Leorino had suddenly fallen ill with a high fever but was able to get up just before the memorial service. Leorino asked his father why he had never been taken to Zweilink before. He knew that his brothers had attended the memorial service before they were half-fledged. He wasn’t upset about it—he simply wanted to know.
“We did take you once when you were very young.”
“You did?”
Leorino inclined his head at his father’s words. He had no recollection of it.
“You were very little back then. You must have been no more than three years old.”
Leorino felt that he should have remembered something from that time at that age, but his memory turned up nothing.
“Why haven’t you taken me to Zweilink since?”
August frowned. “As soon as we arrived at Zweilink, you broke into tears. I held you, Gauff held your hand, Hundert even carried you in his arms and tried to soothe you, but you just wouldn’t stop crying.”
It went without saying that he had no memory of any of it. Leorino had been a child; he didn’t exactly need a reason to react the way he had. But his father’s next words shocked him.
“You kept crying, ‘Close the gates!’ as if someone were skinning you alive.”
Leorino wrapped his arms around himself as if trying to hold something back. He could still feel himself being seared by flames.
“Finally, after crying about feeling hot, you fainted. Your unusual behavior sent shivers down my spine, and the same could be said for all the other attendees. No one would have told you, a young child, about the events of twelve years ago, so how could you know such things? …I genuinely thought you might have been possessed by the ghost of a fallen soldier.”
“…I don’t remember any of that.”
August shook his head. “No, I don’t expect you would. After we returned to the castle, you developed a high fever, just like this one. When you woke up, you had no recollection of your visit to Zweilink, nor of your screaming and fainting.”
Leorino nodded.
“We haven’t taken you to Zweilink since. And now that you’re about to return there, you’ve come down with a fever again. To tell you the truth, I would rather not take you with us.”
The previous night’s dream and reality slowly fell into place. Ionia must have been a soldier who died in the battle of Zweilink. Leorino’s dreams followed the soldier’s life from childhood.
I must go to Zweilink.
“Father, please take me with you.”
“Leorino…”
“I am able to live in peace because of the soldiers who protected the fortress. I want to pray for them. I want to go to Zweilink.”
Preparations for the memorial service were well underway. Under the keen eye of Maia, the margravine, the servants were busy preparing to receive the guests.
The dignitaries and their attendants were allocated to rooms in the guest wing, which stretched along the side of Brungwurt Castle. Hosting the event for the twelfth year in a row, the people of the province were well-practiced, and they completed the preparations in an orderly manner.
Among the dignitaries attending the memorial service were Crown Prince Kyle; Chancellor Marzel Ginter; Lieutenant General Lucas Brandt, who was also the acting general of the Royal Army; Deputy Commander Joshua Kern of the Knights of the Imperial Guard; and Archbishop Royce. Finally, there was the Marquis of Lagarea, who was the secretary of the Interior and a close friend of August’s.
The first guests would arrive soon. Leorino nervously stood in line to greet them. His brothers had all been made to greet the guests every year, even before they were half-fledged, but this was the first time Leorino was allowed this honor.
According to the announcement, Chancellor Ginter and Lieutenant General Brandt would be the first to arrive. Leorino had, of course, never met either of them.
A slender man with gentle features and a blond man of fine physique emerged from the carriage. The slender man must have been the chancellor, and the man in the military uniform was without a doubt the lieutenant general. Both were imposing men in their midthirties.
Leorino stared at the two men with wide eyes.
Then, when they sensed his gaze, the men’s eyes met his. For a moment, the men looked at Leorino, completely dumbfounded. The chancellor immediately clamped his mouth shut, and the lieutenant general rubbed the back of his head with his hand.
I see you still react the same way you always did when you’re surprised.
It was a silly, impossible thought. Leorino shook his head at this peculiar déjà vu.
It was Lieutenant General Brandt who came to his senses first. He saluted August, the head of the family, in the style of the Royal Army. “It’s a joy to see you again, Margrave. I appreciate you greeting me in person.”
“We are glad you could come, Lieutenant General Brandt.”
Chancellor Ginter thanked August for his hospitality with an aristocratic bow. “I am sure that you, your family, and the people of your estate have worked tirelessly to prepare for the festivities, as you do every year. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Welcome to Brungwurt, Chancellor Ginter.”
After exchanging greetings with August, the two began introducing themselves to his family. First, they greeted Maia, then Auriano, the eldest son, followed by Johan and Gauff. Finally, it was Leorino’s turn.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Leorino Cassieux, fourth son of August Cassieux. I bid you welcome to Brungwurt.”
Leorino was nervous, but he figured he had done a good job of greeting them. He looked up at his father, who nodded slightly and smiled at him. His brothers were also watching him with smiles on their faces.
The men, however, remained transfixed on Leorino. Leorino worried he had done something wrong.
Then Ginter’s and Brandt’s grim expressions suddenly shifted as they began heaping praise on Leorino. “But, Lord August, this can’t be. I had heard rumors about an angel living in Brungwurt, but I never thought he really existed.”
“He is so beautiful it is hard to believe he is of this world. I must congratulate you on producing such a lovely child.”
Never before had he received such openly admiring glances and direct compliments regarding his appearance. Leorino’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Somehow, he found it in himself to thank them without getting too flustered.
August, on the other hand, was frowning, trying to hide his youngest son from the men’s gazes. “Thank you for your kind words. My son is still ignorant of the ways of the world, so I would appreciate if you could refrain from speaking of him that way.”
Donning a serious expression, August led the two men into the castle. As he departed, he shot a look at Leorino’s attendant, who stood behind him. The man smoothly extracted Leorino from the line to the parlor and immediately moved him into the family quarters.