Though I had no intention of betraying Sylphy, in the end, I broke my promise. I'm sorry."
I kneeled down. Though there was a carpet spread across the floor, northern winters are cold, so the floor was cold. I pressed my head deeply against the floor.
"Eh-, wai-, Rudi!?"
I could hear Sylphy's flustered voice.
"I still love you, Sylphy. But, I might have gotten Roxy pregnant. I have to take responsibility."
"Ah, okay."
The more words I pile up, the cheaper they sound to me. However, they're my true thoughts.
When I look at Sylphy, I find that she has a troubled face. Her mind might be in chaos. It's understandable. A person said that they loved you, and that they would come back without fail. When they do come back, they are in tatters. They've lost their family and their left hand. But because of the fact that at least their life is intact, you are thinking that it is something to be happy about; when suddenly they say something about making some other woman their wife.
Were it me, I'd shout, and shout, and condemn them.
But, I'll speak. Even if it's unreasonable, I'll speak words to force my way through.
"Sylphy. Please forgive me, and allow it."
"There's no way you could be forgiven, right!?"
It was Norn. The one who shouted wasn't Sylphy, but Norn. She powers over to me and grabs my collar.
"Are you going to say you know what kind of feelings Sylphy-nee had when she was waiting for you, Nii-san!?"
"..."
"Every day, [I wonder if Rudi is okay], [I want to see Rudi], [I wonder if Rudi's eaten dinner yet] she'd say. Do you know how lonely Sylphy-nee's voice and expressions were!?"
I don't. Though I don't, I can imagine it. Sylphy's face as she waited for me. Sylphy's lonely voice. Sylphy's form as she idled on a chair, swinging her legs about.
"I thought that it couldn't be helped if Otou-san couldn't be saved! Since it was that difficult a fight and you'd even lost your hand, I thought it couldn't be helped! That's why I thought it'd be barking up the wrong tree if I blamed you, Nii-san, but you actually had the leisure to sleep with another woman and make her yours!?"
"That's not it. I didn't have that sort of leisure. It's because things were like that, that Roxy ignored her own feelings and helped me."
"Were Sylphy-nee there, she'd definitely have helped you!"
That's probably absolutely true. Sylphy has helped me. The one who cured my ED was Sylphy.
However, Roxy has also helped me. She liked me, and despite her knowing that I had someone I loved, she was prepared to throw away her own feelings to help me.
"Norn, even you should understand, right? The feelings you have when you lock yourself in your room, when you have no way out, when you feel that you can't do anything. How could you ignore the person who saved you from that?"
"I understand! I'm thankful to you, Nii-san! But, this and that are different matters! If you take two wives, Milis-sama won't forgive you!"
Aah. I see. Norn was an adherent of Milis, huh? No, it probably doesn't have to do with her faith, huh. I've done something wrong. I try to ignore reason, and force my way through.
"In the first place, why a small kid like this!? Isn't she about the same age as me!?"
Norn glares at Roxy. Expressionless as usual, Roxy looks at Norn. Roxy is a little taller, but the difference in height probably isn't even 10 centimeters. Receiving Norn's gaze without expression, Roxy simply says,
"...I might be small, but I'm still an adult."
I don't know what to say. You could almost see into Roxy's heart by listening to that trembling voice.
But depending on how you took it, those words could probably be interpreted as impudence. Norn is enraged.
"If you're an adult, then shouldn't you know some shame!?"
"..."
"Don't you think anything of butting into our family like this!?"
"Norn, you've said too much. The one who proposed making her my second wife was I. Roxy hasn't done anything wrong. Roxy had wanted to back away."
I refuted Norn in a strong tone. However, Norn continues to condemn Roxy without looking at me.
"Please be quiet, Nii-san! In the first place, if she was going to back away, why didn't she stick to it? In the end, she just took advantage of your words, Nii-san!"
I have a thought to hit Norn. However, it goes without saying that I'm not qualified to do such a thing. If I hit Norn here, I'll probably become worthless in the true meaning of the word.
"..."
At Norn's shout, Roxy stays quiet for a while. With her usual expressionless face, she's hanging her head and looking at the floor. In the end, she finally raises her head and bows to Norn.
"You're right. I'm being shameless. I'm sorry."
Saying this, Roxy gets up and slowly moves. Picking up the luggage she left in the corner of the room and putting on her hat, she quickly leaves. I can't stop her. I understand why they're opposed. I didn't think that they would humor me and easily accept it. But even so, I thought that I'd be able to persuade them somehow.
But I was naive. I consider the current situation. Roxy was relentlessly attacked with words. She probably feels like she's on a bed of nails.
Her life might continue to be this way from now on. Thinking about it, she didn't want to stay here.
Were it me, I'd run away from somewhere like this.
I can't stop her.
I can't hold her back.
But I can't let Roxy leave here with ill feelings.
I don't want that.
I have to pay her back.
I didn't bring her here to make her feel this way.
I brought her here because I wanted her to be happy.
Or could it be something else?
No, think.
What should I do?
What should I do to make Norn accept it?