Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance

The bell rang three times.

 “May the favor of the goddess Fiora be on every breath and fingertip.” 

The priest who had stopped chanting the blessing gestured, and two waiting priests opened the door. The girls of Winter’s coming-of-age ceremony finished their prayers and stood up.

 “That wasn’t as bad as I thought.” 

Eileen whispered as they descended the steps of the temple in their robes, and Cordelia commented with a grimace.

 “Something about a year summarized in a nutshell.” “It’s your mood.” 

Ignoring Cordelia, who still looked frustrated, Aileen patted the star in her arms.

 

Winter, age sixteen. She hadn’t been sure if she should bring the spirit inside the temple before her coming-of-age ceremony, but Star had grown strangely fond of it, and it hadn’t been easy to send her back to the Elemental Realm.

 “Stubborn little thing.” 

With a flick of her nose, Star whimpered once, and then threw herself into Eileen’s arms.

 “Chew.” 

Carried down the stairs, Star wiggled her tiny paws gently toward the temple. Eileen didn’t see it as she carried her, but Cordelia, following them down the stairs from behind, saw the curiosity in her eyes.

 “What are you looking at to say hello?” 

Cordelia stopped and looked back at the shrine. Aside

from the other girls descending the stairs and a few priests, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

 “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” 

Still young, Cordelia thought, and quickened her pace to stand at Eileen’s side.

 “Finally, the Academy.” “I can’t wait to see how they’re going to organize the entrance ceremony and dorms. Felix and Lucian did that in their letters, but they didn’t tell me anything about it.” 

On the carriage ride back to the manor, they talked at length about the Academy. The first coming-of-age ceremony was over, but he didn’t feel much better about it.

 “It was more like a middle school graduation with a bunch of lectures. “It would be nice to share a room with Eileen.” “If it was a dorm, wouldn’t we have to share a room with another grade?” 

Even as they stepped out of the carriage, a familiar voice came from behind them, talking about the Academy.

 “You’ll probably be sharing a room with a second year.” “Duke!” “You’re early today, aren’t you?” 

The duke, coat in hand, stood behind them. He nodded and said, “I see you’re here.”

 “I see there are no children at home now, for they are all grown up.” 

Eileen and Cordelia, still wearing their robes with the goddess’ sigil, smiled shyly.

 “Well, we still have one more coming-of-age ceremony to go.” “That, too. Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?” “Yes!” 

Oslo said, accepting the duke’s coat.

 “Today is a special day for you two ladies, as you have come of age, so I have prepared a dish of honeyed venison and the most famous raspberry cake in the capital.” 

The corners of Eileen’s mouth twitched as he added in a low voice that it was the duke who had prepared the cake.

 “It’s so good!” “Thank you.” 

Eileen and Cordelia picked up their pace, hungry from being in the temple for so long. The Duke, watching them from behind, chuckled softly.

 

He was still too cute to be called an adult.

  

***

  

A little more time passed, and it was the first Sunday of the new year.

 

Eileen stopped by to inspect the greenhouse one last time before her departure for the Academy. She knew the gardeners had done an excellent job, but she wanted to tidy up today.

 “Star, don’t make a fuss, just play by the swing over there.” 

She slipped on an apron, picked up a seedling shovel, and began carefully transplanting the seedlings she had just purchased. The damp soil smelled faintly of the forest.

 “Eileen?” 

Just then, the duke opened the greenhouse door and entered. He had come to the greenhouse with the intention of reading, as he held a book in one hand.

 “Oh, you’re here to read?” “Yes. I was just taking a break; did I disturb you?” “No. On the contrary, I think I’m interrupting you.” 

“Well, just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll be over here looking at some books.”

 

He held out his hand and took a seat in the gazebo in the center of the conservatory, a warm, nostalgic place he often sought to clear his head when he felt unbearably tired.

 

The duke pretended to read a book, and Eileen, noticing, went back to transplanting the seedlings. He looked up from his book and watched her diligently as she worked.

