6. Much Ado About Nothing - 04
6. Much Ado About Nothing - 04
It was a truth I'd always felt in my bones, but my firm belief was that time was a truly merciless bastard—pitifully weak against the strong, yet infinitely cruel to the weak. And this was by no means baseless slander. I had my reasons for reaching that conclusion.
For instance, a little over two months ago, when I was in Lumentium, time had crawled by so slowly it felt as if it had stopped altogether. Between the Emperor, who could turn a man's clothes inside out with mere words; the Imperial Princess, who kept my frail heart under constant strain because I never knew when she might throw a punch; and Ariel, who wore an outwardly relaxed smile but somehow always managed to get on my nerves—along with a whole host of others—they had all kept my heart in a vise. And back then, time had passed at a snail's pace.
But in the two weeks since I'd exchanged that secret "contract" with Bianca, time had flown by so brutally fast that my visit to House Castana was already upon me. I'd wanted to make my mental preparations, or perhaps set a few things in order before visiting House Castana, yet when I came to my senses, the moment Bianca and I had agreed upon for our little play at House Castana was already here.
And so, without my realizing it, the historic moment had arrived: House Estel and House Castana were setting aside a thousand years of enmity for the betrothal of their children. Well, a betrothal in name only—not a real engagement, of course.
For the record, aside from a select few within House Estel, we had told no one that Bianca and I were to be engaged. Since it wasn't a real engagement to begin with, it wasn't exactly a joyous occasion. Moreover, if word spread that I was to be betrothed to the daughter of House Castana—our virtual sworn enemy—there was a risk that those ignorant of the full circumstances would form an unfavorable public opinion.
...To be honest, if not for the enormous vested interests tied to this affair, I would never have accepted Bianca's proposal. Holding an engagement ceremony with that insufferable girl. Even if it wasn't real, having to play at being lovey-dovey lovers. Wasn't the very thought of it a truly horrifying thing that sent shivers down my spine?
"...It hasn't been long since you broke off your engagement with young Sarah, and now you're betrothed again. Kain, sending you off like this does nothing but fill me with worry."
As an aside, my father was one of the few people who knew the true reason I was visiting House Castana.
"...I'm hardly a child, so what exactly worries you?"
When I asked with a bewildered look at my father's sudden lament, he furrowed his brow at me.
"The very fact that you say such a thing to me is what worries me. You probably haven't the faintest idea why I'm saying this to you right now, have you?"
"....."
"That is precisely the problem. I can only feel pity for young Bianca, trying to scheme with a dullard like you."
So saying, my father produced a tie pin from within his coat. It was platinum, with a large lapis lazuli set in its center, and looked outrageously expensive at a single glance.
"Look here. This is the tie pin young Bianca gave me as a gift during her last visit. My one and only son is an unfilial wretch who begrudges spending a single coin even on my birthday, yet young Bianca insisted she absolutely had to give this to me as a memento of her visit to House Estel. Is her conduct not a stark contrast to a certain someone standing before my eyes?"
"....."
How utterly dumbfounding. Just when did she slip my father such a bribe? No, before that, I was purely suspicious of her motive for giving my father such a bribe to begin with. What kind of terrifying scheme was she plotting, that she could so casually hand over an expensive tie pin and call it a gift?
As I agonized over what sort of vicious intrigue Bianca might be weaving, my father, as if it had just come to him, produced something else from his coat and handed it to me.
"Ah, now that I think of it, I nearly forgot this. Here, take it quickly."
I took it, somewhat bewildered. It was a beautiful gold bracelet. Set into the bracelet were two green peridots, likely cut by a renowned jeweler. The peridots reflected the light with a dazzling luster, and together with the gold, they boasted an astonishing beauty.
"A gift Bianca entrusted to me. She asked me to pass it on to you. She said she'd meant to hand it to you directly, but her shyness made it impossible to do so while facing you. My word, everything she said was so endearing. I cannot help but think a girl like her is far too good for someone like you."
"...What in the..."
Listening to my father, I stood there with my mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief. No matter how I thought about it, the Bianca I knew and the Bianca my father knew were worlds apart. Just how long did that woman intend to keep up this demure act? Without much thought, I moved to put the bracelet my father had given me onto my right wrist. But at that moment, my father quietly stopped me.
"Ah, now that I think of it, the girl asked me to tell you that you must wear it on your left wrist. As for the reason, I do not know it either."
"...My left wrist?"
Good heavens. The woman was fussy beyond words. Getting so particular over a mere bracelet.
'...Well, I can always put it on later.'
