By Zephyria 
By the time I came to my senses, it was already late at night.
I shared a brief, belated greeting with the previous Countess Ernhardt. We weren’t exactly in a position to exchange pleasantries, but I could tell she felt a deep affection for me, so I behaved myself.
The Ernhardt family invited me to dinner.
It had been a very long time since I had sat before a properly set dining table.
Since I had come to House Ernhardt, I thought I would pretend to eat and then secretly throw up later, but that thought vanished the moment I sat down. It was thanks to the empty seat placed right next to me.
It was Michael’s seat.
In the Count Ernhardt’s estate… it seemed they had kept Michael’s seat empty during meals and continued to prepare food for his portion.
With every course, a generous amount of food—fitting for the hearty appetite of Michael—was placed consistently at the empty spot. In the capital, such behavior would be seen as the act of a madman, unless one were severely intoxicated. However, in House Ernhardt, both the family and the servants did it with complete naturalness.
“Is something wrong, Your Majesty?”
“No… it’s nothing. The food… it suits my taste well…”
“I heard you aren’t fond of strongly seasoned food, so I took some care with it. Please, eat comfortably.”
As an attitude toward the Emperor of the Empire, it lacked many things. However, as a way of treating the son’s friend, or perhaps the son’s lover… it was more than enough. Even the way Michael’s seat had been arranged next to mine…
Honestly, yes, unbelievably, I was very satisfied.
I stayed one night at the Count Ernhardt’s estate and returned to the capital.
Spending a night surrounded by the things Michael used as a child and the things prepared for him as an adult brought a strange sense of lethargy. I didn’t sleep a wink all night, yet my mind felt clearer than ever before.
Originally, the Ernhardt family did not look upon me with favor.
Michael was very close with his family. Because of that, I had always been on edge around the Ernhardts.
To lower their guard, I feigned a young and immature appearance, and I did not hide how deeply I cherished Michael. I strove to provide the human and material resources they needed at the right time.
Even so, I was not a good candidate for Michael’s spouse. I was a Prince competing for the throne, I possessed a flawed appearance, and above all, I was the same gender as Michael.
To those who wished for the pure and innocent Michael to lead a happy and comfortable life, there was no way I would be appealing.
The only reason they accepted me was entirely because Michael loved me.
But, because of that, and for that very reason…
After the battle with Floyd, I felt awkward dealing with them.
Michael had disappeared because of me. It was certain that the Ernhardts thought the same.
Furthermore, I had always been clumsy when dealing with elders.
Throughout my life, there had been no one above me. At most, Beneto or Kate? My parents only granted me brief audiences, and as long as I performed every glance and gesture according to the established etiquette, there was nothing to worry about—provided no fucked-up incidents occurred.
However, the Count and Countess Ernhardt occupied a very ambiguous position.
If I followed my heart, they were Michael’s parents, so it was only right to treat them as superiors. But since Mika and I were not in an officially recognized relationship, showing excessive courtesy in front of others would be overstepping. When I was a Prince, I could at least push through using my age, but now that I had become Emperor, even that was impossible.
Moreover, Seiren Ernhardt had not properly accepted my loathsome flattery even when traveling to the capital to help my accession. It was an uncomfortable relationship even when I lowered myself and acted subserviently; these days, when I couldn’t force a smile no matter how hard I tried, it was even more uncomfortable.
Naturally, every message I sent to House Ernhardt during that time was cautious and rigid.
Without any meaningful results, the contents were merely about which region had been searched this time and where they planned to look again; there was no room for personal conversation. I often sent reports exactly as I had received them, tied to the leg of a Ranunculus. Thus, I never expected a reply.
But after the day of Michael’s fake funeral, many things changed.
I had been so distraught that day that I couldn’t maintain a composed facade. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Ernhardt family—or more accurately, the way Seiren Ernhardt treated me—was distinctly different from before.
Ridiculously, my heart felt much lighter just by being acknowledged by Mika’s parents in Mika’s absence.
I decided to subtly continue using the titles I had accidentally let slip.
I began to call the Count and Countess Ernhardt “Mother” and “Father” in a friendly, everyday manner. The replies to my Ranunculus, which Michael used to send, now came in the Mother’s voice. Occasionally, the voices of the Father and the two younger siblings, who were with her, were playfully mixed in.
One by one, jokes began to appear between the stiff reports.
Mother scolded, comforted, and admonished me as if I were truly her own son.
The intervals at which I sent and received Ranunculus gradually grew shorter.
