The Royal Capital of Barga (14)
“Young Master?”
His behavior was suspicious—the kind of movement that said he was trying to avoid something.
“Did you happen to see someone you know?”
Was he acquainted with that person who looked like a noble?
“W-well, yes. I’m sorry. Could we leave this place?”
The Young Master urged me to get out of there at once. Just what sort of relationship could make him act like this….
It bothered me that the one who appeared to be a noble happened to be a woman. Had she perhaps been his girlfriend back when he attended the Academy?
I followed so as not to put him in an awkward position. His appearance, however, was far too eye-catching. I was short and wearing a hat, so my face stayed mostly hidden from the crowd—but he was not.
“Maximilian?”
The noblewoman recognized him. Even in ordinary commoner’s clothes, his looks had given him away. He frowned as if he truly did not want this meeting and turned his body. I carefully stepped back.
“Do you mean to pretend you don’t know me?”
“It’s been a long time.”
The noblewoman was extraordinarily beautiful. Glossy purple hair, intensely shining golden eyes, sharp and distinct features; she was tall, with long limbs that stretched freely, a full bosom, and a slender waist.
Anyone could tell at a glance that she possessed both the face and figure of a beauty. On top of that she wore something close to riding clothes that boldly displayed her sensual body, and a sword hung at her waist.
Judging by the attire… a knight?
“Yes. A full four years, in fact.”
She spoke to him with the slight condescension of a superior, as if her rank stood higher than his. A faint irritation stirred in me, but I knew little of noble customs, so I stayed quietly at his side.
“Is the child beside you a servant?”
The Young Master glanced at me; his expression turned troubled.
“No.”
Who on earth was this woman…? With neither introduction nor explanation, I was left flustered.
“This is Lady Rosemarie. The daughter of the Gerlach Marquisate.”
A marquisate…! Why such a high-ranking noble?!
“Haha, no need to tense up so much.”
Lady Gerlach laughed boldly. Somehow her mannerisms felt more masculine than feminine.
“I-I’m Julian.”
Since I had been introduced, I offered my own name in turn. Lady Gerlach looked at me, and then—
“So, what business brings you here?”
“Still as cold as ever.”
The Young Master frowned at her words. Their relationship seemed rather one-sided.
“But weren’t the two of you once in talks of marriage?”
At those words my body went rigid.
……Marriage talks?
In other words, Lady Gerlach and Young Master Maximilian had nearly married…?
C-calm down…!
If they had married, he could not possibly still be single.
“It was a one-sided demand, I’m sure.”
“Hahaha! It’s been over five years already, and you’re still sulking about it?”
That laugh… was she truly a noble young lady? She felt more like a young master of a noble house.
“Tsk. Even if I offered the Gerlach family itself, you refused. Truly a pity.”
Offer the family?!
“I am also the heir to my house.”
“Your family has one more child, so it wouldn’t matter, would it?”
Uh… um. I quickly pieced their conversation together. From the situation it seemed Lady Gerlach had taken a fancy to the Young Master, who had posted excellent grades at the Academy, and had proposed that he enter her house as a son-in-law. The Meyer family already had Lady Amelie; even without him they could name her heir.
And since he had never married, he must have refused that proposal.
“So, what business brings you to this place?”
“I’m looking around to see if there are any useful talents.”
Apparently she was scouting the adventurers for anyone worthwhile.
“Standing here talking is a nuisance to others, so let’s go somewhere else.”
She seized both our hands and led us along without the slightest hesitation. I panicked and tried to resist, but I could not overcome her strength. No—given the weight of a marquisate behind her, I had no choice but to go along.
Following Lady Gerlach and her attendants to the edge of the plaza, a carriage came into view. Emblazoned with the luxurious crest of a noble house… seeing it, I had no choice but to accept that the person beside us was a genuine noble.
Carriages that large and expensive were used only by the masters of great merchant companies or by nobles.
We were herded into it. Even with three people inside, the space still felt generous.
“Talking in a carriage is one thing, and it’s about lunchtime. How about we continue over a meal?”
It sounded like a suggestion; in truth it was coercion.
“As you wish.”
The Young Master’s tone was pure annoyance.
“You heard that? Take us there.”
“Understood.”
Once the attendant set the carriage moving, the interior fell quiet.
“Well then—if you’re curious about anything, ask away.”
Lady Gerlach said it while looking straight at me. Meeting her eyes, my body shrank back. It was not menacing… yet the gaze was intensely sharp.
“Please don’t threaten her like that.”
“Huh? Threaten? I was merely looking.”
I rolled my eyes. Honestly there were many things I wanted to ask—her purpose, the reason for all this, where we were headed, how old she was, and so on.
But the first words that left my mouth were the most useless ones possible in the situation.
“W-what kind of relationship are the two of you in?”
It was a relationship I could already grasp in outline without asking. Academy classmates… once nearly engaged…….
