Chapter 6: Impatience
The day Celia arrived at the Claire family estate, Liselotte reached the Galarc Castle on her enchanted airship to give King Francois and Christina her report on the former’s whereabouts. She was immediately shown to Francois’s office upon her arrival, where she explained the situation right away.
“Hmm...”
“I see...”
Francois and Christina were both confused. Second Princess Charlotte, who lived with Celia, was also in the room, but she was merely smiling as though she had heard something extremely amusing.
A very brief summary of the report was as follows: Duke Arbor tried to capture Celia, and a battle took place at the fort. Regardless of this, Celia fulfilled her duty as an envoy and returned to Amande. Because she feared Duke Arbor would make a move on her family, she immediately turned back and flew towards the Claire territory once more.
“It is fortunate that she fulfilled her role as an envoy safely, but unexpected events just keep happening one after another. I do not wish to doubt it, but the use of magic or sorcery to fly is...”
Francois implicitly questioned Celia’s ability to fly. His words were directed to Christina and Charlotte, who were well acquainted with Celia.
“It’s my first time hearing of it,” Christina said.
“I wasn’t aware either. If she could do something so interesting, I wish she would have informed me earlier,” Charlotte added. Both shook their heads.
“It’s the truth. I saw wings of light emerge from Celia’s back with my own eyes. She took Aria and flew into the sky herself. If she can travel in such a way, I’m sure she’ll be able to return safely—as long as nothing happens at her destination, that is. Aria is with her for protection, so I believe they’ll be back within a few days.” Liselotte added her thoughts and theory as a reassurance.
“In that case...” Francois glanced over at Christina. Celia’s movements were her jurisdiction. It wasn’t the place for him to say anything, so he refrained from any further statements.
“Thank you for your report, Lady Liselotte. If this is the case, we have no choice but to keep an eye on the situation for a few more days.”
There was nothing Christina could do right now. Thus, although there were still some concerns, they decided to wait for Celia’s return for the time being.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, on the grounds of the Galarc Castle, everyone except Charlotte was going about their daily lives with no knowledge of what Celia was doing.
During the day, Satsuki and Masato trained with Gouki and the others at the castle. Everyone else—Miharu, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Sayo, Komomo, and Aki—remained in the mansion. They preferred to prepare any essentials by themselves, so they were always processing food ingredients and designing their own clothes. The Ricca Guild would even purchase manufacturing rights to some of the results; right now, they were working on a small vegetable garden behind the mansion.
“I’m done here, Sayo.”
“Then help over here next.”
Sayo and Shin, who had come to the Strahl region with Gouki, were siblings born and raised in a farming village. Under their instruction, Gouki’s other servants were in the middle of preparing suitable soil for growing vegetables.
“Is this how you plant it?”
“Yup, that’s fine!”
“With this, we’ll be able to have tomatoes in this region too. I’m looking forward to having pasta with tomato sauce and omelet rice!”
“Aha ha, they’re still yet to grow. You have to be patient, Suzune.”
Aki, Komomo, and Latifa were planting tomato seeds. Komomo’s attendant Aoi was with them.
Originally, tomatoes didn’t exist in the Strahl region, and the areas that did have them only used them as seasoning for an extra layer of flavor. For those who knew how to use them properly, not having a means of obtaining them was quite the inconvenience.
There was still a stock of them in the Time-Space Cache, and they could always restock by returning to the spirit village, but when the suggestion to grow them in the Strahl region came up, it was decided they would cultivate them at the mansion. The origin of the seeds was to be explained as something Gouki brought with him. The topic of rice was also brought up, but setting that aside...
At a farther point away, Sara, Orphia, and Alma were also planting seeds. The voices of the younger girls seemed to reach them, as they were watching the heartwarming scene. Miharu was also beside them.
Just what was that dream...?
She had paused in her work to once again recall the dream she saw last night.
“I think I might hate you.”
Those words had left a deep impression on her. She couldn’t keep them out of her head. Whom had she been talking to? It was her own dream, so it should have been her subconscious—but for some reason, that didn’t feel the case. She didn’t know why someone hated her. Besides...
She said the time to make my choice was fast approaching, right...?
She had no idea what the choice was about, but the words of the woman in her dream continued to bother her. She shouldn’t need to think about the events of a dream so seriously, and yet...
Hmm... Was it a precognitive dream? No, that can’t be...
Miharu smiled wryly at how unrealistic it seemed, when—
“Miharu?”
Sara peered into Miharu’s face curiously.
“Oh, yes? What is it?”
“Nothing, it just seemed like you were thinking about something. Is there something bothering you?”
“No, I’m fine. I was just remembering this weird dream I had...” Miharu replied.
“Aki!”
A young man’s voice echoed through the garden. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the person who had shouted.
“Takahisa...”
It was Aki’s older brother. The other three heroes were training with Gouki, but Takahisa wasn’t participating with them. Lilianna was at the training arena attending to Masato, so he must have come to the mansion alone.
“Umm...” Aki was in the middle of work, and seemed uncertain about how to deal with Takahisa.
“You can go, Aki.”
“Yes. Leave this to Suzune and myself.”
Latifa and Komomo pushed her back out of consideration.
“Okay... Thank you both,” Aki said before hurrying over to Takahisa.
“...”
In the time it took for Aki to run up to him, Takahisa’s attention was clearly focused on Miharu, as he kept glancing her way. That was evident to Sara, Orphia, and Alma as well, who were with Miharu.
“Let’s get back to work, everyone.” She looked away from Takahisa awkwardly, urging Sara and the girls to resume working.
“Right...”
Sara and the spirit folk girls casually positioned themselves around Miharu, blocking Takahisa’s view of her.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Ah...”
When Miharu averted her eyes from him, Takahisa shook, his heart skipping a beat.
Is she avoiding me after all...?
Negative thoughts crossed the back of Takahisa’s mind.
No. No... I don’t want to think about us never returning to normal.
Impatience surged within him.
“Is something the matter?” Aki asked, approaching him.
“Oh, no... I wanted to see you, but did I come at a bad time?” Since it felt as if Miharu was avoiding him, Takahisa had a dejected look on his face.
“Huh? No, not at all... I’m happy you came to see me.” Aki was taken aback, but she quickly shook her head and spoke truthfully.
“I see...” Takahisa looked a little relieved to hear that. “What’s Miharu up to?” he asked directly.
“Huh? Uh... We’re working on making a vegetable garden together right now. Miharu’s planting the seeds with everyone,” Aki replied somewhat awkwardly. She had sensed there was no chance of Miharu ever falling for Takahisa and no longer wanted them to be together anymore.
“I see... Can I help too? I’m sure the extra man power would be useful.” Takahisa’s offer was clearly because he wanted an excuse to talk to Miharu. Anyone could see that.
“We have enough hands right now...” Aki was still fond of her older brother even now, but she wasn’t keen on letting him get close to Miharu anymore, and so she gently rejected his offer with an excuse.
Unaware of her intentions, Takahisa didn’t back down. “You don’t have to be polite.”
