Published at 17th of August 2019 7:01 am

Volume 9, Chapter 4: The Day Without Ruth

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

February 10, Wednesday

On that day, by the time Koutarou woke up, the smell of breakfast was already filling room 106. It was the familiar smell of miso soup and broiled fish. Just another morning.

“Koutarou, woke up Ho-!”

“He's been getting better at waking up lately Ho-!”

“...Good morning, Karama, Korama.”

However, something was slightly different from normal on that day. These past few months, it had been Theia and Ruth's job to wake Koutarou up. Normally, Ruth would wake him up, but every now and then Theia would step on him.

However, today Koutarou was woken up by Karama and Korama.

I wonder if something happened?

Having just woken up, Koutarou's brain was still half asleep and he looked around the room with a blank stare. To Koutarou, it was so natural for him to be woken up by Theia and Ruth that he instinctively scanned the room for them.

Only Kiriha-san is here...?

All Koutarou found were the two haniwas in front of him and Kiriha who was making breakfast in the kitchen. And Sanae, who was sleeping inside of him. He saw no signs of Theia who would normally be elegantly drinking tea, or of Ruth who would be helping Kiriha in the kitchen. Not only had they not woken him up, but they were nowhere to be seen.

“...Where's Theia and Ruth-san?”

Koutarou rubbed his tired eyes and asked the haniwas. The two haniwas jumped up and down on the bed and raised the hands above their heads.

“Theia-chan and Ruth-chan are on the Blue Knight Ho-!”

“Apparently, Ruth-chan's fiancé is coming Ho-!”

“Oh yeah, now that I think about it, they mentioned something like that...”

Two days had passed since Ruth had received a message from her home.

Normally it took several days to travel between Forthorthe and Earth in a spaceship. It wasn't a distance that could be covered in just two days. However, the eager fiancé had left Forthorthe before the parents even sent their video letter.

It sure is lonely to not be able to see the faces you expect in the morning...

Kiriha was preparing breakfast on her own. The sound of the kitchen knife being swung filled the room. There were no other sounds that stood out. Neither the sound of Ruth's slippers nor Theia's tea set could be heard today. It was a morning slightly different from the norm. Koutarou felt somewhat melancholic just with the lack of two people.

“So you're awake, Koutarou.”

Kiriha noticed Koutarou and stuck her face into the room.

“Ruth's not here this morning, so please wait a little longer for breakfast.”

Kiriha smiled wryly as she said that and returned to the kitchen. Koutarou wasn't just seeing things when he thought that Kiriha looked lonely. Kiriha also had a lot of concerns regarding Ruth's circumstances.

If Ruth-san gets married, this will probably be what every day will be like...

Koutarou recalled that he had felt something similar when the troubles regarding Kiriha had surfaced. Today was the opposite of that time.

If Ruth were to vanish from this room, Theia would also vanish as there would be no one to prepare tea. Theia would appear much less frequently in this room. That would be a sad thing for everyone related to room 106.

That's right... it's thanks to everyone that I can enjoy each day to its fullest...

Koutarou imagined being left all alone in room 106.

The ghost haunting this room would be gone, there would be no freeloader living in the wardrobe, no underground passage underneath one of the tatami mats, and no glowing wall leading to a spaceship.

It would be a completely normal apartment, just like when he had first moved in. He couldn't help but think of that as horribly lonely. The day after he had moved in, the invading girls had appeared one after another and while he had spent every day desperately trying to chase them out, he had started to enjoy their presence before he even knew it.

In that case... there at least one thing I was able to convey to Ruth...

When Ruth had asked for Koutarou's opinion he had remained quiet. He did so because he believed that would be best for her. However, upon seeing this room without some of its key members, he began feeling like he had kept too quiet.

“Mmm~.... Koutarou, is it morning already?”

That was when Sanae stuck her face out of Koutarou's chest and rubbed her eyes. It seemed that she had woken up.

“Yeah. But breakfast won't be for a while longer, so you can sleep a little longer.”

“'Kay.”

Sanae pulled her hand back and closed her eyes again.

“Koutarou, it's a bit colder than normal, so pump yourself up and make it warm.”

“...Yeah, I'll give it a shot.”

“Mmm~, please do...”

After closing her eyes, Sanae quickly fell asleep. Koutarou smiled as he watched over Sanae who was using his body as a sleeping bag.

“I see... so my insides are colder than normal, huh...”

It looked like Koutarou was sadder than he thought now that Ruth and Theia were gone.

Meanwhile, Ruth and Theia were on the landing deck of the Blue Knight. They were preparing to welcome Ruth's fiancé. Since the Blue Knight was far larger, Ruth's fiancé's spaceship would land inside of it.

“So that's the young son of DKI.”

Theia narrowed her eyes as if she appraised Ruth's fiancé.

