The Expulsion

Agniele habitually touched his chest, where his dagger was kept, and hardened his expression. It was only one day—twenty-four hours in terms of time. No, perhaps he only needed to endure for even less than that.

He certainly knew this in his head. However, perhaps it was because he had grown accustomed to meeting Ensi almost every day and seeing him to his heart’s content. Being unable to see Ensi due to a sudden development made his chest feel stifled.

Today, the cravat constricting his neck felt unusually suffocating. Agniele raised his arm as if he would pull it down that very instant. Of course, he stopped himself, regaining his composure at the cold sensation transmitted by his jewelry.

“Agniele.”

At the same time, a voice that seemed to coax him softly was heard from behind. Agniele’s expression stiffened, shocked by the fact that he hadn’t noticed a person approaching this closely.

“Iel?”

A voice filled with wonder called Agniele again. Only then did he smooth his expression and turn around with a somewhat stiff manner.

“Mother.”

“You must be tired, as you aren’t used to such gatherings. It seems it will end soon, so please bear with it a little longer.”

As I thought, perhaps I should have forced the child, who only clings to his sword, to attend such gatherings more often, even if I had to push him. Seeing Agniele looking awkward even though it was merely a family banquet, she felt a belated regret.

She softly cupped Agniele’s stiffened cheek.

“It is not that the seat is uncomfortable. Please do not worry.”

“I am glad to hear that, but besides that, is there something that would make you feel this stifled?”

Music meant to subtly lift the atmosphere of the ballroom seeped onto the terrace. Listening to the beautiful melody that squeezed through the gap created by the loosely fitted glass doors, the Duchess tilted her head.

Then, as expected, is it a swordsmanship problem? But I haven’t heard that Agniele hit a wall during training. On the contrary, I only heard news that the time he spends holding a sword has decreased.

“Ah…….”

Training time has decreased. Recalling that report, she remembered that another matter had recently arisen that could make Agniele this serious.

She thought of the person her son, who had never shown interest in anything other than the sword, suddenly confessed to holding in his heart. Realizing the reason for Agniele’s stiffness belatedly, the Duchess withdrew her arm with a somewhat awkward gesture.

“Is it—is it because things aren’t going well?”

Despite that, it seemed he had been diligently visiting the other person’s mansion lately. To the point where it wouldn’t be strange if the threshold were worn away.

Since Agniele and the other party made no effort to hide it, the Duchess had easily heard the news, and her eyes trembled with awkwardness.

“What are you referring to?”

“Ahem, I mean the second son of the Alemier family. It seems there is no one else who would be the reason for your worries.”

Thanks to Agniele asking directly, the effort of asking indirectly was wasted, but as it wasn’t the first or second time this had happened, the Duchess answered familiarly.

“Ah, are you speaking of…… Ensi.”

Although it was still awkward as it wasn’t yet comfortable on his tongue, what came out of Agniele’s mouth was clearly a pet name. The Duchess looked at Agniele with wide eyes. The corners of his mouth had relaxed gently.

“It is merely a personal thought, but I believe it is going well.”

Then why did you make such a sorrowful expression? The Duchess barely held back the question that reflexively tried to leave her mouth. Somehow, she felt as if she knew the answer without hearing it.

“Just, at the thought that I wouldn’t be able to see him today—”

“No, that’s enough. I feel like I know even without hearing it, so that will do.”

However, despite her effort to bury the question in her heart, Agniele rambled on the next words himself. Feeling as if her own face was heating up, the Duchess hastily interrupted Agniele and unfurled her fan.

Moving her wrist gently, she created a small breeze. She clearly realized who the son before her eyes resembled when he was in love.

“You are serious, Iel.”

She had thought so since seeing him return to the capital, even putting his studies aside for a moment, but it seemed to be at a level that couldn’t be dismissed as a mere whim.

In the first place, if his heart were that light, he wouldn’t even have brought it up. He certainly wouldn’t have said he wanted to court him personally.

She had simply wanted to deny it, even while knowing Agniele’s personality all too well.

“Yes. Emotions do not change easily, do they?”

“There are such people. People like reeds that sway as the wind blows. Of course, Iel, I don’t mean that you are like that.”

“I know.”

Agniele was steadfast, and at the same time, upright. There was no way the sincerity held by such a person would change easily. As the thought she had held implicitly became firm, a bitter smile played on the Duchess’s lips.

“I was just…… bothered by the fact that he is someone for whom it wouldn’t be strange to die at any moment.”

“Pardon?”

“Because sadness and pain are the burden of those left behind. I didn’t like that.”

As the heart grows deeper, as the time shared grows longer…… the pain that returns will double. It is said that all humans eventually die, but this and that are somewhat different stories, aren’t they?

Because of that, she hadn’t been fond of the person Agniele mentioned…… but now, she wasn’t so sure. Her heart only grew more complicated at Agniele’s complexion, which seemed to glow more and more as the days went by.

She even felt that, as the Duke had once suggested, it might be best to let things flow as Agniele wanted.

