by CHIROLU
Dale felt relieved, hearing their conversation.
Though they mourned the loss of their parents, having someone to share memories with helped greatly.
Still, though... it’s a little disappointing that I’m not the one supporting Latina... Dale thought to himself. He was just a bit jealous that those two had spent time together that he wasn’t a part of and knew nothing about. But... there’s probably a lot of stuff that those sisters only made it through because they had each other...
Their deep feelings towards their parents could be seen not in just the girls’ prayers for the repose of their souls, but also in the way that they reminisced. Dale could tell just from looking at them that those weren’t all bitter memories, too. There was a calm, gentle air about them as they talked.
Normally Vint would just shove his way in as he pleased, but he apparently sensed that now wasn’t the time for that, as he had stretched himself out and was simply waiting. Still, from the way that his ears occasionally twitched, it was clear that he was keeping watch over their surroundings. Even from Dale’s point of view, the loyal pup was more than carrying out his role as a guard dog.
There was no danger to Latina and Chrysos, even in a magical beast habitat such as this.
“Chrysos, Mov and Rag... They both cared about us an awful lot, didn’t they?”
“Indeed.”
“Considering Mov’s position, it wouldn’t have been strange for it to be a political marriage, but... they never seemed that way to me.”
“I wasn’t able to ever ever ask her directly, but from what I heard from others... apparently Mov was the one who fell for Rag.”
“I see...”
Their conversation suddenly stopped there. After both being lost in thought for a while, they opened their mouths in sync, as if they had planned it out in advance.
“Hey, Chrysos.”
“Yes?”
“About Mov and Rag...”
“I have thought it through as well.”
“Right.”
Apparently, the twins had reached an understanding with just that brief exchange. They gripped their held hands tighter, and smiled at one another.
He knew it wasn’t the time to be saying such things, but Dale felt a little jealous of their relationship. And to be brutally honest, he felt a bit frustrated.
Dale was a man who didn’t waver on such matters.
Chrysos turned to face him, a gentle look in her eyes.
“I was thinking of constructing a mausoleum on this land and interring Rag there. And I would like to do the same for Mov.”
“Is this place really alright? You don’t want to bring them back home...?” Dale asked.
“Um, Mov was a member of the clergy, but Rag wasn’t. In Vassilios... a powerful priestess like Mov would be buried in the temple’s graveyard. Rag couldn’t be buried there, though,” Latina added.
“I would at least like them to be together from now on... I realize that may be mere sentimentality from those of us left behind, though.”
Dale didn’t have anything else to say, having heard how they felt.
“Well then, I’ll try to help make sure everything goes smoothly, too.”
“Right. Thanks, Dale,” Latina said with a smile. By her side, Chrysos wore a gentle expression similar to her sister’s. It was a real rarity for her to direct such a look towards Dale.
“I was thinking that once Rag’s mausoleum is constructed, it would also be good to have the highway between Vassilios and Laband pass alongside it.”
“Ah...”
It would be diverting the path a bit from the shortest distance between the two nations, but not enough to make for a large detour.
They would need a facility to maintain a highway through this land, so some structures would need to be built regardless.
“Rag and Mov... They were both very curious people, who enjoyed learning new things. I think that they would prefer being able to watch over a great many people in a place between Vassilios and the town that is Platina’s other home, rather than being buried in some corner of their native land.”
“They were both beloved by a lot of people... It would be nice if the people who came to remember them kept on going and visited Laband, and relations between the countries advanced.”
The two sisters imagined that sight, which they would hopefully see for real in the not-too-distant future. The smiles they shared gave off a similar impression, going beyond just their identical appearances.
That gentle, solemn time...
“Bam!”
Came to an end with a certain pup getting bored and ramming into the back of Dale’s legs.
“Hey...! Read the mood a little...!”
Even though it was a sudden, close range attack, Dale just barely managed to dodge it and avoid falling over. However, Vint seemed to take that as a sign that he was up for playing and launched another attack.
“I said cut it out!”
“Woof!”
“Are you really alright, Platina, being with fools like that?” Chrysos asked, glaring at the squabbling pair with a cold look in her eyes.
“Dale’s the one for me, after all,” Latina responded, looking at them with a smile. And then, she turned and faced the pure white gravestone and said in the devil tongue, “I’m really happy now, just like you wished back then... I found happiness.”
Hearing her sister’s report to their departed father, Chrysos added in a somewhat blunt voice, “Just finding happiness is not enough. After what we’ve been through, I think we’re owed more than that.”
“I suppose we are demon lords, aren’t we? Is it alright to be a little selfish, do you think?”
“Of course.”
Both of them broke out in smiles at the same time.
“I am glad that you’re here, Chrysos... Ryso.”
“I am as well... Latina.”
Then, they turned to smile at the pure white gravestone one more time, then left the place.
4: Sequel Extra Chapter: A Snowy Day, and Memories of the Little Girl, as well as her Time with the Golden-Eyed Maiden
Snow fell upon the town of Kreuz during Chrysos’s visit.
