Stay Away from Kailo (3)
Two muscular horses drew an elegant carriage into the courtyard of Rondore Castle.
The olive-tree crest of the Dubos family was embroidered clearly upon its side.
Sleek-looking knights escorted the carriage forward, and the moment they caught sight of Vivian's red hair, they offered her a crisp, formal salute.
Vivian received the greeting with a nod.
Two years ago, when they had first laid eyes on her, that steely resolve had not yet been there. Now it was settling, little by little, into her bearing — enough that a stranger might take her for a cold, haughty young woman.
But I knew better.
...She was nervous.
I watched their meeting at my leisure through a second-floor window that looked out over the courtyard. Valon, Willas, and Martin — with nothing better to do in the Disciplinary Unit — stood beside me.
I was hiding up here for two reasons. First, I had no desire to get tangled up in the complicated affairs of an official Rondore function.
Second...
...Vivian had told me to get lost.
She hadn't put it quite that way, but she had ordered me to make myself scarce somewhere out of sight. The Dubos party would be staying about three days, and I was not to be seen for the duration. She had insisted so fiercely, fretting that I would cause another scene.
Given everything I had done before, her anxiety was not entirely unreasonable. But she also knew that I only made trouble in situations that deserved it. If the other party approached me with common sense, I had no intention of starting anything first.
Even so, I understood. The first friends Vivian might ever make were the young ladies of House Dubos. She had been lonely enough already — of course she would go this far. She was trying to eliminate even the smallest variable.
Only a few days ago, Vivian had been secretly, anxiously rehearsing the greeting she would offer the Dubos ladies. Hello. Hello. She had repeated it like a parrot. It was almost funny that a near-feudal lord would tremble so hard just to meet the daughters of a vassal house... but the urge to laugh died quickly. I knew too well how crushing loneliness could be, so I simply pretended not to notice.
In the end, Vivian and I were both growing up without family, with no one to lean on. We had met at fourteen and thirteen; now we were sixteen and fifteen. The only ones who could understand our loneliness and our pain were, regrettably, each other. No one needed a shared heart more desperately than the two of us.
If someone else had been there for me instead of Vivian, I would have exchanged a certain measure of feeling with that person. And Vivian, if someone else had been there for her, might never have given a second glance to someone like me — might have simply handed down my punishment and been done with it.
But reality had not worked out that way. As the representatives of our houses, with no adults to rely on, enduring hostility and walking on eggshells — there was no one around us but the two of us. Even if we hated each other, the only ones who could understand each other's hearts were each other.
So, knowing how much Vivian had been looking forward to this day, I had made myself scarce.
The carriage came to a halt, and the coachman opened the door. Presently the young ladies of House Dubos stepped down, dressed in elegant clothes.
"Oh."
Martin whispered at once as he looked at them. Valon nodded a beat later in agreement.
"...Oh..."
The Dubos ladies, who lived farther south than Loktana, in a warmer region, appeared in dresses that looked like wildflowers. Bright colors, harmoniously matched, only heightened their beauty. Both had lightly tanned skin, and both wore hair the color of brown.
"The tall one... what's her name again?"
Martin asked, and Willas answered.
"Asha Dubos."
Asha Dubos. Eldest daughter of House Dubos — third-born of the family. Long, slender height and firm legs. Fine brown hair. A smile that was warm and yet somehow secretive. She had come of age this year, and she carried herself with a maturity to match.
Beside her was her younger sister, Lani Dubos. Second daughter — fourth-born. Fifteen, the same age as Vivian. A touch shorter than Asha, about Vivian's height. She looked at Vivian with a bright smile, her manner thoroughly lively. Her large eyes were full of mischief and curiosity, and deep dimples lent a sweetness to her smile.
I could see why Vivian had warned us they were beauties.
"Whoa..."
Willas murmured in empty-headed admiration.
"...I'd love to grab Lady Asha's chest and plant a kiss on her."
— Thwack!
I cuffed the back of Willas's head for that remark. The three of them went rabbit-eyed with shock at my reaction.
"Wh-what was that for?"
Willas rubbed his head and asked, but I let out a sigh, exasperated by his denseness.
"It's because you lot talk like that that even I end up..."
...that even I end up looking strange to Vivian, I almost snapped — then simply shut my mouth.
They recovered from my sudden outburst almost at once and went right back to gawking at the young ladies.
"They're really pretty."
"How do nobles always turn out that beautiful?"
"Idiot. Nobles marry beautiful women, that's how. Repeat it for a few generations and of course they're all pretty."
