Stay Away from Kailo (4)
“How were the young ladies of House Dubos?”
Elena asked, smoking her long pipe with an alluring air.
In the dim room, Vivian reviewed the day she had just finished.
She had taken tea with the young ladies, shared conversation, eaten dinner…
At dinner she remembered fretting that Kailo might appear at any moment.
Fortunately he had remained as quiet as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.
Even when she wandered the castle today, glancing about, there had been no sign of him at all.
He was surely hiding somewhere, just as she had ordered.
A strangely pleasant satisfaction rose in her at the thought that he had obeyed so well.
“Hmm? Vivian. The young ladies?”
“…Ah.”
Vivian realized she had once again been thinking of Kailo without meaning to.
Pulling herself together, she summoned the Dubos sisters back into her mind.
She had met them for only a single day, yet she felt she could describe them like this:
“They lacked for nothing.”
Beauty, temperament, the power of their house, their wealth, the love they had been raised with—nothing was wanting in them.
Especially Lani; Vivian envied that lively spirit.
Perhaps it was because Lani possessed what had been stolen from her.
In the past, Vivian herself had been rather affectionate and playful, or so she had thought.
She would pout at her mother and father, and in private spaces she often offered shy little expressions of love.
She remembered how they had found those moments endearing.
The Vivian of now was the complete opposite.
Beyond merely performing composure, she felt her very nature hardening.
It was a change she had been forced to forge simply to survive.
She had lost her family, the warmth of other people, her fortune, her safety, her future—she possessed nothing.
What she lacked she either lived without, or seized by shedding blood.
Even when Vivian’s complaints were dressed up as praise for the young ladies, Elena remained unmoved.
“That is why you must grow stronger. The world is unfair. Some people have everything while others have nothing at all. We must struggle at least to keep what little we hold from being taken.”
Vivian gave a faint laugh and answered weakly.
“Do I even have anything? I have nothing precious. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to offer a sacrifice later…”
“Why wouldn’t you? You have plenty. It simply isn’t precious to you.”
“…”
“This castle, your house, Loktana—they’re all yours.”
“…That’s true, but—”
“—Ah, and what could almost be called a family heirloom… Kailo Allen as well.”
At the sound of Kailo’s name, Vivian looked at Elena.
Elena merely gazed back at her as though it were nothing of consequence.
“He’s your spoils of war, isn’t he? Something like a slave. Isn’t that so?”
“…”
“…Isn’t it?”
She wanted to deny it, yet the words would not come easily.
He was not precisely a slave… but she could not deny the resemblance.
Kailo Allen’s future lay tightly in Vivian’s grasp.
Everything concerning his person fell under her management.
Where he would live, what he would do, even when he might return home—all of it was a right given to her.
Power bought with the deaths of her family.
“Correct? None of these things may be what you hold dear, yet they were still given to you.”
“…”
“If you’re uncertain, imagine them being taken away. How would that feel?”
Vivian considered Elena’s words.
Having Kailo Allen taken by someone else.
“…Ha.”
She laughed under her breath without meaning to.
Certainly that would never do.
The price of Loktana’s fall had been Kailo Allen alone—how could she allow him to be taken?
In that feeling she had no choice but to admit the truth.
“…You’re right. I do have something that is mine.”
Kailo Allen was hers, whether she liked it or not.
There was no room for argument.
She held his life in her hands.
Even if she cursed him, tormented him, or snapped at him… without her permission he could never leave her side.
A being braver than most adults, skilled in martial arts, who had even slain a dragon—perhaps someone who might have become great—rested in her palm.
…That single fact did not feel bad at all.
Lani Dubos could not sleep.
The rare outing had excited her so thoroughly that her heart still hammered.
Her older sister Asha was already deep in peaceful slumber, but Lani remained pressed against the window, waiting for sleep that refused to come.
Rondore Castle was larger and more beautiful than she had imagined.
House Dubos possessed neither so grand a castle nor such vast lands.
They merely governed a small territory under Rondore influence and lived in a mansion suited to their station.
That was why this castle of the Rondores looked all the more magnificent.
And more than that—
The one who owned this wide land and castle was a girl the same age as herself.
