Are You Going to Break off the Engagement and Expel Me at the Same Time? ~I’m an Alchemist Who’s End

Chapter 3: Reunion and marriage proposal

“…My feet are tired…”

I am in a town called Siber, two miles from the capital.

Why am I in this place?

The reason is simple: after I was fired from the court and my engagement to Master Caius was broken off, I was finally kicked out of the house.

I am not sad about that.

I have no attachment to this place from the beginning, and I have no longing for it.

If anything, I owe them something for taking me in as an orphan… I think I have repaid that.

That’s why I left home and left the capital, for no particular reason.

“What should I do now?”

I don’t regret it.

I just had no idea about my future.

Should I look for a job as an alchemist?

That would be best, but I shuddered to think of the excessive workload at court.

In the end, I didn’t decide where to work and just wandered on.

I’m running out of money…

I have to work somewhere to make ends meet….

“Hmm… It’s not so easy to live on your own…”

“Yeah, that’s true. We all help each other out.”

“You know that… huh?”

Suddenly I was approached, and a casual conversation ensued.

When I turned around, there stood a young man with a familiar face.

“Hi. You’re Amelia, right?”

“Are you… Big Brother Thomas?”

“Haha, Big Brother. I miss you calling me that.”

He smiles shyly.

He has silver hair and blue eyes, and when he feels embarrassed, he turns his head away and closes one eye.

The sight of him brings back memories of my childhood.

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes, it was a long time ago, Amelia.”

“Big brother Thomas…”

“What are you doing here? Are you here on business or…? Why are you crying?”

Big Brother Thomas started to panic.

I didn’t even realize I was crying.

It wasn’t until he pointed it out that I noticed a few drops trickling down my cheeks.

“What, why am I… I’m crying…”

Yes, that’s right.

I was sad.

I was fired, my fiancé was taken away from me, I was kicked out of my house.

I don’t regret any of that.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve come to terms with everything.

The time I spent in court, the effort I put in, everything I lost in denial….

I was so sad that I cried with relief.

Seeing the worried expression on my Big Brother’s face, I hastily wiped away my tears.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a little dust in my eye.”

“…Let’s switch places.”

“What?”

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Tell me about it.”

And with that, he takes my hand and walks away.

He pulls me along, and I step forward.

He doesn’t force me, but pulls me gently and at a comfortable pace.

His hands were large and masculine…. And yet he was kind.

◇◇◇

We went to a café nearby.

We sat down across from each other and I told him what had happened.

He and I grew up together in the same orphanage, and since he was two years older than me, I called him “Big Brother” from then on.

Even after I was accepted into the Alster family, we kept in touch, writing letters and meeting occasionally.

But that stopped when I became a member of the Court.

In his last letter, he mentioned that he too was leaving the orphanage, and I had inquired about him.

We met again after five years… The tears came partly because I was so emotional.

After listening to the story, he squeezed my hand tightly.

“What the hell… This is very unfortunate. Amelia didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Hahaha… yes, that’s right. It’s really bad.”

“Why are you laughing at me? Why don’t you get angry? You’re being unreasonable.”

“Yeah, but… Like I said, I don’t want to go back. It’s like I’m finally free. I just don’t know what to do now…”

Money is important to enjoy one’s freedom.

I need to find a job, and even if I do, what if the environment is terrible again?

Because of all these thoughts, I couldn’t take the first step and wandered around.

“You haven’t decided where to go yet?”

“No. I was kicked out of home, and going to an orphanage now would be awkward.”

“I understand… Yes, I understand.”

“Big brother Thomas?”

He nodded his head and put his hand to his chin as if he were thinking.

Then it came to mind.

How had he ended up in this town?

Where and what had he done after he left the orphanage?

The most interesting thing for me was his clothes.

He didn’t look like a normal person, but more like a nobleman…

“Okay Amelia, I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes. Do you want to come to my territory?”

“… What?”

Territory?