Lying on the northern border far from the royal capital, Brungwurt was closed off by thick snows during the winter.
Leorino spent every monotonous day slowly healing his wounded body and strengthening his atrophied muscles to regain his previous range of movement.
One day, happy news arrived from the royal capital. Auriano’s wife, Erina, had given birth to a baby boy. Even in the midst of a war, Brungwurt was overjoyed at the birth of their heir.
Auriano had not yet seen the face of his newborn son. He was now guarding the border with the royal army, looking out over the forest beyond Zweilink, which now remained under the joint rule of Fanoren and Francoure.
Until the war came to an end and the baby could endure the long journey, they would not be able to see each other.
From the Baedeker Mountains in the northwestern part of the country, where Lucas had been dispatched with the mountain troops, news arrived of small- and medium-scale battles breaking out regularly, even under the heavy snow cover. Leorino continued to pray for Lucas’s safety when he heard this news from his father. He also heard that Ebbo had recovered from his wounds and was back on the front lines.
While traveling back and forth between the royal capital and the battlefield, Gravis seemed to be secretly planning with Ginter on how to handle their other problem.
Gravis came to see Leorino in Brungwurt only once.
He stayed only half an hour, but they made sure the other was safe, exchanged a few quiet words, and for the remaining time, Gravis held Leorino in his arms.
Leorino waited patiently for spring in a world of white.
A few months after his arrival in Brungwurt, the lingering snow melted away, and a secret messenger was sent from Chancellor Ginter to Margrave August. Leorino barged into the study where his father and Auriano sat.
Leorino’s complexion had improved recently, and he had regained much of the weight he had lost. His weakened legs had recovered enough for him to move around the castle without issue. His hair had grown longer, and Leorino himself had become a little more mature after the painful experience.
His father and older brother smiled at the sight of their youngest’s newfound vigor.
“Father, what did Chancellor Ginter tell you?”
“He said that it was time to make arrangements to return the kidnapped craftsmen we’re sheltering to their homeland. In other words, it is time to determine the victor of this war. That, and…he has also decided how to capture the traitor.”
August handed Ginter’s letter to Auriano. Auriano had also been informed of everything concerning the Marquis of Lagarea’s betrayal. When he learned the truth, he was uncharacteristically furious.
Auriano quickly skimmed over the letter and returned it to his father.
“They will likely begin within the next day or two.”
“Yes, it’s finally happening.”
“Brother? What is going to happen?” Leorino tilted his head.
“It’s just as Father said. The Royal Army has already pushed Zwelf out of the Baedeker Mountains. Quite a bit sooner than expected. The snows are still thick, but Lieutenant General Lucas and the mountain troops have done an impressive job.”
So then, Lucas and Ebbo had successfully defended the northwestern border. Leorino’s eyes lit up.
“So the war is finally over.”
“No, not yet. Soon the last major operation will be launched. Then His Excellency will finish off Zwelf in one fell swoop.”
“In the Baedeker Mountains?”
“No, beyond the mountains.”
Leorino did not immediately understand what his father meant.
“What do you mean beyond? If they have expelled the enemy from the mountains, why is the war not over?”
August took Leorino’s hand. He gave it a comforting squeeze as he gazed at Leorino’s anxious face.
“The Royal Army of Fanoren has already crossed the mountain range and the border into Zwelf territory. Soon they will reach the royal capital of Zwelf. You know what that means, don’t you?”
Leorino finally understood and paled.
“…So what Vi plans for Zwelf is…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say the word “destruction.”
“His Highness will not stop the invasion until the head of King Vandarren is separated from his body. The nation of Zwelf will soon lose everything it was.”
“No… Vi would only defend this country, he would not destroy another…”
“…You don’t know about His Highness’s wrath after the battle for Zweilink eighteen years ago. He wished for nothing but the destruction of Zwelf, but those around him were desperate to interfere. It was right after the cold spell, and Fanoren couldn’t afford the burden that Zwelf would become.”
Leorino was shocked to learn this.
“His Highness’s wrath was so great that they had to bring in the King of Francoure to persuade him to put down his sword for the sake of the continent and the peace of Fanoren. He would not have backed down otherwise.”
“…I had no idea.”
Leorino lowered his shoulders and his gaze.
He recalled records showing how many soldiers were killed in the last war. On both sides.
Even though he knew that warfare was not everything it was chalked up to be, he was choked up when he imagined the young Gravis giving a fierce order to wipe out the enemy.
Leorino had no way of knowing what Gravis had been thinking at the time. But he was certain that it was Ionia’s death that drove Gravis to the brink of despair.
“Will the people of Zwelf be spared?”
August rubbed his sad youngest son’s hand. The bandages had been removed from his fingers, but his nails were still missing.
“His Highness is not a cruel man. Even back then, he gave strict orders to minimize the harm to innocent people. I believe he will have more presence of mind this time.”
“Right.”
“If His Highness’s heart is still filled with anger and resentment at the thought of having you taken from him, it is your role to alleviate those feelings.”
“My role…?”
His father’s blue-green eyes caught Leorino’s gaze and gave him strength.
“Yes. If his heart strays from the right path, you should correct it. That is your duty as his spouse.”
Leorino looked up with a start.
Of course. Everything was different from eighteen years ago. Leorino was alive. He could speak with Gravis. He was able to understand and discuss what was in Gravis’s heart.
Leorino must not look away and accept the weight of the love of the man who determined the fate of his country.
“…Yes, Father.”
Leorino nodded.
A few days later, Leorino looked out from his room at the courtyard still covered with snow. He felt a presence behind him and turned to see the man he loved.
“Vi…!”
Leorino jumped into his arms.
Dressed in a fur-lined cloak, Gravis’s face was, as always, perfectly beautiful.
“I missed you…”
“As did I.”
Gravis cupped Leorino’s face in his hands and watched him intently to make sure he was all right.
Leorino couldn’t help but chuckle at the seriousness of the act. Then, as if relieved by the sight of his smile, the corners of Gravis’s eyes softened.
“You seem well. I see you’ve regained some weight.”
The arms holding Leorino were cold. The hem of Gravis’s cloak and his winter boots were slightly stained with mud.
“You leaped here from Zwelf, didn’t you?”
“So you’ve heard already?”
“Yes. From Marzel’s letter to my father.”
Gravis embraced Leorino again.
“…Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, the country of Zwelf will disappear from the history of this continent.”
“…”
It was just as Leorino’s father had said.
His face buried in Gravis’s uniform, Leorino asked in a muffled voice: “Will the people of Zwelf suffer?”
“…The innocent have nothing to do with this war. We will try to keep the attacks to a minimum.”
“But…Vi, are you going to do something reckless again?”
Gravis gently covered Leorino’s lips with his own. Leorino was no longer able to say anything.
“I have realized something since we invaded.”
“Which is…?”
“Zwelf is impoverished because of the reparations they have been paying us and the military expansion of the past few years. I knew that. But seeing the damage in person was uncomfortable. That country cannot afford this war. The people are starving, all of them.”
“…No.”
“That bastard Vandarren. The first thing you should do with the contents of your coffers is fill the stomachs of your people… He is an unfathomably foolish man who dreamed of making Zwelf the most powerful country on the continent. Such is the end of a nation that has crowned such a foolish king.”
Rare as it was for him, Gravis expressed a mixture of indignation and sorrow. As a member of the royal family, he likely found this treatment of one’s countrymen unforgivable.
“…Vi, please. The people of Zwelf are innocent. Please spare them.”
Hearing Leorino’s heartbreaking plea, Gravis smiled with a bitter expression.
“So Lord August told you about what I wanted to do eighteen years ago.”
“…”