Sorting Out the Past and Present (3)
"This is the first time the Bourdin family's daughter is showing her face in public, isn't it?"
Not many nobles had attended the engagement ceremony. Only a handful with ties to the Bourdin family were present. They stood scattered across the outdoor venue, glasses in hand, exchanging what passed for "refined" conversation.
"She's finally appearing before society. A shame it's at her own engagement party, though."
It was a clear morning. A faint haze shimmered beyond the wide grounds of the Bourdin mansion. The temperature was mild. The sounds of summer and the chatter of guests filled the estate.
"Still, it is the Bourdin family. It's been ages since we've seen a social event of this caliber. I never expected them to prepare something so elegant."
"Her first appearance, veiled in mystery. We're fortunate to witness it."
The nobles residing in the royal capital offered their judgments of the gathering, each word steeped in vanity.
"Well, it seems occasions like this will be rare for some time now."
"Indeed..."
A sweet fragrance drifted through the back garden—the scent of fruit wine. The engagement ceremony had not even begun, yet the cloying sweetness already rose from the mouths of nobles who had started toasting in advance.
"It looks like the time has come to discover whether the rumors circulating in social circles are true."
"Baron Bourdin's daughter... If only I could arrange a match with one of our own children."
"We still cannot say whether she will be a peerless beauty or something utterly grotesque."
The chatter grew loud. Loud enough to grate on Maxim's nerves. From behind the doorway, he frowned and glared at the nobles trading such gossip.
"Maxim?"
When his expression twisted, Marion, standing beside him, gazed at him with eyes that seemed locked in shadow. Maxim belatedly smoothed his features, but Marion turned her gaze toward the banquet hall, her own eyes heavy with gloom.
"...Don't pay them any mind."
Maxim looked down at Marion as she tugged at his sleeve. It seemed she was worrying about him in return, even as he worried for her. There was no need to pretend he wasn't upset. Marion saw through him too clearly for that.
"Are you all right?"
Marion looked up at him and nodded. Her hand remained fastened to his sleeve.
"I'm fine."
The eyes that declared her fine truly appeared untouched. Maxim realized they stemmed not from innate strength but from long adaptation, and his brows drew together. He was not sure such a state could honestly be called "fine."
At least it was a small gathering of acquaintances. That was something to be grateful for. Unsure what to say, Maxim simply took her hand. It was her gloved right hand. Marion smiled.
"I'm really all right. In fact... I'm happy right now."
The hand holding hers trembled faintly. Marion's face was flushed with a soft pink glow.
"I'm happy. Not only to have this occasion, but... to be able to stand here together."
Marion wrapped her fingers around his trembling ones. For the first time, the gloved hand held another's, carrying warmth between them.
"I've simply grown enough that words like those no longer affect me."
Marion smiled. It was an honest, pure smile that ached to witness.
"Yes. That's right. I'm truly fine."
Maxim carefully lifted his hand and stroked her hair. Like praising a child whose eyes sparkled at having grown taller, he gently ran his fingers over her jet-black locks. Tied back as it was, her head did not tilt far.
"I'm sorry."
Once this moment ended, once his time in the royal capital ran out, he would return to the No Man's Land where death could come at any time. He would face monsters again, stand against the Behemoth once more. Knowing all this, Marion still smiled and told him it was all right.
"...Don't apologize. There's no need to be sorry."
She returned the words he had once spoken to her. He wondered if he still remembered them.
Maxim held her gaze for a long time.
"Because we're the same?"
Marion nodded at his question. From the fragments of his incomplete memory, Maxim barely managed to retrieve the scene.
It is still all right. For now, it is still all right. I can remember.
The doorway facing the mansion's back garden remained quiet. Only distant noise drifted from the banquet hall.
"When is she coming out?"
"The main event should begin soon."
He let the nobles' irrelevant complaints wash over him.
A man approached the doorway where Maxim and Marion waited.
"Are you prepared?"
Emil Bourdin's voice was cold as he regarded them. Marion forced her answer out.
