Winter in the Royal Capital was a bitter affair.
While the snow wasn't particularly heavy, my breath came out in plumes of white, and the stone halls of the Academy seemed to trap the chill even more effectively than the air outside.
A year had passed far more quickly than I had expected.
Many things had changed at home; for one, the number of elves living with us had somehow doubled to two. But the truly massive news was that my brother Fazil had finally become a father. He had a son, making me an uncle for the first time.
And then there was my eldest brother, Noin Noctear. He had a child as well—a girl. Another niece for me.
To be honest, I was stunned to gain both a nephew and a niece at nearly the same time. And since the mother of Noin’s child was the Second Princess, my niece wasn't exactly an ordinary baby.
Life really does throw the most unexpected things at you.
They were adorable, though. Truly, incredibly cute. They were just so... squishy. My vocabulary had completely failed me the moment I saw them.
Lost in these thoughts, I stepped into the classroom to find three of my friends already gathered.
"You’re late today, Luka-sama. And where is your shadow?" Allen asked, leaning his elbows on his desk.
"I’m right on time, actually. As for Yuka, she’s resting at home."
She had been getting pushed to her limits by Grandpa Orbis lately. She had tried to force herself to come along this morning, so I’d had to physically shove her back into bed.
"Elysia-sama was here before even I arrived!" Allen added.
"I simply find it difficult to settle down unless I have a bit of a head start," Elysia said gracefully, taking a refined sip of her tea.
We were in the Academy breakroom. Since they kept the hearth lit during the winter, it had become our usual haunt.
There was one other person there—a girl sitting by the window, staring intently at a stack of mail.
"They’ve arrived again, Luka-sama," Lene muttered under her breath.
"From whom?"
"The 'study abroad' group."
Ah, I figured as much. But she really needed to stop saying it like that; she sounded like she was talking about a pack of sworn enemies rather than our classmates.
Two letters sat on the desk. I already knew who had sent them: Caiel and Selena.
"Those two are certainly diligent," I remarked.
"Luka-sama! It’s freezing in here, isn't it? Let me warm you up!" Lene lunged toward me, but I held her off.
"Don't try to cling to me out of nowhere; you’ll break my bones," I said with a flat expression. "Let’s just read the letters first."
Allen leaned forward, brimming with curiosity, while Elysia watched with a polite smile.
"They must be reports on their lives abroad," she noted.
I opened the first letter. The paper made a crisp rustle as I unfolded it.
"Let’s see... Well, those two haven't changed a bit."
"What does it say?" Allen asked.
"Apparently, the discipline at the Academy of the Holy Theocracy is incredibly strict."
Allen laughed. "Well, it is a nation built on religion."
"The letter says their mornings start with mandatory prayer."
"Yikes."
"And most of their curriculum is centered on theology."
Elysia nodded thoughtfully. "Such devotion is certainly worthy of a nation known as the Theocracy."
Lene picked up the letter and read the next part aloud. "Also..." Her expression shifted for a fraction of a second. "'Please relay this to Luka-sama.'"
"To me?"
"'The people of the Theocracy are merciless toward slave owners.'"
I felt a cold sweat break out. I would have been much more comfortable if they had just said it was a crime. What did "merciless" even entail?
Allen turned pale. "Luka-sama..."
Lene continued, "'Therefore, it is absolutely for the best that you never set foot here.'"
"It’s not like I treat them poorly," I muttered. But in their eyes, the mere fact that they were registered as slaves was likely the problem.
Elysia let out a soft chuckle. "They seem quite worried about you."
"That’s fine. I didn't have any plans to visit the Theocracy anyway." Though I suppose a portion of my future retirement travel plans had just been unceremoniously scrapped.
Lene opened the second letter. "This one is from Selena, right?" She read a few lines and then spoke in a quiet, measured voice. "'Luka, are you doing well?'"
I’m doing just fine.
"'I am certain that you are up to something interesting again.'"
Allen nodded in agreement. "She hit the nail on the head."
"No, she didn't."
Lene kept reading. "'Are you properly wearing the charm and the ring I gave you?'"
