Blue Blood (8): A Blue Rose and Hidden Blushes
Me?
An honorary noble, huh. I crossed my arms and gave it some thought. Launching into a tedious breakdown of the pros and cons, explaining why the odds were slim, would’ve been pretty lame. When Catherine had asked something similar I’d simply gone along with it, but I, Kang Bukho, am not the kind of socially constipated bastard who slices friendly conversation to ribbons with cold facts. Even One Hundred Ways to Stop Being a Loser said that in moments like this you should just answer cheerfully.
Nobility, huh…
Nobility. Noble Kang Bukho. If it actually happened, maybe I’d get a slick name like Nord Etrama di Reiser or something. I shrugged.
“Hehe. It’d be nice if it were possible. At least if I had a noble patron, the power dynamic… er, the hierarchical relationship would feel a little less rigid, and talking with other nobles would be easier.”
“You can be blunter. You’re basically saying it’d be good because there’d be fewer things to sour your mood no matter what, right?”
“Yep.”
It had only been yesterday. In the space of a single day I had tasted—just a sample—of how utterly shitty it was to deal with nobles. Even then, I’d only managed thanks to flashing my connections and whipping out the aura trick. Without that, I shuddered to imagine how much more those nobles would have tormented me. Just picturing it sent a wave of extreme irritation crashing over me.
Even the Hermaion Trading Company, which clutched massive financial leverage, had been the same. If they had pushed with the full weight of status difference like Minerva had, there would have been no choice but to endure it. No matter how meticulously I planned revenge afterward, it still wouldn’t feel better than if nothing had happened at all.
Status-based societies are this fucked up.
In other words, when thinking about the future, having a noble title wouldn’t hurt. If it was only honorary, and the country was originally for foreigners anyway, the Romanian emperor wasn’t about to hand over land. I wouldn’t have to worry about running a domain, so I could keep living exactly as I was now. And even if I had four wives, a noble title—even if only in name—would probably make me look a little less like a crazy bastard.
Of course, it’s a completely unrealistic idea.
A Kitai person holding Bratinia nationality becoming an honorary noble of Romania? What kind of absurd nonsense was that? On top of that, no one knew when the Narmer-Nile preliminary selection would suddenly end. If the ruin exploration didn’t finish until I changed my mind and decided to participate, it only meant the ruins were that dangerous. If it ended without me, the opportunity itself would vanish.
Honestly, treating the question seriously would have been stupid.
…No, it definitely is, but.
I reached that point in my thoughts and felt a little awkward.
Tirsi’s dream was to become a noble. And as I had often said before, if I married a noble, Tirsi could be reinstated into the nobility as well. In other words, this conversation could easily be taken as—
“—Ah, that question just now… if one weren’t careful, it might have sounded like a proposal.”
As if she had read my mind, Tirsi cut in first. She looked up at the sky, clasped her hands together, and whispered pitifully.
“Oh, my prince. Please bring me a single blue rose. If you do, Tirsi shall be yours and yours alone—”
Tirsi, having delivered the line like a stage actress, gave me a mischievous wink.
“—is not what I meant, so please don’t jump to any strange conclusions.”
Of course not. I let out a small snort of laughter.
Given Tirsi’s personality, there was no way she would say something like I want to become a noble but it’s really hard, so could you succeed in my place and carry me along? It felt like I had gotten way ahead of myself, and it was a little embarrassing. In the 21st century, women marrying a high-achieving man was sometimes called “marrying up,” but that was either a joke or the kind of thing awful people said. So I played along with some light banter.
“Hehe. So there’s a story like that in Romania too?”
“There is, of course. Though these days blue roses are sold everywhere.”
I chuckled again. It had reminded me of the blue rose I gave Franc when I proposed. As if drawn by my laughter, Tirsi laughed too.
“Nord. Do you remember? The first time you learned I was a fallen noble, I answered that my past was completely over.”
“I remember. That was also when I first spoke with Lady Henesis.”
“Yes. And the answer I gave then hasn’t changed even now. Our house was destroyed by political schemes, but my desire to become a noble isn’t because I want revenge for that.”
The past was the past, and what happened not long ago was not long ago. On the day of the celebration I had asked Tirsi whether her past was truly over. She had answered “yes.” Looking back now, I had only heard half of her true purpose back then. If she had wanted to become a noble for revenge, she would never have said her past was finished.
“When I was young and immature there were times I lived for revenge, but eventually I learned that even my grandfather wasn’t entirely innocent. Honestly, there isn’t much that could be called a family grudge… and since I’m alone, there’s no one who would scold me even if I live exactly as I please.”
She didn’t seem to be looking for a response, so I stayed quiet. In this world there were times when human lives seemed as cheap as flies. There was no chance that someone who had held the reins of national power had lived without getting a single drop of blood on their hands. Politics was always more brutal than war.
“Even so… living while forgetting one’s questions is not the attitude of a mage who explores the unknown.”
Tirsi closed her eyes, the fully risen sun at her back.
