Chapter 142
Brillie slowly stepped forward, glancing at Alter.
Even though they had already finished breakfast, Alter was still engulfed in a gloomy mood.
She had tried to reassure him several times, but he didn't seem to accept it himself.
'What should you do at times like this?'
Brillie repeatedly worried but couldn't bring herself to speak.
In fact, it was clear he had lost his confidence and had been intimidated.
On top of that, he had tried to lead assertively, only for things to end swiftly—perhaps he was caught up in self-reproach.
'I want to help him feel better somehow...'
Brillie just barely held back a smile.
His droopy appearance was so adorable that she couldn't help but look at him.
However, since it was a serious matter to Alter, she knew she shouldn't treat it lightly.
'What am I supposed to do if he's that cute?'
She composed her expression and approached Alter.
Still, she couldn't just let things be.
If her companion was steeped in sorrow, she had to comfort him somehow.
"Alter, how long are you planning to be like that?"
"Huh? Oh, do I really seem that down?"
"Your face looks like it's sunk."
"... I guess I've been overthinking things."
Alter mumbled listlessly, then looked at Brillie.
Surely, she must have been at least a little hopeful about their first night.
But he had ruined that moment, leading only to a rather cold outcome.
"Don't think about it so hard. Still, we did sleep in the same bed, didn't we?"
"It's not that... The problem is, I took the lead and fell asleep first."
"But you did try, right? That's better than doing nothing."
"I ended up pretending to be confident and showing off, but honestly, I don't feel comfortable about it."
"Why do you think it was just showing off? You looked plenty dashing to me."
"But it's supposed to be our first night..."
"I'm telling you, it's fine. What if we didn't do anything? We can do it another time."
Brillie wasn't particularly obsessed with marital relations.
She and Alter had let themselves be swayed excessively by the idea of marriage.
Because of that, they had been overly conscious of each other but hesitated to approach.
Now was not the time to dwell on seriousness, but rather, to have a little more ease.
"If you think about it as a honeymoon, we can't keep putting it off."
"Alter. We're married now. We're going to live together from now on, so does it really have to be right now? Wouldn't it be fine to do it later?"
"But if we keep avoiding it... wouldn't it become awkward for either you or me?"
"I won't avoid it. But I still feel anxious. I'm sure you feel the same way, don't you?"
"I doubt I'm any different."
"That's why let's think it over a bit more. We've only been married for a single day, there's no need to rush."
Brillie encouraged Alter and then gave him a gentle smile with her eyes.
No matter how important it was to secure an heir, she couldn't push forward under such pressure.
She and Alter needed time to get used to married life.
"... All right. I suppose I was impatient."
"If you put it that way, I was even more impatient. I tried to make things happen even before we got married."
"You handled it better than me. You almost succeeded, whereas I failed completely."
"Really? From my perspective, we both failed. How about we pretend it never happened and make a fresh start?"
"Yes. That wouldn't be so bad."
Alter nodded, visibly calmer.
He couldn't argue against Brillie's words.
They were reasonable, so he had no choice but to go along.
'Guess I let my emotions get the better of me. That's why I made a mistake.'
Alter took Brillie's hand, and they started walking together behind her.
For now, just feeling the warmth of her hand was enough to soothe his mind.
Maybe... he'd been misunderstanding his relationship with Brillie all along.
'... All I ever had to do was accept her as my companion.'
* * *
The fountain at Menebati Square drew crowds from the city center.
It was based on a common legend, but as a type of attraction, anyone could easily visit.
Moreover, because shops and fortune-teller stalls clustered nearby, the fountain naturally stood out.
In effect, the fountain had invigorated the city's commercial district.
"Alter, do you believe in this kind of thing?"
"I don't. It's a lie."
"Right? I bet even the legend is just made up."
Brillie watched the fountain, calmly reciting.
A steady stream of water shot from the fountain, sometimes forming a rainbow.
People tossed coins into the fountain one after another and prayed with their hands clasped.
"Doesn't someone come and take them at night?"
"People take them a bit at a time even now. If not, the coins would pile up and overflow the water."
"Mmm... That makes sense. Though most are probably copper, some gold or silver coins might be mixed in, right?"
"There do seem to be a few. But no one's throwing gold bars or silver ingots."
"That would be a waste. They're expensive. Maybe people throw in rings or necklaces instead?"
"There's a ring hanging over there."
"Seriously? Someone actually threw a ring?"
Brillie spotted a ring wedged inside the fountain, looking dumbfounded.
Surely, some rich noble must have tossed it away on a whim.
Maybe it had slipped off accidentally, but that didn't seem very likely.
"That looks like an earring... I guess a necklace is buried over there."
"They must be wealthier than my house. How do they even think of doing that?"
