TYND 32

TL: Motokare

Theon patted Rothy’s small, trembling back with his large hand.

“Rothy. Aeruhen was testing you. He has no intention of selling your weasel.”

“……”

“I’ve heard since my return that our Falsen heir’s quite the animal rights activist.”

“What activist? I’m not that extreme!” Aeruhen shouted, his face flushed red. 

Theon briefly explained about Aeruhen to the puzzled Rothy. Aeruhen was a lad who loved animals so much that he wouldn’t even participate in the hunting festival, one of the North’s three major festivals.

While Theon was away, the estate’s management had been left to the administrator and treasurer. Aeruhen, meanwhile, had focused solely on his heir and knight training, staying clear of governing matters. The only time he’d ever wielded his authority as heir was to strongly advocate for reforms to the hunting festival.

The Northerners held hunting in such high regard that they hosted the hunting festival every three years, even during wartime. Aeruhen had proposed replacing sharp arrowheads with dye, and after capturing and counting the animals, releasing all but those needed for the day’s meals and distribution to the territory’s people back into the forest…

It was a noble idea but ultimately deemed impractical, and his proposal was rejected.

“……”

Rothy’s dewy, glistening eyes turned towards Aeruhen, who was stomping his feet in exaggerated frustrations, muttering “oh, blast it” before finally blurting out the truth.

“You’re a mage, you must know there are some mages who turn rare creatures into familiars and parade them about proudly. I was merely testing if you were one of them.”

“……”

“You should dye your weasel’s tail black or dress it up. That way you can pass it off as a common species. If you keep showing it off like this, someone’s going to try and steal it.”

His words were somewhat blunt, but it was because he was worried about the weasel. Rothy blinked his thick eyelashes and wriggled down from Theon’s lap. Even though it wasn’t the time for this, Theon missed the warm, small body that’d just left his arms. 

Pit-a-pat, 

Rothy approached Aeruhen, covering the weasel’s snout with his palm before holding it out.

“Would you like to pet it…? “

“What? “

“Sorry for doubting you…. Pet it if you’d like…. It’s really soft and squishy. “

“….Hmph. All right. If you insist, I’ll pet it. “

Aeruhen responded primly, then extended a finger, letting the weasel sniff it first. Only then did he cautiously reach out and stroke its snowy fur. He looked as if he’d just experienced an epiphany when he gently placed his hand on the creature’s white fur. 

“Holy— Fuck… It really is soft and squishy… Is it still a baby? How old is it?”

“Six years old…”

“Perfect age to be cute. Have you raised it since it was little?”

“Yeah…”

“Its name’s Chi-chi? Why’s that?”

“Cause the sound it makes, it goes ‘chi-chi-chi’…”

“That’s ridiculously adorable.”

Theon realised then Aeruhen was really the same age as Rothy. 

Aeruhen left in a much better mood than when he came in, after getting his fill of petting the weasel. Rothy gave treats to Chi-chi for being so well-behaved. The creature had the nerve to curl up right in the middle of Theon’s huge bed and munch on its treats.

“Would you like to pet it too, Theon…?”

“Next time. I’ll be busy for about two weeks. After that, I’ll be with you constantly, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about me and focus on your work. I’ll be polite, well-behaved, and stay quiet.”

“You don’t need to be quiet. Feel free to cause a bit of mischief with Aeruhen. He can handle that much. He might be brusque sometimes, but he’s a good kid at heart.” 

“Yeah… I know. He resembles you, Theon.”

“Resembles me?”

“When you smile, your eyebrows lift like this…”

Rothy tried to demonstrate by tensing his eyes. But that only made his round green eyes even rounder. When it didn’t work as intended, Rothy reached for Theon’s face. He instinctively lowered his head for him. Rothy’s soft finger touched the end of his right eyebrow. The gentle fingertips traced the end of his eyebrow and muscle. Their eyes met. With his finger still on Theon’s eyebrow, Rothy whispered quietly.

“Smile.”

“……”

Theon felt a bit strange, but… that strange feeling let him smile just as Rothy wanted.

“See? Right…? When you smile, this part lifts up.”

Thanks to Rothy’s finger, he felt the muscle at the end of his eyebrow lift up. It was something he’d never noticed in his thirty years of life. Partly because he hadn’t had many reasons to smile. But also because no one had ever thought to look at Theon’s face so closely, down to such a tiny muscle. 

