Chapter 555
CHAPTER 555
THE CRUTCH
The atmosphere in the grand hall slowly regained its vigor as the time ticked on, though retaining a certain sense of awareness throughout, with eyes frequently glancing past the dancing platform and onto the elevated point . Their attention was drawn to but a single figure, sitting at the very center, draped in clothes so ordinary one might mistake him for the side-street beggar, surrounded in a relaxed and tranquil countenance that almost seemed like a falsified front for what really lies beneath .
Though Lino had noticed their eyes, he simply ignored them as it wasn"t anything new . Instead, he excitedly chatted with Rammraght, introducing him to various things and people inside the hall, while Hannah sat to the side, smiling faintly . Unlike with her, n.o.body walked up to Lino to greet him, as even with the current relaxed atmosphere, there was a sense of absolute distance, the point which they should not cross .
"… right, where is Aaria?" Lino suddenly turned to Hannah and asked .
"Honestly, I thought you"d forgotten her completely . " Hannah replied with a cheeky smile .
"… I should have forgotten you instead . "
"I very much doubt that"s physically possible, considering all the unforgettable things I"ve done to you . "
"Yeah, like crack my heart like an eggsh.e.l.l time and again . "
"Well, something certainly did crack like an eggsh.e.l.l on occasion…" she said, her smiling widening .
"I"m fairly certain Aaria is the proof that nothing was a-cracking . " Lino replied, smiling back .
"… could you two possibly shut it?" Lucky grumbled from the side, yawning and stretching . "You"ve barely been back half an hour, and yet you"ve already made me wanna kill myself eight times . "
"Weren"t you asleep?" Lino asked .
"… got me . " Lucky shrugged, taking the bottle in front of her and drinking a bit .
"… you"re awfully grumpy for someone who"s about to adopt a couple of toddlers . " Lucky gagged and spat out a mouthful of wine, coughing violently right after while Alison buried her head into her bosom, her cheeks flus.h.i.+ng . A strange silence quickly erupted on the table, with Lino grinning at the now-fuming Lucky . "I"ve always known it, but d.a.m.n, you caved in rather easily . "
"… shut it, b.a.s.t.a.r.d . " She took a deep breath, calming down .
"… congrats," Lino got up and walked over, patting her head gently . "Both of you will be great moms . "
"I"ll be a father, though?" Lucky"s lips stretched into the faintest of smiles as she swatted his hand away .
"Tsk, I"ve always known you were grooming a c.o.c.k under all those layers of clothes," Lino said, returning to his seat . "Too bad it"s not functional… sigh… what a shame…"
"Alright, quit yapping," Hannah slapped him gently, barely containing her laughter . "She"s right . You"ve barely been back half an hour, and I already want to shove an ax through your brain . "
"… ah, dear Ram," Lino sighed lamentingly, his expression of pain exaggerated as he swung his arm around Rammraght"s shoulder . "Do you see how they treat me? Their very Emperor? It"s like… it"s like I"m a p.i.s.sed-on piece of t.u.r.d to them, you know? See all the injustices I"m facing . "
"…" Rammraght rolled his eyes and sighed, wholly sympathizing with everyone except for him . "When you told me you were an Emperor," he said . "I was picturing… something else entirely . "
"Right?!" Lino exclaimed . "You were expecting at least a basic level of respect, no?!"
"… I wasn"t expecting you to be so loved by everyone," Rammraght said, smiling helplessly at the old man"s antics . If one were to distinctly remove his appearance, it"d be easy to conclude he was still a kid . "You must have done something special to this place…"
"…" Lino met the pair of s.h.i.+mmering eyes squarely as his lips broke out into a grin . "We"re each other"s crutches, is all," he replied, taking a sip of the wine from the table . "I"m Emperor last, here . t.i.tles are dead, after all; we are, on the other hand, very much alive . "
"… I"ll toast to that . " Hannah chuckled and raised her gla.s.s, and was quickly followed by the rest, even those who didn"t know what they were toasting to .
"That"s great and all, but you never told me where"s my little princess . " Lino said right after the toast, causing Hannah to sigh and roll her eyes, dispa.s.sionately pointing her finger at the hall down below and the small figure hiding inside a group of people . Lino grinned as he met the pair of starlit, smiling eyes . "Alright, spin the music . "
"… huh?" it was Hannah"s turn to nearly choke on the wine .