"It could be just another way to show off. Nobles like to display themselves."
"I don't get it. Did they really have to do that?"
"They just want to flaunt their power. There are plenty of people watching, after all."
"......"
Brillie remained silent for a while, then took a slow step back.
Still, since they were on their honeymoon, she had thought to toss in a single gold coin to commemorate the visit.
But after witnessing such extravagance, even that felt wasteful.
"Weren't you going to toss a coin?"
"No. I'm not going to. It just seems too silly."
"But isn't the fountain worth seeing?"
"It was at first, but now I don't even like that anymore. It was all made to deceive people, wasn't it?"
"That might be so. You need something to attract people's attention."
"I'd rather get my fortune told instead."
Brillie turned her back on the fountain and scanned the surroundings.
She didn't blindly believe in astrology, but found it somewhat interesting.
After all, it mentioned personal traits ambiguously—even referencing the undecided future.
"Do you trust fortune-telling?"
"Of course not. It's just for fun. And since I'm here with you, it's a good excuse."
"It's probably more entertaining than the fountain."
"But we should choose carefully. A lot of them don't earn their fee."
"Hm..."
Alter followed Brillie and browsed the fortune-telling stalls.
Some had tents and an array of tools; others just laid out paper and pens.
People bustled about, and some stalls had lines.
"Let's try somewhere quiet. It might not amount to much... but we can't leave after coming all this way, right?"
"May I choose?"
"Hmm? I don't mind, but did something catch your eye?"
"I'm just following my intuition."
Alter spotted a fortune-teller and immediately approached.
There was nothing remarkable—he didn't even have a table.
He just sat on a chair, displaying only a vacant expression.
"I knew you two would come."
The fortune-teller's eyes lit up as he looked at Alter and Brillie.
Alter found it odd, but replied calmly.
"Then do you know what I'm going to ask?"
"Isn't there nothing you wish to ask? You just want to hear what I have to say."
"......"
"And the lady wants to know about the future, doesn't she?"
"......"
"You two possess a powerful fate. That makes it hard to read. Normally, I'd charge a gold coin each but..."
Brillie was already feeling put off.
It was one of the oldest tricks in the book for fortune-tellers.
They emphasized how special their client was, to provoke curiosity.
Besides, he had recognized them as nobles and was probably fishing for a bigger fee.
"My conscience won't allow it. You've saved the country four times; how can I take money from you?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"How could I know? Whatever you did, your accomplishments are clear. But at least I'll get to read the fortune of someone remarkable before I die."
The fortune-teller looked back and forth between Alter and Brillie, then stood up.
He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows deeply.
Brillie still didn't trust the fortune-teller, but decided to watch a little longer.
"The man came from the northern territory... carries an extraordinary bloodline. Descended from a transcendent being."
"......"
"The woman... huh... you were born of a hero's lineage. Your family has slain mighty foes for generations. And you possess a mysterious aura... Both of you are rare talents who appear maybe once every few centuries."
"......"
"The man escaped death with the help of someone close. But his fate was twisted, so he faced many ordeals."
"......"
"Hu hu hu! The woman nearly met disaster, but was saved thanks to the man! The man's fate rescued the woman's fate!"
"......?"
Brillie glared at the fortune-teller, dissatisfied.
He wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what she and Alter had done.
He was just using plausible words to dazzle his clients.
"Haaa... This is hard. It really is difficult to read your fortunes. Your fate is so strong it clouds my eyes."
"......"
"This time will be dangerous. You could both lose your lives. The enemy you must fight is breaking the law of nature, so opposing them will not be easy."
"......"
"But there isn't no solution. You just need to break the law of nature as well. If you manage it, you might win."
"......"
"The problem is what comes after. A human who has seized forbidden power will clash with you. What are you going to do about that?"
"......"
"The woman must do well. The man will only lead the process and can't reach the result. The woman must finish it."
"......"
"Right now, you mustn't have a child. Focus on fighting the enemies. That time is not far off."
"......"
"But your compatibility is good. You'll be able to be together your whole lives."
"......"
"There's nothing else you want to know, is there? I only glimpsed fragments—where your future leads is up to you. But, since you've piled up so many achievements, let me wish you luck."
Alter immediately took out two gold coins and handed them to the fortune-teller.
Brillie was rather surprised, but didn't question it further.
Although the words were abstract, the seer seemed to pierce some essential points, so she developed a faint belief.
"He doesn't seem to be an ordinary fortune-teller... I should at least ask his name."
"My name? Hahaha! What good would it do you? I must now carry your secrets with me until my death. There is always a price to seeing the future. The moment I utter even a single syllable, my heart will burst."
"......"
"This is fitting. Shall I leave a message for your master? Tell them I've lost my prophetic powers and they needn't worry anymore."