Usually such weather occurred earlier in the year, making this an out of season snowfall. Figuring that Chrysos most likely hadn’t prepared any outfits for the weather, Latina grabbed some of her own to share and then ran over to the manor where her sister was staying. Well, to be more accurate, Vint was the one who ran, while Latina followed steadily along behind him.
The road was slick with snow, making it easy to slip. If she rushed too much, she’d only end up taking a tumble and falling on her backside. Latina knew that well, as she had many painful, chilly memories of such occurrences.
In accordance with her tastes, Latina’s clothes were feminine and cute. Once Chrysos put on the fluffy knitted garments from Latina, they made for an even more adorable pair of twins than usual. Since the Golden King had been born and raised in the hot climate of Vassilios, this sudden cold snap must have been hard on her. When Chrysos arrived at the Dancing Ocelot, clad in a knitted hat and scarf, she looked just like a pink little lamb.
“Kreuz doesn’t get as much snow as the rest of Laband, and it usually only amounts to a light dusting in the end... It’s certainly been a while since we’ve gotten this much,” Latina said, sitting down next to her twin who was staring out the window. She placed the cups she was holding in front of herself and Chrysos. At a glance it appeared to contain a deep red wine, but it was actually a warm, sweet beverage made from fruit juice, spice, and sugar.
After blowing on it, Latina took a sip.
The recipe for mulled wine came directly from Kenneth, and Latina always made it when winter rolled around. Originally, she had learned it to help Dale warm up when he came home chilled to the bone, but now that she was an adult, she had developed a taste for it herself. That said, Latina wasn’t exactly a strong drinker, so a single sip of most alcoholic beverages was en
ough to turn her beet red. As such, when she made some for herself, she made sure it was real light on alcoholic content.
Chrysos didn’t seem to be paying much attention to what Latina was saying, as she was fixated on the view out the window. Between that and how cold Latina looked as she sipped her mulled wine, it seemed they must have taken quite a detour on the way here from the western district. It really was rather apparent just what had happened.
Dale stared at the two of them with a smile, nostalgically recalling the past.
“Latina got really excited when she first saw snow, too.”
“I mean, I’d never had a chance to see it in Vassilios.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true...” Dale agreed with a nod. Now that he had seen the arid land surrounding the nation, he definitely understood that.
The first snow of the year that Latina arrived in Kreuz had just barely provided a thin white coating over town, but that was still enough to get the young girl all worked up for the entire day. In her excitement she was practically glued to the window, and even opened it a number of times in spite of the customers’ complaints.
Dale was unable to just sit there and watch, so he ended up taking her outside before long. It didn’t take much time for Latina to fling off the hood she had on, feeling like it was just getting in the way. And then she just looked up at the grey sky and the snow fluttering down from it, never tiring of the sight.
Dale may have always pampered her, but even he couldn’t help but be a little astounded as he kept having to roughly wipe the light coating of snow off of her platinum hair as they walked all over town. If he kept letting her do as she pleased, she would end up catching a cold. Dale ended up bringing Latina back inside the Ocelot, even though she seemed like she hadn’t had her fill yet. Kenneth had apparently foreseen all this and prepared a bath, which Latina soon found herself thrown into.
Latina hadn’t been so excited in a while, but Dale knew full well that the chance to see the town in a different light was something that was sure to capture her attention. Still, since she was faced with a twin sister even more worked up than she was, Latina maintained a composed expression. He understood the way she felt, too, and couldn’t hold himself back from breaking out into a smile, so he slowly turned to the side and waited for it to pass.
“This may really pile up by the time tomorrow rolls around.”
“Such things can happen?”
“Yeah. It looks like it’ll at least be enough for the kids to play around in it... Still, you have to be careful walking around when there’s snow on the ground. Chrysos, it may be best not to go out tomorrow if you can help it...”
“There is simply no way I would comply with such advice,” Chrysos replied, firmly shooting down the suggestion.
“Wah?”
Latina looked dumbfounded. Dale, meanwhile, was staring at her with an astonished expression.
“Should you really be saying that? I mean, you never were the type to just obediently sit around, were you?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s for sure.”
The way that the owners of the Ocelot immediately agreed with him caused Latina to puff up her cheeks a bit. It seemed she had wanted to look at least a little mature in front of her sister.
“Still, it would probably be best to head back to the western district sooner rather than later. It really does seem like it’s going to pile up, after all.”
Dale grew up in a snowy land, so this wasn’t all that much for him. But he knew that since Chrysos wasn’t accustomed to it, even just walking could prove troublesome.
“I’m sure Adelina and the girls will shovel the snow, but still...”
“Shall I stay here for the night?” Chrysos bluntly interjected.
“Huh?”
“Wah?”
Chrysos immediately turned to Kenneth and started negotiations.
“I may be a relative of Platina’s, but I do not mind if you ask that I pay the standard fee. Do you have any open rooms?”
“Ah...”
