9. Spilt Water Never Returns (覆水不返) - 05
9. Spilt Water Never Returns (覆水不返) - 05
A thousand years ago, when the First Emperor pacified the chaos of the continent and founded a single empire upon this land, four figures distinguished themselves above all others under his command.
Estel, Turnizen, Dekaraznan, Crussel. They became the progenitors of the Four Great Ducal Houses that represent the empire to this day, and each house has reigned as the hegemon of its region for a thousand years: Estel in the north, Turnizen in the west, Crussel in the south, and Dekaraznan in the east.
In other words, every ducal house but one had lived fat and prosperous in the territories entrusted to them. The sole exception was House Estel—which had endured countless cycles of ruin and decline over the millennium, plagued by a lack of wealth, barren farmland, and a landscape littered with abandoned mines. A truly tragic state of affairs.
As for just how staggering the wealth of the other ducal houses was, one only had to look at Lucian. Everything that boy draped himself in from head to toe was a luxury item without exception, and the sum he handed over to me each month merely to stay at the Estel Duchy was so enormous that it left me—a man forced to live by the twin mottos of thrift and frugality—with my jaw hanging open.
And even among the Four Great Ducal Houses, the wealthiest by far, the most prosperous of them all, was none other than our destination: the Dekaraznan Ducal House. Their territory contained the continent's most fertile and expansive grain belt, and their coastline was rich with rock salt mines, the harvest of which brought in truly immense revenue.
In short, unlike House Estel—a ducal house in name alone, which had never once managed to demonstrate that status in reality—the Dekaraznan Ducal House was, beyond any doubt, the family that truly embodied the majesty of a ducal house, of which only four existed in the entire empire.
And that was not all. The direct bloodline that led the Dekaraznan Ducal House, worthy of being called the finest on the continent, was also composed of no ordinary individuals. Though we were nominally peers of equal ducal standing, I had faced Perzel von Dekaraznan—the heir who would one day succeed the Dekaraznan Ducal House—on multiple occasions at formal functions, and to put it plainly, he was an insufferable bastard.
First of all, he was impossibly handsome. No—merely handsome did not do it justice. The first time I laid eyes on Perzel von Dekaraznan, his features were so delicate that I momentarily mistook him for a woman. In a word, he had the kind of face that made you want to punch it.
Lucian already looked enough like a damn gigolo that every time the maidservants at House Estel stared at his face in a daze, my stomach turned. I was genuinely curious—what must it feel like to strut through the world with a face even more beautiful than Lucian's?
Furthermore, rumor had it that Perzel von Dekaraznan was well-versed in every field of study, from governance to business administration, and that as befitted the scion of a martial house, his swordsmanship had likewise reached a considerable level. Summing it all up, the man had emerged from his mother's womb possessing every talent suited to ruling over others—a being scarcely different from a perfect human.
"Hmm, I think such things are merely exaggerated rumors. The lady attendants made quite a fuss about Sir Lucian being so handsome, but to be honest, Sir Kain is far more handsome to my eyes. Might it not be, then, that the Young Duke Dekaraznan is actually far inferior to you, Sir Kain?"
"...Well now, thank you for that flattery, Aria."
"It's nothing. And what's more, it isn't flattery at all—it's a plain fact."
Aria offered me such warm words of consolation, but regrettably, her comfort did not reach me. If anything, it only brought a faint sense of wretchedness.
It feels like a mother telling her son he's the most handsome boy in the world.
After a long and tedious carriage ride filled with this idle chatter, Aria and I were at last able to enter the Dekaraznan Ducal House.
...I'm nervous.
To be honest, I felt a certain tension. Although in name we held the same rank of duke, the gap in actual prestige was so vast that calling it the difference between heaven and earth would hardly be an exaggeration. Would the Dekaraznan Ducal House truly extend a warm welcome to the Young Duke Estel, who came from some rustic corner of the north? Would they truly consider themselves and House Estel peers of equal standing?
"The Northern Blade who bears upon his back the dragon racing through the heavens—the Young Duke of House Estel and his companion have truly made a long and arduous journey to reach us. My name is Gordon, and though I am unworthy, I am the one entrusted with overseeing the internal affairs of the Dekaraznan Ducal House. It is a profound honor to meet the renowned Young Duke Estel in person."
To state the conclusion first, my worries proved close to groundless. The moment I stepped out of the carriage, I beheld knights standing in formation beyond the great gates, arrayed to welcome our arrival at the Dekaraznan Ducal House. I had received a similar welcome when I visited House Castana, but on that occasion I had been visiting a marquis house as Bianca's betrothed. This time, I was visiting the Dekaraznan Ducal House purely as a guest, and I found myself slightly perplexed as to why we were being welcomed so lavishly.
"Because House Estel possesses such a right."
"A right, you say?"
"Yes, indeed."
As Aria and I walked between the rows of knights, the steward beside me offered an explanation in a low voice.
"We of House Dekaraznan have not forgotten Estel, our sworn ally who fought alongside us under His Majesty the First Emperor a thousand years ago. His Grace the Duke in particular gave us repeated and earnest instructions that there was to be not the slightest lapse in attending to the Young Duke Estel."
At the steward's words and the respectful nod he once again directed my way, I could only nod in return, genuinely impressed. The composure of a house contending for the highest standing on the continent was on an entirely different level. It was a magnanimity of spirit that could not even be compared to that of the ugly brat from the Turnizen Ducal House, who had picked a fight with an innocent and pure-hearted man like me in the Imperial Capital over nothing more than a woman—only to be soundly beaten in a duel.
