283. The Lion's Rose and Wings (1)
283. The Lion's Rose and Wings (1)
- 1 -
The grand ducal castle of Leoperum, capital of the Duchy of Leoper.
Built by expanding the border castle, this fortress stood firm as if embodying the rising dignity of the Duchy of Leoper, and above it, the banner bearing the iron lion billowed majestically.
"...This concludes the discussion."
Adelaide Sen Leoper's pale blue-grey eyes swept over the nobles gathered in the council chamber.
No one could lift their head before that gaze.
A council meeting her father, King Frederick, did not attend. Yet the nobles listened to her words without raising a single objection.
Because everyone knew. Real power already rested in her hands.
"Regarding future tax matters, we shall discuss them again at the next meeting. You may all withdraw."
The nobles who had attended the meeting rose from their seats one by one. While they offered polite greetings, Adelaide stared only at the minutes without so much as a flinch.
The moment the last noble departed the council chamber, she finally let out a sigh.
"Haa..."
Fatigue from the state affairs meeting, which had run longer than usual, seeped through her entire body.
Reorganizing the land, once a border margraviate, into a duchy was a far more complicated task than she had anticipated.
The unrelenting resistance of the old nobility, the introduction of new laws, economic reforms... every burden pressed down upon her shoulders.
'If I hadn't shared the burden of foreign affairs, I might have already collapsed...'
"You have worked hard again today."
At the Court Countess's voice, Adelaide unconsciously straightened her posture.
Her shoulders squared, and her eyes turned sharp once more.
"The future of the duchy rests upon the Archduchess's shoulders. Please do take care of your health."
True to her reputation as the 'Steel Rose,' she offered only a slight, expressionless nod.
It was a countenance from which no emotion could be read at all.
"You should also retire and rest now. Countess."
"I shall greet you tomorrow morning."
After exchanging final farewells, Adelaide headed for her private chambers.
She paused briefly before the iron lion statue standing in the cool, grey corridor.
The Iron Lion, symbol of the Duchy of Leoper.
A being that was strong, never yielding, and never losing its dignity under any circumstances.
Adelaide had striven to become such a being herself.
'But that lion was once nothing more than a chained pet beast.'
The corner of Adelaide's mouth turned up bitterly.
Over the eighty years spent as a border margrave family, the iron lion had never once tasted freedom. It had merely stood with its feet planted on the ground, growling.
But now, that iron beast was preparing to soar.
Thanks to the wings it had recently gained.
'Perhaps that is why I can now see further.'
Leopere had become a member of the Grakheisen Alliance, centered on Hysen, and was successfully resisting Zenota's invasion.
'It is fortunate that the international situation has stabilized. Though the conflict will likely continue for some time. No, perhaps we are the ones who must advance. In any case... the Alliance.'
This Alliance might just transform Leopere from a kingdom into an empire.
And to achieve that, she had to cherish the wings even more.
Specifically, her.
"Adele, sister."
When she arrived before the door to her private chambers, the figure of her younger sister emerged after opening the door.
Adelaide let her expression soften slightly as she approached her.
"El."
Adelaide buried her face in her embrace for a moment. It was a physical intimacy that had become more frequent of late.
Elena placed her hands on her back with a short laugh.
"What's wrong? You're tense."
Even so, Adelaide noticed that Elena's appearance was different from usual.
Instead of the knight's uniform or armor she always wore, she was clad in a plain navy dress.
She appeared not her usual reliable and strong self, but visibly tense.
'As if she were a lady-in-waiting...'
Just as Adelaide was frowning and trying to grasp the thought that had flitted by, Elena spoke.
"A special guest has arrived at the grand ducal castle. I wish for us to meet them together."
As Elena, her face hardened, spoke while radiating a palpable tension, Adelaide smiled gently.
Because she wanted to reassure her beloved sister.
"Who might it be?"
"I have mentioned her before. My benefactor, Countess Philia Elskopf."
"Ah."
Adelaide's eyebrows rose slightly.
The image of the woman she had met during the first Alliance conference surfaced in an instant.
Often mentioned as Queen Yurena's close aide and advisor, she had attended the meeting reserved for the Alliance representatives, serving as the moderator.
Black hair and purple eyes. A fleeting atmosphere somehow detached from everything in the world.
At the time, official duties had been so busy that they hadn't spoken much, but she was also a singular figure whose presence alone commanded attention.
'Clearly, it was us sharing our opinions, but everyone was visibly mindful of her...'
Even the memory resurfaced of thinking she clearly possessed considerable influence within the Alliance.
"Very well. Let us go inside."
Adelaide nodded.
With a smile so faint that only someone like Elena could recognize it.
- 2 -
Adelaide's private chambers were steeped in a warmer atmosphere than usual.
A fire was burning in the fireplace, a tea set already laid out on the table, and off to one side, a black-haired woman who appeared to be a bodyguard stood calmly gazing in this direction.
Adelaide blinked, and in the next moment, she was startled to see the woman's figure suddenly vanish.
For it was just like the shadow warriors of the Western Continent she had only heard rumors of.
