Reuniting With Shia

The next day, I woke early and went out to the courtyard to practice with a wooden sword.

Just like yesterday, Tanya was nearby in the shade of a tree.

“Hah! Hah!”

As I watched the sharpness of my techniques, I could tell I was off today.

The shoulder my brother had injured yesterday had improved considerably thanks to Tanya’s treatment.

Even taking that into account, though, my movements did not feel nearly as sharp as they had yesterday morning.

I continued training despite the heaviness in my body, and by the time the sun had climbed high into the sky, someone appeared in the courtyard.

It was Rowen-san.

Looking deeply flustered, he hurried over to me.

“Rowen-san? Good afternoon.”

Greetings were important, but Rowen-san seemed to have more pressing concerns. He looked unusually frantic.

“Nova-sama, this is… a question from Master. Are you free today?”

“Huh? As you can see, I was only planning to finish my sword practice and head back to my territory, so yes, I’m free.”

“…In that case, would you be able to meet with the head of House Ark Gate immediately after this?”

“…Excuse me?”

Had I misheard him?

Had Rowen-san just said the head of House Ark Gate?

Father had told me about the marriage proposal only last night.

And now it was already midday the following day.

Hardly any time had passed at all.

The north was a considerable distance from here, so I tilted my head in confusion. Had they really managed to exchange messages overnight?

And what did he mean when he said the head of House Ark Gate was coming here to meet me immediately?

There was no way she could arrive that quickly. Had she happened to be somewhere nearby?

My head became filled with questions. There were simply too many things that contradicted everything I considered common sense.

“Thank you very much. In that case, Master is waiting, so I will escort you.”

“Y-Yeah…”

I was confused, but from Rowen-san’s demeanor, I could tell he felt there was no time to waste.

I approached Tanya, who was tilting her head beneath the shade, and explained what was happening.

Perhaps my maid simply had nerves of steel, because she showed no sign of panic and merely replied, “Understood.”

Leaving her in the courtyard, I headed with Rowen-san toward Father’s study, where I had gone yesterday.

Just as we rounded a corner, the door to the study opened, and Father came rushing toward us.
He seemed so hurried that he was slightly out of breath.

“N-Nova! Did Rowen explain everything? Can you meet the head of House Ark Gate right away?”

“Y-Yes, I have no objection… but this is remarkably soon. Was she perhaps already somewhere nearby?”

At my question, Father made the face of someone whose sore spot had just been prodded.

But apparently realizing there was no point hiding anything now, he exhaled heavily and pressed a hand to his forehead.

“After receiving your consent last night, I immediately wrote a reply to House Ark Gate. And a short while ago, their head responded. She said that if your schedule allowed, she would come immediately. …The head of House Ark Gate possesses methods of communicating across great distances, as well as magic that allows instantaneous travel.”

“…Magic can do things like that?”

Listening to Father, it sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Being able to communicate with faraway places or travel vast distances in an instant was unbelievably convenient.

“I had never seen such things myself until now… Nova, this is the sort of person who leads House Ark Gate. Remember that well. I beg you, do not offend her. If you were to anger their head… not only you, but our entire house could be destroyed…”

“…I’ll keep that firmly in mind.”

Seeing Father’s face turn deathly pale, I realized he was completely serious, and my back straightened.

Until now, I had been the failure who could not use Haki and from whom no one expected anything.

Now, Father was practically telling me that the fate of the family rested in my hands.

It did not feel good.

If anything, the pressure felt as though it might crush me.

My stomach hurts.

“All right. Their head is already waiting in the reception room. Let’s go.”

Father immediately turned and began walking, and I stared after him in surprise.

She was already here?

He had probably proceeded under the assumption that I would agree.

Not that I had any reason to refuse.

Following behind Father, I headed toward a reception room I barely remembered ever entering.

As we walked, perhaps because of his nerves, Father’s entire body gradually stiffened.

I was no different.

I was about to meet a hero who had saved the nation.

And she was the head of the family that had supposedly been our sworn enemy for generations.

Just imagining what sort of terrifying, arrogant, queenlike woman might be waiting made me want to turn around and run.

But the manor was smaller than it felt in my memories, and we reached the reception room far too quickly.

Father turned around stiffly, looked me in the eyes, and stepped aside.

“She is inside. I’m counting on you… Nova.”

“Y-Yes…”

Hearing words from Father that I had never once heard before drove home the weight of my responsibility all over again.

Beyond this door…

I swallowed hard and reached a trembling hand toward it.

The cold of the handle spread through my palm as I opened the door and stepped inside.

My heart hammered like a drum, and I could barely think straight.

The first thing I saw upon entering was hair as black as night.

The woman seated on the sofa heard the door and turned toward me.

Gray eyes pierced straight through me.

Her features were so perfectly arranged that anyone would have called her an unparalleled beauty.

Combined with her dark hair, she looked like a luminous moon floating in the night sky, captivating the hearts of all who saw her.

