Published: August 10, 2026
"...Ah."
As I was entrusting myself to the pleasant warmth, I suddenly came to my senses. If the divine power of the gods had vanished, there was something I needed to do early, in a place where no one else was around.
"Lord Ferdinand. I'm returning the Offering Stone. The divine power of the gods is gone, so it's no longer necessary, right?"
Because he had offered me his name on the grounds that he could not bear to be unable to touch me while I was wrapped in the divine power of the gods, Ferdinand had given me his name. I had to return that. I fumbled around and took out the Offering Stone Ferdinand had entrusted to me.
I held out the Offering Stone, now shaped like a white cocoon, but Ferdinand did not take it. Instead, he averted his gaze a little.
"...Is my name not needed?"
Sensing a somewhat downcast atmosphere, I panicked internally. It seemed saying "it's not needed" had been a mistake.
"It's not that it isn't needed, it's that Lord Ferdinand's name is not something I should be holding."
"Why not?"
"I don't like the idea of a master-servant relationship being part of a family relationship. Family should be equal."
If we were eventually going to become husband and wife, then I thought name offering was even less necessary. Ferdinand only looked back and forth between the Offering Stone and me, and still did not reach for it.
"Do you have some complaint?"
"...Even if you don't return my name, there should be a way to be equal, shouldn't there?"
When Ferdinand said that, I tilted my head. Was there something like that? Hmm. I thought hard, then remembered Leonore's words. I was sure that, when we had been talking about whether to accept the name offerings of Veronica's faction's children, she had said, "I admire the idea of offering one's name to the one you love, being offered in return, and swearing eternal devotion."
"So if I offer my name to Lord Ferdinand as well, is that what you mean? It would certainly make us equal, and maybe it would be romantic, but it wouldn't be realistic, would it? Leonore said that, and I feel the same way."
"Not realistic, is it?"
"Yes. Because the one left behind would be in trouble, wouldn't they?"
"Who are you referring to when you say the one left behind?"
As if he didn't understand, Ferdinand furrowed his brow and prompted me to continue.
"The one left behind would be... um, well, if we eventually... get married, then, y-you know, there's always some chance that we might have children, right?"
Oh no. For some reason, thinking about "marriage" or "having children," or talking about it with Ferdinand, was unbearably embarrassing. Maybe it was because things I had thought had nothing to do with me suddenly felt very close to home.
...Ugh, calm down. Calm down.
"Since I am an aub, even if we don't have a child of our blood, we'd need an heir through adoption or something like that... Well, I mean, children like that, yes, children who will protect the Library City. Lady Leticia would count too, I think? If we're using the royal decree to become engaged, then we'd also do the royal decree adoption, right?"
At my words, Ferdinand gave a humph.
"Because it is a royal decree. In order to keep Leticia as a lord candidate, the Arensbach custom must first be abolished, but after the rite of star binding with you, I intend to proceed with the adoption. Leticia is in the same position as a noble child orphaned by the Lanzenave war, so until the adoption is completed, I plan to have her live a basic life in the temple..."
At Ferdinand's words, I let out a relieved breath. I had decided to leave it to the judgment of Ferdinand, the victim here, but just agreeing to conceal Leticia's crime was enough to put me at ease. I was glad we could avoid giving harsh punishment to a child who clearly had been used.
"...And how exactly does that relate to name offerings and children for us?"
"Because, you know, we're going to become hu-husband and wife, right? If one of us went off to some faraway height and had offered our name, then the other would also be going to that faraway height, wouldn't they? I think the children left behind would have a very hard time. Even losing one parent is difficult."