When Rothy smiled brightly, Theon raised his hand and gently caressed his cheek. His hand was so big that it enveloped his entire face, and his thumb brushed lightly beneath his eye and across a cheek. 

“When you smile, this spot dips in.”

It was a dimple that added an innocent, endearing charm to his face. But Rothy’s eyes grew wide, and his eyelashes started trembling.

“Why does it dip here? That’s strange. Did I get hurt somewhere?”

“No, you didn’t. It’s an adorable dimple, the kind most people couldn’t get even if they tried.”

“You scared me. I thought something was wrong with me…”

“Wrong with you? What do you mean?”

Rothy looked down sadly and nuzzled his cheek against Theon’s palm.

“I’ve seen others who seemed fine, but then suddenly, their faces and bodies just…collapsed. Master said it wouldn’t happen to me anymore, but I’m still scared…” 

He was referring to the side effects of the magic stone implantation. Rothy melted into his embrace when Theon pulled him into his arms. When he’d touched Rothy’s cheek earlier, he’d noticed how warm his body was. If he took medicine and got some sleep now, he’d be able to move around fine tomorrow. But first, he needed to give him the medicine. Theon held Rothy a bit tighter. The small heart was beating faster than usual.

The first thing the lord of Falsen pushed for after returning in fifteen years was the festival that all Northerners had been hoping for. The North had fewer festivals than the South, but when they held one, it was as big and grand as the imperial capital’s Harvest Festival. 

The three major festivals—the Snow Festival, the Hunting Tournament, and the Magic Stone Harvest—were so significant that nearly a third of the empire’s trade funds flowed through the North during each event. But that was all a story from twenty years ago… 

Anyway, Theon decided to hold the Snow Festival for a month. The North was originally a land of severe winters where the snow didn’t melt until May. But about a hundred years ago, after heating magitools were developed and climate control through tremuhle was perfected, it changed from ‘barren land’ to ‘liveable place’. 

Currently, because of the magic stone shortages, many magitools were inoperable, causing the cold to be even harsher than the one he’d experienced in the imperial capital in the first month. Ironically, that made it possible to hold the Snow Festival.

Usually, festivals take half a year to plan, half a year to establish, and another half year of delays for various reasons, but since there’d been a Snow Festival planned but cancelled years ago, they could move forward much faster using those existing plans.

Theon executed everything swiftly and decisively. 

“Your Imperial Majesty, Archduke Falsen has requested funding for the Snow Festival.”

“Damn it. That brother of mine’s stirring things up the moment he returns to the North.” 

He managed to secure the funding from the imperial treasury. 

“Archduke Falsen sent me a list of supplies he wants for the Snow Festival.”

“You too? He demanded gold coins from me.”

“How much are you giving? 

“Whatever he’s asking. His letter was slightly… intimidating.”

“The others will likely give him whatever he wants too, won’t they?”

“Most likely. It’s a request from the Northern archduke, after all.”

“Nothing to be done about it. I suppose I’ll have to do the same…”

Thanks to the support from other northern territories who’d enjoyed safety under Falsen’s protection, the festival was successfully organised. On the opening day, Theon—uncharacteristically dressed to impress—appeared atop the castle ramparts to announce his return as the lord of the North, and the arrival of peace, declaring a month-long festival. 

The Northerners were ecstatic, but so were the imperial citizens who had flocked to Falsen for the festival. Theon busied himself receiving guests who requested audiences and appearing at various event venues. Time passed in a whirlwind, leaving him no room to breathe……

Before long, two weeks had passed since his return to the territory, and a week since the festival began. Theon didn’t return to the estate until past the early hours every night. As an Aura Master, he’d transcended human limits—his body could go days without sleep and felt no fatigue. 

But the constant socialising and public duties—something that was at odds with his nature, had left him mentally drained. 

I’m definitely not cut out for dealing with people. 

Theon reached his bedroom with a frown between his brows. Sensing the movement inside, he smiled slightly. He signaled the guards at the door to leave, and they bowed deeply before departing. When Theon opened the bedroom door.

“Theon!” 

A snow fairy in blue pajamas came running. Every night, Rothy waited up for Theon, never falling asleep first.