The Capital's Groom of the Year - 2
I was trapped in a dilemma. I could not decide which was the right course—addressing her as Magic Lord, or calling her Beatrix.
If I considered the nobles' nerves, the peace of high society, and the Magic Lord's dignity, the former was correct. But if I thought of her happiness and our status as an engaged couple, the latter was right. Whichever I chose, the aftermath was guaranteed to be a mess. It was a problem of endless complexity.
"Darling?"
Ah.
Only when I heard the Magic Lord's voice did I realize my mistake. A duke had spoken to me first and I had not even answered—regardless of rank, that was simply rude.
Worse, a faint anxiety had begun to cloud the Magic Lord's eyes at being ignored. It was subtle enough that no one would notice without looking carefully, but the fact that she felt anxiety at all was the problem.
If I had simply called her Magic Lord the moment I returned the greeting, it would not have been a major issue. She might have felt a little disappointed, but with so many watching she could have assumed I was restraining myself. But if a stiff title came out only after I had hesitated long enough for her to grow uneasy, the Magic Lord was far more likely to take it as a wound.
Specifically, she would probably hurt herself with some strange misunderstanding like, Does he not want to flaunt our relationship in front of others?
Pretty high chance of that.
It might sound like just one little misunderstanding, but I could not afford to let my guard down. The Magic Lord already had a history of her self-esteem hitting rock bottom over the potion incident. I had to handle her as delicately and gently as peeling the wrapper off a piece of soft candy.
"Yes, I've been well. Beatrix."
A little late, but I answered with a smile. The fact that I still used formal speech rather than casual language was the last scrap of my reason.
Calling her by her real name still left room for explanation. Between two people who had already exchanged rings, addressing her as "Your Grace" would have been far too bizarre. Conversely, a hundred-years-younger brat speaking casually to someone so vastly his senior would have been pure insanity. After years of married life it might be different, but it was still too early for casual speech in public.
So this level was appropriate. Using her given name while still maintaining courtesy. When there were many eyes watching, I would keep it at this level. Then both the Magic Lord and the nobles ought to be able to accept it.
—Or so I thought.
"Th-tha-t's... that's a relief, then."
The moment I spoke her name, the faint anxiety vanished in an instant. The Magic Lord's ears fluttered helplessly; her face flushed with shy color, the unmistakable look of a woman in love.
No—why that reaction? I hadn't even switched to casual speech. I had only used her name. Did she place more weight on being called by name than on dropping formalities?
"……."
Beside me I could feel the Iron Blood Duke suffering a silent fit of shock. He looked too stunned even to manage a hollow laugh or an exclamation.
Of course the other nobles were the same. The surroundings, which had been noisy with greetings and solicitations, fell quiet for the first time.
Shit.
I had misjudged. I had thought that calling her by name, while surprising, would still fall within acceptable bounds—but even that, from the nobles' perspective, was forbidden territory. Was she Voldemort? She was a mage, after all.
Or perhaps it was only natural. To everyone else she was a being who had reigned as a duke for nearly a century, living history who had served multiple emperors. Calling such a person by name had simply never entered their imagination.
I was done for. If her name alone caused this, what would happen if I ever spoke casually...? Leaving aside the Magic Lord's embarrassment, the nobles might suffer a mass heart attack from sheer shock.
"...Your relationship seems so special that even I, merely watching, find myself excited. Your Grace, allow me to offer my early congratulations on your marriage."
At any rate, one of the nobles who had fallen into a collective stun finally managed to open his mouth. No matter how confused they were, they still produced remarks for the sake of socializing. That was a noble's instinct.
"Indeed. I had been concerned that there might be many difficulties between Your Grace and the Audit Department Chief, but it seems my worries were groundless."
"The difference in race is no light matter. Yet having overcome that problem, would your bond not be stronger than any other?"
Once someone took the lead and spoke, others began to open their mouths one after another.
A place overflowing with forced smiles, congratulations, and flattery. Though the five syllables of "Beatrix" were burned vividly into everyone's minds, no one mentioned them. They all seemed to have reached a tacit agreement to let it pass naturally.
And they simply averted their eyes from the Magic Lord's still-fluttering ears, as if looking would get them wiped out to the last man.
"Beatrix. I was hoping to greet the other members of the in-laws' families. Would you care to come with me?"
In the midst of that strange, awkward atmosphere, I carefully opened my mouth. If this situation continued, the Magic Lord would only accumulate black history, and the nobles might reach the point of having to declare, "This humble one has gone blind!"
"Yes, let us go together. When else would we all gather like this?"
The Iron Blood Duke, who had kept silent, supported my words. A faint confusion still lingered in one corner of his expression, but his mouth worked just fine.
Now that Margeta shared the same husband as the Magic Lord, the Iron Blood Duke could never keep his distance from her. Since they could not be separated anyway, he had apparently decided it was better for her to be among family rather than among the nobles.
"Very well. I should like to offer my greetings as well."
Fortunately the Magic Lord nodded without any particular complaint.
Yes—better to stay among the in-laws. Far preferable to drawing aggro among the nobles.
"Preferable," of course, only meant we had avoided the absolute worst. It was by no means the best option. At most it was the second-worst.
"There are many faces I am meeting for the first time. How delightful to see you all like this."