They mostly told me stories about Michael’s childhood that only they knew. Most were anecdotes I already knew through the Nobility Yearbook’s management and inspection department, but hearing them again from the mouths of Mika’s close acquaintances was refreshing and pleasant.
Michael had been a very cute and spirited child.
It was almost miraculous how oblivious he was to the gaze of others, and he possessed incredible initiative.
I had wondered how someone born into a noble family could be so ignorant of etiquette, but I laughed for the first time in a long while upon hearing that they had to give up because a five-year-old Michael had climbed out the window and dashed toward the Martial arts training ground, claiming he wouldn’t let useless lessons steal his time.
I diligently explained to Michael’s family how blatantly Michael had seduced me during our Academy days. Stories about how he always wanted to hold my hand or how he gave me suggestive looks while learning to dance were only half-true, but they were enough to surprise the Ernhardts.
Even if they shouted that they couldn’t believe me, what could they do? Until Michael came back to explain that it wasn’t like that, my word was law. Of course, rather than denying it, Michael would probably just laugh it off…
At first, we seemed to talk in a longing tone, but at some point, we began to chatter as if competing over who knew Mika better.
Today was no different.
With a Ranunculus staring at me with round eyes on its round body, I talked about the dozens of types of flowers Michael had given me.
Though I still felt internally that he probably didn’t know what he was doing when he gave them, coincidentally, every flower I received was full of meanings related to love, so I had much to brag about.
After rambling on with trivialities for a while, I continued to the main point, unable to hide a leaking giggle.
“…For those reasons, I must show off my flower arrangement skills to Mother someday. Ah, and this time, I have successfully obtained a bottle of vintage wine that Mother has liked for a long time. So, may I visit this coming weekend?”
Noticing that the conversation was finally reaching its end, the Ranunculus snapped its head up. Two bracelets clinked together on my left arm, which had been draped over the bird’s lamp.
It had been over a month since Michael’s funeral when another bracelet was added to my wrist.
Michael had given me a bracelet by the craftsman Luceno as a final birthday present, and I had commissioned Luceno to make an identical bracelet for Michael’s portion.
After Michael disappeared, the craftsman Luceno was unable to produce the finished item for a long time. It was to avoid my wrath. Then, upon hearing the news of Michael’s funeral, he cautiously sent me the obsidian bracelet from the original commission.
That day, I headed blindly toward House Ernhardt.
It was a bracelet I had intended to give as a New Year’s gift. The moment I saw the token of affection I had commissioned, not knowing I would be separated from Mika for so long, a murderous impulse surged within me, and I felt I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t have the confidence to keep it.
The impulse to leave the bracelet on the table in Michael’s room led me.
However, by the time I arrived at the mansion after riding for several days, my heart had already broken. Realizing that I had simply run out because I lacked the strength to endure a world without Mika, and that I just wanted to escape, I could no longer act selfishly.
Visiting the Ernhardt mansion without prior notice was clearly an act of rudeness. My one-sided attachment to the Ernhardt family stemmed from Michael. I didn’t have the courage to barge into a house where he was absent.
After hesitating for a long time, I turned back without announcing my visit. Having nowhere to go, I went to see Michael’s grave once more.
Whether it was something he heard from the gravedigger, Seiren Ernhardt came all the way there in the middle of the night and let me into the mansion.
Michael’s family neither blamed nor drove me away. They simply comforted me by showing me various things that belonged to Michael.
“…I’m telling you in advance in case you refuse, but as I’ve said repeatedly, trying to take Mika’s diary last time was just a mistake made while intoxicated, and this time, instead of that wicked thief, a good and obedient son-in-law plans to visit. I shall look forward to a positive reply.”
After becoming close with the Ernhardts like that, I constantly eyed Michael’s belongings.
In particular, Michael’s diary, in which my name was written many times, was one of the items I coveted most. I had several replicas of Michael’s portraits, but the old diary containing his own handwriting was unique in this world.
Since I couldn’t force them or steal it, I had no choice but to act spoiled and throw a tantrum, begging them to give it to me.
The Ernhardt family used that diary as bait to make trivial demands of me, allowing me to survive one more day. They asked me to procure special custom-made items, find rare herbs or artworks, or track down hard-to-find wines…
And so, I endured and lived on, mostly to accomplish those tasks.
Having just completed another mission today, I was quite excited. This was already the fourth return. This time, they wouldn’t be able to delay it any further.
If Seiren pretends to give in and places Mika’s diary in my hand… Should I hang it on the wall? Or would it be better to build a dedicated bookshelf for it?
