The Aunt Who Came to Scold
"I'll have some tea brought in."
"You may leave us."
Lameris snapped the order without so much as a glance at Cunning, the head butler.
"And see to it that the surroundings are kept quiet. I'd rather not have word of this leaking out."
"…Very well, my lady. Should you require anything at all, do not hesitate to call upon me."
Cunning's footsteps were slow, as though he found leaving Bayul alone here distasteful. Bayul shot him a look meant to say everything was fine, but it fell far short of putting the old man's heart at ease.
"I heard everything. You ordered Derrick to be confined?"
"…That is what happened, Aunt."
"Why on earth would you do such a thing? What grave crime has Derrick committed that you would mobilize the Full Moon Knight Order itself to persecute him?"
"Persecute? That's absurd. I was merely preparing for every eventuality—"
"Eventuality? What eventuality? Are you suggesting he might run away?"
"…I judged that, in his fear, he was capable of it."
"Judged! Who do you think you are, passing judgment on anyone? Derrick is your elder cousin. How could you do such a thing to your own family?"
"I understand perfectly well how upset you must be, Aunt. It must have come as quite a shock. But Derrick has committed a crime—and not a light one, either."
"So he borrowed some minerals, is that it?"
"…Whether it was a little or a great deal will have to be determined by the investigation."
In truth, borrowed was a grossly inadequate word for what had happened. But Bayul had no wish to point that out and further agitate his aunt.
"Still, he's your cousin. Given the circumstances, couldn't you have simply turned a blind eye?"
"…I beg your pardon?"
"Do you even know what situation Derrick is in right now?"
"Situation? I'm afraid I don't understand what you're—"
"Marriage talks are underway with the eldest daughter of Count Redwin. If a scandal like this erupts at such a delicate moment, do you truly believe the marriage will proceed smoothly? How can you be so thoughtless!"
Bayul was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even manage a word. All he could do was blink.
It was Derrick who had committed the crime, not him. Yet here she was, barging in unannounced with this utterly nonsensical tirade.
He could understand the distress of a worried mother. But he could not accept this logic in the slightest.
Was the marriage really the thing that mattered here?
This was a side of his aunt he had never seen before—she had always seemed so wise and forbearing. Bayul was, frankly, shaken to his core.
"I'm not saying Derrick did nothing wrong. Yes, the boy made a mistake. But he's your elder cousin! How can you show not a shred of mercy? I was so incensed that I couldn't sit still, and that's why I've come all this way!"
His aunt's voice rose higher and higher.
"When the Full Moon Knight Order suddenly surrounds a mansion, what will people think? What's that? He can't step a single foot outside? Where did you learn such insolent nonsense—! If word of this reaches the Redwin County, how do you intend to answer for it? Hmm?"
Lameris was trembling from head to toe now, glaring daggers at Bayul.
"Aunt, please calm yourself first, and hear me out."
"Do I look calm to you? You're ruining the bright future of a boy on the verge of marriage—do you not realize that!"
Her utter unreasonableness left Bayul speechless, but he forced himself to stay composed.
"It was not I who ruined Derrick's bright future."
"What did you say?"
"It was Derrick himself. Did I order him to steal?"
"S-steal? How dare you say to my face that Derrick committed theft?"
By this point, Bayul found it difficult to keep listening quietly. If the marriage talks fell apart, it would be entirely Derrick's doing. Why on earth was he being called to account for it?
"He bribed several of the laborers and made off with the minerals at will. If that isn't theft, what would you call it?"
"Hoh hoh, how you've changed. How could someone as meek as you spit out such vile slander?"
The look Lameris fixed on Bayul blazed with fury.
"Yes, Aunt. I was frail and meek—once. But this matter has nothing to do with that. Even if I were still the person I used to be, I would have handled it exactly the same way."
There was no denying that as his ailing body had healed, he had grown more assertive, and his manner toward people had changed. But that had precious little bearing on how he'd resolved this affair.
