The End of a Misunderstanding
The Royal Capital.
Naturally, it was the largest metropolis in the kingdom, sitting at its very center — a place where countless people and goods flowed in and out day after day.
Our Medici family ruled a major city in the east that was impressive in its own right, but compared to the capital, the gap in size, population, economy, and culture was considerable. To be fair, it was home to a king whose face I'd never even seen, so that much was only natural.
And yet.
"Now, if I list the capital's famous tourist attractions—"
"...Claire, stop reading that pamphlet. I know all of this already."
It genuinely irritated me, the way she read off useless tidbits one by one in that relentlessly cheerful voice.
Hearing my complaint, Claire continued with an expression of profound concern.
"But young master, unlike myself, this is your 'first' time visiting the capital, is it not? If you act like some country bumpkin in the capital where you've 'never' been, it reflects poorly on me as well. When one visits a place for the 'first' time, it's only proper for someone experienced to guide them."
"You've been there exactly once. One visit is basically the same as never having gone."
"So this time, the young master will finally lose his capital virginity. Congratulations on your first time, young master."
She's been awfully fond of that virgin metaphor lately. I'm a man — does that even count?
Receiving Claire's increasingly infuriating, amusement-laced gaze — the one that said he's just another hick heading to the big city, I'll forgive him — I looked around the carriage interior.
After all, I wasn't the only one riding in it besides Claire.
"Master Rin, Iris — you remember why we're going to the capital, yes?"
"...Yes."
"Yes!"
"Since my brother will be handling the main business anyway, you two should just enjoy some sightseeing. I'd love to join you, but I expect I'll be rather busy."
"I heard it's because of the council of eastern lords," Rin said quietly.
"More or less. From His Majesty's perspective, the Medici family is already large enough, so if we gathered up all the eastern lords under our banner, we'd look rather threatening. I imagine he wants to summon us to the capital and make certain of things before that happens... though who really knows?"
Contrary to the king's worries, Father and my brother had no particular intention of consolidating the east. It wasn't so much a lack of ambition as a lack of any reason to gamble like that.
The Medici family was already regarded as the foremost house in the east. To grow beyond that point, we'd have to either found a duchy outright or stage a coup — and Father and my brother preferred maintaining the status quo instead.
The bigger a family grows, the more internal squabbling it breeds, after all. I was loafing around precisely because I was the second son, born without a drop of mana or any talent whatsoever. Otherwise, I'd have been worked to the bone like my brother long ago.
Though, who knows how long that arrangement will last...
Someday, when I was a little older, the time would come for me to be granted a territory or some official post. Until then, all I could do was enjoy this idle life without regrets.
Pondering a future that hadn't arrived yet only added to one's worries. I turned my gaze between our two reliable lumps of dopamine.
"Just be back before sunset. The capital isn't automatically safe just because it's the capital."
"I'll keep that in mind!"
"Master Rin, you understand as well?"
"...I understand. Though — Patron, I have a question."
"Hm?"
"Why am I 'Master Rin,' while she's addressed by her given name alone?"
"Well, because Iris is younger? ...Huh, now that you mention it, that's a fair point. Iris, shall I start calling you Master Iris from now on?"
"No, no! Iris is perfectly fine! 'Master' sounds so stiff and formal, doesn't it? It makes you feel so distant, too."
"If you say so."
Well, if she was happy with it, that was what mattered. A few sparks seemed to fly between Rin and Iris just now, but I supposed it was nothing more than a battle of pride between artists.
Just as Claire had predicted, they weren't particularly close — but they weren't at each other's throats either, so it was fine.
"In any case, then—"
"...And I..."
"Master Rin?"
"You don't intend to ask me? Whether you might... simply call me by my name as well?"
Oh.
What?
"Oh, um, sure? Shall I call you by your name too, then, Master Rin?"
"No need. I prefer 'Master.' It's the universal form of address for an artist, after all."
For some reason, Rin put strange weight on the word artist as she glared at Iris, and Iris quietly met her gaze in return.
