Practicing Her Name
The round-the-clock nursing I had braced myself for with Cecilia wrapped up in a matter of hours.
"Wow, who knew her immunity would bounce right back like that."
Shurian stepped into the room, checked on Cecilia, and emerged with a thoroughly satisfied smile. The two of us left Cecilia's room together.
"Your Grace, you're something else. How did you know the young lady likes flowers?"
"I found out because Cesil... no, the young lady visits the greenhouse often."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hmm. No reason... Ah, these really are the good times~"
"It's not whatever you're thinking, Shurian. Cecilia... no, the young lady and I are strictly a contractual—"
"Aaaah~~~ These are the good times~!"
I wanted to grab Shurian as she fled into the distance that very second, but I held myself back.
"Haa."
Back in my office, I sat down and replayed what had happened earlier in Cecilia's room.
'My name...?'
'Yes.'
'Why all of a sudden?'
'...Even if this is only a contractual engagement, we still have to show other people a certain degree of closeness.'
'Ah, if that's all you're worried about—'
'So let's practice. Come on, Your Grace?'
'What am I supposed to call you, then...'
'Call me however is comfortable for you, Your Grace.'
'...Cesil...'
'Ah.'
'Cecilia... Miss.'
'...Heut.'
'Miss Cecilia?'
Bang!!!
I slammed my forehead into the desk.
"I'm an idiot. A complete... Instead of helping Cecilia, who's already suffering under this contractual engagement, I only made things harder for her."
Even after ransacking the Household Mate Wiki that makes up most of my romantic knowledge, nothing resembling a clear solution for the present situation turned up.
"What the hell am I supposed to do about this."
If the relationship slipped even a little off-kilter, the mutual promise of the contract could collapse, and in the worst case it might deal a devastating blow to Cecilia's mental state. On top of that, this mysterious endemic disease—wasn't it just one disaster after another?
"Huu. And on top of everything, someone—whoever they are—went after Cecilia."
It could be a person or a house that used the initial S, or it might simply be a smokescreen meant to make us fixate on a particular family.
"No point fretting over it."
I had been careless this time, but there would be no next time. The moment they bared their teeth again, we would bite first. That was the creed of the Northern Grand Ducal House.
House Walterheim.
"Looks like the information was properly leaked. Well, a mad wolf nearby is always scarier than a distant lion—that's human nature for you."
The houses that had betrayed the North already had the eyes and ears of House Walterheim planted among them. I had warned them that if they showed even the slightest suspicious movement, it would not be individuals who paid the price—the entire house would be wiped out.
"Glad to see they took the warning to heart."
"Jester."
Jester set the documents down in front of me, looking distinctly pleased with himself.
"What's got you smiling like that?"
"Hahaha. I'm simply happy that the relationship between the young lady and Your Grace is progressing beyond a mere contract."
"I keep telling you it is not going beyond a contract."
"Hehehehe. Things in this world rarely go exactly as planned. Before I married Shurian, I swore I would serve House Walterheim alone for the rest of my life. And look at me now. I've raised a late-born daughter and even an adopted one."
"Haa."
"Life is full of surprises~"
"Well, that's a problem for later. What about the thing I asked you to prepare?"
"Here it is."
What Jester handed over was the list of Northern nobles entering the Academy this year. I had already committed the second- and third-year information—where Cecilia was—to memory.
'I'll have to pick someone to watch over Cecilia from the second-years, but...'
Not a single one with any standout specialty. Had the North always been this short on talent?
"The North's talent pool was at its peak when the older young master and the younger young master attended. We nearly lost them, though."
"That was a real close call."
I had nearly been forced to start from absolute zero. Thinking about it again, holding Black Heart Castle and cleaning out the central knights had been a divine stroke of luck.
"Haa. Then Cesil..."
"Hmm~?"
"...Ahem! Since there's no one at the Academy to watch over the young lady, I'll have to keep a closer eye on her myself."
"Well, Your Grace completely dropped the swordsmanship curriculum, so you're freer than the other students, aren't you?"
"Damn sword-centric curriculum."
"Hahaha. Don't be too hard on them. Most of the leaders among those central pigs have never even experienced war. I simply feel sorry for the young people being jerked around by the likes of them."
"And the fact that our North's next heirs got jerked around by them is also deeply regrettable."
Jester nodded with a bitter smile.
"Jester, I'm different."
"Yes. Your Grace is different."
When her maternal grandfather summoned her after a long absence, Renata put on her most charming act and ran straight into his arms.
"Grandfather~"
"Oh my, our Princess Renata has arrived."
Marquis Baren Celestia stroked the head of Renata nestled against him, then took his seat.
"Grandfather, why did you call for me so suddenly?"
"Hehe. From now on, Your Highness must answer this old man's questions honestly."
"Pardon?"
"Your Highness, have you ever thought about taking the throne by defeating the older brother who came from the same womb~?"
"..."
Renata could not answer Baren's words and hung her head low. Had she been found out? When? She had been certain she had hidden it carefully enough never to be discovered...
"...Haa."
Baren put a cigarette between his lips and regarded Renata.
"Your Highness, where do you think that power of yours comes from? From my Celestia Marquis Family. As if it weren't enough that Crown Prince Baron is enchanted by a commoner, he went and stirred up a hornet's nest by invading the North on his own whims..."
Hiss!!!
After crushing out the cigarette, Baren's sharp gaze fixed on Renata.