I winced. Those were becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
"'Make sure you are wearing the ring on that specific finger of your left hand.'"
I didn't dare look at Elysia or Lene. When I finally risked a peek, their expressions were so chillingly vacant that I immediately regretted it. I was suddenly being hit by a double-whammy of the winter chill and a thick, murderous aura.
And finally, Lene read the closing line. "'When I return, I will properly convey my feelings to you.'"
My heart skipped a beat. A death flag?! That was a total death flag! Selena, stop! That’s dangerous!
A heavy silence followed. The pale winter sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
"I suppose we should look forward to their return," Allen said, breaking the tension.
"Yes... quite so," Elysia agreed. She was smiling, but her eyes weren't reaching her mouth.
Lene turned her gaze toward me. "...Are you looking forward to it as well, Luka-sama?"
"Well, yeah. I have something to brag about, after all."
"Is that so?"
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before speaking. "I have a nephew now."
Allen and Lene both froze.
"...Eh?" Allen’s jaw dropped.
"My brother Fazil had a son."
"Whoa! That’s incredible! Congratulations!"
"Actually, that’s not all," I continued. "A niece was born, too."
Another silence. This time, even Elysia looked surprised.
"Two in a single year?" Allen asked slowly.
"Yeah. They’re both so tiny and soft."
Elysia seemed to recall something. "Noin-sama’s fiancée is..."
I nodded. "Her Highness Arianna."
The three of them turned to stone.
Lene whispered, "Which means..."
"Yeah."
"You have a niece who is a member of the Royal Family?"
"That’s how the math works out, I guess."
Allen clutched his head. "Is this what it's like in a Duke’s house? I can’t keep up with this..."
A child with royal blood and a child uniting two Great Ducal houses—for the Kingdom, this was the most joyous news imaginable.
Elysia smiled softly. "It must be a wonderful feeling, having a nephew and a niece born so close together."
"It really is." I shrugged. "I got to hold my niece the other day."
"How was it?"
"She was small... really, really small."
"Is that all you have to say?"
I looked at them helplessly. "What do you expect? Who could possibly relax while holding a royal infant? If I dropped her, it would be the end of everything. I was essentially holding a national treasure, you know."
Lene observed me quietly. "Luka-sama, your face is breaking into a grin."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
Allen laughed. "I guess that officially makes you an uncle, Luka-sama."
"Don't call me an uncle."
"To them, that's exactly what you are."
"Pipe down."
The fire in the hearth crackled and popped.
"Luka-sama, if you ever find yourself wanting a child, I could—"
"Stop right there!"
"Yes, sir."
That was too close. Everything about that sentence was dangerous. What was this girl thinking?
"...Lene, do try not to trouble Luka-kun too much," Elysia said.
"Y-Yes."
The fact that the headstrong Lene obeyed so meekly was a testament to the look on Elysia’s face. She was wearing her usual gentle smile, but there was an unfathomable pressure lurking beneath the surface.
The winter term at the Academy had only just begun, and the cold wasn't going anywhere. But sitting here, talking nonsense with friends and laughing over letters... this warm space was my "normal" life now.
And I decided it wasn't a bad life at all.
Deep beneath the Royal Capital.
In a stone-walled room lit by flickering candles, a man was poring over documents spread across a desk.
"Who is this?" he asked, pointing to a single name in a report.
Luka Noctear. A fourteen-year-old boy.
"The incident at the slave market... there is a possibility he was involved in that as well?"
a subordinate nodded. "Furthermore, two elves have been confirmed to be residing at his mansion."
The man’s fingers stopped tapping the desk. "Elves?"
"Yes. We have verified it."
A long silence followed, eventually broken by the man’s low chuckle. "Haha... I see. That is excellent news indeed."
He crumpled the report in his fist. "Continue the surveillance."
The candlelight danced in his eyes.
"If they are the real thing, our ritual will advance significantly. We shall retrieve them and bestow upon them the favor of the Ash Necros."
The shadows of the Royal Capital were beginning to stir.