Gravis and Leorino’s wedding ceremony was set to take place on an auspicious day of the coming spring in accordance with the conditions set by Leorino’s father, August.
This was done out of concern for Leorino in the event that something should happen to Gravis in the upcoming war. He was, after all, the general of the Royal Army. Once Leorino became royalty, he would not be permitted to divorce and would never be able to return to the Cassieux name again. In that case, Leorino would end up under the custody of the royal family, and the Cassieuxs would not be able to regain guardianship of their youngest son in case of an emergency. This was what August feared most of all.
Leorino had already been returned to his family estate.
When his father told him the reason for the timing of the marriage, Leorino watched him with sadness in his eyes for a moment. Finally, he lowered his gaze and bowed his head, saying only: “I understand.”
The possibility of Gravis never returning was the last thing Leorino wanted to imagine. But given his position, it was a reality they all had to consider.
After uncovering the secret of the Marquis of Lagarea, Leorino’s heart became shrouded in layers upon layers of darkness.
Underneath the glamorous glimmer of the royal court lay countless tears and anguish.
Beneath the peace and stability, betrayal and hatred had spread like insects multiplying under floor stones.
Leorino had already realized that nothing could be simply divided into good and evil.
Childish longing was not enough to stand side by side with Gravis. It was a poison that would eat away at his heart, and he needed the resolve to drink it regardless. He needed the resolve to stand next to the man he loved, his chin held high, undaunted, unmoved by that poison.
The day before August and Maia returned to Brungwurt, Gravis paid a secret visit to the Brungwurt residence.
The family had already eaten their farewell dinner. No one mentioned the upcoming war, cherishing the last meal they would share for the foreseeable future.
August, Leorino, and Gravis gathered in the study.
Ever since he had learned the secret of the Marquis of Lagarea, August appeared shaken.
“Father…did you ever sense what the Marquis of Lagarea was hiding in his heart?” Leorino summoned his courage and asked his father.
The Marquis of Lagarea’s betrayal was inexcusable. But Leorino was still searching for some hint of human emotion in August, despite knowing it would only make things harder.
“…Bruno and I are on a first-name basis, but in truth, he is nearly ten years my senior. We grew closer when…Maia and I requested our marriage be considered by the royal family.”
“Did you and Mother also need to go through the royal court’s deliberations when you wanted to get married?”
August nodded.
“Indeed. I met Maia by chance, and it was love at first sight. I would have done anything for her to be my wife.”
It was the first time Leorino had heard the details of how his parents’ relationship came to be.
“Maia’s father, the Duke of Wiesen, had a grandmother who was royalty, and Maia’s mother is Her Royal Highness Princess Eleonora. You see, the royal blood in Maia is very strong. My grandmother also hailed from the Fanoren royal family. The Fanoren blood shared by our families makes me and Maia second cousins… Leorino, we’re just like you and His Highness Prince Gravis.”
August sighed deeply.
“…Perhaps we should be glad you’re a man. If you were a woman, your blood would have been too closely related and you might not have been able to marry His Highness.”
“Is closely related blood an issue?”
“Yes. Children born to blood relatives often struggle to grow, or are born with some weakness in mind and body.”
Leorino looked up at Gravis with anxious eyes.
“This is all hypothetical,” Gravis said. “You are a man, and our blood will not be passed on to the next generation. It’s not something you need to concern yourself with.”
“I see…”
“Yes. But the issue was that Maia and I could have children. We were considered a suitable match, but there was always the possibility that we would not be allowed to marry due to the proximity of our blood. It was Bruno…the Marquis of Lagarea, who had already been working at the Palace of the Interior, who backed our decision.”
So, without the support of the Marquis of Lagarea, Leorino and his brothers would have never been born.
At that moment, August stared into the distance as if he had suddenly remembered something. Eventually, he heaved a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.
“Father…?”
“…I remember now. At the time, Bruno had said: ‘If you raise them with love, surely your children will be happy.’”
Gravis and Leorino gasped. August continued in a trembling, hoarse voice. “I took those words as a blessing for our future children.”
Leorino rushed to wrap his arms around his father. August hugged Leorino back.
After a moment, August pulled away and looked up at Gravis, who had been watching them in silence, the old man’s wrinkled face twisting.
“Your Highness…when I leave this room, I will regard Bruno—nay, the Marquis of Lagarea, as a traitor…but for now, I must apologize. I want to mourn the loss of…a friend.”
August asked to be left alone. The two men agreed to leave the study.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Leorino leaped into Gravis’s arms. He rubbed his forehead against Gravis’s, trying to hold back the tears pressing at his eyelids.
“I thought I could never forgive the man who killed Ionia, the traitor who brought war upon this country.”
“…Indeed.”
“But now…I don’t know if I can simply loathe that man…!”
“Leorino.”
Was the man his father had considered a close friend for so long just another lie crafted by the Marquis of Lagarea?
He was a kind nobleman who had doted on Leorino since he was little. He could hardly believe that the man who had told his father that his future children would be happy had a heart filled with loathing and betrayal.
“I don’t believe that a man who wished for me and my brothers to be born would lie to my father… I don’t want to believe it…!”
When did the Marquis of Lagarea learn the secret of his own birth?
Did his parents love him?
The former marquis likely realized that the child was not his, yet he still made Bruno his heir. Leorino wanted to believe he loved both the mother and child.
What about his mother, Princess Marfa? Was she still able to love the son of a man who had treated her like a whore and sent her away to his vassal?
Leorino could not imagine how much resentment and anguish the Marquis of Lagarea had hidden behind his mild expression.
But not even the most lamentable personal history could justify betraying his country.
Still, it was all so wretched. If all of this was due to the misdeeds of two kings in a row…
“…Vi, my heart hurts. I don’t know how I should feel anymore.”
He recalled the words of the king and the queen dowager.
Leorino understood that this was the dark side of royalty that had maintained its grip on Gravis from the day he was born.
The blood flowing through Gravis’s veins kept him bound, and the shackles Ionia had only glimpsed grew heavier and more vivid as they weighed on Leorino.
And yet, Leorino possessed no solution. He was completely helpless.
“…Are you afraid to abandon the Cassieux name?”
“…No.”
“Do you regret your choice to become a Fanoren?”
“No!”
The arm on his back tightened around him. Leorino shook his head.
“I don’t regret anything. I choose to walk this path with you… It’s only that…it hurts.”
With an anguished expression, Gravis embraced Leorino’s slender body.
“I didn’t want you to see this side of the royal family.”
“…I still want to be with you.” And yet, Leorino couldn’t help the tears stinging in his eyes. “But somehow, this is heart-wrenching.”