The Royal Capital Gallia (15)
Edelis Bride stood before us with silver hair and silver eyes. “I am Edelis Bride, direct knight to His Highness Leon.”
When her eyes had been closed, I hadn’t noticed, but now that she was awake she was a beauty who gave off a cold, haughty impression. If I had to describe it, she looked less like a knight and more like a noblewoman. If Azazel was a cute and lively girl, then Edelis carried the air of a refined, elegant lady. Any man would have his gaze drawn to her by reflex.
I grew uneasy. So I snuck a glance at Ain.
“I know.”
He responded with complete indifference. The sight of his unshakable attitude filled me with relief. Ain treated everyone equally, no matter who they were.
What was I even worried about? The only one he craves is me.
How should I describe this feeling? Satisfaction? A sense of accomplishment? Pride? Anything would do. The corners of my mouth curled upward.
On the other hand, Edelis’s fair brow furrowed slightly at Ain’s careless tone.
“I was not speaking to you, Hero Ashtain.”
“You’re squawking so loudly it sounds like the curse is completely gone.”
Their eyes met. Both gazes were as sharp as blades. It seemed their relationship was not good. If I had to compare it, they were like a dog and a rooster.
I had no desire to get caught between them, but I decided to correct Ain’s words.
“Ain, the curse on Lady Edelis still lingers in her body.”
“Is that so.”
“Is that correct?”
Both of them spoke in low voices. Was Ain, in his own way, worried about Lady Edelis? Why? It didn’t feel good. Was it because their relationship wasn’t as bad as I had thought? The fact that I was having such a petty thought made me feel incredibly ugly.
Clap.
The sharp sound of clapping snapped me out of it. It was Leon’s applause.
“No need to look so gloomy. Surely Her Holiness the Saintess will provide a remedy, won’t she?”
Their gazes turned to me. I nodded vigorously.
“Yes. The first time is difficult, but a curse that has weakened this much should be easy to lift.”
At those words, both Ain and Lady Edelis brightened considerably. Azazel, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks in clear displeasure.
I asked her, “Is there something you don’t like, Azazel?”
“Doesn’t it make you angry? That prince is talking as if it’s only natural for Sister Aria to do it.”
I believe that if you can save someone, you should. It’s a basic moral principle that exists before any sense of obligation toward Ain. Still, I knew Azazel had said it out of concern for me.
“You don’t need many reasons to save a person.”
“……You’re such a pushover, Sister.”
I’d rather she called me saintly instead of a pushover.
Leon, who had been listening to Azazel, bowed deeply at a perfect right angle and expressed his gratitude.
“As I said before, I will say it again. Thank you. I know how hollow mere words can be. Though I am a fake and cannot repay you immediately, I will definitely repay this kindness.”
Seeing her prince’s example, Lady Edelis also bent at the waist in a precise right angle and lowered her head to me.
“I am truly grateful, Your Holiness. It is modest, but I have an account in the Royal Bank under my name. If you ever need funds, please feel free to use—”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! Really!”
The excessive praise and compensation made me wave my hands frantically. There was nothing more awkward than being praised for doing what was only natural.
After a brief exchange of such warm pleasantries, the room quickly fell into silence.
A moment later, Leon spoke to Lady Edelis.
“Lady Edelis. As I told you when we were alone, I wish for you to return to the side of my true self.”
Originally, Lady Edelis should have been entrusted to the Leon residing in the palace around yesterday. But various incidents had occurred. Time had been unintentionally delayed, and in that delay she had awakened.
Her silver eyes shone with refusal. A firm, resolute will was visible within them.
“I refuse.”
From the moment she woke, she had stubbornly insisted on staying by the side of the doppelganger Leon. It seemed a knight’s stubbornness was tougher than an ox’s tendon.
“You too are Leon.”
“He is also Leon.”
“………”
Lady Edelis was at a loss for words. Leon added,
“It is time to return. Don’t you feel sorry for the one left alone?”
“Then, are you truly all right with this, Your Highness?”
Leon smiled calmly. For some reason, it felt like a painful smile.
“I cannot protect everyone. In that case, shouldn’t I protect what holds greater value?”
Lady Edelis bit her lip in frustration.
“Your Highness’s value cannot be divided.”
“Lady Edelis, I am fine even if you leave. But have you ever thought about what would happen to the ‘true self’ without you? He would collapse. Is that what you want? Do you want the true self to obsess over you and depend on you?”
“………That is not the case at all.”
“Do not obsess over me, the fake. I am satisfied simply seeing you awake, breathing, and alive. That does not mean I am giving up. As you said, I will not give up on anything. So do not worry. Besides, look—I have reliable comrades, don’t I?”