Lani still remembered the spirit and dignity Vivian Rondore had shown.
She was so cool…
Like a strong princess from a fairy tale, Vivian lived her life.
On top of everything, word had it she had hunted a dragon not long ago.
A dragon.
That dragon—the king of monsters that flew through the sky and breathed fire.
…Of course Vivian herself had not done the deed; some other knight had, yet it was still magnificent all the same.
Everything Lani dreamed of was already being enjoyed by Vivian.
Lani knew, of course.
She knew that Vivian’s position was not truly so grand.
She knew the other girl was struggling in her own way.
Still, looking only at what was visible… it was enviable.
Lani was in a position that required her to grow close to Vivian.
She knew that a few years from now, when the precarious Vivian entered society, she and her sister would have to escort her naturally into the world of young ladies.
Considering Vivian’s standing, it might even mean taking risks.
Yet if things went well, the result would be a powerful ally in Vivian herself.
Once the decision had been made, she had to give everything to becoming friends with Vivian.
Today, Lani felt, had gone well.
Conversation had flowed easily; the stories had been truly entertaining.
It was not as though she had followed a rigid plan… yet she was drawing closer to Vivian just as she had prepared.
There was only one thing she had been told to be careful of if she wished to grow close to Vivian.
She had heard that the eldest son of House Allen—the enemy house of the Rondores—was being held hostage in this castle.
Of course she already knew; many children of East Kingdom noble houses were held as hostages throughout the Kingdom of Delem.
The princess of the East Kingdom herself was a hostage of the Delem royal family… the second son of House Craiam… the eldest son of House Lisen…
And Kailo Allen of House Allen as well.
Lani knew she only needed to be careful around Kailo.
She had never intended to bring him up in front of Vivian in the first place.
“Haa…”
Lani felt the night air and looked out the window.
The quiet castle looked impossibly atmospheric.
She glanced for a moment at Asha, then at the door of the room.
Then she looked out the window again and made up her mind.
She would go on a small adventure.
When else would she ever get to wander a castle this vast?
When else would she have the chance to set aside stiff etiquette and simply explore?
She did not mean to go barging wildly into rooms.
She only wanted to walk the corridors and see the structure of the castle.
“…Wow…”
Just as she had expected, the castle was vast.
Most of the maids seemed to have gone to bed; few people were about.
Even those who remained carried lamps, so she could roam without being noticed.
After exploring for quite some time, Lani felt her sense of adventure satisfied.
Content, she decided to return to her room.
Until the strange sounds began.
Clack…! Clack…!
“…Huh?”
The odd noise stirred her curiosity, and she wandered for a long while searching for its source.
Before long she realized the sound was not coming from inside the castle.
Looking out, she saw a wide training ground.
In one place stood a weapon rack mixed with wooden and real swords; in another, wooden dummies—clearly where the knights trained.
And on that training ground, a single person still remained, continuing to train.
Under the moonlight he swung a heavy sword, polishing his technique.
“…Wow…”
The sight was more than enough to steal Lani’s heart.
A knight who trained while everyone else slept.
She found it impossibly romantic.
Watching the training knight, she made one final decision.
She would go and look at him.
Who knew? He might be the very knight who had protected Vivian and slain the dragon.
“Haa… haa…”
I wiped away sweat and caught my breath.
As expected, working the body like this settled the mind.
I had spent the entire day hiding in my quarters for Vivian’s sake; leftover energy had kept me from sleep and left my body stiff.
Moving around made me feel alive again.
Now that no one was watching, I could rinse off in the river and go back to rest.
Tomorrow I would come out around this same time and train again.
“E-excuse me!”
At that moment an unexpected voice called out to me.
Startled, I turned and found Lani Dubos standing there.
I had no idea why she was still awake at this hour, or why she was here.
The very person I had been trying hardest to avoid was right in front of me; it was a little unnerving.
Still, at least we had not met in front of Vivian, so perhaps it was fine.
I was not crashing the meeting she had looked forward to so much and causing a scene.
“…Uh.”
But the Lani who had called me froze the instant our eyes met.
She whispered,
“…Black hair…”
And soon after she realized my identity.
“K-Kailo Allen…?”
“…”
I wiped more sweat and said,
“…Go inside and sleep.”
