Two Months Until the Festival
Inside the carriage heading back to the Grand Duke's territory, I had scored a mountain of chicken breast jerky from Rickson, the imperial head chef.
The furball is going to love this.
Smiling contentedly, I stroked the lid of the box full of jerky.
With this, I can whip that furball into shape—
Just then, the Grand Duke, seated across from me, spoke.
"In two months, a festival will be held."
A festival? When I stared at him blankly, he went on.
"...A festival to celebrate the alliance, or so I'm told."
"A festival to celebrate an alliance... Did we even do such a thing?"
Kadrian answered dismissively, "We do now."
"I'm sorry, what?"
At my incredulous look, Kadrian let out a sigh. "His Majesty has decided to hold a festival, as a way of washing away old grudges and accepting one another. Though... I suppose it remains to be seen whether the other side sees it that way."
"Ah..."
The Cadea Empire maintained alliances with nations large and small across the region, but apparently it had never held a separate festival each time a new alliance was forged.
However, this new alliance with the Tenasis Empire carried significance on many levels. The two nations had once been one, yet for ages they had hated each other, crossed swords, and waged war over one another's lands. Now, at last, the two had concluded a truce and an alliance—it hardly seemed excessive for the Emperor to hold a celebration.
I nodded. "It's going to be hectic for a while, with all the festival preparations."
On top of that, with the war finally over, the imperial citizens were bound to be beside themselves with excitement.
"It will be. Especially since, for this festival..." The Grand Duke frowned, as if recalling something deeply distasteful. "The Crown Prince of Tenasis is coming with a diplomatic delegation."
...Huh?
Rattle, rattle—
The inside of the carriage had fallen silent. After the conversation about the festival ended, neither the Grand Duke nor I said another word.
Serhin was coming.
Unless Serhin died and someone else became Crown Prince, that delegation will have Serhin in it. Without fail.
Serhin... was coming.
Serhin. That Serhin...
In two months.
But wasn't it strange, though? The feeling was surprisingly... not unwelcome.
He had been my friend, after all. My liege, whom I'd guarded with my life.
Far from being happy about it, I'm anxious.
And woven into that anxiety was a restlessness I couldn't name.
Why?
Of course, I would never actually cross paths with Serhin. The festival would be held in the capital, while I would be busy going about my days at the Grand Duke's estate, far removed from it all.
Even if we did meet, it was next to impossible that Serhin would recognize me. The face I'd worn as Sia was completely different from the one I wore now, and the aura I used these days carried none of Sia's energy. Even standing right in front of him, there was no way Serhin could ever see through to who I was.
Unless I shouted, "Serhin! It's me, Sia!" right to his face.
And of course, even if I did reveal myself, I'd be treated like a madwoman.
And yet, knowing all of that, the uneasy feeling refused to go away.
I placed a hand over the left side of my chest and rubbed it gently, hoping to ease this inexplicable ache even a little.
Then the Grand Duke across from me spoke up. "Are you unwell somewhere?"
I jerked my head up. "Ah—no, my ladyship. Just a bit stiff, is all."
...
At my answer, the Grand Duke glanced briefly out the window. "You mentioned needing to buy something."
"Ah..."
Before leaving the imperial palace, I had asked the Grand Duke, half expecting to be refused.
"Would it be all right to make a short stop in the shopping district on our way back?"
"So be it."
He hadn't even asked why. Considering how much time it would eat up, I thought he'd at least demand a reason.
Serhin had driven it from my mind for a moment, but mercifully, the Grand Duke had brought the matter up himself.
I nodded. "Yes, I'd like to buy some gifts."
"Gifts?"
"Yes, there are quite a few people I'm indebted to. I haven't had the chance before now, since I couldn't leave the Grand Duke's estate."
"...I suppose you haven't."
The Grand Duke gave a slight nod, then spoke to the coachman. "To Lumiel Square."
"Yes, Your Grace."
The carriage picked up speed.
"Fior, the specialty of Pender County! Everyone, come try a taste before you go!"