A young man who looked to be in his twenties appeared from the small spaceship. He was the famous young leader of the mega corporation, Dragon Knight Industries.

Dragon Knight Industries, or DKI for short, is a company that was founded by a person of Melcemheim lineage. Since the founder had the scale of an elder dragon as an heirloom, it was said the he was given the title of Dragon Knight.

At first it had started as a trading company, but as generations passed it began expanding into other directions. And now it didn't just sell products, but also produced their own. By doing that, the company earned massive profits and its growth exploded. As a result, it was now a famous and important company in Forthorthe that sold all kinds of things.

“Yes, your highness. This is Elexis Borannam-sama.”

“He looks frail... but that doesn't seem to be all there is to him.”

The man in charge of DKI was Elexis Borannam, and this person was Ruth's fiancé.

The year after finishing his studies, Elexis took over management of DKI after his father. At the time, DKI's growth had begun to die down, but after Elexis was appointed its growth shot up once more. In just a few years, DKI grew throughout all the solar systems under Forthorthe's control. Because of this, Elexis got famous, as a young and excellent CEO.

And Elexis wasn't just known as a businessman, but also as a philanthropist. Every year he personally donated a massive amount of money.

On top of that, Elexis lived by the philosophy that large profits are born from a healthy society. And he had DKI itself contribute massively to society. By doing that, he had a lot of quarrels with the shareholders, but thanks to Elexis's achievements and popularity, they had no choice but to reluctantly back down.

It was because of those reasons that Elexis was more than suited as the fiancé for the Pardomshiha family's beloved daughter. Another reason was that while he wasn't a noble, he had Melcemheim blood flowing in his veins. Elexis was a promising fiancé that many powerful nobles wished for.

“I am glad to make your acquaintance. My name is Elexis Borannam. It is a pleasure meeting you, your highness.”

Upon arriving, Elexis first greeted Theia. While he might be Ruth's fiancé, he started off by greeting the princess.

Up close, Elexis was a graceful man. He was of tall stature, and the clothes, shoes and accessories he was wearing, even his golden hair, were all very refined and beautiful, and gave him the image of a gentleman. His figure which gave off the impression of power and sharpness backed that image up. His slim face and long narrow eyes gave off the signs of a high intellect. One could definitely feel the atmosphere of a man standing above others.

“You have done well to come so far. I won't mind, so come closer. We won't even be able to talk from this distance.”

Theia glanced at Elexis's appearance and invited him closer. The arranged marriage wouldn't be able to proceed if he stayed several meters away.

This man's the opposite of Koutarou...

That was Theia's first impression. The only thing Elexis and Koutarou really had in common was their height.

“Your words are wasted on me.”

After bowing to Theia, Elexis looked behind him. There he saw five bodyguards in black.

“...You can stay there. Guarding me won't be necessary here.”

“Yes sir.”

“If you'd like, you can return to the ship.”

“That's a little too much, this is our duty after all.”

“Hahaha, you'll lose out if you're too serious you know.”

Elexis laughed at the bodyguards and approached Ruth and Theia with slow, confident steps. As he reached them, Ruth opened her mouth.

“Elexis-sama. I am Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha.”

“It is a pleasure meeting you, Ruthkania-sama.”

“Please, call me Ruth.”

“In that case, please call me El, Ruth-sama.”

Elexis smiled and he kneeled in front of Ruth. Since his family had given up their nobility, there was a large difference in their positions.

“Please, stand up, El-sama. You must be tired from your long journey.”

“Thank you very much, Ruth-sama.”

Elexis looked up at Ruth and smiled before slowly standing up. Because of his height, when he was this close he felt quite overpowering. After taking a step back, Ruth looked up at his face.

So this person, is my fiancé...

It was at this moment that Ruth noticed that she held no feelings for Elexis whatsoever. Though that was a given since this was the first time they met, but another reason was because she had been occupied thinking of another person these past few days.

“I have seen pictures of you before, but in person you look even more dignified and lovely. This was most definitely worth hurrying things along.”

Elexis, on the other hand, seemed quite satisfied with Ruth. He had taken an interest in Ruth since he first saw her picture, and rushed all this way to meet her. As such, there was a large difference in feelings between the two.

Oh no, he's gone through the trouble to come this far to meet me, I better not do anything rude...

This had been a sudden development for Ruth, and his visit had been so sudden, but he was a fiancé that satisfied Ruth's parents, and as such she couldn't be impolite. Regardless of if she would proceed with the marriage or turn him down, she had to face him upfront. So Ruth braced herself and faced Elexis again.

“Thank you very much, El-sama. You are welcome on board.”

“I felt that it might be a little too fast, but my experience at work has told me that if I leave a good deal be, it will often run away. Because of that, I have pushed away my work to come here.”

Ruth could tell from Elexis's appearance that he was very positive in regards to this marriage. Acting quickly on a good deal was very fitting of a manager.

