Volume 6 Chapter 16 Father's Grateful Advice And Resolution To Apologize
──I can't keep going like this.
Sir Roxas and Sir Marx need to talk.
Now is the right time, for sure.
If my lie gets found out, it could hurt Sir Marx and Lady Irfimia.
The relationship between Sir Rail, Sir Roxas, and our parents might be too broken to fix.
But...
"Dad, what do you think I should do...?"
Sir Roxas says he doesn't hate hid parents anymore, but I don't think it's that easy to just let it go.
It must be challenging for Sir Roxas to reach out to his father.
Forcing it could be...
I'm not sure, but basing a decision solely on my feelings might be a bit self-centered.
If someone told me I had to get along with FraFra, who used to bully me, I think that would be really tough.
I lifted Dad's fluffy body and brought my small face close to his.
His big, dark eyes were looking at me.
His little, wet nose was cute.
"So, you're asking me for advice, Lydia."
"Yes, I'm asking you for advice, Dad."
"...Why not ask me? Lydia, talk to me."
"Sir Roxas is involved, so I can't ask you."
Sir Roxas, with his arms and legs crossed, said this a bit unhappily.
I feel like talking to Sir Roxas wouldn't lead to any good ideas.
"I've been quietly listening to everything in this cute form."
Dad said seriously. So, he was listening while curled up in his cute form.
I thought he was sleeping, but he was awake.
"To understand each other, people need to talk face to face. Writing letters, talking through others, and gossip can all twist how we see each other. Especially written words... they're just words."
"Are letters not good?"
"Well, letters can be both good and bad. Sometimes they convey the truth well, and sometimes they don't. If it's just casual talk, letters are fine, but when it's serious like now, talking directly is best."
"Dad, have you ever messed up with a letter...?"
"No. That's just a general idea. ...Not even that. ...Once, someone committed an awful crime because they didn't talk. I know about that. That's what I mean."
After saying that, Dad fell silent.
It felt like he had nothing more to say. Even with that look, he still had a cute puppy face.
For a while, the sound of Eir-Eir munching on baked goods echoed in the quiet room.
Talking things out is really important.
I couldn't talk things out with Eir-Eir or Ms. Famine.
But both of them reached out and held my hand, coming into my life.
They shared their feelings and memories with me.
They told me what they felt, what they thought, and what happened.
I wasn't in a place to talk with Dad or Sir Stefan, or even FraFra, but Sir Marx and Lady Irfimia were different.
They really thought about things, shared their feelings, and then apologized.
So, I guess...
"Sir Roxas."
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to apologize to Sir Marx."
"I understand how you feel. It's wrong to deceive my parents."
"But... thinking about Sir Roxas and Sir Rail's feelings, I feel like it's not right for me to think that way. Still, I really don't want to keep going like this."
"Honestly, you shouldn't have to worry about it. ...I'm sorry, Lydia. My brother and I thought talking to our parents was pointless."
Sir Roxas said that easily.
"I thought this house was controlled by a monster or something. But that's not true. My father is loyal to the royal family... That's why he was so desperate to protect the Girard family. My mother... she was originally from a lower family, the Count family. She could never think of going against my dad."
Sir Roxas said this calmly, as if checking the facts.
"But well, it couldn't be helped. It looked to me like they just abandoned my brother. But that's not the case. They sent him to another house and arranged for the care he needed. They just didn't fight back like I did to help my brother."
"I understand that Sir Roxas and Sir Rail were struggling. I don't know everything, but... Sir Roxas is angry because Sir Rail suffered, and Sir Rail is angry because he cares about Sir Roxas."
Sir Rail didn't look angry, but he's actually a really kind person who cares a lot.
He always encouraged me.
Not just me, but he also worried about Mr. Lucian, Sir Ciel, and Sir Stefan.
He always acted cheerful and said uplifting things.
But still... he seems to be trying to do things that could hurt his parents or the family name.
Maybe deep down, he's angry at his parents.
Sir Roxas can't abandon the Girard family.
Sir Rail, who has the White Moon disease, can't take over the Girard family.
I wonder if Sir Rail feels bad for putting that responsibility on Sir Roxas.
He's trying to fix things that can't be fixed, and that's why we're in this situation.
"I don't understand my brother's feelings. But... yeah, maybe that's true."
"Sir Roxas... it might be hard for everyone to get along. There are sad things and things that make us angry. There are probably many things we can't change... but it seemed like Sir Marx and Lady Irfimia were really happy for our marriage."
"That's probably because the family is still around."
"No, it's not just that... maybe, just maybe, it's because Sir Roxas looked happy. You seemed joyful... so maybe that made them happy too."
It's not always true that parents love their children.
The witch Sylphina from the Red Moon didn't seem to care about Eir-Eir or Ms. Famine at all.
She was filled with her own sadness, pain, and hatred.
She couldn't see the people in front of her──she couldn't see the children who looked up to her.
But I think Sir Marx and Lady Irfimia are different.
They didn't refuse the food I made.
They gathered at the table and ate together.
I believe the feelings they shared with me back then were genuine.
"I don't want to deceive Sir Roxas's parents, who can truly be happy for him. If it's hard for Sir Roxas to talk, I'll apologize and share your feelings."
"My feelings?"
"Yes! Sir Roxas said he doesn't want to get married. He has someone he likes."
"...Ah."
"I don't know who Sir Roxas likes, but don't give up on that person. It's better than trying to settle for me. That person might want to marry you."
"...Yeah."
After a long silence, Sir Roxas nodded and let out a deep sigh.
Then he stood up from the sofa and reached out his hand to me.
"Let's go, Lydia. If you keep worrying, you won't be able to eat. I can't stand seeing you struggle to eat when you usually look so happy doing it. I'm sorry for dragging you into this; I'll talk to both of them."
"Sir Roxas..."
"Just... I'm not good at using fancy words. It's hard for me to say kind things to my parents. So, I want you to be by my side, Lydia."
"Okay!"
I took Sir Roxas's hand.
Of course, I'm right here. That's because I'm friends with Sir Roxas.
He was always there for me when I was in trouble. So, I want to be there for him too.
We headed to his parents.
We explained everything that happened. Then, we talked about Sir Rail and how we had lied.
Sir Roxas quietly explained the situation, and both Sir Marx and Lady Irfimia listened seriously.
When we bowed our heads to apologize, Sir Marx said, "It's us who should be sorry."
"...I had a feeling, not everything, but I knew some things. And I heard the rumors about Rail. So, Roxas has someone he likes."
"Yes."
Sir Marx and Lady Irfimia were sitting on the sofa in Sir Marx's room.
We stood in front of them to apologize, and Sir Marx gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Blood ties are strong, huh? I once loved Lady Maria, the late wife of King Zeere."
I was surprised by the sudden talk about love and opened my eyes wide. Sir Roxas seemed shocked too, and he adjusted his glasses, which hadn't even slipped down.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)