Raymond spent the next few days without doing much. He mostly just watched his family from a distance.
To his relief, they were both doing well.
Yuna was attending a local school, and Qulia had started working as a maid in one of the neighbors' house to earn money.
Their lives weren't exactly luxurious, but at least they didn't have to worry about affording food and clothes.
But the most important thing was that, despite their simple lives, they were happy. Raymond often found himself losing track of time as he watched the mother and daughter playing, talking, and singing happily while doing chores together.
It was just like how their lives used to be, before...
No, there was no need to think of that.
Raymond had already decided to bury that hatchet and let his family live their lives in peace. After all, his greatest wish in life was to always see them happy, and it seemed like his wish had been granted.
Truly, there hadn't been a moment when Raymond saw either of them argue, or complain. They were both perfectly content with what they had.
At first, Raymond had only intended to observe them. But after a while, he couldn't stop himself from helping them in small ways.
And so, he found himself scaring pests away from the garden, or leaving fruits near Yuna when she was playing.
Or making Niko summon a small undead that quietly grabbed the stool Qulia was standing on just as it was about to fall.
He felt...happy like this. After all these years, he genuinely felt happy.
And, lost in that happiness, he hardly realized as three days went by. On the afternoon of the fourth day, Raymond sat on the ground, watching as Qulia and Yuna were having lunch together.
He had a contemplative look on his face, and an austere, white flower in his hands. The Everbloom.
He had been on his way to give it to his wife, before...before he had died.
So now, he considered leaving it near their house, as a way of saying his final goodbye to the love of his life.
But he shook his head with a sigh and decided against it.
Then, getting up, he inhaled deeply.
It was time to make good on his promise. And so, he set off to meet the Child of Death.
But something caught his attention. It was man and a woman, and they were approaching his house.
Wallace and Martha.
They hadn't changed a bit in all these years, and yet, it still felt like they had changed completely.
There were only subtle changes, a slightly different hairstyle, new clothes, and a few scars here and there.
But those changes made it feel like they were completely different people.
Especially Wallace, who had gained a terrible scar across his face, likely from one of his missions in the army.
Regardless, the fact that they were paying a visit meant that the tension between them and Qulia had eased up now.
Raymond felt glad to know that.
"Maybe I should stay and watch a little longer, after all, it's been so long since I last saw Wallace."
And with that, Raymond sat back down.
He was honestly a bit excited to see what they would talk about.
But, to his surprise, Wallace didn't knock on the door. Rather, he gestured to Martha who broke it open with a kick.
Qulia and Yuna flinched and, after she saw who it was, Yuna rushed to hide behind her mother, hugging her with trembling arms.
"Hello again", Wallace said nonchalantly as he walked up to Qulia.
"You! I thought I had told you to stay away from us!", Qulia glared at Wallace with eyes full of resentment.
"And I told you that I would only give you one more week to decide, and that week is up", Wallace shrugged indifferently.
But then, his gaze turned cold and piercing.
"So, what will it be?"
"I've told you already, I want nothing to do with you. Now get out!", Qulia pointed at the door.
Hearing that, Wallace's expression darkened
"Oh, Qulia, Qulia, Qulia", he leaned closer, "Haven't you already paid the price for being stubborn once? I thought you would have learned your lesson by now."
"You monster!", she pushed him back, "It's all your fault! Our family was living happily, until you ruined everything!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?", Wallace raised an eyebrow, "You're the one who ruined it all by mistreating your husband."
Qulia gritted her teeth.
"That was because of you! You tried to drive a wedge between me and Raymond! You had your men steal his money, ruin his food, and you even threaten me into staying away from him!"
Then, she pointed at Martha.
"And she even stole the bracelet that Raymond gave me!"
Martha shrugged.
"I only borrowed it."
But then, a mocking grin appeared on her lips.
"I gave it back to you at Raymond's funeral."
"You...you witch!", Qulia's voice cracked, "I bet you two even had a hand in his death!"
"Don't blame it on us", Martha scoffed, "What happened was no one's fault but your own."
She pointed her finger at Qulia.
"None of this would have happened if not for you. It was your harshness that made your husband go into the woods. He wanted to get something to make you happy, and look, now he's dead, all because of you."
Qulia's eyes widened when she heard that, and her shoulders slumped. She couldn't help but lower her gaze.
***
Martha had always despised Qulia.
Not because Qulia had done anything wrong to her, but simply because she couldn't stand how much attention a nobody like Qulia always got.
Qulia's husband, Raymond, had always showered her with love and gifts.
The townspeople never stopped praising her and taking care of her.
Even Wallace, the son of a renowned noble, did everything in his power to make Qulia his own.
Martha hated it.
What was so special about that woman that she always got everything in life?
Martha was more skilled than her, had worked harder than her, and was even from a noble household.
Yet that wretch had gotten everything Martha had wanted in life, despite having done nothing to deserve it!
So now, seeing Qulia in this pitiful state, she felt nothing but pure joy.
Which was why she couldn't help but want to make her suffer a little more. And she knew exactly how to do that.
"Oh, the poor man, he even found Everblooms to give you as gifts. A shame he died before he could even give them to you."
She laughed as she saw Qulia's eyes well up with tears.
"He truly was such a caring husband. He was even thinking of you in death, calling your name even as I stabbed him in the heart--"
"Martha!", Wallace cut her off, "Are you just going to tell her everything?!"
Martha laughed.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, sir. What can she even do about it?"
"Well, you're right about that", Wallace scoffed.
Qulia clenched her fist, "You'll pay for it. Both of you will pay for everything you've done to us!"
"Oh really?", Wallace chuckled, "Well go ahead, make us pay. Ah, but who's going to do it? You, who doesn't even have any evidence to prove our crimes?"
Then, he grabbed Yuna and, unsheathing his sword, he pointed it at her throat.
"Or this little brat, who I could just kill right now?"
"No! Let her go!"
Qulia tried to stop him, but Martha grabbed her, making her watch as Wallace slowly brought the tip of the sword closer to Yuna's neck.
Wallace grinned, "This is your last chance, I won't ask you again. Agree to marry me. If you don't, I'll kill your daughter too."
"Stop it! Leave my daughter alone!!", Qulia cried as she struggled to break free.
Wallace and Martha laughed as they saw her desperate struggle.
But little did they know, their fates had just been sealed.
The room they were in became enveloped in shadows, and a shiver ran down their spines as the temperature plummeted.
Raging winds blew in from the door, crashing into them both and sending them tumbling back.
When they got back up, they were met with a pair of glowing red eyes, glaring at them with ill contained rage.
Standing at the door was a young man with brown hair, a gaping hole running through his chest.
***
'Everything makes sense now', Raymond thought.
The fact that Wallace and Martha knew about the Everblooms.
The fact that they knew his last words.
The scar Wallace had on his face.
The fact that Martha had stolen Qulia's bracelet near the time of Raymond's death.
It all pointed to a single thing—it was Wallace and Martha who had killed him that night.
Raymond's mind was burning with rage—but this time, he didn't hold it back.
He slowly walked towards them both, each step causing the ground to freeze.
He spoke in a low voice, yet it's sound echoed through their very souls.
"You wanted someone to make you pay?"
Raymond smiled coldly.
"Well, your wish has just been granted".