Tidying Up (1)
"I'm thinking of clearing out the flower beds. Plant some new flowers and all."
"You're what...?"
I was the one who tended the garden, but when it came to household affairs, one still needed permission from the head of the family. Father blinked blankly at the brazen morning request.
"Well... do as you like."
An affirmative answer, though his face clearly read: Why on earth are you asking me that?
"And what will you do about Lady Ariel and Her Highness Lobelia? Surely you don't plan on leaving them standing around doing nothing while you weed the garden? If that's your scheme, just hire laborers. I can spare enough coin for that."
To be fair, nobility doing manual labor around the estate rarely reflected well on the house. In our own humble territory, folks might call it modest and down-to-earth, but anywhere else, rumors would spread that the local lord was a wealthy miser squeezing pennies. After all, collecting taxes from the land meant an obligation to create jobs in return.
Still, for this specific occasion, I had my reasons.
"They came here on vacation, didn't they? Why shouldn't they enjoy a bit of pastoral farm life?"
"You've lost your mind."
"You simply don't understand, Father."
Then again, as a rustic country bumpkin who knew nothing of capital life, Father could hardly be expected to get it. Knowing their usual daily routines, there was no way they'd dislike simple, repetitive, productive labor. In their day-to-day lives, far from doing anything productive, they were actively reducing the empire's population.
"They spend their days uprooting terrorist syndicates. Naturally, they'd relish the chance to uproot some weeds and flowers."
"Watch that foul mouth of yours. I dread the thought of anyone overhearing."
To think he felt the need to walk on eggshells even inside our own fief. Father truly lived a stressful life.
"If you're really that uncomfortable with it, I'll drop the idea. But frankly, is there anything else to do in our territory?"
"Hmm..."
"It's not as if we have scenic tourist attractions. It's all rice paddies and open fields. Ah, there's the sea if we head out a bit."
"That's... hardly suitable either."
"Right. The scenery isn't pretty, and the waters aren't meant for swimming. Shall I have them take up fishing?"
"That's definitely not it."
What else could we do? If we wanted to preserve noble dignity, the most they could do out here was take a stroll and look at the scenery.
Of course, Damos Territory would eventually build up proper infrastructure. That was precisely where the funds subsidized by the ducal House of Ether were slated to go. But that was a matter for the future. From budgets to planning, nothing could be resolved overnight.
In short: there was absolutely nothing for them to do right now.
"Even so, that's simply not proper."
"Well, if you insist, I'll abandon the thought."
"Yes, good decision."
"Do you have a better alternative, then?"
"...I shall start thinking of one now."
"I see."
It couldn't be helped; we had never lived like proper aristocrats. We had never felt the need to, either. In fact, getting greedy and drawing the Emperor's attention could have proven dangerous. We had lived prudently all this time.
It was just that times were changing now.
"Ah, since it's come to this, take your brother along."
"Chris? For this kind of chore...?"
I paused mid-sentence, pondering the thought.
"Actually, he'd be perfect for it."
The old Chris would have required utmost caution just stepping outdoors, but now he was the strongest powerhouse in our territory.
I was the one who made him that way.
"Still, would he enjoy such simple manual labor? It might bore him."
"You clearly don't know Chris these days. That boy loves anything involving physical labor now. Guess he's making up for lost time after being bedridden all those years. Did you know? Chris loves meat these days."
"I love meat too."
"His reason is that back then he couldn't even chew it, but now he can tear tough meat apart with his bare teeth."
"That's... a bit much."
What kind of barbarian reason was that?
As heartbreaking as the backstory was, the mental image that naturally sprang to mind was downright unsettling. Still, compared to the days when he was confined to his sickbed...
"Well, isn't it great that he's healthy?"
"Aye, compared to before, it's a blessing. But watching those muscles twitch and bulge is a bit..."
"Did it gross you out?"
"Mind your tongue. One shouldn't say such things."
Given that it was peak summer, just looking at him probably made one sweat. Still, I had no regrets.
"Well, anyway, since you've granted permission, I'll take my leave."
"Very well. I'm heading out on an inspection tour of the fief, so stay out of trouble and behave yourself."
"I don't cause trouble, Father. Trouble happens to me."
It wasn't like I enjoyed getting dragged into messes.
The season was summer.
It was the hour when the sun's rays stung the skin.
Chris and I stood in the yard armed with trowels.
"It's been so long since I could play like this with you, Brother! Gwahaha!"
"Y-Yeah."
You're a bit overwhelming, to be honest.
"Anyway, Brother, do we just rip all these flowers out?"
"No, dig carefully around them with the trowel so you don't damage the roots. It'd be a waste to kill them. We're going to transfer them into pots and give them out to the neighbors."
"Gwahaha! Understood!"
Could you do something about that booming laugh of yours? You're making me sweat.
That aside, I had no idea whether Chris could handle such delicate work. I hated to indulge in stereotypes, but no matter how I looked at him, he seemed like the type who solved everything with brute force.
"Hmm. Carefully..."
Crunch!
The wooden handle of the trowel splintered in Chris's grip, sending shards scattering.
"Carefully..."
Screeech—creak!
The metal tang running through the handle began to twist with a grotesque groan.
"Brother, is this how you do it?"
"Uh..."
And yet, the result was surprisingly clean.
Chris had dug up the roots without a scratch. At this rate, all we had to do was drop it into a pot and pack it with soil. Granted, expending one trowel per potted plant was terrible cost-efficiency, but...
"All right! I'll keep going like this!"
