CHAPTER 43: OUR LEGACY

Haru walked alone through the royal gardens. He looked at one of the bushes, heavy with white and pink blossoms. It was a quiet, carefree morning.

Or rather – a whole decade had slipped away, calm and golden, like one endless morning.

Memories came back to him, the time when, after the incident with Hayate, his parents finally came to visit and meet their grandchildren.

Shion had come up with a story – that Asahi was simply their next child, born during one of their journeys, who happened to absorb the spirit of a dead dragon along the way.

A strange accident of fate, nothing more.

That was the version they told their parents and most importantly, their own children.

Only the two of them knew the truth.

Haru sighed.

I really tried to love that child... but I can’t love him the way Shion and Yuri do. I do everything I can so he doesn’t feel lesser, so he won’t feel .

"Mom... are you here, Mom?" a timid boy’s voice called out from afar.

Sometimes I forget I’m a man.

The power of Hoshizuma made me barely age – and as the years pass, I look more and more feminine. Everyone kept calling me ’the Queen,’ putting on me the role of mother and lady of the court, until I simply got used to it.

I had to. There was no other choice.

The children call me ’Mom’ or ’Dad’ depending on the day. I let them – I don’t want them to feel bound by social rules.

Haru smiled softly and turned around. It was Asahi.

He looked at him carefully – aside from his eyes, he looked just like Hayate.

"Asahi... you know you’re supposed to enter the royal gardens with me or your father," Haru said gently.

"Yuri and Shion always got to come here whenever they wanted! Why do I have to walk in holding someone’s hand?"

"That’s not true, Asahi. They also used to come here with us."

"Yeah? And what about that one time they spent the whole afternoon playing tag here? I couldn’t play with them because I was stuck in bed sick! Why did you let them do whatever they wanted?"

"Oh, I didn’t know about that," Haru replied with a small smile.

Asahi froze for a moment, realizing he had just snitched on his siblings.

"Let’s put the little things aside," Haru said softly. "Did something happen?"

Asahi turned his head away.

He was embarrassed to ask for help again. He wanted to be like his father – strong and unshakable.

But he was only ten. He was still a child, couldn’t hide or handle what was really bothering him.

He held out his arm toward Haru.

"It hurts again... and worse this time," he muttered, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

Haru examined his arm carefully. It wasn’t hard to notice the faint scales forming along the bend of his elbow.

Could this be... a sign of puberty? Haru thought, surprised. After all Asahi is a pure-blooded dragon. I have no idea what to do about that. I’ll have to ask Gari.

"You have to be brave, Asahi. Because you carry a dragon’s soul inside you, more scales are going to grow from your skin. It’s going to hurt – sometimes more, sometimes less. But I’m proud that you came to me about it."

He placed his hand gently over the boy’s arm.

Haru used the power of Hoshizuma to soothe the pain – that strange power that could heal just as easily as it could hurt.

"How does it feel now?" he asked with a warm smile.

"It doesn’t hurt anymore," Asahi said, his voice trembling. Then he flung himself into Haru’s arms. "Thank you."

Haru stroked his hair.

"You’re really brave, Asahi. You endure the pain so well."

The boy pressed his face into Haru’s kimono, his small body shaking as quiet sobs escaped his throat.

Haru didn’t say anything – he just held him, giving him as much warmth and comfort as he could, whispering without words that everything would be all right.

"Today we’ll go visit Grandma Maldie and Auntie Gari. Just the two of us. How does that sound?"

Asahi looked up at him, his eyes brightening with hope and excitement.

"Really?!"

"Yes. Our little secret, okay?"

"And Grandma will bake her cookies again?" Asahi added, smiling through his tears.

"If you ask nicely, I think she will," Haru said, ruffling his hair.

Too bad Maldie’s retired and Gari’s got a new job... It’d be better if they were still around.

Asahi laughed. Haru smiled back at him warmly.

I’m trying my best... but I can feel I could love him more. I just hope he never feels that gap. He deserves the happiest childhood I can give him.

After all, it’s not his fault he was born this way.

*

Young Shion, also called Shion the Second, sighed heavily.

He had already spent half the day in his father’s office, sitting beside him, learning the duties of a ruler.

He could already handle some of the more complex calculations and even write a basic financial report.

"Get used to it," said the king calmly.

"Uggghhh," Shion the Second groaned, stretching and yawning. His father gave him a look of mild amusement. The boy was far too much like him. The only thing that set them apart was the color of his eyes – a golden honey fading into black.

"Why am I stuck with the most boring job ever?!"

"Because you’re going to inherit the throne. A good ruler has to be competent in managing the kingdom and handling politics first."

"Why does it have to be me?! What about Yuri or Asahi?!"