She slowly rose to her feet and smiled.

So this is what her real smile looks like, I found myself thinking. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

I was so transfixed by her that the soft click of the door closing behind me lingered strangely clearly in my ears.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. Please forgive my sudden visit. I am Leticia Ark Gate, head of House Ark Gate.”

“…………”

The hero who had ended the war—Leticia Ark Gate.

I had heard the name before.

But I had never imagined it was her.

Now that I thought about it, part of that name contained the name I knew.

The name I had never forgotten, not even for a moment.

Staring at that familiar face, I finally managed to speak.

“Shi…a…”

My voice barely came out.

But the instant I said her name, something I had never felt before rushed through my entire body.

I was happy.

Simply being with her made my heart and body feel overwhelmed with happiness.

“…………”

Her eyes widened.

She raised a hand to her mouth as though she could not believe what she had just heard.

“You… remember me?”

“I never forgot… I kept wondering all this time whether you were doing okay… I just never imagined we’d actually meet again.”

“…I’m so happy, Nova-sama.”

“Yeah… me too…”

She was a girl I had spoken with only once, on that one day long ago.

But even if it had only been for a short while, she had been the only person who shared circumstances like mine.

She had felt closer to me than anyone else.

Seeing her standing before me now filled my heart with excitement.

She suddenly came back to herself and gestured toward the sofa opposite hers.

“P-Please, have a seat first. There is no need for us to remain standing.”

“Ah, yeah… you’re right…”

We were both acting awkwardly, but I sat on the sofa across from her as she asked.

Then Shia stared at me so intently that it felt as though she might bore a hole straight through me, and eventually I could not bear it anymore.

“B-But I’m surprised. I never imagined Shia had become the head of the family… Ah, should I be calling you Shia-sama?”

She was the head of a house far above mine in status, and a hero who had ended a war.

It seemed only natural to address her formally and speak politely, but she looked saddened by it.

“Please don’t. I want you, Nova-sama, to act naturally with me, just as you were a moment ago.”

“Uh… is that really okay?”

“Yes. Everyone else treats me in that formal manner… so at the very least, I would like you to remain the way you were back then.”

“B-But Shia… you’re speaking politely too.”

I almost added -sama out of reflex, but caught myself and tried to speak as naturally as possible.

Shia gave me a troubled smile.

“Polite speech has become something of a habit for me…”

“Th-Then at least stop calling me ‘sama.’ Hearing that from Shia… feels kind of wrong.”

When I told her honestly, Shia lowered her eyes and looked diagonally toward the floor.

“Y-You’re right… Then I’ll call you Nova-san.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Once, long ago, I had tried reading one of Tanya’s romance novels.

At the time, I had thought the conversations between the man and woman who would eventually become lovers were absurdly awkward.

Now I understood exactly how that happened.

You really did stop knowing what to say.

But we could not remain like this forever.

For the time being, I decided to ask Shia about what had happened to her since then.

“Shia… you’re amazing. You became the head of your family.”

“It was thanks to you, Nova-san.”

“Huh?”

I had simply meant to praise her for becoming a family head despite being the same age as me, but her answer caught me completely off guard.

“Back then, you scolded it for me, remember? After that, the mana rampaging inside my body settled down to a certain extent. From then on, it stopped going out of control, and I eventually learned to use it properly. That is how I was able to become the head of House Ark Gate. Everything I am today is thanks to you, Nova-san.”

“…Seriously? I never imagined something that childish could have led to all of that.”

It was surprising enough to make me doubt what I was hearing.

Could my simply scolding her mana really have stopped it from going berserk?

I found it hard to believe, but I also could not imagine Shia lying about something like this.

She continued speaking about the past.

“I united the family and brought the war to an end… and throughout all of it, there was not a single day when I forgot about you. I had heard of House Fols in the south, and when I found your name among its members, then learned you had no fiancée, I ended up sending a marriage proposal almost before I knew what I was doing. …Nova-san.”

When she called my name, I met her gaze.

Our eyes locked.

“Seeing you again like this has confirmed it for me. You are still the same kind Nova-san you were back then. Ever since that day… I have loved you.”

“Shia…”

Faced with such direct affection, I felt joy and confusion at the same time.

And then I remembered that this meeting was, after all, about marriage.

I liked Shia too.

I might as well admit it now—she had been my first love, feelings that had slowly taken root when I was young, and even now I could feel myself being drawn more and more strongly to her simply by sitting here together.

But she was the head of House Ark Gate, one of the greatest magical families in the country, while I was merely the third son of my own house.

As people, there was an undeniable gulf between us.

Perhaps my thoughts were showing on my face, because Shia watched me with a gentle expression before speaking.

“Nova-san, I am not asking for an answer immediately. I would like you to spend time with me from now on and decide how you truly feel. I will wait as long as necessary, and even if you ultimately refuse the proposal… I will never harm you or anything precious to you. I would swear it before the gods.”

