A Single Night's Love
Dressed in formal attire, Einzel arrived before the estate of House Luderan.
Aside from the Imperial Palace itself, it was by far the most magnificent mansion he had ever set foot in—and the sight of its sheer opulence drew a weary sigh from his lips. What in the world had they summoned him for this time? Stepping down from the carriage before the estate's main gate, he was greeted almost immediately by a butler who bowed deeply in welcome.
"Greetings. I am Viscount Peltos, head butler of House Luderan."
Sporting an impeccably groomed mustache, the nobleman butler offered his greetings and led the way inside. Luxurious red carpets, gilded candelabras, and glittering crystal chandeliers adorned the sweeping hallways, interspersed with masterpiece paintings by celebrated artists and mastercrafted blades and armor lining every corridor.
Rather than leading him to the great hall, however, the butler bypassed it entirely and began climbing the stairs. As they ascended several flights, a creeping sense of unease settled into Einzel's mind. Where on earth was he being taken? Instinctively, he put himself on guard, watching the butler's back with cautious vigilance.
To his surprise, Viscount Peltos brought him to a modest reception room. With a soft creak of hinges, the door swung open to reveal a polished oak table, behind which sat a middle-aged man in an opulent armchair. He possessed vivid crimson hair and matching eyes—a hue so reminiscent of freshly spilled blood that it sent a chill down the spine. His features were rugged and stern, and his gaze was that of a seasoned lion sizing up its prey. Einzel knew at once: this man was Duke Luderan.
"Welcome, Hero."
The duke greeted him first, prompting Einzel to bow respectfully in return.
"Come, sit."
Einzel took the guest chair offered to him. Duke Luderan wore a faint, unreadable smile.
"It is an honor to meet the Hero everyone in the Empire has been talking about."
"The pleasure is mine, Your Grace. It is an honor to meet Duke Luderan, head of the Empire's premier martial family."
Pleasure, my ass. I'm uncomfortable as hell.
"Is that so? Hmm..."
The duke hummed thoughtfully, then summoned a maid with a small gesture, ordering a cup of tea for his guest. Lifting his fine teacup with a delicate clatter of porcelain, he took a sip, his sharp eyes never leaving Einzel—appraising him like a predator plotting its next move.
"I hear you turned seventeen this year."
"Yes, that is correct."
"The same age as my daughter."
"Indeed."
Einzel looked at the duke with subtle apprehension. What's this about? Is he worried about his daughter?
"Hmm... Have you made any marriage arrangements?"
"No, I have not."
That the Hero had no betrothed was common knowledge throughout the imperial capital. There was no way Duke Luderan was unaware of it, which made this redundant inquiry all the more unsettling.
"I see, I see. A young man without any ties or prospects yet... You are young indeed."
"Ah... yes."
Duke Luderan's roundabout posturing made Einzel's throat run dry, prompting him to gulp down his tea. What in the world did this man actually want to say? He certainly hadn't extended a private invitation to his estate just to exchange idle pleasantries.
Seeing the cup empty, the duke casually gestured for the maid to refill it.
"...It has a wonderful aroma," Einzel offered politely.
"Indeed. Not to brag, but outside of the Imperial Palace, our family is the only one privileged to receive these tea leaves. They are exceedingly rare, you see."
Did they coat the damn leaves in gold or something? A prickle of anxiety tightened Einzel's chest.
"Now then, I suppose it is time I told you why I invited you here... Shall we get to it?"
"...Please do."
Finally. He had been waiting for the man to cut to the chase. Einzel steeled himself, determined to keep his wits about him no matter what was dropped on him.
"You mentioned you have no betrothal in place... and as it happens, neither does my daughter."
"...Pardon?"
Einzel stared at him blankly, his jaw slightly slack.
What is he talking about? Why bring up Sayne's marriage prospects all of a sudden?
Seeing Einzel's wide, disbelieving eyes, Duke Luderan smiled leisurely.
"Which brings me to my proposal... How would you feel about becoming my son-in-law? I hear you and my daughter get along rather well."
It was true that after a rocky first encounter, he and Sayne were on decent terms now. But why on earth was a marriage proposal leaping out of nowhere?
"I... I am hardly someone worthy of becoming Your Grace's son-in-law."
