A Quiet Afternoon by the Lake
So, this is the one. Arcien Harben. The so-called "possessed woman." She’s likely a bit older than me. The young girl standing before me was nothing like the image I had from the novel. In the story, she was a woman who seemed so cold that not even a single drop of blood would flow from her if you pricked her. But perhaps this sight—her fingers fidgeting nervously right in front of me—was the real Arcien. After all, by the time the story began, the Arcien I was looking at wasn't really Arcien anymore.
"Possessed woman" wasn't just a term for some vicious, sharp-tongued lady. She was literally possessed by an evil spirit. It was a fact revealed only at the moment of her execution in the novel. On the day she was to be executed, just before the blade fell on her neck:
"My name is Rosalia! Rosalia Harben!"
"I will return! I will!"
"You must remember my name!"
With that, Arcien’s head had rolled across the floor. The description in the novel was so visceral that I sometimes wondered if the genre had secretly shifted into dark fantasy. The identity of the spirit was eventually revealed: Rosalia Harben had been the eldest daughter of the Harben Duchy’s first head. The interpretation in the book was that the child had died at a young age and possessed the body of a descendant. While the protagonist and the male leads of the novel had shown some pity, that sadness didn't last long. Furthermore, Yurion Harben, Arcien’s younger brother and the sub-male lead, had watched her head roll away without a flicker of emotion.
Arcien, much like Lumiant in the novel, had interfered with the Academy and tormented the protagonist’s group. In the end, her death served merely as a plot device for the male leads to comfort the grieving heroine, deepening their bond. It was nothing more and nothing less than that. Naturally, I had assumed I would never meet her here. I had resolved to minimize my contact with the original characters from the start; getting tangled up with a main character was the worst-case scenario.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Arcien. I am Lumiant of the Cardion family. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
Why are you here? I hurriedly corrected my posture, having been frozen in surprise, and knelt down.
"No! It’s fine. It was my fault for watching you secretly..."
"But you said just a moment ago that you weren't watching secretly..."
"Ah."
Arcien’s eyes darted around, as if she had just realized her own slip of the tongue. Honestly, it wasn't my fault at all. Who told her to watch me in secret? Still, this was noble society. It was a world where you had to automatically bow your head in front of someone of higher status. If she were the villainess from the novel, she would have been ready to strangle me right then and there, but the Arcien in front of me was nothing like that. It was a side of her never shown in the book. Contrary to her cold, calculating image, her reaction was exactly that of a girl my own age.
"You aren't attending the tea party—what are you doing out here?"
A tea party. It seemed Arcien had stumbled upon the lake while attending one. It was a decent place to escape to, whether out of boredom or discomfort.
"I was practicing swordsmanship."
"Swordsmanship...? Isn't the Cardion family a family of mages?"
Arcien looked at me, puzzled. That was probably the thought that crossed most people's minds when they first saw me. The eldest son of a mage family, obsessing over swordsmanship...? It was a reaction I had seen from many people, not just her.
"I have no talent for magic, nor even for mana itself."
"Ah..."
"So, I am honing my swordsmanship instead."
Was she quite surprised by my words? She blinked, looking at me as if I were someone who had said something forbidden. Lumiant has no talent. It wasn't widely known yet because I was still young, but the fact that the eldest son of the Cardion family was a dunce would soon spread across the continent. No matter how much the family tried to block it, rumors always found a way through the cracks. Still, seeing that Arcien didn't seem to know, I suppose they were still managing to keep it under wraps.
Perhaps she thought she had asked a rude question. She began to sweat, wearing an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to ask with that intention..."
"It is quite alright. It cannot be helped."
"It cannot be helped..."
Arcien’s apologetic expression began to stiffen slightly. I didn't know the reason, but I shifted the conversation to a different topic to lighten the mood.
"Lady Arcien, what brings you here? I believe you were invited to the tea party..."
"Ah! I just came out for a breath of fresh air!"
The brief stiffness vanished, and she returned to her previous demeanor. Then, silence followed. Shouldn't I be saying, 'Well then, keep up the good work. I shall take my leave now'? Arcien was a daughter of a ducal house, and I was merely the son of a count. My status wasn't exactly low, but in front of Arcien, I was just another ordinary noble. I couldn't be the one to tell her I was leaving first. Arcien should have been the one to dismiss me, but she just stared at me blankly, doing nothing.
"Would you... like a sandwich?"
"Ah! I’d love one!"
As soon as I made the offer, she approached me as if she had been waiting for it. The moment I handed her the sandwich May had packed, she devoured it without caring about the bite mark I’d left. Perhaps embarrassed by my steady gaze, Arcien barely covered her face as she finished off the rest.
"Lumiant, are you not going to train anymore?"
"You mean the swordsmanship training?"
"Hmm... wouldn't this be enough for today?"
"Is it enough?"