"...Yes."
Emil Bourdin looked down at her with a piercing gaze, then raised his eyes to Maxim and twisted his lips into a smirk. The back door of the mansion opened, and Emil Bourdin stepped out into the banquet hall. Marion's eyes did not dim. They remained the same luminous blue she had turned toward Maxim as she now gazed at the gathering.
"Goodness, Maxim, Marion. What are you doing lingering here?"
Another voice came from behind them. Maxim's father, Louis Apparte, approached with a relaxed smile that contradicted his words.
"The main characters are meant to appear last, but if you delay too long, people will hold it against you."
Louis Apparte stopped before Maxim, rummaged in his pocket, and handed him a small box.
"Honestly, my own son and I still have to take care of everything."
Maxim met his father's eyes with an apologetic look. Louis Apparte waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough, enough. Just don't show an unsightly side."
Louis Apparte offered Marion the same smile.
"After the engagement ceremony, Marion, you will likely come to our territory."
Marion nodded. Louis Apparte regarded her with pity. His gaze drifted to the mask that hid her scars—the reason the Bourdin family had so readily betrothed her to Maxim.
"...Enjoy the ceremony. If you dislike it, simply end it as quickly as possible."
"Thank you."
Marion's eyes curved beautifully as she answered.
"Go out right after I do. It really is time to begin."
Louis Apparte stepped through the open back door into the banquet hall. The commotion now felt much closer. Marion hesitated, wondering whether to follow. But Maxim gently caught her shoulder and turned her toward him.
"Maxim?"
"Just a moment. Before we go out."
There is only now. Maxim let out a bitter smile as he spoke.
A small box rested in his right hand. Marion stared at it with curious eyes.
"It's a little late, but—"
Maxim opened the box. Inside lay a pair of rings. Small silver bands gleamed, each set with a sapphire the color of Marion's eyes. She gazed at them in astonishment.
"This is...?"
"An engagement ring."
Maxim smiled as he lifted one. A formality for a political marriage. An empty vow. Yet the ring seemed to carry countless stories.
"C-can I truly accept this?"
Marion's face showed confusion, gratitude, and surprise all at once. Seeing her expression, Maxim nodded.
"Will you take it?"
The ring was not exchanged out of love. Both of them understood that perfectly. The wall between them was too thick. Perhaps it was stubbornness on both sides—the primal guilt and sense of kinship they shared.
The ring sparkled beneath the sun. After a moment's hesitation, Marion extended her left hand.
"...Put it on for me."
Her face flushed as she spoke. Moisture made her blue eyes shimmer. Maxim accepted the request with care and slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. The same band now gleamed on both their left hands.
"Now let's go out."
Maxim offered his arm. Following etiquette, Marion carefully placed her hand on it and linked their arms. So close. Her heart thundered. The ring rested against his right arm where her left hand lay. She tested a little weight on his steady arm. Was it truly all right for her heart to race like this?
Marion looked up at him.
"What is it?"
"Nothing.... It's nothing..."
She trailed off in answer. The corner of Maxim's mouth lifted faintly as he stepped outside. His feet met the grass. The sun's heat was not fierce for midsummer, yet the warmth radiating from the ground created a stifling atmosphere.
"There they are."
"Can you see clearly?"
As Maxim emerged, the waiting nobles' voices quieted into murmurs.
Though the crowd was not large, it was enough to constitute a proper social gathering. All eyes turned to Maxim and Marion as they walked out arm in arm.
"Ah, so that is the Apparte man who has become Bourdin's son-in-law by good fortune?"
"Handsome, isn't he? Tall as well. A knight, I presume?"
They first discussed Maxim's family and appearance.
"I heard he is a knight. Serving in one of the royal capital's orders..."
"I have no interest in which order. Frankly, I care so little about knight orders that the name would mean nothing to me."
Then their gazes fell on Marion, her arm linked with Maxim's, and the murmurs swelled.
"There comes the youngest Bourdin daughter."
"Oh..."