Well, as long as Chris was having fun. It looked like he'd exerted that much force simply from concentrating so hard on being gentle, so I could hardly scold him. Besides, broken or not, it was still functional. As long as it remained in Chris's grasp, the tool would fulfill its duty.
The trowel seemed to be screaming for the sweet release of death, but what could one do? Having been born as a tool, breaking was its inevitable destiny.
"Brother."
"Yeah?"
It was as we were clearing out the flower beds in the backyard.
"What is life at the Cradle like?"
"..."
It's a nightmare.
I desperately wanted to say that, but I couldn't bring myself to shatter his illusions. The day would come when Chris would enroll in the Cradle as well, so I had to answer in a way that wouldn't breed unnecessary anxiety.
"It's pretty good. Unlike here, there are lots of things to do, and you can eat tons of delicious food."
"The food I had when I visited the capital last time really was amazing across the board. Heh-heh. I want to eat it again."
"And there are way more people than here. You'll never have a dull moment."
Though in my case, there was "never a dull moment" in a completely different, terrifying sense...
I trusted Chris would be much better at making friends than me. He wasn't twisted like I was. Sure, he looked like a walking fortress right now, but people would look past that in time.
"Brother. What would you think if I enrolled in the Cradle next year?"
"..."
"I was joking. Actually, I know you've been having a hard time at the Cradle, Brother. And I know very well that it's all because of me."
"Chris."
"But don't worry, Brother. I'm all grown up now. Do you see these muscles? This body of steel won't yield to anything life throws at me."
"You could stand to yield a little, honestly."
You're suffocating me.
"Anyway, I intend to pull my weight from now on, even enough to cover your share, Brother. If you ever need brute force, just call on me anytime. I'll show you just how healthy I've become."
"Sure."
Chris didn't know it, but I had realized long ago just how mature he was. Not when his body grew to this massive size, but long before that. Even as a small child, Chris had known he was living on borrowed time, that he had to tread carefully in everything he did.
A child forced to grow up far too soon. That was precisely why our entire family had worried about him so much.
"If you ever have worries of your own, don't hesitate to tell your big brother."
"Yes, Brother."
Yet this, too, was Chris's choice. Yearning to grow up quickly was, in itself, a child's dream. If so, then we needed to accept his maturity. One couldn't stunt a child's growth by telling him to just stay a child.
"Still, don't rush off to the Cradle just yet. If you leave the fief empty while I'm away, who's going to look after things?"
"Gwahaha! I told you it was a joke, Brother! I know. I have to protect Mother."
"Father isn't exactly reliable, after all."
"Right, he's so frail."
"Well, by your standards, practically everyone is... No, never mind."
Looking at Chris, whose frame had become colossal compared to his former self, I had a thought.
...Yeah, I guess there's no need to brew a medicine that reverts him to his old size.
He was a bit overwhelming to look at, but no matter how I sliced it, Chris clearly loved who he was now.
"Phew..."
By the time noon rolled around, Chris and I had managed to finish about half the work. By then, the midday sun could no longer be ignored.
"Shall we call it for today?"
"Yes, Brother. Let's go eat."
"All right."
Side by side, Chris and I stepped back into the manor.
"Oh! Are you two done with work?"
At the end of the hallway, Yuna was waving at us with a bright smile. Was she about to head out?
"Were you going somewhere?"
"Nope. Just felt you two heading back, so I came out to greet you."
"Ah."
Makes sense. With skills like Yuna's, she could easily sense our presence from anywhere inside the estate.
"What did you do while we were working?"
"Me? I was chatting with Her Highness and Ariel. Spent some pretty wholesome quality time together."
"You didn't get into a fight, did you?"
"Why would I have any reason to fight?"
The way she phrased it sounded suspiciously like the other two might have had a reason.
"Puhihi! Just kidding. Nothing happened. After everything that went down yesterday, we just shared information and exchanged thoughts, that's all."
"Really? In the end, that means Father didn't do a thing. Dereliction of duty has its limits..."
"He did look like he was trying to do something, though?"
"And?"
"We just told him it was fine and sent him on his way."
"I see..."
Well, nothing could be done about that then. I had fully planned to tear into Father with criticism, but my justification had vanished.
Still, if it was about yesterday, it had to be about Alice and Wonderland. How much had they discussed? What range of information did they actually share?
"Ah, I didn't say a single word about Alice's true identity. Things like that are better coming straight from you, Yohan."
"Is that so? Then is Ariel the only one in the dark?"
"Seemed like it."
Was Yuna just exceptionally perceptive, or was Ariel unusually oblivious? Probably both. And Lobelia? She'd likely already figured it out from background checks she ran on me. Being sneaky and secretive was par for the course for royalty.
"So, Yohan, there's something I've been wanting to ask. Got a moment?"
"Chris, go on ahead."
"Yes, Brother. Take your time, you two! Gwahaha!"
What was he laughing about?
At any rate, thanks to Chris tactfully excusing himself, I was able to talk with Yuna about the events of last night.
"I see. So it really was that devil..."
Say what you will, but Yuna was the person who shared the most secrets with me. As of now, she was still the only one I could openly discuss such matters with.
I felt a twinge of guilt toward Ariel, but... demons weren't something one casually blabbed about. It was fortunate that Yuna had already known about them long before I did.
"Hmm, so in other words..."
Having heard the general gist of the situation, Yuna pondered for a brief moment before fixing her gaze intently on me.
"Since the roles were decided based on your subconscious impressions, Yohan, that means the outfits we wore were all your personal tastes, right?"
"..."
"So that's what you're into?"
True to her profession as an assassin, she had just launched a sudden attempt on my social life.