At my answer Lani instantly recovered her wits and displayed hostility.
It felt like taught anger bursting out awkwardly.
“H-how rude! Y-you don’t even observe proper etiquette at a first meeting…!”
“Anyone watching would think I came looking for you. If you don’t like rudeness, leave.”
Lani made a series of deflating sounds—“Ha…! Huh…!”—as though she could not believe it, then her gaze locked onto my neck.
She had been standing still; suddenly she rushed straight at me.
Seizing the blue cord around my neck, she stammered the way Vivian once had.
“W-w-why is this on y-you…”
“…”
“W-was it you? You… killed the d-dragon?”
Irritation blooming, I brushed off the hand that held my cord.
“Now who’s the one ignoring etiquette? Weird distance, and at a first meeting you’re already making a scene…”
“N-no… but… I-I’m certain Lady Vivian was pursued by a dragon… and she said her own knight protected her…”
“…”
I turned Lani’s words over in my mind.
Her knight?
Interest sparked at once; I asked her,
“She called me… Vivian called me ‘her’ knight?”
“…Yes, s-something like that…”
It was absurd, yet somehow a laugh kept bubbling up.
Wiping sweat and scratching my nose, I asked again,
“…Did she say anything else about me?”
“…Why should I tell you that?”
…She had a point.
Looking at it this way, Lady Linne seemed to have brought properly sensible girls.
At Lani’s rebuke I snapped back to my senses at once.
With that, interest faded; I carried the wooden sword over to the weapon rack.
Lani must have felt awkward standing alone, because she followed me.
“So, is it true you really killed the dragon?”
She kept tossing questions even as she trailed after me.
“But… I heard you’re only sixteen… is it real?”
Even while I put the wooden sword away she would not stop chattering.
“Maybe you only finished it off at the end or something…”
…It grated for no good reason; irritation kept rising.
“B-but you’re enemies with Lady Vivian, right? Surely…”
Thud!
“Damn it. Am I your friend? Get lost already.”
At the endless questions I finally lost patience and punched the weapon rack with my fist.
Part of it was irritation; part of it was a desire to scare her off a little.
Crack!
“Huh?”
In that instant the weapon rack shattered.
The steel spears that had been standing upright with their blades bared began to topple toward Lani.
The trajectory was such that it would not have been strange for the edges to slice her body.
Lani herself cried out in shallow fright.
“Kyaa…!”
I had absolutely no confidence that I could take responsibility for leaving a huge scar on a noble young lady’s face.
Without time to think I grabbed Lani’s arm and yanked her toward me.
Her body, unable to overcome the inertia, collapsed into my arms.
Clatter-clatter!
As long as the blades were avoided, she was safe.
Just as I would with Vivian, I vaguely shielded Lani with my body and took the falling spear shafts in her place.
The toppled spears slid harmlessly down my back without causing any trouble.
Once the moment that was nothing if one thought nothing of it—and spine-chilling if one imagined the worst—had passed, I caught my breath and asked Lani,
“…You okay?”
Supported at the waist and back, looking up at me, Lani gave no answer.
The mouth that had never stopped talking closed in an instant; she only blinked.
“I asked if you’re okay.”
“…”
At my second question Lani’s body flinched.
Then her face suddenly flushed as red as a beet.
Even in the night the color was plain to see.
Tension, embarrassment, or shame—whatever it was, the mixture showed far too honestly on her face.
I knew. I knew one should not put hands on a body so carelessly.
I had learned that with Vivian, yet just now my mind had been blank.
Lani, still unable to speak a word, pressed her lips tightly together, then suddenly pushed herself up and began to run.
Pat-pat-pat!
Like a deer that had been playing dead suddenly bolting, she put on speed in a single breath and fled.
Her back disappearing in such a hurry looked almost pitiful.
Thud!
Running so hard, she fell in the grass outside the training ground.
The fall was loud enough to echo, yet she showed no sign of pain and rose at once.
She glanced back at me for a moment, then—without even brushing the grass from her clothes—ran again.
I could feel the stubborn will to escape.
Watching Lani’s shrinking back in a daze, I absently touched my neck and let out a sigh.
…I could feel that something had gone wrong.