“But what’s this?”

“It’s not yours.”

Only then did Camilla take the snacks out of the basket and lay them all out in a row.

“This big sister prepared them for you.”

Please enjoy.

[Wow!]

The child’s face had certainly brightened. It must be because Arsian’s mood had settled a lot.

To be honest, even Camilla was a bit surprised. Arsian seemed to have found his footing faster than she expected. She thought he’d act like a lunatic for longer.

“Go on, eat.”

[...]

“Why?”

The boy softly shook his head.

[I don’t need to eat anymore.]

“Huh?”

[I’m not hungry anymore.]

The child’s smile deepened.

Sier stepped close to the puzzled Camilla and hugged her tight. In that instant, his lips brushed her cheek.

Of course Camilla felt no sensation, but it tickled her mood somehow.

[Thank you, sister.]

“......”

[Really—thank you.]

Hugging Camilla once more, the boy took a step back. His eyes turned to his older brother, Arsian.

He went to the brother who was looking at them with baffled eyes, having no idea what was going on, and hugged him tight this time.

[Brother, I’m... I’m really sorry.]

Watching his brother close off even more after his death, watching him grow further from their father—it had hurt so much. Feeling as if it were all his own fault, Sier couldn’t leave his brother’s side.

If he hadn’t died like that—if he had just died naturally—would his brother’s relationship with their father have gotten a little better?

Regret had come in waves without end. Even if he’d chosen it for his brother’s sake, he couldn’t be sure it had truly been the right choice.

[But...] 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Now he felt at ease. Seeing his brother look more at peace than ever kept making him smile for no reason.

Camilla relayed the child’s words in a calm voice.

The boy’s voice trembled a little, but there were no tears. If anything, he kept smiling.

[Brother is...]

‘Brother is...’

That day—the day Sier died. Looking at his big brother, the boy had tried to say something, but he never finished and breathed his last.

[I’m so glad you’re my brother.]

“......”

[I want you to be happy.]

Words he hadn’t managed to say for so long.

Seeing his brother’s eyes shake, Sier hugged him once more.

At the end, the boy looked back to Camilla.

[Please take good care of my brother from now on, sister.]

No.

Not that. Don’t ask me that!

Seeing Camilla knit her brows, the boy burst into peals of laughter.

That was the first time he’d laughed out loud like that.

A moment later, the boy’s body began to be wrapped in a faint light. As Sier’s outline grew ever hazier, Camilla said nothing.

There was only one thing she could do at a time like this.

‘Bear witness.’

Simply watch their ending and remember.

And so Camilla quietly watched the child vanish, leaving behind that bright smile.

Arsian, too, seemed to understand everything. He only stood there, saying nothing, until Sier was completely gone.

“Sad?”

“...Not particularly.”

He was a child who had died long ago. If anything, relief welled up now that the boy could finally rest.

How hard must it have been, lingering by his side all this time. Watching him resent and hate their father, he must have blamed himself over and over.

How much must that little one have cried, thinking it was all his fault.

“I prepared this for you.”

“......”

“Eat, eat. When you feel empty and sad, you eat.”

“You said it wasn’t mine.”

“Who said that? I brought it for you. Eat, eat.”

Leave food and you get punished!

As Camilla pushed the food she said she’d prepared for Sier over to him, Arsian wore a momentarily dumbfounded look.

But Camilla failed to notice the faint smile that soon touched his lips.

****

Weekend.

For once there were no classes, and she was savoring the rare leisure, thinking she might finally go shopping. And then—

“Thank goodness you were at home. How have you been?”

“...Welcome.”

Guests arrived out of nowhere. In a pack, no less.

Camilla forced a bright expression toward the Duke of Jevillan, who greeted her with particular warmth. He did this last time too—why the sudden chumminess?

“What brings you as well?”

“He asked me to come along.”

The one answering the Duke of Sorpel’s question was the Duke of Sephra. That was right: both dukes had shown up at once without so much as a word ahead.

‘So they really have known each other since they were young.’

The Duke of Jevillan and the Duke of Sephra both could be called the Duke of Sorpel’s friends.

They were of similar age, and as heirs to ducal houses they’d seen each other often since childhood.

They were rivals to each other, yet there was a peculiar bond between them from youth. They bore the same weight of being houses that guarded the Empire.

‘He’s not the sort who just “comes when asked.”’

