#Chapter 5. Award Ceremony

“It would be good if you also went to the imperial palace tomorrow. Take Lucy with you too.”

Damian said while looking at his daughter who had stolen his spot and was lying down.

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow is…… the day you receive your bestowed goods, but that day at the imperial palace……”

“I think it would be good for Lucy to know what kind of person Dad is too.”

“Ah…… That’s right. Lucy said such things to you yesterday……”

Ariel lowered her eyes.

“It’s because I’m lacking.”

Ariel, whose expression quickly darkened, blamed herself.

Damian didn’t know why Ariel was blaming herself, but he thought it would be better to just leave it that way.

Because Ariel’s worried eyes finally looked at Damian completely.

*

“Lucy, you can’t shout or run to Dad like that time in this place. You understand?”

Ariel instructed her about etiquette at the imperial palace.

Ariel’s educational philosophy was to raise a bright child, not to raise a child without manners.

“Yes, I understand. Mom.”

Lucy, who smiled brightly, nodded her head.

Normally she wouldn’t have brought a child to such a place, but this time it was something Damian requested, so Ariel brought Lucy along.

Fortunately, since she was a child who followed well when taught, Ariel also relaxed and moved to her seat.

“Duke Zenova……”

In the solemn atmosphere, Damian knelt on one knee before His Majesty the Emperor.

Along with words honoring his achievements in suppressing the rebellion, a long content about bestowing goods rang through the hall.

Ariel stood up from her seat and looked at Damian while tightly holding Lucy’s hand.

Sunlight passing through the glass window beautifully illuminated Damian’s blonde hair.

Golden hair just like Lucy’s…….

His straight nose and blue eyes containing the sea, as if signifying his firm loyalty.

Living…… Damian.

The child’s hand she was holding was warm, so Ariel found it difficult to look at her husband for no reason.

This wasn’t the first time she looked at Damian like this in this place, but was it because she came with her daughter?

She wanted to stop watching Damian receiving bestowed goods, Damian kneeling before His Majesty the Emperor. Now…….

At first she was proud, the second time she worried, and the third time she seemed to have resigned a little.

Damian, who led victories in frequent conquest wars, had become someone who boosted the morale of knights.

Was it the day he departed for the second time?

She had gone to the front of the departing ship while pregnant with a child.

She barely overcame the drowsiness from pregnancy and tied a handkerchief with his name and Ariel’s name embroidered largely on it.

The words asking if he really had to go lingered in her throat, but she couldn’t say them in the end.

Seeing countless knights boarding that ship, Ariel lowered her head.

Because she wasn’t the only one who had a precious husband.

“This war seems like it will be long.”

Damian said while looking at the ship with an indifferent face.

“Couldn’t you write letters this time?”

“Letters?”

“Even very short sentences would be fine. I just need to know you’re alive.”

“Is there a need to do that?”

Damian tilted his head and stared at the handkerchief Ariel had tied.

She had tied it to the sword handle, but Damian untied it.

“Damian. That’s……”

“I didn’t know you believed in superstitious things, but it’s rather bothersome. Stop it and go inside. You’re not alone anymore.”

“Yes……”

Ariel, who nodded, moved away. Damian fortunately returned victorious from that war.

He wasn’t by her side when she gave birth, and there were no letters sent, but just the fact that he came home to the mansion safely was enough.

“…… Mom?”

Lucy looked up at Ariel with a surprised face.

Ariel quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand and smiled gently while looking at Lucy.

“Dad is cool. Right?”

Lucy’s green eyes blinked.

“…… Yes. He’s cool.”

Lucy, who nodded, smiled brightly while making eye contact with Ariel.

That…… that made Ariel even more emotional, so she bit her lower lip tightly to hold back tears.

“Mom seems to want to stop watching Dad’s cool appearance. Right?”

Ariel, who gripped Lucy’s small hand tighter, nodded.

Even though she knew she shouldn’t show such a sight to a seven-year-old child, the tears that kept flowing wouldn’t stop.

If he goes to war again….

If by any chance he can’t return….

What if Damian leaves, leaving only her and Lucy?

She couldn’t erase the disloyal thought that this glorious occasion seemed to be pushing him into war instead.

“…… Duchess Zenova.”

At the gentle voice, Ariel startled and quickly wiped her face before turning her head.

Her Majesty the Empress had approached her.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress of the Empire.”