Clack.
"Ah, you have come."
The door closed, and the woman standing by the window slowly turned her head.
A black dress encased her body like a single panel of a painting.
Pale skin, long black hair, and jewel-like purple eyes turned toward Adelaide.
"Adelaide sen Sandota Leopere. At last, I see you."
That voice was soft and warm.
But Adelaide subtly frowned at her tone.
For that tone... felt as though a superior were addressing a subordinate. It was not the tone a countess should use toward an archduchess.
"Countess Philia Elskopf. Welcome to the Duchy of Leoper."
However, for the moment, she decided not to protest and to continue the conversation.
She knew this meeting had been arranged by Elena, and she was Adelaide's precious younger sister and the co-head of state with whom she shared the burden of governance.
At the same time, she was inwardly on edge. The presence emanating from this woman was extraordinary.
"Do take a seat. Adelaide. You as well, Elena."
Philia's invitation sounded almost like an order.
Adelaide found it strange to receive instructions from someone else in her own private chambers, but she did not refuse the offer.
No, in truth... though it was strange, she didn't wish to refuse.
Elena moved quietly but quickly, preparing the tea table.
She poured tea for Philia first, then handed a cup to Adelaide.
"Thank you, Elena."
At Philia's thanks, a smile spread across Elena's face.
Adelaide could read a peculiar emotion in her sister's expression. Respect? Loyalty? Or perhaps...
"I have heard much about you from El during this time."
Adelaide opened the conversation.
"Is that so? I am curious what kind of stories she told."
Despite her small stature, the oddly dignified woman was looking down at the heir to the duchy.
Before she knew it, Adelaide had begun to naturally accept her informal speech.
"I was told that the Countess... is a special being to Elena. I would like to know what that means."
Adelaide realized that her own speech was slightly faster than usual. And a touch more pointed.
Just as she was about to examine why she was acting this way, she saw Philia looking at her as if she found her adorable.
"Elena. Your sister truly is a charming person."
"I agree."
Elena and she exchanged glances and laughed.
Twitch.
Adelaide thought she heard something snap inside her.
A pang of pain arose. Jealousy. Anxiety. And yet another emotion.
She didn't want to acknowledge what that emotion was.
"That is correct. Adelaide. I am a... very special being in Elena's life."
Adelaide's eyes widened slightly.
Her expression was the usual faintly cool, blank visage, but the other two could read something simmering within that look.
Jealousy.
This was why Philia Elskopf—that is, Libertas—and Elena found her endearing.
"You admit it without reservation."
"I believe the truth is always the best way to start a conversation. Do you not agree?"
A brief silence followed as Elena poured more of the already brewed tea.
Adelaide caught a smile at the corner of her sister's lips, and affection for her simmering in her eyes.
Normally, that gaze and smile would have been nothing but pleasant, but for some reason, Adelaide felt her insides seethe even more.
"If that is the case... may I ask what kind of relationship exists between the Countess and my sister?"
Adelaide's question was sharp.
Elena answered as she handed over the tea.
"The Countess is the one I personally serve. Sister."
Adelaide's eyes widened in shock.
Because while Elena had once referred to her as a 'benefactor,' this was the first time she had openly declared that she 'served' her.
Adelaide looked at Elena as she accepted the tea.
"Serve...?"
Her voice had grown slightly cooler than before.
"What is the meaning of this?"
In Adelaide's pupils, even fear had now surfaced.
A gaze and voice twisted by fear, anger, and jealousy were directed at her sister.
"Sister. I can explain."
"Elena, you are the Knight Commander of Leopere! What of the loyalty you swore to Leopere and the Grand Ducal family? I believed you fought for me, for this country!"
A sense of betrayal flooded Adelaide's face. She shot up from her seat.
For the commander-in-chief of a nation's knights to say she served someone other than the king—and a foreign noble at that—was a matter that could escalate into a grave political issue.
It could not simply be dismissed as a 'personal, private relationship.'
Both as a national matter, and as Adelaide's own, deeply personal one.
At that moment, Philia, who had been silent, interjected again.
"Sit down. Archduchess."
Philia's voice was calm, but it carried a strong, irresistible power within it.
Adelaide found herself sinking back into her seat, looking at her with confused eyes.
"First, allow me to correct one thing."
She smiled and offered the tea to Adelaide.
"Elena has never once betrayed you. She did her utmost for you and Leopere. Because..."
Philia tilted her head slightly to the side. Her black hair scattered softly over the corner of her eye, veiling it like mist.
But despite that, those purple eyes were clearly piercing right through Adelaide.
"...Because she truly loves you. Adelaide."
Time stopped.
"...Pardon?"
"Not as a sister... but with the love a man and woman feel, she loves you."
Adelaide's heart stopped, then began to beat again.
The blood drained from her face, then returned, and her pale blue-grey eyes wavered.
'Elena... me.'
The shock crashed over her like a wave, then slowly subsided.
And what began to fill the space it left behind was...
Incomparable bliss.
"...Ha."
A smile spread across Adelaide's lips.