“Those are fine words, but he……”
Lady Edelis’s sharp eyes shot toward Ain. It was a gaze that clearly said she did not trust him. Ain shrugged and snorted. It was that characteristic gesture of his that meant he would let it slide.
But I could not tolerate her attitude. So I stepped in front of her line of sight.
“Is there a custom in the capital of glaring at one’s benefactor?”
She looked at me with startled eyes. Had she not expected me to respond so antagonistically? At my sharp tone, Lady Edelis immediately lowered her head and apologized.
“If I have offended you, I apologize, Your Holiness.”
I knew that Lady Edelis did not think well of Ain. She must have had her own reasons and grounds for it. But no matter how logical or justified those reasons were, they were not an excuse to speak ill of him.
“Ain is the one who stepped forward to protect your lord. Are you a knight so lacking in manners that you would show hostility toward your lord’s benefactor?”
“Aria, I’m not that displeased……”
“I am speaking to Lady Edelis right now, Ain.”
“………I see.”
Ain stepped back with an expression that said he had no choice. It was absolutely not because their relationship looked intimate and I was feeling jealous.
……Not at all.
“Your words are entirely correct, Your Holiness.”
Lady Edelis bowed her head with genuine sincerity. Watching her lower her head, I didn’t feel entirely at ease. Had I been too harsh?
“Please raise your head. Everyone makes mistakes. As long as they do not repeat and strive to improve, that is enough.”
“I will make the effort.”
Azazel was watching me with sparkling, intrigued eyes. If there had been popcorn, I was sure she would have been munching away noisily.
“Hey, Ashtain.”
“What?”
“Sister Aria looks frustratingly dense at times, but she can be surprisingly sharp, right?”
“That’s right. Aria isn’t just cute, Azazel.”
Hearing them talk about me from behind made my face burn hot. I glared at both Ain and Azazel with resentment. Both of them averted their eyes without a word. It was a typical hero party scene.
Leon watched us with a gentle smile.
“You all get along so well it reminds me of decade-long friends.”
Azazel immediately protested as if she had heard something unbearable.
“Your Highness, I would rather bite my tongue and seal my magic than have a stomach-turning friend like Ashtain. Sister Aria is one thing, but him?”
A mage sealing her own magic. That statement was not far from social suicide. At the extreme reaction, Ain slightly furrowed his brows.
“That’s going too far.”
“Hmph. After you coldly kicked me away even when I was sobbing and begging, you’re going to act weak now?”
“I couldn’t help it. Only Aria was in my eyes.”
Azazel gave a fierce smile and raised her middle finger.
“How admirable. May you two live happily ever after, you rotten hero.”
“Hic.”
At Ain’s sudden confession, my face grew scorching hot. When I touched my cheek, I could actually feel my heartbeat pulsing in my face.
The conversation was flowing in a completely stream-of-consciousness manner. This was not good. I needed to organize the scattered discussion here.
At that moment, Leon quietly raised his hand. The attention of all four of us turned to him. He cleared his throat and spoke.
“Let me get to the main reason I gathered you all here.”
That was right. This meeting had been arranged by Leon himself. He had called us here saying he had something to tell us. His blue eyes gleamed coldly like a winter sky.
“We must go to the royal palace where my true self resides.”
Ain was looking at Leon. His gaze reminded me of a detective searching for clues.
“The royal palace, huh. It’s a place we’d have to go eventually. But it looks like you’re in a hurry.”
“Is there any reason not to hurry? Lady Edelis has improved greatly, and it has been revealed that the one who created a doppelganger like me was a demon. This is information that must be conveyed clearly to my true self.”
It was an extremely reasonable statement. There was no logical flaw anywhere. However, in this case, the important question was how we would meet. The relationship between the real Leon and the doppelganger Leon was hopelessly broken. After all, the doppelganger Leon was believed to have harmed Lady Edelis.
Ain pointed that out.
“If we enter the palace head-on, we’ll be caught immediately.”
“Of course.”
“Do you have a plan?”
Leon looked back and forth between Ain and Lady Edelis with a strange expression. Should I call it mischievous? Or sly? It was not an expression a prince should wear.
“We will use that place.”
“That place, huh.”
“That location?”
Both of them sounded like they already knew what he meant. Only Azazel and I were left with question marks floating above our heads. Leon kindly explained ‘that place’ in a way we could understand.
“We have no choice but to approach through the secret passage passed down in the royal family.”
“A secret passage?”
“That’s right, Your Holiness.”
A secret passage of the royal family. It was an incredibly exciting phrase. Didn’t it make you feel like you were about to embark on an adventure?