father’s villa, now repurposed as the orchard’s management office.

    “Lilly! The grapes are super sweet. You’re going to try some, right?”

    In the shaded front yard of the office, beneath a canopy, sat a large table where Lilly and Sid were busy drawing with colored pencils.

    Evangeline had invited them over after learning they were planning a weekend outing.

    Setting down her colored pencil, Lilly looked up with concern.

    “I’ll try them, but isn’t it about time for your due date, Lady Evangeline? Shouldn’t you be resting instead of working in the fields?”

    “Oh, I’m fine, I’m fine. The baby likes it when I’m active. When I sit still, they get all restless and start kicking like crazy.”

    Evangeline rinsed a bunch of grapes with water from the pump and placed them on a plate before the two.

    “Thanks for the food!”

    Sid, who had been drooling for a while, eagerly grabbed the grapes and stuffed them into his mouth.

    “Wow!”

    Before he could even express how they tasted, Sid’s eyes went wide. Pleased with his reaction, Evangeline laughed heartily, while Lilly frowned slightly. ?α?NоΒE?s

    “Lady Evangeline, you give Sid too many snacks. Look at his chubby fingers; they’re all pudgy now.”

    “What’s wrong with that? He’s just adorably plump.”

    Evangeline patted her own belly, nodding confidently.

    “Baby fat disappears as you grow up. Don’t worry so much!”

    Coming from someone who stood in defiance of that conventional wisdom, her words carried little credibility.

    Lilly opened her mouth to retort but stopped as Sid plucked the biggest grape and held it out to her.

    “Mom, say ahhh~”

    “...Ahhh.”

    Unable to resist, Lilly accepted the grape, her own eyes widening as she tasted its sweetness.

    “Wow, this is really sweet. It’s incredible, Lady Evangeline.”

    “Right? I know, right? I mean, think about it—Crossroad is at the southernmost tip of the continent. That means we get the most sunlight. And more sunlight means? Sweeter fruit, obviously!”

    While her logic was somewhat simplistic and over-generalized, the result spoke for itself.

    “If we can maintain this level of sweetness consistently...”

    Lilly, thinking as a steward of the estate, murmured to herself. Evangeline caught on and responded.

    “Then my grand food alley project... will definitely succeed!”

    “...”

    Lilly wasn’t sure about the success of Evangeline’s ambitious food alley initiative.

    However, the prospect of cultivating the fertile lands south of the old frontline—which had once been inaccessible due to monster invasions—was undeniably promising for Crossroad.

    ‘If we can keep this level of quality, it might sell well as a specialty product...’

    “That’s... a really long story...”

    At that moment, the large snake coiled around Damien’s neck—Jo?rmungandr—hissed softly, flicking its tongue with apparent displeasure.

    Damien scratched Jo?rmungandr’s head with a wry smile.

    “I know, I know. Sorry about this. We’ll head north next, I promise. Don’t be mad.”

    Ssshh...

    Jo?rmungandr seemed to have been annoyed by the detour westward and continued flicking its tongue as if to show its displeasure.

    Sid’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the snake.

    “Um, big brother Damien... Can I touch the snake?”

    “What are you saying? No way, absolutely not!”

    Lilly hurriedly grabbed Sid, alarmed.

    But Damien smiled and nodded, unwrapping the snake from around his neck and gently placing it before Sid.

    Jo?rmungandr let out a soft huff before curling up on the table and lying still. Sid, delighted, eagerly began touching the snake’s smooth body, while Lilly furrowed her brow in exasperation.

    Damien chuckled and exclaimed, “Ah!” as if remembering something. He pulled a pouch from his pocket and handed it to Evangeline.

    “Seeing this orchard reminded me. Here, Lady Evangeline, take this.”

    “Hm? Damien, what is this?”

    “Date palm seeds.”

    The pouch was filled with well-preserved date palm seeds.

    Damien explained,

    “Five years ago, during Night Bringer’s invasion, a cold snap struck the western desert regions, killing off most of the date palm trees.”

    “Oh no...”

    “The local residents gave me these seeds, saying to plant them wherever I went if I could think of a suitable place. I’ve been carrying them around ever since because I couldn’t find the right spot.”

    He gestured toward the orchard with a nod.

    “I think they might grow well here in Crossroad. What do you think?”

    “Date palms...?”

    Evangeline swallowed hard.

    She had tasted dates once before and vividly remembered their uniquely chewy, sweet flesh. As the memory came to her, something clicked in her mind, and she snapped her fingers.

    “Yes, if it’s these...!”

    But just then—

    “Ugh!”

    Evangeline suddenly clutched her belly and collapsed where she stood.

    Everyone jumped in alarm, and Lilly cried out in panic.

    “Lady Evangeline?! Are you okay?!”

    “My belly... It hurts so much...”

    Evangeline was drenched in sweat as she struggled to speak.

    “Did I... eat too much...?”

    “What are you saying?! This is clearly labor pains! You’re in labor, you pregnant woman! Now, deep breaths!”

    As Zenis helped guide Evangeline’s breathing, he shouted, “Call for a carriage! We need to transport her to Crossroad immediately!”

    Everyone sprang into action, working together to lay Evangeline down and prepare to rush her to the city.

    That was when Damien—kind-hearted but notoriously oblivious—blurted out the question no one else dared to ask.

    “Where’s Sir Lucas?! Where is he?!”

    “...”

    “His wife is about to give birth—shouldn’t he be here right now—?”

    “...”

    “Ah.”

    Awkward silence fell over the group.

    Damien began to feel the temperature in the sunny, early-autumn orchard drop significantly. A cold chill, despite the warm sunlight.

    “...I’m sorry.”

    Damien mumbled a quiet apology, but it was too late.

    Evangeline, her face flushed red—either from labor pains or sheer anger—had already entered a state of rage.

    “That idiot husband of mine...”

    Her voice was shrill as she glared with bloodshot eyes, whether from pain or fury.

    “He thinks work is more important than his wife and baby—!”

    At the same time.

    On the main road from the Bringar Duchy to Crossroad.

    “Hyah! Hyah! Faster—!”

    Lucas was galloping down the road in a frenzy.

    “Go! Go! I have to get there!”

    He had to make it in time for Evangeline’s labor.

    He had to be there for the moment his child was born.

    “Somebody help meeeeee!”

    ...And, above all, he had to avoid a lifetime of being scolded by his wife.

    Desperately. Furiously. With all his might.

    –TL Notes–

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