Let's Get Some Fresh Air Too - 3
Anyone who knew even a little of the Golden Duke's temperament would have assumed, as a matter of course, that this year's school trip destination would be Boyar. I had thought so. Margeta had thought so. The headmaster had thought so. Honestly, every student at the Academy had probably thought the same.
And the fact that the Golden Duke was a man obsessed with money was common knowledge not just throughout the Empire, but across the entire continent. When your very title was Golden, how could anyone miss it?
That was why Villar, too, had let his guard down assuming they would head to Boyar again this year — only to get swept up in a sudden, unexpected drift.
"I don't know the Empire in great detail, but I've heard Chenes is quite a charming place as well. From the students' perspective, visiting a variety of destinations will broaden their horizons."
"A fair point."
But Villar's expression was so calm you would never have guessed he was a victim of that drift. Whether past experience had elevated him to a plane where a change of school trip destination was nothing, or whether he simply considered Boyar and Chenes more or less the same, I couldn't say.
Not that it mattered either way. As long as Villar and the rest of the Three Kingdoms contingent accepted it without fuss, life was easier for me. If those poor seconded civil servants, trembling at the thought of their charges going wrong, had thrown a fit asking, "Why Chenes? Is there some conspiracy afoot?", the headache would have been enormous.
"Moreover, I've heard the Wise Duke is your aunt, Inspector. In that case, Chenes should be a familiar place to you — I'm looking forward to an enjoyable trip."
Still, remaining unruffled and fulfilling one's duties were two different things. As the officer in charge of security, Villar needed to check even remote possibilities, so he casually brought up my connection to the Wise Duke.
"Haha, not particularly. When I was young I stayed on the estate, and these days I live in the Imperial Capital, so occasions to visit Chenes have been rare."
Of course I denied it at once — the suspicion was absurd. I did have a connection to the Wise Duke, but I hadn't interfered in selecting the school trip destination. Was I crazy enough to walk into Chenes of my own free will?
I was reluctant to visit any duchy, but Chenes especially so. If something went wrong in Boyar, I could ask the Golden Duke for help. If something went wrong in Chenes, the person I'd have to ask for help would be the Wise Duke.
Absolutely not.
Regardless of the Wise Duke's abilities, borrowing her hand was something to avoid as much as possible. If I borrowed another duke's hand, the next time they asked something of me I could simply grant it — an ordinary transaction. But if I owed the Wise Duke a debt, I would have to repay it in some utterly bizarre fashion.
"Nephew! Hey, nephew! Then can you gimme a piggyback ride!?"
"What?"
Amazingly, that was a true story. I had once owed the Wise Duke a favor over work, and her demand had been so brazen and crystal-clear it nearly broke my mind.
And afterward, I really did have to give her a piggyback ride.
Fuck.
The humiliation from that day was still unforgettable... Looking on the bright side, it was a scene that could show off my closeness with a duke — but if the only way to show off that closeness was by giving her a piggyback ride, wasn't it better not to have it? And when I was already keeping quiet about being her nephew, what was the point of showing off anyway.
"Is that so? Then this school trip will be a special one for you as well, Inspector."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it myself."
At any rate, whether he believed me or not, Villar nodded as if nothing were amiss.
Meanwhile I couldn't figure out why the phrase "special trip" hit so hard. It would certainly be special, all right.
Having confirmed that the Three Kingdoms contingent had no complaints about going to Chenes, it was time to inform the host how many guests would be arriving.
Since the selection of Chenes as the school trip destination was itself the Imperial Household's will, I could have gotten away without notifying anyone — but when you were entering someone else's territory, failing to observe even this small courtesy was a sure way to get marked.
"─That is all. I'll send the detailed roster separately."
"Yes, thank you for taking the trouble when you're busy."
And when the other party was a relative and the sole suppressor of a certain alcoholic, one had to be even more careful. How precious was someone who could restrain, even a little, the drunkard the Emperor himself had given up on.
"I'll pass it along at once. She'll be delighted to hear her nephew got in touch."
"I suspect she'll be angry that I didn't contact her myself."
"Haha, she probably will."
My maternal uncle burst out laughing at my entirely sincere remark. At that timing, I had hoped he would deny it.
Still, better to hear her complaining later.
His laughter left me conflicted, but this was the right call.
When foreign military power was entering a territory, the proper thing was to speak to the lord directly — but discussing business with the Wise Duke risked the conversation veering off in some other direction. Better, in every sense, to endure the drunkard's sulking after she heard the news late.
Besides, my uncle already served as the external window for the Wise Duke, who poured everything into her version of SimCity. With a little stretch of the definition, contacting him was the correct move.
"That aside, I'll get to see Erich after a long time. I've barely had any chance to see that boy."
When the work conversation ended and my uncle brought up a personal topic, I gave a slight nod.