He seems to have taken a liking to me, and he seems like a nice person, but...

He seemed to have a pushy side to him, but it wasn't for the worse. And his relationship with his bodyguards seemed to be quite friendly as well. Ruth could feel that he was a good person, just like his reputation said he was. However, there was something that bothered Ruth.

“Ruth, let’s not stand here and talk. Why don't you lead Elexis-dono to his room?”

Guest rooms existed onboard the Blue Knight. They would serve as a much better place to talk in peace and quiet than the landing deck.

“Your highness... that's true.”

Upon realizing Theia's intentions, Ruth quickly agreed and indicated the exit of the landing deck to Elexis.

“El-sama, come this way please. I will guide you to your room.”

“No, allow me to guide you.”

“Your highness!?”

“It's okay, don't worry.”

The moment Ruth tried to lead the way, Theia overtook her and took the lead. Ruth felt uncomfortable making her master lead the way.

“...I'm sure you have plenty to think about.”

“Your highness...”

However, the remark Theia whispered to Ruth made her consent. Theia hadn't volunteered to guide because of their relationship as master and servant, but because they were childhood friends.

“Princess Theiamillis, I am utmost grateful for your consideration.”

“Do not fear, Ruth's guest is my guest. And besides, I am the supporting player today.”

Theia proceeded to lead the way, behind her were Ruth and Elexis, walking side by side. As she looked at Theia in front of her with Elexis by her side, Ruth was absorbed in thought.

I do believe that El-sama is a good person, but... something is... wrong with this sight...

Theia walked ahead with Ruth and Elexis following behind her. If Ruth and Elexis got married, this would probably become normal. However, something didn't click for Ruth. This is what had been bothering Ruth.

Satomi-sama would... be more like...

Ruth was imagining what it would look like if she, Theia and Koutarou were walking on the landing deck instead.

Theia and Koutarou would lead the way with Ruth following behind them. The two would argue, and sometimes even brawl. However, they always looked like they were having fun and show energetic smiles. That alone was enough to make Ruth happy. And no matter how much the two would fuss they wouldn't forget about Ruth, as they would sometimes turn around and talk to her about something.

That was Ruth's everyday, but it was also what she hoped would continue in the future. Right now, there was nothing Ruth could imagine with any more ease than a future with Koutarou. And that future perfectly overlapped with Ruth's sensibilities.

Is it because of the time we've spent together, or perhaps it's Satomi-sama's very nature...

Ruth couldn't imagine a future with Elexis as clear as that. And when she finally did manage to imagine that future, it didn't fit her sensibilities.

That was when Ruth's heel got caught in a seam on the floor.

“Kyaa!?”

Since she was deep in thought, Ruth completely lost her balance and fell down towards the floor.

“I got you.”

However, Ruth didn't crash into the floor. Elexis had stopped her before she did.

Though Ruth had been gaining some physique from her daily training, since she originally didn't like exercising, Ruth would sometimes fall down like this. And as she did, a certain someone nearby would always save her. So Ruth instinctively smiled and thanked that person.

“Thank you very much, Sa―”

However, she stopped midsentence. That's because the person that had saved her this time was someone different from normal.

“Are you okay, Ruth-sama?”

“Ah...”

The feeling of the arms wrapped around her body and the face in front of her was different from normal. And the moment Ruth noticed that, she was overcome by an uncomfortable feeling, guilt and rejection.

“N-No!”

Ruth almost pushed Elexis away as she separated her body from his. She knew that he had saved her out of good intentions, but a part of her deep inside rejected him.

The feeling of the arms around her was different. They were normally more coarse and powerful. The face in front of her was different. It was normally more innocent. And the presence she felt was different. It normally made her feel safe. And most of all, she felt guilty.

All of that combined became the reason for why Ruth pushed Elexis away.

“Oh my, this was most impolite of me. It was ill-mannered of me to do this to a woman.”

However, Elexis showed no signs of being bothered by that and smiled as he distanced himself from Ruth.

“N-No, thank you very much for saving me.”

Ruth began feeling bad for Elexis.

El-sama only saved me out of good intentions...

Having reflexively pushed Elexis away from her after he had saved her, made Ruth realize that she wasn't actually looking at the person in front of her. That was very rude to towards someone that had come so far to meet her.

This is no good... I might get married to this person...

Ruth decided to change gears.

Now wasn't the time to think of other things, instead she should focus on Elexis. She needed to talk to him and determine whether or not she should get married.

Part 2

What was important to Ruth was what results her marriage with Elexis would bring.

If Ruth and Elexis were to get married, Ruth would gain Elexis's financial powers and his political influence, and Elexis would gain the Pardomshiha name and social standing. That could be considered give and take.

However, that wasn't all. There were three other problems that bothered Ruth.

