第１２９１堀：子供だからこそ見えるもの (Part1)
The 1291st Moat: What Only Children Can See
Side: Shera
As usual, I was efficiently progressing through my paperwork. My main duty was mediating with the Kingdom of Gartz, but recently, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs getting on track, the need for me to personally step in and make adjustments has significantly decreased. Because of this, I've increasingly found myself supporting not only Labyris and Aslin but also Dressa and the others. They now hold positions of considerable standing, after all. I hope that by helping them even a little, I can ease their burdens.
That, however, is merely a pretense; my true desire is simply to be with my friends. I couldn't help but smile, realizing that such honest feelings had begun to cross my mind. Just then, Kirue, who had brought tea, said...
“Lady Shera, is something the matter? Did something amusing happen?”
“It’s not anything you did, Kirue. I just feel as though, since coming to Weed, I've become more of a child than an adult.”
“Ah… indeed. You smile much more now than you did when you were in Gartz.”
“Is that so? It’s not that it was Lowell or Charl’s fault, nor did I have any complaints, mind you.”
“I am well aware of that. You were affectionate sisters. However, it was still different from friendship, and with your royal status and hierarchy, I imagine you felt a wall between you.”
“Well, that was just me; Lowell and Charl always seemed to have plenty of leeway. In fact, Lowell doted on me quite a lot, never minding such things at all.”
Lowell, known as the 'Shield Princess of Gartz,' truly showered me with affection. Though, at times… or rather, quite often, she tended to go a bit overboard.
“...Well, Lady Lowell is simply that kind of person.”
“She is.”
I could only offer a wry smile at Kirue’s assessment. I'm sure she's still stirring things up and causing trouble for my brothers.
“We've strayed from the topic. Here, I find it far more comfortable to exist as Yuki’s wife and a friend to Aslin and the others, rather than as royalty. It’s as if I’m a child again.”
“I think that’s a wonderful thing. It’s not as if you’re causing mischief, after all. And regarding the child Gartz expects you to bear, I already have my own child, and I believe it would be best for Lady Shera to wait until her body has fully matured. Until then, there’s no harm in enjoying yourself.”
“I do want a child with Yuki, but I definitely want to avoid a situation where I can no longer play with Aslin and the others.”
That truly is a predicament. Well, with Kirue’s child being born, Gartz hasn’t been pressing me as much on the matter.
“Regarding that, aren’t you coordinating the timing with Lady Aslin and the others?”
“Yes. We’ve sworn to do it all together. Well, I think that time is approaching, though…”
Quite some time has passed since I married into Weed. Aslin, who was truly a young child back then, is still often mistaken for her younger self because she uses a small doppelganger of that age, but she has grown into quite a shapely woman. While I can't say I've grown quite as much as her, I've certainly matured beyond being called a mere girl.
“Ah, in other words, you’re regretting that your ‘time as a child’ is coming to an end, aren’t you?”
“Yes. It has been a dream-like time. I now fully understand Yuki’s intention when he told me, who had convinced myself I must strive not to shame myself as a royal of Gartz and as the wife of Yuki, a divine messenger, to ‘simply enjoy myself, not as royalty, nor as a princess.’”
Indeed, Yuki had told me to go and have this brilliant experience. From an outsider's perspective, there were likely many moments that seemed trivial. But for me, they are precious memories of 'being with Aslin and the others.'
“To be honest, as someone watching over you, there were moments that made my heart skip a beat, but seeing Lady Shera’s face now, I truly believe it was a wonderful experience.”
“Have I caused you a great deal of worry, Kirue?”
For that, I truly apologize. Kirue is not merely my personal maid, but also like an older sister to me. It pains me to cause her such distress with my selfishness.
“Yes. However, this has been a profoundly good experience for me. My husband always said—no, I should have known it all along—that there are things to learn and remember from children. Isn’t that also true for Lady Shera?”
“Yes… that’s true. By attending Weed’s school—no, *because* I attended it—I learned what it meant to act my age. Unreserved smiles, listening obediently to adults, and above all, innocently dreaming of the future. I had believed it was my duty to be a certain way, yet I regretted having grown up too quickly.”
And that I could never be like these children. But...
“But Lady Aslin and the others pulled you along, didn’t they?”
“Yes. They pulled me along, further and further.”
As an adult, I should have admonished them, and even if I couldn't stop them, I shouldn't have participated. But Aslin and the others always pulled me along regardless, even when I hesitated, thinking of my royal status or not wanting to tarnish Yuki’s reputation. That, they showed me, was the world of children.
“Well, there were times I got scolded for various things, but in the end, I always smiled.”
“Indeed. And my husband always said, ‘That’s what children are like.’ And that it’s the role of adults to allow them to be that way, to guide them. No, that’s what adults *should* be.”
“Is that so? Yuki is always chasing a dream, isn’t he?”
What Yuki aims for is the environment of Japan on his birth-world, Earth. No, even in Japan, there must be those who neglect children, and naturally, those who force children to act like adults. Not everyone can be good, after all; but precisely because of that, he 'aims' for it, I suppose.
“Yes. And my husband always says, ‘Men are always children.’ As proof, he’s always thinking of ways to play, year after year—no, constantly.”