Upon leaving the office and walking down the corridor, he soon saw a portrait filling the wall. It was a portrait of a woman with brown hair and dark eyes, and a man with platinum blonde hair and purple eyes, sitting together.
What was unique about it, unlike other portraits, was that they were looking at each other instead of straight ahead.
“……”
Jerome quietly looked up at the portrait and reached out his hand. There was no warmth to be felt, but somehow, the painting gave off a warm feeling. He had heard once that the mother had saved the injured father. That connection continued and finally led the father to find the mother again.
It was like a story out of a fairy tale.
Jerome, always admiring that story, smiled softly.
He wasn’t sure about others, but he too had a small dream, just like his mother when she was young: to travel places across the sea. Only recently had an additional condition attached to that dream.
That Estelle would be with him on that journey.
“Such a foolish dream.”
Jerome readjusted the smile that was about to spread on his face and started moving again.
Stories are stories, and reality is reality. This place does not last long for idiots who forget reality and indulge in daydreams. Therefore, instead of drowning in dreams, he had to look at one more document.
***
“Hey, you idiot!”
“Ah!”
As always, Estel made a loud entrance. Thanks to her, Jerome, who had been enjoying music in his quiet office, ended up being the victim.
Jerome sighed as he looked down at his trousers stained with tea. It was quite… annoying to see the clothes he had carefully chosen for Estel’s visit getting ruined without serving their purpose.
“Did I or did I not tell you to check the contents before signing a contract? Do I really need to say this?”
“Why are you suddenly like this, Estel? This contract was your request. Don’t you remember?”
“Even so, I didn’t expect you to agree to such a foolish, generous contract! If I had known, I would have adjusted the terms to my favor!”
Jerome frowned at Estel’s yelling.
Last time they met, she had mentioned how her tower was on the verge of starving, and how wonderful it would be to trade goods and food with his company.
That’s why he had agreed to the contract as she wished, even though the terms were quite biased in her favor, thinking it was typical of Estel’s character.
“What am I supposed to do if you complain whether I do it or not?”
“Just don’t live! Go lie in a coffin! Idiot!”
Ah, my ears.
Jerome pressed his throbbing ears with a handkerchief. To the outside observer, Estelle might look like a doll, but she possessed a voice powerful enough to boil a kettle. It was said she had already turned away fifteen suitors because of this.
Jerome, resisting the urge to gag Estelle to silence her, narrowed his eyes. He then imitated the adult demeanor he had learned from his father.
“Estelle. Don’t you think it’s time for us to act as sensible human adults?”
“Screw off, did you ingest an old fart?”
“Why is our Estelle so grumpy? And such foul language isn’t polite. Imagine how insulted the old man… no, grandfather would feel.”
“Don’t lecture me, Jerome. You’d die from a single blast of my flame. You’d look just like trash.”
“Estelle. I am speaking nicely, but if you act like this then I…”
Jerome repeated the mantra his mother taught him to hold his temper, thrice. Failing that, he smiled as broadly as possible, a tactic taught by his nanny.
But.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
Jerome threw the handkerchief at Estelle before picking up a sword. Of course, he threw it gently. If Estelle failed to catch it and got injured, it would scar her beautiful face.
“Oh, bring it on, Jerome.”
While watching Jerome infuse the sword with aura, Estelle burned a handkerchief in the fire. As always, no matter how their conversation began, it ended with a duel.
***
“Pant, pant.”
“Huff.”
After a lengthy duel that resulted in the destruction of one side of the annex, Estelle and Jerome lay on the ground, gasping for air. It was a draw, once again.
As Estelle glanced at Jerome wiping his mouth while looking up at the sky, she immediately turned her body and lightly pressed on his cheek.
“What is it?”
“Jerome, you know I went easy on you this time, right?”
“You, my sister.”
Jerome irritably brushed his hair with his hand, pushing hers away as a sign for her to back off, already exhausted to death.
Hmm.
A cunning sound escaped from Estelle’s lips as she silently watched.
Soon after, Estelle relaxed the hand supporting her chin and laid down, resting her head on Jerome’s shoulder.
“Ah, this feels nice.”
“…Aren’t you going to move away?”
Jerome hid the pounding of his heart, brought on by their suddenly close proximity.
Watching him, she giggled and went even further, feeling his firm abs.
“Wow, look at these muscles. So solid, aren’t you?”
“Are you a pervert?”
“Could you just say it’s because I’m being honest?”
“Haah, this is why I can’t get married. People think you’re my lover.”
“Then marry me. That would solve it.”
“Are you crazy?”
Jerome muttered with a reddened face, as if trying to hide it. Then, as if afraid of revealing his true feelings, he quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, how is Charles doing?”