The first was whether or not Elexis could be trusted. Upon speaking directly with him, Ruth felt like he was trustworthy. On top of that, the Pardomshiha family's intelligence division had researched Elexis's personal life. In short term, there were no problems whatsoever. But what about the future? He wasn't a knight but a merchant. Wasn't the reason for DKI's growth that he always sided with someone who could bring him profit? Right now he was on Theia's side, but would he stay on her side in the future? Could he still be trusted if Theia's political influence was to wane for some reason? In other words, Ruth was a little anxious because Elexis wasn't a knight.

The next problem was regarding Elexis's human nature. This was similar to the first problem, but here his personal side came into question. If Ruth were to marry him, he would naturally end up being by Theia's side often. If Theia were to suffer because of that, it would be problematic. Was Elexis really a man that Theia would want close to her? It was necessary to take his character, opinions and even hobbies into account. Like the first problem, this was a small cause for concern.

And the final problem. This was the most important one, but it was regarding what Ruth wanted to do about the arranged marriage.

Ruth was aware of how valuable this marriage was. By increasing Ruth's political influence, she could indirectly be of Theia's aid. What's more is that Elexis gave off a good vibe. Although he had a pushy side to him, he seemed positive and kind. If they were to get married, he would surely make her happy. She had two minor doubts, but she felt like she didn't need to worry about his character. Ruth would probably never have a fiancé more blessed than this.

However, something deep inside her wondered if this was okay. She felt like she was betraying something. That's why Ruth couldn't decide on marriage despite such favorable conditions.

It would be best if I get married with El-sama... that much is obvious to anyone... I am probably only anxious because it's all so sudden... as time passes that should solve itself...

There is no reason to refuse and everything will surely go well.

Ruth repeatedly told herself that while praying that she would come to believe that to be the truth.

Part 3

Ruth and Theia arrived at Kitsushouharukaze high school just as the lunch period was about to end. They sat down at their desks and stayed quiet. It looked like the two of them were deep in thought.

Koutarou was worriedly looking over the two.

Of course they'll worry... Marriage is a big deal after all...

This was a major event that would determine Ruth's future. And to Theia, her childhood friend’s life was about to be decided. It was not such a simple problem. Even Koutarou understood that they would have a hard time smiling. When the Satomi family had suddenly lost the mother, there was a time where the father had thought of remarrying. When Koutarou thought of that, he believed he could imagine how they might feel.

Alright, I'll leave it to after school.

There was something Koutarou wanted to talk to Ruth about. However, as the lunch period was about to end, he didn't have enough time for it now. He decided to hold onto it until after school.

As the school bell rang out, Ruth was looking at the clock installed above the blackboard. It was now three o'clock and school had already ended. However, Ruth didn't register the time or the school bell. Not even the contents of the afternoon classes had stayed with her. She was currently fully occupied with her worries.

Oh right, I better hurry home...

It took about ten seconds after the school bell rang out until Ruth realized that school had ended for the day. Recalling that she had a guest, she hurriedly got up from her seat. And at the same time, Theia arrived next to her.

“Ruth, I'll go on ahead. Elexis-dono might be getting up. You go and prepare dinner.”

Ruth and Theia had come to school because Elexis had needed to rest because of the time lag. And preparations for dinner had to be made before he woke up. So the two divided the work on the preparations.

“Thank you very much, your highness. I am relying on you.”

“Yes. You keep it together too. It's your guest after all.”

Theia waved her hand and left the classroom. She hadn't been as distracted as Ruth and had already finished preparations to go home.

“This won't do, I need to keep it together...”

Ruth warned herself for being too disconcerted.

She should have left the classroom with Theia, but she had been unable to do so because she was too shaken. It wasn't a very good sign.

Having woken up, Ruth put her bag on her desk and began gathering her notes and textbooks.

“Ruth-san.”

That was when Koutarou called out to her.

Part 4

As they stepped through the gates to the school, there was no conversation between Koutarou and Ruth.

Koutarou wanted to talk to Ruth, but it was private information so he couldn't do so with people around. Because of that, Koutarou remained silent.

And Ruth had her complex feelings regarding Koutarou.

When Ruth had consulted with Koutarou regarding this event two days ago, he had said something that could be taken as inconsiderate. But after talking to Theia, Ruth now understood Koutarou's intentions. However, those words still made her sad. The feminine part of her wanted Koutarou to say something more.

And one more thing. Ruth was scared of acting normally around Koutarou, because she believed she would be unable to make her decision regarding the marriage. She wanted to avoid Koutarou because she felt like she would make a rash decision.

That's why both Koutarou and Ruth remained silent. The two of them headed towards Corona House without exchanging any words. This was the first time there had ever been this much tension between these two.

That silence continued for a while, but about five minutes after passing through the gate, Ruth broke the silence. The people around them had diminished and Ruth couldn't take this silence and tension.