“……No, forget it. It was a useless remark. The one year given to you hasn’t ended yet, so I hope you find the answer within that time.”

Realizing she had acted emotionally for no reason, the Duchess lightly tapped her lips with her folded fan as if reproaching herself. Finishing her words moderately with a light shake of her head, she patted Agniele’s shoulder and turned around.

The time she spent away to talk with Agniele was too long. She knew the Duke would do well even without her, but even so, it wasn’t a good look for the mistress of the house to be away for too long.

“Mother.”

Agniele, who was watching the back of the Duchess as she tried to return to the hall hurriedly, called her in a low voice.

“—Yes?”

Unable to ignore her son’s call even while busy, the Duchess eventually stopped. Turning her upper body halfway, she urged him with her eyes to state the reason he held her back.

“I do not want to run away using an uncertain future as an excuse.”

“……You are indeed upright.”

I wonder whose son he is. Murmuring as if lamenting, she only left a request for Agniele not to be too late in coming inside and left for the hall.

Click. The thin glass door closed, and the thick curtains fell, hiding the terrace. Left alone, Agniele touched the area where he kept his dagger.

Perhaps—it might simply be his misunderstanding—but even if he couldn’t find a cure within the one year proposed by his father…… his mother might overlook him being with Ensi.

Thump, squelch. Donovan, who just a week ago had been spending time in a country where summer was approaching, moved forward steadily, pushing through snowdrifts that tiresomely snagged his footsteps.

“There was a reason Titania asked if I had picked the wrong timing…….”

For some reason, even though Sirius was visibly guarding his side, he had been held back several times. It meant Titania’s suggestion, made with eyes full of worry, to think it over again wasn’t for nothing.

[Shall I help?]

“No. It’s not to the point where I can’t walk.”

Should I have accepted the offer back then while feigning ignorance? If he had, he might at least not have been buried in these tiresome snowdrifts. No, if he had done that, finding the Wanderer’s whereabouts might have become even more difficult. Let’s not make weak excuses.

By the way, what kind of world is this? It doesn’t seem like he crossed the equator, yet the seasons have changed to the exact opposite.

If it’s summer in the Empire, even if the Principality of Celine is a region like the South or North Pole, shouldn’t there at least not be a blizzard?

Shuddering at the cold that penetrated to his very bones, Donovan, who was moving his steps diligently, suddenly realized that the spirits by his side were unusually quiet.

“……It’s chilly.”

The moment he noticed the anomaly, Donovan stopped in his tracks and intentionally exhaled a long breath. The breath, holding the only warmth, rose into the sky and then suddenly snapped off.

Donovan’s eyes sparkled at the abnormal flow of air. A sudden disconnection. A chill that couldn’t be defined as mere cold. The sky seemed to grow darker even though it was daytime. A chill rising from his spine. Even a feeling of fundamental fear being stimulated.

He had arrived at the right place.

But why did the opponent allow him to step into the territory? While he was momentarily happy that the Wanderer’s expected location wasn’t wrong, Donovan rolled his eyes at the incomprehensible situation.

He had made a rough excuse and glossed over it because he thought Ensi would worry, but the existence Donovan was looking for wasn’t someone you could meet just because you wanted to. As much as they brought the concept of “Death” with them, they were an existence that only those closely related to it could meet.

Though not particularly intentional, Donovan, who was full of life, did not meet the conditions. Therefore, regardless of finding the location, he had intended to use a trick to meet the opponent.

Donovan felt happy at a situation that was more than just “lucky,” yet he fidgeted with his hands, suppressing the ominous feeling he used to feel when things went wrong.

[……Hmm? What’s this. Is the register wrong? Why is he so full of life?]

And when the words full of wonder echoed in his head, Donovan’s ominous feeling doubled. To Donovan, who realized something was wrong, the sound of paper flipping busily echoed in his ears.

When Donovan, stiffened in a different sense by the bizarre situation, was careful even about swallowing his saliva, the fluttering sound stopped.

Suddenly, a long, ripping sound of paper was heard. After all sounds had stopped as if focusing on something, the opponent gasped in surprise.

[Oh, my goodness! I gave the authorization to the wrong person!]

Honestly, this is why people shouldn’t live long. Whether she found the fact that she had mistaken the target quite embarrassing, the opponent kept muttering.

Following the sound that vibrated through the forest, the swaying branches were eerie. In that spine-chilling environment, Donovan prayed fervently to a God he usually didn’t even believe in much.

Please, don’t let that existence kick me out just like this.

[I’m sorry. It wasn’t you. You—well, let’s meet again if we get the chance.]

“……No, what?”

Since you’ve already let me into the territory, can’t you just meet me once instead of sending me back right away?

Before Donovan could even voice such an argument, he was expelled from her world. Returning to a world where birds chirped again and the sun shone faintly, Donovan only moved his lips in dismay.

“—No, how can this happen?”

Is this the “entry-cut” I’ve only heard about?

In the face of a reality that was hard to accept, Donovan only made a groaning sound while clutching his hair.