It was the plain truth. Once his duties as the Hero came to an end, he would be nothing more than a commoner granted a ceremonial surname. Once he relinquished the Holy Sword, he would possess neither martial power nor political backing.
"My family are mere commoners from a rural estate... I hardly think I am an appropriate match for the foremost noble house in the Empire. And above all, I do not even know Sayne's feelings on the matter."
"Hmm. Does my daughter's opinion matter?"
The duke stroked his chin thoughtfully, leaving Einzel momentarily struck dumb. If not the feelings of the two people involved, then what else could possibly matter?
As if reading his thoughts, the duke chuckled warmly.
"Hmm. It seems you have little understanding of how noble marriages are arranged. For all your impeccable etiquette, you reveal your rustic naivety in moments like this."
Duke Luderan explained that among the aristocracy, the personal inclinations of the betrothed mattered far less than the strategic interests of their respective houses. He chuckled softly to himself.
"Well, if you are truly so curious about my daughter's thoughts..."
The duke whispered an instruction to the maid beside him. She slipped quietly from the room, only to return a few moments later accompanied by Sayne.
Einzel's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"Ah, excellent. You are here."
Duke Luderan smiled affably and motioned for Sayne to take a seat.
"Now, Sayne. You have reached the age where marriage must be considered, and I would like to see you wed the Hero here. What say you? The young man insists on respecting your wishes, you see."
Sayne took a quiet, measured breath.
"Well? Speak your mind, child," the duke urged.
Biting her lower lip slightly, she spoke in a stiff, halting voice.
"I... believe... it is a good idea."
Einzel stared at her in utter astonishment.
"...Having traveled with him as a comrade, I have witnessed his exceptional character firsthand. Therefore... as a husband... I believe... he would not be a bad choice."
Though her words were disjointed and forced, Duke Luderan broke into a thoroughly satisfied grin.
"You see? Even my daughter has no objection."
Einzel's gaze darted between Sayne and the duke, utterly lost for words.
"Of course, I do not expect an answer right this second. Just... before you depart on your next mission, give me your response before then. How does that sound?"
"Yes... I shall... give it some thought."
Einzel forced the words past his dry lips. With a hearty, genial smile, Duke Luderan summoned the butler and had Einzel escorted back to his quarters.
"...Did such an incident truly occur?"
"Ah, yes. Father tried to arrange a marriage between Einzel and me. Of course, before he could even give an answer, Father abruptly claimed his chronic illness had flared up and retreated to our family estate."
And the reason for that sudden illness was likely... Sayne swallowed the rest of her sentence.
"...I see."
Beatrice pressed no further, and the women rose from the sofa.
"Well, that wraps things up for today... Not that there was anything groundbreaking," Lena remarked casually.
Ultimately, their purpose in sifting through these memories was to uncover why the Hero had betrayed them. Though their focus seemed to have drifted far from that goal by now, dwelling on a forgotten, failed marriage proposal had nothing to do with their original investigation.
Just as they prepared to leave the Holy Ground Central Tower, Peria spoke up.
"...The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace has been ominous lately. Everyone, be on your guard."
Sayne nodded grimly.
"Naturally. The revelation of the Hero's alleged treason made sure of that."
"Right, you know the situation better than anyone, Sayne. But I'm not just warning you. Lena and Beatrice need to be mindful, too."
Peria's tone grew grave as she continued.
"To put it bluntly, the Emperor used this incident to effectively crush half of your standing, Sayne. If he puts his mind to it, he can mobilize the imperial army whenever he pleases. Back when the Demon King's forces threatened the realm, it was one thing, but now he has no qualms about threatening other nations. You heard, didn't you? When Count Cerindel's pursuers crossed into the Kingdom of Peon, they basically threatened war if Peon refused them passage."
"...True. Our kingdom holds very little leverage on the international stage, so I'll need to be especially cautious," Lena admitted.
Tyrentus, the sovereign kingdom of the fairies, had isolated itself from humans for generations, leaving it with virtually no foreign allies. Had they remained aloof from world affairs, that would have been fine, but having stepped out onto the continental stage, there was no turning back.
"...Even if the Hero colluded with the enemy and committed atrocious crimes to bring us to this point... I don't want to see any more of the comrades I fought beside for so long get hurt. I truly mean that."
With Peria's parting words hanging in the air, their gathering came to an end.