By Zephyria 
Of course, Rubel was always as beautiful and radiant as a flower, but today, it wasn’t just because he was dressed neatly that he looked so lovely.
How on earth did he get such a large bouquet? Unbelieving, I rubbed my eyes with my hands, pressed them, and looked again. His appearance, as bright and beautiful as if he had walked out of a dream, did not change no matter how many times I looked. Half dazed, I stared at Rubel for a long time before looking next to him.
The bouquet held in Father’s hand, with a bewildered expression, was neatly arranged but looked very shabby compared to the one in Rubel’s hand. Father’s face looked so pale that I even felt sorry for him.
After hesitating for a while, I headed over there and took the time to introduce my friends to my relatives. My companions, who had come to greet me, kept getting distracted by the bouquet in Rubel’s hand, making me embarrassed and causing me to exhale a dry breath.
Only after spending a noisy time did I move to the dining hall with my family.
They were curious about how I had been eating and living, so we sat around the dormitory cafeteria.
All the relatives, except for my two younger siblings who were not yet of age, were graduates of Shierun Academy. We ate our meal, using the stories they shared, how things hadn’t changed much since their time, or how much some things had changed, as side dishes.
During all this, Rubel stayed by my side, acting kindly, taking care of my siblings and my grandparents. The laughter of my Aunt and Mother next to me tickled my spine.
I remembered telling him not to do anything unnecessary, but he was so brazen.
I glanced sideways at Rubel, but he blinked innocently, as if he didn’t know what he had done wrong. His sharp eyes and thick, black eyelashes fluttered prettily like butterfly wings. No matter how beautifully he acted, it was no use. It was obvious that he was pretending to be demure while trying to spread the news of our intimacy to everyone around us.
“…Honestly.”
“Congratulations on your graduation, Mika.”
Just as I was about to say something, he cut me off and smiled sweetly again. I was speechless.
I was curious as to why he wasn’t handing over what he was holding even while congratulating me, so I asked him quietly.
“Is that thing in your hand yours?”
“Uh-huh.”
“…Why aren’t you giving it to me and keep holding it?”
“That’s…”
Rubel glanced around, then lowered his head slightly and whispered in my ear.
“…It’s a bit heavier than I thought.”
“…Give it to me.”
How heavy could flowers be? I was dumbfounded and reached out, snatching what was in his arms. The bright fragrance of the flowers filled my arms. Among them, there was a familiar scent, so I buried my nose in the bouquet and inhaled.
Among the dozens of types of flowers, the most striking was the bright yellow one.
The dozens or hundreds of small, fluffy, and plump petals formed a round shape, resembling chicks or golden beads. So this was the scent that always came from Rubel’s hair. When I thought about how long he had been grooming his hair, I felt embarrassed and coughed lightly.
I glanced at the expressions of my relatives, especially my paternal grandfather’s, which were very awkward. But they were all too kind-hearted to embarrass the excited boy in front of them. They all hesitated and changed the subject to prevent Rubel from feeling embarrassed.
As soon as we finished eating, Asdel whined that he was curious about the Department of Magic and wanted to go inside the building. I told him it was too far and we should go next time, so he pouted with his lips sticking out a mile.
Naturally, the story of the sparring match between Edwin and me in our first year came up.
Rubel opened his mouth in place of me, who wasn’t good with words. He must have watched so carefully, because the story Rubel described was so vivid, it was as if a detailed painting was unfolding before my eyes. My relatives were impressed, and I was trying to hide my laughter at Rubel’s gestures for a long time, when my maternal grandmother kindly suggested to Rubel.
“Perhaps, if His Imperial Highness is willing…. Would you be able to spare some time this evening?”
“This evening… you mean.”
“We have a family dinner planned. Since Your Highness has been close to our Mika, we would like to ask you to grace the occasion with us if you have the time.”
Rubel’s face lit up with joy, but he immediately closed his mouth tightly and pondered.
After swallowing three breaths, the voice he finally uttered was listless.
“Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement, so it will be difficult today. However, if you ask me next time, I will definitely be able to attend.”
He looked so disappointed that I wanted to hold his hand, but there were too many eyes watching, so I held back.
“You had a prior engagement?”
The boy answered me quietly.
“The Emperor also attends the afternoon schedule of the academy graduation ceremony. Knowing that I was coming here today, Father asked me to return to the palace with him…”
The Emperor already knew that Rubel was here.
Come to think of it, I wasn’t going to inherit the family, and I had privately said that I was learning swordsmanship to protect the child, so I had no worries, but this guy was different.
What would an Emperor, his father, think knowing that Rubel… felt that way about me?
I had been curious about what the Emperor looked like all along, but I had forgotten that the Emperor was Rubel’s father. Had the boy told his father about me? If so, in what way, and what had he said? Surely not. …Surely?
