The calendar in this world is similar to the one used in Kei’s old world, and it shows that the time remaining with Halinia is growing shorter and shorter. It can be felt just from the gloomy atmosphere, and the winter weather outside almost complements it. Though day-to-day life has not changed, it’s quieter, more somber, and more serious as time goes by. Kei wants to lighten the mood, but he doesn’t know if that would be a wise thing to do.
Halinia will be going to a place unknown to her, in the coming spring. She can take a single servant with her, but that servant will be her only ally and only in the privacy of her dorm. She will have to make an effort to make friends while she makes enemies without even knowing, which Malicra often reminds her of almost every lesson. She needs to get used to the isolation and keep up with the social standards of the kingdom.
Kei’s mind is preoccupied as he plays with Kaber, a simple dice game he ‘invented’ in the living space. While Kaber is enjoying the game, Halinia is watching from the spiral staircase. Kei notices, but Halinia climbs the stairs before he can call out to her. Kei is deep in thought, ignoring Kaber, who is tugging at his clothes. It is his turn in the game now, but he ignores it and starts rubbing his chin while still thinking deeply.
What choices does Kei have? He can only offer his broader, adult knowledge since he is only a child right now. What can he do to comfort and boost her confidence without overstepping as a child? Maybe a Game? But he has given many game ideas he can think of with his limitations as a child, as in he can’t make technology or materials… well… except for board games. He thinks and thinks, and he has come to a decision.
When he thought of a good idea, Kaber ran off crying, “Kei is ignoring me~!”
“I’m worried about your sister, damn brat!” Kei thought.
------------------
Some time has passed, and it’s night. Halinia is in her dimly lit room, the only source of light coming from a glass orb, working on some parchments given by Malicra. She looks mature but gives off a sense of solitude in the quiet room, with only the sound of scratching from her quill on parchment. Then knocking on the door makes Halinia jump.
“Yes?” Halinia calls out in response.
"It's me, Kei, lady Halinia,” Kei answers behind the door. Halinia almost jumps out of her seat but holds herself back, then pouts for not interacting for a long time.
“Do you need something?” Halinia asks loudly with some irritation.
“I was wondering if you would like a break, you have been very busy for a while now,” Kei says. Halinia scowls. “I also made a new game for you,” Halinia widens her eyes. She fidgets in her seat and taps her pen on the parchment. “Malicra said it was okay~” Kei emphasizes in a playful tone. It did not take a second for her to get off her seat. She walks over and opens the door just enough to peak.
“Really?” Halinia asks while feigning a pout.
“Yes, and madam Salishia and lord Halkar want to watch you play,” Kei answers. Halinia hesitates but gives in just as quickly. Kei takes her hand and leads her down the dark hall.
“So… is this why I couldn’t find you for 2 weeks? You were making a game for me?” Halinia asks.
“Uh… yeah…” Kei replies without facing her. Halinia smiles, and almost giggles out loud but holds it in. She can read Kei like a book even without seeing his face.
They see the twirling staircase from the distance because it’s unusually bright downstairs. When they go downstairs almost everyone in the manor is waiting in the living room, dozens of servants, Halinia’s family patiently waiting for Halinia with a gentle smile.
“Come on down Halinia, I really want to see how this goes,” Salishia says giddily sitting next to Halakar on the couch.
“Yeah, and you better enjoy this!” Malicra says in a grouchy tone, crossing her arms and legs as she sits on a lone wooden chair. Halakar laughs out loud.
“Malicra helped out quite a bit,” Halakar explains.
“Shut it! I skipped my sleeping days for this, you better enjoy it!” Malicra sulking. Everyone giggles and laughs, even the servants.
While the laughter is filling the living space Kei quietly says “Everyone helped make this game.”
The living floor is lit by 8 light orbs hanging on the ceiling chandelier and they made a big opening on the floor for a newly made large floor mat with a unique design. The design in the mat was a total of 48 blocks with mixes of red, green, and beige connecting like a tile swirling around to fit inside the mat. Around the tile were obviously 4 changing seasons from left to right and at the center a large building-like design. On top of the mat were 6 decks of cards made out of parchments, 3 on the upper side with the number 1 on it and another 3 at the bottom side of the mat with 2 on it. 2 decks with a sad red face design, another 2 with a neutral face, and another 2 with a green happy face. Next to the decks are 4 wooden pieces. One obviously looks similar to Halinia, another Kaber, another Kei, and one Anaya.
Kei goes to the table set to the side and picks up a notebook and something else which he hands it to Halinia. It was a pair of 6-sided dice, one with 1 through 6 and one with 1 through 5 with one side empty.