While thinking this and feeding my Mana to the Ranunculus, another Ranunculus appeared before my eyes. Strangely, it was the exact same color as the one I was feeding.
Not many people possessed such a refreshing blue aura. No, almost none.
Did I drink again? …I did. But I don’t think I drank enough for things to double. Today wasn’t even whiskey; it was wine, and I only had two bottles. I usually only heard Michael’s voice and saw his form after drinking more than four or five bottles, so it was too early.
Then what is this?
As I watched silently, the tiny bird opened its beak wide.
And it spoke in a very familiar voice.
“This is Michael Ernhardt. I have just arrived at the Withrow Duchy and am preparing for my return. I will visit you soon, so I pray you remain well until then.”
…What?
I couldn’t believe it.
But I wanted to believe it.
Yet, because I had waited so long, I simply couldn’t believe it.
Wondering if I was hearing hallucinations, I made it repeat the same words several times.
The Ranunculus I hadn’t sent yet, which had arrived first, rolled across the desk shelf, fluttering its wings for more Mana. Meanwhile, I grabbed the round body of the suddenly appeared Ranunculus and shook it, begging and begging for the same words.
“This is Michael Ernhardt. I have just arrived at the Withrow Duchy and am preparing for my return. I will visit you soon, so I pray you remain well until then.”
“Soon when? How are you in Withrow? How on earth?”
“This is Michael Ernhardt. I have just arrived at the Withrow Duchy and am preparing for my return. I will visit you soon, so I pray you remain well until then.”
There was no way I wouldn’t recognize Michael’s voice. The way the sentence endings dropped concisely, yet the breath between sentences was held long, making it sound unintentionally tender and relaxed—it was perfectly Mika. Truly, it was a message Michael Ernhardt would send to the Emperor of a nation.
But I had lived hearing Mika’s voice even while Michael was gone. I doubted myself…
I opened the door and called for people. In front of the servants and Knights, I squeezed the Ranunculus to hear the same words several more times. All of them rejoiced and, with a slightly surprised tone, repeated what the Ranunculus had said.
After repeatedly confirming the fact that I had not truly gone mad, I grabbed the other Ranunculus—which had been curled up, burying its head under its wing as if annoyed—and sent news to House Ernhardt.
My cheeks felt sore from stretching. Only after looking in the mirror did I discover myself smiling so broadly that my ears tingled.
Michael Ernhardt has returned.
Michael Ernhardt has… returned alive.
And now… he says he is coming to me.
Mika is coming.
* * *
The days passed by with insane speed.
There were more than a few things I had stupidly left unattended. First, I had to fix up the Duchy I would give to Michael. If I had known, I would have organized it and put it in shape sooner. It would have been better if I could have presented a completed territory with a ‘ta-da!’
Also, I hadn’t yet revised the system for same-sex marriage. It was a dream I had temporarily set aside because I found it hateful and annoying that other bastards would benefit first if Michael and I couldn’t marry immediately. I shouldn’t have done that.
No, wait. If I’m going to implement a new policy, it’s better if Michael and I are the first same-sex couple to marry fully. It has symbolic value, and it would prevent unnecessary gossip…
Then I should start with the wedding preparations.
The ceremony would be best held at the Temple, and as for the attire… what fabric should I use? Since I hadn’t stuck my head into social circles for a while, there was much I didn’t know. Since both Mika and I are young, it would be best to seek out a rising young artisan. Who would be good?
And the gems, and the dowry and wedding gifts…
If it’s Michael, it takes barely a week to get from Withrow to the capital. Considering the time the Ranunculus took to travel, there was no room for hesitation. I made arrangements in advance so that the moment Michael arrived, he could be brought straight before my eyes. I planned a grand return ceremony with the utmost haste.
I had to announce Michael’s survival and solidify his status.
So that he could never run away from me again, so that he could never leave me, or this continent, again.
I didn’t sleep a wink. I didn’t want to fall asleep for fear that this moment was a dream. If it were a dream, I wanted to live in this dream for the rest of my life.
Throughout it all, the Ranunculus sent by Michael stayed by my left side. Whenever I couldn’t believe this moment, I made that round, blue, exhausted-looking bird repeat the same words.
“This is Michael Ernhardt. I have just arrived at the Withrow Duchy and am preparing for my return. I will visit you soon, so I pray you remain well until then.”
Every time I heard that voice, laughter and tears came together.
I was completely intoxicated by an ecstasy that was simply unbearable.