Shion the elder sighed. He decided there was no point avoiding the question anymore.

"If I’m to be honest with you, son," he said in serious tone, "first – in our family, the throne has always been passed down through the male line. Yuri will likely marry a king or prince from another kingdom, sealing an alliance. And Asahi... simply can’t be king."

"What do you mean ’can’t’? That’s not fair!"

"It’s a matter of appearance," the king said quietly. "Most ministers and nobles wouldn’t accept a ruler with... a physical deformity. As you know, your brother inherited the dragon’s soul, and scales appear on his skin. That alone rules him out from the throne. A ruler of Hoshigane must be pure in form and soul. That’s tradition deep-rooted in people’s hearts."

"So... what’s he gonna do when he grows up?" Shion the Second asked curiously.

The king shrugged.

"I’d like to know that myself. Maybe he’ll become a general, or your advisor... or something entirely different. He can choose his own path. But I can tell his human and dragon souls are still at war within him. You, on the other hand, don’t have that choice, Shion. You’ll become the next ruler of Hoshigane, whether you want to or not. Yuri has her own burdens to carry. Each of you does."

The boy sighed.

"So... can I go now?" he asked, hopeful.

The king handed him a sheet of paper.

"Do a few small calculations here, here, and here," he said, marking the spots with small dots. "Then you’re free."

"Finally!"

*

Yuri had just woken up. She couldn’t fall asleep yesterday, and the nightmares made her not want to sleep again.

She looked around the room. Shion’s and Asahi’s beds were empty.

She guessed where they were – Shion was probably stuck in the office with father, and Asahi... judging by what she saw through the window, was walking somewhere with Mom.

They’re probably visiting Aunt Gari again. Maybe Asahi’s scales are bothering again.

Yuri stretched, yawning, and walked to the large, domed window between her brothers’ beds. She leaned against the glass and watched mom and Asahi walk down the garden path.

Then she turned back to the room, as if seeing it for the first time. She always loved how different their corners looked – how much their colors said about them.

Asahi’s bed and furniture were a mix of burgundy and pink, Shion’s half was cloaked in black and violet, and Yuri’s – warm brown and silver.

While thinking about how the colors reflected their personalities, a tired Shion walked into the room.

"How was it? Rough day?" she said, her voice full of sympathy.

"What do you think, huh? Ugh, you’ve got it easy. Wait, did you just wake up? Seriously? Ugh, I can’t with you, you little lazy bum!"

Yuri grabbed the nearest pillow – Asahi’s, burgundy with gold tassels — and threw it at her brother. He tilted his head just in time to dodge it.

"You know I can’t sleep at night," she said quietly. "The nightmares keep coming. I don’t want to bother Mom every time."

"Alright, alright, enough gloomy stuff," he said replied. "Let’s do something fun. How about a game of chess?"

"I haven’t even had breakfast yet."

"Not my problem! Just ring for Sayaka, she’ll bring you something. Come on, I’m dying of boredom here."

"Fine, wait a second."

Yuri walked to her desk. Each of them had their own little corner set up the same way – a bed, a half-round desk, a wardrobe, and a small chest for personal stuff. Only the colors differed.

She picked up a small bell from her desk and rang it lightly. It always amazed her how Sayaka could hear it from anywhere in the castle. Their father once told them the bell was enchanted.

Yuri still hadn’t figured out what kind of spell it was, but she wanted to.

A moment later, Sayaka appeared in the doorway – a slim maid of average height with short blue hair and big pink eyes.

"At your ser–" she started, but didn’t finish.

She tripped over the high doorframe and fell flat on her face.

Shion looked at her, part sympathy, part awkward disbelief.

"How many times are you gonna trip over that thing? I started to count! That’s your one hundred twenty-four fall in just over two months!"

"Good thing I’ve got strong bones, huh?" Sayaka said cheerfully as she stood up again. She didn’t even react to the fall – though her arms and knees were covered with tiny bruises from her constant clumsiness.

She was so scatterbrained and clumsy that Shion had thought more than once about firing her – but the children formed a close bond with her, and he couldn’t take that away from them. The king still hoped she’d improve someday.

"S-so, what can I do for you, my lady?" she asked.

"Could you bring me breakfast? I overslept again."

"Right away!" she said cheerfully – only to trip over the same step again.

Shion sighed and called out:

"You okay?"

Sayaka just laughed nervously, gave a shaky thumbs-up, and quickly went to get it.

"Are you sure you trust her with food and a tray?" Shion asked, as Yuri set up the chessboard on her desk.

"Yes. When she focuses, she’s actually really good. She tries her best. And besides," Yuri smiled softly, "I just like her."

"So? You ready?"

"Yeah, just move your chair over."

"Okay!" Shion said, smiling brightly.