An Unexpected Proposal (1)
Every time the mother and daughter from the Robeheim family visited Ardenum, they were struck by how warmly it welcomed them. It wasn’t their hometown, nor even a place they visited particularly often, yet something about the scenery filled them with a strange sense of comfort. Their actual home in Hespania was a vast, imposing city filled with overwhelming grandeur. In contrast, Ardenum felt relatively modest and orderly, save for the estates of a few noble houses. While splendor and majesty can be captivating at first glance, they quickly become ordinary once you grow accustomed to them. Perhaps the reason the pair had come to prefer the landscape of Ardenum was that it allowed them to feel a sense of simplicity amid their otherwise lavish daily lives.
“It really is nice to be here again.”
Helene stepped down from the carriage and took a deep breath, savoring the fact that she had arrived in Ardenum with her entire body. Meanwhile, the two Bilhark family soldiers standing guard at the main gate widened their eyes in shock at the sudden appearance of such important figures. They had been informed of the visit in advance, but for the pair who had only recently been assigned here, how many chances could they possibly have had to meet the mistress and young lady of the Robeheim family? It was fortunate they had been warned ahead of time; otherwise, they might have collapsed from sheer surprise.
“May we come in?”
“Y-yes, ma’am! Please wait just a moment!”
When Helene approached and spoke to them cautiously, the soldiers stood so rigidly that it was uncomfortable to watch, doing their utmost to fulfill their duties.
With a metallic click, the gate opened.
“You may enter, my lady. I apologize for making you wait.”
“Thank you. Come along, Ariel.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Since Shephy happened to be absent today, Helene had to handle all the representative duties herself. Still, she thought it wasn’t so bad to do this once in a while. Normally she would wait inside the carriage and slip out discreetly, which often left her feeling somewhat awkward.
She smiled warmly at the soldiers in thanks before stepping inside, with Ariel trotting along beside her. Originally, it would have been unthinkable for the gates to be left so unguarded when the mistress of a grand ducal house came calling, but this too was thanks to Helene’s prior instructions. She had told them that since she visited so frequently, having the entire household rush to the gate every time would only make things burdensome, and asked them to treat her like a casual guest dropping by. Of course, it hadn’t gone smoothly at first, but after several rounds of trial and error, they had finally reached this comfortable arrangement.
“Hmm?”
As they walked along the long path leading from the gate toward the mansion, a boy caught the mother and daughter’s eyes. He was leaning against a pillar by the entrance, staring blankly into space as if waiting for someone. He looked so detached from the world, like an old man quietly passing the time in quiet resignation, that Helene couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“You didn’t have to come out and wait, Edgar. You’ve gone to so much trouble.”
“It’s something I enjoy doing. Here, let me take your luggage.”
Over time, Edgar had lost the stiff formality he once showed toward Helene, but he still maintained his characteristic, understated courtesy. Noticing that they had come without servants, he immediately reached out to take the bags. Meanwhile, Ariel was sulking at the fact that her childhood friend hadn’t even greeted her.
‘Tch, is he ignoring me?’
It wasn’t that she particularly wanted a greeting from someone like him, but it was a matter of basic manners. No matter how long they had been friends, wasn’t it rude not to say a single word to a guest who had traveled all the way from afar?
Ariel grumbled internally, suddenly nitpicking about etiquette she normally wouldn’t have cared about. Whether he knew what she was thinking or not, Edgar and her mother were happily catching up on all the news they hadn’t been able to share. As she walked, she kept kicking at the spotless stone floor of the mansion with her feet until she suddenly collided with something.
“Ouch!”
She let out a cute little yelp and came back to her senses. Helene had already walked ahead. The only one still there was Edgar, who now stood half a head taller than her, quietly watching her with a steady gaze.
“W-what are you doing…? Shouldn’t you be following Mom?”
“……”
Unaccustomed to the sudden intensity of his stare, Ariel shrank back slightly and pointed toward Helene. But even after her reaction, Edgar simply continued to gaze at her in silence. It was as if he were searching for something.
“S-say something. Why are you looking at me like that? It’s weird.”
It was more embarrassing than unpleasant, but that was the sort of thing girls her age usually said. After standing like that for what felt like quite some time, Edgar’s eyes suddenly widened as if he had reached a conclusion. He pointed at her midsection and spoke.
“It’s pretty.”
“Huh…? What?”
Pretty? What is? Me? He’s not the type to say something like that. What’s gotten into him all of a sudden? Did something change in his heart?
While Ariel was still reeling from the unexpected compliment, Edgar delivered a follow-up remark that instantly killed the mood.
“That outfit, I mean. It looks new. Did you buy it recently?”
“……”
One sentence that crushed all her expectations in an instant. A chill ran through her entire body as the blood in her veins seemed to freeze. The heart that had been pounding wildly returned to normal in the blink of an eye.
