169. A Rose Blooming in Poison (1)
169. A Rose Blooming in Poison (1)
- 1 -
It was October 31st when Amelia Terramor received a marriage proposal from the eldest son of the Durangard family.
To be exact, it was the day before the County of Damamolon declared war on the County of Mathepit.
"The eldest son of the County of Gyures, you say?"
"Yes. That is correct."
Listening to the autumn wind tapping at the window, Amelia, who had been silent for a moment, raised her eyebrows with a bewildered expression.
"Why in the world...?"
Her voice carried both a question and a simultaneous desire to refuse.
There could only be a political reason for a marriage proposal to come between herself and the eldest son of the County of Gyures.
And Amelia was already unhappy enough.
It was a natural feeling not to want to deepen that unhappiness through a political marriage.
'Even if I were to bear a child...'
She gave a bitter smile.
'I would end up agonizing over whether to raise that child as a monster or a human...'
The person who came to her mind was her younger sister Yurianne, who had become a monster.
A child who sacrificed herself to protect her family.
'And anyway... all of that land will become Master's eventually.'
Furthermore, Amelia knew that Libertas would ultimately seize the entire County of Gyures.
Yet she could not help but ask Libertas's opinion.
No, she wanted to ask. Because then she wouldn't have to think about it anymore.
"What did Master say about it?"
"Despite being busy responding to the current war clouds, Mistress took the time to give it deep consideration."
The Chief Chamberlain answered respectfully, his eyes filled with reverence and admiration for Libertas.
"As a result, she said, 'You may choose either path,' but instructed you to stall for time before making any final decision."
Nodding at the answer, Amelia observed his appearance for a moment.
His neatly grown long hair, meant to conceal sharply pointed ears, was noticeable.
These days, the number of men inside the inner castle who grew their hair like this had increased significantly. It was a temporary measure to hide the outward appearance of those who had become demons.
However, the young lord who used to berate herself for her own shortcomings was no longer here.
There was only a delicate woman who just wanted to settle down and rely on others.
"Stall for time... Then would it be alright to say that my guardian's reply is necessary?"
"Since she said it was acceptable to refuse, I believe it would be fine to refuse for now and observe the reaction."
A marriage proposal was a ceremony concluded by one acceptance or three refusals.
Even if she were to accept, it would then have to go through interviews, family meetings, pledges, and engagement processes. It would take at least another month to be fully confirmed.
Also, the Master's order to 'stall for time' did not specify a precise period. It likely meant to create a window that could be exploited as much as possible should an opportunity arise.
As her thoughts reached that point, Amelia shook off any further deliberation.
"Very well. Let us refuse for now."
The ensuing tug-of-war over the marriage proposal continued for about two weeks.
In the end, she declined one more proposal, and to the third proposal that arrived, she sent a reply suggesting they meet for now.
「As the doors of the Crystal Palace have opened to your sincerity, we shall gain the chance to divine fate before we lift the tiara.」
As she wrote out the reply in elegant handwriting, Amelia felt her curiosity about the other party gradually growing.
There was a custom among nobles that a proposal had up to three chances, but cases where this was carried through to the end were rare.
Therefore, seeing this alone, it was a sign that the other party, Lucian Durangard, considered her a good partner candidate.
'At least he's observing etiquette.'
Even though a clear class disparity existed between the undisputed heir of the County of Gyures and the lord of a rural castle—enough to permit some degree of unreasonable pressure—he did not embarrass her.
The fact that he did not present a lower-grade proposal despite being rejected was evidence of such an attitude.
'I don't know if his sincerity lies in absorbing the family, or in expanding territory...'
When he eventually learned that she was imbued with demonic energy, would he despair at how foolish his proposal had been? Or would he resent her and curse her as a witch?
She couldn't help but become curious about that.
Amelia turned her gaze toward the window, wearing a bitter smile that had become familiar before she knew it.
The cool autumn wind was blowing toward her.
