After a kinship meeting at the Roseblade residence, me and Richt, who were first to return to the town of Reeve, headed home with their hands together.

When has it been the first time I've walked like this with my hands held together? Richt cared for me as my stomach grew, and he paced me.

Doing this kind of reminds me of a previous life. Hope was fast walking, slow walking I was often distracted from him, but in that case, Hope quickly realised it and set me back on pace.

And he's going to hold hands while he treats me like a child.

"... why did you say that?

The side of Richt laying his eyes down as he asked was terribly lonely.

You look sick, too, because you've been hit in the face many times and it hurts pretty bad. "You had a chance to break up with me because of this," he added, zeroing a self-derisive grin.

Indeed, if I were to say "I want to break up with Richt now" on that occasion, I think my father or uncle would have arranged a new master soon.

Although finding a master is never easy, he would have done something about it there.

And I'm deposited with a new master, and my belly child is deposited in an orphanage as an illegitimate child - no difficulty... or maybe this is the best choice.

But I wanted to spend a few months before my child was born and a month after birth (my father's reckoning gave me a one-month grace period) "with Richt".

Richt seems to find that incredible and has looked strange ever since he left the mansion.

"Because I wanted to make Richt's dream come true for you. You used to say you dreamed of building a warm home with me, right? So I thought I'd give birth to a healthy child and make my dreams come true."

... even if it was a short time of a month. If that's going to be a lifelong memory for Richt, I want to do everything I can for him.

"─ Huh...!

When I wondered what Richter's face was all about, his hand accidentally stretched out toward me. It draws me in as it is and my hands turn on my back.

"I... I wonder how I could not contain my feelings for you. If I had sealed my feelings like that - if I had treated you as a normal sister and brother, I would never have been apart in the future... I would have stayed with you the whole time I loved you..."

"Richt......"

Richt put his strength into his arms embracing me as he revealed his chest with a trembling voice.

Richter didn't want to use magic to heal his wound, so once I handled it easily... his face, which I see up close, is swollen red enough to tell even from above the gauze, and this one I'm watching is hurting.

Eventually, Richt leaked a whimper and began to shed large grains of tears. The unstoppable tears are wetting the bright white gauze affixed to both cheeks.

That was so hurtful, and with pity I turned my hand around Richt's back and hugged him back hard.

"Ceres...... thanks. Thank you so much for listening to my last."

"Yeah, fine. Me and Richter, right?

Never mind, he added, Richt nodded as he buried his face on my shoulder.

If we're ready to insulate Richt from his family, I think it's possible for the two of us to just run away somewhere like this.

But now he won't do it because I'm sure he wins more because of at least the sin of it and the desire to let me go.

─ ─ What would Richter look like if I said, "Let's run away together" here?

Second, think about that. We'll have separate lives in a few months.

My whereabouts are not taught to Richt, I am forbidden to see him, and I will never be allowed to see him again either.

If it's enough to break up with my dear brother and my son for the rest of my life...

─ ─ Grab me.

Unexpectedly, those words are about to come out with a mouthful of mouth and swallow aggressively.

I don't want to leave him even after all that terrible manipulation from Richt. That's what I meant.

But Richt made a decision. Each other, their families chose the best way for the people around them not to be unhappy any more.

Scattered, there's no way I can say anything more like I'm watering Richter down now.

"With that said... have you decided on the child's name?

Asking so, I take his hand out to ease Richt's feelings clouding his face.

"No, not yet..."

"Oh well... you know, if it was a girl, I'd name her Nadi... what do you think?

"Nadi... that's a good name"

"Isn't that right?

Nadi - - This is a name taken from the Russian word 'Nadi Aegida'.

I stumbled upon the word meaning 'hope' when I was scrolling through the dictionary of Russian in my previous life, but fuzzy memories of it can be the trigger for naming.

"When this child is born, the three of us will do all sorts of things, right? What only a family can do, let's have a drink? Richter..."

As soon as I called for it, my hand, which was inadvertently connected, slipped out.

"Huh...?

Moving his gaze next to him in surprise, Richt, who had been in conversation with himself until earlier, was falling to the ground in a state of relaxation.

"Richt!? Hey, what's up!? Richt!

I try to shake my body, but I'm not responding. What the hell is wrong with you? Could it have been caused by the beating...?

─ No, I don't care what the cause is now. Anyway, we need to get Richt to the hospital soon......