Party at the Patran Estate (7)
I'd rarely been on the receiving end of a thank-you in my life.
Coming from someone I'd only just met today, even less so.
Lucy's past misdeeds stretched into so many corners of the world that I could hardly imagine the scale of it. For a total stranger, the most appropriate greeting to spit my way would've been something along the lines of you rotten witch. Maybe with a veneer of politeness and an extra layer of sarcasm slathered on top, but the meaning underneath wouldn't stray far from rotten witch.
Which was why Parna — Frey's little sister, bowing her head over and over as she poured out her gratitude — left me thoroughly dumbfounded.
Thank you for making my sister into a person? Me? About Frey?
Isn't something a little mixed up here? The only things I've ever done to Frey were beat her flat into the training-hall floor and drive her up the wall with my Mesugaki skill.
"I saw my sister properly talk to Father and Mother for the first time in her life today! And asking Father for something — that was a first too!"
Wha— she talked to them?! Frey did?!
I was just as stunned by Parna's story as she clearly hoped I'd be.
Because in the game, Frey only ever spoke to her family and asked them for things after she met the reigning Sword Saint, gained her enlightenment about the blade, and learned the concept of joy for the first time. And she hadn't met the Sword Saint yet. So how on earth had she gone and talked to her family?
What surfaced through my bewilderment was the image of Frey swinging her sword at that street stall earlier today. No wonder she'd gotten better — she actually asked her family to teach her the house swordplay?!
"And seeing her sit quietly somewhere this crowded — that's a first too!"
On that point, I had a pretty good idea why.
Until she'd enrolled at the Academy, Frey had been a lunatic who'd spontaneously start swinging a sword at anyone, anywhere. I myself had been subjected to something resembling an ambush on the day of the entrance ceremony.
But recently, Frey had all but stopped those antics. The reason was simple: her target had been fixed. Having decided my toy-self was to her liking, Frey had no intention of looking at anything else until the toy broke.
And from my side of things, Frey was a durable sparring partner who refused to fall apart, so I had no reason to refuse being her plaything, either.
Win-win, in other words.
"Best of all — that's the first time my sister has ever said someone else's name out loud!"
Okay, that one's a little. No, a lot surprising.
Even in the game, Frey almost never dropped someone else's name unprompted.
I turned my head toward Frey to see if this was actually true, but she appeared far too occupied laboring over the tower of food she was stacking. You'd think she'd show at least a flicker of embarrassment over this kind of talk. Very Frey of her.
"Father and Mother laughing while talking about my sister — another first! And it's all thanks to your grace, Lady Alrn!"
Parna spoke with such unfiltered directness and vitality that it was honestly starting to feel like a bit much.
But knowing her circumstances, I couldn't bring myself to tell her to ease up.
The Parna I knew from the game had treated Frey like she didn't exist. She'd been forced to endure every one of Frey's episodes purely because she'd been born the younger sister. She'd been measured against Frey every single time she swung a sword. And she'd been the one left cleaning up the messes her sister made.
Parna had been in absolutely no position to like Frey.
How are you supposed to love a lunatic who kills the dog you adore, then answers, deadpan, Well, I figured it would go berserk? Rage at her, beg her, threaten her, cling to her — Frey remained Frey, unchanged.
So Parna. And the entire Kent family. Had simply given up. They'd assumed that this was who Frey would be, forever.
And then that same girl went off to the Academy and changed. Of course she was beside herself.
"All the rumors said Lady Alrn was some terrifying monster, but they were nothing but slander! How could anyone call you that when you're this beautiful, this adorable, this dignified, this capable!"
Those aren't slander, sweetheart. Lucy's reign of terror was built on nothing but facts.
If you go around saying that kind of thing, you're going to cause a disaster, you know that?
Even now the stares flying at me from every direction were practically flaying my skin. People are doing that with me standing right next to you — imagine what happens when you say that stuff while I'm not around.
'Um...'
"Hey. Are you even listening to..."
"Lady Alrn! I'm enrolling at the Academy next year! I haven't taken the exam yet, but I just know I'll pass!"
Watching Parna clench her little fists, my feeble protest sliding right off her, the truth of what this girl was finally clicked into place.
Right. She wasn't normal either.
Where Frey acts on her own path because she has no interest in other people, Parna acts on her own path because the moment her emotions seize her, she loses all sight of her surroundings. If Parna ever heard it, she'd probably have a full-blown panic attack — but the two of them were, in their own ways, the same kind of person.
"When that day comes, I'll spread the good name of Lady Alrn to every first-year in the entire class!"
No, Parna. What kind of insane plan is that?
'...You're joking, right?'
"Ha. And here I was wondering what nonsense I'd walked into. That's the least funny joke I've ever heard."
"It's not a joke! I mean every word!"
Then why is it not a joke?! Why are you deliberately marching straight into a firing squad of hatred?! Now that Frey's changed and your workload's gone down, you've decided to manufacture fresh suffering for yourself?!
"Just you wait! I will absolutely—! Mmph! Mmph-mmph!"
While I was racking my brain for any way to stop her, a grown man came sprinting from across the hall, scooped Parna up in his arms, and clamped a hand over her mouth.
Parna kept mmph-mmphing behind his palm, trying desperately to say something, but not a crack opened in his grip.
"My apologies, Lady Alrn! My daughter has caused you trouble!"
