Rune stepped down onto the balcony of his room, the crisp night air carrying the faint scent of wet earth. The stars above were scattered like flecks of crystal dust, twinkling softly against the velvet sky. I trailed behind him, my steps light as I followed him inside his room. The space felt serene, yet the weight of Rune’s thoughts hung heavily in the air.
I flopped onto the plush couch, sinking into its cushions while Rune chose the armchair nearby. His fingers tapped restlessly against the chair’s wooden armrest, betraying the tension he tried to mask. Ever since the arrangent for his engagent to Celestia had been set in motion, the anxiety simring in him had been unmistakable.
I leaned forward, searching for his eyes. The shadows of doubt were etched clearly into his features.
"Brother, are you still worried?" I asked softly, my voice a gentle nudge.
He exhaled a long, weary sigh. "How can I not be worried, Reina?"
I rested my chin on my palm, considering his unease. "Think about it from her perspective, Brother," I began, my tone even and thoughtful. "She hasn’t t you, and Sestia has been a hostile nation to Denril for a while now. It’s natural that she’d be scared—being married off to a complete stranger, not knowing if this is just a political ploy or if there’s any sincerity behind it. Don’t you think it’s daunting for her?"
Rune’s gaze fell to the floor, his brows knitted. Another sigh slipped past his lips. "But what if the Duchess deems unworthy of marrying her daughter tomorrow?"
I tilted my head, a playful smirk tugging at my lips. "That’s up to you, Brother. Do you want to help you?"
His eyes lifted to et mine, thoughtful and conflicted. For a mont, he seed to consider it before shaking his head firmly.
"You’ve done more than enough until now, Reina. I need to face this on my own."
I couldn’t help but smile proudly at his resolve, reaching over to pat his shoulder twice. "That’s my brother!"
The tension seed to ease a little—until his gaze sharpened, curiosity slipping back in.
"Besides, how did Father react when you told him about this?"
The smile on my face faltered. My mind blanked, and panic tingled at the back of my throat.
"Reina?" Rune’s eyes narrowed, his tone growing suspicious.
I quickly averted my gaze, fumbling for a response. "Er... He was all right with it."
"Reina." The flat weight of my na on his tongue told that my act was over.
I dared a glance at him and imdiately regretted it. Rune’s eyes pinned with a knowing look.
"You forgot, didn’t you?" His voice was edged with exasperation.
"A-Absolutely not!" I stamred.
I definitely forgot.
Rune heaved a heavy sigh, a long-suffering look passing over his face before his shoulders straightened with resolve.
"Call for him now," he ordered.
I blinked at him, flustered. "It’s way past midnight, Brother."
"If we delay any longer, he will be even more agonized over this, Reina. Do it now."
His tone was firm—unrelenting. There was no room for argunt. Defeated, I pulled out the communication brooch from my pocket, the gemstone in its center glowing softly in my palm. Rune watched intently, his gaze unwavering.
I let out a resigned sigh before lifting the brooch closer. "Father? Father, are you there?"
Silence. I glanced at Rune, my eyes pleading. "See? He must be asleep. It’s not good to disturb his sleep at this ti. I’ll talk to him tomorrow morn—"
"Reina?"
Father’s voice, faint yet unmistakable, crackled through the brooch. Rune and I both snapped our gazes to it, a rush of panic and relief tightening my chest.
"Father?!" I gasped, half-surprised, half-terrified.
"Reina?!" Father’s voice ca through, a mixture of relief and exhaustion clinging to his tone. Despite the late hour, he didn’t sound groggy, just worn out—like soone who had been tangled in restless thoughts for far too long.
I hesitated, guilt prickling at my heart. "I’m sorry to wake you so late at night... Are you all right?"
A pause lingered before he responded, his voice softened. "I’m all right, Reina. And it’s fine. You didn’t wake —I... wasn’t sleeping."
His words made frown, and a quick glance at Rune told he shared the sa concern. Father wasn’t used to sleepless nights, it might an that he was either troubled by sothing or his health wasn’t good.
"Father, is sothing wrong?" Rune’s voice cut through the silence, firm yet cautious.
A soft chuckle rumbled from the other side. "Rune, is that you?" Father’s surprise was evident, a spark of warmth threading through his exhaustion.
"Yes, Father. It’s ," Rune replied, a gentle fondness lacing his voice.
Even with the changes brought by Rune’s deepening voice—a result of the passing years—Father recognized him instantly. It reminded of how he had known through Ocean’s voice without a hint of doubt. He truly understood us in ways that no one else did.
"Reina, Rune—you two are together?"
"Yes," I confird, glancing at Rune. The faint ghost of a smile crossed his face.
"That’s great! How are you, Rune?" Father asked, the warmth in his voice a balm to Rune’s lingering worries.
"I’m all right, Father. How about you? Have you been well?" Rune inquired, a sliver of hesitation threading his words.
Father responded promptly, yet there was sothing off—a slight dip in his voice, a tiredness that bled through. "Yes, Rune. I’ve been well."
But it didn’t feel like the truth. My eyes narrowed as concern welled in my chest. "Father, you don’t sound so good. Are you really all right?"
A gentle chuckle crackled through the brooch. "I really am fine, Reina. I was just... thinking about sothing and couldn’t sleep. But I’m glad now to hear that you two are together."
Rune and I exchanged a glance, an unspoken understanding passing between us. The shared worry etched on our faces mirrored the sa thought—sothing was amiss.
"Father, is there any trouble on your side?" Rune pressed gently, his voice steady but probing.
"No, Rune. Everything is fine... I was just... missing you two... and thinking about your mother."
