Little By Little, One Step At A Time

“Mama. There’s noooothing here…”

As we walked along the stone-paved path leading to the detached palace where Her Majesty Sakura lived, Ai murmured those words while holding my hand.

“You’re right… Even for a detached palace, it’s far too quiet…”

It was around noon. You’d think we’d see at least a few people taking their lunch breaks, but there wasn’t a soul around besides us. There were no fountains, only the bare minimum of flower beds, and all we could see was an enormous expanse of stone pavement and the detached palace standing all alone. The grandeur of the building only made the surrounding silence more noticeable.

“Apparently, Her Majesty Sakura only keeps the absolute minimum number of servants she needs.”

Yuri-sama, who was walking beside us, spoke up. Although Her Majesty Sakura had refused to meet with him, he had accompanied us just in case.

The silence enveloping the entire area continued even after we entered the detached palace. The ceilings were so high that even the sharp tapping of our footsteps echoed clearly through the spacious halls. Ai tightened her grip on my hand.

…Mama, this place is kind of scary.

She looked up at me with anxious eyes.

Ai was a clever child, so she must have been particularly sensitive to the difference in atmosphere. I was wondering what to do when I noticed Yuri-sama walking beside us. He, too, had slowed his pace to match Ai’s.

I bent down and whispered to her.

“…Hey, Ai. Would you like to hold Yuri-sama’s hand, too? It might make you feel a little less scared.”

Ai blinked several times in surprise.

Was it still too soon for this, just like calling him Papa? As I wondered about that, words smoothly appeared in my mind.

…I wonder if His Majesty would hold Ai’s hand…?

Oh? She was fidgeting rather shyly, but this seemed to have gone over surprisingly well, didn’t it? …Which only made things even more mysterious. Why was calling him Papa the one thing she wouldn’t do? I really needed to find out soon.

“Shall Mama ask him if he’ll hold your hand?”

When I asked, Ai gave a shy little nod. I straightened up again and turned toward Yuri-sama.

“Yuri-sama. Would you mind holding Ai’s hand?”

“…Mine?”

Yuri-sama looked surprised. Come to think of it, although Ai and I often held hands, she’d never held hands with Yuri-sama before.

“I certainly don’t mind, but… is Ai all right with it?”

Yuri-sama, for his part, cautiously held out his hand with a rather apprehensive expression. Ai placed her tiny hand in his large one.

Then her little nostrils flared, and she let out a satisfied “Mufuu.” Thank goodness. She really did seem happy about it.

High Priest Houghtley and I watched the exchange with soft chuckles. Yuri-sama still seemed somewhat bashful, perhaps because he wasn’t used to it.

“…You know what, Mama? I’m not scared anymore.”

Swinging their joined hands back and forth, Ai smiled happily.

“I’m glad. Still, walking together while everyone holds hands is actually quite fun, isn’t it? Don’t you think so too, Yuri-sama?”

“Y-yes. …It’s not bad…”

Yuri-sama was quite tall, so he had to bend over to hold Ai’s hand. It must have been difficult to maintain that posture, but the sight of him doing his best to stay bent over was so earnest and heartwarming.

Eventually, we reached the audience chamber and stopped in front of its doors. High Priest Houghtley stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, I sincerely apologize, but only Ederine-sama and Ai-sama will be permitted to proceed beyond this point.”

“Understood. I’ll wait here.”

“Ai. From here on, you’ll be coming with me. …But if you’re frightened, you can stay here with Yuri-sama instead, you know?”

However, in response to my question, Ai shook her head vigorously.

She quickly released Yuri-sama’s hand and clung to me with both arms. …Ah, Yuri-sama looked visibly disappointed. I felt a little guilty.

“Ai’s going with you!”

“All right. If you get scared, you can hide behind me, okay?”

And so, we stepped into the audience chamber.

Beyond the open doors, she sat in a spacious, comfortable chair—the Queen Dowager Sakura.

Her hair, now heavily streaked with white, had been gathered and tied up high on her head. She wore a close-fitting, high-necked dress that covered her all the way to her neck.

The face that had once worn a smile reminiscent of cherry blossoms in full bloom was now marked by deep wrinkles.

Her Majesty Sakura looked toward us with a weary expression.

“…It’s been a long time, Ederine. Is that child the next Saintess?”

Ai immediately darted behind me and hid.