The next day, Izaac came to the house.
But Leah could not see him.
Her eye color had not yet returned.
They told him she had caught a cold, and her mother gave the day’s lesson in her place.
After Izaac left, her mother came to Leah’s room.
“Leah, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Did Izaac seem well?”
“Yes. He was very worried about you. I told him it was only a cold and nothing serious. I also said you shouldn’t meet for a few days, in case it spreads.”
That’s good… Izaac is alright.
But what about Paul?
She wanted to see him.
Leah’s eyes were still gold. Her health had quickly returned, so surely Paul must be fine as well.
That was what she believed.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
A week passed, and Leah’s eyes finally returned to their original violet.
I was so afraid they might never change back!
Relieved, she was changing her clothes when a shout rang out from outside.
“Leah!”
It was Izaac. His voice sounded desperate.
“What could be wrong?”
Her mother frowned slightly and headed for the door.
“Good morning, Izaac.”
“Good morning. Is Leah—!?”
“Leah can study with you again starting today. Her cold has cleared up. She’s changing right now, so please wait a moment.”
Hearing her mother’s voice from the hall, Leah hurriedly finished dressing and stepped out.
“It’s been a while, Izaac!”
She went to the entrance to greet her childhood friend after a week apart—only to notice that his face was deathly pale.
She tilted her head.
“Izaac?”
“Leah…”
“…Did something happen?”
His face looked as though he might cry. He forced the words out.
“…Paul is dead…”
What…?
What was he saying?
“Izaac… what are you talking about? Don’t make such a terrible joke!”
He clenched his fists tightly.
“He was already cremated. His relatives are gathered at the cemetery now… They said he passed away yesterday…”
Leah could not believe it.
“Let’s go to the cemetery,” her mother said quietly, urging them outside.
They went to the burial grounds north of the village.
Paul’s relatives were there.
When her mother approached them and asked what had happened, they explained in a flat tone.
Paul’s condition had worsened severely over the past few days.
Yesterday, it had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, and he had breathed his last.
The decline had been so rapid that they suspected it might be the plague spreading across the continent.
They had cremated him and laid him to rest.
“No…! Paul is alive! He can’t be dead!”
“Leah…”
Her mother pulled her into an embrace.
Izaac bit his lip and looked down.
It’s a lie…!
A sea breeze swept through Leah’s hair, cold air lashing at her body.
Paul had been her first love.
They had been together just days ago.
She could still remember the warmth of his hand in hers, the touch of his lips against her skin.
He had told her they would marry when they grew up.
And yet—so suddenly—this parting?
“…!”
At the cemetery, Leah broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Unable to bear it, Izaac placed a hand on her back.
“…Leah, let’s go home.”
If they remained any longer, it would be too much for her frail mother.
“….”
Leah nodded, wiping her endless tears, and left the place behind.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
A year passed.
Encouraged by those around her, Leah’s wounded heart had just begun to mend when tragedy struck again.
Her mother died of the plague.
Around the same time, Izaac’s mother also passed away, and Izaac came to live in Leah’s home.
The grief Leah and Izaac carried was immeasurable.
But the one who suffered most was Leah’s father.
Having lost the love of his life, he withered visibly.
“Leah… forgive me. Even though I still have you, my precious daughter… without your mother… I… I no longer know how to go on…”
Having lost the will to live, her father became like an empty shell.
As though following his beloved, he, too, passed away.
Leah and Izaac were left utterly alone in the world.
And yet—
On the day her father died, someone came to their house.
