IYWHM SS 5

Side Story 5

 

Upon hearing Kisa’s words, Daisy opened her mouth wide and asked in disbelief.

 

“Then, your baby doesn’t have a name?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“Is that okay? Wouldn’t it be difficult when you need to call the baby if there’s no name?”

 

“I just call him ‘baby,’ and the servants call him ‘young master.’ Since he’s still young, it hasn’t been much of a problem.”

 

For reference, Seyard called his young son “little one.”

 

Even after hearing the explanation, seeing her daughter’s still dubious expression, Mana volunteered to defend Kisa.

 

“It’s not such a strange thing. It means they’re taking a long time to think about what name would be good for the child. Especially for nobles like Bella, names are important, so they don’t decide easily.”

 

At her mother’s explanation, Daisy seemed somewhat convinced, saying “I see.”

 

“Then are you and the Duke still thinking about giving the baby a good name?”

 

“Well, yes.”

 

“What kind of name do you think it will be?”

 

“I’m not sure. I’ve thought of a few candidates, but none of them really feel right.”

 

“What does the Duke say?”

 

“We’re putting our heads together to think about it.”

 

That’s how she answered, but to be honest, Seyard had completely entrusted the role of naming the child to Kisa.

 

[I don’t have the proper qualifications. Isn’t this a child that Kisa protected preciously even while fleeing from me, who deceived you?]

 

Therefore, his position was that he would not raise any objections to whatever name Kisa came up with.

 

‘Seyard would keep his word once he’s said it.’

 

At the time, Kisa had accepted his assertion without much opposition.

 

To tell the truth, she wasn’t without the desire to give the child a name she had thought of herself.

 

Moreover, during the not-short pregnancy period, escaping from Seyard had been her top priority, so she hadn’t been able to put much effort into prenatal care. It would be natural to want to at least carefully choose a name.

 

However, if there was one problem, it was that even Kisa herself hadn’t anticipated that the deliberation over the name would drag on this long.

 

Just when she thought this name was good, another name would catch her eye. It had been over a year since she’d been dragging out time in this manner.

 

Her son, who had been a newborn baby, had already taken his first steps and reached the level of pronouncing short words like “mama.”

 

‘And yet I…’

 

Though Seyard didn’t rush her at all, she couldn’t help feeling self-reproach.

 

If she delayed too much time, the child might later find his own name awkward.

 

‘I should decide on the child’s name as soon as we return to Yomos.’

 

Even if there wasn’t a name that completely satisfied her, she was determined to decide this time, no matter what.

 

It was at that moment.

 

“…Bella, we’re really going now.”

 

Daisy, who had been scolded by her mother for asking too many questions, said sullenly.

 

Then Mana suddenly corrected her daughter’s words.

 

“Not Bella, but Kisa. From now on, let’s call her by her proper name.”

 

“No, it’s fine. I told you it’s okay to keep calling me like before.”

 

“Actually, I was going to do that too, but when there’s such a pretty name, it would be a waste to only call you by a pseudonym. May I ask who gave you this name?”

 

“…I heard my mother gave it to me. My father wasn’t interested enough in his daughter to personally decide even her name.”

 

“How could that be!”

 

Daisy shouted as if she was the one getting angry.

 

“Your father is really strange. Well, whatever. The name your mother gave you is wonderful. I’m sure it’s much better than what your father would have given you, Kisa!”

 

At the child’s pure indignation, Kisa naturally smiled.

 

“Thank you for saying that, Daisy.”

 

“Don’t mention it, it’s nothing!”

 

Mana, who had been watching the two fondly, also chimed in.

 

“Yes, it really is a beautiful name. Bella was nice too, but just because that name is gone doesn’t mean our shared memories disappear.”

 

Kisa pondered her words for a moment, then nodded firmly.

 

“Yes, that’s certainly true.”

 

The seasons they had spent together as three people, and sometimes four with Gale, were still vivid in her heart.

 

“Thank you so much. I’ll miss you!”

 

Daisy leaned out of the carriage window and waved for a long time until a considerable distance had opened up between them.

 

“I’ll miss you too!”

