Chapter 6

　　Night had fallen by the time Astina and Theo materialized in the garden of the Nordo annex. As she headed for the entrance, Astina glanced back toward the distant lights of the Dresden Imperial Palace.

　　"My sister will be all right, won’t she?"

　　"Thanks to you, she’s able to eat now. She’ll be fine."

　　"I don’t know what we would have done without those lemons," Astina said, her brow furrowed by the small misunderstanding she still held about morning sickness. "To get an illness where you can’t even eat… pregnancy seems so difficult."

　　Theo, a master of magic but a complete novice in matters of childbirth, wore an equally serious expression. They walked in silence for a moment before he spoke. "Will you be returning to Dresden, Tina? I can investigate the kidnappings on my own."

　　He asked, knowing how deeply Astina cherished her sister. But she thought of Brillin smiling so brightly beside Hafen, and she shook her head. She remembered Hafen pressing his ear to Brillin’s belly, whispering silly jokes, and Brillin rolling her eyes at him, unable to suppress her laughter. They had always been a loving couple, but the baby had made their affection even stronger.

　　"His Majesty is with her. She’ll be fine." Brillin had found her happiness, and Astina knew where hers lay as well.

　　She held out her small hand, and Theo naturally took it. As they climbed the stairs together, hand in hand, Astina murmured lightly, "I’d like to have a child, too. Though I don’t like the part about not being able to eat."

　　"Pardon?"

　　"But I suppose it would be all right, since eating lemons makes you better?"

　　"Pardon?" Theo stopped walking, repeating the word with a dazed look that made Astina confused.

　　"The lemons. Do you think it would still be too difficult because they’re so sour?"

　　"Not that, Tina… did you just say you want to have a child?"

　　"I did. You saw how happy my sister was, didn’t you? She said she’s glad to have a child, even if it means suffering through morning sickness."

　　Astina smiled, her expression so bright and innocent it mercilessly shook Theo’s heart. He met her golden eyes, which held not a single trace of an ulterior motive, and cleared his throat. Adopting a serious expression, he lowered his voice and whispered in her ear as if sharing a great secret. "Tina, there is a certain… process one must go through to have a child."

　　It took her a moment to understand his meaning. When she did, she stumbled back a step. "I-I know that much! We just have to do it! I can do it!"

　　"But Tina," he said, a teasing glint in his eye, "you ran away last time."

　　"That’s because you… you t-touched my chest!"

　　"Exactly." He shrugged, barely suppressing a grin.

　　At his infuriatingly calm reaction, Astina’s face flushed a brilliant red, visible even in the faint moonlight. Seeing her standing there, completely flustered, Theo could no longer hold back his laughter. He reached out, stroking her hair in a soothing gesture. "I was too hasty that day," he said gently. "I never meant to startle you."

　　"…I didn’t run away because I was startled." She ducked her head, shaking it.

　　Theo, who had assumed she had fled in shock, now looked utterly chagrined. "Th-Then… did you not like it?"

　　"Theo, you idiot! Of course I didn’t dislike it," she mumbled, her head still bowed. Then, in a voice so quiet it was almost lost to the night, she added, "When I love you so much…"

　　His hand froze in her hair. His long fingers traced a path from her temple, down her cheek, to her chin, gently lifting her face. The woman he loved more than life itself was looking up at him, her cheeks as red as her lips, her eyes sparkling like stars. In that moment, thought became meaningless. His body leaned toward the person who was calling to him.

　　Just as their lips were about to meet, an uninvited voice shattered their own little bubble.

　　"Tower Master."

　　Astina, who had been captivated by Theo’s approaching blue eyes, jumped back in surprise. Hingis was walking toward them, waving with a good-natured smile. "Tower Master, someone from the royal palace came—huh? Tower Master?"

　　Clapping her hands to her burning cheeks, Astina pretended not to hear and scurried into the annex. Hingis stared after her in bewilderment, then turned to Theo, who was now gazing up at the moon. "Sir Theo, what’s wrong with the Tower Master? Did the two of you have an argument?"

　　Theo let out a long, heavy sigh.

　　His grave expression made Hingis turn serious as well. "I don’t know what happened, but you should probably be the one to apologize first, Sir Theo. No matter how close you are, if small misunderstandings are allowed to build up—"

　　"Sir Hingis."

　　"Yes, Sir Theo?"

　　"For the next three days, do not speak to me."

　　"Pardon? Oh, no…"

　　Theo turned away from the flabbergasted mage. He took a step, then paused, counted on his fingers, and clenched his fist. Twenty-seven days until the Emperor and Empress’s wedding anniversary, he chanted to himself.

