Don't Touch Her

What kind of nonsense was that supposed to be?

Gaspar turned to look at me and Prince Luciarno, his face gone rigid. He seemed too stunned to even get a word out.

I was no better. I could only stare at Luciarno, eyes wide.

We had met in secret, yes. To make a deal. But if he phrased ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it like that, anyone would think it was that kind of clandestine rendezvous between a man and a woman.

"You two dare—"

"Is there a problem?"

"She's the woman who was engaged to our elder brother!"

"The engagement was broken."

"Even so—!"

"Exactly."

Luciarno looked at Gaspar with ice-cold eyes.

Ah. So that was why he'd chosen such a provocative way of putting it.

Gaspar was a brute. Even back when I was still Lady Andres, he'd laid hands on me. A man like that would never leave me alone just because he had to watch himself around Esgard. The proof was that he'd reached for me the moment we met.

But I couldn't afford to make trouble with Gaspar right now. This was a critical time for Dad to establish his position. Which meant I would have had no choice but to take whatever came.

Luciarno was shielding me with his own name.

I looked up at his face. That composed, well-cut features gave nothing away. Only his eyes were sharp and unwavering — like a predator on the hunt, or a sea in the instant before a storm.

In the past, a gaze like that had frightened me. I'd tried not to show it, the way I'd been taught, but the muscles in my neck would go taut all the same.

People really were unpredictable, though. The fact that his presence felt even a little reassuring now would have left my past self speechless.

Luciarno spoke in a voice without rise or fall.

"If you haven't the capacity to pick a fight, then leave."

"Who do you think—!"

Gaspar's voice tore as he shouted, but Luciarno was already done with him. He took my wrist and turned his back.

I was pulled along after him, toward the carriage stand he'd mentioned a moment ago.

"Ah — I can go on my own…"

"Do you think Gaspar will leave you be if you're alone?"

I glanced back. Gaspar was staring at me as if he meant to tear me apart. I promptly stuck close to Luciarno's side.

"I'll be in your care."

"Very well."

Scratch that about feeling a little reassuring. I felt extremely reassured.

And so I made it to the carriage stand in one piece. I offered him a farewell and climbed aboard.

Just before I stepped up, I hesitated and looked back.

"Um. Your Highness."

He looked at me. I grinned.

"When I first met you at the Empress's palace that summer, I thought you were a frightening person. But if I could meet the me of that day, I'd want to tell her something."

He said nothing.

"That you're not a frightening person. You're someone who knows what it means to take responsibility."

Luciarno was silent for a moment. He lowered his eyes, then looked at me again.

"You look pretty today."

I stared at him, startled, and a playful smile touched his mouth.

"The dress, I mean."

My eyes, which had gone round, crinkled as I burst into a little laugh.

"I'll tell her you're also the type who makes jokes that give people heart attacks."

"Do that."

I climbed into the carriage. A moment later it was racing away into the night.

Luciarno watched the carriage recede. Only after it had vanished completely from sight did he quietly recite the words.

"When I first met you at the Empress's palace that summer, I thought you were a frightening person."

"…It wasn't summer."

It wasn't summer, Yustea.

A man approached from behind him.

"The assassins Prince Gaspar employs have begun following the carriage."

"Bring me my sword."

He was the one at a loss, after all.

You don't even remember it. And I can't forget.

The third day of the new year.

I looked quietly at Mother.

Healing is useless.

I'd thought that if I used healing, maybe Mother would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wake. I'd pushed the ability to its limit. She hadn't opened her eyes.

Maybe the doctors and the priests were right.

They'd said there was nothing wrong with Mother's body. That she'd collapsed from shock — a problem of the mind, in other words.

They said Mother… no longer wants to open her eyes.

My past self hadn't believed it. How could someone as strong as Mother simply give up on living?

But watching her fail to wake even under a saintess's healing, I had to consider that they might have been telling the truth.

Yuis hesitated, looking as if he had no idea what to say, then offered,

"Why don't you try a little harder? If it's mana you need, I'll give you as much as you want…"

"Why waste it?"

"Waste… what?"

"You don't have infinite mana either. It takes time to recover. We can't pour it into something that isn't going to work."

Yuis looked utterly blank.

"You weren't sad?"

"I am sad. But being sad and wasting resources are two different things."

"What the hell is your mental fortitude made of?"

Of course, when Mother first collapsed, I'd thought the world was ending. There had been nothing I could do. I'd clung to her and nothing else.

But playing the tragic heroine is a luxury for people who have someone to lean on.

At some point I'd realized I had exactly three coppers left to my name. Not enough to buy a single potato.

If I died, Mother died too. I was the only one who could care for her. If I fell apart, I couldn't protect her.

That thought had made me live each day as if my life depended on it. There hadn't been room to drown in grief. And that habit was still with me, like a reflex.

"It's all right. I have no intention of giving up on Mother."

The one and only mercy of this world being a game: it had incredible items you couldn't even dream of in my previous life. There was an item that could wake Mother.