 

Kisa also shouted at the top of her voice, then turned and entered the mansion when the carriage completely disappeared from sight. She could have strolled through the garden before going in, but somehow she was concerned about Seyard.

 

In fact, he had been receiving another guest who had visited the Hillan estate this morning, so he couldn’t join in seeing off Mana and Daisy earlier.

 

She had conveyed his regards instead, so that wasn’t a problem, but somehow the purpose of the third guest’s visit was bothering her.

 

‘What brings that person here?’

 

It was someone Kisa was also acquainted with.

 

“Oh.”

 

But then, as Kisa turned the corner, she happened to run into that very person.

 

“Your Grace. It’s been a long time.”

 

Toward the person who politely greeted her, Kisa also nodded and spoke.

 

“As you said, it’s been a long time, Brother Vishius. Or should I call you this instead, my husband’s spy?”

 

At that moment, the young monk’s face subtly stiffened.

 

“Haha, you really do make cutting remarks…”

 

She had learned the truth about this man not long after returning to Sorbi.

 

[Kisa, there’s actually something I haven’t revealed to you yet. It will probably be shocking.]

 

Seyard, who had confessed this, gave Kisa the choice of whether she still wanted to hear it.

 

For Kisa, from the moment she took his hand again, there was only one answer. She needed to know and wanted to know.

 

‘Well, that didn’t mean it didn’t make my head spin.’

 

The fact that the kind monk she had met at the monastery was his subordinate was surprising, but what left Kisa stunned was Robin Stampfer’s identity.

 

To think that even that man, who was Aria’s husband and Daniel’s friend, was someone who moved according to Seyard’s orders.

 

Naturally, Kisa couldn’t help but focus on the fact that it was Robin who had brought Daniel to the Willow Tree tea house run by Hazel. What were the odds that it had been pure coincidence?

 

She told Seyard the frightening speculation forming in her mind, and he simply admitted it. That it was all something he had planned.

 

‘I was really disturbed then…’

 

Though she wasn’t unaware that Seyard possessed such a character, Daniel’s betrayal wasn’t something Kisa could easily overlook.

 

Though it was a wound that had healed now, how much it had hurt at the time.

 

After Kisa had shut herself in her room for a while to process her emotions, Seyard came to her and said she could change her mind and leave.

 

Kisa asked him just one thing.

 

[Why are you telling me everything now?]

 

After a considerable silence, Seyard’s answer was this:

 

[It seemed like I shouldn’t hide anything from you anymore. I’m not sure why.]

 

Thinking about it, that answer was ultimately what made Kisa stay by his side.

 

If Seyard had been determined to hide the truth, Kisa would never have imagined it. In that sense, voluntarily confessing the secret first meant that he himself had changed.

 

Kisa decided to trust her judgment once more in seeing hope in his change.

 

As a result, though it took several months, they were able to become a couple who spent time together again in a peaceful atmosphere.

 

Well, separate from that, seeing Brother Vishius inevitably brought back memories of that time and made her words sharp, though it was unavoidable. It was only at the level of joking, after all.

 

“This time I came here simply as an errand boy. Sorry, but I’m quite busy, so I’ll be going now.”

 

The man who rattled off his words like a machine gun moved his feet quickly before Kisa could respond.

 

She glanced at the monk’s rapidly retreating figure and headed toward her original destination.

 

Shortly after, when Kisa entered the Duke’s study, Seyard, who had been sitting at his desk, greeted her.

 

“Did you see the guests off well?”

 

“Of course. But what’s that?”

 

What Kisa indicated with her eyes was a basket placed on his desk.

 

He looked down at the small bottles in the basket and spoke.

 

“Brother Emil sent it. He heard from Vishius that I would be staying at this estate this spring, so he asked him to bring a gift. Vishius happened to have business in the capital.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

“Isn’t it quite contradictory? Sending a personally made medicine as a gift to a man who tried to kill him.”

 

“…He doesn’t know the background story.”

 

“That’s right. That man has no idea that Vishius’s hesitation saved his life.”

 

Though she couldn’t know the detailed situation, she had heard that Brother Vishius had arbitrarily disobeyed Seyard’s order to eliminate Brother Emil.