* * *

　　The next morning, when Hingis returned to the annex, he greeted Astina cautiously. "Good morning, Tower Master."

　　"Good morning, Hingis!" Astina was as bright and cheerful as ever. She glanced at Theo, who had forbidden him from speaking, and he, too, seemed perfectly normal. The clueless Hingis, assuming they had reconciled overnight, brought up his reason for visiting.

　　"Tower Master, someone from the royal palace came to call yesterday."

　　"The royal palace? From Gail?"

　　"Yes. His Majesty the King has invited you."

　　Surprised, Astina looked to Theo. He calmly smoothed down a stray lock of her hair with his long fingers and spoke as if it were a trivial matter. "He’s moving faster than I expected. This is going to be a nuisance."

　　At Theo’s words, Hingis scratched the back of his head. "I’m sorry, Tower Master. It seems you’ve been put to trouble because of me."

　　Astina waved her hands dismissively, but Theo, who had not so much as glanced at Hingis, snapped, "Why should Tina be troubled? She can simply refuse the invitation."

　　"But Sir Theo, refusing a king’s summons will lead to more than just a nuisance. There could be serious consequences."

　　"And will the one facing those consequences truly be Tina, Sir Hingis?" Theo’s gaze was so cold it seemed ready to create consequences right then and there.

　　Hingis flinched and fell silent. Astina, listening to their exchange, tugged on Theo’s arm. For some reason, he seemed unusually on edge. "I can’t meet the king? I wanted to."

　　Theo’s icy demeanor melted the instant he turned to her. His face softened into a smile so sweet it seemed to carry the scent of flowers. "If you wish it, Tina, you may meet anyone. But why him?"

　　"He’s investigating the mage kidnappings. I thought I should ask if he knows anything."

　　"Indeed. That would be the fastest way to resolve the case and return to Dresden. A wise decision." As Theo’s attitude did a complete one-eighty, Hingis quickly chimed in.

　　"As a matter of fact, he said he wished to seek your counsel on that very case." With his kingdom’s mages disappearing, the King of Gail was undoubtedly at his wits’ end. It was only natural that he would want to meet the Tower Master upon hearing she was in his kingdom.

　　"Then tell the king I’ll meet with him," Astina decided.

　　"Yes, Tower Master. I will send a missive to the palace at once."

　　Just as the matter was settled, a knock came at the reception room door. It was Mikhail, who had vanished the previous night on some errand. They had assumed he was busy with the special mission from Hafen to procure more lemons, but he had returned with an unexpected companion. Eonora, Hingis’s youngest sister, entered the room beside him.

　　"Eonora? What are you doing here?" Hingis asked.

　　Ignoring her brother, Eonora stood with Mikhail before Astina. While Astina blinked in confusion, Mikhail made a startling proposal. "Countess, don’t you think it’s time the House of Berhi had its own merchant guild?"

　　"A merchant guild?"

　　"Yes. After the lemon incident, it’s clear we need a guild we can trust to handle matters like the sale of the Magic Tower’s artifacts."

　　"That’s true, but I don’t know the first thing about running a guild."

　　"Which is why I have brought an expert!" Mikhail gestured grandly toward Eonora. "Lady Eonora Nordo not only manages the practical operations of her family’s guild, but she is also well-versed in the affairs of the Gail Kingdom. And as Sir Hingis’s sister, she will have no trouble communicating with the mages. She is, in every respect, the perfect person to lead the Berhi merchant guild."

　　At his introduction, Eonora stepped forward, her expression tense but determined. "My abilities may be humble, but I will give my all, Countess. Please, hire me."

　　A surprised Astina glanced at Theo. He was equally taken aback, but he recognized a golden opportunity for the House of Berhi. He gave Astina a slight nod. If Mikhail recommended it and Theo agreed, she had no reason to refuse.

　　Astina rose from the sofa and extended her hand. "I’ll be in your care, Lady Eonora Nordo."

　　Mikhail gave Eonora an encouraging nudge and a playful wink. The tension finally broke, and she beamed, taking Astina’s hand. "Please, call me Eonora."

　　Seeing his sister smile so brightly, just as she had when they were children, Hingis had a grim premonition about the fate of his own back. Nevertheless, he humbly decided to support her. That night, Eonora announced to her father that she was leaving home to work for another house. Count Nordo, it was said, flew into a rage and thrashed his eldest son’s back, but in the end, he could not sway his stubborn daughter.

　　And so, the establishment of the Berhi merchant guild and the appointment of Eonora as its head were decided.