--In the middle of the night on this day, Garnet and I moved to the bedroom that my mother had prepared for us, and we finished preparing to spend the night there.

　There are no inns for travelers in the village; the inns along the road serve as a resting place for travelers, and that's where the carriage driver we've been riding in is lodged.

　But it's too late to go back to the road now, and I couldn't refuse my mother's advice to stay there.

I thought that ...... would be a good place to start, but I didn't expect to find a room for me at ......

　Holding one knee on the bed, Garnett fidgeted and looked around the room.

'I don't think it means anything weird, you know. This has always been a visitor's bedroom, and there have always been two beds. It's part of a village chief's job to provide a place to stay for guests in their position.
I know what you're talking about. I know that, you know, every time the Ginbei went to the countryside to investigate, it was like that. But, hey, isn't ...... something close?

　Garnett shifted his gaze to the other bed, adjacent to the one he was in.

　It would be more accurate to describe them as close together rather than adjacent.
　The two beds were perfectly aligned and perfectly aligned, as if they were one big continuous bed.

...... I'm sensing an agenda there too. Do you want me to move it if it bothers you?
'No!　...... fine, keep it up. I don't want to tire myself out before I go to bed after all this time in the bath.
That's okay. Don't complain later, okay?

　I put out the lantern and darkened the room, and put my weight on this side of the bed.

　The bed creaks and I hear Garnett stirring, but otherwise it's really quiet and I feel like I could fall asleep in no time.

　But as if Garnett hadn't talked enough, he lay back down and spoke to me in a whispered voice, "It's amazing what a family can do.

It's amazing what a family can do. There's something overwhelming about it.

　He sounded calm, or maybe he was repressing his anxiety, or something like that.

'My people are basically just a bunch of a**h*les, right?　Your mother left when I was a child. I've always felt that I didn't understand family.

　It must be said that Garnett's family environment is extremely unique.

　His father is a military leader who lived through a war-torn era and was the de facto first head of the Silver Wing Knights, and he holds old values that endorse the prosperity of his family through marriage.

　His three older brothers and sisters are all the children of his former wife, who is also deceased, and two of the three have the same values as their father, and his sister is even a devoted practitioner.

　And her own mother, who gave birth to her, took her life in front of her eyes by defending her young daughter, and that daughter vowed to avenge her mother's death and threw herself into the Order.

　To Garnett, the so-called 'normal family' might have been unimaginably distant to him.

''But there's Commander Carmine, right?''
Your brother is more of a boss. I feel like he's more of a businessman.

　In reality, Carmine cares about Garnett as a family member, but he didn't seem to be able to get through to her.

　Perhaps this area is still a difference in perception that can only be filled in if we talk about it through our stomachs.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to see your own personal life.

　I can feel him turning over in the darkness.

　As the voices became clearer to hear, it seems that he changed his posture from lying on his back to facing you.

'Train yourself, find an avenger, and fulfill your role as a knight. That was all I could do, and I didn't even think about what I'd do afterwards. ......
............
...... But I was happy and anxious when you hit up the nightclub and I was happy and anxious at the same time. I wondered if I was going to be able to start a family and make it work.

　Garnet reached out gently and grabbed the cuffs of my clothes, squeezing them tightly.

　I really miss the fact that I can't really see what he looks like because my eyes aren't used to the darkness.

'So, you know. I thought I'd get to meet your family and see what I could find out. ...... I knew I'd be able to .......
No way. No way.

　Lying on the bed facing each other, they untied the small fingers that gripped the cuffs and regripped them firmly.

　Then he put his other hand behind Garnett's head and pulled her close enough to see her expression in the darkness of night.

　The blue eyes and flushed cheeks that widened in surprise can be seen faintly.

''I(...) us(...) it's okay. A family isn't something you can make alone, right?　You do what I can't and I'll do what you can't. It's always the same.

　I saw Garnett's expression falter behind the dim darkness like a black thin cloth (veil).

　I almost forget sometimes with my usual willpower, but here is a girl who is still only half as alive as I am.

　I'm sure there are a lot of things I don't understand, and I'm sure I have countless insecurities.

　Accepting those feelings is something I should do, and it's something I can't help but do.

　You have to be an elder once in a while or you'll end up laughing at yourself for living twice as long as you did for nothing.

Thank you, White Wolf ......, that makes me feel a little better.
You're welcome. But is that what you call it again?　I don't hate you for being you, but you called your dad and mom different things.
"Ugh, ......, it's just weird to do that otherwise. ......

　The way the garnet scowled seemed cute and I couldn't help but keep talking about it more than I should.

'But as a matter of fact, I remember being called names, surprisingly enough.
'What?　Seriously!　I don't know you!
You know, the last time we fought the Night Ripper in King's Landing.
You just shouted that at ............!

　A dexterous knee kick is unleashed as he lies on the bed.

'I mean, let's just go to bed. I've got an early start in the morning. I've been talking about it for a while now, so I'm not going to be able to tell you.
Yeah, yeah. Good morning--

　Just as he was about to say his bedtime greeting, Garnet's face unexpectedly approached him and he felt a soft touch on his lips.

'Goodnight,'

　Garnett spun lazily sideways back to her side of the bed and pulled the towelling down to her face.

　I've been hit - the complete surprise has disturbed my mind, and I don't feel like I can sleep right now, not very well.

　I closed my eyelids tightly and moved my body onto my back, striving to chase the distraction from my mind anyway.