A Ring and a Promise
The office felt different from usual.
Because he was there.
“Father.”
“You’re here?”
Father looked at me while taking a sip from the wine glass in his hand. A faint smile played on his lips as I stepped into the room.
I kept seeing sides of him I hadn’t noticed when he was still the stern, imposing figure I remembered.
“You’ve been making preparations.”
“Of course. The people I’m taking with me are my responsibility. I have to look after them.”
I used to hate the very idea of responsibility.
“If you go to Muller…”
Father’s voice trailed off for a moment.
“If you go to Muller, live however you want.”
“Hmm.”
That was an odd thing for him to say. I tilted my head, and Father gave me a bitter smile.
“Muller is technically treated as a vassal territory of Franz for now, but it won’t be that simple.”
“No, it won’t.”
No matter how strong regional powers were in this world, the central authority wouldn’t simply sit back and watch, just like in Earth’s history. In the past, the capital might have left us alone, but Father’s arm was in this state. He could still use his power, yet the fact that it had weakened was enough to change how people looked at us.
Even if the capital stayed out of it, neighboring territories might grow greedy. Muller might be small, but it was still a territory. Plenty of people would covet the city and the wide lands that came with it.
And that was exactly—
“That’s what you’re aiming for too, isn’t it, Father?”
“Hm?”
Father’s gaze sharpened at my words.
“You’re using me as bait to draw out the people who look down on Franz, aren’t you?”
“Haha.”
No matter how much he cared for his children, Father was still the head of House Franz. Even his love came with reasons.
“Not entirely wrong. But I also meant it sincerely.”
“Really? Then what will you do if I actually live however I please?”
“Hahaha. It pains me to say it, but that won’t be easy either.”
Father poured himself more wine as he spoke.
“The people around you will underestimate you and come after what’s yours. And that’s not all. The Red Bloods are starting to crawl out again, so a Muller that’s just finished a war is the perfect place to plant roots in the south. Even without that, the conflicts with the territories eyeing you and Muller will be more than enough trouble.”
“Haah.”
What a headache.
“On top of that, the capital won’t just leave Muller as a vassal of Franz forever. They’ll reach out somehow.”
“So you’re telling me to rule Muller half-heartedly?”
“Why would you need to do that? As long as you become the lord of that land, that’s all that matters.”
I frowned. Father was telling me to become independent. To found a new house. It was obviously going to be complicated and annoying.
Father chuckled at my reluctant expression.
“More importantly…”
“Yes?”
Father’s eyes gleamed.
“How long do you plan to keep calling yourself Franz when you possess the power of the sun?”
“Ugh.”
My magic was still in an awkward state. To break free from it, I had to cast off the name Franz. The power of perception. If I wanted to truly awaken the sun’s magic, the time had come to abandon the Franz name.
“……Do I really have to go that far?”
“What?”
Father stared at me in disbelief.
……Did I say something strange?
“Puhahahahahaha!”
“Whoa, you scared me.”
I’d never seen Father laugh so openly, without a shred of dignity. The sudden outburst startled me.
“No, you really are…”
It took Father quite a while to calm down, still coughing between laughs. Was it just my imagination, or was the way he looked at me strange?
“You really are amusing.”
“That’s a bit much, coming from my own father.”
“Don’t say that to other nobles. They’ll look at you strangely.”
“……Understood.”
Father smirked at my sulky expression.
“Even if you wanted to, the people around you wouldn’t let you.”
“I know.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Father fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at me again as if remembering something.
“Right. Grace is pregnant.”
“Yes. That’s how it turned out.”
Grace. I thought of her, still confined to her room as if she couldn’t breathe. When I visited her last time, she had looked terribly anxious. It was her first pregnancy, after all…
“Go see her often.”
“……Is that all right?”
No matter what kind of relationship we had, the father of Grace’s child was supposed to be Aidan. It felt wrong for me to get too close.
“It’s fine. If your relationship were bad, that would be one thing, but now that the succession is settled, there’s nothing to worry about.”
The atmosphere had been strange lately, but since it was confirmed I was going to Muller, maybe it didn’t matter much anymore. The image of a woman trembling alone with anxiety flashed through my mind.
……Then maybe it really was all right to visit her often.
“If you’re that worried,”
Father said, as if it were nothing, just tossing the words out.
“Take her with you.”
* * *
I walked down the dark corridor toward Grace’s room. The path was clear because I’d sent word ahead. In the distance, a soft candlelight glowed from the window of her room.
Lena had mentioned Grace was staying in her room more and more, so I’d been meaning to visit. If her anxiety from the pregnancy continued, there was a risk of miscarriage. Even this world understood that much. If Lena had gone out of her way to tell me, it was worth worrying about.
—Step, step.
As I walked, Father’s words echoed in my head.
Take her with you…… huh.
“Easy for him to say…”
His attitude was that if the child born later inherited Franz, that would be enough. Since Father had said it so openly, he must have already spoken with Aidan.