It seemed odd for her to ask only to refuse, but as it turned out, what had bothered Rin was the very act of me asking after her wishes. Only then did I understand why she'd reacted that way.
I see. From Rin's perspective, I suppose it would be unsettling.
If my patron suddenly lavished all his attention on another artist, I'd be anxious too. Iris was the more extreme case, but Rin had also lived in considerable poverty, and I'd heard that thanks to my patronage she'd now amassed a collection of high-grade art supplies.
If, in that situation, I got distracted by Iris and cut off her funding, she'd be in real trouble. So apparently what she'd needed was my firm assurance that I was looking after her — not just Iris.
That was probably also why the two of them seemed so at odds with each other. Not that the worry was warranted — I had no intention whatsoever of letting go of a small-time artist I'd once decided to sponsor. My livestream donors were the same; the only time anyone ever abandoned their small-timer was when that small-timer made it big.
Still, this was admittedly something I'd failed to consider. Rin deserved more care and attention from me here.
Clank.
"Master Rin, take this."
"This is...?"
"I hear the capital has art supply shops that deal in things you can't find anywhere else, and that exhibitions of all kinds of artwork are held there constantly. Don't worry about the money — go nurture your inspiration to your heart's content. I'm looking forward to your next painting."
"...Yes."
Perhaps it was the weight of that coin purse, but Rin's expression seemed to soften, if only a little. Money truly is a wondrous thing.
Besides, with a massive city wall now visible through the window, it looked like we were nearly at the capital.
"I'll probably return in the evening once the council wraps up. See you then."
"Yes! Patron!"
"...Safe travels."
After entering the capital proper, we halted the carriage briefly to drop Rin and Iris off at the Medici family's villa. And once the two of them had been seen off and only Claire and I remained inside the carriage, a rather peculiar atmosphere settled over us.
No — that wasn't quite the word for it.
"Young master, might you be nervous?"
"I suppose I am, a little. This is effectively my first real public appearance, after all."
"Will you be speaking at the council?"
"No, but I'll at least be standing behind my brother and Father. It's a gathering of the most powerful houses in the east — of course they'll all have their eyes on me too."
"...So every move you make could become a subject of political scrutiny."
"I'm afraid so. I'll need to be careful in all sorts of ways."
My brother and Father hadn't briefed me yet, but they surely would before the council began. As a Medici, careless words in an official setting were dangerous.
Even trying not to be nervous, I couldn't help it. And I was only supposed to stand there without saying a single word.
After I'd taken how many deep breaths —
Claire quietly slid over from the seat across from me to sit beside me.
"Claire?"
"Young master. You can do this."
"You..."
"For all that you while away your days enjoying the reactions of your sponsored artists, idling about in your private annex without a job, and possess not one speck of mana—"
"You."
"—you are still my lord, and I believe in you, young master."
".........You."
"For better or worse, you and I share a common destiny, after all."
Could the girl really not give a normal word of encouragement? And yet, it was true that Claire's words had eased my nerves somewhat.
"Thank you, Claire. I'll go and do well."
"Yes, young master."
After everything she'd done for me, I couldn't very well show up looking pathetic. With that thought, I put on the most resolute expression I could manage and went to meet my brother.
And the brother I met said—
"Ah, you don't need to come in. Little brother."
"Brother? What are you saying?"
"His Majesty — who is in quite a mood today — has restricted each house to two attendants. I can hardly exclude you or Father to bring you in, so just take it easy this time."
"Seriously?"
"Come to think of it, this was your first time in the capital, wasn't it? You really are the only country mouse our family has produced. Go off and enjoy some sightseeing with Claire. Be back before sundown."
And with that offhand remark, he waved me away. After telling me to be back before the sun set.
As Claire and I stood there wearing matching dazed expressions, suddenly with nothing to do—
"Ahem. 'You can do this, young master.'"
"Please don't."
"'I believe in you, young master.'"
