By Zephyria “My dear Mother, Father.
It is a season when the grace of the noble and warm sun spreads across the world. I am spending my day safely, unaware of heat or cold, under your sheltering presence, as I have always done, dedicating myself to our family.
Today, I take up my pen because a special matter has arisen that requires me to borrow your wisdom. I earnestly beg you not to find my request foolish, but to share your precious insight.
You are both well aware that I will soon be participating in my first Hunting Festival as an adult. I have found someone to whom I wish to offer my first prey. I have already received permission to offer myself as his arrow, but I heard that proper attire is required, which has caused me no end of worry.
I ask this because I do not wish to appear lacking in such a distinguished setting.
The one who will receive my devotion is a man with hair and eyes as black as pitch. For the jeweled buttons, please use obsidian of the darkest, most lustrous vein, and I hope the vest and cloak be made of modal or a similar matte fabric. I pray that the blue and black ribbon adorning my chest will be pleasing to your eyes.
I shall conclude my humble letter here, and I eagerly await the day I can see you both again.
With love and respect,
Michael Ernhardt.”
Reni and I always used to sit side-by-side on the plush sofa, leaning against each other, when Michael’s letters arrived. Michael’s usual way of speaking and his letter-writing tone were exactly the same, so when I read his letters aloud, it felt as if he were chattering away beside us.
But the letter I received today was not, not, not at all, my son’s.
“⋯This is⋯.”
“⋯.”
“⋯.”
“⋯Who could it be?”
“If you mean black hair and black eyes, there’s only one person among the Empire’s nobility.”
Reni spat out the words. But even knowing, I wanted to pretend ignorance.
That’s right.
In modern times, discrimination based on hair or eye color has ceased, but black hair and black eyes were the symbol of the Ninth God. The Second Prince, born under the ominous sign of twins on October 31st, the day the dead were said to return to life, possessed hair and eyes so black that not a single other color dared to mix in, giving him an unsettling appearance.
The First Prince, Richard Flo Searon, born a few years earlier, was a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes. In contrast, the Second Prince was burdened with even more bizarre rumors. The brightest and the darkest. Had his maternal family not been the Marquisate of Antines, he would likely never have gained such a reputation.
And Michael, he was quick to offer his heart to those who were pitiful and deserving. He would comfort crying children and take in stray dogs that were starving. We had already heard that Michael was close to the Second Prince, but Reni and I had quietly believed that the feelings exchanged between them were based on pity.
But, but he wants to offer his first prey at his first Hunting Festival?
That is neither pity, nor friendship, nor loyalty.
Horrified, I could only hold my breath, unable to speak. Seiren, after rereading the letter several times with her eyes, let out a loud, hollow laugh. Seeing her so angry for the first time in my life, I was flustered and reached out to grasp her wrist. But Seiren seemed not to notice that I had taken her hand.
Lady Seiren, her beautiful brow deeply furrowed, slammed the received letter onto the table with a sharp sound.
“How cunning.”
“⋯Pardon?”
“He didn’t even try to hide that Mika wrote down exactly what he dictated. He didn’t specify the number of buttons, but obsidian? Modal? A blue ribbon? It’s outrageous, truly.”
“⋯Are these items of special significance?”
“Among black gems, obsidian carries the meaning of prophecy. Insisting on obsidian of the most lustrous vein, rather than other gems, is a way of saying there’s no point in resisting, that he won’t care. Modal is often used for dresses, but it’s also used for close-fitting undergarments. They’ve already gone all the way.”
“⋯What? Then how⋯. What are we supposed to do?”
“What’s even more infuriating is that this letter came under Michael’s name. He knows perfectly well that if he sent it under his own name, it would be rejected outright.”
That’s right. The handwriting on the letter was unmistakably Michael’s.
“He’s making such a provocation now? As soon as Michael comes of age? If he’s using Michael to ascend the throne, he shouldn’t be doing it like this. It’s tedious, boring, and excessive!”
Reni picked up the letter again, read it repeatedly, and then crumpled it with a crunch.
I was stunned, my mind blank. Was my son someone who would be so foolishly sold off? It couldn’t be. My mind was elsewhere, and I could only blink. The noble lady, who knew few curses, muttered “idiot,” “fool,” “outrageous,” several times before turning away abruptly and shaking my arm. As I opened my arms to her, she soon buried her head against my chest. Involuntarily, I pulled her into an embrace.
Through the quiet silence, the young lady’s heaving breaths echoed deep within my body.
“Let’s make it three buttons.”
“⋯Pardon?”
“One won’t be enough, and five is too many. I’ll call a seamstress now. We should have obsidian at home, but modal⋯. Ah, what do we do? I’m so angry I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
“But⋯. Michael isn’t that easygoing a fellow, is he? He’ll be alright.”
“⋯Do you think so?”
“Yes. Where else can you find someone as smart as Michael?”
“⋯Let’s go to the capital together once, around the time the Hunting Festival ends. I need to see what kind of man he is, face to face.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Rubel Anti Sieron was the Second Prince, and he was already eighteen years old.