This was a matter of simple morality. Embezzling a city's assets for personal gain was not something one could look away from.
His aunt and Derrick alike should have been begging forgiveness, not flying into a rage like this.
"I'll say it once more: the one who committed the crime is Derrick. I merely followed the proper procedure."
"With flexibility like yours, I shudder to think how you'll survive this harsh world! If it's your cousin's mistake, you could let it slide once—why is that so difficult?"
"If it had been a simple mistake, I might have done exactly that."
"This is a simple mistake! I'll even promise on his behalf that it won't happen again. And with the elders away in any case, couldn't we just quietly let this pass?"
So that was the conclusion.
She certainly took her time beating around the bush to ask that everything be swept under the rug.
Bayul let out a small, hollow laugh to himself at the sheer absurdity of it.
"As I said, important marriage negotiations are in progress. I trust I needn't explain to you what kind of family the Redwins are."
"……."
"If this affair ruins those talks, the blame will fall entirely on you. Can you bear that?"
It felt like being threatened. Would his father have taken this line if he'd been here?
No. Absolutely not.
That thought only deepened Bayul's disappointment.
"Responsibility, you say?"
"That's right! Isn't our family on the brink of disgrace? And you're the one bringing it about. Surely you're not too dense to grasp something so simple?"
"Oh, I understand it all too well. That it is not I but Derrick who is bringing shame upon our family—and that you, Aunt, are assisting him in doing so."
"What did you say?"
Lameris's face crumpled in every direction at once. He had thought that would finally get through to her, but nothing had changed from the start of the conversation.
"So don't try to pin any responsibility on me. I have done nothing wrong."
"Then if you'd simply make it all go away, the matter would resolve itself, wouldn't it? Why is it so impossible to talk sense with you?"
"Because it can't be made to go away."
Bayul's voice was resolute.
"No matter how many times you ask, my thoughts and my judgment will not change. While Father is away, I am the master of this castle. He told me that when a decision must be made, I should never hesitate to act according to my convictions. And these are mine."
"Ha! So cornering your own cousin is your conviction, is it?"
"My conviction is that when a crime has been committed, the punishment should fit it. That is all I meant."
Bayul looked straight at his aunt and answered each word clearly.
"You've become remarkably insolent in my absence."
Lameris clicked her tongue and shook her head again and again.
"You look nothing like your old self. I heard you wouldn't even leave your room after Bail died—so this is guilt, I suppose, that drove you to the Academy?"
It was the same pattern as Derrick. Whenever they found themselves cornered in an argument, they reached for Bail as a weapon against him. It was true that it wavered his heart each time—but he was no longer cowed by it the way he once had been.
"If you keep this up, I won't simply stand by and take it."
"…What exactly do you mean by that?"
"I'll use every ounce of my power to block your path. You blocked my son's, so what choice do I have? I'll see this through to the very end."
Lameris's face glinted with venom. This was absolutely not the aunt Bayul remembered from his childhood. What on earth had happened to her in the years since?
"Well, of course a prodigy like Derrick, the rightful heir to the dukedom, would chafe at you. But this has gone too far. Lashing out over such a trifle—whoever looks at this will call it your mistake. I can see plainly how ridiculous my husband would find it all."
"If I know my uncle, he'll think as I do. It will pain him, but he is a man who does what is just. My father is the same way."
"You think so? When his own son suffers persecution like this at the hands of a nephew, do you truly believe a father would sit quietly by?"
"Does it not occur to you that you are the one persecuting me right now? Who else is twisting logic beyond all recognition, if not you, Aunt?"
Bayul had truly resolved never to say those words. But with her pressing him like this, he had no other choice.
"And you say you'll block my path? By what means, exactly? Have you forgotten, in all this time, what manner of man my father is?"
"……!"
"Ah, I see it on your face—that's when it finally dawned on you. That's right. I am the only living son of a father they call a living legend of this empire. If anyone's path must be blocked, wouldn't my position be a great deal more advantageous than yours, Aunt?"