“...Satomi-sama, just what did you want to talk about?”

Ruth asked in a harsh tone. Her voice didn't contain any emotion at all and it was almost as if she was talking to an enemy. That was the best bluff she could muster.

“There's something I wanted to apologize to you for.”

Koutarou however, was the same as always. He carried his bag with a carefree expression, like always and walked in the same pace as normal. That alone seemed to make Ruth mortified.

“An apology?”

Upon hearing that word, Ruth showed a stern expression.

Could it be that he doesn't want to become her highness's vassal...?

There weren't many things that Ruth could think of that Koutarou might want to apologize for. The first thing that popped into her head was regarding the case where she had asked Koutarou to serve Theia. Since it was a problem of utmost importance, her expression naturally turned serious.

“Yes.”

Koutarou nodded began talking about what had been bothering him since this morning.

“It's about the arranged marriage you asked me about two days ago.”

“Eh...”

Koutarou began speaking about something Ruth hadn't expected.

It's about that time...?

She had been certain it was about something else, so she was shocked and her serious expression melted away.

“At that time... I didn't think there was anything I had to say to you, but I later realized that there was something I needed to tell you.”

“Satomi-sama... ah...”

Ruth noticed that her expression had changed and hurriedly tried to recreate it.

“So first I'd like apologize. I'm sorry, Ruth-san. I hadn't thought things through back then.”

Koutarou glanced into Ruth's eyes while apologizing.

“Y-Yes...”

Confused, Ruth nodded her head. Seeing that, Koutarou instinctively smiled wryly.

I really should have thought about us a little more. I'm sorry, Ruth-san.

Koutarou realized how immature he was as the sight of the anxious Ruth two days ago and the sight of the confused Ruth in front of him overlapped.

“This is... something I'd like you to keep to yourself.”

Koutarou started by saying that and shifted his glance away from Ruth. Instead he looked into the winter sky.

“My family lost my mother early on, and me and my dad lived on our own. About a year ago, my dad's transfer was decided... just as I had gotten accepted to this school, and I ended up living on my own.”

In the big blue winter sky was a single small cloud. And like that small cloud, Koutarou was supposed to live in this large city on his own.

“But that didn't happen. The day after I moved in, everyone attacked.”

Four girls had shown up to claim the tiny room 106 of Corona House. And in order to protect his room, Koutarou ended up having to fight. The girls had all kind of goals and personalities, and their restless days began.

“Satomi-sama...”

Ruth didn't understand why Koutarou was bringing this topic up. But based on how Koutarou was behaving, she could tell that this was very important to him, so she held back her questions and listened to what he had to say.

“Ten months have passed since then.”

Koutarou counted the months on his fingers and smiled at Ruth.

“During that time, a lot of things happened, right?”

“Yes...”

A lot of things. All kinds of memories popped in to Ruth's head upon hearing that.

Sanae was kidnapped. Theia was attacked by Clan. Underground people that wouldn't obey Kiriha came to attack. They had also acted out plays. And the Christmas party and ski trip had been a blast.

She could remember all these things just by thinking a little. Including all the minor stuff, there were countless memories.

“And... I only now realized. It's thanks to Ruth-san and everyone that I have been so happy these past ten months.”

During these past ten months Koutarou had experienced all kinds of trouble. But it wasn't until now that he realized that only the beginning had troubled him. By the time he learned of the girls’ circumstances, there were no more painful things. Now, Koutarou could confidently say that it was thanks to the invading girls that he had been so happy these past ten months.

He couldn't say it to Yurika or Sanae since it'd just go to their head, but that was the truth. And because that was the truth, Koutarou had returned from the past Forthorthe. To fulfill the girls’ wishes and protect this every day.

“S-Sato....”

Koutarou's words sunk into Ruth's chest and her heart began pounding wildly. Her mind turned white and she couldn't think of anything. A large crack was torn into the wall around her heart.

Oh no, if I listen to this any more, I'll...

Ruth's reasoning warned her. However, she was soon unable to hear that warning as her heart beat even faster.

“Ruth-san, I don't know how you felt about these past ten months. But if you're worrying about your marriage, I want you to choose whatever you believe would bring you the most happiness.”

Koutarou was grateful to the invading girls. And of course, Ruth as well. So Koutarou wanted each and every day in Ruth's life to be as happy as his was. Whether she got married or not, he wanted her to choose what she believed would bring her the most happiness.

“I won't mind what you chose for that. But in exchange, I'll support you regardless of what that choice is.”

That was Koutarou's decision.

For the simple reason of repaying what had been given to him.

“Please choose a future that will give you happiness, one that you won't regret later. That's my answer to your question, no, it's probably my wish.”

