Ventorino Kingdom — Collapse or Capture (15)
"What...?"
At the words that slipped from his beloved fiancée’s lips, Lloyd thought he must have misheard her.
"Oh, did you not catch that? I was wondering if we might invite Lord Valdes to dinner with us tonight."
"Ah, n-no...."
But no, he had not misheard at all.
Clara was clearly addressing that thing with the title of lord and inviting him to dine with them. Within those few short words, there was more than one thing Lloyd disliked. If the speaker had not been the woman he loved, he would have kicked his chair back and stormed out on the spot.
First of all, that title of lord.
It was far too precious a title to be handed to some half-demon who wasn’t even human. Worse, he hadn’t even been formally appointed yet—he was still nothing more than a lowly squire. Of course, people were already calling him lord because he was effectively guaranteed promotion, but even that had rubbed Lloyd the wrong way from the start.
Then there was the matter of dining together.
He simply could not understand why she would want to eat with such a thing. How could anyone possibly sit at the same table as it? Even if he were a commoner or a servant, Lloyd would have wrinkled his nose in disgust—let alone when the other party was a half-demon. The whole idea left him feeling deeply uneasy.
And finally, tonight had been supposed to be their time together.
In other words, a dinner date. They had planned to spend the evening alone in Clara’s mansion behind the royal castle, enjoying each other’s company. Strictly speaking, it had already been a date from the moment the day began, but whatever the case, the fact that someone else was about to wedge himself into a time meant for just the two of them irritated Lloyd to no end.
"......"
"Lloyd? What’s wrong? Do you not like the idea?"
"That is...."
"Still, I thought it would be good for you to get acquainted with him, since he’s such promising talent and is said to become a Sword Master in the future... Was I being meddlesome? I’m sorry...."
At the sight of Clara’s downcast face and drooping shoulders, Lloyd hurriedly blurted, "A-ah, no!"
"Hmm?"
"Th-that... haah, I-I’d like that too...."
"Oh? Really? I’m glad!"
"......"
As she clapped her hands in delight, Lloyd forced an awkward smile while inwardly letting out a long sigh. He had already regretted the answer the moment it left his mouth, but seeing how pleased she was, he no longer seemed to have the chance to take it back.
If this had been the old him, he would have carefully tried to hint that perhaps they should meet another day instead. But now, he could not bring himself to do that. After the horrible time he had endured not long ago, Lloyd had begun handling Clara with far more caution.
Besides, how could he refuse when she was doing it for his sake? If not for those three things he had already considered, he would have been moved nearly to tears by her devotion. A future talent likely to reach Master rank, treated like a hero of the kingdom—of course it was only natural to get acquainted with him in advance.
Yes, let’s think positively. In any case, that thing will be going back to its own country before long. Right, exactly. I may not like the fact that Clara sees it in a favorable light... but that’ll only be temporary.
Lloyd barely kept himself from snorting at the idea that that thing could reach Master rank.
He had never truly taken up the sword with sincerity, but as a nobleman he had still been taught the basics. He had also heard and seen enough from the many knights around him to understand just how exalted a realm the Master stage truly was.
More often than not, there weren’t even double digits of them in an entire country.
The summit of thousands upon thousands of knights.
That was what it meant to be called a Sword Master.
He’ll just scramble around at the bottom until he’s eventually forgotten anyway.
Thinking himself magnanimous for granting a little pity to that miserable thing, Lloyd continued reassuring himself in a positive light.
"Hmm, but what if they’re busy on that side?"
"It’s fine! I already told him about it!"
"Y-you did?"
A vein twitched at Lloyd’s temple.
He had not asked because he truly expected otherwise. Even if Clara had not said anything in advance, it would have been only natural for a princess to make time if she requested it. But the fact that she had already discussed it with that thing irritated him in a way he couldn’t quite explain.
"Hehe, I think it’ll be a very enjoyable evening."
"Mm... y-yes, I see...."
Lloyd looked at Clara’s face.
She was wearing a genuinely bright expression. Her smile, in particular, had a strangely wanton, almost lascivious quality to it, and to him it seemed like the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
And yet, for some reason, it felt unsettling. He forced that feeling aside and told himself it was only his imagination. No matter how deeply they loved each other, they had not officially begun courting all that long ago. There were still parts of Clara’s expressions that he could not fully understand.
