Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Anyway, it was time to head back. Leopold would need to finish tidying up the scene as well.
I said a brief goodbye to Leopold, and bowed my head to Baron Forman too.
"Baron Forman, it was an honor to meet you."
Baron Forman clasped my hand tightly, then fixed his shining eyes on me and spoke.
"Once all this chaos is over, you must come to the west."
He added with an earnest face.
"I will host you for dinner in Forman."
"I will await the invitation."
I answered gracefully.
And with that, the brief farewells were over.
I was just giving Leopold a wave and starting to turn away when he spoke.
"Don't worry. Those who seek your life are enemies of Nozen as well."
Leopold said in a low voice.
"Everything will be fine."
I nodded briefly.
As I headed toward the Warp, I felt his gaze on my back.
'Did I do well?'
I thought, blinking.
'Was I natural?'
I always worried about that after talking with Leopold.
'I seemed...... normal, right? The same as when I deal with anyone else, right?'
My heart was pounding.
I felt like I needed to hurry back and eat some bread to calm myself down.
Soon my memories returned to five years ago, to the engagement ceremony.
* * *
My engagement ceremony was a lavish affair.
They said it was the first engagement within the Founding Five Houses in a very long time, and members of all five founding houses were present at the ceremony.
The empire had five great houses credited with its founding.
House Dibostan, the ducal house of the east.
House Nozen, the grand-ducal house of the west.
House Naisar, the marquessal house in the south.
House Bakahun, the ducal house of the north.
And House Sears, the marquessal house in the central region.
My fiancé also belonged to one of the five great houses.
The engagement ceremony was so splendid that most of the members of the five great houses attended.
In fact, among them there was one more house that, like Sears, was a high-ranking noble house in name only.
House Bakahun completely lost its ruling power one year after the engagement ceremony.
But however different their current standing was, all five houses had shared in the empire's history and origins.
"Hahaha, how long has it been since we've all gathered in one place like this."
My father, Marquess Sears, got thoroughly drunk that day.
"It truly feels as if we are enjoying the old glory of our ancestors once more!"
His face was already red, yet he kept emptying his wine glass. At that rate, he was going to end up joining the ancestors.
The five houses were said to have contributed to the empire's founding through astonishing Special Abilities.
But by then, only two houses still retained their Special Abilities, even in their direct lines.
<Nullification>, the ability of House Dibostan in the east, which could neutralize curses and status ailments.
And <Air Severing>, the ability of House Nozen in the west, which could split the air to make physical attacks.
The rest had vanished into the passage of time.
Sears's Special Ability was said to have been <Taming>. Of course, at some point it had disappeared from the family line without anyone knowing when.
No one even knew anymore exactly what kind of ability it had been.
"Brisa."
Beside me, Mom whispered.
"You need to straighten your back more."
At seven years old, I straightened my back as best I could.
Mom had gone to tremendous lengths to make this engagement happen.
She had spent enormous sums working behind the scenes, all to ensure my reputation reached my fiancé's family.
The daughter born of Liente's last princess. Clever from a young age, pretty, gentle, and......
So that rumors like that would spread throughout the empire.
And one more thing.
"The Marchioness Sears has not gone mad. That is all baseless rumor spread by those Sebon bastards."
"She is the last remaining bloodline of Liente, so of course they would want to tear her down."
It was to quell the rumors about Mom's madness.
That was how Mom paid to shape public opinion.
Even Father, who had clicked his tongue and stood by saying it was all nonsense, couldn't keep his mouth shut once the engagement date was set.
"R-Really? You mean the engagement actually went through?"
The engagement ceremony was held at Beas Lakeside. It was imperial land that the Emperor had lent for a time, saying it was an engagement between the Founding Five Houses.
He also provided a pleasure boat for a boat outing, telling them to strengthen their bonds after so long.
Since there were many young children, a boat outing was a better choice than a banquet in many ways.
After the luncheon ended, everyone boarded the boat.
"Brisa."
Mom spoke to me affectionately.
"If you feel seasick, tell me. I brought sleeping medicine. There's no better remedy for seasickness than falling asleep."
"Yes."
Having grown up in the central region, I had never been on a boat before. It was also my first time seeing such a vast lake.
The boat glided out onto the water.
"Wow!"
"It's truly beautiful. Oh my, look at that bird over there."
People clustered along the railing in small groups, taking in the scenery. I was no exception.
Father went into a cabin with several other nobles and started a card game.
Mom whispered softly beside me.
"Brisa, everything was good, but......."
That meant she was about to tell me the things that weren't good.
"'Delpoven' is a place name in the west. So you have to draw out the 'po' sound long."
"Yes. I'll be careful."
"And when you're with people from the south, you must unfold your napkin to the right."
"I'm sorry. I remember now."
Still, it was a good day. Both Mom and Father seemed to be in good spirits.
The maids were all happy about 'this engagement' too.
Even though I was meeting my fiancé and his family for the first time that day....... Even though I hadn't really spoken with them.......
The food was delicious, the sky was clear, and the sunlight was lovely.
"Now, everyone gather on the deck in ten minutes."
I was looking at the sunlight sparkling on the waves when a voice amplified by magic rang out.
"We will begin the prize drawing."
At those words, Mom smiled elegantly.
"That sounds fun. Doesn't it, Brisa?"
"Yes."
I nodded, taking out the ticket I had received at the luncheon.
"I hope I get a doll."
"How cute."
Mom's green eyes curved gently.
Mom was perfect today.
It was her first social outing in a very long time, and there was nothing to fault in any of her movements or speech. People even joked, "As expected of a princess of Liente."
"Let's meet often, Marchioness. If you are this elegant, I'd like to ask you to instruct my daughter as well."
"Indeed. Why don't you come out into society more often? You must come visit the east next time."
It made all my earlier anxiety seem almost foolish.
The maids had been restless for days too, but they had soothed me, saying, 'It's not night, so it should be fine.'
"The symptoms usually appear at night....... The princess left the Kingdom of Liente at night, so she seems to keep returning to that night when she departed on that ship."
"That's right. So as long as it's not night, there's nothing to worry about. She's always been fine during the day, hasn't she?"
Sure enough, perhaps because it wasn't night, everything felt natural.
The maids kept their distance, though they were still close enough to come if I called.
They hadn't said anything, but they had been extremely tense too, and now they were certainly relieved.
"It's been a long time since I've been on a boat."
Mom murmured, gazing at the distant waves.
"A really long time......."
As far as I knew, after getting married, Mom had never been on a boat. We usually stayed inside the Sears Marquis Residence.
I quietly took in the scenery of the lake, and then I saw a large bird catch a fish.
"Oh my, goodness!"
I let out a cry and then quickly covered my mouth. My voice had been too loud. I was surely going to get a big scolding from Mom.
"Is something the matter?"
But just then, a black-haired boy passing by raised an eyebrow and approached.
It was a nine-year-old boy, Leopold Nozen.