The Marquis Falls in Love

A deep crease carved itself between Onel's brows. He stared at me as if he couldn't quite process what he'd heard.

"What?"

"I said you're insane."

I folded my arms and looked at him with a blank face.

"It's strange, really. The Marchioness, and you too."

"Now that I'm gone, you've decided I'm worth something."

"You think an apology will fix everything. Well, maybe it would have. I was that easy for all of you."

"But not anymore."

"I met people who treated me as something infinitely precious even when I was at my most wretched."

Onel couldn't utter a single word. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. I looked at him, ice-cold, and went on.

"Let me make this perfectly clear. If there's anything wrong between us, it isn't that I reminded you of your miserable past."

"It's that I chose the wrong person to love."

I called out toward the driver's box.

"Stop. I'm getting off."

"...We're going as far as the castle. What do you think you're doing, getting out in the middle of the night?"

"Yuis is chasing us out there."

Onel narrowed his eyes and looked out the window. Yuis was in the driver's box of a pursuing carriage, whipping the horses into a frenzy as he gave chase. His face was utterly ferocious.

That expression was so funny I ended up laughing a little. Onel looked at me. Then, as if the words tasted bitter in his mouth, he said,

"Stop the carriage."

It came to a halt. I was about to step down when Onel tossed something at me. A pouch. I opened it and found a round yellow bead no bigger than a fingernail. The moment I saw that pearl-like thing, my eyes flew wide.

"The Essence of Joy I promised you."

"Thank you!"

Beaming, I headed straight for Yuis. He ground his teeth.

"From now on I'm assigning you two escorts. I almost called the Leader thinking you'd been kidnapped."

"He can't come. That'd be a disaster. More importantly, look at this. Essence of Joy."

"...?!"

Yuis's eyes went wide as well.

"So you won't get hurt from running out of mana anymore."

"Yeah!"

He looked at me and smiled, slow and warm.

Through the window, Yustea's smiling face caught the light. There had been a time when that child had smiled like that in front of Onel, too.

Oppa, you came in first again, right? Grandmother was so happy. I was happy too, so—

And she would walk right past him.

Oppa, your birthday cake. I asked Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, and the pastry chef from the Empress Dowager's Palace—

And she would walk past him again.

Onel turned his gaze away from the window. The carriage started moving once more. Reaching the castle took no time at all. Upon arrival, there was a summons from his father.

"There was a disturbance in the shopping district."

"...Yustea ran into a cook from the restaurant where she used to work. The cook failed to recognize her status and was rude, so—"

"And so her divinity became unstable."

The Marquis's eyes flashed. Onel looked at his father with a rigid face.

"Yustea went through so much hardship."

"A child driven from the family suffering that kind of hardship is only to be expected. We wouldn't have requested her name be struck from the family register without anticipating as much."

"At the time, Stella... Stella was in grave danger..."

Back then, Stella had been hovering at death's door. She coughed blood countless times a day. Dozens of healers and physicians were assigned to her, and still she did not improve. They couldn't even identify what poison she had ingested.

The first talk of expelling anyone from the family had been a threat. If you don't tell us what the poison was, you'll be thrown out. So speak.

Yustea had kept her mouth shut to the very end. And so...

"Lately I've been thinking. What if it really wasn't Yustea after all..."

"Indeed."

"...!"

At that unhesitating reply, Onel's face went stiff as stone. He couldn't even grasp what he had just heard. He was too stunned, too incredulous...

"What do you mean by that..."

"It was the Old Empire Reconstruction Society that poisoned Stella. They likely decided they had no need for a Saintess, and sought to eliminate Stella, the leading candidate."

"What? How did the Old Empire Reconstruction Society even approach Stella?"

"Benjamin."

"What..."

"Your friend Benjamin belongs to the Old Empire Reconstruction Society."

"...!"

"Yustea would never poison Stella. That child couldn't feed poison to anyone even if it meant drinking lye herself."

That was why they had excluded Yustea from the initial investigation. And then they had learned. The one who poisoned Stella was Benjamin. And Benjamin belonged to the Old Empire Reconstruction Society.