It was a proposal that made it abundantly clear she was considering my feelings.

Just as gratitude for her thoughtfulness warmed my chest—

“I only came today to introduce myself, so I should leave things here for now. I was very happy to see you again, Nova-san, and I greatly enjoyed talking about the past. If you would like, let us talk much more next time.”

She had probably said that because she could tell everything happening at once was starting to overwhelm me.

Shia stood and walked over to me, and a sweet fragrance tickled my nose.

“I think it would be better if we had a way to contact one another, so please take these.”

What she held out was a stack of black-bordered stationery.

There were about twenty sheets in all, each bearing a crest.

Was this the coat of arms of House Ark Gate?

“They are enchanted. Once you write your message, tap the family crest three times and the sheet will be transferred directly to me. Ah, they are quite easy to prepare, so please tell me whenever you run out.”

“R-Right… That’s incredible…”

Magic that allowed written correspondence with someone far away.

Now I understood that Father and Shia must have used this same enchanted stationery to communicate between yesterday and today.

Amazed by magic that effectively erased the delay involved in correspondence, I accepted the sheets.

Our hands touched as I took them.

Her hand was small, soft, and warm.

“Then, Nova-san, until next time.”

“Y-Yeah…”

With that, she left the room with a smile.

Her entire demeanor had brightened so much that anyone could tell she was in a wonderful mood.

The door clicked shut behind her.

After standing there for a while, I dropped back onto the sofa.

I placed the stationery on the table and exhaled.

I was stunned.

The head of House Ark Gate was Shia, of all people, and she had… well… proposed marriage to me.

Feeling my face heat up, I covered it with my palm.

My thoughts immediately returned to the woman who had been sitting here only moments ago.

Her glossy, night-black hair.

Her gentle smile, like the moon illuminating everything around it.

My heartbeat quickened, and my body grew hot.

Was this what being in love felt like?

Calm down, I told myself, and forced myself to think carefully.

The person proposing marriage was Shia, head of House Ark Gate.

She had status, pedigree, a face like an angel, and an incredibly kind personality.

And she was my first love.

Once I reached that point in my thoughts, a single conclusion emerged.

Wait.

Was there anyone more wonderful than her anywhere in the world?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized Shia seemed completely flawless.

Compared to her, I was merely the powerless third son of House Fols, and of course there was no other woman I loved.

Well, there had been one.

And that woman turned out to be Shia.

I had even worried I might remain unmarried forever.

If I let this chance slip away, I might be finished for life.

“No, no, wait.”

After thinking that far, I shook my head.

Deciding based on a momentary rush of emotion would be far too hasty.

More importantly, I needed to think about Shia first.

To me, she seemed like the embodiment of everything I could ever dream of.

But from her perspective, I was only a boy she had happened to meet once in childhood.

Surely there were countless better men out there.

After thinking that far, I realized Shia had been right.

This was something that needed to be considered carefully over time.

There was no way I could reach an answer after such a short reunion.

Just as I found myself grateful for Shia’s thoughtfulness, a knock sounded at the door.

For one moment, I straightened my back, wondering if Shia had forgotten something and returned.

“Nova, are you there? It’s me.”

The voice from beyond the door belonged to Father.

I answered immediately, and he opened the door and came inside.

The tension had left his expression, though he still looked somewhat exhausted.

“The head of House Ark Gate just departed… so, how did it go?”

At his probing question, I nodded firmly.

“She said today was merely an introduction. She asked me to spend time with her from now on and decide afterward whether I want to accept the marriage proposal.”

“I see.”

Father let out a deep breath of relief.

The way his shoulders rose and fell was strangely memorable.

“So… what did you think of her?”

“? I thought she was a wonderful person…”

“I-I see… Then that’s good. May I take that to mean you intend to consider the proposal positively?”

I did not quite understand why Father was asking, but it was true that I intended to seriously consider the marriage proposal, so I nodded.

Father returned the gesture with a complicated expression.

“Mm… But you must continue to be careful. Their head is a terrifying person. Do your best not to offend her. She appears to be fond of you, so I doubt there will be trouble, but…”

“R-Right…”

Calling Shia terrifying simply did not sit right with me.

To me, she was my first love.

Even during our reunion today, she had gone out of her way to consider my feelings.

If anything, “kind” or “full of compassion” felt far more accurate than “terrifying.”

Even so, I had no intention of telling Father about my history with Shia.

Only Tanya knew that I had met her in the past, and for some reason I did not feel comfortable telling anyone else about it now.

Least of all my family.

“…I have summoned Zeroad and Kairas. They should arrive tomorrow. I intend to inform them about this marriage proposal as well. You will attend, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

To be honest, both Zeroad-nii-sama and Kairas-nii-sama were people I would rather avoid.

But Father’s word was absolute.

I answered clearly.

Father gave a weak nod, then left the room with a quiet farewell.

When I was a child—no, even before I had moved out—the back I had always thought so broad and imposing somehow looked unusually small.