TYND 25

TL: Motokare

Chungnip burst into loud laughter at the sight of Rothy fussing over a helpless-looking Theon, trying to comfort him. The child shot him a reproachful glare, then grabbed Theon’s hand with a small whine, his green eyes gazing up with pure innocence.  

Theon’s cheek twitched—not from anger, but from an unfamiliar, inexplicable emotion. It burst like a dam, giving him no time to react or contain it. It was like trying to fill a tiny cup under a roaring waterfall: overflowing, overwhelming, all-encompassing. The intensity made his entire body tingle.  

And then…

“Cute,” Theon uttered, unable to contain himself.  

Chungnip’s laughter died abruptly. Even the other subordinates, who’d been listening to the entire exchange from nearby, snapped their heads up, exchanging glances as if silently asking each other whether they’d just heard that right.  

Rothy’s eyes widened in surprise before he shyly smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right… The flower’s really pretty and cute.”

Unable to contain himself, Theon scooped Rothy into his arms. The child was as light as a bird, his soft hair tickling Theon’s cheek and carrying a sweet fragrance that softened his usually stern face with an emotion as gentle as spring.  

After the break, the group packed up camp and set off for the great city of Aephys. With a population exceeding one million, Aephys was one of the largest cities, far surpassing the typical 600,000 residents that defined a metropolis. Their carriage rolled smoothly over the well-paved roads as they approached.

The city buzzed with celebration for the empress’s coronation. Even in broad daylight, fireworks lit up the sky, minstrels filled the air with lively tunes, and the streets teemed with people dancing, smiling, and revelling in the festivities.  

“Wooooow…”

Screeee…

Rothy’s face peering out of the carriage window was full of wonder. The weasel perched beside him blinked its red eyes, equally captivated by the view. 

“They’re so many people… they’re singing… and dancing… and eating bread… wow……”

Hearing Rothy’s awestruck murmurs, Theon rapped his knuckles twice on the wall near the coachman’s seat, signalling for his attention.  

“Drive slower.”

“Yessir. Not that we could go fast with this crowd around anyway.”  

Theon rested his arm on the windowsill and joined Rothy in watching the outside world. There were more carriages powered by magical mechanisms than those drawn by horses like theirs. No wonder the streets were so clean. 

However, traces of the war still lingered—in the collapsed corners of the chapel ceilings and the bridges under construction along the river. Given that Maton’s offspring had breached a place as fortified as the imperial capital, how close had Aephys come to collapse? Despite the cheerful façade, this remained a time when everyone carried wounds beneath the surface.

After another thirty minutes by carriage, they arrived at the lodging Ultje had arranged. Located in the city centre, it wasn’t the most luxurious accommodation, but their mercenary disguises limited their options. Still, the mere presence of protective magic spells made it worlds apart from their previous accommodations. 

Ultje approached with six keys in hand.

“Leader, since there’s protective magic here, I’ll share a room with Rothy tonight. Please get some proper rest for once.”

Until now, Theon had always shared a room with Rothy to ensure his safety, but in a warded space, such precautions weren’t strictly necessary. He almost nodded absentmindedly, but something made him pause. Glancing down, he noticed Rothy’s trembling eyelashes—a fleeting moment, but enough to reveal the boy’s attempt to hide his feelings.  

He misunderstood. 

More than a month had passed since Theon first met Rothy, and he’d learned the boy was surprisingly perceptive, yet often acted oblivious. Theon had expected him to find ordinary daily life awkward, but still…

His self-esteem’s far too low. 

When others took certain actions, his thoughts often defaulted to ‘they did that because they dislike me’. Theon could clearly read the thoughts running through his mind right now. 

[Theon hates sleeping with me all this time. He only forced himself to because I’m a living magic stone. That’s why Ultje’s sacrificing himself instead. Theon hasn’t been able to sleep comfortably with me around all this time. And I was being so cluelessly happy…]

Maton’s offsprings, particularly the most dangerous of them—the Fallens— thrive on negative human emotions. 

Anger, fear, hatred, jealousy, anxiety, mistrust… 

Having faced such creatures. Theon had naturally developed a keen sense for detecting negative emotions in others. But while Theon saw right through Rothy, Ultje, standing nearby, simply looked at Theon with confusion, wondering why Theon hadn’t responded.  