With my mind considerably more at ease, I was at last able to take in the interior of the Dekaraznan Ducal House's mansion with a steadier gaze. My first impression was that the grounds of the estate were truly enormous. It went without saying that it was larger than the Estel ducal fortress, but it also boasted a breadth even more magnificent than the main castle of House Castana. One might say this was precisely what one would expect from the mansion of a family whose wealth ranked within the top five on the continent.
The beautiful garden laid out along the path from the main gate to the mansion was no different. Unlike House Estel, where at best they planted whatever flowers happened to be in season—or House Castana, which, true to its nature as a den of lunatics with a profound lack of empathy for others, had lightly disregarded matters of scenery and crammed the grounds full of conifers—the flowerbeds of the Dekaraznan Ducal House, where blossoms of brilliant and varied colors bloomed in harmony, presented a sight so lovely it drew exclamations of admiration from all who beheld it.
They've smeared the place in money.
I could sense that multiple layers of protective magic and preservation magic had been overlaid upon the flowers to maintain their outward appearance of supreme beauty. The fact that they had hired expensive mages to cast spells merely for the upkeep of flowerbeds alone made the scale of the Dekaraznan Ducal House's wealth utterly unfathomable.
"Young Duke Estel. Shall I take you directly to His Grace the Duke, then? His Grace is currently awaiting you inside his office."
"Please do."
I nodded readily at the steward's words and followed his guidance into the mansion. As we walked through the labyrinthine interior of the residence, the steward glanced toward me and posed a question in a subdued tone.
"Young Duke Estel, if it is not too great an impertinence, might I be permitted to ask you one thing?"
"Ask whatever you wish."
Once I had granted my permission, the steward cast a silent glance at Aria, who had been quietly trailing behind me, and opened his mouth with care.
"Perhaps it is a reflection of my own shallow knowledge, but I find myself entirely unable to discern the identity of the companion who has accompanied you on this visit to the Dekaraznan Ducal House. Might I trouble you to enlighten me as to what relation that young lady bears to the Young Duke Estel?"
"...Hmm."
At the steward's question, I found myself momentarily at a loss as to how exactly I ought to answer. To be honest, responding to his question was not difficult at all. It was simply a matter of telling him the truth: that Aria had accompanied me here as my personal maidservant. That alone would end the matter.
But somehow, I hated that. It was undeniable that Aria was staying at House Estel in the capacity of my personal maid, yet at the very same time, an emotion I myself recognized as utterly contradictory was swirling in my chest—the wish that she not be treated by others as a mere servant.
I know it all too well. It was I who placed Aria close at hand as my personal maid, and I have no right to harbor feelings of this sort. Even so, I could not help the discomfort. Perhaps because I had seen Aria whispering "Thank you" to me just before I lost consciousness, I simply could not stop the faint, ticklish something rising from a corner of my chest.
But it was then that Aria, as if puzzled by my inability to readily answer the steward's question, tilted her head and obediently replied in my stead.
"Are you referring to me? Why, I am here as the Young Duke Estel's attendant, having accompanied him to—"
"Aria."
I hastily raised a hand to stop Aria's mouth, then let out a low sigh and spoke quietly to the steward.
"...She is House Estel's exclusive mage and is present here as an honored guest. Accordingly, I would ask that she be treated with the respect her position warrants."
Damn it all. Firmly resolving that the moment we returned to House Estel I would strip Aria of the title of my personal maid, I had no choice but to spin a lie for the steward. Yet what else could I do? Our stay at the Dekaraznan Ducal House might prove to be quite long, and the mere thought that Aria might spend that time receiving inferior treatment for no other reason than being my maidservant sent a surge of displeasure rising within me unbidden.
However, the moment he heard my answer, the steward smiled faintly, as if he understood everything perfectly.
"I see. I understand, Young Duke. I believe no further explanation will be necessary."
"...Pardon?"
"Everything shall be arranged as you desire, so please set your mind at ease."
The steward wore a meaningful smile, his true thoughts inscrutable, then promptly guided me to a splendid room situated in the very heart of the mansion.
"This is the place. His Grace awaits you within."
At the steward's words, I gave a slight nod and opened the door to the office.
Creeeak—
The moment I stepped into the room, Reinpold von Dekaraznan—the head of the Dekaraznan Ducal House and the current Duke—rose abruptly from his seat to welcome me.
"Welcome, Young Duke Estel. I wholeheartedly welcome your arrival at the Dekaraznan Ducal House."
"Thank you, Your Grace."
When I bowed politely in response to his welcome, he adopted an apologetic expression and offered his regrets.
"...Hm, but I must say you have arrived far sooner than I anticipated. Not having expected you to reach us so quickly, I had unfortunately been in the middle of sharing tea and refreshments with the young folk. Forgive my discourtesy, Young Duke Estel."
"Not at all. The fault is rather mine for visiting so abruptly without any prior word, so please do not humble yourself, Your Grace."
"Ahh, I am truly grateful you see it that way."
Thus speaking, Reinpold gestured to the people seated across from him, bidding them to rise. And at that very moment—when they stood and turned their faces toward me—my own face could not help but stiffen into stone. Both of them, the man and the woman who had been seated in the head of the house's office, were faces I knew all too well.
The man was the Young Duke Dekaraznan, Perzel von Dekaraznan, and the identity of the dazzling, golden-haired beauty beside him was—
"...Sarah?"
My first love, and at the same time, the woman who had once been engaged to me but was now connected to me by no bond whatsoever—Sarah Sernad.