"Looking at a bastard like Kailo, I don't envy the nobility at all... but then I think about being able to take a beautiful woman as a wife, and suddenly I envy them again..."
"...They're really pretty."
The three of them never stopped running their mouths, and never took their eyes off the girls either. I looked down at the Dubos ladies in silence.
"..."
A question rose in me. I followed the thought for a moment, then asked them.
"...Are they really that pretty?"
Martin snorted in disbelief.
"Are you out of your mind, Kailo? Where are your eyes? Of course they're pretty...!"
"No, I can tell they're pretty, but..."
I scratched my head and asked, as if in passing.
"...Then what about Vivian Rondore?"
Contrary to my intention, the three of them fell silent for a beat. I pretended not to notice their awkward hush and gazed off at the distant hills.
Valon spoke first.
"...Look, if you're asking us to compare them to Lady Vivian..."
"Hey, Lady Vivian is in a different league..."
"Are you actually insane? Who the hell would compare anyone to Lady Vivian..."
"..."
I had already thought Vivian was the finest of them — I had only checked out of a lingering unease. What if the curse was making her look more beautiful to me than she really was? But that wasn't it. The trio's answers put me slightly at ease.
Asha Dubos and Lani Dubos walked slowly toward Vivian. Vivian stood still in the same place and waited for them. The young ladies of House Dubos lightly took hold of their skirts, dipped their knees, and offered their greetings.
Asha spoke for them both.
"We present ourselves before the sun of Rondore."
Vivian did not answer at once. She smiled with unhurried composure.
"You've come a long way. Thank you for the trouble."
Proud and lofty, without question. Whether it was performance or a quality she had truly acquired, an authority that could not be easily dismissed flowed from Vivian. Did those young ladies know how long she had practiced for this? It had taken a great deal of effort for a stutterer to come this far.
Watching their warm beginning, I let myself relax.
"...Let's go."
So I told the trio it was time to stop staring. They tore their eyes from the young ladies with difficulty and finally moved their feet.
"...And this is the great hall of Rondore Castle."
Vivian was showing the Dubos ladies around the castle. Asha smiled as she calmly took in the interior; Lani let out one exclamation after another, her face bright with excitement.
"It's truly beautiful, Lady Vivian."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Ah... really..."
With her characteristic cheer, Lani ran out into the open space of the hall. Having someone other than the maids enter the room where she always dined with Kailo left Vivian feeling a little awkward.
Lani seemed so moved by the beautiful hall that she spun lightly in place for a long while, arms spread wide. With a face that knew nothing of the world's stains, pure in her happiness, she then ran to Vivian and caught both of her hands.
"You'll invite me here again next time, won't you? To see this beautiful place only once... it would be too sad."
Lani's sudden closing of the distance made Vivian flinch. Seeing it, Asha issued a warning.
"Lani...! How dare you treat Lady Vivian like—!"
Vivian answered quickly, determined not to spoil the mood.
"No, it's all right. I'm glad Lady Lani is happy."
Even so, Lani snatched her hands back at Asha's rebuke and offered an apologetic smile. Then she smoothly carried the conversation forward.
"...Lady Vivian, you'll hold a ball here someday, won't you?"
A ball.
It was a word Vivian had never even considered. An occasion where many houses gathered in one place to deepen their social ties and dance. She had been steadily learning dance and etiquette from Lady Linne, but she had never once looked forward to a ball the way Lani did.
At Lani's words, Vivian looked around the hall and tried to imagine it — this place where she and Kailo had always been alone, filled with people. The person whose hand she would take, the person she would dance with.
...Only one face came to mind.
"W-well, someday, of course."
She ignored that flustering fantasy and answered. The reason he had come to mind was simply that there was no one else around her. Once she grew close to people like Asha and Lani, the way she had today, it would surely be fine later on.
The maids entered the hall with tea. At Vivian's gesture, Asha and Lani took their seats. As the atmosphere settled, Asha offered an apology.
"Lady Vivian, I am sorry. Lani is not merely high-spirited — she is a complete wild child..."
Vivian answered with a light smile.
"It's fine. It's been a long time since I've had such a playful atmosphere. I'm glad of it myself."
"Lani is still so innocent — she doesn't know the world yet..."
"..."
Vivian looked at Lani. As if Asha's apology had brought her to her senses, Lani was now sitting awkwardly with her gaze lowered — the look of someone who had heard her own faults from her sister's mouth and was being careful. Even so, it was all right. The feeling Vivian had toward Lani was a positive one.