“I don’t want the nice clothes you’re wearing to get dirty either.”
“It’s fine, they’re just clothes. I can wear them even if they get dirty, and I can always change out of them.”
Indeed, clothes could be worn even if they got dirty; it wouldn’t affect their function. But when the hero wore dirty clothes, the opinion of others around them began to matter. The dignity of the Centostella Kingdom was also at stake.
Besides, it went without saying that clothes weren’t obtained for free. The everyday wear of the hero was all made to order. Its costs were covered by the Centostella Kingdom’s treasury.
“In that case, you should get changed into clothes that you can get dirty.”
“I said it’s fine.” Takahisa was unwilling to go through the trouble of returning to his room in the castle just to change.
“Is it okay to make a hero help with farmwork like this?”
“If I say it’s fine, then it’s fine. It’s not like I became a hero because I wanted to.” A dark shadow fell over Takahisa’s face. He didn’t seem to think too highly of how strict the position of the heroes was.
“Takahisa...” Unsure of what to say to her brother, Aki hesitated. That action looked like reluctance in Takahisa’s eyes.
“Hey, don’t you agree, Aki?” Takahisa begged with a sincere look.
“Then...will you help me plant seeds?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. Follow me.”
Aki glanced at where Miharu was in the garden and started walking while pulling Takahisa’s hand. She first returned to where Latifa and Komomo were.
“Suzune, Komomo. My brother’s going to help plant seeds, so we’ll work on the next row over.”
“Sure!”
“Got it.”
After informing Latifa and Komomo, Aki decided to plant seeds together with Takahisa. “This way.”
Aki took a small pouch of seeds and crouched down in the row next to the other girls. Miharu and the spirit folk girls were planting from the opposite end of the field, so they wouldn’t come in contact with each other until the work was nearly done.
That is, unless Takahisa approached Miharu himself. He stood beside Aki and gazed in her direction without moving. He wanted to speak to Miharu, but he couldn’t speak to her from the position Aki had picked for them.
“Should I start from the row beside Miharu instead? It’d be more efficient that way,” he suggested. But why would starting from there make things any more efficient?
“Umm... There’s four people in Miharu’s group, and five with you here, so I don’t think the efficiency would change either way...” Aki said, struggling to express her opposing opinion. There was absolutely no reasoning behind Takahisa’s suggestion. It would make sense if Miharu’s group were moving at a noticeably slow speed, but that wasn’t the case either.
“I mean, yeah, but...” Takahisa’s gaze lingered on Miharu regretfully.
“Do you have a moment?” Aki pondered to herself for a moment, then stood up and pulled Takahisa by the hand. She brought him over to the corner of the garden so that Latifa and the others wouldn’t overhear them.
“You’re still in love with Miharu, aren’t you?” Aki asked bluntly.
“Oh... Well... It’s not like that...” Takahisa’s eyes darted about nervously as he stammered his answer.
“I’m pretty sure everyone in the mansion has realized it. Miharu too...”
“Huh?!”
“It’s obvious. You’re always looking at Miharu, and you were blatantly looking for an excuse to approach her just now.”
Aki pressed a hand against her forehead, exasperated at how he had no consideration for what others thought of him, or how Miharu had noticed his feelings.
“It’s not like I want to talk to her because I love her... I just want to be forgiven, so that we can go back to the way we were before, when we could talk to each other without reservation...” Takahisa admitted honestly. Perhaps it was because he was talking to Aki, one of the few people he could show his weakness to. Just like how he had during the banquet.
“I understand how you feel, but...”
Aki wanted to be on her brother’s side, but she already knew that his feelings wouldn’t ever be returned.
“Our original plan was to come and apologize whether we were forgiven or not, remember?”
Takahisa nodded reluctantly. “Right... But still...”
Until they had arrived in Galarc, his only intention was truly just to apologize. He hadn’t expected to be forgiven, but he’d wanted to apologize anyway. That was why he’d been able to bow his head as soon as he arrived in front of Miharu.
But humans were difficult creatures to satisfy. Every time they made one step of progress towards their goal, they began to aim for the next step beyond that. They began to stretch out their hand in order to grab a better result. It was difficult to lose those desires, for that was part of being human.
That’s why apologizing alone was no longer enough. Takahisa now wanted to be forgiven by Miharu as well. The longer he stayed in Galarc, the stronger that feeling grew. Before he knew it, that feeling grew into a desire. A wish he was unable to resist...
“Are you panicking, Takahisa?”
“I’m not...! No... Of course I would panic. I don’t know how long we’ll be in Galarc for, and I don’t know how long it’ll be until the next time I see Miharu if I let this chance go...”
“But it might be hard to return to normal and talk to each other comfortably again, you know? That’s how grave our mistake was... We can’t pretend it never happened,” Aki said with a pained look. The past couldn’t be erased. Her words seemed to be the final nail in the coffin.
“But still...!”
Even so, he still wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened. Takahisa raised his voice, face twisting with grief. Naturally, the others in the garden noticed his unusual behavior.
“Is something the matter...?”
Everyone stopped working and watched Aki and Takahisa carefully. Miharu’s fretful gaze was amongst them, as she was worried for Aki.
“That’s not... That’s not what I wanted to hear from you, Aki! I just... I just... It’s not like I want to confess to Miharu or anything. I just want to...”
“I’m sorry, but I can tell you’re getting more impatient with each passing day. I can relate to your impatience, but maybe it’d be better to go back to the original plan. Not to ask for forgiveness, but—”
Aki’s words were spoken out of consideration for her brother. However, Takahisa didn’t have the composure to listen to such words right now. Which was why...
“You sure have it nice... Since Miharu’s already forgiven you.”
He made the worst statement possible.
“I’m sorry...”
Aki apologized with an extremely hurt look. That expression seemed to be the clincher that let Miharu determine something was wrong.
“Aki?” Miharu called out loudly—a rare volume for her. She hurried over to Aki faster than anyone else in the garden.
“Oh...”
Aki and Takahisa both flinched—as though they had both been seen when they least wanted to be seen.
“What happened, Aki?” Miharu immediately gazed into Aki’s face.
“Ah, umm...” Aki hesitated, wanting to defend her brother.
“Takahisa?” Miharu looked at Takahisa in suspicion.
“N-No, I just...”
After being so desperate for an excuse to talk to her, Takahisa avoided her criticizing glare as though to flee.
“What did you say to Aki? You promised not to do anything to make Aki sad when you came to this castle, remember?” Miharu pressed.
“I-I didn’t do anything...”
Stop, don’t look at me like that, I haven’t done anything wrong, trust me—was what Takahisa’s pained grimace was saying. Which was when—
“H-Ha ha. What’s gotten into you, Miharu?” Aki said cheerfully, soothing Miharu.
“Aki...?” Sensing that Aki was trying to defend her brother, Miharu frowned with uncertainty. The three continued facing each other like that until—
“We’re back!”
Satsuki and Masato returned, having finished their training for the day. Gouki and Kayoko, who had been instructing them, were with them.