The ache in his voice was barely concealed, a quiet sorrow buried beneath the attempt to sound reassuring. I could feel a heaviness settle in my chest, the weight of his loneliness pressing against . The thought of him sitting alone, unable to sleep, haunted by mories of our mother—it pained .
Rune and I opened our mouths simultaneously, our concern spilling over.
"Father, I—"
"Don’t wor—"
Our voices overlapped, tangled in each other’s urgency. A startled laugh bubbled from my throat, and Rune’s lips twitched into a small, amused smile. We exchanged a look, gesturing for the other to continue.
"What’s wrong?" Father asked softly, his voice carrying a blend of curiosity and gentle concern.
I nudged Rune to speak first, and after a mont of hesitation, he obliged. "Please don’t be worried, Father."
"Yes, I’ll be back in three days," I added quickly.
Rune’s brows furrowed, his eyes eting mine in question. I offered a reassuring smile, attempting to dissolve the crease of worry on his forehead.
"My work here was only to make sure that you all were all right and to ensure that the peace treaty was signed. Once that’s done, I’ll be returning," I explained, my voice steady.
"Is that so?" Father murmured, a hint of relief seeping into his tone.
"Yes, Father."
"Then, I suppose everything went smoothly, just as you planned, Reina."
"Yes," I replied softly.
There was a beat of silence before Father’s voice returned, thick with emotion. "Rune... I’m so proud of you, my son. I heard everything that happened on the battlefield. You... even sound like a man now... I wish I were there."
Rune’s expression softened, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his face. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady and warm.
"I’ll be returning soon, Father. Please wait till then, hm?" he spoke, his voice a gentle promise.
A pause hung in the air before Father replied, a fragile yet hopeful, "Yes, I’ll be waiting."
Slowly, the air between us lightened, the lancholy loosening its hold as we continued to talk. Rune’s shoulders relaxed, and the usual confidence returned to his posture.
The weight of Father’s worries was not lost on us, but for now, there was solace in knowing we were still connected, still together—even across the distance.
The emotional air slowly dispersed as we talked, and then Rune cleared his throat, a subtle attempt to change the topic.
"Ah, besides, Reina has sothing to say to you," Rune spoke up, casting a sideways glance at .
I blinked, taken aback. "I do?"
"Yes, what is it, Reina?" Father inquired, curiosity piquing his tone. Rune’s expression was expectant, silently urging forward.
I sighed softly, licking my lips to gather my thoughts. "Father... The thing is..."
"Yes?" His patience held, yet a hint of concern laced his voice.
"Well... you see... It was a really important move, so I had to do it..."
"Yes?" he prompted, his confusion growing.
"I didn’t want to hurt you or anything—please know this, Father." My voice wavered slightly, but I held my ground. Rune let out a soft, resigned sigh, the sound of a sibling tired of my cautiousness.
"Hurt ? What did you do, Reina?" Father asked, his curiosity now laced with a hint of trepidation.
"Just say it, Reina," Rune chided gently, his lips curving into a teasing smirk.
I took a steadying breath. "Um... I... I fixed the engagent..."
A thick silence settled. Rune and I waited, his eyes peeking at from the corner, a suppressed amusent dancing in them.
"What?!" Father’s voice erupted, disbelief and shock mingling. "Y-You did what?"
"Father, just so you know, I wasn’t involved in this," Rune blurted, his hands raised defensively.
My jaw dropped. "Wait, what?! Rune!"
Father’s voice tightened, urgency crackling through the brooch. "Who is he? What’s his na?"
I blinked, thrown off by the sudden interrogation. "He?"
"Yes! Who dares to try and take away my little daughter?!" Father thundered, and the protective edge in his tone almost made laugh.
"I-It’s not my engagent, Father," I hurriedly corrected, my lips curving into a small, amused smile.
There was a beat of silence. "What?"
"Yes, it’s Brother Rune’s... I saw a perfect match for him, so... his engagent is kind of decided," I explained, gauging Father’s reaction.
A heavy silence followed. Rune stared at , wide-eyed, while I braced myself for what might co. Finally, a low, contemplative hum reached us.
"All right," Father said, his tone shockingly even.
Rune’s jaw nearly hit the ground. "Wait, what? You’re fine with it?"
"Yes," Father replied calmly. "Why? Are you not happy with this engagent?"
Rune floundered, his eyes darting in confusion. The first word to escape his mouth was a stunned, "No!"
Father and I echoed in unison, "You are not happy?"
Rune’s face flushed, realizing his slip. "Wait, no, I an—I am happy!"
Father chuckled softly, amusent warming his voice. "Then what’s the problem?"
"Well... Don’t you want to know who the girl is and about her family?" Rune asked, his expression caught between bewildernt and exasperation.
Another soft chuckle from Father followed. "If Reina has chosen her, then she must be the perfect match for you, Rune. And since you also seem to be happy with the arrangent, why would I be against it?"
I grinned at Rune, his expression shifting from disbelief to a reluctant acceptance. Relief softened his shoulders.
"You know, Father, Brother isn’t only happy with the arrangent—he’s also fallen in love with her!" I chid in, my grin widening as Rune’s face flared bright red.
Laughter rang out from the other side of the brooch, a hearty, genuine sound that made my heart swell.
"Wait, that’s not—!" Rune began, flustered and flailing for a defense.
"Don’t lie, Brother—your face is all red," I teased, unable to help myself.
Rune’s sputtering only fueled Father’s laughter, his amusent mingling with the warmth of a father’s pride. The weight that had lingered earlier now felt lighter—dissolving like morning mist.
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