I wasn't the type to wear accessories to begin with, so this was nothing but a nuisance to me. Since it was clearly a gift from my nominal fiancée, I figured Bianca wouldn't say much even if I didn't wear it. Yes, probably.
But it was then. I felt a certain gaze fixed intently on me from some distance away. Under a strange, oppressive feeling, I rolled my eyes to the side, and the source of that gaze was Aria, who had been standing quietly a short way off.
"....."
Why was she giving off that kind of atmosphere again? Had I done something wrong?
Step, step.
Exuding an undeniably ominous air, Aria walked slowly toward me. Overwhelmed by the pressure, I swallowed hard without realizing it. Soon, having come to a stop in front of me, Aria slowly parted her lips.
"...Your Grace. Forgive me for interrupting your conversation, but may I say something?"
"Hm? What is the matter, Aria?"
My father answered in a gentle tone utterly different from the one he used with me. A stranger witnessing this would have every right to mistake Aria for his own daughter—such was the unfairness of his treatment.
"It's just... that tie pin from a moment ago. May I examine it for a moment? Of course, I know I'm overstepping. But still..."
As Aria spoke with such hesitance, my father nodded with truly refreshing willingness.
"What's so difficult about that to warrant such hesitation? It's fine, Aria. Examine it to your heart's content."
With those words, my father readily handed the tie pin over to Aria.
"Th-thank you."
Receiving the tie pin from my father, Aria stared at it wordlessly for a long while. Her eyes were as terrifying as if she were looking upon her parents' sworn enemy.
"...Hmm?"
But that was only for a moment. Aria wore an expression that said, "This isn't it," as she examined the tie pin this way and that.
"...Urk."
But in the end, having found nothing, she returned the tie pin to my father with a downcast look.
"Your Grace, I'm sorry. I must have been oversensitive..."
"Heh heh, it's quite all right, Aria. I hear you have been dedicating yourself to magic lately? Mages possess senses far keener than ordinary people, so such misunderstandings can happen. I understand."
My father consoled the crestfallen Aria with a hearty laugh. And though I kept silent, I shared his opinion. The woman Bianca might not have been in her right mind, but she was by no means stupid enough to have tampered with a gift like this.
"Hm, so you are taking Aria on this journey after all. Did you not tell me at first that you would not be bringing Aria along?"
"Yes, originally I had no intention of taking her. But..."
"But?"
"If she can serve as military strength, is there not also no reason to leave her behind? More decisively, Aria herself strongly wished to come."
I recalled how Aria had visited my room this morning and literally pleaded with me, and I let out a sigh without realizing it.
"When she speaks so pitifully, insisting she can be of help, how could I possibly refuse her request? At the very least, I am not so cold-blooded as that."
"Hm."
In truth, even at this very moment, I had my doubts about whether bringing Aria along was truly the right decision. I had a strange, ominous feeling. If—and this was strictly within the realm of hypothetical—but if my suspicions proved correct, then having Aria and Bianca face each other would be the absolute worst possible outcome.
Of course, since the Imperial Princess and Ariel had shown no reaction when they saw Aria, the likelihood that nothing would happen was far higher, but there was no harm in being careful, was there?
After mulling it over for a long while, I finally decided to accept Aria's proposal. As Aria herself had said, I couldn't just leave someone who could be a great help sitting idle here. Especially considering that House Castana was effectively enemy territory—a dangerous place where anything could happen.
'...Then what should I do about that bastard.'
I glanced sideways at the thorn in my side who was staying at House Estel under the guise of seeking refuge. Even though I hadn't said a word yet, he seemed to have a guilty conscience, as he approached me and hurriedly spoke as if making an excuse.
"...I shall remain quietly at House Estel."
As if sensing I was about to say something to him, Lucian swiftly beat me to the punch before I could open my mouth.
"Why?"
I snapped back curtly.
"...Kain von Estel. I am not staying here for free. I am clearly paying you a fixed sum each month to reside here. Moreover, I am also tasked with training the knights of the Estel Duchy. Let me make it clear that demanding anything further of me is an exceedingly unreasonable course of action."
Indeed, even to my ears, Lucian's words were rational and rather persuasive. His argument possessed considerable validity, and I found myself unconsciously swayed by his eloquence, nodding my head in agreement.
"So what. I hear there are signs of magical beasts stirring in the northern village. Go hunting with the knight order. Should I hear that even a single beast was let loose and the residents suffered harm, I shall hold you entirely responsible. Consider yourself informed."
"...What kind of—this is the height of unreasonableness. Why on earth...!"
Lucian's face crumpled at my words, but regrettably, a man frowning before my eyes was simply an unpleasant sight.
And so, there was only one thing I could say to him.
"Just because."