“Oh, you guys are back. Hi!” Aki called in an even brighter voice, waving at Satsuki and the others.
“Oh...?” Satsuki’s attention turned to them. Although Aki was with them, it was rare to see Miharu and Takahisa together.
“Say, Suzune, Komomo. What’s up with them? Did something happen?”
Naturally, she noticed something odd was up. She narrowed her eyes at them and approached Latifa and Komomo for more information.
“Oh, umm... Takahisa came to the mansion just now...”
“Hmm. I see.”
Latifa and Komomo exchanged looks before explaining what they’d witnessed. They hadn’t heard everything, so there were gaps in their knowledge.
“Right. Thank you for telling me.”
Satsuki was able to piece together what had happened. She thanked the two of them and sighed quietly as she looked back over at the group.
“Hey, Takahisa!” she called.
“Huh...? Y-Yeah?” Takahisa’s eyes widened as he responded. He hadn’t expected his name to be called.
“You came to the mansion by yourself today.”
“I did... Is that a problem?”
“Nope... It’s just that Princess Lilianna went back to the castle to get you. Looks like she made her trip for nothing.”
Satsuki looked in the direction of the castle, where Lilianna was right now.
“I see. I thought it’d be okay if I came by myself for once...”
In fact, if looked at in another way, visiting the mansion alone was proof of how panicked he was. Takahisa averted his gaze out of guilt.
“Hmm... Well, now that you’re here, how about you stay for dinner tonight?”
“Huh? Can I?” A mix of happiness and surprise filled Takahisa’s eyes.
He had visited the mansion for multiple days in a row now, but he had always returned to the castle to have dinner in his room alone. The only time they invited him to dinner was when they had some kind of event going on, so this invitation on a regular day was a sign he had gained their trust. That being said...
“Yup. There are a few others coming, and there’s something I wanted to discuss too.”
“Something to discuss?” Takahisa stiffened.
“Yes. I’ll let Princess Lilianna know myself. Set some time free, okay? Oh, and Miharu, do you have a moment?”
“Yes...?”
Without saying what it was she wanted to discuss, Satsuki called Miharu away, leaving Aki and Takahisa behind.
After their earlier argument, an awkward air flowed between them. Takahisa had the strong fear that Miharu’s impression of him had worsened again.
“Sorry, Aki...” Exactly what he was apologizing for was unclear, but he apologized.
“It’s okay... I’m sorry as well,” Aki said with a commendable, heartbreaking smile. She was looking out for her brother, mustering the brightest voice she could manage to talk to him.
“I really feel bad about everything. I swore I’d never do anything like that again. That’s why I just want her to trust me...”
“I know. I know how you feel, because I’m the same. But that’s why I don’t want you to lose sight of yourself. You still have me, brother...” Aki pleaded to Takahisa sincerely.
“...”
Takahisa neither confirmed nor denied her, falling silent with a grimace.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, dinner was to be held with Christina, Flora, and Liselotte, who had come to the castle to give her report on what had happened to Celia.
“Liselotte!”
As soon as Latifa spotted Liselotte in the mansion entrance, she ran up to her excitedly. She adored Liselotte like a sister, but Liselotte wasn’t someone she could see whenever she wanted.
“Good evening, Suzune.”
Liselotte also treated Latifa like a little sister, patting her head gently. That prompted Latifa to throw herself at her for a hug.
“Were you at the castle? Welcome!”
“Yup, I had a small errand to run here. Princess Charlotte invited me to the mansion, so I’m here to disturb you for dinner. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all! You’re always welcome here, Liselotte. If only you could live with us all the time... Oh, how come Aria isn’t here today?”
Liselotte was normally accompanied by Aria, but Latifa couldn’t see her around today, which she found strange.
“Yeah... She’s a little busy right now. She’ll be coming to the capital in the next few days, though,” Liselotte replied. Charlotte had told her to keep Celia’s return a secret, so her expression was slightly downcast. However...
“I see. Does that mean you’ll be staying in the capital for a few days too?”
“Yup, I’ll be here.”
“Yay! Then you should stay in the mansion. Let’s talk a lot!”
“I’d love to.”
Seeing Latifa’s innocent joy made Liselotte act cheerfully, not wanting to cause her any unnecessary worry.
“Come this way. Let’s sit together!”
Latifa took Liselotte’s hand and led her to the dining room.
Not long after that, Christina and Flora arrived at the mansion. They were shown to the dining room by Gouki’s servants.
“Thank you for the invitation today, Lady Satsuki, Princess Charlotte.”
“Welcome. Please make yourselves at home.”
They greeted Satsuki, the owner of the mansion, first, followed by Charlotte, the princess.
“Sir Takahisa, Sir Masato, it’s good to see you again. Good evening to you too, Princess Lilianna.”
Christina also greeted the other heroes in the mansion, followed by Lilianna, who was accompanying them. Flora belatedly bowed her head after her sister.
“R-Right. Good evening.”
Masato straightened his back and replied awkwardly. He wasn’t too familiar with Christina and Flora, so he couldn’t help but feel nervous before the two beautiful princesses of the Beltrum Kingdom.
“Good evening to you, Princess Christina, Princess Flora.” Lilianna giggled beside Masato.
“Good evening... Is Hiroaki not with you today?” Takahisa asked Christina, his gaze darting about the place warily in search of Hiroaki.
“No, he has prior plans with Mr. Saiki and Lord Murakumo today.”
“I see.”
The reason behind Takahisa’s wariness was how he had been butting heads with Hiroaki recently. Takahisa himself knew he didn’t get on very well with Hiroaki. When he heard that Hiroaki wasn’t attending, he let out a breath of air. But to anyone watching on, that was a clear sigh of relief.
He’s too obvious...
Satsuki was seized by the urge to sigh tiredly. No full-fledged member of society should express such blatant joy hearing about someone’s absence at a social event like this... It was improper enough in itself—but it was even more rude when the person in question was the hero backing Christina’s organization.
“...”
Lilianna bowed silently as though to apologize. Christina tilted her head as though she didn’t understand why, brushing off the matter.
“He he. It’s a shame that Sir Hiroaki is absent, but let us enjoy dinner with the people here. Now, this way, everyone,” Charlotte said, urging everyone to take a seat. Her voice was animated and lively, as though she was expecting something interesting to happen soon.
◇ ◇ ◇
This was how dinner began. Under Satsuki and Charlotte’s direction, Miharu and Takahisa were seated apart from each other. As a result, one table only seated the heroes and royals—that is, Satsuki, Masato, Lilianna, Christina, Charlotte, and Takahisa. Flora sat at Miharu’s table instead.
I’m separated from Miharu again...
Immediately after taking his seat, Takahisa looked at Miharu’s table and sighed. Masato noticed his actions and frowned.
“Takahisa,” Satsuki called.
“Huh?”
“Is something the matter? You just sighed.” Satsuki had probably guessed the reason already, but she asked Takahisa anyway.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing...”
“You sure? Well, try to have a good time.”
“Right...” That allowed Takahisa to pull himself together and face the table before him with a nod. Masato’s mood was settled with that, and the amicable dinner began.
