The blue sky seemed to go on forever. It was too bright for my eyes, swollen from crying as they were. I lowered my head, fighting back the tears. I’d come out here to look for Alto, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.
I was standing there, unsure of what to do, when Elly and Norris caught up to me. We decided to search together.
Elly glanced over at me while we walked. “Sorry if I’m overstepping here, but did you already know about Ragi?”
Her question startled me. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, Norris and I were so shocked by the news, we froze. But you were so calm, like you’d already prepared for this. Like you’d known ahead of time.”
“…”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No… I can’t share all the details, but I was told by the queen,” I said softly.
“The queen? So did Sir Georges and Sir Fred know, too?” Elly asked.
“No, my brother and Sir Georges didn’t know. I was told to keep it a secret.”
“Are you sure it’s okay to tell me, then?” She looked worried, but I smiled at her reassuringly.
“I can tell you I knew about it, but I can’t say much more than that.”
“No, you don’t have to. I was just thinking it must’ve been hard on you if you’d already known about today,” she said gently.
I froze and turned to look at her. Something I’d been holding back inside finally spilled out. I never realized how terrible it felt to carry your grief all alone.
“Are you all right? It must’ve hurt so much,” Elly said.
She took my hand in hers and held it tight, her eyes shining with tears.
“I… I still haven’t…”
It’s only been a few days for me, but Setsuna knew this day was coming ever since he met Ragi.
I couldn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t even know how to put any of it into words.
Ragi, Alto, and Setsuna had always seemed like a real family to me. They were so close and so comfortable with one another, the atmosphere between them felt like a gentle breeze.
Setsuna had never given any indication that we’d have to say good-bye to Ragi soon, especially not around Alto. Only now, remembering the look on his face, did I finally understand that.
It must’ve hurt terribly, living each day knowing this was coming. What had it felt like to smile through it all? I couldn’t even imagine how strong he’d have to be to hide his true feelings.
Tears silently streamed down my cheeks when I couldn’t hold them back any longer. Elly reached into her pocket and dabbed a handkerchief at my eyes.
“We need to find Alto,” she said softly.
Her warm hand closed around mine again, guiding me forward, and a few more tears spilled out.
A short while later, Norris slowed ahead of us. He’d found Alto curled up under a tree, sound asleep with tear stains on his face. The young boy must’ve been completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.
“He’s fast asleep. I’ll carry him,” Norris said quietly.
He carefully gathered Alto up in his arms so as not to wake him.
When the cremation ended, we returned to Ragi’s house. Following his wishes, Cyrus dug a hole in a sunny spot in the backyard, and Setsuna placed the urn inside. Then, all together, we slowly covered it with earth.
Alto still hadn’t woken up. We’d discussed whether or not to wake him, but decided in the end that it was kinder to let him sleep.
When the last bit of soil was in place, Elly and Norris laid flowers over the grave, and we all bowed our heads in silent prayer.
Afterward, we rested inside Ragi’s house and shared stories about him.
Setsuna told us about how mischievous Ragi had been and how he’d always played pranks on them. I realized that was a side of him I’d never seen. He’d always seemed like such a kind, dignified old gentleman.
When the conversation died down, Setsuna looked around at us. “Thank you, everyone. I should let you all get back to your duties.”
After thanking Prince Eugene, Setsuna turned to Sir Cyrus and me.
“I’m counting on you both to look after Alto,” he said, bowing his head.
Apparently, Sir Cyrus had already told him I would be helping to take care of Alto.
“What’s this about?” Elly asked, looking puzzled.
“I have quite a lot to take care of in the coming days, so I requested Cyrus and the queen look after Alto for me in the meantime, and the queen asked Sophia to help,” Setsuna explained. “I was just thanking the two of them again.”
“You could have asked us,” Elly said, sounding a little hurt.
“Alto seems quiet, but he can act out at times. If he realizes I left someone else to look after him, he’ll try to run away and come home. Besides, you both have your work at the flower shop.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Elly protested.
Norris placed a hand on his wife’s arm to calm her before turning to Setsuna.
“So what do you have to do now?” he asked. “If there’s anything left to be done today, we’d be glad to help.”
“I need to go to the Adventurers Guild,” Setsuna said. He explained how Alto had come to stay with Ragi.
Fresh tears rolled down Elly’s cheeks, and I knew she felt the same way I did. Norris took her hand and gently comforted her.
“Please don’t cry,” Setsuna said softly. “Alto and I were both so happy to spend that time with Ragi.” He gave her a faint smile. “So thank you, but there’s nothing you need to help with today.”
“Should we come by tomorrow?” Norris offered.
“There really isn’t much left to do. I can finish cleaning up by myself.”
Norris was about to say something else, but Lord Keith stepped forward to address the couple. “If that’s the case, then there is one thing you can help us with.”
“What is it?” Norris asked, surprised.
“It would be easy enough to bring Alto to the castle in the carriage if he could sit up, but since we’d rather not wake him, there aren’t enough seats. Could you lay him in your wagon and bring him with you instead?”
Norris looked hesitant, but Setsuna bowed his head.
“It would mean a lot to me. He’s so worn out I’d like him to rest as long as possible. Could you do that?”
“How can I refuse if both you and Lord Keith are asking? Sure, we’ll bring him to the castle without waking him.”
With that settled, we all left Ragi’s house.
Setsuna bowed to us one more time at the gates.
“Thank you. Please take care of him.”
As we walked away, I glanced back to see Setsuna looking so lonely standing there by himself. For a moment, it struck me how empty the doorway looked without Ragi by his side. The sight made my heart ache.