“Hoo, hoo, hoo.”
Jayden gasped for breath.
His face was a mess. It wasn’t serious injuries, but anyone seeing him for the first time would be shocked by his state.
Lucas looked the same way.
Was it because he was ambushed without holding a ‘sword’? Or maybe it was because swordsmanship and combat skills were different fields, or perhaps Lucas just looked strangely unenthusiastic.
I pulled out a handkerchief.
Hmm… I only have one.
Should I give it to Jayden, who has blood slightly running from his nose?
“Thanks, little brother!”
Jayden accepted the handkerchief with a big smile.
“… Take it. Just.”
I said this after seeing Jayden press the handkerchief to his nose.
Then I looked at Lucas.
Did it look like I was taking Jayden’s side? Lucas had a strangely depressed expression.
“Touch my little brother, and that’s what happens, pal.”
Are you really saying that when you’re bleeding too? Well, at least the atmosphere lightened a bit.
Once, I too was a man. Of course, I had never fought fiercely, but I did wrestle around with friends.
Even if I wanted to kill each other at the time, after a little scuffle, it often turned out to be nothing in the end.
This was true even with a little brother. Whether friends or siblings, ultimately, you can’t just throw them away. As time passes, there should be at least a few people with whom you can share your feelings comfortably.
“Did you see that? Huh? Sylvia, did you see? Your brother taught that guy a lesson.”
“Ha.”
Lucas laughed, seemingly incredulous.
“What’s so funny?”
As Jayden got riled up again, Lucas still looked incredulous and scratched the back of his head roughly before glaring at Jayden.
“Considering what I did to that guy, dealing with it with your fluffy little fists won’t be enough.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
I said in a stunned voice to Lucas.
“Are you saying you’re going to settle your debts with death? Dying won’t bring me a single coin.”
Of course, I was in a position where I didn’t need money.
I returned to the table and sat in a chair. I grabbed a snack and put it in my mouth… It was extremely soggy, probably having been left on the table for too long.
“Yeah, that’s right. Do you think your insignificant life can erase the act of daring to mistreat my sister?”
“…”
At Jayden’s words, Lucas was momentarily at a loss for words.
“My fists didn’t say they’d forgive your sins. I just did what I had to do as a brother.”
Jayden walked over to the table and sat down next to me, taking a snack and grimacing like I did.
“And if you’re going to host guests, at least serve some decent food.”
“You broke in through the window while riding a gryphon and you’re calling yourself a guest?”
Lucas said incredulously.
“And you seem to be clueless about the fact that the act of forgiveness is entirely up to the forgiver, given you’ve never asked anyone for forgiveness before. No matter how much you can’t accept it, if the forgiver forgives, that’s it. You can bear your guilt and pay your penance with that heart.”
I looked at Jayden with a shocked expression.
This guy could say something like that?
“Hmph.”
But as soon as I sent him a glance, Jayden said that while pushing up his bangs, shattering the mood.
“Even though I may seem like this, I was a commander of the Order of Knights. I know how to manage subordinates to maintain loyalty. Unlike that idiot over there.”
“…”
Lucas looked irritated.
“So… I…”
“You just need to live like that. What? Is this the first time you’re feeling guilt?”
Jayden continued to speak.
“There are bound to be people who die when you manage an Order. Even in peacetime, there are always operations that ask for lives. Every time that happened, I learned to apologize to the remaining family.”
Oh, I see.
Jayden was a commander of the Order.
Among the Emperor’s children, he was one whose ‘face was known’. Of course, he often participated in secret operations like the others, but he had often appeared officially as a capable figure of the royal family.
Though it felt almost nonexistent in front of me.
“If we did our best here and the other side doesn’t accept it, then there’s nothing we can do. But we have to do our best anyway. And if the other side claims that they did their best, even if we feel uneasy about it, there’s nothing we can do. That’s the best.”
Lucas stared blankly at Jayden.
“I, too, plan to find the families of those affected by the battle once this confinement ends. Fortunately, it seems we’ll have plenty of time. Isn’t this a duty I should be doing? In that sense, think hard about how fortunate you are. The ones you should apologize to are right nearby, and they’ll accept you easily without you even having to say much.”
“… Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
I decided to ride on Jayden’s words.
Lucas stared at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fists, before he finally took a deep breath.
“… Alright.”
Wow, that really worked.
Honestly, I had just acted recklessly.
Yeah.
The reckless operation riding a gryphon was half-baked out of a sense of surrender.
I planned to keep it a secret from Jayden for life.
“At some point…”
I slowly opened my mouth.
“When everything is done, let’s all gather and go on a trip or something. We can go anywhere. After all, we are the prince and princess.”
“That’s a great idea, little brother. I guess that’s when you get to use the right to call me ‘brother’.”
“…”
At Jayden’s words, I held my forehead.
Looking at Lucas, he still didn’t look completely lighthearted.
But… it seemed definitely better than when I first met him.
If I spoke like this, both of them would probably freak out, but I wondered if this was what being siblings felt like. It’s much better to talk with multiple people than to think alone since it’s easier to heal wounds that way.
*
Alright.
Jayden and Lucas had such a conversation… and what about the remaining kids, Bella and Damien?
Actually, we weren’t the only ones among the Emperor’s children. There were kids I hadn’t met before.
Just because I hadn’t met them didn’t mean I could meet them now. The Emperor had used those kids in battles. The ones I hadn’t met were either ones the Emperor hadn’t bothered to look for or just the ones who died.
I thought about how I should find those kids too. The problem was that I had no idea where or how to look.
And even if I did find them, it didn’t seem likely that they’d be thankful.
“… Should I take care of what’s right in front of me first?”
I scratched my head and sighed deeply.
… Before that, I thought I should get a little rest.
After all, I didn’t think it was something that absolutely needed to be done. I just didn’t want to leave it alone because it felt nagging.
I would have to live in this world for the rest of my life.
With the ridiculous law of ‘mandatory military service’ still in effect, moving at a snail’s pace in the back seat, I decided to just walk out.
People got out of the car that had been with me.
In the past, I would have strolled around without any escort. I used to be able to turn back time. But now… without such abilities, my position had already risen close to the highest in the Empire.
I already felt dizzy just thinking about how many more mountains I had to cross.
If I were going to exert myself, I should first consume some energy for that, right?
I headed towards a café near the academy, a place we frequently visited.
I hadn’t graduated yet. There were still two years left.
It’s March. There’s just under two weeks of vacation until classes resume in April.
It was a bit of an awkward period to return home, so most students who didn’t live in the capital stayed at the academy.
“Sylvia!”
Among those still around, there was a familiar face.
“Charlotte.”
I smiled and headed her way.
The café owner merely nodded to me lightly, as always. I liked that. When I first entered a shop, an overly extravagant welcome could feel burdensome.
“Looks like something good happened.”
Charlotte, sipping on what looked like a light cup of coffee, only had a coffee cup on her table, without any desserts.
“You might look tired, but you also look like you’ve achieved something. It’s sometimes the look my father has.”
Charlotte added that with a smile, as if teasing me.
“I did have something good happen. I just came from seeing my two brothers… well, they didn’t exactly reconcile, but I made them face each other.”
“Is that so?”
Charlotte didn’t pry too deeply.
Before moving on to the next task, I thought I’d take a brief rest. It was likely that my side would take much longer.
“You must be going through a lot.”
“Really.”
I lightly sighed and waved to the waiter.
For now… hmm, I think I’ll have a parfait since it’s been a while.
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