Chapter 331: Please (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 331: Please (2)
Blue stars fell.
"It's been a long time since I've seen this," one of the women murmured. "The last time I visited Secritia, it wasn't a year for Serenti's Time, so I missed it."
"It's my first time. I'm speechless."
The voices of Rachel and Euria mingled with those of Kyrie and Eila. The faint scent of blooming sinasta flowers drifted on the air. The night breeze, chilly for the height of spring, wove everything together into a single, perfect moment.
Hina sat beside Yan, smiling and gesturing with her hands. Calian watched them for a moment before his eyes drifted to the blue-haired mage, who was currently dashing through the sinasta garden after Coco, the cat that had slipped from his arms. Then, he raised his head.
Truly, blue stars were falling.
He felt that no word or phrase from any book could ever truly capture the sight before him.
"I'll head inside first. The Prince will be back from his walk soon, so I should prepare his bathwater."
About thirty minutes must have passed.
Yan, after replacing the cold black tea with fresh cups of light green tea, spoke to the group before heading inside. Eila followed, and soon after, Euria and Rachel—tired of the bitter tea and craving the sharp bite of alcohol—dragged Arsen, Kyrie, and Hina in with them. They urged Franz to come inside as well, insisting he had seen enough, but he simply shook his head.
A pang of regret hit him. He wondered when, if ever, he would see Serenti's Time descend like this again.
So, he sat alone for a little longer.
Before long, just as the green tea had cooled to a lukewarm temperature, a voice spoke.
"Not next year, but if you come back the year after, you can see it again."
The voice was followed by the soft crunch of footsteps.
Calian, who normally moved without a sound, was deliberately making his approach known.
Franz, who had been watching the blue light flicker across Calian's pitch-black hair, stood up without any lingering regret. If he could see it again, he would simply have to return.
"Don't stay out here alone. This isn't Kairis."
"I know."
Franz simply nodded again, choosing not to point out that he had been surrounded by people just a moment ago. His eyes fell on the object Calian was holding: a long, neatly wrapped red box.
"It's Basilica. Brother Chase gave it to me."
During one exceptionally hot year, a batch of wine at a certain vineyard had fermented far longer than usual. Most of it had to be discarded, but nine bottles of Basilica were salvaged.
When that Basilica was finally ready, its rich aroma and smooth taste were unparalleled. No other vintages, even those that tried to replicate the conditions, could match its flavor. As a result, the Basilica from that specific year was treated as a treasure more precious than gems, and its bottles were sold far and wide.
One by one, they disappeared down the throats of connoisseurs until only two bottles remained on the entire continent. One had been in Alan's possession, but that very bottle had been ruined by none other than Arsen. To this day, Arsen, who knew little about alcohol, had no idea that Alan had nearly thrown a Flame Sphere at him.
And so, this was the last bottle in the world.
Chase had given Calian the Basilica, which had been left in the wine cellar of the late Devlan.
"A birthday present, I assume."
Calian, who had excitedly brought it back with plans to drink it with Alan, looked slightly surprised.
"Yes, that's right."
In truth, the real gift wasn't the wine, but the seashore visible far below. Chase had gifted him that sea once more. Of course, since Calian was a prince of Kairis, it wasn't an official transfer of land, but it was a gift nonetheless.
Come to think of it, Chase was a rather unimaginative person, giving something he had already given before.
"Did I ever tell you?"
"You did."
Franz looked up at the blue light that still rained down from the sky.
—Blue stars are falling.
Last summer, after returning from the banquet celebrating ‘Calian’s’ birthday, Calian had said those words to him.
On that day, the star of the celebration had been Calian, and the host had been Lemain. Everyone else was an invited guest. But Calian had been the sole guest at a place he felt he didn't belong.
He had returned with the face of someone who had attended a party he wasn't invited to, accepting congratulations that weren't his to receive. He wouldn't look that way this summer, but he had last year. And he had spoken of it—of a day in Secritia when blue stars fell.
—Sometimes they fall, sometimes they don't, so sometimes I received congratulations, and sometimes I didn't. That's how it was.
Guilt toward Calian.
The sorrow of remembering someone who had been forgotten.
He had spoken of these things, unable to hide a complex mix of emotions that even Franz couldn't fully grasp. It was as if Calian wanted him to know that the person who deserved celebration wasn't him, and that his own day was not that day.
That was why Franz also knew.
February 30th. A day that didn't even exist on the calendar. ‘Calian’ was born not in the summer of Kairis, but in the spring of Secritia.
"I spoke of useless things," Calian said, pulling Franz from his thoughts.
"Why would you say that?"
Calian just smiled without another word.
He gestured toward the villa, signaling for Franz to head inside.
Suddenly, something was thrust right in front of Calian's face. He instinctively started to swat it away but stopped, staring at Franz instead.
"Why are you giving this back?"
"I'm not giving it back. I'm giving it to you."
"But I gave it to you."
"So?"
"...Never mind. But why are you 'giving' it to me?"
It was a crystal plate.
