Secret Agreement of the Past
As the royal family died one after another in the Vladsaliam Rebellion, it was the sixth prince at the time who succeeded the throne.
Wisely, he decided that measures needed to be taken to ensure that such a thing would never happen again.
The easiest way was to eliminate all the royalty except Verdinard. In other words, to dispose of Felix and Wilfrecht.
But that would leave no alternative in the event of an unforeseen situation with Verdinard, and most of all, it would be an inhumane decision. With the aftermath of the political upheaval still fresh in his mind, he didn’t want to make any further sacrifices.
The wise king, who was still in his teens when he ascended to the throne, was also a benevolent man. This might have been due to his childhood experience, when he was physically weak and had to rely on the help of those around him to survive.
He decided to adopt Verdinard and Wilfrecht, the orphaned children of the first prince, who was the crown prince. By being involved in their education himself, he could interfere to ensure that they weren’t inclined toward dangerous ideas.
The problem was his youngest brother, Felix.
“After much deliberation, my brother summoned me in secret and forced me to make a choice. I could spend the rest of my life in a noble’s prison, or I could devote my entire life to the royal family.”
If he pledged himself to the royal family, he would be guaranteed a certain amount of freedom.
But marriage was forbidden for the rest of his life, and having children was out of the question. His whereabouts were always known, and he cooperated in performing his duties behind the scenes.
A secret agreement to sacrifice everything for the royal family. To determine his resolution.
Still, Felix didn’t hesitate.
Sheila’s whole body trembled at the content of the secret agreement that was being talked about in a casual manner.
“That kind of thing, it’s too much….”
Felix never responded back even when he was prodded by the most beautiful woman in the village.
When Sheila learned of his origins, she honestly thought it was because he was tired of seeing beautiful women. She had no idea that there was such a heavy reason.
Felix was oddly calm about the whole situation. That’s why she wanted to cry even more.
He smiled at Sheila and loosely hugged her shoulder. He patted her on the back as if to soothe her, and she seemed to be unable to hold back her tears any longer.
“It was that kind of time. In a silly battle for the throne, too many sacrifices were made. That was the maximum concession they could make to keep me alive. You could say that was the only option I had.”
“But that doesn’t mean…. Felix is the only one forced into a difficult role…. Even though you didn’t do anything!”
What crime could a mere child be guilty of? Just because he was born into the royal family, he was seen as threatening and had his future restricted.
“I was already too used to the horrific scenes at the time. I must have been somewhat tired myself. Because I was constantly exposed to death that could creep up on me at any moment, I accepted my brother’s proposal without hesitation, even though I was six years old…. But I have no regrets.”
Her brother’s hand gently combed through her hair.
His softened expression was filled with warmth.
“I chose to live then, and it was because of that choice that I met Father and Mother――and you.”
Sheila could tell that he wasn’t trying to be strong, nor was he forcing himself to say this to himself. It was because of the time they had spent together.
Felix carefully wiped away the single tear that had fallen from her yellow-colored eyes.
His warm smile soon took on a mischievous tinge.
“Don’t worry about it. If it’s a family, you should be able to increase it, right? I’m confident I can love Sheila’s child no matter who their father is.”
“Eh―”
It was probably meant to be comforting, but it was as unlikely as Felix’s marriage.
The burden was too heavy for herself who was proclaimed an old spinster.
“What if I get cheated on by some bad guy? Would you still love the children?”
“I can’t imagine you being cheated by a man at all. Well, it doesn’t matter whether you like him or not. I will never, ever, recognize a man, no matter who he is, who takes my beloved sister away from me.”
Sheila shivered, was it because it was winter? Her brother, who was smiling all the time, was currently very cold.
“I’m starting to feel more and more like I’m never going to get married….”
Even if by some miracle Sheila was able to win them over, would that person really be able to overcome this dragon-class obstacle?
The story was getting more and more absurd.
“If possible, I’d like a cute girl who looks like Sheila. With rose-colored hair and yellow-light eyes. A girl who loves to run around in the fields and mountains.”
“Isn’t that almost me?”
“And I can teach her how to hunt. Hunting is my hobby, and I killed my first prey that was bigger than me when I was ten years old.”
“You don’t have to teach her how to hunt. I don’t want her to have a hard time finding a partner. I want one that is ladylike and girlish.”
The more they talked about children who didn’t exist, the crazier it got.
Sheila wrapped her arms around her brother’s back and hugged him tightly.
She then immediately let go of his body and smiled softly.
“Well then, I guess it’s our family’s duty and mission to make Felix happy. We’ll love you a lot and spoil you.”
Felix was stunned at her words, but as Sheila continued stroking his head, a beaming smile soon appeared on his face.
“…. Really, I’m no match for you.”
Sheila smiled back at him, loving the embarrassed way he muttered those words.
◇ ◆ ◇
Felix watched from his office window as his beloved sister got into her carriage.
The way Sheila was playing with the snow that kept falling was adorable, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
Felix remembered the knight who forced himself to come to report right after the demon attack commotion.
He was as usual nonchalant in his description of his own activities, but when the topic turned to the point where Sheila showed her power of what could be called holy art, he put on a bitter expression.
Of course, the ridiculous behavior of his cute sister was a headache for Felix as well. But it was inevitable that he would get suspicious.
Clauschezade’s reaction was like that of a person protecting his own people.
“You seem to be acting differently than usual. ――Did Sheila confess to you?”
Felix asked him in a nonchalant manner, and Clauschezade bowed his head unconcernedly.
“My master is Felix-sama. I have no intention of doing anything against your will.”
“I don’t have any reservations about it. It’s true that I love Sheila, but that child only sees me as a brother.”
Come to think of it, this was probably the first time they’ve had a heart-to-heart talk about such a private matter.
Felix confided his thoughts without hesitation, but he didn’t get any response from Clauschezade.
He was a serious man to a fault, so, well, it was to be expected.
Seeing him stubbornly bowing his head, Felix couldn’t help but smile and speak up.
“I love that girl, and I’m not going to approve of any man she brings along…. But I want you to be happy too, Clauschezade.”
They both lost a lot of things because of the political upheaval. That’s why he wanted his knight, who had gone through so much hardship, to be happy.
Just like when he was saved by that warm family, when he met Sheila.
However, Clauschezade’s opinion didn’t change.
“Felix-sama, for an incompetent person like me, trying to protect two things would result in the loss of both. ――I am quite content with the way things are now, so please don’t worry about it.”
After finishing the report indifferently, Clauschezade left the room without showing any signs of fatigue.
Felix painfully understood what the hard-headed man was thinking when he said that.
It was just horrible. He had lost people important to him so quickly in the political upheaval.
That was why Felix thought that Sheila’s existence, which had nothing to do with the political upheaval and hadn’t been affected by it in the slightest, would be a comfort to him.
But he was still timid, apparently.
“…. You say that, but…. I wonder how long he thinks he can escape with that look on his face.”
Felix chuckled, remembering the fleeting glimpse of emotion that peeked out as he stood up.
Unfortunately, the murmur didn’t reach the person in question who would call Sheila, who was about to return to the dormitory, under the pretense of reporting.
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