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I might do it (I didn't say I would).
"Big Sister! Lise Big Sister!"
"What is it? Is there something else?"
Lise Big Sister answered with a frown.
She's giving off a "stay away" aura, and her voice and expression are telling me she's in a bad mood. Normally, I wouldn't approach her.
But this time, I can't afford to.
"There's nothing that's been resolved yet."
"You're right. I firmly rejected Jürgen. What's your problem?"
"I wouldn't complain if you were satisfied with that. But you're not, right?"
"What are you talking about? I feel relieved."
"You're a bad liar."
She doesn't look relieved.
Rather, she looks like she's regretting something.
"Shall we talk while walking? I have a lot of questions."
"I have nothing to say."
"Is that so... Actually, Krista has a close male friend now."
"What!? What kind of guy!? Is he decent!? How old is he!?"
"It's a lie."
For a moment, Big Sister looked taken aback.
Then,
"I see. So you want to have a training session with me after so long?"
"Whoa!? I'm joking! I'm joking! But it shows how much I don't know about you, right?"
While stopping her from reaching for the sword at her waist, I chuckle.
After thinking for a while, Big Sister sighs.
"...Be brief."
"That depends on you. Shall we talk while walking?"
With that, I start walking beside her.
Big Sister remains silent.
She doesn't seem like she's going to start the conversation.
"I have a few things I'm curious about."
"Ask one."
"Alright... What happened with Leo three years ago?"
She probably didn't expect that question.
Lise Big Sister's eyes widen.
Then she looks away.
"Will you answer if it's just one?"
"...It's irrelevant."
"Is it? You've come to the capital much less often since then, right? And we only communicate by letter. To me, it seems like you're avoiding people."
Lise Big Sister glares at me with a hateful look, then shifts her gaze to the sky.
Then,
"...Three years ago, during the Crown Prince's funeral. I took a certain action, and Leo stopped me."
"What were you trying to do?"
"I was going to kill Zuzan."
"That's... quite typical of you."
And typical of Leo too.
I didn't know such a thing had happened.
He has his secrets too.
"Both Mother's and the Crown Prince's deaths were related to him. I was convinced of that. I wanted to remove the empire's curse, but... Leo stood in my way."
"Without evidence, killing the emperor's consort would result in your punishment too."
"Still... I wanted to kill him. I couldn't forgive him. So I tried to force my way through. But... Leo didn't back down no matter how much I beat him. He said I was wrong and wouldn't let me pass."
"That's typical of him."
"...Leo said that judgment should be made by the law. But the law is powerless. The Crown Prince was killed in a way that left no evidence. So I thought I had to kill him... I was determined to get through, even if I had to knock Leo unconscious. I hit him many times. Many, many times."
Come to think of it, after the Crown Prince's death, he was locked in his room for a while.
I thought he was in shock, but maybe it was because he was beaten by Big Sister.
"Still... Leo didn't back down. He said I was wrong. The Crown Prince wouldn't have wanted this. But... two family members died... I couldn't stay silent. I told him not to preach to me. I asked if he understood how I felt losing the brother who had sworn to support Mother. If he understood the feelings of those left behind... In response, Leo asked what would happen to Krista. What about the other family members? The empire? The things the Crown Prince tried to protect? Giving up all responsibility is just running away."
"...What did you say to such a Leo?"
Lise Big Sister's gaze shifts from the sky to the ground. Her face looked terribly downcast.
I've never seen her like this.
"...I couldn't say anything... I realized I was losing my temper. When I came to my senses... I couldn't stay there. I couldn't face the battered Leo... I fled back to the border."
"I see. So you've been avoiding people because you can't forgive yourself for that."
"...Yes, I couldn't forgive myself. At the same time, I was afraid. If Leo hadn't stopped me, I would have done something foolish. I was afraid of that... So I stopped making close friends. I cut off relationships with acquaintances. But the ones I couldn't cut off were you and Krista... and Jürgen. At first, I found Jürgen's involvement annoying, but then I also found it helpful."
Before I knew it, we had climbed to a high place.
Big Sister continued climbing in silence, and when we reached the top, she sat on a bench.
She looked like a completely different person from the usual confident Big Sister.
"'I will only marry someone who can die with me.' That statement came from that background, didn't it?"