"A heavenly scent! The tears of gods! Reditar perfume has just arrived! Come take a look!"
"Not every day do you get a deal like—"
Lumiel Square was as bustling as one would expect of the capital's premier commercial district.
Countless stalls and shops lined the streets, branching out from the ornate fountain at the center of the square. Colorful flowerbeds were arranged at even intervals around the fountain's edge, and long benches ran between them for people to rest on.
The Grand Duke and I stepped down from the carriage and slowly entered the lively street.
So this is Lumiel Square—the place where the most people gather in all the Cadea Empire.
I looked around, forgetting to breathe.
It was bright. And I didn't mean merely the vigor steeped into their expressions—the faces of the imperial citizens gathered here simply had no deep shadows on them at all.
Unlike the people of the Tenasis Empire.
I think I'm starting to understand why Serhin hates the Cadea Empire so much.
It was jealousy. Or perhaps envy would be the better word.
"Greedy wretches who know neither gratitude nor contentment with what they have!"
"Hogging the World Tree's blessing while failing to even protect it—fools, the lot of them!"
That was how the Cadea Empire had looked through Serhin's eyes.
He couldn't help but compare.
Even as their World Tree was dying, the Cadea Empire remained this prosperous. Serhin, who had grown up beneath the gloom that hung over the Tenasis Empire, must have ground his teeth to dust every time he confronted the gap.
Is that why he turned out so twisted?
I remembered how Serhin used to smash whatever he was holding whenever the Cadea Empire came up in conversation.
Hmm... well, now that they're forming an alliance, that rage should die down some.
Probably...
I pulled my hood down snug so the wind couldn't whip it back, then turned to the Grand Duke.
"Your Grace, you really don't need to come along."
...
"If an assassin were to slip into the crowd and try something, you could be hurt, Your Grace. Wouldn't it be better to rest in the carriage instead?"
At that, the Grand Duke—his navy hood drawn down to his eyebrows—fixed me with a long stare. "It's a bit late to say this, but I suspect you're the only person in the entire estate who worries about my safety."
"...I beg your pardon?"
"Keep up."
...
The Grand Duke strode ahead, and with no better alternative, I simply followed behind him.
As we emerged from the alley where the carriage was hidden, a gust of wind swept past. Holding my hood in place, I trailed the Grand Duke past a long stretch of stalls.
That was when I spotted something displayed on one of them.
"Wow... what kind of fruit is that, to be that huge?"
The Grand Duke stopped and looked at the stall. "A fruit from the southern counties. They say it tastes like it was brewed from honey, so they call it a meliberry."
Ooh. I gazed at the fruit in awe, and the Grand Duke handed a gold coin to the stall owner and picked one up.
"Eat just one. There's a great deal more to taste today."
"Ah, thank you."
I eagerly accepted the honey-scented fruit. It was a little awkward to eat, but it was delicious enough that, if not for the Grand Duke's restraint, I would happily have devoured several more.
After that, we paused a while to browse spices I had never seen or heard of and porcelain crafts with intricate patterns, and the moment we tried walking on again, traditional Cadean musicians appeared alongside dancers performing to their music, stopping us in our tracks once more.
I couldn't stop staring. All the more so because, even in my days as Sia, I had no memory of ever visiting a shopping district for a proper look around.
I only ever passed through the Tenasis market streets on our way to war.
Who knew browsing a market could be this much fun?
I should have begged Serhin to bring me out here now and then.
Then I stopped dead yet again, this time in front of a stall piled high with mushrooms I had never seen before.
"Oh? And these are—"
Right on cue, the Grand Duke supplied the answer as if he'd been waiting for it. "A specialty from the southeastern territories. I hear they're popular for their superior aroma and texture compared to other mushrooms."
"...You know an awful lot, don't you?"
"Wouldn't it make sense for me—someone with his memory intact—to know more than a butler who's lost his? Watching you gawk at every last product of the Cadea Empire, I half wonder if you're really Cadean at all."
...
Ouch. I decided to shut my mouth before I dug myself any deeper.