"And in the middle of all that... instead of helping the brother who came from the same womb, you meet up and scheme with those who have that damned Byson Candler's blood flowing in their veins!"
"Hic."
"...Please get a grip. Taking care of your brother is already more than enough to handle."
"I under...stand."
"You may leave."
At the firm dismissal, Renata left the room with her head bowed low.
"Haa... Young... far too young."
Baron, who loved a commoner adored by three men, and Renata, who wanted to shove that Baron aside and climb higher—both of them exhausted everyone around them with ambitions that exceeded their station.
"Report."
"Yes."
The figure who had been concealed behind the curtain stepped up beside Baren.
"The assassination of Young Lady Royenthal failed... and that defective Grand Duke seems to have caught a whiff of something; he has been summoning Northern nobles to the mansion for talks. Really... nothing is going according to plan."
"My lord Marquis, there is one more matter to report."
"Speak."
"We have received information that House Candler is establishing a smuggling route into the North."
"...Is that true?"
"Yes. It appears they intend to take advantage of the new winds blowing through the North thanks to the routes opened by the merchants' alliance."
"Tsk. Young Lady Royenthal's unnecessary actions have finally gotten the heavy-bottomed House Candler moving."
"What shall we do?"
"As always, we obstruct them from the shadows. Increase security along every road leading to the North. And just in case, contact the Northern nobles. Tell them to report the moment any further information surfaces."
"Yes."
Baren lit another cigarette. For so many long years he had dreamed of an emperor with Celestia blood flowing in their veins, yet countless unforeseen variables were wrecking the plan.
"Huu... Grand Duke... that defective Grand Duke... I'll have to see just what kind of fellow he is."
Seeing myself in the mirror wearing not the usual black uniform of the Northern army but the Academy uniform felt utterly awkward.
"Ugh... Can't I just go in my military uniform?"
"Hehehe. Officially it is a measure for an education environment free of discrimination, so what can you do? Look at the young lady."
From the direction Jester indicated, Cecilia emerged walking—as beautiful and full of grace as she had appeared in the novel illustrations.
'To radiate that much dignity even in an Academy uniform...'
Once again I felt it—Crown Prince, just what were you thinking when you kicked a beauty like that to the curb.
"Your Grace."
"Young lady."
"Your Grace?"
Cecilia smiled sweetly. A strange pressure washed over me.
"Th... that..."
"Yes."
"Good morning, Miss Cecilia."
"Yes! Your Grace!"
"Guh."
Looking at Cecilia smiling like a fully bloomed flower, the thought crossed my mind that this might not be so bad after all.
'If the price of my embarrassment is that it helps Cecilia's mental health...'
"Just watching the two of you is heartwarming."
"Jester, instead of simply appreciating the view, how about helping with preparations?"
"Oh dear, I've been overstepping."
Jester chuckled and handed me my bag.
"Then off you go."
"If anything urgent comes up, I'll fly right back through the teleport gate, so keep the communication magic tool running at all times."
"Don't worry."
"Young lady~ If any problems arise, you must come back right away!"
"If the Academy food doesn't suit your taste, call for us!!"
"We'll take full responsibility for looking after the greenhouse flowers!!"
"Yes! Everyone, I'll be off!"
The way the mansion staff were fussing over Cecilia more than me had to be my imagination, right?
"Your Grace!"
"What."
Lan, who had been staring straight at me, smiled sweetly.
"Could it be... that you're sulking?"
"I am not."
Haa! Do you even know who I am! I'm grateful they're taking better care of Cecilia, of course!
"You're sulking."
"Lan... stop."
Ruche dragged her little sister away with a deep sigh. And so, naturally, I ended up walking in step with Cecilia.
"Your Grace, have you ever used a teleport gate before?"
"No. As you know, until I was summoned to the Grand Ducal house, I lived in a backwater even by Northern standards."
"I see."
"Youn... no. Miss Cecilia, have you used one?"
"Hehe. No. It's my first time too. Somehow it feels strange that it's a first we're sharing, Your Grace."
Another flashbang went off. Ugh! This purity that blinded me—was this really the villainess of a romance fantasy novel?
'I don't get it. Household Mate Number One... I'm starting to wonder more and more what a romance fantasy even is.'
"Name."
"Pardon?"
Cecilia looked at me with a faint flush on her cheeks and smiled.
"Are you getting a little more used to it now?"
"Miss Cecilia, how is your illness, for that matter?"
"Hehe. Ever since Your Grace started calling me by name, it's gotten better as if by magic."
"Is that so."
Hmm. I was getting a little greedy here. Honestly, it felt a bit unfair that only I called her by name while Cecilia never called me by mine.
"Miss Cecilia."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Are you going to keep calling me Your Grace even at the Academy?"
"Uh... I should, right?"
"Won't that make us seem distant to other people?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, I call you Miss Cecilia so familiarly."
"Uh..."
Watching the flustered Cecilia, I grinned.
"So Miss Cecilia should try calling me too."
"Calling you... what?"
"My name."
"...Pardon?"
"Come on, the teleport gate is right ahead. Shouldn't we practice at least once?"
"Uh... uh... uh..."
Wai—wait a second. The early symptoms of that endemic disease Cecilia had caught—her face turning red—were showing up.
'Damn it! I teased her too much!'
"I'm just kidding~"
"..."
"Alright, let's go!"
Ignoring the icy glare I felt from Cecilia behind me, I stepped through the teleport gate.