“Wow, today’s dishes look great as always.” He began eating before anyone else and offered his opinion with a satisfied look.
“Indeed,” Lilianna agreed, watching him with a pleasant smile.
“The food served in this mansion is always so delicious. Sir Hiroaki was delighted with the meal we had here last time. Lord Saiki and Lord Murakumo too,” Christina said, joining the conversation.
“Miharu’s presence probably makes the flavor more tailored for the tastes of Japanese people. Speaking of which, Hiroaki and the other guys really wanted to have white rice and miso soup when they heard we have it here,” Masato said to Satsuki, as though he had just remembered that.
Masato was a friendly person. After all the training sessions together with Gouki, he had become close friends with Hiroaki. He had probably been asked to put in a good word with Satsuki after their training today.
“Right, we didn’t serve it at the get-together the other day. If he wants, we can give him some of our ingredients...”
“No, he said he’s not confident that he’ll make it well, so he’d like to eat it here... Would that be okay?” Masato asked Satsuki, as she was the master of the mansion.
“Jeez. Then let’s invite them over after the next training session,” Satsuki agreed, giving in to the request.
“My apologies for the trouble, Lady Satsuki.” Since that meant Hiroaki and his friends were to be treated to a meal at the mansion, Christina immediately spoke up.
“We’re all from the same home country, so don’t worry about it. Come to think of it, you and Princess Flora haven’t tried white rice and miso soup before either, right? Feel free to come along if you have the time,” Satsuki said.
“Thank you very much. We’d love to.”
And so, Christina and Flora’s future visit was also decided.
“Satsuki... This is my first time hearing you have white rice and miso soup...” Takahisa said nervously, as though he wanted to join too.
“Oh, have we never served it before for you as well? Hmm... Then you can come too.”
Whether she was looking back on the meals Takahisa had experienced at the mansion, or just so happened to be thinking about something else, Satsuki paused before inviting Takahisa as well.
“Yay! Thank you so much!” Takahisa said happily. However...
“You don’t have to be that excited about it. We can give you as many of the ingredients as you want, so you can make it yourself once you return to Centostella,” Satsuki added.
Takahisa’s face stiffened at those words. The mention of returning to the Centostella Kingdom reignited a sense of panic within him.
“I’m sure Miharu’s cooking is better than mine,” he said with a hint of impatience.
“Men who can cook are popular, you know?”
And why are you assuming Miharu will be cooking for you? Satsuki swallowed, along with the urge to sigh tiredly.
“In that case, how about you give us the recipe along with the ingredients? I’m sure Frill will be able to learn it,” Lilianna suggested.
“Okay. Then let’s arrange a time to make it together,” Satsuki agreed readily.
“In that case, could you teach me too?” Takahisa interrupted hurriedly. He probably believed that the cooking lesson would be a good excuse to talk to Miharu. But his intentions were too obvious.
“You can get Frill to teach you once you go home, no?” Satsuki said, brushing him off.
“That’s a bit hasty of you, isn’t it? Our return date still hasn’t been decided...” Takahisa muttered sullenly, feeling as though he had been told to go back to the Centostella Kingdom.
“That’s true.”
However, Satsuki had no intention of dragging out the discussion in front of Christina. She easily nodded in agreement to Takahisa’s statement, making him sigh in relief.
After that, Satsuki and Charlotte led the conversation as the hosts. With the intelligent princesses of three nations gathered together, there was never a lack of topics to go around.
“Aha ha.”
Takahisa occasionally shot casual glances at Miharu, but his earlier panic disappeared through the lively conversations. He was even in a good enough mood to laugh. Time passed as such, until the end of the dinner approached.
“How has your stay been in our kingdom, everyone? If there are any issues I can help resolve, just say the word,” Charlotte asked as she looked at the current guests of the Galarc Kingdom—Christina, Masato, Takahisa, and Lilianna.
“Thank you very much. You have been more than accommodating to us,” Christina replied first.
“Right! I was able to see Satsuki and Miharu again, and Gouki’s been giving us combat training. I’m more than satisfied.” Masato nodded in agreement.
“Me too. The food in Centostella is great, but it’s much more comfortable here. If anything, I’d rather stay in Galarc,” Takahisa said, also satisfied with his stay in the Galarc Kingdom.
“...”
But Satsuki and Masato didn’t look too happy about his comment. Takahisa’s opinion had been a little too honest, giving the uncomfortable feeling he was criticizing his stay in Centostella in order to praise Galarc.
He hadn’t done it to intentionally object to anything. His words were purely because he didn’t want to return, but that was what made it all the worse. Saying such things in front of Lilianna, who was Centostella royalty, sullied her reputation.
“Like Sir Masato and Sir Takahisa, I, too, am satisfied.”
But Lilianna smiled without any particular concern. However, it probably wasn’t anyone’s imagination that her gaze wavered with sadness. Masato glanced at her, looking as though he wanted to say something to Takahisa. But since Christina was with them, he held back and merely frowned silently.
I’m sorry, Princess Christina.
Satsuki made eye contact with Christina and quietly lowered her head. She seemed to be apologizing for how their disputes had created an awkward atmosphere.
Not at all.
Christina accurately guessed what Satsuki was trying to say and smiled softly as though to tell her she wasn’t bothered.
◇ ◇ ◇
Eventually, the dinner party ended, and Christina and Flora left.
“Takahisa, do you have a moment?”
Satsuki asked Takahisa to stay behind and showed him to a drawing room of the mansion. She then excused herself from the room again, saying she would be back later. Takahisa ended up waiting by himself for about ten minutes.
Just what does she want to discuss?
He wondered while he was waiting, feeling nervous as he sat on the sofa with a stiff expression. Before long, the door to the room opened again.
“Go ahead.”
“Sorry for the wait, Takahisa.”
Satsuki returned to the drawing room, Masato right on her heels. No one else was with them. It didn’t seem like they were about to discuss something very lighthearted, and a wary look crossed Takahisa’s face.
“From the look on your face, you have an idea of what we’re going to say, right?”
Takahisa shook his head with a deeper frown. “I do not.”
“Well, it’s fine. Let’s sit down as well, Masato.”
“Yeah.”
Satsuki and Masato sat down across from Takahisa.
“You don’t have to be so guarded.”
“Anyone would be after being summoned like this.”
“I suppose. But still. It might be mean to put it this way, but that also means you have a reason to feel guarded after being summoned, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t get what you’re trying to say. Why don’t you stop beating around the bush? I have no idea what you want to discuss, or what reason I would have to feel guarded...”
“You say that, but weren’t you arguing with Aki before we returned from training today?” Satsuki asked specifically.
“Is that what Aki told you...?” Takahisa avoided admitting there had been an argument between Aki and himself, choosing to confirm Aki’s testimony first.
“You speak like a suspect being interrogated.”
“Because you’re acting like you’re interrogating me...”
With no other choice, Satsuki informed Takahisa of what Aki had said. “Aki said you didn’t argue about anything.”