"Wh-what? How dare you—!"
"Please stop saying 'how dare' in my presence. That is not a phrase you have the standing to use."
Bayul's gaze was steadier and more forceful than it had ever been as he spoke.
"And if you mention Derrick being heir to the dukedom even once more, I will report it to my father immediately. Derrick said the same thing himself. At first, I was willing to think it was mere assumption—but now I'm beginning to suspect you have designs you shouldn't have."
"D-designs? What designs?"
"I'm no threat to you, of course. But are you confident you can face my father? If my father turns his heart against you, he could shatter those marriage talks you treasure so dearly with a single word—and you know that better than I do, don't you?"
Lameris's face drained white.
The boy before her was not the Bayul she knew. She had rushed over believing that a little intimidation would settle the matter, and found a completely different person standing there.
Who would believe, looking at him now, that he was sixteen?
She had kicked the wrong beehive, plain and simple. One misstep and she herself could be cast out. And what would her stubborn husband do if he learned the truth of this? That, too, filled her with dread.
"You've said quite enough. Please go home now. Today's visit will remain known to me alone."
"…Do you mean that?"
"I can't answer for anyone you may have crossed paths with on your way here. But I'll see to it that the people of the castle keep their mouths shut."
Only then did it strike her—what have I done?—and she felt herself come back to her senses. She had charged over in a blind fury over Derrick's confinement, without thinking anything through.
Who might have seen her? This was no time to be standing here.
"I intend to deal with Derrick's matter as soon as Father returns. Until then, I ask that you conduct yourself with restraint. As you said yourself, there are plenty of watching eyes, aren't there? Staying quiet and out of sight is your best option for now."
It was Bayul—infuriatingly, invariably right.
What on earth could have happened to change him so completely?
The more she looked at him, the more the question gnawed at Lameris.
"I won't see you out. Good day."
Lameris left in near silence, so quietly it was almost embarrassing given how she had stormed in. The moment the fierce exchange ended, the strength drained out of Bayul all at once.
What had I been looking at all this time?
His aunt and Derrick were, without question, family to Bayul. They were his uncle's household—it had always been the most natural thing in the world.
Yet he realized he had never truly known them at all. At first it had been mere disappointment; now it edged into genuine shock. Because none of what he had witnessed today was anything he had ever once seen from his uncle.
Did his uncle know?
No—he couldn't.
The man was perpetually buried under his duties. He traveled so often on business that perhaps he simply hadn't been able to keep a close watch on the household. He might return home, learn all of this, and be more stunned than Bayul himself.
His heart grew heavier and heavier. He was so bewildered that he found himself wondering whether, for his uncle's sake, he should have simply buried the whole affair.
But Bayul's conscience and convictions settled the matter: he could not.
What if Bail were still alive? Would he have chosen differently than I did?
No. Never. Their father had not raised them that way. If Bayul let this matter slide, it would only bring disappointment upon his father instead. For his father's sake, and for Bail's, Bayul could not back down.
Whew. I only wish Father would come home soon.
Weariness drew a sigh out of him unbidden.
"Young Master! You need to eat!"
Just then, Rita came looking for him with a voice so bright she might have been waiting for this very moment.
"I've laid out a whole feast of dishes made just the way you like them! Off to the dining hall with you, right this instant!"
"A taste of Rita's special cooking after so long, hm?"
"Of course! You've been through an ordeal—you need to look after yourself!"
For all her breezy cheer, the look she kept stealing at him was brimming with worry. She had clearly been eavesdropping from outside.
"As it happens, I'm starving. Let's go."
Bayul had noticed, and answered all the more cheerfully as he rose to his feet. Tonight he would eat a good dinner and sleep soundly. That should clear his head, at least somewhat.
Shaking his head as if to shake off everything that had just happened, Bayul hurried toward the dining hall.