"...If I were left behind, I wouldn't know what to do. But at the same time... I don't want to give others the pain of being left behind. I'm a soldier. I'm prepared to die. But... I can't accept the death of someone who isn't a soldier."
"That's why you tried to stop the Duke of Reinfeld from joining the military?"
"Jürgen is excellent. He could manage supplies or be a staff officer. But I can't die with him. I didn't want Jürgen to experience the pain I felt."
"But you couldn't be as cold as to cut off all ties. Because he's your closest friend, right?"
"...I don't know what he thinks, but to me, he's an old friend. But after talking to you, I realized I shouldn't bind him to my selfishness. I... was being selfish."
That's what she meant earlier.
Clumsy, or something.
Maybe Big Sister's time stopped three years ago.
She focused only on her duty as a soldier and turned a blind eye to many things.
I can't blame her. The Crown Prince was her closest friend. She saw him as the lord she should support. Just like I see Leo.
If I lost Leo... could I face forward?
It's hard. I would probably take the same action as Big Sister.
But what if I was stopped?
Big Sister has been living with unresolved feelings.
"I can't say I understand how you feel. I haven't lost anyone. My eldest brother was someone I respected, but our relationship wasn't close enough to be called family. I have Mother and a younger brother. I haven't lost anyone important. But I can still say something."
"What...?"
"I consider you family. Krista, Mother, and probably Leo too. That's why your current way of living is sad. I don't think you'll find happiness this way."
"I'm not seeking happiness. The ideal happiness I envisioned... shattered three years ago."
"Leo will create an even better ideal. So please look forward."
Those words lacked persuasiveness.
It's only a family bias to say that Leo can create an ideal better than the Crown Prince, who has just entered the imperial succession.
Leo is often compared to the Crown Prince. He himself tries to be like the Crown Prince.
But no one even says he's on par with the Crown Prince. The current Leo is a degraded copy of the Crown Prince.
But,
"I'll make up for Leo's shortcomings. Together, we can surpass our eldest brother. I'll show you a future better than the one you and our eldest brother envisioned. So please make the effort to see it."
"...You're making a big claim. The ideal you and your brother envisioned is much grander than you think."
"I'm looking forward to it."
With that, I looked firmly into Lise Big Sister's eyes.
Her eyes were different from usual.
They were calm.
"...It's a strange feeling to see my little brother grow."
"Is it? Then you'll be even more surprised to see Leo. He's grown too. It's not just us. Everyone has grown since the great Crown Prince's death. That includes the Duke of Reinfeld. It's not right for his efforts to become the man you deserve to end in such a way. If you don't want to marry him, that's fine. But you don't dislike him, right?"
"Well... He's a man who works hard for me. I even find him desirable. Of course, I don't see him as a romantic interest."
"Then say that. Cutting off the relationship is too harsh."
"That's true, but..."
Big Sister seems hesitant.
Could it be...
"You're not going to say it's awkward, are you?"
"W, well, of course it's awkward! What am I supposed to say after pushing him away like that!?"
"It's fine. Just say something casual. He won't mind."
"I mind! I won't be the one to repair the relationship! He has to ask me first, and only then will I say it's fine to continue as before! That's the best way!"
"You're such a troublesome person..."
"How dare you call your sister troublesome! As a little brother, you should work hard for your sister! I won't let you say you won't cooperate with me when you cooperated with Jürgen!"
Ha, I was supposed to help with Jürgen's marriage proposal, but why did it end up like this?
If it were Jürgen, he would cry with joy if Big Sister just said she went too far, but his pride won't allow it.
She's a troublesome person.
But it's good that a bit of her usual self is back.
Little by little is fine. Everything won't go smoothly right away.
As I was thinking that, someone climbed up the high place.
"Huh? Are you the Duke of Reinfeld's butler?"
"Y, yes! I, I'll report to both Your Highnesses! A purple flare has been spotted in the south! It seems there's a dangerous situation affecting the entire country in the south!"
A purple flare signals the highest level of emergency. Once it's launched, it's relayed to the capital through various relay points.
It hasn't happened since three years ago, when the Crown Prince died on the front lines.
The flare has been launched in the south.
"Leo...?"
Involuntarily, I look south.
It was the same that day.
It seems that turning points in fate always come without giving us time to prepare.