By Zephyria 
Ruben pressed himself close to me once more.
Our skin, long in contact, was warm with each other’s heat. He intertwined his hand with mine and gave it a gentle shake, as if to say, Don’t worry, just talk. Ruben leaned his cheek against my shoulder, then his forehead against my cheek, hesitating for a moment.
But eventually, as he always did, he explained it to me step by step, in a way I could understand.
“…I thought you were… a lonely person.”
“Ah. …Yes. I was, wasn’t I?”
“I know you aren’t now, but back then, I misunderstood House Ernhardt. I thought you grew up similarly to me, just as the Imperial family under Beneto was envied by many people… That’s what I thought. It made sense, since you started with the sword a bit earlier.”
“…Hmph.”
“Every time you were called a swordsmanship genius, I’d imagine your hidden sorrow beneath it, and that somehow comforted me. So I wanted you to know me better, and for me to know you better… I wanted to be your comfort.”
“Mhm. Yes, and… what does the story about dissolving the Imperial family have to do with any of that?”
“It means that my falling in love with you was a choice that wasn’t bound by your gender or family background. But my mother didn’t see it that way.”
“…Hm?”
Ruben said that from a very young age, he never formed deep attachments to the people around him. He couldn’t even find it in himself to find cute the small, adorable beasts he saw, and he wasn’t swayed when the wet nurses or maids surrounding him changed.
So Kate thought her son possessed a uniquely cold and intelligent disposition. In Kate’s eyes, Ruben strongly resembled Beneto, and the man who had never given his side to him, despite marrying Kate out of necessity.
Regardless, Kate Anti Sieron could only aim for one ultimate position.
Empress Dowager.
Making her intelligent son Emperor was her sole aspiration and her revenge. Behind every action Kate took was a deep-seated desire not to yield her place to her husband’s former wife.
And that intelligent son had a history of strongly resisting her methods.
Ruben was an ambitious talent. He wanted to become Emperor himself. Ruben did not hesitate to leverage his maternal family’s power to expand his influence. Kate could have ascended to the position of Empress Dowager simply by waiting for time to pass without lifting a finger.
It was I who made her doubt.
Her son, who lacked the physical condition to inherit Divine Blood, and his male lover.
Not long after meeting me, Ruben began discussing the establishment of regional academies. While citing same-sex marriage laws as the basis, it essentially provided a stepping stone for countless commoners to rise to higher classes, making it a significant threat to the existing beneficiaries.
Furthermore, I was backed by a massive ducal family through blood ties and associated closely with them. The Duke Valentia Family possessed wealth and authority that could easily suppress the Marquisate of Antines. My family did not hesitate to make me a hero, and Ruben also readily followed their lead.
Ruben believed his mother had ample reason to fear him.
“I think my mother… thinks I still want to get revenge on her. She thinks I might be trying to make you a hero, put you on the throne, hand over the Empire… and establish a new dynasty without her…”
“What? Surely not.”
“Just like I did to my mother on my fifth birthday.”
Perhaps it was a bit of a stretch.
When I hesitated, unable to answer immediately, Ruben bit his lower lip a few more times, then straightened his body, holding my hand tightly. The child looked into my eyes and spoke with a definitive tone, as if giving a speech.
“The reason for expanding higher education to even the low-ranking citizens of the Empire is simply because this Empire is currently oversaturated. The existing population was content with their lives just by securing food, clothing, and shelter. But that’s no longer the case.”
“…Indeed.”
“High-quality newspapers and magazines flourish, and there are tens of thousands of merchant guilds that traverse the Empire’s lands under the mere guise of nobility. Who wouldn’t want to live in a better house, eat better food, and wear better clothes? The generation that benefited from the monopoly of goods and information is already over.”
“….”
“You saw it at the Academy too. There’s no difference in the physical structure or way of thinking between nobles and commoners. There might be kinder or wiser people. But that distinction wasn’t made because they were nobles or commoners.”
“…That’s true.”
“Those who harbor resentment from injustice can become Black magicians at any time. I don’t want to hand over my useful talents to unknown enemies. With the numerous administrative districts and territories that became vacant due to the large-scale purge, I am confident I can accommodate them sufficiently.”
“….”
“I simply want to adapt to change through more rational and controllable methods. The Empire’s population has now quadrupled compared to the day of the Shiaren Great Reform. Therefore, I must devise ways for many Imperial citizens to create new futures, not just inherit the wealth passed down from their ancestors.”
The tips of the child’s fingers, gripping mine tightly, were warmed by his passionate voice. So I, too, pondered his words, lost in thought. Seeing that I was listening carefully, Ruben nibbled at my fingertips.
The child now spoke of the future with a smile.
“It has been a mere four generations since we could communicate directly with the God who created this land. At a time like this, when magic technology has advanced to produce more crops from less land, having a divine being to rely on immediately when problems arise is an unparalleled boon. Where else could such an opportunity be found?”