“No, I’ll sleep with Rothy. Give us the biggest room.”

“Ah, is that so? Understood. Here’s the key.”

Taking the keys, Theon scooped Rothy up with one arm. Startled, the boy let out a small “eep” before clinging tightly to Theon’s neck. Looking at the boy who now hovered slightly above his eye level, he asked in the gentlest voice he could muster:

“Rothy, do you dislike sharing a room with me? Would you prefer to sleep with Ultje?”

“……!”

Rothy shook his head vigorously. 

“That’s a relief. Let’s head up then.”

He was aware of his subordinates staring blankly at his back as he made his way up to the room. But what mattered to him were Rothy’s tearful, shimmering eyes and the fluttering heartbeat he could feel against his chest, like a trapped bird. Even after Theon set Rothy down on the bed and began unpacking, the boy’s rapid heartbeat didn’t slow, leaving Theon flustered enough that his own pulse began to race.  

“Rothy, are you warm?”

“I’m a bit hot…”

Rothy, meanwhile, carefully set the weasel down and began fumbling with his buttons, but because his fingers kept slipping, Theon leaned over and helped him with them.

Screee

The weasel was busily exploring the room with its nose twitching, inspecting every corner—from the bedside table to the chairs, bed, and wardrobe… After thoroughly sniffing everything, it hopped onto the bed and stretched out languidly, as if satisfied with its inspection. Lying on its side, licking its front paws while watching Theon, it seemed to say, ‘So this is where we’re staying tonight. Not exactly my kind of joint, but it’ll do. I’ll sleep here’. 

“Uhm… Theon.”

Now dressed in casual clothes after shedding his coat, Rothy approached him hesitantly, fidgeting nervously. 

“Did you…do that because I seemed disappointed earlier?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry if it showed… You don’t have to share a room with me. I’m already so grateful that you took me as your betrothed… I know you didn’t want to marry a child, but you did it for me, and that’s more than enough. So, please… don’t force yourself to do things you don’t want to.”

Theon was at a loss of words. Never in his thirty years had he experienced anything that left him so speechless. Not even as a young child, before the war, had he felt this way. This boy really was remarkably perceptive. But… his perception was pointed in the wrong direction.

“Rothy.”

Feeling somewhat lost, Theon knelt in front of the boy. 

“I’m the archduke of the empire and the lord of the North. Do you know what that means?”

“Yeah… It means Theon’s the strongest in the world.”

“That’s right. I’m the strongest. No one can order me around, and no one can force me to do anything. I don’t have to do things I dislike.”

“But the emperor gives orders to you.”

“Not even the emperor could force me to do anything I didn’t want.”

“……”

“I don’t do things I dislike. So, sharing a room with you isn’t something I dislike.”

As he spoke while meeting those beautiful green eyes with steady resolve, Rothy’s racing heartbeat finally returned to a calm rhythm.  

“Now that you understand, shall we go eat?”

“Yeah.” Rothy nodded brightly. 

He turned to call for the weasel, but it’d already perked up at the mention of ‘food’ and was scampering over. With a squeak, the creature deftly climbed up Rothy’s body and wrapped itself around his neck like a scarf. 

That’ll be hot in the summer.

He was already picturing the summer they’d spend together in the North.

Ultje, who’d been to Aephys before, had promised this was the best restaurant in the area—and true to his word, the place was teeming with diners. Since the reserved seating wasn’t in a separate area, Theon’s party had to mix with the other guests. They split between three tables—Theon and Rothy at one, Chungnip, Zey, Xeon and Ultje at another, and the two attendants at the third. 

Squiiing…

The weasel let out a small cry from Rothy’s lap, the tone peculiar enough to catch Theon’s attention.  

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I think Chi-chi is scared…”

Rothy took the coat from the hanger and carefully arranged it on the empty chair beside him, shaping it into a nest. He then gently placed the drooping weasel into the coat with both hands. The creature whimpered and curled into a ball. Tucking the coat around it like a blanket, Rothy gave it a few reassuring pats before sitting up straight again.  

“Does it get scared when there are many people?”

“It gets scared when there are too many voices.”

“What about you?”

“Me too… a little.”

Meaning Rothy also found this bustling place comfortable. Theon considered leaving the restaurant but—

“Are you… fine with it….? In a crowded place like this…”

It was so unexpected he didn’t know how to respond.