And so, at the appearance of high society's ultimate thug—the invasive species of the social ecosystem—the members of the three in-law families, who had been chatting cosily among themselves, all fell silent at once.
The Magic Lord almost never left the Magic Tower except for the New Year's Audience. Even then she showed her face for only about a day before vanishing. Overwhelmingly more people had never even seen her face, let alone spoken with her.
Just seeing this rare duke up close was enough to make hearts pound—and now she was greeting them first, in polite speech? It would not have been strange if someone had fainted in tears.
"Your Grace. Please, speak freely with us."
Count Flannel, the first to recover his wits, made a thoroughly sensible remark—
"How could I do that to people who are now practically family across the bridge of marriage?"
—only to fall silent again, his face even more confused, at the Magic Lord's soft smile as she answered.
Well, in a broad sense they could be called family, but among that family was she not by far the eldest? In that case casual speech would actually have been fine.
Of course, no one had the courage to tell the Magic Lord that she was the oldest and therefore it was all right.
"So you are Luise."
It was the Magic Lord who broke the awkward silence. She approached Luise—who had been thoroughly cowed by the duke's appearance—and spoke in a warm voice.
"Y-yes! I am Luise Naiad of Baron Naiad's house!"
Naturally, no one could answer comfortably just because a duke was being warm. Even though Luise got along easily with members of the imperial family, royalty, and even a future saint, that was because those people were the strange ones.
At any rate, to her tightly wound answer the Magic Lord gently stroked Luise's cheek.
"You've grown up so pretty. When I saw you before you looked so listless I was worried."
At those words the surroundings stirred again. The two of them should obviously have been strangers, yet the Magic Lord's remark carried the flavor of an old acquaintance—and quite an old one at that.
Luise's parents in particular reacted even more violently. Their precious only remaining daughter was already acquainted with a duke? They must have been dizzy wondering what on earth had happened.
"Um, Your Grace. Forgive me, but... have I met Your Grace before...?"
That did not mean the party involved, Luise, was perfectly fine either. She was probably desperately combing through her memories, trying to recall whether she had ever seen the Magic Lord even from a distance.
Unfortunately it was a meaningless effort. Luise and the Magic Lord were indeed acquainted, but Luise had never seen her true appearance.
"Of course I have. Though this is the first time in this form."
With those words the Magic Lord's hair—long enough to drag on the floor—grew steadily shorter. The pure white locks turned blue, and even the pointed ears that marked her elven blood rounded into ordinary human ones. It was a wondrous sight.
And at that transformation Luise's eyes flew wide.
"T-Teacher...?"
"Heh. Yes. It's been nine years since I last saw my disciple, so I'm glad."
The Magic Lord stroked the hair of the dazed Luise and shot me a sly, smiling glance.
She didn't need to go that far.
The sudden revelation of a master-disciple relationship. But I thought I understood why she had revealed it, so I lowered my head slightly in thanks.
Honestly, among the people with whom I had exchanged rings, Luise was the one most disadvantaged by status. Margeta of a ducal house and the Magic Lord needed no mention; Section Chief One was a marquis's daughter. Even Irina was the daughter of Count Jorun, a major figure in the Golden Duke's faction, and Section Chief Four, who held a knighthood, was a key asset of the Ministry of Special Affairs. None of them were people one could treat carelessly.
Luise, on the other hand, was merely a baron's daughter. Even if she would inherit the title, she was the lord of a provincial fief far removed from real power. And yet that ordinary provincial noble's daughter turned out to be the Magic Lord's sole disciple? It suddenly reeked of light-novel protagonist energy, but it was reality.
"Master and disciple both falling for the same man—what an amusing fate."
At that unexpected dagger I quietly lowered my gaze.
When she put it like that, I sounded like some deranged womanizer.
I am exhausted. His Majesty the Retired Emperor abruptly transferred part of his titles to me at the end of the year, and now he has ordered me to hold the fort at the New Year's Audience. I can endure the work being dumped on me, but I wish he would at least give me advance notice.
Still, I can bear it. A thoroughly entertaining spectacle is unfolding right before my eyes.
"It seems the Empire will soon have a great celebration."
At those words the Imperial Counts' gazes all turned as one toward the place I was watching.
"Your words are most just. With the Audit Department Chief having so many partners, it is truly a joyous affair."
"Haha, I never imagined the Golden Duke's legend would be reenacted."
Grasping the situation, the Imperial Counts smiled and each added a remark. Minor contributions, yet they pleased me all the more.
In the past I would not have found this so enjoyable. When the Audit Department Chief started talking about a joint wedding and how all of them would be first wives, I truly thought he had gone mad. Fortunately he has since come to his senses and is ashamed of those remarks—what a relief that is.
I am grateful to the Minister of Finance for conveying that vital information. As expected, the Minister of Finance is a loyal subject.
"Count. Would it not be good for you to go over as well?"
Recalling that heartwarming loyalty, I turned my gaze to Count Tailglehen.
When His Majesty the Retired Emperor left his seat, the Imperial Counts had approached me. Naturally Count Tailglehen, himself one of the Imperial Counts, was at my side.
"I am fine, Your Highness. The New Year's Audience is not that long, after all."
At my invitation Count Tailglehen calmly shook his head and declined, offering the reasonable excuse that there would be plenty of other opportunities to meet later.
But was it only my imagination? Beneath the Count's expressionless face I sensed a powerful resolve never to go near that place.