"You knew... you knew, so why...!"

"Thanks to the poisoning, we formed an alliance with the Old Empire Reconstruction Society. When they succeed at what they want, we'll be granted a place among the founding meritorious subjects. Even if they fail, it doesn't matter. Chaos will erupt in the Empire, and chaos always leads to a revival of power."

"So you gave up Yustea."

"Yes. She was a convenient target. Dia's growing influence was becoming an eyesore."

In exchange for Yustea's life, Dia had handed over her entire merchant guild. Then she had taken her daughter's hand and walked out.

"How... how could you do that!"

Yustea had been guilty of nothing. Every piece of evidence had been fabricated. They had fallen for it and driven her out. And so that innocent child had suffered every kind of hardship.

"She washed dishes at a restaurant. Looked down on by lowborn people."

"So I heard."

"Her hands are covered in scars."

"They did seem that way."

"You... you're not even human—!"

A thin, unpleasant smile touched the Marquis's lips. He rose from his seat and approached Onel, who had gone deathly pale. Taking Onel's chin between his fingertips, the Marquis spoke.

"I do find it a shame. Not only did she become a Saintess, she's accomplished all manner of feats."

Moonlight poured in through the window. It shattered along the outline of the Marquis of Andres—Rohan Andres. His softly gleaming blue eyes were as chilling as a serpent's.

"So I would like you to win her heart while she's staying at Andres. It seems your mother has failed."

Onel clenched his teeth.

Oscar's crow chattered. The bird had eavesdropped on the conversation between the Marquis and Onel in the Andres family head's chambers, pretending to drift through the night. Yuis's face was colder than I had ever seen it.

"The Marquis of Andres truly isn't human."

I had always wondered why every scrap of evidence in the poisoning pointed to me. I'd assumed it was because this was a game obsessed with its heroine, Stella—that I had to be gone for her family bonds to form properly. But that wasn't it.

"The Marquis of Andres ordered the fabrication. Of course it all pointed to me."

"That piece of trash. I'll kill him!"

Yuis tried to bolt, and I caught him.

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. Your own father did something this insane, how can you...!"

"It just means we know exactly what we have to do."

"What?"

"If I can't swallow the Old Empire Reconstruction Society, then Stella can't be allowed to swallow it either."

"That's true, but why bring that up now?"

"We just need to make the Old Empire Reconstruction Society and Andres into enemies."

"And how would we do that?"

"The Marquis is a meticulous man. He'll have evidence that can prove the Old Empire Reconstruction Society's existence."

"Find it and make it public?"

"Yes. If it comes from the Marquis's own hands, they'll become complete enemies."

"But how are we supposed to find it..."

Yuis muttered, then went still.

"Don't tell me you—"

"I'll lure the Marquis of Andres out. Search his rooms."

"That's the kind of work I always do, but will you be all right?"

"I have to..."

Disgusting as it was. I put on a sad expression.

The next day. The Marquis rose early. He was already moving while the world was still pitch-black, seated at his desk before dawn. He was going through documents in his office when he heard it.

Rustle.

Rustle.

Rustle.

The Marquis set down his papers. He stood and went to the window.

"What are you doing."

There had been a presence outside the whole time. The culprit was crouched down, a wide-brimmed hat hiding their face.

"I-I'm sorry."

A familiar voice. The crouched figure lifted their head. It was Yustea, a flower in each hand.

"I, um, wanted to put some flowers in the vase."

"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, after all."

"It's not that I like you, Marquis. I can't stand the sight of you, actually. But... since I'm leaving, I wanted to do at least one last thing."

"You caught me, so I'll just give them to you and go."

Yustea stood up awkwardly and held out the flowers. Lily of the valley, which meant happiness, without a doubt. Marigold, which meant health. They were the flowers that had always sat in the office vase when she had lived here.

"You came all this way just to give me these?"

"Yes."

"You don't seem to hate me as much as I thought."

"That's a misunderstanding. I hate you a lot."

The Marquis gave a short laugh.

"Leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Yes. The contamination's all been resolved, and well..."

"No thought of staying a little longer? It seems you and Onel have quite a bit to discuss."

