Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 181: Side Story

Chapter 181. Meeting Again (3)

“…What kind of deal was it?”

“Oh, nothing special. Just arranged it so I could live until your time period, stopping my body from aging.”

Nothing special? That’s nothing?

I couldn’t hide my dumbfounded expression. Raising my eyebrows, I glared at Liam with a harsh look and pronounced his full name.

“William Schofield Moore.”

Now as then, he seemed to fear being called that the most. Squeezing his eyes shut, he murmured defensively.

“I just wanted to meet you again. Think about it—we’re in the same world now. You’re alive here in the distant future.”

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Yes, I know. I would have been tempted too. If a devil had appeared and offered to let me meet Liam again… After all, longing isn’t something you can ignore just by trying. While I could understand his feelings, Liam’s choice was still reckless.

“Fine. What can we do about something already sold? Good thing you survived this long without magic.”

When I muttered resignedly, Liam chuckled.

“Plurititas helped quite a bit.”

Plurititas? Impossible. I would have expected that eccentric old man to either smack his lips saying “Oh my, how interesting” or abandon Liam as boring and go live his own life.

“Is this actually some parallel universe I don’t know about?”

“Don’t joke.”

“…Are you saying that old man didn’t try to take your head?”

Liam shrugged his shoulders. While he indicated I could ask anything else I was curious about, honestly, hearing more might make my head explode. I’d met Liam now, and my schedule was flexible, so I could ask my questions gradually. After all, Liam Moore was someone who could talk for three days and nights just to satisfy my curiosity.

After contemplating for a while, I asked about the ‘Jane’ from after I left.

“Ah, you mean Miss Osmond.”

“…Miss Osmond? Not Moore?”

“I couldn’t exactly tell someone who’d lost all memories from November onward ‘Actually, we were married.’ ‘Jane’ lived as Jane Osmond, met someone else, and spent a peaceful retirement.” 𝑅𝘢Ｎȱ𐌱Ěŝ

I wondered if it hadn’t felt strange to him, thinking of that face beside someone else.

However, Liam didn’t seem particularly affected. It would be more accurate to say he appeared to have no lingering attachments.

“Either way, my brother-in-law was happy. Ah, he’s not my brother-in-law anymore. Let’s call him ‘Mr. Osmond.’ Since people’s memories disappeared with London’s mist, those who remembered our marriage could be counted on one hand. Those who knew kept quiet about it. Thanks to that, only Inspector Jefferson and I drank frequently. Yes, that’s how it was. Since you’re the only Jane Moore to me, it was right for the marriage to be nullified.”

Liam giggled as he recalled how a drunk Inspector Jefferson had exclaimed “How pitiful for the new groom!” and caused rumors about Liam Moore being married to spread, which was really troublesome. He’d explained that he’d separated from his wife, but people misunderstood it as ‘death of spouse,’ making me a dead person. Liam ended up going through a period of mourning. Moreover, when he tried to correct it, some gossip columnist wrote an article…

“…Did you know a husband’s mourning period for his wife is three months? Six months at most.”

“What about when a wife mourns her husband?”

“Thirty months.”

Gasp. That’s ten times longer! My jaw dropped.

“Thirty months? You had to wear black clothes for thirty months?”

“The first year was all black, the second year gradually mixing in white, and the last six months… what was it? I can’t remember. It was too long ago. …Anyway, I did the same. People around me kept recommending remarriage, saying grief should be forgotten with someone new.”

A husband who mourned his not-even-dead wife for two years just to avoid marriage proposals. Should I… praise his determination? As I twisted my lips trying to hold back laughter, Liam said with empty eyes.

“Laugh all you want…”

“Hahaha!”

I could picture the scene without seeing it. Scotland Yard people must have pestered Liam constantly, saying things like “You should meet someone new. You’re still young, Mr. Moore, you can find someone good.”

Still, thirty months? That’s so much… time. I wondered how many times this sort of thing had happened during his life up to the 21st century.

“So much has happened, Jane. It would take a hundred more days to tell it all.”

“We can talk about it gradually.”

The car was very warm now with the heater running. I straightened my hunched shoulders and changed the subject.

“…You don’t live on Bailonz Street anymore?”

“Ah, I moved somewhere else. It’s an apartment, you’ll love it. After living so long, I finally understand why Herschel was so particular about decorating his home.”

After taking off his frozen coat, Liam threw it onto the back seat and reached over to fasten my seatbelt for me. I sat quietly, watching Liam Moore move with an unfamiliar expression. Two people’s quiet breathing echoed in the car.

Liam Moore, not as a character in a game, but as a person existing here and now.

It feels strange to see him driving a car or using a phone. He even uses the navigator naturally. I thought Liam would always remain a 19th-century person who hailed horse carriages.

“…It’s so strange watching you drive.”

I opened my mouth quietly. Liam giggled.

“Oh, madam! Humans are creatures of adaptation.”

* * *

Liam’s home was located in a residential area near Hyde Park. Buckingham Palace was also nearby. He joked that it was a perfect location for sightseeing.

The five-story Victorian-style apartment reflected Liam’s personality in every detail of its interior. He said the walls and floors were originally a light cream color, but he changed them to create a more dignified atmosphere. To make it feel similar to Bailonz Street.

Liam, now accustomed to taking off his shoes indoors, naturally turned on the boiler. Bo… boiler? The thing that warms the floor? When I hesitated, he grinned.

“Getting older makes my bones cold. Makes me understand Plurititas. That gentleman even put an electric blanket on his bed.”

“…Plurititas sleeping with an electric heating pad?”

I was shocked by this surprising news.

In my memory, Plurititas was sort of… like someone with OCD. The kind of person who had to wear only white clothes and live in a perfectly organized, pristine white house. But well. A hundred years had brought many changes to both him and Liam, it seemed.

Unable to laugh, I felt the air starting to warm up. To think there was underfloor heating beneath these dark tiles. It felt too much like home. Is he Korean?… With black hair too? I found myself sneaking glances at Liam with such thoughts.

“How is it?”

Like a puppy bringing a ball, Liam put his arm around my shoulders, his eyes shining with anticipation of praise.

“Exactly like 13 Bailonz Street, right?”

It was honestly surprising. Was it because he’d recreated the interior from back then almost exactly? Though the layout was different, it felt just like returning to 13 Bailonz Street.

The space was full of signs of daily life. Past the hallway, a pair of desks faced each other in front of a large, open window. A sofa and low table waited for visitors in front of an electric fireplace that cozily lit the living room, with a newspaper and a cold cup of tea carelessly placed on top.

I murmured in admiration.

“…It really is identical. How did you find such similar furniture?”

Of course, there were modern items that didn’t exist in the past. Things like laptops and desktop computers, for instance. There was no TV.

Liam replied proudly.

“Your husband has quite an eye for detail, you know. I remembered everything.”

Anyway, time was already past midnight, approaching one o’clock.

While I was very energetic, whether due to magic or youthful stamina, Liam was too weak against sleepiness to catch up on our backlog of conversation. Since he clung to me with childish whining like ‘I’m sleepy’ and ‘Put me to bed,’ I had no choice but to drag him toward the bedroom.