Not knowing the meaning behind the smile of the woman he loved, Lloyd continued to grin awkwardly all the same.
They had originally planned to stay together until evening, but with the sudden change of plans, they separated for a little while in the middle. After some time passed, they agreed to meet again at Clara’s mansion.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all!"
Smack! Smack! Whack—!!
Returning to the mansion alone, Lloyd took out his frustration in the basement with a newly acquired half-demon he had arranged to have brought in earlier that day. Normally, he would have enjoyed the victim’s screams as a pleasant bonus to the ears, but this time he had gagged the creature’s mouth.
He had neither the time nor the mental composure to indulge in that.
"Haa, haa...!"
After whipping away for quite some time, he finally exhausted himself and panted for breath.
"Damn it... why the hell won’t I calm down?"
Lloyd relieved his stress by secretly abducting or purchasing demi-humans and other races of mixed blood. Even so, he never spent long at it each day. When he was in a good mood, he sometimes skipped the basement entirely, and even on normal days he would only stay there for ten or twenty minutes.
Even during that unsettled period over his relationship not long ago, it had still only been about thirty minutes. Of course, during that short span, the intensity of his actions had been so brutal that thirty minutes was enough to leave a person half-dead.
And yet now, more than ten minutes had already passed. Even so, the headache-inducing stress still would not settle. If anything, every crack of the whip only sent more irritation surging through him.
"Ahh...."
Then he realized it.
The cause was the target before his eyes.
That tangled hair—the dark gold mixed with black, the mark of a half-demon.
Even in the midst of his panic, it had dragged him down here because it reminded him of Valdes, that very same half-demon, the source of his stress. The moment he understood why, the thing in front of him began to look hateful.
As he mentally equated Valdes with this creature, an inexplicable killing intent flooded his chest.
"...Ha!"
Lloyd set the whip down. Then he picked up a knife from the corner—a blade with traces of red still clinging to it. Before long, a fresh stain appeared across the steel. The same vivid red as the one inside his own body.
Having cleansed his heart, Lloyd finished preparing and took a carriage to Clara’s mansion. He felt lighthearted. It was the first killing he had carried out with his own hands, but regrettably, he did not think of it that way.
From the start, he had never regarded it as a person, and so he had no sense that he had committed murder. It was merely a means to relieve his stress more thoroughly—a trade for the price of an object’s lifespan.
"Ha ha, that really cleared my head. I don’t know why I didn’t use it sooner."
Lloyd murmured to himself, his bright face reflected in the carriage window.
Then he took a watch from inside his coat and checked the time.
It was earlier than their appointed meeting. He would probably arrive about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. Normally, he preferred to arrive exactly on time, but this time he had deliberately moved his departure forward.
Clara won’t like it, though....
Like most women, Clara hated surprise visits and disliked having someone arrive home before the agreed hour. That could not really be helped. A woman’s preparations were on an entirely different level from a man’s.
At least two hours. Sometimes three or four. That was the amount of time a noblewoman’s dressing could take. Naturally, no woman liked to be seen before she had finished preparing, and if that happened, the other party would be left waiting in the guest room while she hurriedly got herself ready.
But this time, it’s worth it.
Even if it angered her, he had plans this time.
But then—
"......"
"W-welcome... Y-you came early, Lloyd?"
"Ha ha, this is the first time we’ve properly met like this, I think. A pleasure to meet you, Lord Lloyd. I am Valdes, a squire knight in service to Princess Mercedes."
Despite having arrived twenty minutes early, Valdes was already there at Clara’s mansion ahead of him.
That alone was hard enough to understand, but there he was standing right beside the woman Lloyd loved, greeting him as though he were the master of the house with his wife at his side. Lloyd even had the absurd thought that perhaps he had somehow read his mind and gotten there first to beat him to the punch.
And in a way, that was because this was exactly what Lloyd had planned to show him.
He had intended to display the finest couple in Ventorino Kingdom—no, in the entire continent—to make sure that half-demon wouldn’t develop any strange ideas. But somehow, that damned thing had taken the seat that should have been his without leaving so much as a trace.
"W-why are you here...?"
"Hm? Why am I here? Well, because we had a dinner appointment, didn’t we?"
"No, that’s not what I mean...."
"Ah, if you mean why I came early... I see. Yes, that’s right. I was looking forward to this meeting very much. Ha ha. Though I say that, I’ve only been here a short while myself."
