Side Story #6
“Again! I’ll do it again!” Ruslan shouted, panting.
“Even if you try again, the result will be the same, Ruslan. Now go spar with your brother,” Anture said, patting Ruslan’s shoulder. Ruslan’s eyes filled with frustration. It was understandable for someone with such a strong competitive spirit to be upset after losing to Anture in a two-against-one match.
Anture handed the sword to a knight and walked towards Enrique. Ruslan’s eyes burned fiercely as he watched Anture’s back.
“I told you to play with the kids, not to tease them,” Enrique clicked his tongue as Anture kissed his forehead.
Anture sat down next to him and chuckled. “I don’t know why, but teasing the kids is so much fun. Especially Ruslan, why is it so entertaining?”
Enrique glared at Anture. “I guess you want to see him all worked up because he’s too mature for his age. Look, doesn’t he seem more like a child now?”
Anture gestured playfully towards the children.
The children were bickering in the middle of the training ground. Listening closely, they were arguing about whose fault it was that they lost the match. They certainly looked like typical children their age at that moment.
Enrique watched the children and tightly grasped Anture’s hand. Anture squeezed back. Without words, they understood each other’s feelings. They hoped this brief time would become a good memory for Bayan and Ruslan… and that Enrique and Anture’s affection would leave a deep impression on Ruslan.
*
Ten days flew by in the blink of an eye. The day for Ruslan to return had arrived.
Although they had spent every day making memories with the children, eating and sleeping together, the time felt too short. But they couldn’t ask Ruslan to stay longer. He had duties as the Crown Prince of Ruben. It wasn’t good for public sentiment for the Crown Prince to be away from the imperial capital for too long.
Early in the morning, the four family members woke up in the same bed and had breakfast around a small table, as they had been doing. But the atmosphere was quite different from usual. Bayan was openly sulking, and Ruslan seemed deep in thought, barely moving his spoon. Enrique and Anture were trying hard to hide their own troubled feelings.
“Father,” Bayan, who had been picking at his food, suddenly called out to Enrique. When Enrique looked at him, Bayan hesitated and mumbled. It was rare for the usually straightforward Bayan to hesitate and stammer.
“What were you going to say?” Enrique asked. Bayan glanced at Ruslan. Ruslan gave a small nod. It seemed they had discussed something beforehand.
“Well, I want to go to Ruben with Ruslan and stay there for a while.”
“…What?”
It was truly an unexpected bombshell. Enrique put down the fork he had been moving mechanically.
“Bayan, you’re the Crown Prince,” Anture, who was usually lenient with Bayan, said firmly.
“Ruslan is the Crown Prince too. But he came and stayed in Shamier. So why can’t I go? Right, Ruslan?”
Bayan looked at Ruslan sitting next to him. Surprisingly, Ruslan nodded immediately.
“I invited Bayan to the imperial capital. Since I stayed in Shamier for a while, wouldn’t it be good for him to stay in Ruben for a while too?”
It was the first time Ruslan had boldly requested something from Enrique and Anture.
Enrique and Anture exchanged glances. This was about the heir of Shamier visiting another country. It wasn’t a decision to be made lightly. And yet, they dropped this bombshell on the day of departure without giving time to think.
“Father, Dad, wouldn’t Ruslan be bored traveling to Ruben alone? And it would be good for me to visit Ruben, stay with Ruslan, and strengthen our brotherly bond. I could also experience Ruben’s culture while I’m at it.”
Bayan, who usually just whined when he wanted something, was now trying to persuade them. They were already feeling heartbroken about Ruslan returning to Ruben alone. Even Bayan’s obvious attempt at persuasion swayed their hearts.
“But so suddenly…” Enrique began, but Bayan quickly continued.
“Doesn’t Ruben have many good teachers too? I’ll study diligently there as well. I’ve agreed to attend classes with Ruslan. Right, Ruslan?”
When Bayan asked, Ruslan nodded vigorously.
“There are many excellent tutors in the imperial capital. I never neglect my studies. If Bayan joins me, we’ll study even better.”
Ruslan answered clearly and looked at Enrique and Anture alternately with expectant eyes. Bayan was also giving them sparkling looks. Faced with the brothers’ strong, appealing gazes, Enrique and Anture couldn’t bring themselves to refuse anymore.
In fact, it wasn’t a bad idea. It was good for Ruslan and Bayan to maintain the best relationship possible. It would also be helpful for Bayan to experience Ruben’s prosperity. Above all, how could they forcibly separate brothers who wanted to be together? Enrique and Anture met each other’s eyes. With just that, they knew they were thinking the same thing.
“Alright. But…” As soon as Enrique’s permission came out, before he could finish, Bayan and Ruslan jumped up from their seats. They hugged each other and cheered. Enrique couldn’t help but smile as he watched the excited brothers jumping up and down. Anture took Enrique’s hand. The two exchanged glances and smiled.
“Ahem. Hem!” When Enrique cleared his throat, the children quickly sat down in their seats with proper posture. They gestured that they were ready to listen attentively to Enrique with bright eyes.
“You must not skip classes, and you’re not allowed to run away from your knights. Don’t go to dangerous places recklessly. Understand?”
There were endless things he wanted to caution them about. But Enrique suppressed that urge and spoke briefly.
“Yes, Father!”
“Yes, Dad.”
The two children nodded eagerly. Enrique smiled with his eyes and patted their heads.
“By the way, Ruslan is already prepared, but to pack Bayan’s luggage…”
As Enrique spoke, Bayan quickly interjected.
“Actually, I had the servants pack everything last night.”
“…What?”
When Enrique immediately glared, Bayan stuck out his tongue.
“I believed you would give permission! Of course, I absolutely wasn’t planning to secretly hide in Ruslan’s carriage if you didn’t allow it. If I didn’t get permission, I could just unpack everything.”
“You little…”
Enrique lightly tapped Bayan’s forehead. Bayan held his forehead and made an exaggerated sad face.
“Go finish packing your things,” Anture saved Bayan. Bayan grinned brightly, took Ruslan’s hand, and dashed out.
“You’re always the nice father,” Enrique grumbled, glancing at Anture.
“That’s right. You’re the strict parent, I’m the lenient one. We agreed on this role division, didn’t we?” Anture tried to soothe Enrique. Then he moved close, wrapped his arm around Enrique’s shoulder, and pressed his lips to his ear.
“How about we go to a villa and rest for a while, just the two of us, once the children leave and it gets quiet? We could make a third child there too. Hmm?”
Anture whispered naughtily in Enrique’s ear. Enrique lightly hit Anture’s shoulder but didn’t refuse. Anture laughed softly and pressed his lips to Enrique’s cheek. Enrique turned his head and gave Anture a quick kiss.
Bayan’s claim about packing in advance wasn’t a lie.
Originally, it would have taken at least half a day to pack even with all the servants helping. But this boy had somehow managed to keep everyone quiet and packed everything so secretly that they just needed to load it into the carriage.
Thanks to this, Ruslan was able to prepare for his return to Ruben without significantly delaying the departure time. Carriages bearing the emblems of Ruben and Shamier stood side by side. In front of the carriages, Enrique and Anture exchanged long farewell greetings with Ruslan and short ones with Bayan.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
