By Zephyria My son, Michael Ernhardt, was a child who lived a very regular life.
He woke up early, ate well at every meal, moved a lot, and was quite bold. Perhaps because he read so many books, he sometimes said strange things, but he had always lived that way even when he was younger, so it wasn’t new at all. He was just very bright and cute.
And Sierren.
Sierren put in a great deal of effort to teach me about relationships anew. Whether it was wanting flowers as a gift two or three times a week, or wanting a hug before bed, or wanting to hold hands while walking. She wasn’t just hinting. She looked me in the eye and spoke clearly and distinctly, so I couldn’t escape.
Thanks to her, I became able to choose flowers for Sierren without anxiety, I could embrace her fragrant body tightly every night before falling asleep, and I could stroll through the garden holding her hand like lovers. It was a blessing, a grace, and a joy.
However, there was still one matter that caused me genuine concern.
“Well then, sleep well.”
“Yes. Sleep soundly.”
Sierren, who had nuzzled her cheek against my chest like an elegant cat, disappeared into her bedroom as if she could fly. I, who was inadvertently being treated as sexually ignorant by my lover and wife, had still not shared a bed with her even after a year had passed.
It wasn’t as if I could suddenly say, “I’ve studied up on it now,” and commit a grave offense.
Of course, I had lived well without it. How many years had I lived, consoling myself that I could live my entire life without ever touching her? But that was when I believed our hearts were not connected.
Or were they? Were our hearts truly connected?
…Perhaps not.
I had no idea what to do. The thought of trying something and making Sierren awkward again made me feel that it would be fine to continue like this for the rest of my life.
When Michael turned three years old by the lunar calendar, I changed the positions of the maids who looked after Mika and assigned attendants. That was because the saying “Men and women of seven years do not sit together” was stuck in my ears.
I thought, what could that possibly mean for someone not yet seven years old, but she shut her mouth completely, refusing to speak a single word to any woman other than her mother, so there was no other choice. Thus, Michael, who could now be accompanied by attendants, began to dart around the mansion like a fish in water.
He would burst into my study with particular frequency.
“Is Father here.”
“…Yes. Your father is working right now.”
Michael, whose height barely reached past my knees, was bundled up so much for winter that he swayed with every step, unable to bear the weight of his clothes. I watched him for a long time, wondering if he would fall, but I never saw him stumble.
“Hmm.”
“Why. Are you curious? Shall we look together?”
“No, no. The weather is bad today, so let’s have tea indoors.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll be right there.”
As Michael walked around the study with his hands behind his back, the attendant looked at the ceiling, and Gilbert stared at the desk. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. He would scold me severely if I burst into laughter because he found my actions so amusing, telling me not to take his words lightly, so I couldn’t laugh.
“Indeed. No matter how important the work, there is no task more important than caring for one’s spouse. For the family to be at peace, the household must be in order, and for the household to be in order, the nation must be in order.”
“Ah, I know… Right.”
“Why were you late for breakfast this morning?”
“No, well, as I said yesterday, there was an incident in the 11th administrative district…”
“You’re not going to go there yourself and hunt down the murderer, so why skip breakfast?”
“No. That’s…”
“Don’t skip meals. No matter how busy you are, don’t forget to take care of yourself.”
“…Yes. I understand, sorry…”
“That’s good. Then I’ll be going ahead.”
The child left as suddenly as he had arrived. As soon as Michael left the room, Gilbert, who had been staring intently at the desk, covered his face with both hands and wriggled his body, laughing like a strange donkey, “Puhuhuhu, heeheehee.”
“No, no, Your Excellency the Viscount.”
“…”
“How on earth did you give birth to someone so completely the opposite of yourself?”
“Did I give birth to him? Lady Seiren gave birth to him.”
“Wow, Valentia is truly amazing. You mentioned she had dragon blood mixed in her lineage, didn’t you?”
“That’s right… Is that why?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Gilbert, who had been making sounds like he was crying, suddenly said this.
“Still, I think it’s fortunate that Michael doesn’t resemble Your Excellency.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Isn’t that so? When faced with strangers, Your Excellency can only stare or smile, whether you like them or not. If you’re going to inherit good blood, you should have that much courage.”
“…We don’t know yet. He’s still so young.”
“No, no matter how young, that kind of thing isn’t hidden. I look forward to his future.”
I felt the same. I couldn’t imagine what kind of adult this child would become.
Soon, Michael will be five years old by the lunar calendar.
Five years old. In the Sierran Empire, five years old is the age when one has overcome all the common childhood illnesses and their future life is planned. Michael could now use both honorifics and informal speech freely. I, who finally heard proper honorifics from my child, was deeply moved every day.
My son was extremely active.