“Then why...!”
There had been no argument. Takahisa was about to repeat that with emphasis, but—
“But the others around you two heard you raise your voice. Everyone saw Aki look like she was about to cry,” Satsuki said over him.
“...” With the proof of his having argued with Aki thrust in his face, Takahisa awkwardly shut his mouth.
“So what was that about? I want to hear what you said to Aki in your own words.”
Satsuki sought Takahisa’s testimony with a cheerful smile. She was determined to hold the discussion as rationally and calmly as possible.
“It was nothing... I just wanted to ask her something about Miharu...”
When Takahisa gave in and began talking, Satsuki pressed her right hand to her forehead tiredly. “I knew it. It had to do with Miharu.”
“Just so we’re clear, I wasn’t saying anything weird to her, okay? I just want Miharu to forgive me, but I never get the chance to talk to her even when she’s around. That’s why I was asking Aki if she could help me out...”
“You want her to forgive you, huh? I see... Because you had the wrong idea, you became discontent with the current state of things and started going off in the wrong direction.”
“The wrong idea? You don’t have to put it that way...”
“But you do have it wrong.”
It was at this moment that Masato, who had refrained from speaking until now, spoke up to criticize Takahisa.
“What?” Takahisa frowned.
“Sorry, Satsuki, I know you said to leave things to you, but do you mind?”
“Go ahead...”
“Takahisa. Wouldn’t it be better if you returned to Centostella by yourself first?”
“Wha— You have no right to decide that!” Takahisa snapped at the sudden suggestion he return to his kingdom.
“No, I think he does. But even if he didn’t, then I’m in agreement with him. You should return to the Centostella Kingdom by yourself first.”
Although Masato’s statement had moved the flow of conversation in a different direction, Satsuki also spoke up to support him.
“Wh-Why?! I haven’t done anything wrong! I swear I’d never try to take Miharu anywhere by force ever, ever again!”
“Even if we set aside that incident for now, our answer is the same. The bigger problem at the moment is how your mind is completely occupied by Miharu, and how you’ve lost sight of yourself.”
“I haven’t lost sight of myself!”
“You have. To the point where it’s affecting your daily life. The dinner earlier was quite problematic as well...”
“All I did was have dinner like the rest of you!”
“You really don’t see anyone but Miharu and yourself...” Satsuki sighed, not bothering to hide her disappointment.
“That’s not true. I’m looking at everyone else too.”
“In that case, why did you say something that nearly made Aki cry today? What was it that you said to her exactly?” Satsuki asked in a completely calm and rational tone.
“You sure have it nice... Since Miharu’s already forgiven you.”
This was the decisive line that made Aki cry. Takahisa clearly remembered it himself.
“Th-That’s because...! I said it for everyone’s sake, since I’m looking out for everyone! You don’t want everyone to remain in such an awkward relationship forever either, right? That’s why I’m trying to get Miharu to forgive me, so we can quickly go back to normal...! I just want us to be like what we were before...” Takahisa explained himself, his voice cracking with guilt.
“That’s enough.”
“Huh?”
“I said that’s enough making excuses to justify yourself. I know that’s what you really feel, but what you’re doing is just making yourself sound better,” Satsuki pointed out with a tired look.
“You’re wrong!”
“I’m not wrong. You’re the one who wants to be forgiven. Don’t speak for the rest of us.”
“Then are you all fine with things being like this? With us never returning to the way we were before? Do you really want things to be this twisted up forever?” Takahisa said like a whining child.
“I’m telling you to stop trying to expand the subject to include others. That kind of phrasing is both selfish and cowardly. It makes it sound like Miharu is at fault for not forgiving you. Don’t use us as an excuse to make Miharu the villain,” Masato said, criticizing his brother without bothering to hide his irritation.
“I’m not making her the villain! If anything, it’s the opposite! Everyone’s trying to make me...!”
To make me the bad guy—is what Takahisa couldn’t say.
“You are the bad guy, though. Because of what you did,” Satsuki pointed out flatly.
“I know that... I’m the one at fault... But...”
“But what?”
“Stop it... Please stop. Don’t look at me like you can read my thoughts.”
“Then don’t do anything that makes people read you.” Satsuki bitterly emphasized how she wasn’t doing it because she wanted to.
“You’re wrong. Everyone’s misunderstanding me. None of you are seeing me...”
“We were watching you. Everyone tried to watch you with a positive mindset, to see if you had truly repented and reformed yourself. You’re my friend and Masato and Aki’s brother, so we gave you that chance.”
“A chance... Just when...?”
“We allowed your stay in Galarc, we approved of you coming into the mansion with restrictions. We watched your behavior and actions whenever we were around you, Takahisa.”
“You were watching...”
Was there nothing but watching?
Were they really just watching?
If so, why would they do such a thing?
Takahisa’s face was easy to read.
“Like I said, we were watching to determine if you had truly reflected and reformed. Because that kind of thing shows up in one’s daily behavior and actions.”
“So you were just observing me without saying anything?”
“Observing... Well, yes, if you put it that way. And as a result, we came to a decision: you shouldn’t have appeared before Miharu.”
“Why...”
Why would they do something to test him behind his back? That was awful of them.
That’s what Takahisa’s face was saying. No, that wasn’t all.
“Why...would you test someone like that...like you suspect them of something...”
Feeling like he had been deceived on purpose, accusatory words spilled from Takahisa’s mouth. He was completely disregarding the fact he was in a position where he couldn’t complain if he was suspected and tested.
It’s so evil of them. There must have been other things they could have done... That’s right, like giving me a chance to talk to Miharu. If they had just done that, I...
—wouldn’t have been cornered to the point of losing composure. While Takahisa was the one who deserved the blame, he began to feel like the victim himself.
“That’s right. It isn’t the nicest way of saying it, but we suspected you and tested you. But that’s because we wanted to believe in you.”
“Now that’s what sounds like an excuse to justify yourself. You just want vindication!”
Takahisa was in a completely emotional state. He protested against Satsuki, unable to hold back his dissatisfaction.
“Hey, bro. Stop acting like a spoiled brat...” Masato began to say with a frown.
Satsuki held out a hand to cut Masato off. “Would you rather we gave up on you from the start than give you a chance to redeem yourself?” she asked instead.
“That’s...” Takahisa bit down on his lip so hard, it was in danger of bleeding. Realizing nothing he said would get across to them, he fell silent. Satsuki and Masato both watched him with conflicted looks.
All that was left was to bring up the topic of his return again, and the discussion would be over. But Satsuki seemed to realize that this wouldn’t help Takahisa change.
“Takahisa,” she said to him in an admonishing tone. “Have you forgotten how you originally came here to apologize, without any expectation of forgiveness? Your goal wasn’t to be forgiven. Why did that change?”
“Is it so wrong to want to be forgiven?”
“It depends on the time and place, I believe.” Satsuki avoided giving a generalized answer of good or evil.
“But it’s true that you’re suffering because of your desire to be forgiven, no? And while I still don’t know what you said to Aki, it doesn’t change the fact that you upset her.”
