6. Much Ado About Nothing - 10
6. Much Ado About Nothing - 10
And so, the banquet came to an end. The hall, which moments ago had been clamorous with countless guests sharing food and trading verbal barbs, was now steeped in an almost oppressive silence. With everyone departed, not a single soul lingered within the banquet hall.
...Well, except for one woman: Bianca del Castana. She had been sitting in the same spot from the very start, staring blankly at the ceiling with no thought of rising.
'...Kain.'
The fires in the banquet hall had long since all gone out. Through a slightly open window, pale moonlight filtering through a gap in the clouds wrapped itself around Bianca's entire form. The sight of a beauty lost in melancholy beneath the moonlight, seated in the center of a hall steeped in darkness—this was nothing short of a dreamlike spectacle.
But Bianca, the source of that very scene, was in no state to concern herself with trivialities like how she might appear to another's eyes. Her mind was filled with the words a certain man named Kain von Estel had boldly declared before the entirety of House Castana, ceaselessly repeating.
- She and I have promised each other a future. We have sworn that, one day, we will be together.
- I will never leave the woman called Bianca alone. As long as I am her betrothed, I will forever remain by her side.
"...Ah, nn..."
Simply recalling his words was enough to send her heart pounding beyond all control. Its beat was so fierce she feared it might burst at any moment. This was, plainly, not normal.
...But it was wonderful. So incredibly wonderful. Even if her heart were to burst and she died just like this, she could accept it gladly. Bianca quietly clasped her hands together and pressed them gently over the heart that lay beneath her ample bosom.
-Thump
She felt it. At her fingertips, the fierce throbbing of her heart, beating wildly even now, came through vividly. And Bianca found herself thinking that this very heartbeat was undoubtedly the proof of the life she had lived up until now. This was no exaggeration. She knew, herself, that the emotion she had encountered today was worth that much.
It had been long. Truly, long. A dreadfully long time. After over twenty years since she had first met him, at the end of that long endurance, Bianca had finally heard the word 'love' from his lips, directed at her. She had heard him vow that he would remain by her side.
...Though she knew perfectly well that his words were nothing but fabrications woven from lies. Still, she could not help the way her heart swayed uncontrollably at his sweet words. Bianca could not help but think that this must be exactly how a woman spending time in bliss with her beloved lover feels. To her, this was cheating. With this, how could she do anything but fall for him even harder?
Moreover, he had remembered. The promise they had made together nine years ago, back when he was still so young, pledging a future together—he had remembered it. She had thought he had surely forgotten. She had been certain that such a trivial childhood promise had long since been cast into the waters of oblivion.
...But it was not so. He, too, had remembered every bit of it. She had not been the only one cherishing the promise they had made that day. He had likewise still held close his half of their promise. Kain and she, before she had known it, had been bound together by a knot called a promise.
She was glad. And she was happy. In her excessive joy, she could not easily regain her senses. By the time she had barely returned to herself, the banquet had long since ended. Of course, Kain was gone, and not a single person remained in the hall. Only she herself reigned alone in the desolate silence of the empty hall.
"...Ah."
But she did not wish to stand up hastily from this seat. She wanted to savor this afterglow a little longer. She wanted to engrave the sweetness of this feeling just a bit more deeply into her heart. And so, for a long while, she simply stayed as she was, staring blankly at the ceiling with her eyes closed.
It was then.
Trudge-
A shadow fell across the hall where only she remained. As if the one who had entered had no intention of hiding their presence from the start, they walked with an unconcerned air and came to a stop right before Bianca.
"....."
The figure was the old archmage who had been pressing Kain with various questions just moments ago. Unlike when he had been interrogating Kain, his face was now filled with an indescribable complexity as he simply looked down at Bianca. Soon after, Bianca also noticed the presence looming before her and gently opened her eyes. And then—
"...Grandfather."
And as soon as she recognized the old man's face, Bianca hurriedly tried to rise from her seat to offer him her respects. It was only natural, for this old man's identity was—
"...That will do, Bianca. You may stay seated as you are. I have come to find you because there is something I wish to discuss with you urgently."
As he spoke, the old man gazed at Bianca with somber eyes.
...In truth, Bianca had always been a source of deep regret for the old man. She was someone who stirred up guilt within him. Because in the past, he had been unable to do anything at all for his granddaughter.
Long ago, under the pretext of reaching a higher realm as a mage, the old man had paid no attention to the world around him. He had not known that a hideous madness had spread throughout the household, nor that such madness had fallen upon his frail, young granddaughter. By the time he had realized everything, it was all already over.
That was why he harbored a deep guilt toward Bianca. He had done nothing for her when she was young. Therefore, although it was late, he now wished only for her to be even a little happy. He knew well that this was nothing but hypocrisy, yet despite that, the old man found that he could not stop watching over Bianca.