The one Calian had given Franz as a birthday present, telling him to look at the cats and think of home.
"Because the one in Kairis was sent to my younger brother's former older brother."
Once they returned to Kairis after the coronation, Calian wouldn't be able to see Chase, just as Franz wouldn't be able to see the cats.
"So you can look at him."
It was Franz's birthday present to Calian.
Franz pushed the crystal plate toward him again, urging him to take it. Calian accepted it, dazed.
"I am truly glad to see that you're growing up so splendidly, Brother, Your Royal Highness."
"You just had to say something, didn't you?"
Calian grinned.
He had received a gift for his birthday last year, and now he had one for this year too. Between Chase, who regifted what he’d already given, and Franz, who returned a gift he had received, it felt like they were just recycling presents. But he accepted it all the same.
"Did you prepare a gift for Brother Randel? His birthday was nearly two months ago."
"You didn't either."
"I sent mine through Master. Though I doubt he has even opened it yet."
Franz knew that the best gift for Randel would be to relinquish the position of Crown Prince before leaving for Kairis. Firmly resolved never to do so, he walked briskly back toward the villa.
Calian, who had sent a set of top-grade pruning shears that Randel wouldn't be able to resist using, followed close behind.
"Shouldn't you send a gift? Even if it's late."
"No."
"You two should get along. You're all grown up now, Brother, Your Royal Highness."
"If I seem so grown up to you, why don't you tell me the meaning of my name?"
"Ah. You're still too young for me to tell you that, Brother..."
"My so-called 'grown-up' younger brother keeps spouting nonsense."
"I'll make good use of it. The gift."
"...Fine."
"After the coronation, let's go eat cod. My treat."
"Fine."
Before they knew it, the falling stars had stopped.
In place of the blue light, pure white stars rose again, and a silver moon illuminated the sinasta-filled garden.
"While we're out eating cod, maybe we could buy a gift for Brother Randel—"
"Stop."
"Yes."
A day more brilliant than any other drew to a close.
Between the white flowers, blue light drifted toward the sky—the light of the sinasta, following the end of Serenti's Time.
* * *
Turning his head while buttoning his shirt, Calian saw Yan's mournful expression.
"I told you, I'm fine."
"Still. It bothers me every time I see it."
It had been over two months since Yan had wept, demanding to know who had dared to scar their flower-like Prince's back. Yet, he still made the exact same face every time Calian changed his clothes.
His only regret, he’d said, was letting that bastard die too easily.
He had even made the terrifying suggestion that they should have kept him alive and sent him to Siegfried.
"Are you going to be like this every single day until I die of old age?"
"Yes, I will. Every single time you change your clothes, Prince, I will be like this."
"I'd better not get any more scars, if only to spare myself your nagging."
"Exactly. Please be careful. If you get another scar, Prince, I'm really going to quit being your attendant."
He was making another terrifying threat.
It meant he would summon all the elephants and take revenge until the Senyu River ran dry.
"Alright, alright. I'll be careful."
Calian finally let out a soft chuckle and pointed to his jacket. Yan nodded, helping him slide his arms into the sleeves.
"Ah, Relic arrived safely on time."
"That's a relief."
In the time they had been away, he had grown taller again.
They both had.
Other clothes could easily be custom-made here, but the problem was the formal dress uniforms of the Prince and Crown Prince they had to wear today. Because of this, Relic, who had traveled with the cats and the baby elephant, had briefly returned to Kairis.
The Crown Prince's uniform, which required far more embroidery and decoration than Calian's, took longer to finish. Relic had apparently made a quick trip yesterday to drop off Calian's uniform, gone back, and then returned again early this morning.
"Then Master must have come as well."
"There is an event at the Kairis Royal Palace today as well. He just watched you sleep for a moment, Prince, and then went back. He told me not to wake you."
Since becoming the strongest mage on the continent, Alan seemed to have also become its top express delivery courier. He transported people and cats back and forth, and now he was even delivering clothes.
"Come to think of it, is today the day they scatter fish feed in the Senyu River?"
"Yes, it's the first day of March."
Unlike Secritia, which had welcomed spring long ago, Kairis was still cold, and the Senyu River was only just beginning to thaw. Even then, patches of ice remained, but the sound of flowing water could generally be heard again around this time.
The event was held to feed the fish that had survived under the frozen river, a celebration to mark the end of a safe winter and welcome the new year. Since Lemain would be making a public appearance, Alan would have had to escort him.
Calian smiled softly, thinking of his master, who had slipped in just to see his face and left so quietly that even Calian, a skilled swordsman, hadn't noticed.
"We'll be returning soon anyway. I can see him then."
"Yes. Please don't be too disappointed."
"I know."
The one who needed to stand out today was Chase, not Calian. Therefore, he wore no conspicuous accessories. Over his Prince's formal uniform—a black vest, jacket, and trousers—he draped a red cloak with black fur trim over one shoulder. It was essentially the winter uniform, just without the heavy coat.
