Chapter 226: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (19)
Chapter 226: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (19)
Silence hung over the family reception room for a long while.
Ria had already left the room. To be honest, she had wanted to stay until the very end, but I had intentionally given her a look to chase her out.
In the end, my younger sister left, grumbling until the final moment. Seeing the way she glared at me with dissatisfaction, it seemed her fiery temper was as present as ever.
I wonder what kind of man would ever take that tomboy off our hands.
Secretly letting out a small sigh, I leaned back against the chair.
Ria had been famous for her beauty for a long time. I had heard that several families had been captivated by it, and we had received a few formal proposals.
It was just that Ria had flatly rejected every single one of them.
Then again, to endure that personality of hers, the man couldn't be an ordinary person. He would have to be at least her equal to maintain any semblance of peace in the household.
Though, I wasn't sure if a match existed who could actually equal my sister, who possessed both beauty and talent.
Of course, Ria’s marriage prospects weren't the priority right now. Rather, I needed a clever plan to resolve the crisis we were currently facing.
So, I had no choice but to ask the group point-blank.
"……What should we do?"
It was a short but essential question.
Many details were omitted, but the topic I wanted to broach was clear.
The Magic Corps of the Lainella Family was coming.
While skilled knights were a rare resource, they couldn't be compared to mages. Consequently, only a handful of families possessed the capability to form a Magic Corps.
Only the Five Great Noble Families of the Empire or a few houses known as 'Prestigious Magic Houses' had such power.
The Lainella Family was one of those few.
They were a place that possessed a Magic Corps, which was said to be even rarer than an order of knights.
While their exact strength was unknown, it was famous that the commanders of each Magic Corps were composed of blood relatives of the Lainella Family.
The Magic Corps arriving today would be no exception.
It meant that someone bearing the surname of the Lainella Family was coming.
This was a problem on a completely different level from when we had dealt with the Lainella family's knights previously. To begin with, the Lainella Family was more famous for its Magic Corps than its knights.
Not only was there a difference in caliber, but as long as a blood relative of the Lainella Family was leading them, we couldn't treat them carelessly.
The problem was that even if they tried to take Senior Elsie away by force, we had no justification to stop them.
In particular, Senior Elsie had frozen the moment she heard the news.
"Wh-who? Exactly who is coming?"
The words Senior Elsie uttered after being stiff for a long time were also a signal that she had awakened from her state of panic. After all, Ria had been gone for a while now.
No matter how dazed she was, there was no way Senior Elsie wouldn't have noticed that.
It seemed she had simply thrown out any question because she was overly anxious.
Celine tilted her head, perhaps finding the sight of the trembling Senior Elsie unfamiliar.
"Hey, why are you so nervous? No matter how great the Magic Corps is, you're a direct descendant, Senior."
And a genius among geniuses, highly anticipated within the Lainella Family at that.
Among the current head's children, Senior Elsie was the one with the highest achievements. Even if her older brother or sister came, there was no reason for Senior Elsie to be intimidated.
The fact that Senior Elsie was trembling despite this meant only one thing.
The Saintess let out a faint sigh.
"There is someone, isn't there? Someone in the Magic Corps who can suppress Sister Elsie."
If so, they would have naturally sent that person.
Because right now, Senior Elsie was in a situation no different from having made a bombshell declaration and fled with me.
Personally, I hoped they would just leave Senior Elsie alone, but it seemed Count Lainella's thoughts were a bit different.
It looked like he intended to bring her back to the family by any means necessary to do something.
Otherwise, there would be no need to go through the troublesome process of dispatching a Magic Corps.
Senior Elsie's face turned deathly pale. Since I was in the same boat as her, I became even more uneasy.
However, we were the only two feeling anxious.
The Saintess, on the contrary, showed a benevolent smile as if things had turned out well.
"Then you can just return to your family."
"……Absolutely not!"
At the Saintess's words, Senior Elsie shouted as if having a fit. Even as a legitimate daughter of the Lainella Family, she should have used honorifics with the Saintess, but it was a desperate cry that made her forget even that.
"I-if I do, they'll immediately ban me from going out and handle all sorts of things behind my back! My father is exactly the kind of man who would do that!"
"But there's no other way, is there?"
In the Saintess's voice as she spoke, there was even a hint of enjoyment.
It was a tone that suggested she had already finished her calculations.
"Since Sister Elsie is involved in various rumors, nothing will be settled immediately during the break. Don't worry too much and just return to your family for now."
With that, the Saintess quietly made the sign of the cross. The sight made her look like a priest praying for the deceased.
"As for Brother Ian, I will take good care of him."
Seria's reaction wasn't much different from the Saintess's.
"Senior Lainella… I understand your situation, but as a noble, isn't this something unavoidable?"
