48 The Funeral IX (2/2)
'I really wish you wouldn't do that, Aunt,' Hilde thought, now fully knowing the possible dangers of confronting her elder sister – about anything.
Thankfully, all Lady Ilse said was, ”We'll have to see about changing that, after today.”
Thinking about a soldier whose thin connecting thread on life was now presumably in her hands, she sighed. 'It's already changed.'
After a peaceful interval wherein Hilde replenished her energy through eating some more, another commotion took place. Coming from a side path to the left of the meadow, Theodar and two of their household soldiers rejoined their company.
He was quite a distance away from where the royal women sat; it was difficult to gauge whether the redness of his complexion was due to exertion, the lingering heat, or something else entirely. Winding through the spaces between blankets, he stared straight ahead, making a clear beeline to where his family waited.
He could not have been unaware of all the stares, yet bore it, he did. Then again, it was already a point in his favor that he had returned at all.
Subtly, Hilde's eyes slid sideways to look at her cousin's face. At first, it didn't appear like she noticed Theodar's arrival at all, though that should have been impossible given the whispered commotion it had caused. Then she noticed the focused shine on Gisela's eyes that wasn't there before; she noticed the sudden heaviness of her breath, which was no longer brought on by exhaustion.
'It couldn't be…' Hilde thought, absolutely dumbstruck. 'Are you serious, cousin mine? Haven't you only just met the man?' She recalled their earlier conversation and nearly snapped out loud, 'He even insulted you!'
Due to her distraction over the vagaries of human emotions, Hilde had been unaware she'd likewise become the focus of her sister's observation until she spoke.
”It would appear the Lord General has a good reason for seeking a substitute heir.” After saying this in an uninterested tone, the Queen paused and eyed Hilde from head to toe, her gaze lingering on the spread of her skirts. ”Such as it is, it's still perhaps a closer replacement for the one he'd lost.”
Before Hilde could respond, Lady Ilse cut in. ”But, Queen,” she said, her brows knotted, ”it's his daughter who's now his heir.”
Though she already knew this, Hilde joined the others in turning their gazes towards the family in question. Theodar had just reached his destination, and after a brief exchange of words between himself and his father, he sat down. The Lord General clapped him once on the back while Sieglind, his sister, ruffled his already-untidy brown hair. Now unable to keep looking up, Theodar's face appeared to redden even more.
Watching this scene, aware that it could simply have been a show put on for all the eyes watching, Hilde nonetheless felt her chest constrict.
'Even if it's fake, it would have been nice…'
”Ah,” Queen Heloise suddenly went on, humor now coloring her tone. She turned squarely to Hilde and said, ”He's the same as you, then.”