'So that's it, Marcus. When you're ten you'll have five more years in the Persis Empire.

　I told Marcus nonchalantly.
　Julia and Marcus are frozen in surprise.

　''Well I'm sorry, no matter how much I want to win the war, I'm sorry. But there is no other way. I'm sorry that I've tied up your way of life.

　I bowed to Marcus.
　I'm a really bad parent.

　But there's no other way, and he's already made the decision.
　I have no choice but to let Marcus go, even if it means having to be stubborn.

　Marcus answered in a calm voice.

　─ Father, you don't have to bow to me. I am the Dauphin. If it is your father's order, I will gladly go to the Persis Empire...''
　Wait!

　Julia interrupts Marcus's voice and hugs him.
　Julia hugs Marcus tightly with tears in her eyes.

　'Julia,'
　Mother...
　....

　Julia silently hugs Marcus.
　She meditates and grabs Marcus firmly with both hands.

　So that Marcus can't go anywhere........

　Julia, get your hands off me.
　Ugh....

　Julia whimpered softly and shook her head wide.

　I stepped closer to Julia and touched the hand that held Marcus tightly in place.

　'Julia, let go of Marcus. Marcus is in pain.

　In fact, Marx is twisting around in pain.
　Even though she is a woman, it would be unbearable for a five-year-old to be tightly restrained by an adult.

　''.........because Marx........''
　Not right now. Five years from now. You don't get rid of Marx if you talk to him now.

　I yanked her hand away bit by bit, admonishing Yulia in as gentle a voice as I could.
　It was like a starfish clinging to a rock, but...
　Maybe she was tired, or maybe she realized what she was doing, but Yulia was slowly loosening up.

　After about fifteen minutes, I pulled Yulia away from Marcus.

　''I'm ... sorry.''

　Julia apologized to me and to Marcus in a small voice.
　

　''Julia, I mean........''
　I know, all right. As far as I'm concerned, Alms is right about everything. Everyone's doing their best and risking their lives and it can't be just me and Marcus. Besides.....

　Julia says in a shaky voice.

　'If you could have told me before it was decided I would have resisted. I'm not able to make a rational decision. So.........Almus is right.

　Yulia giggled and cried out.
　I hugged Yulia tightly and patted her on the head.

　'I'm sorry,'
　'Ugh don't apologize. It's my fault I'm the one who's suffering the most and I'm the one who's crying and I shouldn't be the one crying.

　Julia said that and.....
　He peeled himself away from me as he ripped himself off.

　'Yeah, I won't cry anymore. And I'm not going to die!

　Julia burst out laughing and crying.

　If it was the old Yulia........
　I would have cried for three days and three nights, thrown a tantrum and gone on a rampage.

　What can I say....
　You're getting stronger.

　Let's see now.
　I turned to Marcus.

　Marcus, who had been watching the exchange between me and Julia in a daze, noticed my gaze and jerked his body.
　I held out my hands.

　'Good.'

　Then Marx jumped into my chest.

　''No I don't want to go.''

　Pressing his face against my chest and letting out a muffled cry, Marx shouts.

　'Oh no, I don't want to go to Persis. I don't want to leave your father and mother!　I don't want to leave brother Anx, sister Fiona, Sophia, Flora, Nona or Fina!

　Markus sobers up.
　All I can do is pat him on the head.

　It's all I can do.
　....
　.........
　I'm sorry.





　Tired of crying so much, Marcus fell asleep in my chest as if he was passing out.
　I have the servant get him a blanket and lay him down on the floor.

　'Your pretty sleeping face ... and your cheeks are so soft ...'

　Julia pokes and tugs at Marcus' cheeks with her fingers, wiping the tears that run down Marcus' cheeks.

　'You're going to wake up,'
　Yeah well I guess so.

　Julia pulled away from Markus as if she was leaving behind.
　Then she turns to face me.

　'The bottom line is that you're a hostage but it won't be terrible, will it?
　He's the crown prince of an ally. I don't think you're going to abuse me.

　At least....　
　In our country, the hostages brought to the capital the children of the allies are treated politely.

　Even if one were to assume that the Persis Empire, which calls itself a civilized nation, would not treat Marx roughly.
　It's just........

　There might be some bullying between children.
　As expected of me, I can't make any promises about that either.

　My power doesn't work in the Persis Empire.

　Well it's not all bad. I don't think it's a bad thing that you can spend your youth in the Persis Empire, where there are so many different races, cultures and civilizations, rather than spending your entire life in this small Adelunian peninsula.

　I'd rather....
　It is preferable for the future of the multi-ethnic Kingdom of Romalia.

　Then Julia nodded widely to agree with me.

　''And there are a lot of kids in a similar situation to Marx, right? To be honest, I think Marx's friends in this country are ... hard to make. Even if he had strange cronies, it would only distort his personality. I don't know what I'd do if I did. ........So maybe it's better to stay in the Persis Empire.

　You're certainly right.
　I add to Yulia's opinion.

　''Later on, if you're in the Persis Empire, you won't have to put yourself on the shoulders of either Rosais or As. To be honest, I feel that the power struggle between the two factions has been intensifying lately. ........I hope that Marx will not put his shoulder to either of them and develop a proper sense of balance.

　And.....

　And...
　And then....

　Their voices are covered.
　.........Oh, no, not at all.

　'Can we stop looking for an excuse to send Marx to the Persis Empire?
　...Yeah, I guess so.

　Me and Julia remain silent and watch Marcus' sleeping face.
　It's a peaceful sleeping face.

　........I'm going to entrust the country I created to this child?
　You are so selfish.
　Parents are so selfish.

　A parent who gives birth to a child and then abandons it is also a parent, but a parent who places a heavy burden on his or her shoulders is also a bad parent.


　"Hey, Alms.
　What?
　'What is this little Scheherazade girl who became Marx's fiancée?
　'Well?　Ains says it's a cute little three-year-old girl, according to Ains. Ains only heard from Emperor Xerxes, too.

　It's just....
　It's not that he's a concubine's child or trying to impose a bad property of low status.
　That doesn't seem to be the case.

　I've heard that she's a girl of good blood, born to a nobleman of high status and the Emperor Xerxes properly.

　"Xerxes is a schemer, too. His debts are too much for me to resist. Marcus will be pro-Persis with his life in Persis and what a grandson of the Emperor Persis the child is. It's no match for me.

　Well, it's not a bad thing that the blood of the imperial family of Persis is entering our country's royal family.
　It's a bit complicated.

　Well..........
　More importantly, we've got five years to prepare for it.

　'We need to train Marx well so he doesn't get bullied over there. To be honest, I'm worried about his current poor constitution. He'll need to speak Cilician at least. And I'll need to buy a slave child to accompany her. Also....
　'You're the child of a nobleman studying abroad with Marx. ...You're not going to let Marx go alone, are you?
　No way. They're trying to recruit someone.


　I'm too worried about throwing Marx out into the Persis Empire alone.
　I must give him a minimum of guards, servants, and vassals.

　''For starters, at least one person from both the Ath and Rosais factions. In addition to that it would be reassuring and dependable if one of the three children, preferably Ron or Gram or Rosward, could accompany me. ...

　I can't say this one is unreasonable.
　If I, the king, were to ask him directly, I probably wouldn't be able to say no to any of the three of them, even if I wanted to....

　I don't want to do anything that would force you to do anything.
　It wouldn't be good for Marx if I did.

　So, what to do?