Letter of Recommendation (2)
Letter of Recommendation (2)
It felt as though something urgent was about to happen, but time passed quietly, and three years went by.
Though she had warned me it might take a while, the invitation still hadn't arrived, even as the time for my second brother to study abroad drew near.
Eventually, I forgot about the invitation and continued training on my own.
And so, one day, when I had grown taller, filled out, and turned fourteen.
Thump-thump.
Someone was running down the path that led to the mansion.
It was my personal maid, Flora.
She ran up to me with an extremely tense expression, then gasped for breath before speaking.
"Huff... huff... The Duke is looking for you, Young Lord Alex. He said to put everything else aside and come quickly. It seems to be something important."
There was only one important matter I could think of.
I immediately followed Flora to the mansion.
The Duke was working alone in his office.
I announced my name as I entered, and the Duke frowned when he saw me.
He seemed to find me even more displeasing than usual.
I pretended not to notice and stood before his desk.
When I first arrived, I could barely see over the desk, but now it came to just below my chest.
As usual, the desk was piled high with documents.
As I stood before him, the Duke opened a drawer, took out an envelope, and placed it on the desk.
It was made of high-quality material and sealed with red wax.
One look was enough to tell that it was a letter from a high-ranking noble.
The seal had already been broken, and the Duke pulled the letter from the opened envelope.
He read it, frowned, and set it down in front of me.
"Explain to me why this invitation has arrived."
I was momentarily dumbfounded by the question, which came completely out of nowhere, but I still understood what he was talking about.
I read the letter in front of me.
Perhaps the education I'd received so far hadn't been in vain, because the letter, written in the verbose, flowery language of the nobility, was easy to read.
After reading it in full, I understood why the Duke was frowning.
It was the invitation I'd forgotten about because so much time had passed. I couldn't believe it had arrived this late.
Stripped of its elaborate flourishes, the letter was an ordinary invitation.
It said that, having heard about me through someone's introduction, they wished to invite me to the capital and help me with my studies.
But the name at the end of the invitation was the problem. It was a name I'd never expected.
It wasn't Katrin de Rattenhamar, who had been posing as a mercenary when I met her.
Nor was it the name of her father, Count Rattenhamar.
Ria de Carlos.
Her maiden name was Ria de Rattenhamar.
The invitation had been sent directly by the King's third wife and Katrin's elder sister—in other words, the Princess's mother.
The unexpected name threw my thoughts into disarray, and I couldn't immediately answer the Duke.
The Duke continued to glare at me, and I forced myself to snap out of it.
"Well... I don't know exactly why this invitation has arrived, but I have met the person mentioned in the letter."
Fortunately, the name of the person who had caused this whole mess—Katrin—was included in the invitation.
She had submitted my recommendation to someone far higher up than I'd ever expected.
"I first met Lady Katrin at the Marquis's estate. She introduced herself as a mercenary..."
I had no choice but to confess what had happened with her.
What had happened at the Marquis's estate, and the exploration we'd undertaken together after returning.
I couldn't give a detailed account of the tomb exploration.
I'd sworn a secret oath with her to keep it confidential.
"Did you sign a contract at the temple?"
The Duke immediately caught on when I glossed over the details.
"Yes. But no harm has come to the Duke's estate because of it."
When I said that, the Duke pointed to the letter in front of him and said,
"You might not know this yet, but now that this letter of recommendation has arrived, it seems difficult to conclude that no harm will come to us."
Oh dear. Now that the Duke's estate had received an invitation from the Queen, would the Duke find himself in a bit of a bind whether he accepted it or not?
It would probably be best to pretend I knew nothing about this.
"So, while helping with the affairs of the Marquis's estate, you became acquainted with Count Rattenhamar's daughter, who was traveling incognito as a mercenary. After that, you helped her with her work and won her favor... And that's why she spoke to her elder sister and had this invitation sent..."
As expected, the Duke had summed up the situation exactly.
"But there would be no reason to send such an invitation out of mere goodwill. What is the reason?"
Once again, I was struck dumb by his words. It was truly a relief that, thanks to the contract made at the temple, I didn't have to say anything.
"...I'll have to look into that separately."
After staring at me for a long while, the Duke gathered up the invitation.
"Now that I know it wasn't sent by mistake, the remaining issue is deciding whether to accept it."
He tapped the desk, muttering to himself.
As expected, he didn't ask for my opinion at all.
I hadn't expected him to, either. Objectively speaking, there was no way a noble like the Duke would ask the opinion of a bastard child who had just turned fourteen.
As I was thinking that, the Duke's voice reached my ears.
"What do you want to do?"
Huh? Is he asking me?
I looked up in surprise, but the Duke's expression hadn't changed. His face was as expressionless and cold as ice.
What on earth was he thinking?
I barely managed to answer his unexpected question.
"...I wish to go. I want to learn more so that I can help my brother rule the territory."