The corners of Lady Gerlach’s mouth and eyes curved into playful arcs.
“What kind of relationship, you ask?”
Mischief colored her voice.
“Just friends.”
As she lingered over the answer, the Young Master spoke first.
“Huh, just friends? That’s a bit disappointing.”
“Then shall I say mere strangers?”
He looked at her.
“Good grief, I’d prefer you didn’t go that far. Even I get hurt, you know.”
“Then please watch your words.”
“Isn’t it true that we’re just friends?”
He fell silent a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“Yes. Friends are friends.”
Listening to them, I could not tell whether they were close… or whether their relationship was simply bad.
“What a cute young lady.”
Huh?
“A-a young lady?”
Looking only at my clothes, I should have appeared to be a boy.
“I can tell you’re cross-dressing.”
“I-is that so….”
“What a cute young lady. Was this sort of child your type?”
W-what is this person saying?!
I began a date with Miss Julian in the royal capital. I thought of it as a date, and she had even called it one… yet I realized those words were only meant to console myself.
Even so, being able to spend time together like this made me happy.
We wandered the commercial district and browsed a great many goods. Her eyes sparkled at things she was seeing for the first time; she showed genuine interest.
A researcher’s curiosity…. That innocent look was utterly lovely. The quiet time we spent drinking tea together at a café was enjoyable as well.
Still, I wished she would refrain a little from suddenly stuffing fruit into my mouth or offering me the very fork she had just used. Indirect kisses and skin contact were far too stimulating.
Only… Miss Julian seemed completely unconcerned by such things, which left me a little melancholy. It was because she did not see me as a man that she could be so careless.
I was a man too…… It was regrettable and sad. Yet the fault was also mine.
A reverse difference in status had arisen between us. At first I believed I could advance at a leisurely pace, but the real problem was that I had never properly confessed and was simply dragging things out.
I had planned to grow closer little by little and create a chance to confess.
In truth, it was all excuses.
I was a coward.
Afraid she would not accept my feelings, I had avoided every opportunity to confess with one pretext after another and folded my heart away. As a result she came to regard me as a reliable companion—yet we could progress no further than that.
I resolved that during this stay in the royal capital I would definitely, absolutely confess.
I made that vow while watching her lovely face.
We arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild together. I wondered what there was to be curious about, yet she herself was an adventurer; of course she might be interested.
We slowly toured the interior while talking of other races and the like.
And then I ran into the very person I least wished to meet.
Rosemarie von Gerlach. A neighboring territory, one might say—the daughter and heir of the marquisate that guards the kingdom’s northern border.
I wanted to avoid her, but unfortunately Lady Rosemarie recognized me.
And by her sheer forcefulness I found myself inside a carriage.
Lady Rosemarie was a friend I had met at the Academy; we had been in the same knight course with nearly identical grades, so we became something like rivals. Bold, hearty, and masculine in her mannerisms, she was popular among women yet utterly unpopular with men; some even whispered behind her back that she was a tomboy.
The reason we grew close was probably that the Gerlach family, like our Meyer family, was a house charged with guarding the border. We shared many topics of conversation, and our territories lay near each other; there was no reason not to become friends.
A close friend and rival. Our relationship grew distant because of a certain incident. Or rather, it became uncomfortable.
The Gerlach bloodline consisted of Lady Rosemarie alone. To continue the house they needed a son-in-law, and while searching for a candidate the Gerlach family chose me.
Our territories were already close and we received considerable aid in border defense, so refusing the proposal was difficult—yet I was the heir of the Meyer family and could not simply hand the position to my younger sister. I refused.
That refusal became the catalyst that drove us apart.
No—I deliberately avoided her.
I believed that I, who had rejected her confession, had no right to stand at her side. Rumors of marriage talks between the Gerlach and Meyer houses had already circulated through high society, and the news that the match had fallen through spread just as widely.
If I remained near her after that? I would only obstruct her path to marriage.
Even so she tried to treat me as before. That made my heart uneasy.
We had been close friends… yet we grew distant. She was not someone I disliked, but her presence was uncomfortable.
And right now I wanted to meet her even less.
What if Miss Julian misunderstood upon seeing Lady Rosemarie?
With the three of us inside the carriage I was restless. What if she misunderstood? Would the closeness we had built until now simply fall apart again?
Lady Rosemarie would not harass Miss Julian… would she?
Then Miss Julian asked her a question.
What kind of relationship existed between Lady Rosemarie and me….
Why ask such a thing? Could it be that she was finally looking at me properly?
In that moment I saw Lady Rosemarie smile. It was obvious she intended to tease, so I struck first.
I said we were just friends—yet Miss Julian’s expression was not good.
I could not tell what she was thinking, and the uncertainty left me confused.
Please do not misunderstand the relationship between Lady Rosemarie and me. Confessing was already difficult enough; I did not want it to become any harder.