“I want to become a noble and know. Not who did it, but why they did it. Whether it was justified revenge… or whether it was simply a profit-driven conflict, just like my grandfather. That’s all.”
Only then did I finally understand the path Tirsi had chosen. Discovering the real reason the Armasunas family had to disappear—that was Tirsi’s dream. If she regained her authority as a noble and uncovered the truth that others had buried and whispered about, it wouldn’t be impossible. For that she would need connections in the mage guild and the adventurer guild, as well as outstanding combat ability. The true culprit behind the incident would not simply sit and watch her moves.
How painful that thorny path might be didn’t matter. She could endure being insulted by that damn professor and treated like a slave. For Tirsi, who had lost any place to return to and had drifted through each day like a buoy on the water, that goal was the only compass she had. Just like how I, despite having succeeded enough that I no longer missed Earth, still hadn’t given up on returning there.
“Ah, but this is a secret from Maria, okay?”
Having said that, Tirsi opened her eyes and gave a small laugh, as though asking how much meaning there could possibly be in such a boring personal circumstance.
“That girl—if she knew my true feelings, she might start picking out bridegrooms for me. Even though she herself is still unmarried at twenty-five.”
“Ahem. Isn’t that a bit early to say? This commoner is getting chills just hearing it. Please commit the noble insult after you become a noble.”
“Hehe. If I become a noble, Nord who teases me would also be guilty of insulting a noble, you know?”
“That would be a big problem. Guess I’ll have to become a noble too.”
At my half-joking grumble Tirsi burst into laughter. I grinned and laughed along with her. After laughing together for several minutes, I spoke with the fully risen sun at our backs.
“Right, let’s head back inside. Today I should rest in a proper bed instead of a hospital cot.”
Tirsi nodded with a smile and followed after me.
Good thing I woke up early.
I walked ahead, smiling with satisfaction. Thanks to rising early, I had gotten to hear Tirsi’s unfiltered true feelings.
***
After Nord turned away, Tirsi took a shallow then deep breath to steady herself.
…He didn’t notice, right? Surely not?
Watching Nord’s back, Tirsi placed a hand on her cheek. Perhaps because she was out of his line of sight, the face she had forced to look calm with every ounce of strength now flushed bright red again. Even dropping a perfectly ripe tomato into boiling water wouldn’t have made it this hot and mushy.
Paying meticulous attention so the sensitive warrior’s senses wouldn’t catch her, Tirsi frantically tried to calm her scarlet face.
You idiot! Moron! What on earth did you just say?!
Asking if he had any thoughts of becoming a noble? What kind of question was that?! She must have lost her mind for a moment. No—Diabolo, who had fled without finishing what he started, must have controlled her body with telepathy for a second. Otherwise there was no way her mouth would have moved on its own like that.
What had she even been trying to accomplish by asking such a thing? Tirsi screamed silently in self-loathing and shame. Up until the words left her mouth she had thought Wouldn’t it be okay to bring it up as a topic in the flow of conversation? but now she only wanted to stuff the version of herself from ten minutes ago back into an ice coffin.
She had somehow gotten past it for now, but what if he thought about it later and tilted his head in confusion? What if he started to find her uncomfortable? No—what exactly would be uncomfortable about it? Objectively speaking, she wasn’t so terrible that he would be disgusted, right?
Yet when she imagined herself standing beside his wives, her confidence wavered. They were all good people and beautiful. And they all had large breasts. Except Dana, of course.
Huuuuuu…!
Tirsi’s mind was churned into chaos like a stew clumsily thrown together by a complete beginner.
“Senior~?”
What calmed that chaotic mind was the girl who emerged from the entrance of the temporary ward. Perhaps because she had slept poorly, her pink hair was sticking up in a messy bedhead. She looked around, spotted them, and came running.
“Ah, you were here♡?”
Larilura diligently patted down her sticking-out hair as she ran. Her small, quick steps were adorable even to Tirsi, who was the same gender.
“Really~ what is this? When I woke up and you weren’t beside me I almost had a heart attack. I thought senior had kidnapped Tirsi sister!”
“This kid says scary things out of nowhere. Besides, where would I even kidnap Tirsi to?”
“The lab.”
“…Tsk. I actually got tempted for a second? This bastard’s pretty good.”
Analyzing the Descensus magic would require Tirsi’s cooperation as well. Even if the lab comment was a joke, they might still need to make time for Nord, Veronica, and Tirsi to research together.
—Ssk, ssk.
Thinking that, Nord reached out and fixed Larilura’s still-messy hair. It was a universal truth that women hated having their styled hair messed up, but there was no reason to dislike having a skilled hand gently tame the bedhead from sleep.
Larilura laughed cheerfully.
“Ehe♡ Senior’s hands are so warm, it feels nice.”
“This oppa knows a thing or two about beauty. My hands are a multi-tool that handles spray bottles, curling irons, dryers, and scissors.”
The sticking-out hair returned to its usual shape in the blink of an eye. Larilura touched her hair front and back, marveling at the convincing result, then asked.
“So what were you two doing?”
