When Spring Comes, Honeymoons Melt - 5
The moment the banquet began, I exchanged the bare minimum of greetings and slipped straight into dark-templar mode. The official purpose of this gathering—fostering camaraderie among the Imperial Counts—was nothing more than a pretext. If I actually worked the floor to uphold that pretext, Erich’s romantic front would flash red—no, the traffic light itself would vanish entirely.
Can’t have that.
Besides, for Zenobia’s sake—she had carved out precious time to be here—I needed to keep my head down. If the host Imperial Count bustled about, every visiting Imperial Count would feel obliged to match my energy.
So after a quick round of hellos with the long-unseen retainers of House Crassius and the Hiden retainers who had accompanied Zenobia, I parked myself in a corner and kept watch over Erich.
“I’ve never seen the host of a banquet hide before,” Mar giggled beside me, suddenly stuck in the corner as well.
A banquet host lurking in the shadows was certainly rare. And Mar, who drew every eye the instant she stepped into society as the Iron Blood Duke’s youngest daughter, had surely never experienced a quiet affair like this.
“Sorry. This is your first banquet as lady of the house, and I’ve already wasted it.”
I brushed a kiss against her cheek in apology. This gathering was for Erich, Sera, and Zenobia—but it was also the first banquet Mar had hosted since becoming Countess of Tailglehen. In a situation where she ought to be displaying a countess’s full dignity, here we were skulking. If I weren’t sorry, I wouldn’t deserve to be called her husband.
“It’s all right. We can always hold a banquet for me later. But a banquet for the young master? If not today, who knows when we’ll get another chance?”
“…That’s true enough.”
Watching her shake her head so gently, I couldn’t help a wry smile.
Stepping aside with such generosity—for Erich’s sake—was something I was deeply grateful for, both as his older brother and as Mar’s husband. But for Mar, who was so thoroughly at home in high society, to cleanly abandon her first banquet? That only meant Erich’s situation was that dire.
Useless idiot.
I sighed softly at the sight of Erich standing alone and blank. How many people in this hall were worrying about him and looking out for him? If each of them gave him just one good smack, he’d be laid up in bed.
Hm?
I was about to take a sip of champagne to cool the slow burn in my gut when something odd caught my eye.
Erich stood alone, yes—but his gaze was locked in one direction. His body was rigid; even his fingers refused to move. He looked as if something had stunned him.
Curious what could freeze him like that, I followed his line of sight—
“Oh.”
A short murmur of admiration escaped me. Sera and Zenobia stood exactly where Erich was staring.
Quiet anticipation stirred inside me. Even fashion-blind as I am, I could see both of them had pulled out every stop.
Sera in a pure white dress that radiated innocence; Zenobia in a passionate crimson gown. Tasteful yet brilliant ornaments completed the looks. At any gathering of their peers they would seize the center of attention in an instant.
And fortunately, Erich still counted as one of those peers.
It worked.
A faint flush colored Erich’s face as he stared at them, dazed. I don’t usually enjoy watching a grown man blush, but right now it was pure delight. It meant he was feeling even a tiny flicker of romantic interest toward the two of them.
That was enough. As long as he escaped that old love-comedy cliché of “But we’re just friends!”, hope was plentiful. Once he recognized them as women rather than childhood friends, the road ahead would be smooth.
Frankly, neither Sera nor Zenobia was lacking; if anything they were almost too much. Once he started seeing them as romantic prospects, affection would pile up quickly. It had to. If even this failed to produce any liking, the man was a lost cause in mind, body, and soul.
“Um, Karl…”
“Hm?”
Mar tugged lightly at my sleeve and brought her lips to my ear.
“Marrying for love is ideal, of course… but building affection after a political match is a perfectly valid path too, isn’t it?”
The whisper carried a note of genuine doubt; I closed my mouth.
Mar’s point was fair. Among nobles, political marriages outnumbered love matches, and the partners were often childhood friends. In other words, Erich, Sera, and Zenobia already met every condition for a perfectly acceptable political union.
Still, my stubborn insistence on a love match had a simple reason.
“If he marries for politics, he’ll treat his partner out of pure obligation.”
“Ah…”
That boy would never realize his own feelings. Once trapped inside the frame of “duty,” he would stay trapped forever. He would show affection as a husband and as a childhood friend, but romantic love for them as women would never surface.
That would be tragic. They would be married in name only—no different from the childhood-friend relationship they already had.
“Fortunately Mother isn’t in any rush to marry Erich off, so we push for a love match no matter what.”