"Onel's holed up in his room and won't come out. Last night Benjamin and his friends came looking for him, and he still wouldn't come out."

He seemed to have taken a blow from his father's inhumanity. The Marquis raised an eyebrow. Useless.

The Marchioness had shut herself away from the shock as well. What that child Yustea held most precious ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was family. With two of them locked in their rooms, that just leaves you, doesn't it?

Yustea smiled, secretly. The Marquis's gaze slid sideways. He was silent for a moment, as if turning something over, then said,

"Going to the contaminated land today as well?"

"Yes. The last purification. Then after the inspection tomorrow, I'll leave right away."

"I'll go with you."

I knew it.

He would never want to let Yustea go. A Saintess was significant to the Imperial Palace and the Temple merely by being present. To the Old Empire Reconstruction Society, she was a powerful weapon.

Yustea rolled her eyes.

"Oh, then would you follow later? I'll be going on horseback."

"Horseback?"

"I'll never come back to Andres again, so I wanted to see my hometown one last time."

The Marquis looked steadily into Yustea's eyes. There was not a trace of discomfort at the prospect of him coming along. She's after something.

He didn't know what she was planning, but there was no particular harm in playing along.

"We'll go together."

"Well, if you insist."

Yustea said they would meet at the stables in thirty minutes and left. She was striding away when she stopped with an ah and looked back at the Marquis. Then she bowed her head.

"Good morning."

The face that used to greet him shyly, hesitantly, overlapped with this one. Good morning... Father...

Since when had she started looking him straight in the eye?

I hurried up to my room.

"Success. I'll take him out like this, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠search the bedroom and the office."

"Got it."

"Carol handles the office. Madam Anita handles the bedroom. Remember that in case you need their help."

"Got it."

With that, I threw on a thick coat and hurried down to the stables. The Marquis of Andres was already there. The horse he had chosen was a white one—the finest thoroughbred bloodline, so fast it had earned the nickname Divine Steed.

And mine...

"Wow, Annie, it's been so long..."

I nuzzled my cheek against Annie's face. She was like a daughter to Chlorsio, the Marquis's horse. She had been small before I left. Now she was a fine adult.

"May I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ride Annie?"

"As you wish."

And so the Marquis and I set off on horseback. We followed the forests and fields, avoiding the crowds. Riding after so long was wonderfully refreshing.

Refreshing, but...

"Oww..."

Once we passed the hour mark, it became misery. Horseback riding... right. This was hard. As I groaned, the Marquis brought his horse to a stop. We decided to rest for a while on the frozen winter grassland. I sat on a flat rock and rubbed my lower back.

"Weren't you good at riding?"

"I am good at it. I just can't last long."

"You used to ride for hours without any trouble."

"I toughed it out because I didn't want to disappoint you. I wanted to be a useful daughter to Father... ah."

I stopped, having spoken without thinking.

"I wanted to be a useful daughter to you, Marquis."

"I don't measure usefulness by things like that."

"Of course you don't. That's why you favored Stella, who brought you information and such."

"But did you know? I know a lot of information too."

I held up my index finger.

"Ghosts live in the Yopis family graveyard."

"The graves are contaminated, so that's only natural."

"And when they see me they go, 'Don't know, run, fuck!' and bolt."

I grinned. He looked at me as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"That's information, right?"

"I did learn that you're a child who knows how to swear."

"It means the ghosts are that scared of me. I'm a really terrifying purifier, you know."

"You..."

"Ah, are you cold? You came out in too thin a coat."

I couldn't let him say he was cold and want to go back. I took off my fur coat—so enormously thick that wearing it made me look like a walking bear—and draped it over the Marquis's shoulders.

"Warm, right?"

He went silent again. This conversation isn't going anywhere. I needed to stall for time somehow. Wasn't there anything that would help?

Ah. Come to think of it, Divine Fortune's percentage is about to fill up.

It filled up, just as I thought. It climbed like mad in this place. Was it always like this?

Thinking that, I activated Divine Fortune. And then—

...What?

At his age?

His stamina was impressive, too!