- 2 -
Three weeks passed from then, and it was November 22nd. The capital of the County of Gyures.
In that inner castle.
Amelia stood in front of the castle gate to greet her guardian. The late autumn sky with its chilly wind was clear, but her heart was not so calm.
"When mentioning the lord's guardian, all the knights and attendants marveled, saying, 'There will be no one as beautiful as that person in this world.' I am curious as to what kind of person she might be."
The man standing next to her spoke to her.
A young man with dark green hair, almost black, and sharp golden eyes.
Lucian Durangard.
He was the very person who had proposed to her.
"My master and guardian is not the least bit lacking compared to that description."
Amelia answered.
"Though it may seem excessive if it is."
"Since you, the lord, also speak so, I too become truly curious."
He was the first heir of the Durangard family, which had long ruled the County of Gyures, and the lord of Shantano Fortress, the frontline stronghold south of Gyures.
'The most important castle in the County of Gyures.'
Amelia thought to herself.
Shantano Fortress was not just a simple frontline stronghold.
It was a strategic chokepoint that watched over the confluence of the main and tributary streams flowing down into the lower Foile River.
Therefore, what this fortress protected was not merely the land and its people.
It was a place that could be called the core of the national economy, managing not only the routes through which trade goods passed but also the tolls on the ships navigating those routes.
Shantano Castle was such a place.
'Rather than the safety of the people, the money and the routes are probably more central. Since it's tied to national interest.'
And the fact that he had been appointed as the final decision-maker of such a fortress was practically synonymous with him being effectively confirmed as the heir of the County of Gyures.
Dagak-dagak...
While she was lost in thought, the sound of carriage wheels scraping against stone was heard from afar.
Amelia straightened her back.
An entirely black carriage revealed itself.
It was a carriage with a mysterious sheen, seeming to absorb the surrounding light while simultaneously emitting light of its own.
Around it, Black Knights clad in pitch-black armor, and the massive black horses they rode, formed a majestic procession.
─ That carriage is...
─ Has a king or something arrived?
A dignity that was extraordinary at a glance.
All gazes concentrated upon it, and exclamations of surprise burst forth.
"That is..."
"Yes. She has arrived."
As Amelia nodded, Lucian looked at the carriage with eyes burning with strange fervor.
What was contained in his gaze was pure ambition.
Watching that sight, a suspicion suddenly occurred to Amelia.
'Could it be... the Teramor family or Solemio Castle were never the goal?'
Indeed, thinking about it carefully, the change in Solemio's lordship had happened far too suddenly.
It was true that her father, the previous lord, had stepped forward himself to express his intention to take a leave of absence to the King and the Count, but from any perspective, it was a situation where one could not help but suspect external interference.
If they had discovered that the source of Amelia inheriting the lordship was the monsters...
'No, if they had, it couldn't have ended this quietly.'
Amelia inwardly shook her head.
If they had discovered the monsters' involvement, the action they should have taken would not have been this quiet contact, but a full mobilization of military and intelligence forces.
What they had focused on would have been the replacement of the lord itself.
They would have thought not of monster intervention, but that some shadowy, hidden power had been at work.
'No, let's stop.'
Cutting off her habitual trailing thoughts, Amelia looked up at the black carriage that had approached right before her.
Darkly shining eyes.
She had an intuition that the meeting between Libertas and Lucian would once again change her fate.
- 3 -
"Lady Amelia. It has been a long time."
For a moment, Lucian Durangard mistook the Black Knight who had dismounted first for Amelia's 'guardian'.
It was not unreasonable.
Because the overwhelming presence exuded by that Black Knight was extraordinary.
The platinum blonde hair flowing down from under the black hood sparkled like dawn sunlight, and her red eyes, flashing in between, were like rising flames.
Additionally, the transparent black sword at her waist seemed to swallow even light itself, and the black armor encasing her was so perfect that even the scars of battle upon it appeared beautiful.