Fortunately, a decent answer slipped out.
At my words, the corners of the Duke's eyes crinkled slightly.
It seemed he didn't quite like my answer.
It was exactly the sort of thing a good bastard child with no desire for the territory would say, though...
Was calling Simon "Brother" a bit of a stretch?
Fortunately, it didn't seem to be a problem.
Without another word, the Duke dismissed me from his office.
The next day.
I heard the Duke's decision.
I had my second brother to thank for that. He'd barged into my room first thing in the morning and furiously spat the words at me.
"What do you mean you're going to the capital too! That makes no sense! What on earth did you do!"
His voice rang out across the room.
Flora, who had been pouring tea nearby, quickly retreated like a startled bird, while he flopped down in front of me, glaring.
He seemed extremely angry.
Though he used to act up a little, Manuel was still someone who strictly observed noble etiquette. Yet now, he was completely out of line.
"Has the Duke already made his decision?"
"What? Did you really know something about this?"
Of course I knew. Seeing my completely nonchalant expression, Manuel's face turned even redder.
He pointed a finger at me, turned around, and shouted,
"Brother, don't just stand there. Say something! This is weird!"
My first brother was standing by the entrance. Simon stood outside the door with an awkward expression.
Because my second brother had made such a fuss the moment he entered my drawing room, I hadn't noticed Simon until then.
Tsk, had I let my guard down too much just because I was at home? I needed to be more alert.
"Father must have his reasons. Mother went to see him, so we'll hear the reason soon. You should act like a noble, stop losing your temper, and go back to wait."
Huh? Simon had said something completely contrary to my expectations. Hadn't he come along to take his younger brother's side?
"Brother, you've been weird ever since you came back from the Marquis's estate, too! Ever since you got engaged, you've just been acting all solemn for no reason."
At Manuel's words, I looked at Simon again. And indeed, the frivolous air he used to have had almost entirely disappeared.
Yet he didn't seem to be forcing himself to put on airs like before, either.
Looking at Simon, I smiled warmly to myself.
The hardships at the Marquis's estate had been worth it.
It seemed our first Young Lord had finally become an adult.
When his brother didn't back him up, Manuel yelled in frustration.
"Eing! No matter what anyone says, I can't accept this! A half-wit who doesn't even have any real abilities is going to the capital with me? If I have to hang around with a guy like this, how am I supposed to hold my head up in the capital!"
Oh, for a sixteen-year-old, he sure knew how to say things that were chillingly unpleasant.
He'd probably said it in a fit of anger, but it was still unpleasant to hear.
Then again, if word got out that he was going to study in the capital with a bastard, the gossip would be no joke.
All sorts of gossip about the Duke's family would spread, people would compare me, the bastard, to him, and all kinds of annoying things could happen left and right.
Thinking about it, it was understandable enough, but...
Still, feeling bad was feeling bad.
I subtly dangled some bait.
"In that case, why don't you test my skills?"
"What?"
"Even if you have someone else verify them, it would be hard for you to accept it yourself, so... how about you, Brother, personally verify my skills through a light sparring match?"
It was pretty obvious bait, but my opponent was still a boy in his mid-teens.
"Ha? A personal duel? Fine! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Manuel, who had been looking at me with a dumbfounded expression, quickly agreed with a triumphant look.
"Fine! Just wait! I'll go get permission right now. Once Father sees your true skills, he'll cancel the plan immediately. Don't you dare run away, and make sure you prepare thoroughly!"
Perhaps he thought my suggestion was a brilliant idea. He dashed out of the room, looking excited.
Sighing as he watched his younger brother run off, Simon looked at me and spoke.
"I don't understand why you're going to the capital either, but since it's Father's decision, I won't say anything. With your skills, you won't be looked down upon anywhere."
During our time at the Marquis's estate, he had also witnessed my training and sparring sessions several times.
Though he might not know the exact extent of my abilities, he surely knew I possessed outstanding skills for my age.
"But not only Manuel but Mother won't just sit idly by, either. Even if you have the ability and skill, your background won't change. You had better not expect to receive any help from my brother or the Duke's family even after you go to the capital."
After delivering an unusually long speech for him, he turned around and followed his brother.
His tone was incredibly cold, but surprisingly, it didn't feel bad to hear.
'Huh? Did he just give me advice?'
Shortly after my chaotic brother's visit ended, the sparring match was scheduled.
To be honest, I hadn't expected the duel to actually be scheduled. Had the word not reached the Duke?
In any case, the duel was to take place at the family training ground in the forest behind the mansion.
Manuel had intended to use the central training ground to crush me in front of everyone, but it seemed those above him had vetoed the idea.
He must have been disappointed, and I was a little disappointed, too.
And then there was Mother.
"What on earth is all this!"
Before the duel with him, my mother, who had heard the news about my studying abroad, rushed into my room in shock.
I had to repeat to my mother what I'd told the Duke.