"Young master, I mean it. Don't."
"'For better or worse, you and I share a common destiny!'"
"................."
"Beautifully said, Claire."
After all, the sight of Claire hiding her reddening face in embarrassment was a genuinely rare treasure.
With a cool sensation as though some long-stuck weight had finally lifted from my chest, I allowed myself a satisfied smile.
...So. What was I supposed to do now?
"...I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me, miss! By the time you come back tomorrow, I'll have dug up what woman that good-for-nothing ran off with!"
Leaving behind the guild clerk, who was once again beaming with a completely unwarranted misunderstanding, Rin stepped out of the building — a place with the words Information Guild painted above its door.
At some point, the heavy coin purse had been reduced to about half its weight.
It wasn't exactly given to me to spend like this.
But having come all the way to the capital, this was her chance. She'd heard rumors that the capital's Information Guild was especially skilled at tracking down missing persons.
Had she learned of the trip to the capital even a few days earlier, she would have saved the money meant for high-grade art supplies to cover the fee. But as it happened, she'd been short on funds and had all but given up on filing a request through the guild.
Then, of all things, Leonardo Medici — second son of House Medici, her patron — had pressed that heavy purse of gold coins into her hands. Feeling a strange twinge of guilt, Rin had nonetheless spent the money on the request.
It's fine. I haven't spent it all, and even if I did... I can simply repay his kindness later.
That was all there was to it. So reassuring herself, Rin walked the crowded streets of the capital, flooded with people on all sides.
The eastern city was a major metropolis in its own right, but the capital lived up to its name — everything here was on yet another scale entirely. Most striking of all, art supply shops, rare enough in the east that she could count them on one hand, existed here in such numbers that an entire district bore the name Street of Arts.
Under ordinary circumstances, Rin would have gone straight there. In fact, Iris — whom she'd parted with the moment they'd stepped out of the carriage — had said she was heading there herself.
Yet the place Rin arrived at was not the Street of Arts, but some commercial district instead.
And there, she lingered in front of the shops said to be frequented most often by sailors.
I never learned his destination, but there's a good chance he was headed for the capital.
The capital wasn't a port city, but it was connected to the coast by an enormous river, and ships came and went fairly often. Naturally, sailors frequently made their way up to the capital as well, to rest or to blow off steam.
And that man was a sailor — a young gentleman presumed to be the son of a merchant company or a shipowner. After all, that rude woman, his escort, had called him "young master."
Of course, she knew. This was a needle in a haystack. He might still be on his way to the capital. He might have already passed through it. His destination might never have been the capital at all.
Even so, Rin threw herself into the search. When a lone woman came prowling around places frequented by nothing but rough sailors, she drew puzzled stares — but she bore it with dignity, asking everyone she could find whether they knew of a blond sailor with sun-bronzed skin.
The answers were always the same.
"Blond hair, tan skin? Miss, there are hundreds of men like that in this capital alone. You can't find anyone on that alone."
"Called 'young master,' was he? That's all you've got? You don't even have a name?"
"Do you have any idea how many ships and merchant companies pass through the capital? How would anyone keep track?"
"................."
She had no answers. There were simply too many people like him. She would need a name at the very least.
But Rin didn't know his name either, and so, worn out from all her searching, she sank onto a bench in a corner of the commercial district and let out a long sigh.
Could she really find that man this way? No — more than that.
Did he even remember her?
He left without so much as a letter...
She wanted to believe he'd simply had urgent business. But there was also the possibility that he'd grown tired of her endless refusals of his patronage and simply walked away. No — if anything, that was the likelier explanation.
And if that were true. If that man didn't want her looking for him.
Then...
"...Huh?"
Perhaps her head was still a muddle of Leonardo Medici and Iris, but Rin, who had been sitting there blankly for some time, rose to her feet without thinking.
Because, among the endless crowd streaming past her at that very moment—
—she saw, unmistakably, a man with blond hair and tanned skin, walking along with that rude woman at his side.
That man.