“Hmm, someone is taking care of her, so of course, she’s doing well. Speaking of which, did you hear about that?”
“What?”
“The story about Charles picking up a man in the forest last time. I mean, the guy’s almost an adult, but still.”
“What?”
Jerome’s eyebrows twitched at the mention of Charles picking up a man.
“Now, why would you tell me that now?”
“If I told you sooner, what, were you going to make a scene?”
“Make a scene? I just want to check out the guy who’s hanging around my sister.”
“That’s an illness, you know.”
“Mother said it looked good.”
“Father told you not to make a fool of yourself, probably.”
Jerome pursed his lips at the undeniable statement.
His love for his younger sister was, in fact, known to all the citizens of the empire.
From secretly following her whenever she went out to taking the partner’s seat at every official event.
Mother liked it and said it was the beautiful appearance of siblings, while father jabbed at him to become independent now.
Still…
The thoughts that continued unconsciously in his mind soon broke.
Now that he thought about it, what did Estel just call his father?
“Wait a minute. Why is my father your father? Call him the proper retired emperor.”
“I don’t want to. Anyway, if I marry you, he’s going to be my father-in-law.”
“You, really.”
Jerome, suppressing his surging emotions, pushed Estel away and stood up.
“You don’t even think about actually marrying me.”
There had been times when her words made his heart flutter. But every time he saw Estel, who had asked him to marry her but didn’t even remember her own words, he fell apart.
Fluttering and falling apart.
Fluttering, despairing.
Fluttering, getting angry.
Dozens of times it happened.
Jerome gave up hope.
“I’m leaving.”
Jerome didn’t want to stay there any longer and ran away.
In fact, it was always like this.
He was the one who ran away.
And he was also the one who abandoned.
***
“How was your trip?”
“It was great.”
“Seri loved the sea so much that we stayed in a coastal village for three months.”
Ruth playfully grumbled, along with a comment about how beautiful the village was. Seri mumbled not to tease her, lightly hitting Ruth’s arm that was wrapped around her shoulder.
Despite their age, they still had an atmosphere like they did when they were younger.
After traveling alone together for four years, Heri opened his mouth upon seeing them still wanting to stick together and sitting closely without any gap.
“That must have been nice.”
“……”
Seri showed a faint worry when Jerome, who would normally have added a few more words, remained silent.
“Jerome. Is something wrong? You look down.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Jerome forced a smile not to spoil the mood of the family gathering after such a long time.
Somehow, controlling his emotions was difficult today.
“Right. Speaking of which, I heard that Estel prepared something for mom and dad.”
“Oh my. Estelle?”
“That reminds me, she must have become a fine lady by now.”
“I guess…”
Charles shuddered at the thought of the unpredictable Estelle. Jerome found himself fully sympathetic to Charles’ reaction.
Ignoring his siblings’ reactions, Hermia checked his watch.
“They said they’ve prepared something in the garden… Jerome, could you go check it out?”
“Okay.”
Not understanding why he was chosen but not wanting to spoil the mood, he got up.
Jerome walked as slowly as possible, wishing this moment would last forever.
But in a blink, he was already in the garden.
Where…
It was then, while searching the garden for Estelle, who was said to be preparing a gift for their parents, that suddenly, bright lights shot up into the sky and formed a pile of letters.
“?”
“Jerome!”
Only after he read that sentence did Estelle, who had been hiding, reveal herself, swimming among the sparkling letters in the sky, calling out to Jerome.
“Marry me! This time I’m really, really serious!”
“Ha, really.”
Jerome tried to suppress the twitching of his lips, but it was in vain. If happiness had a form, he would have already been devoured by it.
***
“Ruth.”
“Yeah?”
Watching him quietly, I nudged Ruth who was beside me. Then, as though it were habit, Ruth bent his waist to match my height.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the familiar scent drawing closer. When I was very young, I wanted to catch this scent, and when I got a bit older, I wanted to disappear into it. But now, I want to walk together with it.
“It seems like everything went according to Estelle’s plan, didn’t it?”
“It does. I would’ve regretted it if I hadn’t followed along.”
“That’s why. It seems like a good thing we came back early.”
“You won’t leave again?”
“I might leave someday, but right now, I want to see the children meet their destinies. Ruth. This is good enough, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
To my question, Ruth smiled and kissed me. The warmth penetrating as my mouth instinctively opened was welcome.
The destiny already conceived connects with another destiny. Humans receive love according to their instincts and share it. And because of that, this world continues endlessly.
At last, and finally, the continuing world perpetuates its story forever.
The continuing world, The End.