“Why don’t you go first, lady Halinia,” Kei says as he points to the beginning tile which says ‘beginning of the year’. Halinia ponders why everyone is so excited about this game so much but gives it a try. She kneels down on the mat and throws the dice into the air. She gets the highest number possible, 11. She starts moving her piece and lands on a beige tile.
“Draw a card from the white deck with 1 on it and read what it says,” Kei orders.
Halinia does and reads out loud, “Put this card at the bottom of the deck and draw another card if you don’t have a ‘friend’,” Halinia looks at Kei with a pout. The audience sighs and giggles.
“Please continue,” Kei says with a bit of nervousness. Halinia does as the card says and reads the next card.
“You have a test coming up but you see a boy or a girl sitting next to you having a hard time with their paperwork, what do you do? a) help them, b) Work hard on your paperwork? I would… want to help them,” Halinia replies hesitantly but before she can give a stern answer, Kei immediately replies.
“You barely pass the test,” disappointed Halinia tries to interrupt Kei but he continues, “but the child next to you is able to pass, thanks to you. The child becomes your friend,” Kei says monotony but with a smile. Halinia gains a spark in her eyes. Salishia giggles quietly.
“I want to play too,” Kaber says. Halinia, with a blank expression trying to process what just happened, picks up the dies and hands it to Kaber. He throws the dice on the mat which lands to a 9 putting him on the red tile. Kaber picks up the red card and hands it to Halinia to read it for him.
“You are walking down the hallway but a boy or girl bumps into your shoulder and they start yelling at you, what do you do? a) yell back or b) ignore them and walk away?”
“He bumped into me, why would he yell at me?” Kaber asks with irritation.
“I don’t know…” Halinia says.
“Ah… But there are always people like that…” Halakar says smiling as he reminisces looking at the lit fireplace.
“I want to yell back,” Kaber says with a scowling face.
“Uh oh, you both get in trouble and you have made a nemesis,” Kei says as he jots down something in his notebook.
“What’s a nemesis?” Kaber asks.
“It means someone who hates you and you hate back,” Salishia answers.
“Well, I hate him too,” Kaber pouts. The audience giggles and laughs.
“Why don’t you play too, Anaya?” Teria, Anaya’s mother, suggests while sitting on the other couch.
“Can I?” Anaya asks.
“Of course, there is a piece just for you, after all,” Salishia says as she leans down to pick up Anaya's wooden piece. Halinia hands the die to Anaya and joins in. She throws and gets a 4 and lands on a green tile.
“A boy or a girl… you don’t know… comes to you… and says hello to you… What do you do? a) Say hello back to them… and talk about… the weather, b) Say hello and… ask… where they are from,” Anaya reads again but more smoothly to understand what was written. “I want to… talk about the weather,” you can hear some of the audience making displeased sighs and grunts. Arden coughs loudly for them to stop. “What?” Anaya asks, slightly discouraged.
“Hm… I wonder if that was too difficult for a green card…” Kei ponders. “You and the other person talk about the weather and the conversation ends. The atmosphere gets awkward and you 2 continue on your path, never to talk again.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Anaya retorts with a pout. Teria kneels down next to Anaya.
“Well, If you have asked where the other person is from, you could have continued the conversation. You could have gotten to know more about each other and made a friend.” Teria explains. Halinia’s eyes gain more sparks.
As the 3 children continue to play the game Kaber would gain friends and lose friends. Anaya would gain a friend and turn that friend into an enemy. Halinia’s friend becomes a close friend and finally, she is the first to reach the end of the tile which reads ‘the end of the year’.
“Lady Halinia has reached her end of the year!” Kei claps and the audience joins in. Anaya and Kaber are confused but join in on the cheering. “Now, lady Halinia, to begin your new year, roll the dice with a blank side.” Halinia does and lands a zero. “Oh no~ you and all your friends are in different classes. You will start your next year without any friends with you,” Kei says as if reading a script, he is a terrible actor.
“What!? Why!?” Halinia yells disappointingly.
“Calm down, honey. It’s actually quite common for that to happen at the academy,” Salishia says.
“It is…?” Halinia asks disheartened.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t friends anymore,” Halakar adds.
“Yeah, true friends are friends no matter where you meet, no matter what the occasion,” Ski adds, who was standing behind the couch Teria is sitting on, as he leans his arm on Sinther, Anaya’s father's shoulder. Halinia’s eyes brighten again.
The game continues and Halinia finally starts to enjoy the game. Laughing and cheering, pouting and scowling forgetting all about her future departure. When it was Kaber’s turn, Halinia stood and walked, standing next to Kei leaning against the mantel.
