10. What Happened One Night - 04
One evening, after finishing their meal, Duke Dekaraznan and his daughter Noel were leisurely sipping tea to cleanse their palates. The young duke Perzel had excused himself earlier, saying he had business to attend to, so for the first time in quite a while, Duke Dekaraznan was able to enjoy a relaxed moment alone with his daughter.
Noel was happy to have this private time with her father, but she was well aware that the Duke had called her here because he had something to discuss. She also had a vague inkling of what kind of question he intended to pose by sitting her down like this.
"Noel."
"Yes, Father."
After a few pleasantries, the Duke finally broached the main subject. Seeing his serious demeanor, Noel set her teacup down on the table and straightened her posture to listen attentively.
"I heard that not long ago, you faced the Young Duke Estel in a sparring match at the training grounds. So, what manner of man did you find him to be with your own eyes?"
The Duke did not ask what the outcome of the match had been. He knew full well that even if only half the rumors circulating throughout society were true, Noel had no chance of defeating him. What he truly wished to ask his daughter was her personal impression and assessment of the Young Duke Estel as a person, seen from her perspective.
Duke Dekaraznan had also conversed with the Young Duke Estel on several occasions. From those encounters, he had come to realize that the young duke was a remarkably decent and upstanding young man. His personal martial prowess left nothing to be desired, and his house was a distinguished one, in no way inferior to the Dekaraznan Ducal House. The only thing remaining for the Duke now was this: what feelings did his own daughter, the person most directly concerned, harbor toward him?
"...You are asking me what kind of person the Young Duke Estel was?"
At the Duke's sudden question, Noel flushed without realizing it. In Noel's eyes, the Young Duke Estel was the very embodiment of the ideal warrior she had envisioned. He was strong, and possessed a character befitting that strength. Moreover, he was a man with the grace to show consideration even for someone like her, who could without exaggeration be called weak compared to him.
Though she had never sat face-to-face with him for a serious conversation, Noel was, unfortunately, a woman with a somewhat old-fashioned way of thinking—she believed one could grasp another person's nature through a single exchange of sword-dances alone. And her eyes, already thoroughly smitten, now saw the Young Duke Estel as nothing other than a fine man.
"...That gentleman, he was unexpectedly... quite a decent person, it seems. Father."
Mindful of her dignity as a ducal daughter, Noel maintained the most demure attitude she could as she answered. However, the expression on her face as she spoke was distinctly different from her usual cool demeanor—it was somewhat animated. Watching his daughter's expression change so markedly whenever the topic of the Young Duke Estel arose, Duke Dekaraznan was able to firmly make up his mind.
"In that case, what do you think about a marriage with him?"
"...M-Marriage? You mean a marriage between the Young Duke Estel and myself?"
"To be precise, it would be a political marriage with House Estel."
The moment she heard the Duke's words, Noel's body froze on the spot. It was far too sudden, and a shame akin to having the hidden desires deep within her heart exposed washed over her.
But only for a moment. After weighing a number of factors, she gave a small nod.
It doesn't seem like a bad idea.
First, the Young Duke Estel's face was not bad. No, if she were to discuss beauty and ugliness, he was more than adequately handsome. Noel, whose standards of beauty were quite high due to her brother Perzel being exceptionally good-looking, had felt no negative impression when looking at the Young Duke Estel's face—which meant he, too, could be considered quite the handsome man.
Also, unlike the many boorish young nobles of today, deliberation was evident in his every action, and behind behaviors that seemed inexplicable at a glance lay consideration directed at her. On that alone, one could say his character, too, left nothing to be desired.
Most decisively, he was strong. Far stronger than Noel herself. When it came down to it, the essence of the woman named Noel von Dekaraznan was that of a warrior. For a warrior, what defined them was the martial skill they had accumulated over a lifetime.
In that sense, the Young Duke Estel could be said to possess more than enough qualifications to claim her. Since ancient times, has not the victor held the right to take all from the defeated? He had defeated her, and she had lost to him. That fact alone granted the Young Duke Estel ample and overflowing right to take her.
If there was just one thing that gave her pause, it was that the Young Duke Estel was entangled in far too many rumors involving women—
Well, does that really matter?
Noel pictured the Young Duke Estel's face, then shrugged as if reaching some sort of understanding. Certainly, his romantic entanglements went beyond merely complex and ventured into the realm of the messy, but wasn't it simply "common sense" that women swarmed around exceptional men?
Besides, while that may have been true in the past, there were not that many women at his side at present. He had broken off the engagement with Sarah Sernad, so that was already water under the bridge. The white-haired woman who had been insolent toward her was clearly, at best, something like a concubine. She had heard that he had nearly reached a betrothal with Bianca del Castana, but that engagement itself had fizzled out due to an attack by an unknown party.
There were also rumors that the Imperial Princess had taken an interest in him and frequented House Estel, but surely that interest did not stem from personal curiosity between a man and a woman. How could one man possibly seduce that many women in such a short span of time?
Most decisively, Noel had herself. She had lived her life hearing people tell her she was beautiful until she was sick of it. The thought that she might lose out to another woman did not readily occur to her.
If I must marry anyway, the Young Duke Estel isn't a bad choice.
Having swiftly completed her calculations, Noel nodded toward Duke Dekaraznan. It was an unmistakable gesture of assent.
****
"...I heard you were looking for me, Your Grace."
Duke Dekaraznan's office. When Sarah, who had been summoned by the Duke, entered the office, the Duke smiled and warmly welcomed her.
"Come in, Lady Sernad. Allow me to apologize in advance for summoning you so suddenly without sending word beforehand."
"Not at all. I am always happy to answer Your Grace's call. I did not entertain such a thought for even a moment, so please be at ease."