“….”
“I am the ruler of the strongest Empire. I…”
His sparkling eyes turned towards me.
“…wish for you to live happily in this Empire without worry. Until the end of our lives.”
Our lips naturally met and parted. At the distance where our breaths mingled, Ruben quirked his eyebrows. His expression was ambiguous, a mix of annoyance and amusement.
“…It’s not that I seduced you with the intention of tormenting my mother, who holds ancient aristocratic ideals.”
“Mhm.”
“Of course, there’s still room for sympathy in her life, and I understand the mechanism by which she might try to torment you, but I don’t think that’s…”
“Ah. That’s fine. That’s not what I’m curious about.”
“…Then?”
“How do you want to get along with her, Ruben?”
“Huh?”
Unable to answer immediately, Ruben’s pretty lips parted as he pondered for a long time. As he kept trying to enchant me, I kissed him again. No, I kissed him three times.
Only then did Ruben utter the correct answer.
“…It would be good… to get along well?”
“Mhm. Yes, let’s get along well.”
“…?”
Listening carefully, I understood the problem.
After all, many things had happened, and they must have both been hurt.
I could now see what Ruben was worried about. If his mother’s remaining life was filled with regret, the gentle and tender Ruben’s heart would be perpetually uneasy. Therefore, I would have to help as much as I could.
If there’s a misunderstanding, it must be resolved.
Ruben rubbed his forehead against my cheek like a cat, groaning.
“…What are you thinking?”
“Just thinking about how much cuter you must have been as a child.”
“I hate it, don’t do that.”
“Why?”
“In front of you, I was a child for too long. Just let me be an adult now.”
Ah.
I couldn’t help but laugh. As I laughed, Ruben moved his lips to my cheek and jaw. Letting him, I gently ruffled his hair. Our eyes met and touched each other like a gentle breeze.
The child, who had been dejected after meeting his mother, didn’t take long to regain his spirits.
“Tomorrow is also a holiday, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Why, is there something you want to do?”
“Yes. It seems you became a Sword Master while I was away…”
A proud smile spread across Ruben’s face as if he had been waiting for this. He looked at me with eyes shining brightly, like a child seeking praise. I playfully bit his cheeks, left and right, then whispered.
“Let’s see your skills.”
❖ ❖ ❖
In truth, Ruben had shown the makings of a Sword Master from the very beginning.
Receiving the highest score even once in the Swordsmanship Department at Sieron Academy meant just that. To many swordsmanship instructors, Ruben possessed talent that was more than enough to stand out.
He still appeared delicate to my eyes, but how many people would appear strong to my eyes?
He walked with me through regions with high Mana concentration, and he swallowed the Spiritual Medicine bestowed by the Sun God. Internal energy originating from the Hip-Circlet circulated within Ruben’s body. The Hip-Circlet is Dynamic qi. Even without taking separate time to train his body, pure Mana would have swept through his body, compensating for his lack of sleep and boosting his stamina.
What Ruben lacked was simply absolute training volume.
While other knight aspirants were swinging their swords, he was busy sifting through document binders, deciphering codes, and planning the future, so swordsmanship was always pushed to the back burner. If he hadn’t traversed Dunmel Canyon and crossed the Shatun Desert with me, it would have been delayed even further.
However, even a falling drop of water will eventually pierce a rock if the time is right.
The current Ruben contained a sufficient amount of Mana within his body. Looking at his well-polished meridians, he could easily become an intermediate Sword Master. As the child said, if he had drawn his sword whenever he missed me, he would have surely reached a higher realm.
I wanted to guide Ruben, so I asked him to spar. But Ruben shook his head, saying he had something else he wanted to show me.
Taking his hand, we strolled as if on a leisurely walk towards the back of the Crystal Palace. A spacious training ground, finished with neat flagstones, greeted us. The wide area, surrounded by tall trees to block the view of passersby, looked at least five times larger than the one used at the Academy.
“…Was this here originally?”
“No, I built it after becoming Emperor. So you could train your swordsmanship here after becoming my Imperial Consort.”
“Here?”
“Look. The fourth-floor window up there is my office, where I always am.”
Following the child’s hand, I looked straight up at a certain window. The spacious window with a terrace was currently covered by curtains, making it difficult to see inside, but I, who knew the layout of Ruben’s office well, was simply dumbfounded. The location was chosen so that he could look out the window almost immediately by just turning his head.
The child, knowing well that I didn’t dislike such things, put on a coy expression and whined, “Whyyy?” I stroked his cheek once more and asked again.
“Are you showing me this?”
“No. There’s something else I really want to show you. I practiced a lot.”
Ruben loosened the top button of his knight’s uniform, giving his neck more room. Then he stood straight.
Watching the child’s expression turn serious, I burst into laughter again.
I could tell just by his stance.
It was the first stance of the Changcheon Muae Sword Art, Chamjaecheonha (Standing Under Heaven).