“...”
“You know why that happened, right?”
“...”
“Takahisa. You’re still in love with Miharu, aren’t you?”
“I...” Takahisa, who had been desperately holding his tongue, trembled when Satsuki pointed out the feelings that were the root of the problem.
“I will take your silence as affirmation. And with that in mind, here’s my advice: you should start with giving up on Miharu.”
“Wha...?! I can’t just—!” Unable to hold back the emotions swelling within him, Takahisa spoke up. But when he realized Satsuki and Masato were staring closely at him, he quickly swallowed his words.
“Miharu rejected you after the banquet, remember?”
So why haven’t you given up on her? Satsuki thought, despite knowing just how difficult of a task that was.
“It’s because I love her that I can’t give up on her...”
“I can respect the intensity of your feelings, but they’re traveling down a one-way road. That’s why you have to give up on Miharu. If you can’t do that, you’ll never be able to move on,” Satsuki said, pointing the reality out to him.
“Give up...”
After wandering into this world and falling into despair, I gave up on so much... I endured so much. I had to go through so much loneliness. And yet...
Why do I have to be the only one to give up?
Those were the words written on Takahisa’s face.
“I know it’s difficult to give up right now. That’s why you should return to Centostella first, Takahisa. You can come visit Miharu again once you’ve given up on her,” Satsuki said, bringing up Takahisa’s return once again. Her suggestion was delivered more like an order.
“Just to be clear, this has been decided already,” Masato emphasized.
“What gives you two the right to decide...”
“Let’s see. If the right to make this decision isn’t with us, then it’s probably with Princess Lilianna and Miharu.”
“Then why don’t you...”
“Do you want to be told to go home by the two of them? And here I thought I was showing you kindness by not bringing Miharu and Princess Lilianna here today.”
“Oh...” Fearing rejection by Miharu, terror filled Takahisa’s face.
“Okay. That’s all I wanted to say today. You’ll be leaving in the next two to three days at the latest. We’ll make sure to invite you for rice and miso soup before then, since we promised that much.”
“...” With no grounds left to argue against Satsuki, Takahisa hung his head bitterly.
“Now, Masato.” Satsuki signaled him with a look.
“Right.”
Masato stood up and walked over to the door. Upon closer inspection, it hadn’t been shut the whole way. As proof, it swung open without resistance when Masato pressed his hand against it, revealing Miharu, Aki, and Lilianna standing on the other side. Because the door had been ajar, they were able to hear the entire conversation that took place.
Everyone had been in on the plan except Takahisa. As though to reinforce that, neither Satsuki nor Masato looked particularly surprised to see them. Takahisa, who still had his head hung and gaze lowered, didn’t notice them outside the room.
“It’s over.” Masato glanced back at his brother inside the room. With a glum sigh, he beckoned them into the room. But Miharu didn’t seem to believe she should face Takahisa, as she bowed at Satsuki before retreating into the corridor.
Aki didn’t chase after Miharu, a mix of emotions on her face. She looked at Takahisa inside the room.
“Excuse me. Sir Takahisa, I’ve come to pick you up,” Lilianna said, entering the room alone. Aki remained standing outside the room. Takahisa continued looking down with a pained expression, frozen in place.
“Let’s return to the castle together, Sir Takahisa.”
Takahisa didn’t budge.
“Stand up, Takahisa. Don’t throw a tantrum like a child,” Satsuki scolded him harshly.
Takahisa’s face twisted in frustration. He reluctantly picked himself up and walked out the room without a second glance towards Satsuki and Masato.
“Takahisa...”
Takahisa briefly paused as he passed Aki in the corridor, but his grim expression only crumpled further before he resumed walking out of the mansion.
“U-Umm... Can I see my brother off up to the front gate?”
“Of course, please do.”
Lilianna made eye contact with Satsuki for permission before nodding. With that, Aki followed behind Lilianna as she left after Takahisa. This left Satsuki and Masato in the room.
“Sorry, Satsuki,” Masato mumbled quietly.
“For what?” Satsuki gently feigned ignorance.
“For my brother. It’s a problem between us siblings, and yet...”
“It’s fine,” Satsuki said brightly, shaking her head.
“Satsuki, Masato.” Miharu entered through the open door. She had probably stayed hidden in the corner of the corridor to avoid meeting Takahisa face-to-face. She only stepped forward once she confirmed he was gone.
“Welcome, Miharu. I’m sure you were listening, but it’s over now.” Satsuki turned to Miharu and smiled softly. There was a hint of mental fatigue in her face.
“I’m sorry, Satsuki.”
“Masato was just apologizing to me too... But what is there to be sorry for?”
“I think I should have been the one to tell Takahisa after all. I forced an undesirable role onto you.”
“Really? Like I said just now, until Takahisa can put this behind him and move on, I don’t think you two should be seeing each other.”
Seized by her strong sense of responsibility, the bitter look on Miharu’s face remained.
“You know, Miharu. In the first place, it was Takahisa who went and fell in love with you, so you don’t have to feel any responsibility. You even rejected him properly at the banquet. He’s the one refusing to give up. If you appear in front of him right now, you’ll be doing exactly what he wants. That’s why it’s only right for me to be the one in the firing line,” Satsuki said firmly in an attempt to cheer Miharu up.
“Thank you very much.” Miharu smiled awkwardly and bowed her head.
“Well, while this is kind of everyone’s problem, the one who has to resolve this is Takahisa himself. It’s not a problem we can solve for him. That’s why I know you’re feeling anxious over how this problem hasn’t been resolved, but all we can do is wait. Let’s be patient, okay?” Satsuki’s appeal seemed to settle their emotions a little.
“All right...”
“Okay.”
Miharu and Masato both nodded quietly.
After that, Miharu’s gaze was naturally drawn to the corridor. Rather than being worried for Takahisa, she seemed to be worried about Aki, who was going to see him off.
“Takahisa should have left the mansion by now. Why don’t you go check on Aki?”
“Okay...”
At Satsuki’s suggestion, Miharu left the drawing room.
◇ ◇ ◇
As Satsuki predicted, Takahisa had already left the mansion. It was already almost bedtime, so naturally, it was dark outside.
Takahisa walked along the dark path back to the castle in silence. Lilianna and Aki were right behind him, and they were all surrounded by the knights Hilda, Kiara, and Alice. The knights held magic artifacts to illuminate the way. Lilianna’s attendant Frill was also with them.
Everyone could sense Takahisa was on edge; no one said a word as they approached the boundary of the mansion grounds. Aki wasn’t going all the way back to the castle, so she had to say goodbye soon.
“Takahisa...” she called out to his back with everything she had.
“...” Takahisa came to a stop. He was still silent, but Aki was relieved to know her voice had reached him.
“I... I will definitely return to Centostella later. Wait for me.”
Aki was just getting used to living in the mansion, having restored her relationship with Miharu. She should want to live with Miharu again. By telling Takahisa she would return to Centostella, she was telling him the place for her to come back to was by his side.
“You know, Aki, Lily...” Takahisa said to Aki and Lilianna, turning around to face them.