Count Kent, his face drained white, delivered his apology, thanked me for keeping his daughter such good company, promised a lavish reception if I should ever visit his territory — and then vanished like the wind.
The man must suffer so much. If he ever shared drinks with Benedict, I bet they'd become best friends on the spot.
With the storm passed, my blood sugar bottomed out, and I reached for the dessert table — only to find the plates scraped bare.
At some point during the whole spectacle unfolding in front of me, Frey had inhaled the entire thing.
I shot her a glare thick with protest, but Frey remained utterly unmoved.
"Hey there, dummy swordswoman♡ Are you so empty-headed you can't even remember eating a minute ago?♡ If you're done oinking, how about you stop stuffing your face?♡"
"Oink."
My mouth fell open at the response I hadn't predicted in the slightest, and Frey puffed out her shoulders like she'd won something.
It was irritating, but I figured answering her would only get me dragged in deeper, so I held my tongue. Instead I sank into a nearby chair and propped my chin on my hand. The party wasn't over yet — surely dessert would be restocked if I just waited.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
<Because the party's nearly over.>
'...And how would you know that?'
<There are signs.>
An orchestra with barely any movements left to play. Servants twitching, glancing at the clock again and again. high-ranking nobles drifting away from the heart of the ballroom. The hum of conversation thinning out.
At first I thought Grandpa was just pulling my leg, but he wasn't. Every single thing he pointed out was announcing the party's end.
'Then what about dessert?'
<There won't be any. Why would they restock for a party that's about to end?>
'FRREEEEYYY!'
Whether or not I was stoking the flames of vengeance in my heart, time in the ballroom marched on.
At some point the orchestra fell silent, a magic circle bloomed across the stage, and amid a fanfare of glittering fireworks the Duke made his appearance.
Commanding every eye in the hall by that alone, the Duke offered a nod of thanks to the applauding guests — and moved to bring down the final curtain on the party.
"Once more, I extend my deepest gratitude to all the honored guests who have graced this occasion tonight."
"A moment."
Let me correct myself. The Duke tried to bring down the final curtain. He failed.
Because someone else wedged themselves into the tail end of his sentence.
Had it been anyone of middling standing, the Duke would have simply ignored the interruption. He had more than enough power to get away with it.
But this particular someone was not a person the Duke could brush aside.
"It seems you've forgotten one thing."
When the kingdom's leading heir to the throne raises his voice, how could anyone possibly steamroll him?
"Have I forgotten something?"
"Indeed. Duke Patran, you have forgotten something very important."
"My sincerest apologies. My memory isn't what it used to be, I'm afraid."
"Haha. Perfectly understandable. Allow me to remind you, then. Where, pray tell, are the victory remarks of Lady Alrn — the one who claimed victory over you?"
With that single remark, the First Prince moved his head exactly once and located me, seated in the far corner of the hall.
There was no way this fell under luck, or instinct, or anything of that nature. He'd simply kept me inside his field of vision the entire time.
A stalker armed with power, authority, and malice.
Shove yourself into a corner and the walls tend to warp around you, sure, but this was a step beyond creepy. If the so-called First Prince of the kingdom is like this, the future of the nation is looking awfully dark.
"Now then, Lucy Alrn! Come up here at once! You were the victor, after all — surely you deserve such congratulations!"
The First Prince raised his voice, wreathed in a smile of pristine innocence.
No. Wait. Why is this bastard suddenly—?!
You are NOT the smiling type of character!
Why are you suddenly plastering on that fake act and trying to haul me onto that stage?! What do you want?! What are you aiming for?!
In the moment the First Prince's shout froze both me and the Duke of Patran solid, he seemed to remember something, clapped his hands together, rose from his seat, and started toward me.
"Ah, of course. You've been through a great deal today. You must be exhausted."
...Huh?
"My consideration was lacking."
No.
Hey.
Hold on just a second—
"I shouldn't have called for you. I should have come to you myself."
SIT DOWN. I SAID SIT DOWN!
STAY IN YOUR SEAT!
"As any defeated opponent should."
Whatever I screamed inside my head had no effect whatsoever on reality.
The First Prince, now standing before me, gave his hand a small wave and wove together a Voice Amplification spell.
So that whatever spilled from my mouth, every soul in the ballroom would hear it.
"Now, take whatever time you need before speaking. I can wait as long as it takes. I have been looking forward to this moment, after all."
He gave me no opening to respond.
And not only that.
He didn't even leave time for anyone else to interject.
Flawless timing, flawless pressure. Exactly as if — just as he'd said — he had been waiting for this one moment, and this one moment alone.
<...Child. Brace yourself.>
...Haah.
Damn it.
Damn it!
DAAAAMN IT!
Shut-in stalker!
I have no idea what you're scheming by pulling this stunt right now, but remember one thing!
Maybe you're the strong one today. But by the time I graduate from the Academy, the board will look very, very different.
Prepare yourself to lick my boots!
Got it?!
'What an honor it was, First Prince, to face you in such a glorious bout.'
"This festival, I was told, was a truly glorious contest, thanks to the First Prince's consideration. My, how skilled you are at pretending to be a pathetic pushover. It made for such an honorable duel. Ah — wait. Don't tell me... you weren't deliberately acting weak, were you? Pfft. Oopsie. My mistake."
"WHAT NONSENSE DO YOU SPEAK?!"
"Lucy Alrn! That is outrageous!"
"Lady Alrn?!"
That is, assuming I'm still alive by then!