There was no real need for winter attire, but the fragile, fresh-faced Crown Prince still felt the cold. It was a mystery how Franz had managed to survive in Kairis at all. In any case, since Franz was wearing his winter uniform, Calian couldn't very well wear something else.
Yan, filling in for the absent Merlin, gave him a final check, spritzing him a few times with a light, tangerine-scented perfume. With the preparations complete, Calian stepped outside.
"I figured you would ride Raven instead of taking the carriage, so I have him ready."
"You were right. Thank you."
As he replied, his gaze fell upon a carriage bearing the Kairis royal crest. He wouldn't be riding in that notoriously luxurious carriage today. The one using it was not him.
Franz, dressed in a dark navy jacket embroidered with far more gold thread than Calian's, black trousers, and a black cloak with navy fur trim, stood beside the carriage. Inside, the lovely Hina sat in a beautiful turquoise dress adorned with white lace and a matching tiara.
After Franz followed Hina into the carriage, Calian mounted Raven, doing his best to ignore the complicated feelings that stirred at how beautiful Hina looked.
Flutter!
The thick cloak billowed once before settling.
With a clatter of hooves, the carriage drawn by six horses and the prince on his pitch-black steed set off toward the Secritia Royal Palace.
* * *
The Temple of Serenti.
Like Tensil, Secritia also had a Temple of Serenti, and priests as well. While they didn't use healing powers in unconventional ways, they had not abandoned their faith in Serenti.
The coronation ceremony would begin at the temple.
Originally, the ceremony involved receiving all eight sacred relics, but it had been simplified over time. Now, only the orb, scepter, sword, and crown were presented in sequence. Even so, the process took a considerable amount of time. Afterward, the new king had to march to the square, make a declaration before the people, and return to the royal palace. There, after receiving the greetings of the nobles in the audience chamber, another ceremony would be held to enshrine the relics. Only then would the celebratory banquet begin.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Countless gazes bypassed the carriage with its tightly drawn curtains, fixing instead on Calian. He sat with his back straight, his head held high, and his red eyes slightly downcast. These were the stares of the crowds who had not been invited inside the temple. Calian didn't look at them, and the Kairis royal carriage proceeded slowly through the throng until they arrived at the temple.
The carriage door opened. Franz, after a final check of his attire, stepped out first, followed by Hina. Yan and Kyrie stood behind Calian, while Relic and Arsen stood behind Franz and Hina, who walked arm-in-arm. The rest of their entourage, invited only to the banquet, would meet them later at the royal palace.
Guided by temple knights, the guests from Kairis took their seats in the VIP section. Calian sat down, lightly nodding to Louise and Arianne in the distance.
Since Calian's party was among the last to arrive, the gazes of the assembled spectators turned toward him. He knew their eyes held a mixture of fear and admiration—they still remembered him plunging a sword into Devlan's heart—but Calian gave no sign that he noticed.
Dong, dong, dong...
The temple doors closed.
The deep resonance of the bell announced the start of the coronation, the ceremony where the king of a nation would officially ascend the throne.
Everyone sat and fell silent.
The High Priest stepped forward, reciting a prayer for Serenti's blessing to forever grace Secritia.
Dong...
Another toll of the bell.
From the far end of the temple, Chase emerged from behind massive, closed doors.
The pure white cloak embroidered with red thread, a symbol of Serenti, sparkled as it caught the sunlight streaming through the temple windows. With every step he took across the red carpet, the long cloak whispered against the floor. His white trousers and red jacket were embroidered with gold thread, and gold chains and tassels swayed with his every move.
Watching Chase advance as if cutting a path through the light, Calian closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
The second time.
He was seeing this sight for the second time.
He held his breath as Chase received the orb, then the scepter. His gaze locked on the sword and its ruby adornments.
Dong, dong...
The bell tolled twice.
Chase knelt on one knee before the High Priest.
The High Priest received a large, velvet-covered box and pulled back the cloth, revealing a magnificent crown.
Diamonds. And, quite unfittingly, a pale amethyst was embedded right at its center.
Calian closed his eyes once more.
Dong, dong... dong...
The bell tolled three times.
Chase stood.
Wearing the crown, he turned to face the assembly.
Now a true king, he looked out at everyone gathered there.
—Thank you for coming, Crown Prince Franz.
Hearing Chase's voice echo in his mind, Franz furrowed his brow. He knew it wasn't a genuine expression of gratitude. If he had known this would happen, he never would have given him the crystal plate.
—Congrat... ulations.
As the incredibly stiff voice echoed in his mind, Chase looked at Calian, a subtle, playful smile on his lips. He gazed at him for a long moment before giving a small nod.
Chase began to walk once more.
Out of the temple, toward the square, toward his people.
Calian, who had been watching quietly, let his gaze drift elsewhere. And then, it stopped.
'......Tensil.'
The royal crest of Tensil. The formal attire of its royalty.
A distinguished guest from Tensil had traveled all the way to what was, for all intents and purposes, an enemy nation.
An unreadable smile played on Calian's face.
The Crown Prince of Tensil was there.