“Yes?”
“What is it?”
“Everyone... Everyone’s misunderstood me,” Takahisa insisted. However, there was no misunderstanding; he hadn’t changed. If anything, being mentally cornered was what made this side of him more prominent. There was no denying this, and yet...
“R-Right... That may be true...”
Aki didn’t disagree with him. She knew that Takahisa was aching for someone to see his true self. She tried to gently accept the way he was at the moment with all her heart.
“It’s not a ‘maybe’...”
“Yeah... I know. I know what you’re really like, because you’re my brother.”
Aki approached the heartbroken young man and hugged him softly. She patted his back as though she were soothing a crying child.
“Do I really have to return to Centostella by myself?” Takahisa asked in a terribly weakened voice, almost sounding like a whine.
“...”
“If it’s what everyone else wants, it can’t be avoided,” Lilianna answered in place of Aki.
“But... But couldn’t you convince everyone, Lily?! If the two of you talk to Satsuki and Masato for me...maybe it could work out? Since they won’t listen to me...” Takahisa seemed to understand that they were his last chance left. He begged them, grasping at straws.
“That’s...”
Rejection was written on Aki’s face. Even under the dim light of the glowing magic artifacts, Takahisa could see that clearly.
“You want to be with Miharu too, right? That’s why next time, we can invite her to the Centostella Kingdom. Everyone else too!” Takahisa added in a hurry, cutting Aki off before she could reject him completely.
“I want to be with everyone as well... I want to support you,” Aki said sincerely.
“Then...!”
“But... I don’t want to betray everyone’s feelings.” This, too, was the sincere truth in Aki’s heart.
“Wha...?”
“I can’t betray everyone anymore. That’s why I won’t convince them. I’m sorry. No... I think you should go back to Centostella first too. It’ll be better for you, Takahisa,” Aki said with a pained look.
“You...” Takahisa was speechless for a moment. “You’re joking, right...?” he asked with a trembling voice.
“...”
“Answer me, Aki...”
“I’m not joking. It’s for the best. Even without Miharu around, you’re not alone, Takahisa. I’ll be there for you, so don’t give up on earning everyone’s trust again, okay?” Aki said, facing Takahisa directly.
“What is trust?! Not alone? How can you say that when none of you even know what it’s like to be alone?! You haven’t been alone before—that’s why you can tell me to go back so easily! That’s why you can tell me to be alone and give up!”
The frustration built up in Takahisa exploded all at once. His angry yells filled the darkness of the night, causing silence to fall over everyone with him.
“If you’re lonely, I’ll go back together with you instead of later... I’m on your side.” Aki patiently tried to convey that Takahisa wasn’t alone, but...
“No... That’s not it. That’s not what I mean.” Takahisa shook his head in frustration. So what did he mean?
“Am I...not good enough? Am I not enough to fill your loneliness?” Aki asked, looking as if she was the lonely one.
“That’s not it... That’s not... You want to be with everyone too, right? You want to be with Miharu, don’t you? I’m saying we should find a way for everyone to be together. Not to be separated like this...!” Takahisa continuously repeated the word “everyone,” as though to emphasize that.
“Takahisa... The one you want to be with...”
Aki already knew that Takahisa’s logic was no more than an excuse. She had probably known it from the beginning, but pretended not to notice. But she could no longer act blind to it any longer.
The one you want to be with isn’t “everyone,” it’s Miharu.
Aki was still unable to say those words, which was why she had no choice but to fall silent. She conveyed her inability to grant Takahisa’s wish without words. Takahisa seemed to understand that.
“Please, Lily!” he turned to Lilianna in a panic.
“...” Lilianna stood there in silence without responding immediately.
“Can’t you do something about it? Please, I beg you. You’re the only one I can count on...” he pleaded desperately.
With a sigh, Lilianna slowly spoke. “To be honest, I’m confused as to why you’re in such a fluster, Sir Takahisa.”
“B-Because I’m about to be sent back to Centostella! Of course I’d be flustered!”
“I mean about everything else leading up to that decision. When you arrived in Galarc, you were extremely rational. You felt regret for your past actions and had repented from the bottom of your heart. But the longer you stayed here, the less that regret and repentance could be seen. Instead, it was replaced with impatience. Even in this conversation, you were only concerned about yourself and gave nothing but excuses... Why did your regret and repentance disappear?” Lilianna asked in utter confusion.
“I-It didn’t disappear... I still regret things now, and I’m still reflecting on it. That’s why I’ll never try to take Miharu to Centostella against her will again. I really do regret it... That wasn’t the real me. That’s why I just want people to see who I really am...” Takahisa answered bitterly, clenching his fists.
“In that case, why can’t you wait patiently? You say you want people to see your true self, but trust that has been lost once cannot be regained so easily. There’s nothing you can do about the distance between you. No matter how they treat you, you should reflect on yourself and accept that. That’s how you regain their trust little by little. Why can you not see that?” Lilianna listed her points plainly.
“Th-That’s just deceiving. There’s no guarantee that doing that will lead to regaining their trust.”
“Either way, if the reason why you’re going around in circles is in this castle, then it only makes sense for you to leave. I believe it would be best for you to return to Centostella as well, Sir Takahisa.”
“A-Aren’t I free to be where I want?! Why do all of you have the right to restrain me?! You’re all ignoring my feelings! How can you expect me to accept things when you won’t look at me or even give me a chance?!”
“This all started when you ignored Lady Miharu’s feelings, remember? That is the reason why you cannot be with her. She’s asking you to leave because your presence is a nuisance. Do you understand that?”
Nothing Takahisa said mattered anymore. Lilianna was unshaken, her words as sharp as a blade.
“That’s... I...”
Takahisa seemed to have some awareness that he was being a nuisance, as he made a hurt face. But in spite of that, he still seemed to have something to say.
“In the first place, I didn’t become a hero because I wanted to. If I hadn’t become a hero, I wouldn’t have been forced to stay in the Centostella Kingdom away from everyone...”
It was an indirect way of saying the Centostella Kingdom was at fault for restricting him.
“Was...”
Was living in Centostella that bad to you, Sir Takahisa?
—was what Lilianna wanted to ask, her expression hesitant. But she quickly shook her head and thrust the reality at Takahisa. “Even if you quit being a hero, Lady Miharu will not want to be beside you.”
“That’s... That’s...!”
Not something you know for sure—was what Takahisa couldn’t say. However, he still couldn’t accept that reality, and struggled to change it.
“Come on, Lily. Don’t torture me like this...” Takahisa’s heart was finally seeming to fold, as he started begging with a pleading look.
“I do not wish to torture you, Sir Takahisa.”
“So why would you say something so horrible?”
“I’m saying it for your sake.”
“For my sake...” Takahisa grimaced bitterly. “Really? Is it really for my sake?”
He shot a questioning look at Lilianna, as though he suspected her of something.
“What do you mean...?”
Lilianna, in all her intelligence, was unable to infer what he was suspicious of. She tilted her head in question.
