On the day of the races at the Reyma racetrack, Lariana's acting Duke and Deputy Head of Government, Twice, allowed himself to leave the capital and take a short break from his duties. He was a dedicated workaholic, and the situation that had developed after the ceremony a few days ago did not encourage him to take time off, but he had certain obligations in his life that he could not ignore, or, if possible, did not want to. By five o'clock in the evening of that day, he had completed most of the work planned for today and boarded a passenger train to the capital of Lariana. He had, of course, bought his ticket in advance and planned his entire route down to the minute – he had trained himself to use his time effectively since childhood. He could have used the government train, but he decided not to, as he was making this trip as a private citizen.
Sitting in the train car, Lariana Twice studied the statistical data of the latest changes in the country and reports from internal and external intelligence – everything was within the expected range. The situation in Nihon had somewhat gotten out of their control, but this was not a serious issue in the overall picture of what was happening in the empire. He was more interested in Talassia Semis Deim and Faith Gillingston; if anyone was likely to cause trouble in the near future, it would be them. For now, everything was calm, but for how long? Twice could agree with Sonata Reym – allowing such influential people to return to the territories under their control was very risky and could lead to certain problems in the future, but he considered the smooth conduct of the ceremony to be more important. Besides, the completely unnecessary death of Renar Yeager, which had no bearing on the implementation of their plan, created additional problems, which, he believed, could have been avoided.
...
Returning home, Twice headed straight for the botanical garden. The Duke's eldest son did not disturb the servants with his unexpected visit and reached his desired destination without making unnecessary noise. There, sitting on his knees and tending to various flowers, was his wife, who always stayed up late – Pantalea, formerly known as S. Tessen. The girl's head was adorned with a straw hat with a red ribbon, from which long, straight, golden-blonde hair hung. She was wearing a light shirt, short shorts with suspenders, and tights. She did not notice Twice's presence – he had, by now, a very old habit stemming from his combat experience, and always moved very quietly. He tapped his knuckles against the doorframe of the wooden doors and deliberately revealed himself.
"Twice..." – Her voice was filled with indifferent surprise. Given how rarely they saw each other, this visit could not evoke any other emotions in her.
"Happy birthday, Pantalea." – As she stood up, one of the most influential people in the empire gently hugged her, patted her on the head, and kissed her on the forehead, then handed her a box tied with a festive ribbon. She had no other guests that day (as was the case on any other day), so she did not hesitate and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a new edition of a gardening book that she was fond of, Reyma delicacies, a bag of tea grown in the Celestial Empire, and a bag of seeds from there.
"Thank you, Twice." – The girl accepted the gift and smiled gratefully. The total cost of this gift was unlikely to be more than one thousand Rumia, but she was still very happy, although she did not show it on her face.
"Shall we try it?" – He was, of course, asking about the tea.
"You don't drink tea."
"That's right, I prefer to drink water, but I'm not particular about it."
A few minutes later, Pantalea brewed the tea she had been given, and husband and wife began their small celebration, enjoying the modest gifts from both the Celestial Empire and Reyma. They talked about trivial things – the weather, literature, flowers, and so on; neither of them touched on politics or the latest events in the country. After a light evening dessert and their rare conversation, they went to bed. Before that, Twice had to spend a few moments of his life calming the servants who had not noticed the master's return.
Pantalea and Twice had never felt romantic feelings for each other, and he had married her mainly to avoid annoying marriage proposals and meetings with potential brides – all of this seemed very tiring to him. Since the girl was the daughter of another Duke, Lariana Heliodor did not object to his son's wish and gladly approved their marriage. Pantalea and Twice, being people who preferred to pursue their own interests, were, in a way, an ideal couple – Twice did not interfere in her life, and she did not interfere in his. Despite this, over the years of their marriage, they had come to treat each other like family, and over time, it turned out that they were the only ones who truly understood each other. For this reason, if they were not lovers, they were at least close friends.
At half-past four in the morning, Twice's eyes opened automatically – this had been happening for the last five or six years. He did not dream, and his body always woke up at the same time, regardless of what time he went to sleep. Showing a moment of affection for his wife and kissing her, the aristocrat got out of bed and quietly left the bedroom so as not to disturb her sleep. After that, he stretched and drank a glass of warm water to get his body going. Returning to the case he had brought from Reyma and left untouched yesterday, Twice noticed a familiar envelope – it was the last imperial order from Olivia Lapis Reyma. He had told Sonata Reym that he had destroyed it, but in reality, he had not. Perhaps it was reckless, but he believed that this document might still have its uses. Once again, Twice looked at the sheet of paper and lowered his eyes to the last lines written on it:
... I appoint my beloved son, Yubin Reyma, as my heir. As my fingers write these lines, tears of a father flow down my cheeks, a father who will never again be able to see his son and talk to him heart to heart. Yubin, know that Olivia Lapis Reym has always loved and respected you for your free spirit, moral purity, and unwavering will. I have no doubt that you are the worthiest of people in this era and will be able to become the kind of leader that both the citizens of the empire and its neighbors deserve.
Lariana Twice sighed heavily; Olivia Lapis Reyma's will was a heavy burden on his shoulders. He had known Thiaria and Yubin since childhood, but he had only gotten to know them closely a few years ago during the annual Eirin Reyma tournament. Then, in the semi-finals, Yubin faced Thiaria, and Twice faced Hespar, and then in the final, Thiaria and Twice. The Emperor's son emerged victorious, but he did not acknowledge his victory – according to him, the Duke's eldest son had let him win. What really happened, even Twice could not say now, but after this duel, they agreed to hold a rematch. Unfortunately, their paths diverged, and that day never came. Nevertheless, that year, he had the opportunity to get to know the Emperor's children better, and his impression of Yubin was similar to what he had read in the order. Thiaria, on the other hand, seemed somewhat... Empty. He was indeed perfect as a prince, warrior, strategist, and politician, but, as it seemed to Twice, he lacked his own ambitions and even desires – he was merely embodying in reality what was required of him by the people and society around him. Despite this detail, he still treated him as a friend. Where were they now, and what was their opinion of what was happening? That was not important now. Gathering himself and having breakfast, the Deputy Head of Government of the empire headed for the first train to Reyma.