Soon half the buzzing turned to sighs.
"What is that mask?"
"I have no idea..."
"Even in summer, she wears a glove on her right hand."
"What could have happened?"
Someone whispered.
"The rumor that her face was ruined must be true. Otherwise why cover it with a mask?"
One noble clicked their tongue softly.
"What a waste. If only it had not been ruined..."
The revealed half of Marion's face could indeed be called beautiful. If the portion hidden by the mask matched it, she would have been the most lovely young lady in the entire royal capital.
Sighs escaped the nobles' lips.
"Well, Baron Bourdin's decision is not entirely incomprehensible."
"One might even call it shrewd."
The words reached them. Marion tightened her grip on his arm. Maxim could feel it. The murmuring continued until they reached the center of the banquet hall.
"It seems the protagonists of the day have arrived."
Wearing a manufactured smile, Emil Bourdin approached. When he swept his gaze once across the gathered nobles, their noise died away completely.
"As the host of this gathering, I will offer a brief word before stepping aside."
Emil Bourdin clapped lightly.
"My thanks to all of you for attending my daughter's engagement ceremony. As it is an engagement, there will be no extravagant events. Simply enjoy the music, food, and drink. Let us hear a short greeting from the couple and then begin the banquet in earnest."
With a smile, Emil Bourdin yielded the floor to Maxim. Maxim composed the calmest expression he could manage. Marion released his arm and watched with a face caught between tension and concern.
"I am Maxim Apparte of the Apparte barony."
Maxim drew a breath.
"...I wish to thank Baron Bourdin for arranging this occasion and all of you who have come to bless our future."
He scanned the nobles listening to him. Or rather, pretending to listen while they assessed his worth and appearance. Disillusionment filled him.
"I hope you enjoy the gathering Baron Bourdin has prepared. I will keep my words brief."
Marion stepped forward. Maxim secretly squeezed her hand once as she did.
"...I am Marion Bourdin."
Every noble fixed their gaze on her as though hunting for weakness. Maxim disliked those stares. He disliked Emil Bourdin even more—the man who showed no intention of shielding his daughter. Though he had expected nothing else. For the briefest moment, Maxim let a flicker of hostility slip free.
A few nobles caught in that aura swallowed hard, their gazes trembling. Guards reached for their weapons but withdrew their hands in confusion when the hostility vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
In that interval, Marion finished her greeting safely.
"...Thank you."
Silence blanketed the hall for a moment. Then Emil Bourdin, unable to bear it, began to applaud. Quiet clapping followed, breaking the stillness.
"Then let the banquet begin."
At Emil Bourdin's words, the orchestra struck up a light minuet that flowed from the strings.
"I told you to watch your behavior."
Emil Bourdin approached Maxim discreetly and whispered. Maxim returned only an empty golden stare. Emil Bourdin shook his head.
"The curse has taken hold. You no longer see anything at all."
"...Isn't it time you stopped paying attention?"
At Maxim's sharp reply, Emil Bourdin snorted and withdrew.
"Maxim?"
Marion's voice came from behind. He turned to look at her. In the lively banquet hall, gazes clung to her like burrs. Maxim moved to her side as if to shield her from them. He offered his hand, and though shy, she gladly accepted the escort.
It was then that fresh commotion stirred in the hall. A new guest seemed to have arrived somewhat late. Maxim and Marion watched the nobles part with puzzled eyes.
"...To think they would come."
"I never imagined they would visit in person..."
"I heard they were invited, but I did not expect this."
From the conversation, the newcomer appeared to hold considerable status. The noise swallowed the exact name, however.
Maxim turned his head slightly to see the new arrival. The person entering the banquet hall was someone he had not anticipated at all.
Platinum hair. The usual sharp aura was absent. Theodora. She wore attire appropriate for the occasion rather than her customary garb. Her clouded eyes met Maxim's, then drifted downward. Reflected in Theodora's gaze were the matching rings on Maxim's left hand and the hand it held, each set with the same blue gem.