"......"
Lloyd barely restrained himself from throwing a punch at the half-demon’s face right then and there. He could not afford to cause trouble in a place like this. He was currently one of the kingdom’s most conspicuous figures, and in front of his lovely Clara besides.
"And Lord Lloyd came early as well."
"Huh? Ah, no, I mean...."
"Oh my, you’re right. You usually arrive exactly on time."
"......"
"Could it be that Lord Lloyd also...?"
"...Y-yes, w-well... I-I did too. I was looking forward to this meeting as well... g-grit...."
"What a delightful thing to hear, ha ha."
"Indeed, hehe. Seeing how pleased the two of you are, I’m even happier."
"......"
After the greetings at the entrance, the three of them moved toward the dining room, with the two of them leading the way and Lloyd following behind. His face, kept silent as he walked the path from behind, remained twisted and refused to smooth out.
It was strange.
For some reason, every time he looked at that thing’s face, anger kept boiling up inside him. He could not calm down. Thanks to that, he was so flustered in all sorts of ways that he could not even answer properly. Fortunately, Clara seemed happy enough, but Lloyd’s own feelings were only growing more uncomfortable.
What is this feeling...?
And there was a sense of wrongness somewhere in the air.
In Valdes’s words, in Clara’s attitude, in the two of them together.
Was that thing really looking forward to meeting him?
Why did Clara not seem the least bit upset that it had arrived early?
Why were the bodies of the two people walking ahead dotted with damp patches?
Why were they sweating, why were their clothes untidy, why did the faint scent of flesh cling to the air?
He did not know.
......
The ominous premonition he had been desperately denying all along began to slither its way to the surface.
After that, the banquet proceeded in what was, on the whole, a pleasant atmosphere.
Of course, the cheerful mood was not being driven by Lloyd and Valdes, but by Clara and Valdes. Lloyd did not openly scowl, but he made sure his displeasure was still subtly visible. Even so, the other two seemed not to notice, smiling and exchanging conversation with each other as if nothing were amiss.
"......Yesterday, Prince Alfonso... was......"
"......Oh? Really? Alfonso usually......"
"......"
It was an unexpected turn of events.
For some half-demon, Valdes was remarkably well read and possessed a fine way with words. More than that, he was somehow already familiar with stories about Alfonso, drawing on their family ties to build a sense of shared understanding. He was nothing like the ordinary trash Lloyd had seen so often until now.
Somehow, not a single one of Lloyd’s plans had come to pass. From the moment he arrived until now, everything had gone wrong. He had intended to arrive early, start talking with Clara, and keep the conversation flowing even after Valdes arrived so there would be no opportunity for the other man to leave a gap in the discussion.
By isolating Valdes from the conversation as much as possible, he had intended to cut in with a level of cultured knowledge that a mere commoner could never hope to understand whenever the half-demon tried to join in. Along with common sense that any royal or noble ought to know. But even that, Valdes understood perfectly.
Rather, it was Lloyd who was being shut out. Normally, he should have been the one leading the conversation, but he could not bring himself to do it. He did not want to exchange words with some lowly, contemptible half-demon any more than necessary, but he also could not bear to watch Clara acting so sweetly with him.
Damn it, damn it, damn it... what the hell am I supposed to do?
Just when Lloyd was sinking into that private dilemma, a sharp sound cut through his thoughts.
Clang.
"Oh dear. I’m sorry. My hand slipped...."
Clara had dropped her knife.
"Good grief, are you all right? Let me call a servant at once and...."
"No need."
"Hm?"
"There’s no one in the dining room anyway, so why bother? I’ll just pick it up myself."
"What? No, what are you...."
How could a princess possibly stoop down and pick up tableware that had fallen to the floor herself? Lloyd tried to stop her, saying it was ridiculous, but Clara moved faster than he did.
"...Haa."
In the end, a sigh escaped Lloyd’s mouth. Clara was growing strange.
Just what in the world is wrong with her...? She was never like this before. Clara was the kind of woman who carried herself with the dignity of a princess, who held herself proudly and properly....
Slurp....
"......?"
Slurp, sluuurp... smack... ♥
Lloyd’s expression stiffened.
A strange sound was coming from beneath the table. And Clara still had not stood up, even though she was supposedly just looking for a piece of cutlery.
Something was very wrong.
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