Apparently even Kenneth hadn’t predicted this turn of events. His eyes started to unconsciously wander in response to Chrysos’s question.
Even if Chrysos said she didn’t mind, this wasn’t the sort of inn that was equipped to put up the ruler of a nation. And more importantly, he didn’t think there was any way whatsoever that it’d be acceptable to have the sister of the regulars’ beloved Fairy Princess stay on the same floor as all the regular customers.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he could just toss out all of their other customers, especially in this weather.
“Chrysos...”
“What is it?”
“Do you want to use my room?” Dale offered, feeling a need to do something about the situation. Chrysos instinctively wore a look of disgust. Dale’s room would have to refer to the one that he was all over Latina in, day in and day out. Perhaps the Golden King’s reaction was only natural.
“If you take it, you’ll be able to spend the night with Latina.”
“Indeed.”
That single comment, though, was enough to turn Chrysos’s feelings on the matter right around.
Upon seeing her sister’s reaction, Latina silently stood up from her chair. Seeing how she headed into the kitchen, she was likely going to tidy up the attic room and change out the bedding.
“I’ll use a guest room... is what I’d like to say, but I’d better just hang out near the stairs, on the off chance that there’s some sort of trouble.”
“Is your very existence not a threat to myself?”
“Hearing that would make Latina cry, so of course not.”
“I suppose that is true.”
The deplorable hero’s simple argument proved to be strangely persuasive.
And so, Chrysos’s first time spending the night was all set up. Alas, no one realized that her three guards had been left behind in the western district and forgotten.
Latina’s everyday routine was to finish taking a bath before the Ocelot entered into its nighttime hours. Kenneth and Rita were always busy, so she also used to help out with getting Theo bathed when he was little, and now she did the same for Emma.
Latina decided she would also bathe with Chrysos because she was afraid to take her eyes off of someone who had always been attended by ladies-in-waiting while bathing. And besides, the sorts of magical devices used in Laband didn’t exist in Vassilios, so she would probably need help in that regard, too. So, for reasons that Dale could guess at, Latina’s loyal pup ended up keeping careful watch outside of the Ocelot’s bath.
When Dale finally heard their voices approaching, he figured their bath must have been over. He nonchalantly looked up, only to then freeze in place.
“O-Oh?”
“Dale?” Latina questioned, tilting her head.
“No, it’s just... You two really do look alike...”
Dale was plenty accustomed to seeing Latina’s everyday clothing. Seeing it on Chrysos, though, was a new experience. Their physiques differed just like their eye colors, but the fluffy knitwear they had on hid the contours of their bodies. It seemed like it would be really easy to confuse the two of them at first glance.
Still, there’s no way that I would fail to pick out Latina, of course...
That was a point that Dale refused to cede.
“Wow... It’s piled up quite a bit...” Latina joyfully stated, looking out the window.
The two twins were glued to the window, staring outside like a pair of small children.
“At this rate, tomorrow will be pretty busy.”
“It will?”
“In Kreuz, whenever there’s a big snowfall, the kids always have a snowball fight in the center of town.
“Hmm?”
“Emma’s still too little, so she can’t participate... Theo will probably join in, though. I was thinking maybe I’d go watch,” Latina excitedly explained.
Chrysos, however, didn’t seem to understand at all. Un
surprisingly, as someone who grew up in Vassilios, she had no concept of what playing in the snow was like.
It was becoming a tradition for children in Kreuz to have a snowball fight after a big snowfall, just as Latina had said. That all started, though, on a wintery day the year after Latina arrived.
Dale broke out in a wide grin, reminiscing back on that time.
The day before the snowball fight, Latina had been seriously excited...
†
It was the winter of the year after Latina came to Kreuz, and she was currently nine years old.
That year, there had been a record-setting snowfall. It had already snowed quite a few times that year, to the point that Dale felt like he would never want to leave the warmth of his covers. Latina, however, was getting up early each and every day. That was in part because she wanted a chance to play in the fresh, untouched snow.
Even just a modest coating of snow was enough to greatly interest the children of Kreuz. But when it continued to snow for a few days and then looked like it was going to clear up, a clear point of contention arose amongst the kids: who would get to play in the plaza at the town’s center?
The residence of the town’s ruler, the seat of its government, was in the center of the cross-shaped town. At the same time, a plaza had also been constructed there and opened to the public, to give the townsfolk a place for rest and relaxation. This plaza had in turn become an important place to play for the town’s children. And with this amount of snow, the possibilities for play dwarfed the usual options.
The topic of who would get to play in the central plaza was a matter of great importance for the children.
“Why don’t we all just play together instead of fighting over it? Doesn’t that sound like more fun?” a certain girl offered while looking at the falling snow through the window of the school in the temple of Asfar. That was the start of things.
“Everyone together... That does sound like it’d be real fun, doesn’t it?” The girl’s friend agreed, looking like she was plotting something.
“Just planning out something on that scale sounds interesting... I think I’ll just watch, though, since it’s so cold out,” their other friend added, smiling and gently bringing her hands together.