Lani's manner seemed almost to sketch the person Vivian might have become if she had never lost her family. She had already walked too far down her own road to ever become like Lani... but simply watching her was enough for that bright energy to catch.
Wanting to lift the mood, Vivian spoke.
"Still, Lady Lani must be quite popular, mustn't she? Someone so bright..."
Asha covered her mouth and laughed in a ladylike way.
"Her personality does divide opinion, but... yes, she is popular, in her way. Especially among the young lords of various houses."
"..."
Vivian paused for a moment at that, then smiled and nodded. Lani's face had gone red; she was only blinking.
She was not particularly interested, but Vivian had recently been learning from Lady Linne how to charm a man. So, determined to keep up with the conversation, she asked without embarrassment, as naturally as she could.
"Is that so, Lady Lani? Won't you share your secret?"
"Ehehe... I don't really know myself... M-maybe people just look kindly on how stupid I am... Y-you, Lady Vivian, must be far more popular than I am..."
Asha added her own praise.
"Exactly. I don't mean this in a bad way — your presence is cold and lofty... and I heard about it last time as well. That Lady Vivian even went out on a monster-hunting expedition. I thought it was magnificent."
"..."
Lofty and magnificent.
It was the opposite of everything she had heard from Kailo — crybaby, coward, pathetic, weak. How long had it been since she had received praise for her bearing instead of insults?
And yet — why was it that Kailo's assessment still struck her far more deeply than Asha's and Lani's?
Vivian decided that she was simply wearing her mask well. She smiled again and traded hollow conversation. Sipping her tea little by little, she came to know the Dubos ladies better.
It was enjoyable. Escaping the political pressure and burden that had tormented her, spending time on light conversation like this — it was not a bad thing. It felt like calling back a peace she had forgotten.
...But the longer time passed, the more that peace drained her strength. Maintaining a false, light smile was not as easy as it sounded. It felt like wearing clothes that did not fit. Their innocence had become unbearably awkward to her — as if she were keeping company with a different species. Perhaps she had simply lived through too much, and had drifted too far from innocence herself.
— Clink.
Then Lani set down her teacup.
"...Lady Vivian."
"Yes?"
She had grown conspicuously quiet after Asha's scolding, and now she hesitated for a long time, as if she had something she needed to say. Vivian waited so that Lani could speak.
Fidgeting, Lani opened her mouth.
"Th-the truth is, there was something I really wanted to ask you when we met."
That voice, brimming with anticipation, stirred Vivian's interest as well.
"Yes?"
"Y-you said you went on an expedition, didn't you? I... I'm very interested in that sort of thing..."
Vivian offered a light smile, then asked,
"You're interested in going on expeditions yourself, Lady Lani? You're braver than I expected."
"Ah, no, that isn't it..."
"...?"
"...I really love stories about knights. Knights and dragons and princesses... you know the kind?"
Vivian froze again. Her brow furrowed of its own accord as she waited for whatever Lani would say next.
It would not be about Kailo. He had distinguished himself, yes — but a young lady of House Dubos could not possibly be ignorant of the relationship between House Allen and House Rondore. To bring up Kailo's name knowing that would be an enormous breach of etiquette. Besides, the story of Kailo slaying a dragon had only circulated within Loktana.
Fortunately, Lani did not bring him up.
"B-but I heard Lady Vivian was chased by a dragon last time! So then — did all of Rondore's knights protect you?"
"Not all of Rondore's knights... only the ones nearby. Some of them were just squires and soldiers."
"I see... But how did you escape the dragon's pursuit? Or was being chased by a dragon an exaggerated story?"
Vivian thought for a moment — of the instant Kailo had climbed up behind her and faced the dragon alone.
...And before she knew it, she was murmuring.
"...My knight protected me alone."
"Kyaaah!"
Lani's excited cry startled Vivian. Squealing and squealing, the girl asked — face flushed with excitement and full of expectation —
"C-could I meet that knight, by any chance?"
The moment she saw that cute face overflowing with anticipation, Vivian's expression hardened in an instant.
"No."
That cold voice again — colder than even she could understand.
"Ah... what?"
Lani, too, was instantly flustered, reading the room. Vivian was just as shaken. Realizing what she had done, she hastily added an excuse.
"H-his personality is far too foul... I-if you met him, Lady Lani, you'd only end up upset."
Saying so, Vivian brought her teacup to her lips. She kept rationalizing her own lie.
Yes. She could not possibly place a Kailo who had turned sixteen and especially awakened to lust next to this innocent Lani.