 

Naturally, his insubordination was quickly discovered by his master who had returned to Sorbi, and Seyard had to stand at a crossroads of what to do with Emil, whom his subordinate had spared.

 

“I didn’t expect Vishius to act that way either.”

 

Muttering this, Seyard stood up from his chair and walked to the window.

 

“Looking back, I was too arrogant.”

 

Seyard, who had only considered Vishius as a pawn in his hands, seemed to have been led to reflect on his life because of that incident.

 

Vishius had grown quite attached to the people at the monastery during his stay there, more than he had imagined, and that’s why he couldn’t bring himself to kill Emil.

 

“To think I believed one human being would stay in the palm of my hand forever.”

 

Having felt some kind of doubt, Seyard didn’t try to threaten Emil in any way after that. Instead, he revealed the truth that he was actually Vischer Hillan and that he had killed the real Seyard with his own hands.

 

It was a very dangerous decision, close to gambling, but surprisingly, it brought positive results for both Seyard and Emil.

 

[To personally punish that demon! How wonderful!]

 

The real Seyard Hillan was not human but a demon to Emil, and Emil seemed to judge Vischer’s killing of his brother as a kind of self-defense.

 

[That evil man who tried to kill his own brother to steal the family fortune! I was wary of him from the beginning. I saw the demon dwelling in his eyes!]

 

The excessively stubborn monk even made a promise to Seyard not to reveal his identity to anyone and returned to the monastery.

 

Of course, there’s no such thing as “absolute” in this world, and he might change his mind if given cause someday. Seyard had let Emil go, taking all of that into consideration.

 

Vishius was now merely a trainee monk who was on somewhat friendly terms with Duke Hillan.

 

“…”

 

Kisa watched the figure whose back seemed deep in thought, then quietly approached Seyard.

 

When she leaned into him, Seyard adjusted his posture so she could rest comfortably.

 

“Seyard, I finally thought of it.”

 

“What?”

 

“Our child’s name.”

 

“Is that so? I’m curious what name it is.”

 

“Vischer.”

 

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

 

Kisa met two wide red eyes and pronounced clearly, syllable by syllable.

 

“After your real name, Vischer. Vischer Hillan the Second.”

 

“…My real name now is Seyard. I decided to live that way.”

 

“Fine. Then let’s say it’s after your former name.”

 

“Kisa.”

 

“Why, there’s nothing particularly strange about it. It’s quite common to give children the names of parents or grandparents, and is there some law saying you can’t use a brother’s name?”

 

Moreover, since the supposedly dead Vischer Hillan was the previous duke, in others’ eyes it would appear as respect toward the previous duke.

 

After silently studying Kisa’s face for a moment, Seyard parted his lips.

 

“Is there a reason you’re insisting on that name?”

 

Kisa raised her hand and gently stroked his cheek.

 

“Vischer. It’s such a pretty name, but it would be sad if there’s no occasion to call it.”

 

“…”

 

“So I want to call it often. And give others opportunities to call it too.”

 

Then his well-shaped lips slowly curved upward.

 

“Calling it might make me crave biscuits.”

 

Kisa smiled back and answered. Then you can eat lots of them.

 

“Shall we head back to Yomos soon?”

 

At Kisa’s words as she nestled in his arms, Seyard buried his face in her nape.

 

“Why? Didn’t you say we should spend this spring here?”

 

Kisa laughed a little at the tickling warm breath, but didn’t bother to push him away.

 

“Originally I was going to do that, including making appearances in society, but suddenly I’ve grown tired of it all. Never mind all that, I just want to see our son quickly.”

 

“What an amazing coincidence. So do I.”

 

Delighted that their hearts were in sync, Kisa burrowed deeper into his embrace.

 

Looking at the rain of flowers falling outside the window, she could picture her young son’s face clearly.

 

The child with red hair resembling Seyard and blue eyes resembling Kisa had skin as white and beautiful as those flower petals out there.

 

Kisa resolved to rush to see the child the moment they arrived in Yomos.

 

She would go and tell him what a beautiful name he had received.

 

Of course, together with this man who was now by her side.

 

~The End~