"What? Can"t a father dance with his daughter?"
"… shouldn"t you dance with me first?"
"Danced with you plenty . "
"We danced like three times in our lives . "
"… really?"
"Really . "
"Eh, you"re old . You have more patience . "
"… did you just call me old?"
"I"m sorry; I meant you"re enviably young . " Lino said, quickly getting off the chair, avoiding Hannah"s deathly glare . "But, seriously, tell whoever"s in charge to start the music . Firefly!" he spun and ran off, shouting and causing the hall once again to throw in a towel, turning silent . "Come "ere," he signaled to Aaria as he made his way to the empty dance platform . Aaria sighed, knowing full well there was no point to resistance and made her way through, slightly embarra.s.sed yet also excited . "Boy, you"re all grown-up now! Sheesh, looks like it"s time to marry you off…"
"… mom already made that joke . " Aaria rolled her eyes as she walked up .
"Tsk, she keeps stealing my jokes . " Lino clicked his tongue, glancing at Hannah .
"… welcome home, dad . " Aaria said, stopping in front of him, tinkering with her fingers .
"… what are you doing?" Lino looked at her dubiously, tilting his head .
"… u-uh… following etiquette?"
"… what etiquette?"
"… a proper one?"
"…" the music suddenly began, dousing the silence in a breathtaking symphony . Lino seemed unperturbed as he continued staring at the nervous-seeming Aaria . "Etiquette is fine and all, kiddo," he crouched down, lifting her chin gently and meeting her eyes, smiling . "But, whenever you don"t hug me, I lose about one-tenth of my total lifespan . This old heart of mine can"t take it anymore . "
"…" Aaria rolled her eyes and extended her arms, throwing herself into him . She had already forgotten that there was a ma.s.sive hall full of people around her, as in her eyes there was only the single figure – someone who can draw that attention away . A figure she respected more than anything or anyone else in the world, someone whose shade could blanket the entire world and protect it . "I missed you…" she whispered softly as Lino hugged her back .
"… missed you too, firefly," he chuckled, slowly standing up . She was good three-four heads still shorter than him, but even if it was awkward to dance, neither seemed to care much . "Listen…" he mumbled, glancing upward . "Do you know this song?"
"… no . " she replied .
"It"s your mom"s favorite," he chuckled . "I remember her threatening to leave me if it didn"t play at our wedding . "
"… ha ha, that does sound like something mom would do . " Aaria chuckled faintly, closing her eyes and letting the sounds sweep her along his arms . "You stink, by the way . You really should have at least washed up…"
"… sorry . " He chuckled awkwardly, finally having realized it himself .
"Nhm…" she shook her head faintly . "It"s fine . It reminds me of you…"
Hannah remained seated, watching the two figures rocking back and forth in place, growing teary-eyed . There was something between the two of them that was their own, a small piece where she had no place to intrude; at times, she really did feel like an outsider looking in, yet she didn"t mind it all that much .
The song slowly came to its end as the music ended, followed soon after by applause . Aaria looked up and met the pair of encouragingly-black eyes who looked at her smilingly . Lino patted her head gently, chuckling .
"A"right kiddo, run off to your mom now . " He said . "Your dad"s gotta do something first . "
"Hm . " Aaria nodded faintly before turning around and leaving him alone on the stage . He walked up to the edge and looked down at the audience that grew quiet immediately . He maintained the silence for a few moments before speaking out .
"… we are victorious," he said simply . "Whatever little that means . Before we roll off to another war, and before we begin scuffling and battling and bickering over this and that, at least try and remember the cost of the crown . It"s a cheap piece of jewelry built upon the sea-laden corpses . The throne but a chair built by the endless stretch of bones . The flag but a piece of cloth woven by the tears of all those left behind . All these t.i.tles just worthless mementos of vanity . I won"t care for how you go about obtaining power, h.o.a.rding wealth, and whatever other dreams you may have; but, if any one of you, be it those I"ve yet to meet, those I"ve met, or even those I love, ever fan the flames of war again, I"ll behead each and every one of you on the spot . " Everyone in the hall felt cold s.h.i.+vers run down their spines as the black eyes scoped across them . "Consider me a tyrant, or a hypocrite – I don"t care . We can either prosper and live together in peace, or I can spend a few years weeding through you lot . It"s entirely up to you . Enjoy the ball . "