The problem is getting my hands on it.

Which meant…

"I'll load Dad up with a mountain of power and have him find it."

"Well… if it's that, I suppose it would be good for everyone."

"Yep!"

I clenched both fists and widened my eyes with determination, and Yuis huffed a quiet laugh.

"Prince Luciarno said he's found a caretaker and a residence for Mother. If I send a reply, he'll come pick her up as early as today, so I should contact him."

"Shall I deliver the letter?"

"Yes. Discreetly. Mother's whereabouts are something only you and I know."

"Got it."

Yuis moved at once. I quietly began preparing Mother to be sent off — wiping her body clean with a damp cloth, working the stiffness from her limbs.

I was in the middle of it when a voice called from outside the room.

"My lady!"

Antonio. I tucked the blanket carefully around Mother and stepped out.

"What is it?"

"Some people showed up outside. …My lady!"

"People?"

Antonio looked startled, which meant they weren't anyone connected to Irregular. Who on earth would show up without so much as a word of notice?

I went out of the mansion, Antonio trailing after me. Beyond the front gate sat a procession of carriages.

The moment I stepped through, the carriage doors all flew open at once. The people who descended were all women, every one of them in their twenties or older. They smiled sweetly and came toward me.

"To call so suddenly is terribly rude of us…"

"Do forgive us. There's a New Year's service at the temple today, and we heard the young lady had yet to…"

"We heard you were at the mansion, and thought perhaps we might all go together, if that would be all right…"

"Would you care to accompany us to the temple?"

I could have sworn they were singing in rounds. Then they started shooting vicious looks at one another.

Every face was unfamiliar, which meant none of them were high nobility.

Antonio whispered from behind me.

"My lady, you're popular."

"Not me. Dad."

"Huh?"

"They're being nice to me because they want to marry Dad."

"…Whoa."

Well. He was a tempting marriage prospect. A bastard, yes, but Esgard's eldest son. The only child in his household was one adoptee, so a biological heir wouldn't create a succession problem. And above all…

He's handsome.

The kind of face that would make a hundred people out of a hundred turn around for a second look. Looks like Dad's, and he could beg on a street corner and still end up a charity hotspot.

They wanted him, but they weren't high nobles, so they had no opportunity to meet him. Hence the campaign to win me over.

One of the women addressed me with a warm smile.

"Lady Esgard."

"Oh my, Lady Cuaron is the correct form of address, isn't it?"

Another woman jumped in at once. Then a third.

"That's quite enough. Lady Cuaron, you must be startled. Oh my, your cheeks have gone all pink."

"What do you think you're doing? Laying hands on her without permission. If you're looking down on her because she's adopted, I won't forgive you."

"Everyone, please don't put the young lady in such an awkward position."

"Hey. Don't crowd Lady Cuaron."

I said nothing. Antonio, who had been watching the whole spectacle, muttered under his breath.

"This is insane."

No argument there.

I decided to send them on their way. Luciarno's people would be coming for Mother any moment, and given how aggressive this lot was, if I let them into the house they would not leave until they laid eyes on Dad.

"I'm grateful for your thoughtfulness. However, I won't be able to attend today's service."

One of the women spoke up at once.

"It seems the household is still in some disarray. How difficult it must be for a young lady to run a house alone, with no mistress."

"I'm simply grateful you understand…"

"What if I were to help a little?"

She flashed a dimple, her face arranged into something charming and coaxing.

"I'm the daughter of the Moro Trading Company. From managing people to running a business, there's nothing I can't do. I'm sure I'd be of help."

Another woman scowled, visibly bristling.

"My lady, I'm the eldest daughter of Viscount Senya, who runs the Imperial Newspaper. Surely I'm the one who knows capital affairs best?"

"I'm a former Imperial Palace administrator — when it comes to paperwork, I'm second to none…!"

"Would you get out of the way?!"

"Everyone, stop it. How much more are you going to put the young lady through?!"

"Drop the act and get lost!"

"Get lost? Where does a brat get off talking down to me!"

"Old hag, move!"

Wow.

I had never in my life seen nobles abandon every last scrap of refinement quite like this. The chaos rivaled a marketplace at peak hour.

I suppose even being too handsome can be a problem…

I sighed, trying to think of a way to handle this, when I noticed someone hanging back from the melee, fidgeting at a distance.

Huh?

The brown-haired woman looked familiar. I just couldn't place her.

I was frowning, sifting through my memory, when the others closed in on me.

"Surely it would be best if I helped?"

"No, I should…"

"No. It's me."

I looked about to be swallowed whole. Antonio bellowed,

"Our lord is at the shopping district! He's having drinks with the Merchant Alliance!"

"…!"

"…!!"

The women piled into their carriages like a shot. There wasn't even a pretense that they hadn't come to see Dad. Which, frankly, made things easier.

In an instant the carriages receded like a tide going out. Antonio stuck out his tongue.