The Duke of Sephra was the very man who turned down most things as a hassle. He almost never moved for anything short of extraordinary.

It was curious what wind had blown him here today without notice.

“Then please, have your talk.”

Camilla moved to take her leave as soon as the greetings were done.

Grab.

“...?!”

She would have, if not for the two hands that seized her arms at that moment.

“Um, why...?”

Your Graces, what are you doing?

Camilla, caught by both arms, stared in bafflement. The ones holding her were the Duke of Jevillan and the Duke of Sephra.

“My purpose in coming here today is you. You can’t duck out.”

“Mm.”

...Why me?

You could say the Duke of Jevillan had been acting like he had business with her since last time, but why the Duke of Sephra?

“Let’s go in first.”

“Let’s.”

“Uh... ah...?”

With both arms held, Camilla had no choice but to walk. Her eyes turned to the ones watching her in silence.

Petro, who had come along with the dukes, and Arsian were looking at her as if they found this amusing.

‘Why are you here!’

Petro, fine—he’d accompanied his father here before. But why had that man come? Since when did he move around with his father?

“Come along, come along.”

“No, wait, um...?”

Watching Camilla get dragged off, Petro smiled and waved.

Arsian wore his usual indifferent look, but since she’d been around him so much lately, Camilla could tell—he was smiling with his eyes right now.

“So what do we do now?”

Left where Camilla had departed, Petro made a suggestion to Arsian.

“Shall we walk the garden together? I looked around last time—it’s lovely.”

“Me? With you?”

“Why? You don’t want to?”

“Would you?”

“Why? I would.”

“Lunatic.”

Arsian turned to leave at once. But then his steps stopped dead. He’d noticed someone standing near them—he had no idea when the man had come. It was Ludville, the Duke of Sorpel’s eldest son.

‘When...’

He hadn’t sensed his presence at all. Not as he’d come this close.

Petro was the same. He, too, looked at Ludville with a touch of surprise.

“Then how about both of you walk with me.”

“......”

“......”

****

[As expected, good.]

[...]

[...]

The moment they stepped into the receiving room, the two dukes summoned their Guardians. No sooner had they appeared than both came toward Camilla without waiting for the other.

Seeing the Red Eagle and the Black Wolf draw near her, Camilla’s expression went blank.

‘Don’t tell me...’

Had those two come here out of the blue because of their Guardians?

“Sorry. Mine pestered me so much.”

“Mm.”

The Duke of Sephra said nothing, but it was obvious he had come for much the same reason as the Duke of Jevillan.

[Rrraah!]

[...]

[...]

King, the white tiger Guardian who had somehow ended up on Camilla’s knee, bared its teeth at the two.

‘Though those teeth are absurdly adorable.’

The force the two summoned Guardians gave off was tremendous. Camilla prided herself on a decent tolerance for nonhuman presences, and even she felt a flicker of tension.

But King, as if such force meant nothing, showed its teeth at them without hesitation, telling them not to come any closer to Camilla.

‘Oh.’

The little thing wasn’t cowed at all. If anything, the two Guardians who’d been approaching her halted and took a step back.

[Gyuu.]

Only then did King settle on her knee as if nothing had happened «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» and, utterly at ease, start to drift to sleep. A Guardian is a Guardian, after all.

‘Quite commendable.’

Camilla let out a small smile and gently stroked King’s head.

“As I thought, your tiger prefers that child.”

“Your Guardians must have hounded you. ‘Let me see the young lady.’”

“Khmm.”

Having spoken in a teasing tone, the Duke of Jevillan couldn’t even recoup his principal and averted his eyes from the Duke of Sorpel. What was striking was that the Duke of Sephra, too, subtly looked away.

“Have you ever seen our daughter before?”

The Duke of Sorpel tilted his head at the Duke of Sephra. To his knowledge, neither the Duke of Sephra nor his Guardian had ever faced Camilla.

“It’s smaller than I expected.”

The Duke of Sephra changed the subject at once. At that, the Duke of Sorpel faintly knit his brows.

“It will grow soon enough.”

“Is it because it was sealed for so long?”

“Probably...”

“Still, the fact that it was born at all is what matters.”

“Exactly!”

A contented smile returned to the Duke of Sorpel’s face. What did size matter—large or small! The important thing was that a Guardian had returned to his house.