I glanced toward where Mother sat. Attended by her nanny, she was deep in conversation with Trixie; she accepted food from Rory and Rin with a warm smile.
I only hoped Mother’s patience would prove sturdier than Erich’s initiative.
Father would want an update on the banquet’s progress, so I stepped out onto the terrace for a moment and took out the communication orb. Fortunately I had secured news that would please him.
Of course nothing had been decided on the first try, yet every time Erich’s eyes found Sera or Zenobia he would glance away—only to force himself to look again. That was not the behavior of someone who still saw them as simple friends, and it was too lingering to be mere awkwardness after their confessions.
Yes. At last he was standing on a proper starting line. More than enough glad tidings to report to Father with pride.
—Once Erich becomes conscious of them as potential partners, things will fall into place. They already know each other thoroughly, and none of them is lacking.
That was certainly true.
—And Georg won’t be pestering me anymore.
Yet the face that answered my report looked rather drawn despite the cheerful words.
…Ah, forgive me. The work turned out more complicated than expected; I’ve been a bit preoccupied.
Noticing my unspoken question, Father murmured with a bitter smile.
Strange. Zenobia might be buried under work, but she was still the youngest member of the Imperial Diet. As the junior, the sheer volume of paperwork might be heavy—that was a junior’s fate—but the difficulty itself should be manageable. What mad organization hands critical duties to someone barely past recruit or private-first-class?
—The moment I offered to take over, they shoved every document they could find at me.
“Ah.”
The next words made perfect sense. A pair of green recruits had vanished, and a veteran sergeant had stepped into the gap. Naturally the other assemblymen seized the chance to dump their work on him.
So Father, who had taken the temporary post with a light heart, was once again locked in combat with mountains of paperwork. Truly pitiful.
I will never set foot in the Diet if I can help it.
Watching him, I made a firm resolution. If I ever retired from the administrative service, I would transfer the Imperial Count title to one of my children first. Leave myself no room to become an assemblyman.
A man who has already been a minister has done enough. No need to become a legislator as well.
When the banquet’s atmosphere crested and began to settle, I slipped with Sera into a small side room near the Great Hall. The terrace saw too many casual visitors; for a private conference a closed room was best.
“How was it?”
“Wonderful.”
The door had barely shut before the short question and immediate answer flew.
“The way he looked at us was different. I’m sure of it.”
Flushed with excitement, Sera clenched her fists and nodded again and again. Erich’s gaze had changed; something had shifted in his heart.
I agreed completely. Normally Erich wore a calm, easy smile. After our confessions he had awkwardly averted his eyes or put distance between us.
Tonight he had not fled. He had looked at us. He glanced away now and then, yes—but he always came right back.
First time I’ve seen that.
My lips curved upward of their own accord. That face, those eyes—even I, who had watched Erich for years, had never seen them before. Sera must have been seeing them for the first time as well.
I covered my mouth with one hand and took a slow breath. Otherwise I would still be grinning like an idiot when we left the room.
A good start.
I set the joy aside for a moment and considered the road ahead.
The start had been excellent. We had succeeded in making Erich see us as women rather than childhood friends. We were no longer merely “close friends” to him.
The only regret was that this breakthrough had arrived so close to the start of the new term. Without Karl’s support we might never have reached even this point, yet being unable to press the advantage still stung.
“…Look after things until the Club Expo. I’ll write as often as I can, but it won’t be the same as being right beside him.”
“Leave it to me.”
When I spoke again, Sera answered with steely resolve and a firm nod.
Fortunately, unlike me, Sera would be living at the Academy with Erich. She would keep the momentum going, shake him from close range, and drop my name at every opportunity.
When physical distance is large, this is the best strategy. Sera’s constant presence plus my letters should minimize the damage of the separation.
When I returned from the terrace to the banquet hall, I spotted Erich scanning the room.
The sight irritated me for no good reason. Instead of looking for useless things he could at least glance at Sera or Zenobia—
“Ah, Brother.”
Our eyes met.
“Have you seen Sera and Zenobia? They were here a moment ago, but they suddenly disappeared.”
At those words the irritation melted away in an instant.
This idiot is actively looking for them now?
I was moved. A small step for Erich’s social awareness; a giant leap for Erich’s love life.
“There they are. Looks like they were just resting for a bit.”
I pointed toward Sera and Zenobia emerging from the side room; Erich’s face flushed crimson again.
A giant leap…
Watching my little brother drift naturally away from me, I offered a silent prayer.
Please watch over my brother, Mr. Neil Armstrong.