I wouldn’t be able to face my brother later, but still, my choice was…
“Haah.”
I took a deep breath, feeling the solid weight in my pocket, and opened the door.
“……Leoric.”
“Sister.”
She was reading by the faint light of a single candle.
“You’ll ruin your eyes like that.”
I almost brightened the room with magic, but stopped, thinking it might not be good for the child.
“Hehe. But there’s nothing else for me to do while I’m stuck here except read.”
I looked at Grace’s bitter smile. In the candlelight, she was beautiful. Her sun-like golden hair, her jewel-bright blue eyes. Sitting against the bed in the dark room, she radiated a different kind of beauty than usual.
“Or would you like to talk with me instead?”
“……Sure.”
“Oh my. Really?”
Seeing her blink in surprise, I felt a little guilty for not visiting more often. This was my first time dealing with a pregnancy too.
“I’ll stay the night.”
“……Oh.”
Grace’s eyes widened for a moment before curving into a smile. Seeing how happy she looked, I decided I really should visit more often. I walked over and sat beside the bed.
She didn’t look much different from before. When she noticed my gaze drifting to her still-flat stomach, she gently stroked it with a soft smile.
“My belly hasn’t gotten big yet, has it?”
“Yeah. Still slim. You should eat more. Are you eating properly?”
“Hehehe. Of course. Lena and Saren are taking good care of me.”
Saren, Grace’s maid, had come in with Father earlier. She’d immediately attached herself to Grace and started managing everything again. She seemed anxious about having been away when Grace got pregnant and had stayed close ever since.
“She hasn’t been sleeping well lately, so I told her to rest properly tonight. I’m feeling much better too.”
“That’s a relief.”
She must have been cooped up in this room the whole time. She seemed to have a lot she wanted to say, so I just listened as she kept talking.
Her face was bare of makeup, but still lovely. Maybe a little pale. In the modern world, she’d still be in college or just starting her first job at this age.
“Hm? You haven’t seen Father yet?”
“No…. They said he was badly hurt. I was told not to visit in case the shock was bad for the baby, so I only sent my regards.”
She said she’d been anxious because he hadn’t come at first. It would be strange for a father-in-law not to visit his pregnant daughter-in-law.
“He really was hurt, but he’s fine now. Still as energetic as ever.”
“Thank goodness.”
Grace placed a hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief. I watched her for a moment.
Hmm……
“Sister.”
“Yes?”
When she blinked at me, the words caught in my throat. If I was leaving soon, what kind of face would she make? I’d known this was coming, but now that the moment was here, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
“Leoric? Are you all right?”
She looked at me with concern. I took her hand. I didn’t want to leave her behind while she was pregnant. But I also knew taking her to Muller, where danger could still lurk, wouldn’t be good for her either.
So—
“I’m leaving for Muller soon.”
“……Ah.”
Grace’s eyes trembled at my words.
—Squeeze.
Maybe it was the shock, or maybe the hormonal imbalance from pregnancy. Her hand had gone cold. I held it, hoping my warmth would help a little.
Still holding my hand, she spoke.
“R-right. That was the plan all along. B-but it’s sooner than I thought? Originally……”
Her lips trembled as she tried to sound calm. It hurt to watch.
“Because Father was hurt. Aidan will be back soon too, and once he returns, I’ll leave right away.”
“……I-I see.”
Her hand was shaking. Seeing her lower her head and speak so weakly made my chest ache.
……That’s why.
“We probably won’t see each other for a while.”
“……Y-yes, that’s true.”
I’d thought we truly loved each other. I believed the way she looked at me now was genuine too, so I gathered my courage. I took a small box from my pocket.
“So, once your condition stabilizes, or after you’ve given birth……”
“……Leoric?”
Our eyes met as she looked up at me. Seeing the uncertainty in her gaze gave me a little more courage. I opened the box and took out the ring. A blue magic stone taken from the body of the large stealth monster, the Mucker. I had filled it with my own magic power.
In case she ever found herself in danger, so I could protect her. I held the ring that carried my will and my wish.
“Will you stay with me?”
“Ah……”
I held out my hand to her. This was a first for me too. Swallowing my nerves and impatience, I looked at her. A single tear rolled down her jewel-like blue eyes. Was she refusing? I forced myself to stay calm despite the anxiety.
“Really? Even someone like me is all right?”
“It’s not that any woman would do. It’s because you’re Grace. Because you’re you. That’s why I made this choice.”
Grace smiled and extended her left hand. I took it and slipped the ring onto her slender ring finger.
“You’ll make me happy?”
“I promise. I’ll make you happy.”
I held her hand. The feeling of two rings on her slender finger still felt unfamiliar.
My lovely sister was crying.
“I love you, Sister.”
“……Sniff. I’m so happy…! Leoric!”
That night, there was no caressing, no sex.
But it was the most fulfilling night we’d ever shared.