“Thank you, Kei,” Halinia says only for Kei to hear.
“Everyone helped make it,” Kei says. “Even the servants that are not here and the villagers outside. They knew more about the kingdom than me after all,” Kei looks at his notebook. “This is just a game, in real life there will be more unknowable events that will make you angry, sad, and even feel powerless but…” Kei shows Halinia the notebook.
The page where Kei was jotting down as they played was categorized. The top row is the names of the players, Halinia, Kaber, and Anaya. On the left side was rowed by Years, 1 through 3, and below each year read, friend, close friend, and nemesis. So far Halinia has made a total of 9 friends, 2 close friends, and no enemies.
“Each block on the mat represents a week in a year meaning there are still 5 times your life in the academy even if you exclude the weekends. So if you multiply the friends and enemies you’ve made by 5…”
“I have made over 50 friends…” Halinia finishes Kei’s words. Halinia's eyes glisten to the max and start tearing up while giggling and starting laughing out loud. She suddenly hugs Kei’s waist, lifts him, and swings him around twice, surprising everyone watching. “I can’t wait to make friends!” Halinia says out loud with tears dripping down her face. Everyone gets surprised again but smiles gently, some even tearing up at her regrown confidence and positivity. Salishia quietly watches, wiping away her tears. Noticing this Halakar snuggles her with one arm.
“Ah- bu- but it’s just a game…” Kei tries to remind her but she prances around on the mat kicking the pieces and the cards making a mass while holding Kei’s hand.
“Hey!” Kaber cries. Halinia then lets go of Kei and starts dancing with Kaber. He is confused at first but unknowingly joins the drunken mood.
After getting tired they sit on the mat and breathe heavily. They see Anaya out of the loop. Halinia realizes something and opens her arm to Anaya while still holding Kaber in the other. Anaya crawls over Halinia but gestures to come even closer. So close she can smell Halinia’s flowery scent coming from her hair. Halinia hugs her and Kaber gently but tightly.
“I’m going to miss you…” Halinia says oh so gently. “I’m going to miss everyone…” Almost everyone covers their face to hide their emotion, even Arden. Sinther stood strong with a gentle smile while Ski next to him had the ugliest face he had ever shown tearing up.
*****
Salishia hugs Halakar tightly as she wipes more of her tears, happy to see Halinia back to her energetic self but Halakar does not seem as happy.
“That boy… I’m happy for Halinia, yes… but that boy… he frightens me at times,” Halakar says quietly. Salishia giggles.
“Is this manly competition I hear? Or is it fear of your daughter being taken away?” Salishia whispers while wiping away her tears.
“What?! No! Halinia? And the boy? No, I can’t imagine it,” Halakar says panicky.
“I don’t know… maybe because there is no boy around her age with a decent example but I can see Kei growing up to… make her happy…” Salishia says. Halakar gives a stern look.
The night ends with everyone sharing their story of their youth with laughter and tears, regrets and achievements. Many, many stories.
Since then days go by back to its positive atmosphere with Halinia’s smile seen throughout the days.
------------------
Near the end of winter, the sun is still rising on the horizon. Still cold, the morning dew on the leaves is still freezing, and every breath fogs. The servants are loading Halinia and the 3 children’s luggage onto the 2 carriages. Almost everyone has gathered northwest of the inner village for the children's departure in thick coats or cloaks. The other 3 children have already started to cry in their parent’s arms but Halinia stands strong. Malicra steps up and holds Halinia’s arm tightly.
“Halinia, there will be things you can’t accept in the kingdom and that’s fine. Don’t accept them. Believe in what you know. Believe in yourself and stay strong,” Malicra says sternly looking into Halinia’s eyes. Halinia smiles and nods with determination. “And finally, though I say that… You must realize your powerlessness. There are things you can’t change even if you want to. Accept and learn from your powerlessness and try to become stronger. Become stronger at things you can change. Change what you can. Don’t accept what you can’t.” Halinia is a bit confused but she nods again. Malicra lets go of Halinia and steps back. Then Salishia steps forward and gives Halinia a big hug.
“I actually don’t have much to say,” Salishia giggles then looks into Halinia’s eyes with a gentle yet serious look, “because I know you are going to be fine.” Salishia looks around to see if anyone is nearby leans into Halinia’s ear and covers her mouth. “You are much more intelligent and mature than I was at your age,” she whispers.
“Really?” Halinia says out loud. Salishia gestures her index finger on her lips to be quiet.
