The Pet Young Lady
A grand mansion that could rival even the loftiest halls of the imperial palace proudly unfurled its vast form across the land. From one of the offices within this estate of immeasurable scale, a slender, refined voice drifted out.
"…A banquet?"
"Yes."
Though the years had left their mark upon him, the old man still carried an air of noble dignity as he bowed his head in deepest respect before the woman seated opposite him.
"Is there any reason I must attend such a place?"
"It is a banquet to raise a toast to the Third Princess’s forthcoming marriage. His Majesty himself has expressed his hope that you will attend, my lady."
The woman’s brow furrowed, yet her face remained flawlessly composed. Her long raven-black hair hung as still as the night sky, and the violet eyes set within it glittered like amethysts.
"Very well. If it is the Third Princess, I suppose I must go. She is one of our closest allies, after all."
As the black-haired woman slipped off her coat, the old man received it as a matter of course and hung it upon the rack. With elegant, unhurried steps she approached the desk, settled into the chair, and spoke again.
"What is the current fashion in high society?"
"There is truly no need for someone of your standing to concern yourself with such things, my lady."
"I should know what needs knowing. I refuse to be called a relic of the past."
"Haha… Who would ever dare say such a thing to you?"
If they valued their lives, they would not.
The old man nearly voiced the thought, yet he knew better than anyone that the woman before him already understood it perfectly. He simply offered a gentle smile and said nothing more.
"I may not know the tastes of the young ladies, but I have a fair grasp of the currents running through high society."
When she gave a short nod, the old man began to recount recent affairs in a steady stream. He spoke of a house that had spectacularly failed in its attempt to expand a salt enterprise, of the newly developed white chocolate that had become the talk of the season, and of every other matter—trivial or grave—without omission.
The black-haired woman rested her chin upon her hand while she reviewed documents. At a glance she appeared to be only half-listening, yet the old man continued without pause.
"There is no solid confirmation as yet, but information has reached us that the Third Prince has recently made contact with the Demon God Cult."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Intelligence extracted directly by ‘Shadow.’"
Her amethyst eyes flashed with a chilling light, and a crescent-moon smirk curved her lips in open mockery.
"If he simply gathered the scraps that fell his way, he could live a perfectly comfortable life. In the end he will only shorten his own span."
It was hardly language one ought to use of an imperial prince, yet the old man raised no objection.
"I despise people who do not know their place. They always create the most tiresome trouble."
Having finished every document in a matter of moments, the woman stretched her arms overhead and gazed out the window. She buckled the sword that hung beside the desk to her waist and rose.
"Is that all the information, then?"
"Ah—and while it may not be a matter that concerns you, my lady… there has been a rather peculiar figure in high society of late."
"Hm?"
Curiosity colored the amethyst of her eyes.
"The daughter of the Bland Barony. There has been a great deal of talk about her recently."
"The Bland Barony? I believe I have heard the name…"
"The previous head gambled away the family’s fortune and died. The title passed to his wife."
"Ah, that wastrel. And so? What of the daughter?"
"Society has taken to calling her the Pet Young Lady."
"Pet Young Lady?"
"Yes. Her features are so lovely, and her obedient nature that makes her follow others so readily is said to resemble a pet dog—hence the nickname."
At the old man’s unnecessarily solemn delivery the woman let out a soft snort of laughter. Compared with the earlier reports it was absurd, yet strangely it was also the most intriguing thing she had heard.
How could the word “pet” ever be affixed to a person’s title? The jarring mismatch of the two words brought her genuine amusement.
"Pfft. At least that young lady seems to know her place remarkably well."
The woman’s name was Viviana Merdelia.
She was the sole daughter of the Merdelia Ducal House—one of the empire’s four great ducal houses, and the house that had reached the very pinnacle of the sword.
"Tina, say ‘aah.’"
"Aah~"
I parted my lips obediently, and a tiny cookie was slipped inside. I chewed slowly. The soft sweetness and rich, nutty flavor melted across my tongue in perfect satisfaction.
"Hwaa, it’s delicious."