I had worked up quite a sweat. I flopped down onto the picnic mat. "Would you like to lie down as well, My Lady?"
"Would it be alright if I lay down too?"
"Of course. Who would dare say anything to you here?"
"Then..."
Arcien approached cautiously and settled onto the mat. With the birds chirping and the sunlight greeting my face, the shock I’d felt upon seeing her began to settle. Right, I had no reason to go to the Academy anyway. It wasn't like a mandatory military service, and in this world, one person from the family was more than enough. I had already planned to hand over the position of family head to Serian. There was no need to go to the Academy and suffer for no reason. All I needed was to manage Serian’s mental health and maintain a decent level of ability. If I did that, I wouldn't have any reason to see Arcien again after today. Meetings between nobles were extremely limited unless they were in social circles or at the Academy. No plans to enter social circles. No plans to enter the Academy.
"...Lumiant, aren't you anxious?"
"Me?"
While I was lost in thought, Arcien, who had been lying beside me looking at the sky, spoke up softly. What was this sudden, out-of-the-blue question?
"Is there any reason for me to be anxious?"
"Not necessarily. It’s just that Lady Serian was born with such dazzling talent. I wondered if you might feel... jealousy?"
"Jealousy, you say..."
Arcien must have heard about Serian’s talent before attending the tea party. Jealousy? I’m actually grateful. She’s taking on the hardship that would have been mine. It was a sentiment I had never considered, so I tried to brush it off with a joke. But Arcien’s gaze was so sincere that, without realizing it, I found myself offering a serious, comforting response.
"Serian must be having a harder time than I am. Why would I be jealous?"
"Yes...? No, it’s just that she is the object of everyone’s envy, isn't she?"
"If that’s the reason, then there’s even less need for me to be jealous. Serian might have to work herself to the bone until the day she dies just to remain that object of envy."
"..."
"You see, I don't really understand the need to live life so desperately. I’m already happy enough just having been born a noble."
"Happy..."
Living as a noble is such a sweet deal. She stared at me with a dazed expression. Arcien Harben and Yurion Harben. Their relationship wasn't detailed much in the novel, but Yurion was described as a sub-male lead and a genius at swordsmanship. And Arcien was never shown wielding a sword. Considering the setting that she was in the Academy’s swordsmanship club, she likely possessed no small amount of talent for it, unlike me. Thinking of how Yurion was the heir to the Harben Duchy, she had probably been pushed away from the succession. Hoping that if she could remember my words before the evil spirit possessed her, she might be able to resist, I continued.
"I’m perfectly content just lying here like this for the rest of my life."
"But wouldn't others point fingers at you? Saying, 'Your younger sister is living so diligently'..."
What is this, a jab at me? "That is why I am putting in my own effort, in my own way."
"So that’s why you’re practicing swordsmanship..."
"Yes. Now, no one expects anything of me. I am a presence that the Cardion family can do without. They don't tell me to do anything anymore; in fact, they make a fuss telling me to rest whenever I appear at the training grounds."
"That’s..."
Arcien looked at me with pity. "That’s fine, though. I don't need to be strong to meet someone else’s expectations. I just need to be strong for myself. Even while practicing swordsmanship, I know. I know that I lack the talent for it. But I am trying, just to reach a compromise with myself."
"With yourself?"
"Yes. I don't want to give up."
Yep. Because I don't want to be abandoned. I packaged my thoughts and explained them in my own way. In the novel, Lumiant had blamed his lack of talent and given up on everything. Because of that, he had decorated his end with the worst possible conclusion.
"So that you can understand yourself..."
"Yes. No matter how little talent I have, I want to be able to say I did my best. Serian may have to carry the burden on her shoulders and satisfy others, but I only need to satisfy myself."
Some might call it a lazy way of thinking, but I believe it to be the truth. If I live comfortably, build up my abilities moderately, and show a kind face to those around me, I can live a peaceful life in this world. Great talent is an equally great burden.
"I actually feel sorry for children with overflowing talent. The fact that they have to look only forward, unable to even throw a small tantrum to the adults because of the talent heaven bestowed upon them at such a young age."
There were many such children in my past life, too. Children who showed brilliance in a field from a young age always lived carrying the weight of their parents' expectations.
"I don't want Serian to be like that, at least not in front of me."
"I hope you can be happy in front of me as well, Lady Arcien."
This, at least, was sincere. Please, stop causing useless trouble elsewhere and just try living happily. Arcien was also a villainess who met a fate similar to Lumiant’s. Perhaps she was the character in this world most similar to me. It was a small piece of advice given in the hope that she wouldn't meet the cold end of a character in a novel. And after talking this much, surely Arcien understood that I wasn't a bad person, right?
"Lumiant, you really are a good person."
"Me?"
"Of course. There aren't many people who wish for the happiness of others like you do."
"You are too kind."
You get it now, right? Live happily, okay?