Ch.182Time Flows #3

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

Clotho struggled to lift her heavy eyelids as she recalled the face of her mother, Eve, who had once knelt and sobbed. She was still exhausted from staying up all night researching with holy water obtained from the monastery.

“Nngh…”

She ran her hand through her neatly cut silver-tinged bangs and circulated the mana stored in her lower abdomen throughout her body. It was something Eve had taught her to clear her mind, somewhat similar to what martial arts novels describe as breath cultivation.

I’ll live. Only after driving away her drowsiness with mana circulation did Clotho rise from bed and head straight to the bathroom. Since Eve and Ellen had built a bathroom in the room after having children, there was no need to inconvenience others by asking them to fetch water.

After crouching in the bathroom to quickly wash her face, she suddenly realized Eve wasn’t in the room. She remembered Eve mentioning yesterday that she would be checking on the purification magic circles installed in wells throughout the territory.

“Good morning…”

“Ah, good morning. I see you’ve finally awakened.”

“Yes. I think I got too caught up in my research without realizing it.”

Clotho hastily changed clothes and left the room, reflexively greeting the servants with a bow. Naturally, the servants returned her greeting respectfully, but with genuine warmth. Apart from the complicated circumstances of her being of Zion’s bloodline that couldn’t be openly acknowledged, she received such treatment as Eve’s daughter who brought comfort and profit to the territory.

Clotho was well aware of this, but like Eve, she was often preoccupied with magic, and despite being a child, she never crossed boundaries and had no rough edges. Sometimes she would engage in eccentric behavior like frequenting the monastery using her position, but it was amusing enough to be overlooked.

“Sir… good morning. I’m sorry, but do you have any leftover bread…?”

“Ho ho. Late again today, I see. I’ll prepare something simple for you, so please wait a moment.”

Since it was well past not only breakfast but lunch time, the kitchen had likely been cleaned up already, but Clotho thought she might at least get a piece of bread if nothing else. Her feet naturally led her to the kitchen, and fortunately, Bart and the kitchen staff showed no signs of displeasure as they prepared food for her. This wasn’t the first time she had come to the kitchen for a late meal, and even her impositions were seen as endearing.

“Thank you. That was delicious.”

It was only natural to be grateful when they had prepared a proper meal when hard bread and water would have sufficed. With this thought, Clotho bowed her head. The staff, including Bart, were momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered and smiled lightly as if it were nothing.

Thanks to the meal, she thought she could energetically conduct her magic experiments, but that hope was dashed when someone barged into Eve’s room. It was Lachesis with her ashen skin, who had just returned from escorting the Altram merchant guild.

“When did you even sleep to be waking up just now? Have you eaten?”

“…I have.”

Though disappointed that she couldn’t immediately begin her experiment, Clotho couldn’t coldly dismiss her sister’s visit. She sighed and gestured for her to come in. Lachesis closed the door with a smile and sat right next to Clotho, pressing her hip against her sister’s. The bench-like long chair that had replaced the original after Clotho began her research provided ample seating space.

“If you’ve eaten, why does your voice sound like that? Did you eat properly?”

“I don’t know… Probably because I skipped breakfast. More importantly, don’t you have anything to do? Isn’t Lady Ellen calling for you?”

“Nope. I finished training in the morning, so I’m completely free. I’m not researching like you, nor do I have as much to learn as Nyx.”

Lachesis explained that while she received basic education for future preparation, it wasn’t as rigorous as Nyx’s, who would inherit the duke’s family, so she had relatively more free time. A fleeting regret for stating the obvious crossed Clotho’s mind before disappearing.

“…That’s true. Anyway, why did you come?”

“Do I need a reason? I just came to see your face and check on you.”

“Ah… I see.”

Although Lachesis was known to be meddlesome and loud among Zion’s children, which might have made interactions awkward, Clotho’s expression and attitude showed no such discomfort. This was because she understood Lachesis’s sincerity, along with their shared circumstance of being half-sisters whose blood relation couldn’t be publicly acknowledged.

“Thank you. For worrying about me.”

“If you’re grateful, how about cutting down on your research time? Even Lady Eve, who’s obsessed with magic, always takes weekends off. Doesn’t that mean rest is necessary?”

“That’s true, but… I’m still young. Besides, when Mother takes time off…”

“That’s usually when she’s busy pounding rice cakes with Father.”

Despite being a child herself, Lachesis spoke without restraint, which might have been awkward for Clotho to hear, but due to her impassive nature, she simply nodded. Someone observing might have commented that she wasn’t acting like a child, but this impassiveness had helped her easily accept Eve’s apologies. Moreover, as someone aspiring to follow in Eve’s footsteps as a researcher, Clotho viewed human reproductive behavior quite naturally—almost like observing animal experiments.

“It’s good that couples continue to mix bodies even after having children. They say males tend to lose interest in females they’ve already conquered and inseminated.”

“Oh… really? For real?”

“Not that it’s always the case, but that’s the general tendency. Haven’t you heard something similar?”

“Um… now that you mention it, it does seem that way.”

For a moment, the phrase “Do you still see your wife as a woman?” flashed through Lachesis’s mind, so she nodded with an expression suggesting it made sense. However, she soon tilted her head curiously at the vial Clotho was silently fiddling with.

“So, what are you planning to do today?”

“People trained in the Church create holy water or directly use divine power to heal people. I’m researching whether that can be used with magic. It would be useful in emergencies.”

“Why bother? We have medicine made from elven herbs.”

