Good Night

The moonlight shone on the two of them.

Calca reached out and gently touched his fingers.

"Higashino Makoto, I've done a lot of dirty work, killed a lot of people, and seized a lot of land. When I can't sleep at night, I ask myself— Calca, are you still the woman who charged down the hill on the battlefield? Are you still the woman who would give everything for the people?"

"And the answer?"

The answer is I don't know.

She paused.

"But you said that a good king doesn't need to be perfect, just have achievements. The people don't care how much blood the king has on his hands, they only care whether they can have enough to eat and whether they can sleep peacefully."

She looked up at him.

"So, I have no regrets."

Higashino Makoto gazed at the moonlight reflected in her golden eyes.

Then she reached out and gently hugged him.

It wasn't a tight, forceful hug, but a lighter, more cautious one, a hug that seemed both tentative and reassuring.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"I'm not asking you to stay, I'm not asking you to make any promises, I just want to hold you for a little while tonight."

Higashino Makoto did not push her away.

Calca leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and closed her eyes.

The moonlight shone on the two people, casting their shadows onto the wall, where they overlapped.

After a long while, she looked up. His face was reflected in her blue eyes, and his slightly flushed cheeks looked as if he had been drinking.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"So, what's your answer? You rejected me last time, will you reject me again this time?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

What are you trying to say?

"What I want to say is... tonight, I won't ask you for a crown prince. I don't want children, I don't want any promises, I just want to be by your side with you."

She lowered her head.

"That's all."

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a long time.

So long that Calca thought he would refuse again, so long that her fingers began to tremble, so long that her tears were about to fall.

Higashino Makoto couldn't understand why she looked so worried about being rejected. Did she think she would still be rejected?

Then he spoke.

"Good."

Calca's tears finally fell; she didn't wipe them away, she just stood there.

Higashino Makoto reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face.

"Don't cry, it looks bad."

"If I become unattractive, will you leave?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her, then chuckled softly.

"Yes, but given your current beauty, I'd probably only leave if you were two levels lower."

Calca smiled, a smile tinged with tears, a smile of relief.

Higashino Makoto took her hand and led her to the bedside.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in a silvery-white glow.

Calca's nightgown slipped off her shoulders, revealing her fair skin. Her fingers lightly traced his chest, leaving faint marks.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"Do you know? All year, I've been thinking, if I hadn't gone to see you that night wearing the cloak, if I hadn't said those things, would you have treated me differently?"

"No way."

"Why?"

"Because you are you, whether you wear a cloak or not, whether you say those things or not, you are you."

Calca looked at him.

Do you like me?

Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.

"Like."

"Why?"

"Because you are a good woman, a good king, and very beautiful, and I like beautiful women."

Calca smiled.

"You're really annoying."

"I know."

"But I like it."

She kissed him, Higashino Makoto did not refuse.

A night breeze blew in through the window, stirring the curtains.

In the distance, the waves crashed against the cliffs, making a rhythmic sound.

Calca lay beside him.

She leaned on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and smiled contentedly.

Higashino Makoto.

"Um."

"Good night."

"Good night."

The candlelight went out, and moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in a silvery glow.

It was just another night in the Holy Kingdom for Higashino Makoto, and another ordinary day in Calca.

But tonight, things are a little different.

The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing Higashino Makoto's room in a warm golden glow.

Calca was still lying beside him, her long golden hair scattered on the pillow, her blue eyes half-open, and a lazy smile on her lips.

She was wearing a white bathrobe, not the one from last night, which had been thrown away somewhere. This one was found in Higashino Makoto's closet, with the neckline open, revealing a section of her fair shoulder.

Higashino Makoto leaned against the headboard, holding a cup of Alice Kuonji tea in his hands, gazing out the window at the sunlit sea.

The door was pushed open.

The force was great; the door hinges creaked loudly, and the door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

Kelart Castordio stood in the doorway, his long brown hair fluttering in the morning breeze. His delicate face lacked its usual "hehehe" smile, replaced by an expression of anger that seemed ready to explode at any moment.

She wore a white priest's robe with gold patterns embroidered on the hem, and held a staff in her hand, her knuckles white.

"Higashino Makoto--!"

Calca sat up abruptly, frantically pulling at the collar of her robe, her face instantly turning bright red.

"Aoi... Kelart?! What are you doing--!"

"How? How did I get here? How did I know?"

Kelart strode into the room, each step carrying a murderous aura.

"Your Highness, you didn't return home last night. This morning I went to your room, and the bed was cold, the blankets were neatly folded, and the pillows hadn't been used. How do you think I knew that?"

Calca lowered her head, her long golden hair falling down and obscuring her face, her fingers twisting tightly on the sheets.

"Kelart... I..."

Kelart walked to the bedside, looked down at Higashino Makoto, and his brown eyes were filled with complex emotions: anger, worry, helplessness, and a trace of inexplicable jealousy.

"Higashino Makoto, what did you do to His Highness?"

"She came to me, I agreed, that's it, is there anything else I need to add?"

Kelart gripped his staff tightly.

Do you know who His Highness is?

"I know, Holy Queen Calca Besares, a woman."

"She is the Queen of the Holy Kingdom--!"

"I know, so what?"

Kelart took a deep breath.

So -- you can't do it to her -- you can't -- you can't --

"Can't what?"

"Cannot...!"

Kelart couldn't continue. She stood there, her staff trembling in her hand, her lips trembling, her body trembling.

Higashino Makoto put down his teacup, stood up, and walked over to her.

Kelart looked up at him, needing to look up to see his eyes because of the height difference.

"Kelart, are you worried about her?"

"Certainly--!"

"Afraid I'll hurt her?"

"Certainly!"

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

"But you should know, I won't."

Kelart looked into his eyes, which seemed to hold no lies, and his lips were slightly pursed.

"You promise?"

Do I need any guarantees? If you insist, I'm fine with it.