“Just talking about this and that. When I woke up and saw Tirsi wasn’t there, I followed her out.”
“Hmm…? Just the two of you?”
Larilura observed the previously silent Tirsi and Nord in turn at one-second intervals. Tirsi thought it looked like a child checking her parents’ mood and ended up laughing, but that complacent thought lasted less than ten seconds.
“…As expected, I roughly get it.”
Right after saying only that, Larilura snuggled into Nord’s arms as if to show Tirsi. She buried her face in his chest and stared piercingly at Tirsi. Tirsi’s heart skipped a beat, but Nord, who didn’t have eyes on his back, couldn’t read her expression. Had she even calculated the exact angle visible to him? Tirsi could only stand there with her mouth hanging open.
“Why are you suddenly like this? Cute. Still half-asleep?”
Nord, unaware because of the height difference that Larilura was looking at Tirsi, wrapped an arm around her back. His tone might have sounded curt if one only listened to the words, but he couldn’t hide his smile, as if he didn’t dislike it at all. As expected, he was skilled at social life. What woman wouldn’t feel good receiving such a reaction while openly appealing to her charm? It was a far better response than clumsy verbal compliments or overt displays of joy. At least that was what Tirsi thought. If she acted the same way with the same feelings as Larilura, there would be no reaction as pleasing as that smile.
“Ahaha♡? It’s like, you know~? Actually, from now on I’m thinking of increasing skinship with senior even more~!”
As expected. Larilura laughed without hiding her delight, exactly as Tirsi had imagined. She turned her gaze from Tirsi and interlaced her fingers with Nord’s. The girl’s slender fingers stroked and toyed with his large, solid hand. Exchanging body heat was the single greatest act in the exchange and confirmation of affection. It could be a handshake between friends, a shoulder massage or hug between parent and child. In any case, living creatures tended to feel warmth when exchanging body heat with others.
But the possibility that Larilura was acting out of such wholesome, platonic feelings was zero percent. That was one hundred percent an expression of affection—and a very skilled one at that.
But fingers! Of all things, fingers!
Openly lifting her hand to interlace their fingers, fiddling with them, and smiling bashfully! For some unknown reason Tirsi’s heels kept lifting restlessly. Of course, one could argue that alone wasn’t particularly lewd or embarrassing behavior. Yet it was a high-level dating technique that didn’t look lewd at all while subtly revealing that she held no ordinary affection. To appeal affection through skinship yet have eyes and bearing that looked so pure—truly an absurdly high-level move. An intricate scheme beyond words. The ruler of men’s hearts.
At that direct appeal, even the strength in Nord’s face relaxed.
“This is sudden again. I’m fine with it, but why all of a sudden?”
“Yes~? Why, you ask. Can’t I do lovey-dovey things with senior without a reason~?”
Larilura tilted her head with innocent eyes as she spoke. Seductive. Shameless. Tirsi didn’t know exactly what was shameless about it, but it was definitely shameless. Without even realizing why, Tirsi felt a surge of irritation.
Nord, hearing the sound of Tirsi’s irritation, started to turn his head. But at that exact moment Larilura buried herself in his chest again and rubbed her face against him, so Nord’s face naturally returned to her. Every single gesture Larilura made while acting coquettishly in Nord’s arms was extremely calculated. Even Tirsi watching from the side momentarily wondered if it had been coincidence. Of course, it was absolutely not coincidence.
“Anyway, senior~? Let’s go back quickly before the sisters worry~? If we wander around secretly Dana sister will scold us again♡?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah. We should.”
Since it was true, Nord let himself be led away by Larilura, who still had her arm linked with his. He had been planning to return anyway. As Larilura led him off she puffed her cheeks slightly at Tirsi—a small pout mixed with possessiveness and jealousy, fitting for a girl in love.
But seeing that, Tirsi’s head spun. Puffing her cheeks? Why? What was she dissatisfied with? Wasn’t Tirsi herself the most dissatisfied one right now? No, but when she thought about it, wasn’t it ridiculous that she was the one feeling dissatisfied? Yes, Tirsi. What dissatisfaction? What right did she have to complain to him? What was she to that man, anyway?
“Uuuu…”
Tirsi agonized, tormented by self-hatred, self-loathing, and emotions she couldn’t even name. The words lingering in her mouth rose to her throat but got stuck there. Her feet that wanted to step forward could not find a reason to move and simply hesitated. It could not be helped. When lovers were about to share their love, what qualification did a third party have to interrupt?
“Aaaah, really…!!”
There was no method to resolve the feelings wriggling inside her. Even if there was, Tirsi did not know it. Having spent all twenty-five years of her life inside a laboratory, she was utterly powerless before this “unknown.”
So Tirsi simply stood there, stamping her feet endlessly like a child who had her treasure stolen. The rising morning sun shone bright rays down on her as if to offer comfort. It was warm sunlight for winter. The winter she had spent asleep inside the ice coffin would soon end as well. That was simply how natural phenomena worked. Whether people realized it or not, they would end someday and return again.
But still, it was only mid-January. Spring seemed very far away indeed.