He treated the affairs of adult royalty with disdain. Shortly after the Hunting Festival ended, Reni and I arrived in the capital, only to learn that even if we submitted a request for an audience immediately, we would have to wait five weeks to meet the Second Prince.
Reni, who had frequented the Imperial Palace as if it were her own home throughout her life as a Duke’s daughter, was beside herself with frustration, but even she couldn’t demand an audience with an unknown royal without a special reason.
Would it have been different if I had come under Valentia’s name instead of Ernhardt’s?
Instead of letting my own pride chip away at me, I decided to do my best for my wife.
“Since we’re already in the capital, shall we go see Michael before heading back?”
“⋯Ah, really. I should have sent a letter in advance. But what could I possibly write? I can’t exactly ask why he had someone else write the letter for him.”
“There will be another chance. For today, let’s⋯. We’ll contact the Academy and go to a nearby cafe.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
When I was attending the Academy, Cafe Flora Moment, where I often visited when meeting my parents, was the largest and most famous cafe on 21st Street. Its garden, in particular, was decorated with hedge walls as tall as a person’s shoulder, and the tables were placed in comfortable, secluded spaces, making it ideal for having private conversations.
Even with a parfait, layered with cream and fruit in a tall glass, before us, Reni’s anger did not easily subside. To appease her anger, I picked out the prettiest and most delicate fruits, dipped each one generously in cream, and offered them to her.
I looked up as I sensed someone approaching from a distance.
If they knew someone was here, they wouldn’t have turned this way. I thought perhaps Michael had already heard, and I raised my head. Behind Arnold, who had gone to fetch Michael, followed a pale, handsome young man.
Neither Reni nor I could speak, and we froze.
How could anyone compare the night sky to such blackness?
One would believe he had walked straight out of a magic territory. The fierce-looking young man had his jet-black hair neatly combed back and tied at the nape of his neck, but his eyes were so cold and sharp that he looked less neat and more like a lion with a mane. His face, which appeared pale rather than fair, had only his red lips as the sole touch of color. He was tall and broad-shouldered, but his only red feature made him exude a dizzying, overwhelming presence, like a beast with blood in its mouth.
This must be the Second Prince.
⋯But why, how is he here?
What was even more surprising was his next action. As he reached within five steps of our table, he placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed deeply. I flinched again at the profound courtesy, which I had only ever received from my family’s knights.
I carefully raised my head and saw the Second Prince discreetly bite his lower lip before releasing it. I wondered if he had applied something, but then I realized he had simply bitten it so hard that his lips had turned red.
Facing us, who were too astonished to return the greeting, the Second Prince demurely lowered his gaze.
And then he spoke.
“I am truly sorry to disturb your precious rest. Upon hearing that you were looking for me, I wished to meet you and committed a discourtesy. If it is alright, would you permit me to treat you to a meal?”
“You are aware of how rude your actions are, are you not?”
Reni’s voice, sharp as frost, startled me. Unlike me, who was too dumbfounded to speak, Reni, with an unfamiliar expression and tone, tilted her chin up, avoiding the Second Prince’s gaze. A chill emanated from Reni’s attitude as she refused to meet his eyes even once.
However, instead of reprimanding Reni for her rudeness, the Second Prince lowered his gaze further and humbled himself, acting meekly. Is this right? Even as I heard his gentle voice, a nonsensical thought arose that he might pounce and bite my neck, so terrified was I. Yet, both the Second Prince and Reni appeared perfectly composed.
“Yes. I am aware. I only implore you to regard the impudence of a youth, committed out of admiration for you both, with kindness.”
“⋯Very well. Where shall we go?”
“Do you happen to have your own carriage?”
“We do, but it can be sent directly to the townhouse. Please prepare as you see fit, Your Highness.”
“Yes. Then I will wait with the carriage at the main entrance of the cafe. Thank you once again for taking your precious time.”
The Second Prince bowed gracefully once more and quietly left. It was not lost on us that he was giving us time to finish our parfaits or discuss our thoughts. I sat there, blinking in bewilderment, when Arnold, who had returned with the Second Prince trailing behind him like a tail, spoke awkwardly.
“Um⋯. We went all the way to the front of the Academy, but he suddenly stopped the carriage, so I brought him here.”
Arnold knew the purpose of our visit to the capital. Unable to refuse the Second Prince’s insistence on meeting us, I didn’t blame him. Instead, I asked something else.
“Mika⋯. Does Mika know about this?”
“No, well, he suddenly stopped the carriage without even escort knights, so, I was so surprised⋯. I just brought him along⋯.”
“Without escort knights?”
“Yes. Well, it seemed like he ran here⋯.”
⋯He ran here?
Reni tilted her head for a moment, her gaze deepening. The smile that finally graced her lips after a long time should have been welcome, but for some reason, it filled me with dread.
I scooped a spoonful of parfait and put it in my mouth. The sweetness was so intense it made my tongue tingle.