If Ruth was anxious about the marriage, then she should think of a method to ease that anxiety. If she wanted to stop the marriage, that was fine. If that happened, Koutarou would do what he could to protect Theia and Ruth. He might even become Theia's vassal as Ruth had suggested. Or he could discuss with the other girls of the room and come up with an even better solution.

Since Koutarou wasn't knowledgeable of Forthorthe's current situation, he didn't want to say anything that could sway Ruth's decision. But he wanted her to choose whatever made her happy. And he would respect her choice and support her. That was Koutarou's answer.

He also felt that it was his duty because as the one keeping Signaltin and Charl's insignia. What Alaia wanted to protect wasn't Signaltin, but the happiness of the people in her world. And the leading figure of people's happiness, Charl, had given him a homemade insignia of rank. In that case, he had to protect Ruth and Theia's happiness as well. Even now, Koutarou was carrying on Alaia and Charl's wish.

“I...”

If Ruth's only worry had been about the arranged marriage, she probably would have annulled it now. Koutarou's answer far exceeded what Ruth had hoped for the other day.

“And what's more is that he would have to resolve himself to give up his own homeland. And he would have to resolve himself that he wouldn't be able to make a new family.”

However, Ruth remembered Theia's words.

If I wish to live my life with Satomi-sama, he would surely do so.... but that would make Satomi-sama unhappy... and I can't let that happen!!

Ruth too wanted Koutarou to live with a smile on his lips. About as much as she wished the same for Theia. And that was barely enough to keep her from annulling the arranged marriage.

“...Is that all?”

Ruth desperately tried to keep her feelings from showing and answered in a calm voice. And in order to keep herself from smiling she gritted her teeth.

“Yes.”

Koutarou didn't think it was strange for Ruth to have such a serious expression. That's because he believed that what he had said two days had really hurt her.

“Then I'll excuse myself here. I have to prepare dinner for my guest after this.”

Ruth bowed her head while maintaining her stiff expression and hurriedly parted with Koutarou. She felt like if she stayed by Koutarou any longer, she would be unable to contain her feelings.

Your highness.... Your highness, this must be what you felt....

And Ruth was finally able to understand the feelings her small master held.

“Well then.”

Ruth sped up after saying a short farewell.

Everything is alright... I was able to pull it off...

Ruth felt a deep relief that she had been able to keep her feelings together and that she had been able to keep Koutarou from being unhappy. Because of that deep relief, however, she failed to pay attention to her footing.

The tip of her foot caught on a slight difference in height on the pavement.

“Kyaa!?”

Since she had started to speed up, her body was falling towards the ground at quite some speed. If she had crashed into ground like that, she might have suffered serious injuries.

However, that didn't happen. Before she had crashed, someone caught her. That person's hand was large, and from the sensation of being held and the slight warmth, Ruth could tell who it was right away.

“Satomi-sama...”

“Are you okay, Ruth-san?”

The one that stopped Ruth was Koutarou. And at the same time, Ruth came to understand something.

It's this person... as I thought, this person is the only one for me...

Right in the center of Ruth's view was Koutarou, smiling with relief. However, that image of Koutarou was quickly distorted by tears.

The moment she realized she was being held by Koutarou, Ruth could no longer muster any strength. She felt like she wanted to stay this way forever.

The power she felt from the arms around her, the comfortable warmth from his body temperature and the feeling of security she felt from his presence made Ruth's intuition scream out.

Our place is here... if I stay here, I will be happy... her highness surely would too... Here we will definitely be happy...

That intuition destroyed whatever let Ruth keep her feelings in check.

No... I don't want anyone but this person... It's not that I hate El-sama, I just can't live without this person...!

But even then, Ruth tried to get away from Koutarou. She did her best to pour her strength into her arms to push Koutarou away.

“L-Let me go!! Please, Satomi-sama!! At this rate, I'll... I'll!!”

“R-Ruth-san?”

Koutarou loosened his arms around Ruth who suddenly began to struggle. Since he didn't understand why she was crying, he stopped moving.

“Why do you make me dream!? Why!? Even though I know I can't go on like this!! Even though I had decided to give up!!”

After escaping from Koutarou's arms, Ruth ran away at full speed without looking back. If she didn't, she would make the wrong the decision. The wall around her heart had collapsed and the feelings they contained escaped as tears fell from her eyes. For each step she took, her tears scattered.

Satomi-sama, Satomi-sama!! I...!!

Ruth's body separated from Koutarou, but her feelings remained by his side.

Part 5

Ruth had escaped into Theia's private room onboard the Blue Knight. Apart from room 106, there weren't a lot of places she could live as an alien. In the end, Ruth relied on her childhood friend.

“Y-Your highness... U-Ugh, Uaaaaaaaa!!”

“Ruth!? What, happened to you?”

Upon seeing Ruth barging into her room and dropping down on the floor while crying, Theia dropped what she was doing and ran up to Ruth's side.

