The first person to find out was Nikiro. Sin had mentioned it to him when he requested increased security for Dez and told him to keep it a secret until she gave birth to avoid as much public interference as possible. Nikiro couldn't begin to describe what he felt at that moment. Of course, he was happy that Sin seemed happy but a lingering regret plagued him deep down and he was unsure of how to resolve it. Part of him wondered if this was how Sin had felt when he saw him with Kashino and Kairo for the first time.
The feeling did not fade over time. It festered and made his heart ache each time he saw Dez and Sin together. As Dez's belly grew, it became more difficult to hide it from people, and so she spent most of her time inside. One night, Sin confessed to Nikiro that he was planning on marrying Dez. Everyone knew that the repercussions for plotting against or harming a royal were severe. Sin hoped this would deter his enemies. As Sin put it, they got along well and had a deep appreciation for one another's companionship, which was a massive bonus. He saw it as the best way to protect her and their child.
Nikiro would listen to him quietly but his mind was always somewhere else. It was when he was watching Sin excitedly discussing what flowers Dez might like that he realized that if he valued his sanity, he would not be able to attend the wedding. Still, his feelings consumed him. They ate away at his heart until the rotting core was exposed. He attempted to convince himself that he was glad Sin was moving on with life but a paralyzing feeling of regret was always there to remind him otherwise.
How was Sin able to do it?
Why can't I seem to do it too?
He would ask himself these questions as he laid awake at night next to Kashino, unable to sleep.
As the day of the wedding approached, Nikiro decided to have a gift made. After a long day at work, Nikiro was able to pull Sin aside and give it to him.
"I heard it was a tradition to give loved ones enchanted jewelry in Solaria. We've been best friends for some time now, I think it's only right I got you something special. Consider this a wedding gift of sorts...and perhaps an apology as well." He handed Sin a small box tied neatly with a red ribbon.
Sin frowned, taking the box into his hands. "What do you mean?"
"I hate to spring this on you suddenly but I don't think I'll be able to make it for the wedding. Kashino's dad sent a message to him asking him to attend his annual ritual gathering. His dad is super specific about his religion. They follow a completely different calendar so their ritual day just so happened to coincide with the wedding." A thankful coincidence, Nikiro thought to himself. "We obviously won't be able to make it back to their village in time for the ritual so we were just going to use the Oracle Fountain in the East Courtyard to communicate during their ceremony."
Though he was disappointed, he understood how much Nikiro valued family. "I see...It's a shame but I guess it can't be helped. I hope you guys have fun at your ceremony!"
Nikiro smiled and gestured to the box. "Open it."
Sin eagerly undid the ribbon and popped the box open. Sitting on some fluffy packaging was a simple golden band on a chain.
"I wasn't sure if it would fit so I had it put on a chain just in case," said Nikiro.
Sin pulled the ring out of the box and inspected it further. The faintest trace of an engraving could be seen on the inside. It looked to be carefully written in the ancient Kishan language of old Arunia, no doubt something Nikiro would be familiar with given his parent's research. Unfortunately, Sin was less familiar with the language so he was unable to make out what was engraved on the ring. He assumed that since Nikiro had brought up Solarian customs, it was simply a protection enchantment common in most enchanted jewelry. Though simple, Sin marveled at it, pulling the chain over his head and holding the ring at his chest. "It's beautiful! I love it!"
A bittersweet smile graced Nikiro's lips. "I'm glad."
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
The day of the wedding was stressful, to say the least. Tensions had been running high since the remaining nobles in Solaria got word of who Sin's wife to be was. They were rather apprehensive about the whole thing. Safe to say, they would have preferred that Sin took a daughter from a powerful family as a wife instead of a woman who was once a criminal. The reaction was vastly different from when Illya took Callisto as a husband. Callisto's family more or less ruled the South Sea, making his past as a pirate inconsequential, but Dez had no family. Worse still, she had no power now that her crew had been disbanded for some time. It was hardly beneficial for their current situation.
Considering the state of Solaria, Sin and Dez had a small wedding. Even the wedding party itself was small, consisting of only family and friends but with most of the family gone or missing, it turned out to be a fairly quiet event.
While Sin and Dez were saying their vows Nikiro was in his room rolling a ring between his fingers. It was an unmistakable pair to the one he had given Sin. The more that passed, the harder it became to deny the fact that he was becoming increasingly distant from his family. Even while spending time with them, it was obvious that he wasn't all there.
Nikiro seemed so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Kairo walking in. The boy had come looking for him to get him to leave the room so they could go take a walk together with Kashino. Even as a child, it was hard to miss the longing look in Nikiro's eyes. Although he didn't understand what had his father so distracted, The way his shoulders slumped as he put the ring away was enough to tell Kairo that maybe he shouldn't bother him right then.
Nikiro stood, tucking the ring away as if he had come to a decision. At the same time, a thought struck Kairo. He had inherited Nikiro's ability to read minds. Perhaps if he read Nikiro's he could find out what was bothering him and then maybe he could fix it so that Nikiro would go back to being happy with them. A familiar sensation filled his head as thoughts began to flow into it. What seemed like a good idea at the time turned out to be the cause of a terrible rift that neither father nor son would know how to mend.
"You're leaving dad?"103Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgWWOe4XlS