"Scarier than enemy soldiers charging with steel in their hands."

"…Was it all right to tell them Dad's location?"

"They looked ready to tear you apart. What choice did I have? I can't lay a hand on women."

"Well, that's true, but…"

Dad was going to be in quite a predicament. I thought as much, but Antonio was grinning so goofily that I just shrugged and let it go.

Luciarno's man arrived at the mansion in secret. I entrusted Mother to him and bowed again and again, asking him to take good care of her. Then he left, taking her with him.

I couldn't bring myself to leave until the carriage carrying Mother had disappeared from sight. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yuis and Antonio, who had come to the mansion with Luciarno's man, stayed at my side.

Once the carriage was gone, Yuis spoke.

"Who's the idiot who leaked the Guild Master's location."

I quietly put on a benevolent smile. Yuis whirled and glared at Antonio.

"The Guild Master's location is absolutely classified. You didn't know that?"

"Those women looked ready to eat the young lady alive…"

"The shopping district is in chaos! Every hundred meters the Guild Master walked, women were falling over, clinging to him pretending they'd twisted their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ankles, and it finally came to them grabbing each other by the hair and fighting!"

Yuis was glaring at Antonio with a look that said he might eat him alive. Antonio's eyes slid away.

"It's not like they came at him with swords…"

"Do you know what people are calling today's incident?!"

"What?"

Whoa. That was some name.

Antonio got thoroughly chewed out by Yuis. Then a communication came through from the Vice Guild Master, and he got scolded all over again. After that he fumbled on his armor with a woeful face.

"Where are you going?"

"The Vice Guild Master told me to stop messing around and go guard the Guild Master…"

I was all for attaching Antonio to Dad. The Duchess of Esgard and her son Javid now knew Dad existed. There was no telling what kind of danger that might bring.

Antonio heaved a sigh.

"The Guild Master might kill me when he sees me…"

Given that the whole affair had earned a name like The Tragedy of Beauty, Dad had every right to be furious.

"Then shall I come with you?"

Antonio's face lit up. Even back in Cuaron, Antonio had caused his share of incidents, and Dad had always gone easier on him when I was there.

Yuis frowned.

"Don't indulge him too much."

"I also wanted to buy some gifts for the guild members."

"Then I'm coming too."

"You sure?"

"I need to watch in case this one causes another incident."

Yuis glared daggers at Antonio and strapped on a sword. And so the three of us set out for the shopping district.

Carriages weren't allowed into the interior — the crowds were too thick, and accidents too frequent. We stepped down and headed for the Merchant Alliance office, where Dad was supposed to be.

Antonio looked around the district in high spirits.

"What's that snake-looking thing? What's it got on its back!"

"That's a cobra. A venomous snake."

"What's that tree people are lining up to buy?"

"It's not a tree. That's baumkuchen — a layered cake."

"Then that is…"

"Just shut up."

While Antonio and Yuis went on like that, I walked along lost in thought.

That brown-haired woman I saw earlier… she was definitely familiar.

I hadn't seen her in my days as Lady Andres. Which meant I must have seen her in the game. I just couldn't remember where she'd appeared.

Brown hair is far too common.

I was groaning over it when Yuis glanced at me.

"What's wrong?"

"Among the women who came to the mansion, there was a familiar face. I just can't remember who she is."

"Description?"

"Brown hair, black eyes."

"Lena Campos, the former palace administrator?"

"You recognized them?"

"They're people trying to approach the Guild Master. And if it's brown hair, there's also Countess Santillon, the younger sister of the Alkain merchant…"

I flinched. The words younger sister of the Alkain merchant sparked something.

The Alkain merchant's true identity is a Geum-sul mage!

Now I understood why I hadn't been able to place her. I'd never seen her in person. She'd only looked familiar because she was the spitting image of her older brother, the Geum-sul mage.

But why did the Geum-sul mage's sister come to our mansion?

Given how pale and fidgety she'd looked, hanging back from the rest, it seemed as if she'd been forced to come. Had her brother put her up to it? Why?

Wait. That brother's specialty — Geum-sul — is…

The thought had barely formed when it came.

Kyaaaaah—!

A piercing cry split the air, followed by the sound of wings tearing through the sky. Antonio and Yuis were at my sides in an instant, swords in hand.

"Stay close. Monsters!"

Flying-type monsters blotted out the sky over the shopping district.

Crackling!

The monsters slammed against the district's barrier with a vicious hiss of colliding force. Yuis's face went grim.

"Fiend-birds. If their wings touch you, you'll be poisoned — be careful."

Antonio clicked his tongue.

"How did a rare monster like fiend-birds even get here?"

"…The fiend-birds didn't come on their own. Someone summoned them."

"What?"

The specialty of the Geum-sul mage disguised as the Alkain merchant: monster taming.

Clang—!

The barrier shattered, and at last the fiend-birds poured through. They swarmed toward a single point.

A single point. Meaning where I was standing.

The Geum-sul mage is after me!