Chapter One Hundred One: Your Heart Already Belongs to Someone, Doesn’t It?
“YOU may choose the path you desire.”
That one sentence was enough to crush any semblance of rationality left in me. I hadn’t expected that I would react so strongly.
My memories of the rest of the afternoon were vague. The day ended, and another few passed by. Eventually, Lord Kuze made a private visit to Sekirei Palace and gave me a more detailed explanation of his offer.
“My country, Meridiona, has a culture of polygamy. Apparently, this practice started when men in seats of power, like the chief, offered their protection to the women of a tribe. We have more women than men cuz of all the fighting, so yeah. Well, our marriage culture is probably one of the reasons Centoria treats us like barbarians since they practice monogamy and worship their female Saints. But we have our reasons, just as they have theirs.”
When Lord Kuze had arrived at Sekirei Palace that morning, Suzuiro had immediately attacked him. He dodged the charging girl with a grin and promised her, “I’m not gonna do anything. Really.” And so we were sitting in the gazebo of the inner courtyard and conversing while drinking tea.
During his first “visit,” he had seemed like a stereotypical ruffian, yet as we talked quietly face-to-face, he didn’t just feel fierce—he also had the majestic aura of a king.
Cosmos flowers rustled and waved in the wind. He lifted a finger, letting a dragonfly rest on its journey. As he admired it, he said steadily, “I already have eight wives. All of them are from different tribes, and my marriage with them is their tribe’s way of acknowledging me as their king. I also already have a lawful consort.” He paused. “That consort is my actual life partner, but—well, my consort can’t get pregnant, so I’m leaving that to the other women.”
“There is no conflict between them?”
In Centoria, the lack of children between the queen and king was a big issue. Due to religious reasons, the current king refused to take any concubines, and he had even summoned the Saint to solve the problem. In every world and place and at every point in history, the battles between consorts and their children were always causes of contention.
“Well, my lawful consort’s a very capable one.” His eyes lost their focus, and he smiled before letting the dragonfly dart away. His gaze trailed after it. “My lawful consort started off as my most trusted warrior and was my right hand on the battlefield. Both parties, my wives and my consort, have come to terms with the fact that they have different roles in my life. Ya know, when I told them that I might marry you, all of them actually got way too excited. I mean, this is Lady Sae’s daughter we’re talking about.”
When Lord Kuze mentioned my mother’s name, his stern features softened a tad. It was a little surreal to hear the name of a person I had assumed dead from the mouth of the foreign sovereign of Meridiona.
He shrugged. “They were all celebrating that they’re gonna have a younger sister in the family.”
“U-Um, apologies, but I am afraid I have yet to say, um, anything about marrying you, Lord Kuze.”
“That’s what I told ’em too. All I said was ‘Say, if Lady Sae’s daughter marries into our family, what’re y’all gonna do?’ That’s it. But then they’re suddenly partying for an entire week. So I say, ‘I told you so many times that it’s not a given yet!’ You know what they did then? All of them turned on me and got mad, yelling, ‘You liar!’” He sighed. “Sheesh, those guys never listen to a word I say.”
“They are on very good terms with each other,” I commented.
“Yeah. Well, if the members of my harem ever deem me unfit to be king of Meridiona, my status will become brittle in an instant. They’re my wives, true, but they also serve as spies from each of the tribes, so… Anyway. They’re all nice people.”
He surveyed the bed of flowers outside the gazebo. He was probably recalling his wives—my instincts told me that he was likely a good husband.
“Ah, right. I haven’t talked about Lady Sai and Doctor Cutrettola yet, have I?”
I froze.
He nodded to himself. “Sure, I’ll tell you about them. It’s a bit of a long story, so bear with me.”
✦ ✦ ✦
🐦🐦🐦
IT took many refills of tea before Lord Kuze finished his recounting of the past. During the war with Centoria, the Order had attacked the village of Lord Kuze’s tribe. After the Holy Knights set fire to the settlement, which was at that point occupied only by civilians, my parents apparently rebelled and defected from the Order.
