Side Story — Example

Marriage was a ritual that existed across various human societies. This was also true of the Arcana Kingdom, and it was only after that ritual was conducted that a man and a woman were formally considered married. And like many other societies, having a child out of wedlock was considered dishonorable.

However, in the Arcana Kingdom, and in the House Sepaeda territories in particular, there was a notable exception to that rule. That was when the man who was engaged to be married was going on campaign and would be separated from his betrothed for a long period of time. The journey to Magyan would take Sansui on a year-long mission abroad. As such, it was treated the same as a military campaign, so he had permission to do what all young men and women do before such a journey. Though, of course, technically, Sansui wasn’t a young man at all...

Sansui had departed for Magyan, and Blois, her siblings, and Lain had all returned to the Wynne family estate. For a while, Blois and Lain had spent their lives moving through the uneventful stupor of a daily routine, but that situation changed rather abruptly. Blois had suddenly fallen ill, revealing that she was with child. That quickly ejected Blois and Lain from anything like a routine.

“Miss Blois! You’ve made a baby?!”

“That’s right!” Blois answered the curious Lain proudly.

Blois was finally able to provide results for Lain, who had wanted a younger brother or sister, but had no idea precisely how children came to be. To be able to tell Lain that she was going to be a big sister was something Blois had desperately wanted. While she hadn’t formally married Sansui yet, she finally felt that she had accomplished something as a woman, rather than merely as a warrior. While it was just the first step, it was still a large first step toward achieving happiness as a family.

“Papa will be happy!”

“That’s right!”

Sansui would surely be happy to learn he had a child on the way. It’s true that he was a bit detached from the world, but surely he’d be happy about this .

“I knew this would happen but...it’s hard not to be able to tell him.”

Sansui was currently off under a far-distant sky, which was why they decided to create a child before marriage, but Blois couldn’t help but feel disappointment at being unable to tell him the news.

“Should we ask Master Suiboku?”

“Let’s not.”

She was disappointed, but not enough to talk to Suiboku. Neither Blois nor Lain had actually seen Suiboku fight. However, everyone who had seen him fight all said the same thing. The man was a monster. Even the leaders of the Arcana Kingdom found themselves at a loss on how to deal with him. Blois found it a bit too intimidating to ask Suiboku to go to the trouble of contacting Sansui just because she was pregnant.

“Besides, Master Suiboku is quite busy. While it’s a shame, it’ll have to be a secret for Sansui for a while longer.”

“Okaaay... How sad. Oh well.”

Lain was disappointed, but that was part of the deal. It’s not like Sansui was going to be gone for ten or twenty years, so the two decided to wait until Sansui returned.

“Hehe... So I’m going to be a big sister...”

Lain was extremely pleased at this development. She even felt a certain sense of accomplishment at the knowledge.

“Say, what’s a big sister supposed to do?”

“Um, well, I don’t know.”

Since Lain was going to be a big sister, she wanted to fulfill her role, but she couldn’t think of anything specific that she could do. Just what do big sisters do?

“But, Miss Blois, you have a big sister in Miss Chette, and you’re Lyra’s big sister, right? How do you not know?”

“Well, I was never home enough to really be a sister to them... I was always busy training with my magic and my sword to protect Lady Douve...”

Blois had both an older sister and a younger sister, but since she hadn’t spent much time with them, she didn’t know how sisters were supposed to behave toward one another. The two of them were at a loss as to what the answer was, but the speculation was fun for both of them.

“I know, Lain. Why don’t we go give the news to Lyra and ask her?”

“Yup! I’ll ask Lyra!”

Blois’s older sister Chette was already married and had a family of her own, while Hetter, Blois’s older brother, was extremely busy. But Lyra, her younger sister, probably didn’t have much to do. Blois and Lain decided to ask what Lyra, the youngest, thought about her older siblings.

Lyra Wynne sipped elegantly at her tea as she welcomed her older sister and niece into her room.

“Lyra... I’m pregnant!”

“Oh my! How wonderful, big sister! Congratulations!”

While the words were very much according to form, Lyra’s features and tone expressed sincere joy. Lyra smiled happily without overdoing it, and gestured with pleasure. The smart youngest sibling knew that it was best to celebrate normally at times like this.