That was also the reason he had pressed Kain so sharply. Perhaps that man was to be the life partner who would spend a lifetime with his granddaughter. The old man's modest wish was, at least in choosing a grandson-in-law, to select someone who would surely make her happy.
The old man simply gazed at Bianca in silence for a moment before posing a question, his voice heavy.
"...There is one thing I wish to ask you. Bianca, do you love that young man from just now? Enough that it would not matter if you were to hold the wedding tomorrow?"
"....."
Bianca gave no answer to the old man's question. Instead, she gently nodded her head with a demure expression. An unmistakable gesture of affirmation. Bianca's cheeks were dyed red like ripe figs. Seeing her in such a state, the old man, too, found himself smiling warmly almost without realizing it.
"Hoho, I see. To my eyes as well, he seems a rather decent fellow. At first glance he might appear frivolous, but his thoughts run deep, and each of his actions showed consideration for you. I believe he will certainly be able to make you happy."
"...Grandfather..."
At the old man's words, Bianca's face blossomed into a bright smile. It was partly because her grandfather had accepted Kain as a grandson-in-law, but more than anything, Bianca was utterly delighted that her grandfather had praised him. That fact, above all else, made her feel happy.
"However, the Young Duke has one flaw I cannot ignore. While it was true that he would stay with you and that he had promised you a future, there was just a single thing he lied about. Bianca, do you know what that is?"
"....."
At her grandfather's question, Bianca neither affirmed nor denied. She simply kept her eyes closed, as if avoiding an answer. The old man too, as if he had not expected a reply from her, let out a deep sigh and continued.
"The Young Duke first spoke these words. He said he truly loved you, Bianca. But that statement was a lie. Everything else the Young Duke said was the truth, but amusingly, that one line—that he loved you—alone was false."
As she watched her grandfather click his tongue and call him an utter bastard, Bianca gently closed her eyes. Her grandfather knew nothing of the 'contract' she and Kain had made, so in a way, his reaction was only to be expected.
"...Haah, Bianca. I doubt a clever child like you could possibly be unaware of this. I also already suspect you must have some thought or plan of your own. So, what I wish to say to you is only this."
As he spoke, the old man offered her a kind smile. The old man truly wished for nothing more than his granddaughter's happiness.
"I am on your side. Whatever you may do to win that young man's love, I will support you. So, do not worry about things behind you. Go forth and do as you will, as much as your heart desires."
"Grandfather..."
Those words were practically equivalent to giving his consent. Save for Marquis Castana himself, the man with the most authority in this house, her own grandfather, had at this very moment given his blessing to the union of Kain and Bianca. Though he did not know about the 'contract,' he had accepted the engagement between the two, even while suspecting there was something more going on!
'...Ah.'
With this, it was as good as every external factor that could obstruct the engagement between Kain and Bianca vanishing. Now, the only factor left between them was one: Kain's own feelings for the woman named Bianca. But—
Shake, shake.
Bianca decided that, for today at least, she would not let her thoughts go any further. She had already achieved enough results for one day. She had heard something close to a confession from him. She had learned that he remembered the past he shared with her. And she had even succeeded in gaining her grandfather's approval for her engagement to Kain.
...So, surely it was fine to celebrate her success purely, at least for just this one day.
With a slightly elated heart, Bianca rose from her seat and walked toward the window. When she lifted her head and looked outside, a single shooting star streaking across the sky caught her eye. Watching that sight, Bianca could not help but think that perhaps even the heavens were congratulating her on her achievements. She smiled softly as she watched the shooting star descend.
Today, by all accounts, was undoubtedly the best of days.
****
And in the rear garden of House Castana, a white-haired girl stared blankly up at the sky.
Inside her head, the words he had spoken in the banquet hall just moments ago were repeating endlessly. He had said it clearly. That he loved that woman. That he would stay by her side forever.
...She knew. The white-haired girl had already heard the entire truth from him. So she knew all too well that the words he had spoken were nothing but simple lies.
But it hurt. She knew his words were lies, yet at the same time, she utterly despised that he would speak of love for someone else, even in a lie. She hated it. It was infuriating. And it was unbearably bitter.
"...Ah, hgk..."
She was sad. Thoughts circled in her head: if only she had been stronger—strong enough that he wouldn't have had to take that woman's hand so readily—maybe she would not have had to witness this. All that was left was the self-reproach: wasn't this all because she herself was weak?
Suddenly, she hated everything. She hated her own pathetic, weak self. She hated House Castana for bringing him to this place. And she hated that woman who had made him say such things, even more. Every single thing, she just hated.
"...Ah."
She looked up at the sky. A shooting star was streaking across the heavens. To her eyes, that shooting star seemed to embody her current feelings, as if it were plummeting into a bottomless abyss. In the end, unable to hold on, she sank weakly to the ground and buried her face in both hands.
Today, by all accounts, was undoubtedly the worst of days.