“Yes, I cried when I had to leave home,” Salishia whispered. They both giggle. Salishia stands tall and says one last thing, “Have fun, as Kei taught you.” Halinia nods with a smile. Halakar steps forward and kneels next to Salishia.
“Halinia, don't forget to write us letters. We’ll… Everyone will write as soon as we can. You will get a bundle of letters every time,” Halakar hugs her and lifts her into the air. “Visit whenever you can. We will welcome you every time. This is your home, after all.” He gently puts her down but before the parents go back to the crowd he gives her ribs some tickling.
That was supposed to be it for goodbyes but someone pushes Kei’s back. It was Arden and he hands him a small box covered in parchment. Kei looks up to Arden’s face and Arden jerks his head to go to Halinia. Kei hesitates but steps forward.
“Hello, Kei,” Halinia gently smiles, “this is goodbye… What do you have there?”
“Ah… this is… Halinia…” Kei stutters but what is going through his mind, “AH! This is awkward! This is why I wanted him to sneak it into her bag before she left!”
Kei looks back at Arden with some frustration but Arden clenches his fist up to his shoulder as if to say ‘Cowardice is unbecoming of a man’.
“I’m not trying to be a man! I’m only 5 years old! Remember!?” Kei thought. Kei sighs.
“This is the deck of cards for the ‘academy life’ game,” Kei says.
“For that game? But don’t I need the mat?” Halinia asks.
“No, not really,” Kei answers.
“Well… I guess it’s not necessary but… what about the answers? Is it in there too?”
“Actually, I made up the answer,” Kei says as he smiles.
“What? I… I feel cheated,” Halinia says disheartened.
“I believe I was quite accurate though. But that’s not what’s important. Everyone’s experience and stories are in these cards, and you can play with your new friends. I just hope… When you are having a hard time… play with these cards and help you go through it.”
Halinia smiles and gives Kei a tight hug, then a kiss on the forehead but this time they both don’t show any sign of embarrassment. “I’m really glad I met you, Kei.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll see you in 6 years,” Kei says but Halinia giggles.
“I’m glad you're confident that you will pass the approval ceremony but I graduate in 6 years,” Halinia says.
“Ah… Right… I forgot…” Kei thought. The crowd starts laughing, making him flush.
“Too bad for you, Kei!” Ski yells.
“Loading has finished,” one of the male servants who was stocking says. Halinia nods to him and Gallia steps forward.
“Are you sure you want to take Gallia, you can take Arden if you want?” Halakar asks.
“Yeah, Gallia has an element opposite to mine with a strong offense. And how am I going to have a girl talk with Arden-”
“Right~?” Gallia and Halinia synchronize. Everyone smiles except for Arden, slightly disappointed.
“Just be glad Halinia didn’t say ‘with some old man’,” Kei thought. Salishia steps forward one more time but this time toward Gallia and holds her hand.
“Please, take good care of her,” Salishia requests.
“Of course, I will,” Gallia answers sincerely, but, “And if I’m lucky I might meet a knight in shining armor.” It’s difficult to tell if she is being genuine or sarcastic but many men groaning in disappointment can be heard.
“Tell me all about it when your fortunes shine,” Salishia says, smiling genuinely. She then faces Halinia one last time and kisses her forehead. “Stay safe, dear.” Halinia nods.
“Goodbye,” Halinia says to her mother, she then looks behind Salishia and gives a big wave. “Goodbye, everyone!”
Everyone waves back with mixes of cheers, “Goodbye,”, “Don’t forget to write,”, “Come visit us,” and so on. Gallia steps inside the carriage and Halinia follows, still waving. A man in the driver’s seat snaps the reins causing the horses to pull the carriage. Everyone continues to wave and so does Halinia through the glass window until she cannot see them anymore.
“It’s too bad Anaya and Kaber couldn’t come say goodbye,” Sallia sullenly says.
“Yeah…” Halinia says, still looking out the window even though nobody is in view.
“I’m sure Kaber will cry when he wakes up, and Anaya is crying right now,” Gallia adds.
At the time Kaber was still sleeping and Anaya was watching him in the lord and mistress’s bedroom. Anaya sitting quietly and calmly suddenly frowns. Not able to hold back any longer, she cries as quietly as possible.
Halinia nods.
“You don’t have to hold back, lady Halinia,” Gallia says. Halinia turns to Gallia and she is already in tears and snot. She jumps into Gallia’s chest and starts crying out loud. The cries can be heard even outside the carriage but also from the second carriage.
The drivers and the guards are not fazed. This is a common occurrence every year but still, it stings them every year.
The mix of marry and the melancholy mood has made Kei forget but death comes for anyone, anywhere and anytime…
ns 15.158.61.48da2