Unlike the family head and Mother, whom I could at least see once a year at the New Year's Audience — and unlike myself — Erich was an ordinary noble son. No matter how much of an uncle he was, as long as he carried the calling card of the Wise Duke's husband, he could hardly make a long journey just to see a mere young noble. Unless something truly extraordinary happened, they simply couldn't meet.
Of course, if Erich went to the Chenes Duchy himself, my uncle and aunt would welcome him warmly — but unfortunately Erich was in the business of desperately avoiding his aunt, so what could you do? It was the karma of the Wise Duke, who had planted trauma in little Erich.
"We'll come together to pay our respects. If you could name a convenient time─"
"No, I'll come find you. You rest. I can't let a grown nephew see his disgraceful aunt."
At those words I quietly lowered my gaze. He meant he would go alone so Erich wouldn't have a fit at the sight of the Wise Duke.
Erich, just how badly did you suffer? If Uncle was talking like that, it couldn't have been an ordinary incident.
Was there something I don't even know about?
I was curious, but strangely I didn't really want to know. There were secrets in this world that ought to stay buried forever...
"Anyway, I'll make it look like I ran into you by chance, so once you arrive at the lodgings, cont─"
"Eeeeh? Honey! Whatcha doin' all alone?"
"Ah."
"Ah."
A new voice suddenly barged into a room that should have held only my uncle — that familiar drunken drawl.
We're screwed.
If I broke my arm, could I skip the school trip? No — even if it broke, Tanian would heal it right away.
What about running a high fever? No. If I was only half-sick, I'd have the illness to deal with and my aunt's full attention. Unless I was completely unconscious, I was doomed to suffer at her hands.
I'm going crazy.
Lying in bed, I let out a sigh. Of all the places in the world, why Chenes? We could have just gone to Boyar like last year. Or if it had to be another duchy, there was Ulken or Servet. Why, of all places, Chenes at the far western edge?
I knew Chenes was famous as a tourist destination. And my aunt wasn't a cruel person. On the contrary, every time she saw me she wore a smiling face and stuffed my hands full of pocket money.
But she was... a bit much.
"Our little nephew! Give your auntie a kiss!"
"Uuuuung, you're so cute... I wish I could be your auntie forever..."
"Om nom nom nom nom!"
...Not a bit. A lot. Even as a child I had seriously wondered whether she thought of me as a doll.
"Your aunt loves you very much, so don't be too afraid of her."
I had carefully brought up the school trip during a conversation with Mother, my heart full of dread, but the answer that came back was hopeless. She put a nice spin on it, but in the end even Mother was saying she couldn't do anything about Aunt.
Why was it that none of the adults I knew were normal? The family head was too stiff; my aunt was too loose. I just wanted a middle ground, but there was none.
Life...
Still, if I clung to a tiny, tiny hope — under Imperial law I was an adult now. Surely even my aunt wouldn't bite and suck on an adult nephew's cheek. If she had any dignity as a duke—
No. If she had any dignity, she probably wouldn't be drunk in the first place.
As I clutched my throbbing head and searched for ways to avoid my aunt, the communication crystal on the bedside table lit up.
What now?
The unexpected contact made me frown. Who would be calling at this hour?
Still, a call in the middle of the night had to be important business — and even if it wasn't, I couldn't unilaterally ignore someone's attempt to reach me.
"This is Erich─"
"Little nepheeeeeeew!"
A voice that seemed to pierce straight through my eardrums made me instinctively shut my eyes.
Of all times, she called while I was thinking about her. Did I have the power to turn imagination into reality?
"This auntie! Is so moved! I heard our little nephew was gonna call this auntie?"
"What?"
What on earth was this about.
I had nearly been subjected to the Wise Duke's drunken tirade, but when a person is cornered, unknown powers awaken. With miraculous quick thinking, I managed to dodge the bomb that was the Wise Duke.
Sorry.
The problem was that it wasn't a complete dodge — it was a dodge that required a sacrificial lamb.
I offered my sincere apologies to Erich, who was even now suffering under the Wise Duke's drunken ranting.
"Nepheeeew! How, how could you do this to meeeee! After how much I love my nephew!"
"Ah, well, Erich said he wanted to talk with you after so long, Auntie, so I stepped aside."
Even I had to admit I had sold him out rather cheaply.
"Liar! There was no call from my little nephew!"
"He was probably nervous because it had been so long. Perhaps you could try contacting him first..."
"Ooooh? Is that so!?"
But what choice did I have? I had to save myself first.
Sorry, Erich.
Still, enduring the drunken duke's tirades was the destiny of House Krasius, so accept it gracefully.
Besides, once you enter public office or high society, you'll get to wear the title "Favored by the Wise Duke" — isn't that something to celebrate?
This older brother believes so.
And the next day, during club time.
"...You okay?"
"No."
I was treated to the sight of Erich radiating exhaustion and betrayal from every pore of his body.