 

He recognized the back of her head, her hair long and tied back into a proper bun.

 “Theresia used to wear her hair up like that when she was at the Academy. 

For a moment, the image of a young woman with her navy-blue hair tied up in a ponytail, strutting through the schoolyard, flashed in and out of his mind.

 

She was eerily similar to Theresia.

 

He wasn’t talking about looks. It was the sweetness of her heart, the willingness to love and reach out.

 

That’s why the duke was so worried about Eileen.

 

That a child who loved and trusted

p

eople would be hurt by them. And he wondered if she and the child he loved would be hurt in the same way.

 “There are many types of people in the world. I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust people; I’m just saying that if you end up getting hurt when you least expect it, it won’t be your fault.” 

The duke clicked his tongue as he spoke. It was clear he was getting older. It was too dark a thing to say to a child who was just starting out at the Academy.

 

Eileen’s eyes widened a little in surprise, but then she smiled.

 “Thank you for your concern.” 

The Duke was relieved to see that the smile didn’t contain the slightest hint of embarrassment.

 “Always remember that you have Gaudium behind you, and I have you.” 

He took a moment to choose his words, then said softly.

 “Farewell.” “Yes, I will.” 

Silence fell again in the greenhouse, the only regular sounds being the rustling of the seedling shovel and the peacock flipping through a book. It was a simple but happy sound.

  

***

  “Let’s sleep together tonight.” 

Greeting Cordelia, who patted her on the head with a pillow, Eileen was overcome with nostalgia.

 “This is just like when we were kids.” 

Eileen smiled a little, remembering her nursery school days of sleeping in tight quarters.

 “You’re all packed, right?” “Yeah.” 

They turned off the lights and lay down. Unlike the nursery bed, which was barely big enough for two small children, the mansion’s bed was wide enough to comfortably fit two fully grown people with room to spare.

 “This is like old times. You were smaller than me, Cordelia, back then.” “We were.” 

So much had happened between those young days and now. She’d survived a near-death experience, gained her elemental powers, met new people.

 “I’m so glad you’re healthy. I’m really…” 

It didn’t take long for Eileen to drift off to sleep, her words becoming more and more rambling as drowsiness overtook her.

 “You always sleep so well.” 

Rolling over, Cordelia looked at Eileen’s face. Pale moonlight traced her forehead and the bridge of her nose.

 “What are you looking at?” 

Cordelia asked Eileen, who had already drifted off to sleep. It was a question she didn’t want an answer to.

 

Sometimes, Cordelia thought, Eileen seemed to be looking at something beyond her. Especially when she saw the way her eyes could go from normal to sad and angry in an instant.

 “Then I shouldn’t have to look.” 

If she could just push the object of her pain away and never see it again, she wouldn’t have to suffer. But even in her pain, Eileen faced Cordelia with her heart.

 

She would place a towel on Cordelia’s head even when she was suffering, and she would feed Cordelia’s parched mouth even when she was starving herself. Eileen was that kind of person.

 “Reckless.” 

Even if she didn’t know exactly what she was looking at. Cordelia vaguely wondered if it was about the future.

 

When she’d made the pact with the elemental in the midst of the demon attack, when the peacock had appeared from the grass, Eileen had been more like someone checking something out than a startled child.

 

If she really could see the future, it was most likely singing of misfortune.

 “Eileen, what are you looking at? Can’t we look at it together?” 

Eileen, reckless and righteous. If she wanted to hide the truth, Cordelia had no intention of prying. But still, her heart sank whenever Eileen acted in a reckless way that she didn’t understand.

 

Cordelia never wanted to lose her hard-earned true family.

 “Mmm.” 

Pulling the covers over Eileen as she stirred in her sleep, Cordelia lay back, savoring the long night, feeling the sheets shift slightly with her breathing.

 “When I’m strong enough not to make you uneasy, will we be able to see the same scenery?” 

Going to the Academy hadn’t changed what she would do. With secrets from each other, the two children faced a new future.

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