The Younger Pedri's Grievances
"Jeanie?"
"Yes."
"That..."
You remember now!
"It's a name so very soft on the tongue. I find myself wanting to say it again and again. Lady Jeanie Crowell."
Ugh, my blood pressure.
This was a personality test if there ever was one.
How could both brothers fail to remember me like this? Had I really been that insignificant to them? Was that incident back then truly nothing at all?
Me... I!
I'd make sure they could never forget again, those damn bastards!
"Lord Pedri."
"It is an honor. So you know of our house! Yes, I am indeed a son of House Pedri."
"How could anyone not know the illustrious Pedri family?"
"You flatter me."
"Hehe, do I please you, my lord?"
The natural, pleasant smile that curved my lips came from the wicked little plan I was already hatching.
"You're quite direct."
"I don't like beating around the bush."
With laughter sparkling in my eyes, I looked up at Lasshamu and let my lips part suggestively.
He had grown into a robust young man. At first glance he looked like nothing more than a confident, tall imperial knight. The sun emblem pinned to his chest marked him as one belonging to the imperial palace. For someone in his early twenties, he was quite the elite.
"Of course. I've already found myself unable to look away from you."
The color of Lasshamu's eyes as he gazed at me was different from Robenin's. They were a clear, tender green. Perhaps because they had different mothers.
"If I could, I would kiss that golden hair of yours and whisper sweet love against your blushing cheeks."
"My, my."
"If you permit it, I will do anything."
"Really?"
When had that little boy grown up enough to flirt so skillfully? I took one delighted step closer to his sweet whispers and answered gladly.
"Then shall we step out onto the balcony together?"
"...Pardon?"
"I want to know you more deeply. Somewhere quiet..."
It had been a rush job, but according to the etiquette books, suggesting the balcony was an unmistakable signal of intimacy. Usually the man proposed it to the woman.
Lasshamu flushed all the way to his ears at whatever he was imagining.
"S-such a thing on our first meeting..."
"If you dislike the idea, I suppose there's nothing to be done."
"No! Not at all!"
Laughter bubbled out of me on its own.
Hehe.
I had thought there was no one left in the empire whom I knew. Robenin Pedri, my natural enemy, was recuperating in Heidricke, and Ash had left for the Path of the Trial. At least until I ran into this tail-wagging giant beast named Lasshamu.
There were only the two of us on the small balcony. The surroundings were dark and the moonlight tonight felt especially chilly. We'd taken only a few steps from the hall, yet the world suddenly seemed hushed and still.
I leaned against the rose-vine railing and stared at him intently. Lasshamu apparently took it as seduction, because he hurried closer at once. He stood beside me, gauging my reaction, then slyly covered my hand where it rested carelessly on the railing.
Rai's question came immediately.
It was strange. Just what part of me did he like? Back then he'd openly sneered at me as a cowardly wench from a minor nation, yet he'd still lost to me.
"Ahem. If you keep staring at me like that..."
Like it? Do you like it?
Watching the mountain-sized oaf act all shy, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
"Lord Pedri."
"Yes! Lady Crowell."
"May I ask you a few questions?"
"For a beautiful lady to wish to know about me is nothing but an honor. Ask me anything."
"You have an older brother, correct?"
Since he was my rival's younger brother, he might know a weakness or two. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. I intended to dig up whatever I could.
Yet the moment the question left my lips, Lasshamu's face chilled over. The change was so abrupt it forced me to notice just how affectionate his expression had been before.
"...You know my brother. Well, of course. He's a famous man, so it's no surprise..."
"Why the long face?"
What was this? They'd seemed close before. Had they fought since?
"I hope it's not true, but... Lady Crowell, are you actually interested in my brother rather than me?"
Well. He wasn't wrong.
"Is that why you approached me? Are you after my brother? Is that your true aim?"
His voice grew more agitated with every word, and his face looked almost wounded. His eyes begged me to deny it.
It seemed Lasshamu had been badly hurt by matters like this before.
I'm targeting him in a different way... like his throat, for instance.
Time had clearly changed things between the two brothers. The young Lasshamu I'd known had followed Robenin like a baby duck full of respect. Now I could see the strange resentment of one man toward another.
"So... you're asking me right now if I'm romantically interested in Robenin?"
"There's no need to deceive me. I'm quite familiar with this sort of thing."
"My, my."
Pretending like this was actually pretty fun.
"It's hardly new for people to see me not as Lasshamu but merely as Robenin Pedri's younger brother. I'm sick to death of being used."
I see. The boy was sulking.
Well, having the continent's most famous swordsman as your older brother couldn't be entirely pleasant. He'd be compared in everything and never able to surpass him. I could only imagine how suffocating and infuriating that must feel.
Having been one of those overshadowed by Robenin myself, I could sympathize a little.
I rested my elbow on the railing, propped my chin in my hand, and let out a soft laugh.
"What a terrible thing to suggest. I actually detest Robenin Pedri."
My expression of pure disgust should have made my sincerity clear.
"Please stop with those unpleasant misunderstandings."
"...Lady Crowell, you truly mean it."
"Yes. I dislike him enough that I feel he owes me an apology."
"I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions."
"Still, I have heard rumors that the man is rather popular."
Honestly, for the rumor to reach even my rumor-averse ears, he had to be enormously popular.
"My brother's popularity is undeniably the greatest in the empire. There are very few women who dislike him, so... please forgive my rudeness."
"I simply don't understand. What could possibly be appealing about a man like that?"
Even while pretending to be elegant and coy, I couldn't completely hide the hatred I felt for Robenin Pedri. I was the sort of person who hated that man so much it felt like it might kill me.
"Well... my brother is a genius with the sword, the eldest son of a ducal house, and exceptionally handsome on top of it."
Damn it. Who asked for that?
"No, a person's character matters, doesn't it? Character! Robenin's personality is completely rotten!"
Having burst out with it without thinking, I secretly worried how Lasshamu would take the insult. After all, it was his brother I was badmouthing.
"How do you know him so well?"
"Because you can tell after just a short conversation. The way he utterly looks down on people."
Fortunately, Lasshamu didn't take offense. Instead he nodded vigorously, looking delighted.
"That's right! That's exactly what my brother is like!"
"When people speak to him he should answer, but he ignores them all."
"Exactly! Yes!"
"And that's not all. When he does speak, it's completely off the mark. His head seems full of nothing but fighting. He seems a little crazy... ahem."
"That's what I've been saying! Everyone thinks my brother is a quiet, solitary man, but that's not it at all! He's just a terrible lone wolf. They have no idea how cold-blooded he really is."
Lasshamu seemed to have just as many accumulated grievances as I did.
"Even now he wanders off as he pleases and ends up bedridden in Heidricke. And the man hasn't sent so much as a single letter. Why should I have to hear news of my own family from strangers? That's what I want to know!"
"He treats his family the same way?"
"Yes. He's definitely not a normal person."
"What exactly does he do?"
Seeing my chance, I peppered Lasshamu with every question I could think of.