Even if the Dawn Abandons You - Chapter 32

With the sudden involvement of the Kladiev Empire’s military and the subsequent bombardment of Belize, followed by the Basbourg Resistance’s attack, the former Revolutionary Army, now officially known as the Léans Government Army, took control of most of the communes in the Belize region. The government army was left with only five communes that had been reduced to ruins.

Military scholars attributed the bombing of Belize instead of Rue, the garrison of the Léans government forces, to the absence of barriers. The garrison had set up a barrier in the sky, making it difficult for the Imperial Army of Kladiev to assess their true strength. They considered Belize, without a barrier in the air and located on the border with Rue, a suitable target to strike fear into the government forces.

In other words, five communes, including Verduis and Dunang, were engulfed in chaos simply because of their proximity to Rue.

Such a bombardment of a civilian residential area, even in the midst of a major battlefield, blatantly violated the Ashbridge Convention, which mandates that “the military must make every effort to minimize civilian damage in the conduct of war.”

The King and Prime Minister of Valtria, as leaders of the agreement, officially condemned the incident and expressed their support for the Republic of Léans.

Around the same time, the Wisteria Republic’s participation in the Basbourg Civil War was formally established.

? ? ?

One could call it foresight.

Anais sat on the sofa in the small living room, watching Leonard carry the soundly sleeping Marie into the small bedroom. After Leonard disappeared behind the bedroom door, Anais ran her finger across the sofa she was sitting on. There was a bit of dust, but nothing too serious. She found it rewarding to clean whenever she had spare time.

With Marie discharged from the hospital, Anais and Leonard headed to Saint Cordet.

Saint Cordet, a commune belonging to Rue, was a small town situated between Lemez, where Rue’s city hall was located, and Verdius, the front line after the bombing. Although they never expected to be in this situation, Anais had purchased an entire floor of a small townhouse in Saint Cordet before settling in Dunang.

The three of them had decided to stay there for the time being.

Yes, all three of them.

Anais knew it was strange to think that way. Apart from Marie, living under the same roof as Leonard was not a reasonable choice. She understood that it defied common sense for an unrelated man and woman to live together with a child who wasn’t biologically related, a sibling, or a spouse. What amused her even more was the fact that she was the one who had suggested this absurd arrangement in the first place.

But they were all a bit crazy, and now was not the time for common sense to prevail.

The bombing of Belize had thrown Eldanyu into chaos. Transportation was completely paralyzed due to the increasing number of refugees heading towards the East, and the West. Even those who had watched the civil war from afar now trembled in fear. The few survivors from the five ruined communes, having lost their homes, families, friends, and possessions, were unable to escape Basbourg. Just waking up reminded them of the nightmares of that day. They were unable to find solace.

In that sense, the four survivors from Dunang, including Marie, were considered lucky. Two of them managed to find shelter at a relative’s house in another city, and one found accommodations through their workplace in Lemez. As for Marie…

‘Wouldn’t it be better to place her in a facility?’

When Philip heard that Mari was in the comprehensive hospital in Rue and visited her, he said those words. It wasn’t necessarily wrong, but among the orphanages in Dunang, it was difficult to find a place with good welfare conditions.

It was the result of the country neglecting welfare for the underprivileged for a long time. Especially in a situation like this, where it was difficult to move from place to place, it would take too long to find a suitable place. Philip’s words were closer to “hand it over to the government official in charge” rather than “find a good place yourself.”

Thinking about it, Anais had seen many war orphans while taking care of civilians in Basbour. Most of them wandered the streets. Looking at it that way, it was a stroke of luck that Mari, along with the surviving Dunang residents, could be placed in a safe place. But…

Mari Blanc was different. She was Marcel Blanc’s sister.

Of course, that didn’t make her any more special than other children. But at least to Anais and Leonard, she was special. The Blanc siblings had no relatives, so they were the only people Mari knew in Dunang. To abandon her to someone else and pretend not to know would go against her principles.

Moreover, unlike Anais, who had considered the option of a facility for a while, Leonard was furious when he heard Philip’s suggestion. Anais understood Leonard’s perspective as well. It was clear to her who he associated Marie with, to the point that she didn’t even dare to think about it. Maybe he had seen the overlapping images of Mari and his deceased niece.

“Rue… There’s a house I bought on the Saint-Corde side. If it’s okay with you, Your Highness…”

Before she even realized it, she had already proposed to Leonard that they live together and take care of Marie. She didn’t say it explicitly, but it didn’t matter how it sounded.

Anais thought, for a moment, that she had gone mad. She was so disappointed, distressed, and exhausted that she believed she had lost her mind. Because she was saying things that couldn’t be said unless one was insane. So, naturally, Leonard should have treated her as a madwoman.

“If you allow me, I would like to be indebted to you.”

That was the result of two people who were undoubtedly not sane, deciding that it was the best choice for everyone involved.

“Ms. Anais, are you okay?”

In truth, Philip wanted to ask, “Are you out of your mind?” However, it was clearly Philippe’s mistake to bring up the idea of a facility while disregarding Anais’s feelings towards Marie and the deceased Marcel.

The question of whether it would be okay for an unrelated man and woman to live together under the same roof was apparent. But Anais only responded by talking about Marie, saying, “I want to take care of her because she’s the sister of a neighbor I’m very close to.” After obtaining permission to leave the hospital with Marie, she left for Saint Cordet with Leonard that day.

In any case, it wasn’t a typical situation where an unmarried adult man and woman, along with an unrelated young child, would attract accusations or scandalous rumors. Anais held the child’s hand tightly, as if seeking solace when she learned that the owner of the building’s first floor, who had sold the third floor to Anais and rented out the second floor, lived nearby.

There were no frowns or strange looks. Even though they knew who Anais was, when they said, “You’re doing a good job here too,” it seemed like they understood better because they knew who she was. Whichever way she looked at it, it was fortunate.

Anais chuckled wryly as she remembered her encounter with the landlord at the front door. At that moment, Leonard quietly emerged from the bedroom. Marie, who had fallen asleep in the car, still hadn’t woken up.

In a world where common sense no longer applied, they were all a bit insane.

The eyes of the two, perhaps the most insane of them all, met in midair.

Anais was the first to avert her gaze, but she was also the first to speak.

“Can we talk for a moment? Marie is sleeping.”

“As long as you want.”

Leonard sat down on the sofa opposite Anais. The small floral-patterned sofa that came with the house she had purchased for herself didn’t suit Leonard at all, but there were more pressing matters that needed to be addressed in order to bring a smile to her face.

For example, what lay ahead in the future. They had decided to stay here for the time being, but that was only temporary. They couldn’t live like this forever.

She had made an insane proposal for them to live together, but saying yes wouldn’t make all her worries and anxieties disappear. Anais was grappling with a much greater concern.

She worried about what would happen if any of their comrades found out that she was living with someone, and speculations arose about her cohabitant.

It was true that she believed it was better to risk being seen rather than risk being unseen, but above all, she wanted Leonard to be safe. He had made it clear before, and even now, that he wouldn’t leave this place.

But unlike before, Marie was here now. Anais couldn’t leave Marie in this dangerous place indefinitely. She wondered if Leonard had considered leaving Basbourg and Léans behind to create a safe environment for Marie. However…

“You still have no intention of leaving Basbourg? If you plan to keep carrying Mari with you, it would be better to find a safer place…”

“Mari will be in my care no matter what happens. And, I won’t leave Basbourg.”

Anais suspected that he might be associating Mari with the deceased nieces. But his voice was resolute, as his piercing gray eyes stared straight at her.

“…Even if it costs me my life, I will stay here and help the people until the end.”