“I'm sorry, your highness. I'm sorry!”

Sitting down on the floor, Ruth dropped her shoulders and looked down on the carpet while continuing to cry. It almost looked like she was prostrating.

“Just what are you apologizing for? I can't understand if you just cry, explain!”

Theia squatted down next to Ruth. Ruth pushed her hands down on the carpet and looked up at Theia. Her face was covered in tears and sadness. There was no trace of her normally kind, gentle face.

“I already know! Thinking of the future, it would be best for me to marry El-sama! And that Satomi-sama would be happiest if we left him on Earth!”

Ruth threw all of her emotions at Theia. There was no need to hold anything back as the two of them had always lived this way up until now.

“B-But, I understand now! Only he will do for me! Nobody else will work!”

“Ruth...”

Upon hearing Ruth's words, Theia showed a solemn smile. She was painfully aware of what Ruth was talking about. It was because she held the same feelings as Ruth.

“If I accept this marriage, it will surely be of great help to you! If we instead bring that person to Forthorthe, he will surely be unhappy! But I, I!!”

Ruth's tears scattered upon the carpet and formed a spotted pattern. And Ruth pushed her hand on that pattern and she buried the tips of her fingers into the carpet.

“...I will start wishing to feel that person’s, Satomi-sama's, warmth and noble heart up close!!”

Going by reason alone, the best would be to marry Elexis and leave Koutarou behind on Earth. That would be the correct choice. However, Ruth's heart rejected that logical choice. Reason and emotion clashed and tore her heart apart. And the pain from that made her scream and cry.

“No matter what I might say, I can't pretend like I don't love him...”

Theia unburied Ruth's fingers, one at a time, and took her hand. She then held it with both of her own hands and embraced it.

“Your highness, I-I'm truly... sorry...”

“I don't mind. I understand those feelings very well...”

Still embracing Ruth's hand, Theia gently smiled, like Ruth had always done when she had been sad. Theia continued like that until Ruth stopped crying.

“Still... I am a little envious of you.”

“Eh?”

Ruth instinctively looked up upon hearing those words, and Theia and Ruth's eyes met. Ruth was surprised, while Theia was smiling. Their positions were now reversed.

“You already have your answer don't you. All that's left is to make the leap. But... I can't take such a bold step myself. So... I am a little envious of you...”

Ruth was born from a distinguished family of knights with a long history of traditions. So continuing that bloodline had a lot of meaning. However, the same was true for Theia, but in her case it was even more important. Choosing Koutarou would mean destroying one of the royal families. The Mastir family had continued since even before the Silver Princess, Alaia, and was the oldest family in Forthorthe. So allowing the Mastir family's bloodline to die out was the same as throwing that history away. As such, Theia still couldn't make her decision.

“But it's all about perspective. If you chose to live with Koutarou, it wouldn't be such a bad future for me...”

“Your highness...”

Upon her birth, Theia had been put into the shackles called Forthorthe. And while they shone golden, they were gigantic and heavy shackles that wouldn't let her move freely.

Part 6

Even after her tears had dried up, Ruth didn't return to room 106. Facing Koutarou was still painful for her. Her dinner with Elexis had also been delayed until tomorrow as she had been unable to make any preparations.

In the end, with time to kill, Ruth headed to the Blue Knight's hangar. She was planning on performing maintenance of Koutarou's armor that had been left there.

Ruth had already made up her mind regarding the arranged marriage, she just couldn't take it to the next step. That said, it wasn't easy to just decline. She would have to meet with Elexis's parents and apologize directly. It wasn't something that could be settled by sending a single message to her own parents. So Ruth had to temporarily return to Forthorthe no matter what.

There, the problem of Theia's guard arose. Ruth's job wasn't just to attend to Theia, but to guard her as well. So though temporary, while Ruth was away, there would be no one to protect Theia. Since she couldn't allow that, Ruth was going to finish the maintenance on the armor and ask Koutarou. In the end, the only one Ruth could entrust Theia to was him.

A blue armor was kept standing in a rigid posture in the maintenance division of the hangar. That posture had been calculated by the computer built into to armor using current operation data and was very similar to what Koutarou looked like when wearing the armor.

The Blue Knight's armor, huh... If only Satomi-sama was the real Blue Knight...

Ruth looked at the armor and let out a small sigh.

To Ruth and Theia, Koutarou was someone who exceeded even the Blue Knight. The legendary hero, the Blue Knight, probably would protect Theia's life, but Koutarou wouldn't just protect her life, but also her heart. The Blue Knight couldn't be trusted with that much. It was because they believed Koutarou to be even greater that the engraving on the armor's chest read as 'Theiamillis's Blue Knight'.