She was so aristocratic and refined in appearance that it was easy to make that mistake. But that illusion soon shattered with Amelia's greeting.
"Lady Evangeline. Have you been well?"
'She's not the Master?'
Before Lucian's question could even settle, the knight bowed her head with a smile.
"Indeed I have. Well then, as everything seems ready... excuse me for a moment."
Wearing her usual quiet smile, Evangeline immediately turned around and began escorting her master.
Ttogak -
Except for that very first step, her footsteps were utterly silent. It was as if a demonstration meant to display aristocratic dignity.
The lady who stepped down from the carriage, holding the hand of the female knight escorting her, possessed an appearance befitting the phrase 'a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms' from the Western Continent.
Her steps onto the well-maintained stone floor were light as feathers, yet as stealthy as a shadow.
The long hem of her skirt swayed slightly in the wind, and her long black hair cascading down over it was like the finest silk tearing through the air, pouring out darkness.
Her long eyelashes, which had briefly veiled her eyes, fluttered upward. In that instant, unconcealed mana rippled out from the revealed violet eyes.
The lady, like darkness itself walking out from the shadow of the carriage, smiled elegantly.
"Master."
As Amelia greeted her politely, every noble lined up around them bowed their heads in unison.
Lucian Durangard, facing her 'master' for the first time, was no exception.
Though after bowing his head, he did question himself, 'Why did I do that?'
"You may raise your heads."
As Libertas gestured gently, Evangeline caught the meaning and repeated it aloud.
Making eye contact with the nobles who raised their heads, Libertas gave a benign smile.
That smile seemed as warm as spring sunshine.
"Have you been well, Amelia?"
"Yes. Thanks to you."
Libertas, who nodded as if satisfied with her answer, soon turned her gaze toward the young man standing next to Amelia.
"You must be Lucian."
"Yes. I am Lucian Durangard. I had heard rumors of the one who is Lady Amelia Terramor's guardian and master, and admired her, but now that I meet you, I realize the rumors were insufficient."
It was informal speech that came naturally, yet somehow it did not provoke any resistance.
It was because of the composure and dignity flowing from her entire being.
Presuming she was clearly a high-ranking noble or royalty, Lucian answered with a confident yet courteous attitude.
In his eyes, the previous ambition was glimpsed along with a heartfelt admiration.
"So you are the new master of Shantano Fortress."
At Libertas's words, spoken as if she already knew, Lucian's eyes glinted.
He felt both a subtle pride and an excited emotion at the fact that she was paying attention to him.
"Yes. Though I am lacking, I am fulfilling the duties entrusted to me."
"Then you will also know. The meaning held by the Foile River."
"Of course. It is not simply a waterway, but a stem of life and wealth."
Libertas smiled once again, a benign smile.
But Amelia immediately recognized the meaning contained within that smile.
It was no different from that of a predator that had discovered prey.
"Indeed. And it is you who guards that stem."
"It is an honorable duty."
Amelia, who had been listening to the conversation, grasped Libertas's intention in an instant.
Her master would not stop at simply evaluating the suitor. The plan for this region's future was clearly already finished.
'So that's why she told me to stall for time...'
Libertas slowly looked around her surroundings.
The inner castle of the County of Gyures was magnificent, and the morale of the knights and soldiers moving within it was also excellent.
But in her eyes, all of this already appeared to be hers.
"Good. Now, shall the three of us have a talk among ourselves?"
At Libertas's suggestion, Lucian and Amelia nodded simultaneously.
All three of them knew that the conversation about to begin would determine the fate of this region.
The only difference was that the future Lucian envisioned was completely opposed to the one Libertas and Amelia were certain of.
─ 『Arise.』
As they thus headed toward the conference room, Evangeline, who had been watching from behind, quietly awakened the 'army' that slept within her shadow.
"... Hoo."
The smile hanging on her lips was a gentle one, closely resembling that of her master.