Suppressing my bewildered feelings, I asked again.
“…What exactly did you say?”
“I didn’t say much, Mika. Just… He knows I care about you very much.”
“…”
The bouquet in my arms suddenly felt heavy. The thought of holding this in my hands and seeing the Emperor made me dizzy. After hesitating, I handed it over to Uncle, who seemed like the one who could hold it the lightest, which earned laughter from the whole family.
“You’re giving it to me?”
“I would like you to hold it for a moment.”
Uncle made a joke that didn’t suit his cool face, so I pretended not to notice and acted nonchalant. I didn’t want to completely hand over the feelings the boy had brought so heavily to Uncle.
Rubel, who was watching the scene, asked Uncle to let him hold it again and hugged the bouquet tightly. The thought of the Emperor seeing that sight blurred my vision, and I tried not to think about it anymore.
After lunch, we headed back to the main hall for the remaining schedule.
As the graduates and spectators gathered in their seats, a group of musicians blew into huge brass instruments on both sides of the stage, setting the atmosphere. The tone flowing through the strings was slow, and the drums beating in unison were magnificent. As I sat straight and looked ahead, the headmaster called out the names of six children.
Six boys and girls went up to the second level of the stage and looked up at it. Damian and Jenny were also standing among them. Seeing this, Shayden whispered in my ear with a regretful voice.
“You too… if you hadn’t taken magic classes, you would have been standing there.”
“Hmm?”
“The student with the highest graduation grade in each department gives the oath.”
“…Ah.”
Since I hadn’t received any prior notice, I thought they would handle it themselves, so I finally strained my eyes to look at the child from the Swordsmanship Department. It was a girl named Andy. I hadn’t been close to her usually, but I remembered that she had greeted me with a smiling face from time to time.
Suddenly curious, I also whispered to Shayden.
“What was Claudian lacking?”
“…He’s also terrible at theoretical classes.”
“Then what about you.”
“I’m… bad at practicals.”
I tried hard to suppress the laughter that leaked out like a cough.
The sound of the orchestra piled up and gradually became magnificent, then stopped all at once, resonating through the space. Almost simultaneously, a light flashed in the center of the stage, and a man wearing a dazzling cloak appeared, capturing everyone’s attention.
I knew without hearing his name.
Beneto Loki Sheeran.
The owner of this vast land, the first and most excellent arrangement of Divinity, and Rubel’s father.
The man’s black hair, cut to a length that did not cover his neck, was neatly styled. His eyes were blue, but the shape of his eyes, long and slanted, resembled Rubel’s. His face was so cold that it seemed like white breath would come out if he opened his mouth.
Rubel always had a smiling face, so I hadn’t seen such an expression often. But I watched carefully, thinking that the boy would definitely look like that when he grew up.
The fur draped over the shoulders of the sturdy man was red on the outside and white on the inside. The uniform decorated with gold thread in between was black. I had heard that he was not a Martial artists, but like those in power often do, he had an aura that overwhelmed those around him.
I didn’t know if this was the power of Divinity he had borrowed, or the spirit of someone born as an Emperor.
The Emperor’s gaze slowly swept through the hall. The music stopped, and everyone closed their mouths.
After it became so quiet that you could hear an ant walking, the Emperor opened his mouth.
“I, Beneto Loki Sheeran, as the 64th Emperor of the Sierran Empire, will receive the graduation oath.”
It was a voice that pierced everyone’s ears with just its overwhelming presence, without the help of Artifacts.
Soon, the six children recited the prescribed phrases in unison, as if singing in chorus.
“We, the entire 327th graduating class of Shierun Academy, pledge to strive for the glory of the Sierran Empire.”
“One. We will be just.”
“One. We will be honest.”
“One. We will be fair.”
“One. We will be patient.”
“One. We will not back down.”
“One. We will not be afraid.”
“One. We will not regret.”
“One. We will take it as our mission to give generously.”
I knew what came after this too. Looking down at the paper with the schedule and prescribed words, or looking ahead, or closing or widening their eyes in emotion, the children all spoke in unison. I was among them too.
“We solemnly swear in this place that we will become the straightest and strongest pillars of this continent, and we will not be shaken or overcome by any temptation.”
When the spirited children all shouted in unison, the huge main hall vibrated slightly. It was a thrill close to excitement.
The Emperor twisted the corners of his lips and smiled, and instantly his face changed to a gentle one. Rubel had taken after his father. I smiled along without realizing it.
The Emperor declared in a firm voice.
“I, Beneto Loki Sheeran, grant the graduation of the 327th class of Shierun Academy. I, and the billions of Sierran Empire citizens, will have the honor of watching over the path you graduates walk.”
Loud applause filled the hall.