Of course. What was I expecting from this idiot?
Despite the cold look in her eyes, strangely enough, her heart felt lighter. With a mix of resignation and relief, Ariel jabbed him hard in the side and took a step forward. He complained from behind about the sudden physical abuse, but she ignored him and kept walking.
“…Yeah. It’s not like I wore it specifically to show you, though.”
“Oh please, I wasn’t hoping for that. Anyway, nothing unusual happened while you were away, right?”
“Nope. It was pretty much the same as always.”
To be honest, things had been a little different, but she knew better than anyone that telling this boy would be pointless.
“Are you just going to leave Mom like that?”
“She said we should drop off the luggage and enjoy ourselves. I think she’s planning to go see Mother.”
“That makes sense. She’s been singing her praises for so long.”
While their families were technically lord and vassal, the friendly personal relationship between them wasn’t limited to just Ariel and Edgar. Even before Ariel was born, Helene had visited the Bilhark family often enough to have a close friend and conversation partner in Catria. Of course, if you told Catria that, she would wave her hands in denial, insisting it was far too great an honor.
“You know where your room is, right? I’ll drop off the luggage first and meet you outside. Wait for me.”
“Wait for you? Why?”
She had been planning to relax and roll around on the bed to shake off the fatigue of the journey. What was this all about? Without explaining anything, Edgar simply grinned and disappeared down the hallway.
‘It’s probably nothing important.’
At most, he would probably want to show her the magic he had been practicing lately. From her perspective, it wasn’t something she was particularly excited about. After all, for the past four years since he had begun studying the new discipline of magic, Ariel had been his magic instructor. That was why whenever she visited, instead of greeting her warmly, he would immediately bombard her with questions about magic. While his enthusiasm for learning was admirable, there came a point where it felt like her own presence had been pushed aside by magic itself. As a result, Ariel had visited the Bilhark estate far less frequently over the past year.
‘Tch, you idiot.’
She headed to the guest room she always used when staying here and set her luggage down. Then she stared quietly at the full-length mirror beside the bed.
If he was going to call something pretty, he could have included her in the compliment. Pointing out only the clothes… she had no idea where he learned such manners. Still, on the other hand, she supposed she should be grateful that the dense boy had even noticed she was wearing something new.
“Haa.”
That’s right. Since he at least noticed the outfit, she might as well play the role of teacher for a day. With a short sigh, she seemed to shake off all her disappointment and every other lingering emotion. Her eyes sparkled with renewed energy.
With a click, the door opened.
“What? You came out quickly.”
“I can unpack the luggage later. Just lead the way already.”
He just wants me to look at his magic again, doesn’t he?
Seeing right through him, Ariel flicked her hair with a slightly pouty expression and spoke. She began walking briskly toward the garden as usual. But the puzzled voice that came from behind stopped her in her tracks.
“Magic? What are you talking about?”
“……?”
A huge question mark appeared over Ariel’s head at the sight of her childhood friend tilting his head and digging in his ear. Hadn’t he called her out to show her his magic? Then what did he want? A few years ago they used to run around the mountains and dig in the garden together, but they were past that age now. At the same time, sitting politely and chatting over tea didn’t suit him at all…
As her confusion deepened, something was suddenly thrust in front of her. It was none other than the hand of her childhood friend, now calloused from years of daily practice with a wooden sword. This time, it was Ariel’s turn to tilt her head in confusion.
“I told you. Lady Helene said we should go out and have fun by ourselves.”
“And?”
It was unusual for him to beat around the bush like this. In a way, he was even more straightforward than she was, and he had always been the type to say what needed to be said. When she asked what he really meant, Edgar scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.
“Let’s go out for a bit. It’s a rural area, but if we head into the village, there should be plenty of things to do.”
“…Huh?”
Did that mean…?
“Are you… asking me out on a date?”
“Have I lost my mind?”
He should be saying things that actually made sense. But even Edgar himself felt a bit embarrassed by the thought, which was why he had been trying to avoid acknowledging it.
“Pfft, fine. Let’s see how good your escorting skills are. I’d like to have dinner somewhere nice.”
“You’re really planning to milk this for all it’s worth… I’m the one at fault for even suggesting it.”
“Bleh, I can’t hear you~”
Of course, the reason he was asking her out probably wasn’t the kind she wanted, but the unexpected proposal still made her heart flutter. Ignoring Edgar as he grumbled behind her, Ariel skipped out of the mansion with light, bouncy steps like a rabbit. The sunlight that had felt harsh just moments ago now seemed warm and gentle. Having suffered so much until now, she resolved to take full advantage of the situation. With a bright smile on her face, she nodded to herself.
It wasn’t that she liked a guy like him at all. She was simply accepting the proposal because refusing would be unladylike. That was the only reason.