"Hehe… It’s a new confection released this month by the Mardelin pastry shop. I waited in line just so I could bring some for you, Tina."
"Really? I’m so happy, Lady Versha."
Eyes the soft blue of a clear sky curved into a radiant smile. The woman called Versha stroked my hair with a gentle smile of her own.
"Simply looking at you makes me smile without meaning to. Why not come live at our mansion for good while you’re at it? I would raise you with the utmost care."
"I think I would be happy spending every single day with you too, Lady Versha."
"Truly? Then this very week we shall bring you to our estate—"
At my words Versha’s blue eyes flew wide. A faint flush rose to her cheeks as she began to speak in excited haste, only for another woman—this one with violet hair—to catch her by the shoulder.
"Lady Versha. Must you monopolize Tina?"
"…Lady Shari-one."
"Tina, would you come here?"
The woman named Shari-one opened her arms toward me. Without the slightest hesitation I nestled tightly into her embrace, and she enfolded me as tenderly as a mother bird sheltering her chick.
"I have been in a foul temper lately because of my fiancé, yet thanks to you the stress is melting away, Tina."
She held me close and exhaled a long, deep breath. Wearing a bashful little smile, I looked up at her and said,
"I really missed you, Lady Shari-one!"
"I missed you as well, Tina."
"But a fiancé… Does that mean you are getting married, Lady Shari-one?"
Perhaps the subject was unwelcome; Shari-one’s brow creased ever so slightly. She released a short sigh and answered.
"Yes. It seems so."
"…Do you truly have to marry?"
"It is an engagement arranged by the family. There is no choice."
I gently laced my fingers through hers. Summoning every scrap of melancholy I could muster, I gazed up at her with the most pitiful expression I could manage and spoke in a coaxing, honeyed voice.
"I don’t like it… Then we won’t be able to stay close anymore. I like you so very much, Lady Shari-one…"
"T-Tina…"
Shari-one’s usually composed voice trembled. Her dark eyes filled with emotion, and the corners of her mouth—which had been drawn tight with irritation only moments before—twitched faintly into a smile.
"There is no world in which I would ever be parted from Tina! No matter what happens, you will always be our precious pet."
She wrapped both arms around me and hugged me with all her strength.
…I can’t breathe.
The sudden pressure brought a sharp ache and stole the air from my lungs, yet I gave no sign of it and simply burrowed deeper into her embrace without resistance.
"I would far rather marry Tina. I feel as though every day would be happiness itself—walking together, shopping together, nothing but comfort from morning till night."
"Really…? I think I would be happy marrying you too, Lady Shari-one."
"Hehe, Tina is truly… Ah, that reminds me."
In markedly better spirits, Shari-one kept a soft smile on her lips as she drew something from within her dress and held it out to me.
"I attended an auction recently, and you came to mind, so I purchased this. It is a gift."
What she offered was a small, elegantly wrapped box. When I opened it, a necklace set with a luminous blue gemstone lay nestled inside.
"L-Lady Shari-one… this is…?"
"A blue sapphire. I want you to have it, Tina."
"You already gifted me an expensive dress last time… And this is far too precious for someone like me to wear… It would be like hanging a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck."
Shari-one drew me out of her arms, then poked my forehead with a fingertip, her expression turning sulky.
"Do not say such things! What pig could ever be as beautiful as Tina? Never dare compare yourself to so lowly a creature."
"I-Is that so?"
"Of course it is. And you are our pet. If we do not at least adorn you to this degree, it would be an embarrassment to our own standing, would it not?"
Versha, seated across from us, nodded firmly in agreement. Unable to withstand the sincerity in their eyes, I reluctantly gathered the box against my chest with both hands.
"Then I will gratefully accept it. Thank you so very much, Lady Shari-one…"
"Hehe… Tina, simply remain forever as pretty and obedient as you are now."
Versha and Shari-one—both of them possessed power that rivaled even the Mardian house. While the two women gazed upon me with contented smiles, I thought to myself in private,
I wonder how much this would fetch if I sold it.
In about two years I will pry the gem free and sell it alone.