“You’re in love with me, aren’t you? Aren’t you saying such horrible things for the sake of your kingdom, because you don’t want me to be with Miharu?”
Did he think he was counterattacking by striking a raw nerve? Takahisa had a leering smirk on his face.
“Ah...”
The words struck like a bolt out of the blue, rendering Lilianna speechless for a while. She tried to think of something to say, but could only move her mouth wordlessly. In the end, she hung her head with deep sorrow. Tears fell, landing on the ground at her feet.
That was only natural. Takahisa’s words were the lowest of lows. No matter how impatient or panicked he was, no matter how much he had lost sight of himself, those words couldn’t be overlooked.
“HEY!”
An enraged voice echoed across the mansion grounds.
“Huh?!”
“M-Masato?!”
Takahisa flinched and looked in the direction of the voice. There, hiding in the darkness, was his little brother, Masato. Miharu and Satsuki were behind him.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me... How much of a jerk can you be?” Masato glared at Takahisa hatefully, marching forward as though he was about to throw a punch at any moment. But someone grabbed his shoulder from behind, stopping him.
“What...?”
Don’t stop me, Satsuki—was what he was about to say as he turned, but...
“Miharu?”
The one who had stopped him was Miharu.
“Wait, Masato.”
“O-Okay...”
In that instant, Masato understood that Takahisa had infuriated her to her limit: this was the angriest look he had ever seen on her face.
“Miha—!” Satsuki immediately called, but stopped midword. She seemed to decide against stopping her, pulling back the hand she had extended out and ruffling her own head instead. Miharu continued walking silently towards Takahisa.
Takahisa opened his mouth in a panic, quickly trying to come up with an excuse.
“M-Miha—?!”
Miharu closed his mouth by slapping him across the cheek. The dull sound of the slap physically obstructed Takahisa’s words. He was unable to speak her entire name.
“Huh? Huh...?” Takahisa was terribly confused.
“You...” Miharu glared at him with intense resentment. “You’re the worst, Takahisa.” Her words were heavy with both anger and sadness.
“S-Sorry! Miharu, I—!” Takahisa apologized reflexively.
“For what?”
“Huh?”
“What are you sorry for?” Miharu asked as though she was completely mystified.
“Ah, I—That’s...for saying weird things,” Takahisa mumbled weakly.
“Don’t apologize if you don’t know what you’re apologizing for. I can’t trust your apologies,” Miharu snapped bluntly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sorry...” Takahisa apologized over and over again in a panic.
“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to, am I? Princess Lilianna must have been really hurt.”
Miharu’s voice was trembling. No, it wasn’t just her voice—she had never slapped anyone in the face before. The hand she struck Takahisa with was still shaking. The arm she swung and the rest of her body was trembling as well. She felt she could fall apart at any moment, but that didn’t stop her from criticizing Takahisa.
“Oh, I...” Takahisa looked at Lilianna.
“Did you hurt Princess Lilianna for my sake? Is that why you said something so horrible?” There was a strong look of guilt on Miharu’s face as she asked that.
“N-No, you’re wrong. You’re wrong, I—!”
“Never mind. I don’t want to know. You’re always trying to change the subject, I don’t want to listen to what you have to say anymore. But there’s something I have to say to you in my own words. It’s my fault I didn’t make this clear from the start,” Miharu said as a preamble.
“I don’t like you, Takahisa. I hate you. I won’t be with you. I don’t want to be near you. Don’t show your face in front of me ever again.”
She rejected him using the strongest language she could.
“No...” Takahisa looked like his world had ended.
“Hilda. Could you please take Takahisa to his room in the castle? I will bring Princess Lilianna back inside, where she can wait for you to pick her up afterwards,” Miharu asked the captain of Lilianna’s guards.
“Understood. Please look after the princess. Frill, you stay by her side.”
Hilda bowed deeply towards Miharu and gave Frill directions to stay back. Frill nodded silently.
“Princess Lilianna, please forgive me. It’s my fault that this happened...” Miharu approached Lilianna and bowed deeply.
“N-No, you’re not to blame, Lady Miharu...” Lilianna wiped her tears and shook her head, still somewhat dazed.
“Come now, Sir Takahisa.”
“H-Hey! Wait! Miharu, wait...!” Takahisa shook off Hilda’s hand and yelled in Miharu’s direction.
“...”
Miharu didn’t try to look at him. There was no way she couldn’t hear him, yet she looked in the opposite direction as though she hadn’t heard him.
“I was lonely! I hated being alone! I was alone from the moment I came to this world, that’s why I was scared of becoming alone again! Because I love you, Miharu. That’s why I started getting weirder and weirder...”
Takahisa voiced his weakness, confessing his love in the confusion of the moment.
“I hate myself for being like this too! But please, please... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, please forgive me... I’ll repent properly this time! I’m begging you...”
He fell to his knees and lowered his head desperately, his face ghastly pale.
Miharu looked extremely conflicted as she frowned, considering whether there was room to give him any consideration. But she had the feeling that if she forgave Takahisa here, the same thing would just happen again. She believed that forgiving Takahisa here would definitely be the wrong thing to do, which was why she had to reject him properly.
“Let’s go, Lady Miharu.” Lilianna seemed to think the same way as Miharu, as she gently touched her back and nudged her away.
“Right. Come here, Aki. Let’s go back together.” Miharu nodded firmly, calling out to Aki who was watching Takahisa worriedly.
“Okay...” Aki tore her eyes away from Takahisa, severing her lingering attachments and nodding. Then, Satsuki walked up to Takahisa.
“Takahisa. Stay in your room and cool your head until you return to Centostella. Think long and hard about what you did wrong. I will see you off when you leave, so we’ll talk then.”
That will be your true final chance—was implied in Satsuki’s words as she looked down at Takahisa.
“Ngh...”
Instead of replying, Takahisa sobbed into the ground. Thus, Miharu and the others returned to the mansion while Takahisa was taken to his room in the castle.
◇ ◇ ◇
Two days after that was the morning of Takahisa’s return to the Centostella Kingdom. Lilianna had informed him the night before that he would be leaving the Galarc Kingdom this morning.
“I’ll be off then.”
Satsuki was about to leave the mansion to go see Takahisa off. She bid a temporary farewell to Miharu, Aki, and Masato, who were staying back at the mansion.
“Satsuki... Please take care of my brother.” Aki bowed her head.
“Yeah...” Satsuki nodded.
“Huh? Princess Lilianna?”
Masato was about to say something when he looked out the front door and noticed Lilianna coming up the path to the mansion.
She seemed to be in a great hurry, as she had the hem of her dress pinched in her hands as she ran up the path. Everyone was wide-eyed at the sight of it.
“H-Hey, did something happen?”
Satsuki hurried out of the mansion and ran towards Lilianna. Miharu, Aki, and Masato were close behind her.
“I’m so sorry,” Lilianna apologized through panting breaths.
“For...what?”
The residents of the mansion were puzzled by why she was apologizing.
“Sir Takahisa has disappeared...”
Lilianna revealed that Takahisa had run away.
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