However, that was just between Theia and Ruth. To the people of Forthorthe, Koutarou was just an alien. Since he is from a planet with a less developed civilization, he would be treated like a neanderthal, just like Theia had once done. That said, if he was just Theia's vassal, there wouldn't any problem for the Pardomshiha family to accept him as their adopted son. But things would be different if they were to get married. The entirety of Forthorthe would be shook if Theia were to marry with a neanderthal from a backwater planet. And massive protests would surely erupt.

He didn't have to be the Blue Knight, but if Koutarou was at least born from a family of knights, it would have been a simpler story.

“No... In that case, her highness probably wouldn't have fallen in love with Satomi-sama...”

Ruth shook her head upon reaching that conclusion.

Theia had fallen in love with Koutarou because they were rivals on equal standing. It is because they were able to reveal their everything to one another that Theia had come to love Koutarou. So if Koutarou had been from a family of knights, that wouldn't have happened.

“There's no use in grumbling... I have to continue my work...”

Ruth changed gears and operated a panel near the armor to start the armor's maintenance.

Maintenance on the hardware had already been completed beforehand. After picking up the damaged locations of the armor, she had ordered the repairing device to repair those parts.

So today's work was mostly regarding software maintenance. She would perform adjustments to the operating data and on the new parts to prevent any trouble when Koutarou wore the armor the next time.

“Now looking at it again... there are a lot of unreasonable parameters...”

When confirming the state of the armor, Ruth felt like something was amiss. The exchanged parts all showed initial values, but many of the parts that hadn't been changed were showing strange values.

A simple example would be the motor of the arm. It had been set to allow to momentarily allow the use of its full power, so it wasn't suited for use over a long period of time. On this setting, the motor would probably burn out after 30 minutes.

And strange settings like that could be found all over the place.

“What would you have to fight to damage the armor like this and require settings like these...”

There were a lot of strange points regarding the armor.

There were parts of the hardware that showed signs of wear and tear, and somehow Kiriha's gauntlet had been integrated with the left arm. Damage from combat and heat was all over the armor. And the software had a lot of strange settings.

Did he repeatedly fight against a large and mobile weapon over a long period of time?

Ruth reached a conclusion upon overlooking the armor. With this kind of damage, it was hard to believe that Koutarou had only fought against Clan.

It looked like wear and tear accumulated over several months of fighting on the front, and the damage was from fighting a large and mobile weapon. And assuming the strange parameters were for fighting that weapon, it would make sense.

If recordings of what happened had remained the mystery would be solved, but those had all been erased. And that left Ruth feeling impatient.

“Satomi-sama and Clan-sama are definitely hiding something...”

Koutarou and Clan's relations was yet another of Ruth's concerns. If Koutarou was recruited by Clan, Theia's future would be shrouded in dark clouds. In order to prevent that, Ruth wanted to investigate what they were hiding.

“Oh? This is...”

That was when Ruth's eyes stopped in front of a setting item. It was the software for the translating device built into the armor.

“That's strange... the processing priority for old Forthorthe has been brought up to the top... and ancient Forthorthe has been set as the fourth priority... Why would such a special language...?”

The translation device in the armor and Ruth's bracelet could convert language between Japanese and Forthorthe. If Ruth spoke using Forthorthe words, the device would translate it into Japanese while preserving her voice, and it would also do the opposite. It was thanks to that device that Ruth and Theia could live on Earth without an inconvenience.

Given enough time, the device would be able to translate any language, but known languages had been pre-registered and there was no need to gather data. This included common Forthorthe and the language spoken in nearby star systems. And amongst those languages was also old Forthorthe and ancient Forthorthe.

However, old Forthorthe which was used over 1000 years ago, and ancient Forthorthe which was only used for ceremonies back then, were rarely ever used. It was normal for those languages to be placed very low on the priority list when trying to figure out what language someone is speaking. Despite that, they had been raised up to the top. This was proof that the language was being used frequently and the computer had raised its priority to improve efficiency.

“Normally common Forthorthe should be at the top... but old Forthorthe is the top priority... Why was Satomi-sama speaking that...?”

Koutarou and Clan had gone missing, and in order to return they had needed to work together. In that case, common Forthorthe which Clan spoke should have remained as the top priority language. Despite that it, was now set to old Forthorthe. This made no sense to Ruth.

“The only reason I can think for this is...”

Koutarou hadn't been speaking common Forthorthe but old Forthorthe.

And in order to hide that, he had asked Clan to erase the data.

Ruth racked her brain to come up with a logical explanation for that.

“I see, could it be that Satomi-sama and Clan-sama...!!”

There was only a single answer that was compatible with this mysterious situation.

It was hard to believe, but Ruth believed in what her intuition was telling her. At first something extraordinary would have had happened, but after that everything would make sense.

“There's no time to spare!”

Ruth hurriedly brought up the armor's communication history. Having caught on to the truth, there was someone she just had to speak to.

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