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I wanted to sew Valentin’s lips shut for speaking so fearlessly.
I didn’t know how gently Vasily had treated him—or rather, no matter how gentle he had been, it was nothing more than a mask Vasily had painstakingly crafted. Once that mask was stripped away, there was no telling what Vasily might do. Especially in a place like this, where the presence of others was scarce...
“Please, don’t be so tense.”
Valentin spoke while looking directly into my eyes. His tone was so light that it made the cold sweat pooling in my palms feel misplaced.
“The future is not fate. It is different from karma, which must be accepted because it is immutable. If my prophecies contained an irresistible spirit word, then over five thousand citizens of the Cherensko Kingdom would have been drowned in the Great Flood. But aren't they perfectly fine? Except for the tiny minority who looked down upon my warning.”
When Vasily’s wary gaze showed no sign of softening, Valentin shrugged with a troubled expression and let out a small sigh.
“Or perhaps I should have informed you with a more solemn and dignified face? Like revealing a heaven-sent prophecy to believers before the noon mass on the Day of the Great Prophecy. Or perhaps the feeling of presenting a graduation thesis in a hall wouldn't have been bad. I suffered quite a bit pretending to be nervous in front of the examining professors.”
Only then did Vasily seem to feel the need to refresh the atmosphere (though his goal was likely to dig for more concrete information), and he pretended to brush it off as a joke.
“I don’t expect that level of delicacy from you.”
“I only said it to mean that you shouldn't take it too heavily.”
“The fact that I’ll be assassinated by a rebel agent in seventeen years? What a thoughtful consideration.”
As Vasily’s expression returned to normal, I swallowed a sigh of relief. I then gazed at Valentin with a slightly new perspective.
In my eyes—though I had only seen him three times—Valentin had the image of someone who 'had no interest in his surroundings and simply flowed along with the current.'
But thinking about it more deeply, that was an absurd misjudgment. Why would someone indifferent to their surroundings try to save people from disasters large and small? Perhaps Valentin was the one carrying a burden of responsibility so immense it was hard to even imagine.
“So. Is the reason you whispered this secretly to me also for my consideration?”
“You may think so if you wish. I simply considered it the most optimal move to avoid the worst possible future.”
“The one where Vasily Nikolayevich Novarov doesn't become a tyrant? I'm not so sure. I don't feel as though I've gained any profound enlightenment thanks to your consideration. Do you expect that this moment today will serve as a leash to prevent a wrong judgment in the future?”
“No, I don't particularly expect anything from Your Highness Vasily.”
Turning his gaze, Valentin naturally asked me.
“What does Your Highness the Princess think of my prophecy?”
...
Me?
“Yes, I am asking Princess Larisa.”
“Me? Why?”
“I wonder. Why would that be?”
At the sly answer, Vasily’s eyebrows furrowed into a subtle line.
However, he did not stop Valentin. Instead, the two of them waited for my answer together. Because of that, I had to rack my brain while feeling somewhat bewildered.
“I...”
It was funny.
Despite having belittled Valentin’s prophecies by mentioning things like tomorrow's weather, once I actually heard his prophecy, the energy to joke and tell him it was nonsense vanished. The reason was simple. Because if it were anyone other than Vasily, I thought it was entirely possible for him to meet 'such a future.'
The sudden news of my brother's miserable death brought a significant amount of anxiety not only to Vasily but to me as well.
Did he say that my answering Valentin's question was the best move to avoid the worst future? If so, I could answer ten times, a hundred times. And very honestly!
“I... I knew it.”
Valentin asked back with an intrigued look in his eyes.
“Knew what?”
“That Vasily would become a tyrant—no, that he could become one. Actually, Vasily is someone who deserves to be a tyrant. Sorry, Vasily. You can't help but be disappointed in me. At least, that's what I think.”
“And why is that?”
I answered while glancing at Vasily to gauge his reaction.
“Valentin only sees the future and not the past, so he wouldn't know. Vasily was a complete disaster when he was young; if I listed the stories from back then one by one, everyone listening would run away in terror. He's become a wonderful person now, but that's all thanks to Mother's hard work.”
“Sigh, Lara.”
Even as Vasily pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a slow sigh, I didn't stop talking.
“Vasily isn't afraid of anything. There is only one thing he fears: himself. Because Vasily...”
I looked at Vasily. My brother and my guardian. Looking into his warm purple eyes, memories of my childhood, now slightly blurred, flashed through my mind.
I had not forgotten a single moment spent with Vasily. The expressionless face even atop a pool of blood. Mother's wailing. The face of Tatyana, who squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
If we gave up on Vasily.
No, if Vasily gave up on us... it was a scene that could unfold before our eyes at any time.
“My brother is a bit dull when it comes to emotions. He's just trying his best to act and speak like other people. The way he rejoices, laughs, gets disappointed, feels regret, and enjoys things like everyone else...”
It's all just a mask created through learning.
A mask he could cast aside whenever he wanted, but one he willingly wore for our sake.
“So, as long as he can keep trying, he won't become something like a tyrant. I'm absolutely certain of this. Vasily is even smarter than I am. That's why Valentin's prophecy isn't particularly surprising; the only thing I'm curious about is the trigger that made Vasily... stop the effort he's maintained until now. If we know that trigger, I believe the future will remain as smooth as it is now.”
I had spoken confidently, but my voice was growing smaller as I went on. It was even more so because of Vasily's presence beside me.
I had essentially just detailed Vasily's sore spots in front of a stranger. Even if I had a clear purpose, it wouldn't be strange if Vasily gave me a severe scolding.
“You've shrunk down after saying everything you wanted to, Lara.”
His voice was intentionally stern, but the hand stroking my head was tender. I shook his hand, feeling much more at ease.
“Valentin said he'd help, so it's okay. Now we can avoid the worst future, right?”
“I suppose. Provided Valentin isn't just all talk.”
The corner of Vasily's mouth curled up, and this time, it was directed at Valentin.
“Now then, has my miserable future been averted?”
Valentin looked as if he were pondering for a brief moment, but it didn't last long.
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