It was perfect timing, as she was growing sick of her uncle's nagging—demanding to know where she was and what she was doing when she had come all the way to the Dekaraznan Ducal House. If he heard that she had a private meeting with the Duke like this, he would surely keep quiet for a while. This meeting was beneficial for her as well.
"Hmm, the reason I called you is that there are a few things I wish to ask you, my lady. To be specific, I wished to acquire information regarding the Young Duke Estel."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, do not misunderstand. It is nothing of great import. I merely wished to know what kind of person the Young Duke Estel is from your perspective—what his everyday character is like, such minor personal details."
At Duke Dekaraznan's explanation, which barely qualified as one, a flicker of puzzlement crossed Sarah's eyes.
"...But why do you ask me such questions?"
After all, the Young Duke Estel was currently staying right here—why ask her such things?
At Sarah's question, Duke Dekaraznan merely gave her a wry smile.
"I found it a bit awkward to ask the young duke himself such questions. And I thought that you, my lady, knowing the young duke well personally, would be the right person to ask."
...Well, the Duke's words were not entirely wrong. Indeed, the woman named Sarah Sernad did know the man named Kain von Estel quite intimately. Yes, setting aside the petty detail that she was tied to Kain by the shabby bond of being a "former fiancée." Normally, being asked for personal details about a man she had once been engaged to should not have been welcome.
Yet the moment the Duke asked her those questions, Sarah tasted an inexplicable sense of elation. The reason was utterly beyond her. All she knew was that a strange sense of gratification coursed through her entire body—the feeling that she knew so much about Kain, and understood so much about him, that someone would ask her such personal questions about him.
...So, where should she even begin? What could she say to clearly convey what kind of person Kain von Estel was, and what kind of relationship he and she had shared?
It all came flooding back. Starting from when she first met him, through to their eventual broken engagement—countless memories of her time with him flashed through her mind.
Back then, he had seemed utterly pathetic. The man of those days—who had eyes only for her looks and acted as though he would tear out his own heart to hand it to her—was no different from the countless fools who had fallen head over heels for her appearance and trailed after her like puppies. She had lost count of how many times she had wondered if this pitiful man was truly her fiancé.
...But lately, he had changed a great deal. First, he had matured considerably. As if he had aged a full ten years in the few months she had not seen him, a quiet gravity now marked his every action.
He had also developed a sense of responsibility. Unlike the past, when he had simply begged her to love him because they were engaged, he was now the first to grasp the situation she was in and step forward to save her.
...And, more than anything, he had become cool. In that moment when he whispered that he would save her and held her tight, she had tasted a pounding in her chest as if her heart might burst. Frankly speaking, it had been cheating. Where in the world was there a woman who could resist falling for a man who declared, unbowed by any external pressure, that he would save her alone?
This was entirely a side note, but Sarah had a preference for men who took the lead.
And so she gradually began to speak about the Kain she remembered. At first, she stammered from a strange embarrassment, but before she knew it, her heart had begun to warm, and when she came to her senses, she was rattling on to the Duke as if in high spirits.
Watching the spectacle of praise for Kain von Estel flowing ceaselessly from Sarah's lips, Duke Dekaraznan nodded to himself. It was a well-known fact that when a man and woman who were once lovers parted ways, their relationship transformed into something that could not even be described with empty pleasantries. Yet look—were not only Kain von Estel's merits pouring from the mouth of Sarah Sernad?
Truly, those rumors that the two had separated because of Kain von Estel's infidelity were nothing but baseless gossip. In truth, a political marriage was a union brought about for political purposes alone, and thus was all too easy to break. Some political objective must have been at play behind the dissolution of such a well-matched pair—
"That seems quite sufficient, Lady Sernad."
The Duke smiled warmly at Sarah and spoke.
"You have been of great help in solidifying my resolve. I wish to express my gratitude to you, my lady."
"...I was of help to Your Grace?"
As Sarah tilted her head, unable to grasp the Duke's meaning, he finally revealed the intent behind the questions he had posed to her.
"Ah, that's right, I hadn't told you beforehand. The reason I wished to learn about the Young Duke Estel's everyday character was to explore the possibility of a marriage between the young duke and my one and only daughter."
"...Pardon?"
The moment she heard those words, Sarah's mind went completely blank.
"If a lady who was once engaged to him speaks of him so highly, then the Young Duke Estel must be a truly fine man. I intend to send a matchmaker to House Estel soon. Failing that, it wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss the matter of marriage with the young duke directly."
Listening to Duke Dekaraznan's jovial words, Sarah found herself trembling, her fists clenched without her realizing it. The instant the word "marriage" slipped from the Duke's mouth, she could barely keep her composure.
...It wasn't too late even now. This time, she would speak ill of him, list his faults. If she enumerated his shortcomings one by one in detail, perhaps Duke Dekaraznan would reconsider his decision—
"...Your Grace."
"What is it, Lady Sernad?"
"...But the Young Duke Estel, that is, Kain..."
...But in the end, she could not voice Kain's faults. No, she could not bring herself to. Only now did she realize it. For some reason she could not fathom, she was incapable of speaking ill of Kain in front of others.
Ah, so that was it. In that moment when he held her and whispered that he would save her, she had already—
...Kain.
Feeling a piercing ache in her heart, Sarah squeezed her eyes shut.
"What is the matter, my lady? Do you have something to say?"
"...It is nothing at all, Your Grace."
In the end, right up until the moment she stepped out of the Duke's office, Sarah could not bring herself to voice a single one of Kain's faults. Only her heart, throbbing for a reason she could not explain, spoke on behalf of her feelings.
...Thinking all the while that jealousy was a truly ugly creature.