Still, seeing as she used a somewhat polite tone, it seemed Seria's social skills had improved a lot in the meantime. Uncharacteristically, I found myself slightly moved by that fact.
You've grown, Seria.
However, the cornered Senior Elsie was looking up at me with a tearful face.
A look that begged me to do something.
I had to clear my throat with a "Ahem" and subtly glance at Reto.
Reto had an extremely annoyed expression on his face. However, it seemed he couldn't coldly refuse my request, as he let out a deep sigh and finally spoke.
"……On the contrary, couldn't it be that nothing much will happen?"
The group's gaze gathered on Reto as if asking what he meant.
Then, Reto began to lay out his explanation calmly.
"Everyone is mistaken… For the Lainella Family, there's no reason to forcefully separate Ian and Senior Elsie. No, rather, there's a possibility they might want to make them an officially recognized couple."
At Reto's words, Celine's and Seria's eyes widened. Only the Saintess slightly narrowed her brows.
It was a face that had sensed something.
Yuren was watching with interest, arms crossed. It seemed he had decided to play the role of a relaxed spectator.
"Think about it. Although there's a difference in the status of their families, Ian is a rising star whose fame is soaring. Furthermore, Senior Elsie… well, to be honest, that 'Master' declaration from before will act as a fatal scandal."
"……So they'd rather use Sister Elsie to tie Brother Ian down?"
"Moreover, Senior Elsie is a talent the family cherishes. She's too valuable to give away to someone else, and since Ian is a second son, he has no reason to stay in his own family."
A son-in-law who marries into the family.
Reto was even mentioning such a possibility.
While it was still common for a wife to follow her husband, it wasn't an unprecedented occurrence.
Perhaps thinking Reto's hypothesis made sense, joy and sorrow crossed faces once again.
Celine, Seria, and the Saintess's expressions turned serious, while Senior Elsie's expression, conversely, brightened.
But I knew.
In truth, Reto was just throwing the idea out there. It could turn out as Reto said, but there was also a high possibility that Count Lainella would choose the exact opposite path.
After all, the primary purpose of noble marriages was to establish blood ties between families.
From that perspective, a marriage between me and Senior Elsie was still a poor move.
In the end, it was the Saintess who brought the long discussion to a close.
She let out a sigh as if she had no choice.
"……Actually, there's no use talking about it now."
"Does that mean there's no way?"
"No, we have plenty of time left."
Even at my counter-question, the Saintess's words were unhindered.
She was the one with the most profound knowledge regarding politics here. She had likely organized her thoughts from the beginning.
"A Magic Corps is fundamentally a military force. Even in an era of peace, a pretext is needed to dispatch such strength to someone else's territory."
"Like coming to find a runaway daughter?"
"If that were the case, Sister Ria wouldn't have reacted like that just now. Furthermore, Brother Ian is a member of the Percus Family; using the elopement of the two as a pretext would be an insult."
If they pushed with pure force, there would be nothing to say, but I had another power behind me.
The Yurdina Family and the Imperial Household were those powers.
There was no way Count Lainella was unaware that Senior Delphine, the Princess, and I were on special terms.
If so, it would be awkward for him to blindly mistreat the Percus Family.
"So the pretext itself will be different. They must have created some reason why they had to be dispatched. If so, for now, they'll have no choice but to at least pretend to carry out that business."
"In the end, does that mean the answer has to be given after that?"
"Because for now, we don't even know their intentions."
At the Saintess's words, we had no choice but to fall silent.
It was exactly as she said. We were in a situation where we hadn't even grasped the true intentions of the Lainella Family yet.
Talking more would only cause the conversation to scatter in all directions.
There was only one answer I could give.
"……Then let's wait for now."
Since there was still time, we could afford to wait for the Lainella Family's opinion.
I patted the shoulder of the trembling Senior Elsie.
Telling her that nothing bad would happen.
If something bad were to happen, I wouldn't be able to resist it in the first place. So, that was the extent of the comfort I could offer.
And a few hours later.
I had to face the Magic Corps dispatched from the Lainella Family.
Even at a glance, they were people from whom a powerful scent of mana emanated. Among them, there was a man who looked particularly formidable.
It was like looking at bleached charcoal.
A human who looked as if only the last remaining parts had been scraped together after burning and burning.
His blue eyes, which harmonized with his brown hair, looked weary.
The tall man, who looked to be over 190cm even with a casual glance, slightly bowed his head and offered me a handshake.
"……Nice to meet you. 'Candidate' for nephew-in-law."
Hearing those words, Elsie's eyes shook violently.
Looking into the man's chillingly blue eyes, I was certain.
This man is the one Senior Elsie was afraid of.
My eyes met the middle-aged man's in mid-air, and a girl's voice rang out.
"U-Uncle!"
That was the title Senior Elsie cried out for the man.