Ariel, who curtsied, composed her expression that had been crying until just now as much as possible. It seemed Damian’s award ceremony had ended.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress of the Empire.”

Lucy, who curtsied beside Ariel, also kissed the empress’s hand.

When the greeting ended, the empress’s hand moved gently on Ariel’s shoulder. The hand that moved lightly like a feather — tap tap — comforted Ariel.

“You always carry a heavy burden. Duke Zenova may have iron blood flowing through him, but you don’t. I naturally know you’ve suffered mentally for several years.”

The empress smiled bitterly.

“That’s not true, Your Majesty.”

“You’re a woman before being a duchess, aren’t you? I understand that feeling too. When I was crown princess, His Majesty participated in war. I cried so much. Come to think of it, Duke Zenova had already been granted his dukedom then. I married later than you.”

Ariel quietly nodded.

“But after that, the duke went to war endlessly. His Majesty became emperor so it couldn’t be helped…… Still, thanks to Duke Zenova always lending his strength, the empire’s people and many people in this country are living happy lives.”

“That’s not true. All peace is thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s righteous politics and broad heart. Zenova is always grateful to be able to help as a subject.”

“Your eyes are still red.”

The empress, who looked at Ariel’s eyes, comforted her with a gentle smile.

“I was like that too once. I got angry at the previous emperor for the first time, asking if he couldn’t stop the wars, so I know how you must feel. Men wouldn’t understand that. They have no understanding of why waiting in a safe place is such a difficult thing.”

“…… That’s not true.”

“But you see. That’s a husband’s heart. Wanting his wife to be safe in a safe place.”

Ariel looked at the empress while blinking slowly.

“Duke Zenova is always thinking of you. Oh my. I came to see because I heard you brought your daughter. Her name is……”

“I’m late with introductions. Your Majesty the Empress, her name is Lucy.”

Lucy curtsied to the empress once more.

“She’s the spitting image of the duchess. Lucy is seven years old, wasn’t she?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. She’s seven years old.”

“Our crown prince is eight years old. I think they could become good friends, what do you think?”

The empress smiled while looking at Lucy. Ariel, with a slightly flustered look, quickly pulled Lucy close.

“Lucy is still young and finds the imperial palace unfamiliar. I’m worried she might cause trouble for His Highness the Crown Prince…… In our Zenova family, Derek is eight years old, the same age as His Highness the Crown Prince. Since they’re both boys, couldn’t they become good friends?”

The empress smiled and nodded at Ariel.

“Is that so? Then it would be good to have tea with Lady Jessica next time. Rather than that, I’d like to stroll through the garden with Lucy, would that be alright?”

“Ah……”

“I’d like that, Your Majesty the Empress. Mom, I’ll go walk in the garden with Her Majesty the Empress and come back.”

Lucy left Ariel’s hand. Ariel tried to grab her urgently, but Lucy’s movement was faster.

“Haha. Your daughter is said to be a little Damian. Indeed she is.”

“Mom! I’ll go and come back. Play with Dad!”

Ariel was left alone, staring blankly at Lucy moving away.

She looked anxiously at the retreating figures of Lucy and the empress while clenching her empty hands.

*

“I’m late with greetings. Duchess.”

“…… Sir Charles.”

Ariel, who unclenched her hands, smiled brightly upon seeing Charles.

He was the eldest son of Count Gorman, Damian’s direct subordinate.

Instead of Damian, who found everything bothersome, Sir Charles had sent letters once every few years.

Not only greetings but also detailed explanations of whether Damian was injured and what had happened recently, for which she was always grateful.

Without even such letters, she would have been truly anxious.

“Yesterday at the victory banquet, I couldn’t attend because I had to meet a physician briefly.”

“Oh my, so that’s why you weren’t there. Were you badly injured?”

“It’s not a serious injury, so I’m fine. The area around my leg got scraped a bit. Haha……”

“I’m glad.”

“Yes, then……”

Ariel, who nodded, urgently opened her lips to Charles who was about to leave after finishing his greeting.

“Excuse me, by any chance…… Sir Charles, has the rebellion been completely suppressed?”

“Yes? Ah! ……Haha! Yes! You can think that this rebellion has been completely suppressed. Even if there’s a schedule next time, I think it would be difficult for the duke to go now.”

Upon hearing Charles’s words, Ariel unconsciously smiled brightly.

Then she quickly composed her expression and carefully asked him.

There had been many times in the past when she had been repeatedly disappointed.

Even with this rebellion, no one had thought Damian would go.