To convince the Meridionans of their good will, my parents entered the village unarmed. They treated the injured, starting with the children, before asking for permission to protect the village. My mother used her vast pool of mana as the former Wagtail Priestess to safeguard the settlement and its women, children, and elderly as well as their assets. My father, a doctor, rendered first aid to the soldiers who fought on the front lines, providing appropriate medical and magical emergency care.
Later on, though Lord Kuze’s village successfully repelled the attack on its borders, my father had sustained grave injuries during its defense. The village sheltered both my parents while he recovered, and so they had stayed behind.
“If not for those two, I would’ve died as well.” Lord Kuze took off his haori to reveal his sturdy arms. A large, jagged scar coiled around one arm like a snake, many smaller scars branching off it like shredded paper. “Doctor Cutrettola performed first aid and sewed it together while Lady Sae frantically used her mana to link my nerves. She treated me regularly so my arm didn’t rot before my natural healing ability could kick in. Thanks to them, although I have scars, I can move my arm as if nothing happened, even the tip of my pinky.”
As he spoke, he wriggled his fingers and waved his arm. Judging from the scars, his arm had probably been hacked off then trampled by a horse into a bloody mess. Yet despite the scale of the injury, the only lasting effects were superficial.
With a frown, he muttered, “When I learned that the Order of Holy Knights had wanted to use them as disposable civilians on the battlefield… To do something like that to people so kind and capable… I was shocked.”
His was a heroic tale of my parents to which I had been completely oblivious. “Um… Lord Kuze, may I touch your arm for a moment?”
“Sure.”
I gingerly placed my fingers around his scarred arm. I could sense the hint of my mother’s mana through my fingertips. From the almost grotesque stitches, I could feel my father’s determination to heal his patient.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Mom… Dad…” I whispered as I gently caressed his arm. Lord Kuze watched me in silence. A while later, I released him. I gave him a deep bow. “Thank you.”
“Hey, Wagtail Priestess.” His amber eyes were almost like sharp daggers digging into me. “I’m not the only one. There are countless people in Meridiona who were or are being saved by them. In my country, they’re like our gods. And everyone knows that they left their daughter behind in Centoria. Meridiona’s dearest wish is for your family to reunite.”
“To…reunite…”
“Sai, daughter of the Cutrettolas, if you become my wife, my entire kingdom will do everything in our power to give you a happy future. I won’t let you face any hardship, and I’ll take responsibility for all your family. I’ll help you nurture and raise as many children as you want in the future. I swear that I’ll treat you with the utmost respect and care.”
“I…”
“What do you want to do?”
Lord Kuze’s proposal was earnest, sincere, kind. To marry him and move to Meridiona was the ideal solution. Our union would connect Meridiona and Orient, and I could live in the same country as my parents. He was also a reliable man whom I could comfortably trust with my daughter, thus fulfilling my duty as the Wagtail Priestess as well. The most rational decision would be to…nod and accept…
But when that thought skimmed across my mind, large golden eagle wings brushed against my heart. My mind was drawn to the image of a man’s long, soft lashes framing ash-blue eyes. “Sai,” he would say in his warm voice.
The ear he had pierced, the body he had pierced, the heart he had pierced grew hot. I remembered the warmth of his embrace. I remembered his heat on my skin and in my soul when our cheeks had touched.
There was a small chuckle. “Well well. If that isn’t the face of a love-struck maiden I see.” With a start, I whipped up my head. He was smiling at me with a fond expression. “Your heart already belongs to someone, doesn’t it?”
“Ah…”
“Even someone like me can figure out that much. My wives always say that I’m completely clueless when it comes to the heart of a woman, but I’m not that obtuse.” He stood up from the chair. “There’s nothing wrong with that. If you want to stay in this nation, prioritize that. I’m sure that…Lady Sae and the doctor will agree that it’s best for their daughter to be with the person she loves.”