“…Let’s just say it’s for when we don’t have medicine.”

Knowing better than anyone that her justification was secondary, Clotho naturally fell silent with a grumble.

.

I was born as the son of Viscount Altram, so I learned skills to serve the Krauser ducal family, but Nyx had no such need. Despite having viscount blood mixed in, he was undeniably the duke’s son.

Nevertheless, I decided to teach Nyx various skills simply because I thought they would be good to know. For example, knowing how to sew develops a keen eye for stitches and finishes that others might miss, and knowing how to cook sharpens one’s ability to discern cooking conditions and ingredients.

Of course, if it were just about developing an eye, frequent observation and exposure would suffice, but I wanted him to try these things himself so he wouldn’t take such work lightly. Being born into one of the kingdom’s top three noble families, I feared he might inevitably become arrogant.

“Let’s stop here for today and take a break.”

One change since I began teaching Nyx is that Helena and I spend less time together. In the mornings, Helena teaches swordsmanship while I handle paperwork, and in the afternoons, I teach miscellaneous skills while Helena does the paperwork.

“Already? There’s still some time before dinner…”

“We’ve been working steadily every day, so we can afford this much leisure. Don’t you think?”

When I asked, Nyx nodded vigorously, as if he genuinely agreed. He was completely different from how he acted with Helena—truly childlike. Of course, I didn’t think this was necessarily bad, considering the reasons behind it. Compared to how Helena treated me, he was quite well-mannered.

“Go wait on the terrace. The weather’s nice, so it would be good to get some fresh air.”

“Ah, yes…!”

I watched Nyx, who had jumped up in surprise and headed toward the terrace, then slowly followed him after placing a teapot and cups on a tray. I also added some snacks, as tea alone would feel lacking.

Nyx eyed the tea being poured into his cup and the pre-made cookies with interest. Despite being male, he had quite a sweet tooth, probably because he was still a child.

“As you can see, you get two cookies. Any more and dinner won’t taste good. Understood?”

“Yes. I’ll enjoy them.”

As soon as I gave permission, Nyx picked up a cookie and bit into half of it. He had washed his hands before coming to the terrace, so there was nothing to worry about. Of course, I had done the same. Though I wouldn’t have minded much if he ate with somewhat dirty hands from playing outside… I thought it best to keep that to myself.

“As expected, everything Father makes is delicious…!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Is this why you wanted me to learn cooking? So I could make food whenever I needed it?”

“Hmm… you could say that. It’s more convenient to know how to cook than not to.”

Starting with our usual conversation made me feel comfortable rather than bored. It felt stable. After all, doing something familiar creates less mental friction than trying something new.

After enjoying the sweetness of tea and cookies with Nyx for a moment, I set down my cup and spoke. It seemed like a good time to talk.

“You seem to have less resentment toward your mother these days… was there a particular reason?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

Nyx spoke without pretense, probably because he felt more comfortable with me than with Helena, and didn’t hide his surprise. His attitude toward Helena was quite different.

“I’ve heard things here and there, but… more than anything, your eyes have more strength than before. That was my guess, and it seems I was right.”

“Wow… can you do that when you become an adult?”

“You’ll probably learn naturally as you live as the ducal family’s eldest son. It’s a position where, like it or not, you must observe and judge people.”

This was possible partly due to the excellent ducal bloodline, but I believed it was primarily due to good education methods. Even someone with slightly less comprehension ability could improve their level by diligently following the education.

“Ah… a duke.”

Usually, being called the sole heir to a ducal family would make one’s shoulders broaden with pride, but Nyx didn’t seem particularly pleased. His expression and tone were full of reluctance, resembling Helena exactly. I wanted to laugh, but seeing his serious expression, I cleared my throat and asked:

“It seems you’re not keen on becoming a duke.”

“Actually… yes. I want to travel outside like Lachesis, or live doing what I want like Clotho. I know it’s wrong, but…”

Nyx trailed off, thinking he shouldn’t say such things as the future duke, and naturally added a justification. From my perspective, there was no need for excuses, but from Nyx’s standpoint, it probably didn’t feel that way.

“What’s wrong with that? If anything, I find it amusing.”

“What? Amusing?”

“Yes. Your mother… Helena was also very burdened by inheriting the ducal family, and still feels that way.”

“What?! Mother does?!”

Nyx raised his voice in shock, as if hearing something unimaginable. His childish voice made it sound almost like a squeak.

“Yes. Helena handles her duties well and shows no deficiency as a duchess, so many people don’t notice, but she actually feels a great burden from power.”

To comfort Nyx and give him perspective as the future duke, I calmly shared something I hadn’t told anyone else. I explained that Helena had a shy side that made her uncomfortable with power and attention, and that she shouldered many burdens to hide this. I also told him how important it was to protect the ducal family, which was what allowed Lachesis and Clotho—whom he perceived as free—to move about freely.

“…Of course, things are better now than before, but that doesn’t mean those feelings have completely disappeared. However, I don’t think feeling such burden is necessarily bad.”

“Really…?”

“Indeed. Only someone who can feel the weight of responsibility is qualified to inherit the ducal family. So while I can’t tell you not to feel burdened, there’s no need to lose confidence because of it. In a way, you already possess a virtue essential for a duke.”

Burden as a virtue. Nyx seemed to like this idea, repeating it to himself several times after calming his surprise. Though there was still a hint of fear in his eyes, his expression looked quite dignified, so I felt there was no need to worry too much.