For Michael, who easily grew bored playing in his room, we often called him to the greenhouse. The distance from the main building to the greenhouse was by no means short. Watching Michael run to the greenhouse, panting and moving his short legs, the attendants and maids would all smile with satisfaction and pause their steps.
Today, my son had a very busy schedule, so I told him to do as he pleased, whatever it was, and Sierren and I sat down first. Sierren, dressed in a radiant dress, sat beautifully in the garden filled with fresh pink flowers that resembled her, shining brightly as always.
“It seems Michael once again pestered Sir Lawrence to let him use the martial arts training ground.”
“Should we perhaps build him his own private training ground? It’s odd to displace the knights who are currently using it for a mere five-year-old child, and more importantly, the training ground is currently filled with real swords and dangerous items.”
“Then how about tidying up the walking path behind the main building?”
“…That walking path is the one you like, isn’t it?”
“But it gets a lot of sun. It’s also close to the main building. It would be convenient for Mika to go back and forth.”
“But there’s a large pond in the backyard, so it could be dangerous for a child to run around. It would be better to widen the area next to the fountain in the front yard.”
“Really? Won’t it be a bit narrow?”
“He’s still a small child.”
Michael had been obsessed with playing knight since he was about two years old, so he had endured quite a long time. For more than half his life, Michael had lived wielding his mother’s fan, his dining knife, and branches broken for garden planting, claiming he would become a knight.
If it were up to me, I would have waited until he was eight, when most knights begin sword training, but since the child was so bright, Sierren and I had already agreed that it would be fine to start a little earlier.
I stopped speaking as I saw the child running towards us, his footsteps making a light pattering sound. His cheeks, full of stubbornness, were round, no matter who he resembled. The child, who disliked being touched by others, did not rely on attendants to get on or off chairs.
“Our Michael has arrived.”
“Yes, Mother, Father.”
It truly seems that Valentia’s lineage is remarkable. How could such an intelligent child have been born?
Watching him fidget and quickly grasp a teacup with one hand at the tea table, I found him so endearingly cute that I couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly, like a boiling kettle. Even though I had only filled the cup halfway because he didn’t have enough strength in his hands yet, Mika pretended to drink tea quite diligently.
To build the training ground by the child’s birthday, we had to bring it up now. Lady Sierren urged me on with sparkling eyes. Michael loved having conversations with me in a strangely archaic tone. The more dramatic my tone, the better his reaction, so there were days when I couldn’t tell if I was his father or a theater actor.
Clearing my throat and feigning indifference, I brought up the matter I had pondered for a long time.
“I heard you’ve been begging to use the martial arts training ground again.”
“Yes. As I am now five years old, it is too late to start sword training if I do not begin now. I must start training before my limbs grow any further.”
His pronunciation, spoken so clearly, was astonishing. Perhaps because he read many books when he was young, Michael had a peculiar tendency to use literary language. Now that he was five, children from neighboring territories would likely visit, and I worried if he would be able to get along well with them.
But he’s so cute, is a correction of his speech really necessary… He’ll gradually improve as he grows up. Let’s leave it as it is.
“What do you intend to do after learning the sword?”
“I intend to become a Sword Master.”
“Sword, ahem. Yes… My son wants to become a Sword Master.”
“It may seem like a distant path now, but once my body has grown and my intervals align, I believe I will be able to manifest sword energy. Please grant me permission.”
Indeed. The knights in fairy tales were usually Sword Masters. Unable to tell a five-year-old child that becoming a Sword Master was a matter of talent, I coughed dryly, but Sierren, who had encountered far more knights than I, had apparently given Michael quite a grand hope.
Lady Sierren nudged my side, urging me to speak next. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
“Can you explain what ‘intervals’ means, my son?”
“It means the distance at which one can parry an opponent, as one’s arms and legs lengthen.”
“I see… So, my son will be able to easily unleash sword energy once he grows a little bigger…”
“Yes.”
“Alright, then, shall I find a teacher among the family’s knights?”
I thought it would be sufficient to find a knight among the family with a good disposition and ask him to teach, as he was still very young. But, as expected, my son never chose the easy path.
“For now, using the martial arts training ground is sufficient. If a time comes when I need a teacher, I will ask, but for now, I would like a wooden sword that fits my body.”
“…Very well, then… I will prepare a wooden sword for you as your birthday present this year.”
“I am always grateful for Father’s grace.”
I wish my son could live a more ordinary, good life.
Go to the Academy at his age, make friends his own age, and if possible, date a lot when he’s young, travel a lot… I wish he could live like that. Because I couldn’t.
But looking into his bright, intelligent eyes, all the words I intended to say felt like useless branches. So I just answered, “Alright.”