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AFTER four nights, our carriage finally arrived in the Cutrettola territory. My entire body was restless and antsy. The place was my homeland—the mountain ranges, the humid forest air, the soil I could feel through the movements of the carriage wheels…
Large flower wreaths decorated the village entrance, woven of special blossoms we used only during celebrations and festivals. The residents who came to greet us kneeled before our carriage and bowed in the most respectful manner in Oriental culture.
I fell silent. I couldn’t stop a certain memory from replaying in my mind—the nightmarish day when I was nearly executed. I placed a hand on my chest and balled it into a fist.
Emperor Haruka lifted his head and gave me a kiss. “Sai, it’s okay. You have me.”
“…Yes.”
When I alighted the carriage, I saw my former people shedding tears as they continued to bow. They welcomed us warmly as we headed toward the Cutrettola Civic Building that the Centorian government had established.
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ALL the key political figures of both nations were present at the meeting.
On Orient’s side was Emperor Haruka and his Twin Wings. The Deputy Right Legate had come in place of the Right Legate, who remained behind to direct the government, and the Left Legate was there as well. Last but not least was the Chief Priest, who managed government affairs relating to magic.
Representing Centoria were the king and queen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a handful of cardinals from the Holy Curia, which was the supervisory division of the Order of Holy Knights.
It was almost surreal to see all those influential people gathered in a remote, small domain like the Cutrettola lands. When the queen spotted me, she didn’t offer any words, instead giving me a faint smile. Her complexion was even paler than when I had met her in Orient, and I glimpsed her ribs below her collarbones. The king’s countenance was just as alarming. It was clear that Centoria had its back against the wall.
After an initial exchange of greetings between guests from both sides, the king looked directly at me and cut right to the heart of the matter. “We are planning to banish the saint we have summoned, Saint Lilly, to her original world. Lady Sai, the Wagtail Priestess, Sage of Cutrettola, and the Amawashi’s empress…we ask that you banish her with your powers. Please.”
Centoria was going to sacrifice much over the course of the negotiations.
First, they were going to dissolve the Order and organize a new national army under the supervision of both Orient and Meridiona.
Second, they were to return a parcel of land along their border to Orient: Sekirei Prefecture.
Third, they had to cease all conflict with Meridiona and acknowledge Meridiona’s king as legitimate. They also had to annul the treaties they had previously formed with unfair conditions.
Fourth, Centoria would remove many of the restrictions on the medicine merchants of Orient. The import tax would be abolished. They would also grant permission to descendants of Oriental mages who had been forced to immigrate to return freely to Orient whenever they wished.
That wasn’t the end of the long list of stipulations, and they were so desperate for my aid that they accepted each one. I was willing to bet that no one had ever expected that the powerful nation, once the most prosperous on the continent, would fall to such lows.
The answer I gave the king had been decided before our arrival.
“Understood,” I said.
Underneath the table, Emperor Haruka held my shaking hands.
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THE next day, when Emperor Haruka came to fetch me, he wore such a bright smile that for a moment, I almost thought that the meeting the day before had been a dream.
The man who stood before me with a gentle curl on his lips and large golden eagle wings was the familiar sight I woke to every morning. But the bed and the design of the manor was in the Centorian style. Outside the window was a familiar, vast mountain forest, and the smell of the air was also unique to my once home. Everything seemed mismatched as though someone had tried to put together a puzzle with jumbled pieces from different sets.
Emperor Haruka flipped down his veil and put on a mischievous grin. “Hey, Sai. Would you mind giving me a tour of your hometown?”
“A…tour?”
“Yeah.”
I hesitated. “There’s not much of anything around here. Only the residents’ houses, farms, and a big forest.”
“But this is where you grew up as Sai Cutrettola.” He took my hand and, smiling at the maids, led me out of the manor, light on his feet.
Maybe he wants to wander around with me here since he doesn’t have the freedom to do so in Orient. In contrast to the previous evening, that morning he was open with his affection, his large hands gently encompassing mine as daylight streamed around us. My chest warmed at his firm grip.
When we emerged outside, the first to greet us was a wistful autumn breeze. My emotions were a chaotic mess—my heart aching from the fact that I had been away for so long but also thrumming with joy since I could walk my former lands with the man I loved. Yet even that sense of conflicting emotion in my chest was dear to me.
“Please don’t get your hopes up, okay?” I cautioned him.
“If I’m with you, Sai, no matter where I am, I won’t feel bored.” He smiled at me through his veil. Nearby bystanders watched us with warm gazes as well.
Ah… How could there be such happiness in this world?
The Cutrettola village was tiny and easily traversed by foot from one end to the other. At first, I had suggested using a horse, but Emperor Haruka declined, saying, “You used to walk here when you were a child, didn’t you?” Then he changed into more convenient shoes to follow me around in.
As we meandered through the settlement that chilly fall morning, we came across countless, diligent people busy at work. They hurriedly moved to bow to us in respectful greeting, and our accompanying servants passed on our message that such formalities were unnecessary.
“This place really is quite small,” Emperor Haruka noted.
“It’s exactly how I described it.”
“You’re almost like a big family. Do you know everyone who lives here, Sai?”
“Of course. Though…” I faltered. “I have been away for a while, so some things and people might have changed.” I gazed at the nostalgic Centorian houses, all characterized by their stark white plaster walls, as I recalled memories of each one.
A petite hunting dog puppy staggered out of a home from across the path. With a soft smile, Emperor Haruka lifted it into his arms and gingerly placed it back inside the garden.
“A very kind grandma used to live in that house,” I said. “She was a wonderful storyteller and told many old tales to the children of this village.”
“Ah, did you learn some of the bedtime stories you tell me occasionally from her?”
“Yes.” I paused, reminiscing. “The tale of an Oriental soldier and a veteran Centorian soldier who regretted their parting many years ago when they were still best friends. The scary legend of the monster in the woods that dines only on sweet and beautiful children. And…” I broke off.
Emperor Haruka inclined his head in question. “What’s wrong?”
“I…just remembered that one of my favorite stories was…one about the Golden Eagle Emperor Haruka of Orient…”
His eyes widened in surprise before he chuckled. “You knew about me but never realized I was the crown prince when you met me in the past?”
Heat collected in my cheeks. “I mean… I never thought I would actually meet someone like that, and…I was a child.”
“Is that how it works? That’s pretty interesting.” He intertwined our fingers and beamed at me as though suddenly even happier. “Sai, tell me more. About your childhood with your parents, about all kinds of things about you.”
“Of course.” I returned his smile and nodded.
My painful memories of my parents’ death, my solitary life after my betrothal, and my execution had been like ice that froze everything else around it. And Emperor Haruka was thawing them one by one.
We walked on. “This is a forest I often gathered fruit in,” I said. “I used to come here every day, and gradually, I even started to memorize the faces of the squirrels.”
“That’s something you can memorize? Huh.”