“Right?!”

Lyra had gotten it completely right. Blois was nearly ecstatic at the congratulations.

“And how lovely for you, Lain! You’ll be a big sister soon!”

“That’s right!”

Her response to Lain was also perfect. There was no need for any artful words; she just needed to give them the normal words of congratulations and react happily. There was nothing better than to celebrate happy news.

“I’m sure Master Sansui will be happy too! It’ll be nice to see how pleased he’ll be when he gets home.”

Blois and Lain were entirely content with Lyra’s perfect response. It was almost enough to make them forget why they had come to her in the first place. It was true that they had wanted congratulations, of course, but that wasn’t their only goal. They wanted to have a bit of family talk too.

“Um, so, Lyra, I’m going to be a big sister, right? I want to be a great big sister for the baby!”

“My, my! You’re so enthusiastic!”

“Yup! So, what do you think a big sister should do?”

“Let’s see... Well, from my place as a little sister...”

Lain asked enthusiastically, and so Lyra humored her. Blois looked on happily as she felt everyone basking in the happy news. There was a lot of happiness here, ordinary family happiness.

“Oh, there you are, Lyra.”

“Oh, Blois and Lain are here too... Sorry, but we had something we needed to ask Lyra.”

The ones who interrupted that happiness were the two who were supposed to be busy at the moment. Like a splash of cold water, Chette, the eldest daughter, and Hetter, the eldest son, walked in. The three who had been rejoicing just a moment earlier felt a chill of apprehension as the two who were—for better or for worse—extremely motivated and hardworking in their particular fields, appeared.

“Well, Lyra... Ever since I’ve gotten back from the royal capital, I’ve been boasting about my beauty...! My beautiful skin, which is not only as supple as any young girl’s, but maybe even more radiant! Along with my lovely body!”

“O-Oh...”

“However, having done that, all the older ladies... They won’t stop asking me about my secret... It’s such a problem.”

Chette was in a state of ecstasy as she basked in the envy of the other ladies in the social scene. She probably did consider the attention something of a problem, but it was also true that she was enjoying the attention.

“But it’s started to get a little bothersome lately... Do you have any good ideas on what to do?”

“While you’re at it, will you listen to my problems as well, Lyra?”

After hearing his older sister’s problems, Hetter, the heir to the estate, then spoke with a serious expression, “As you know, the noble treasures that Master Suiboku crafted are extremely useful. In particular, the Wind-Fire Wheels that allow flight are extremely safe, unlike wind or fire magic. There are quite a few people who want them...”

Unlike Chette, who was boasting while describing her problems, Hetter was all business. But his eyes also had an ambitious glint to them.

“Of course, I know the items aren’t supposed to be passed around, but there’ve been all sorts of inquiries from the local notables... Do you have any good ideas on how to deal with this?”

The much older brother and sister looked upon their youngest sister with intense trust, and Lyra couldn’t help but sigh at their problems. She didn’t look happy or entertained by the situation. Blois and Lain thus looked upon Lyra with a great deal of sympathy.

“Let’s see... First, Chette. If you tell the most influential and oldest of the ladies that the item that’s the secret to your beauty is strictly controlled by the king, and that it might even be impossible to ever get another sliver, never mind an entire Peach, I’m sure she’ll do everything in her power to help you.”

“True! All I have to do is let her think she might have a chance!”

It was a pretty cunning bit of advice, but Chette seemed extremely pleased by Lyra’s suggestion. It seemed that she was going to take her younger sister’s advice.

“As for you, Hetter. First, you need to not so easily yield to their pleas, and don’t say anything that gives them hope. Make sure you say no.”

“B-But...”

“It’s not like you can make them yourself, big brother. Trying to claim credit for someone else’s work will just tarnish your reputation. If you’re in a position to do something about it, then act at that point. That’s what it means to act honorably.”

“You’re right. I let my greed get the better of me.”

With that, the two of them left Lyra’s room. Of course, they gave their regards to Lain and Blois, but they showed no interest in why the two of them were there.

“So, Lain, we were talking about a proper big sister, right?”

“Yup...”

“The most important thing...is to not end up like that.”

Lain and Blois could only offer a dry laugh in response to Lyra’s perfect answer.