A Single Flower (3)
Asena echoed the words of Lucil Hober, the Student Council President. “...The jousting tournament?”
The president nodded as she sipped her tea. “That’s right, Asena. The jousting tournament will be held on the upcoming holiday. The weather looks like it will stay clear… doesn’t it sound fun?”
“.....”
“So once today’s classes end, everyone should gather. We need to set the budget.”
Asena wasn’t particularly interested. Not in the gathering, but in the jousting tournament itself.
“...Will the Knight Department students be the ones competing?”
“Of course.”
“...Will everyone be participating?”
“As long as they haven’t been injured… everyone will take part. You seem especially curious today, Asena?”
Everyone, of course, included Caiden. A wave of discomfort washed over her. She had only just managed to suppress the attention she had been directing toward him… and thanks to Kirsi’s harsh words, no one had been showing any interest in him. Now the situation threatened to grow complicated again. Caiden would once more step into the spotlight before others.
Since coming to the Academy, Asena had learned that noble young ladies harbored fantasies about knights. Perhaps it was because of the fairy tales they had heard as children. Of course, Asena—who had listened to countless fairy tales from Caiden—secretly held those same fantasies about knights… but selfishly, she hated the idea of anyone else sharing them.
If only my brother weren’t a knight…
She let out a sigh.
Daisy Hextor approached and placed a hand on Asena’s shoulder. She seemed to think Asena found the task bothersome.
“Don’t think about it too seriously, Asena. Setting the budget won’t be that difficult. If we run into trouble, we can just check how they did it last year.”
“...”
“Actually, our territory has hosted several tournaments, so I’ve seen them before. They’re quite entertaining. So let’s clear our minds and prepare with the thought of simply enjoying ourselves.”
“....”
“Ah, or is that not what’s worrying you? Is it because of your older brother in the Knight Department… Ah.”
Daisy closed her mouth the moment she felt Asena’s icy gaze. The word “older brother” was like a reverse scale for Asena. Touch it, and the atmosphere turned deadly. Daisy had tried not to forget, but she kept making the same mistake.
In an instant, the mood flipped, and the entire Student Council fell deathly silent. Still, Asena rather liked that the atmosphere could shift so quickly. It seemed everyone understood the message she wanted to convey. They were not to casually bring up Caiden. She knew that alone could significantly dampen any interest in him.
Asena wanted to keep any talk about Caiden as quiet as possible. She had already planted the perception that she no longer saw him as a sibling. She had made it clear they were not family. Her goal had been achieved. Like Kirsi had done… there was no need for her to go so far as to badmouth him.
The best impression was: “Asena and Caiden have a questionable relationship,” or “I can’t tell what their relationship is.” That kind of ambiguity would help greatly when the day came to announce their marriage. So Asena kept her words to herself.
“.....Is it really acceptable to hold an event like the jousting tournament so soon?”
She changed the subject with the question. In any case, Asena was opposed to this tournament.
“It’s an Academy tradition. Everyone enjoys watching the knights’ jousting matches, and it helps awkward friends grow closer. There’s nothing better for building bonds than sharing joy while watching passionate competition.”
“....Understood.”
At the mention of tradition, Asena rose from her seat. Lucil Hober called after her.
“Asena, where are you going?”
“...I need some air. I’ll return later.”
Asena left the Student Council room.
Asena went looking for Caiden. As always, he was tending to his own private garden. Asena liked this garden. It was secluded, and Caiden was always there. The blooming flowers did not steal him away from her, so nothing could be better. Whenever she came here, her heart grew at ease along with his. Perhaps it was simply because he was present. It felt as though she had stepped away from the Academy, where she constantly had to remain on guard.
“...Hm? Asena’s here?” Caiden said.
Asena suppressed the impulse to throw herself comfortably into his arms. As the family head, she had to maintain a certain level of dignity. Caiden, who had practically raised her like a parent. The love he gave her was so warm that Asena sometimes let her guard down completely.
Before stating her purpose, Asena looked around his garden. The planted seeds had sprouted green stems and were growing steadily. It was fascinating to see them grow every time she visited. Noticing her gaze fixed on his garden, Caiden smiled and said,
“They’ve grown a lot, haven’t they? It looks like they’ll bloom soon.”
“They didn’t die and grew well.”
“That’s thanks to you two helping. You sometimes came to water them, didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t much.”
“Still. They grew with our care.”
Though she didn’t show it, his words made the growing flowers look even more beautiful. She realized they were a life they had nurtured together. Asena crouched down near him.
“...Brother.”
She called the name that alone brought her happiness.
“Yes?”
Asena rested her head on his knee and looked up at him.
“I heard the jousting tournament is going to be held?”
Caiden nodded. “That’s right.”
“.....”
Asena fell silent immediately. This time, Caiden looked at her and asked,
“What about it?”
“.....Can’t you skip it, Brother?” she asked.
For a moment, silence fell. The sound of the wind grew louder, and the swaying grass brushed against each other, rustling. After a long pause, he asked,
“.....What?”
“......The jousting tournament.”
Once again, the sounds of nature filled the air. Asena studied his expression, sensing that his silence was longer than she had expected.
“.....You’d prefer I stayed hidden like a dead mouse?”
His reply came with a very faint edge. Others might not have noticed, but Asena immediately recognized that his mood was not good. She instinctively knew this was a moment when she had to answer carefully. She wouldn’t have been this nervous with anyone else… but because it was Caiden, she grew cautious.
“........It’s not that. I’m worried you might get hurt.”
Honestly, he was right. She would prefer he stayed hidden like a dead mouse. But she couldn’t say that, so she had changed her words. Fortunately, it seemed to be the right answer. Caiden smiled and ruffled her hair. Asena instinctively leaned her head toward his hand.
“It’s fine. I might get hurt. Besides, if I’m perfectly healthy and don’t participate, what would people think? My reputation is already bad enough.”
“......”
Asena had come all this way to persuade him. To tell him not to go. She had even been prepared to issue an order if necessary, but the mood had shifted in the wrong direction, making it difficult to speak. She imagined Caiden competing in the jousting tournament. She pictured him standing before a crowd of people. Courage bloomed in Asena’s chest. She opened her mouth to persuade him.
“Brother, instead of doing this, for this tournament—”
“—Asena.”
His firm voice rang out.
“....I’m going to compete.”
Asena could not bring herself to say anything else.
“.....Okay.”
“On that day, just cheer for me, alright?”
“....Okay.”
With complicated feelings, Asena finished her response. When that day came, would she truly be able to cheer for him? She hadn’t been able to stop him from entering the tournament, but that didn’t mean she had given up on everything. In the end, what Asena hated was the gazes that would turn toward him. She hated the attention that would pour onto him. So she had to suppress it. Just as Kirsi had done.
“...Brother, then instead of just competing…”
“Yes?”
“Can I prepare your equipment for you?”
“Hm?”
Caiden turned to look at her. A small spark of anticipation appeared on his face.
“Really? You will?”
“Yes. I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
At those words, Caiden approached happily and draped one arm around Asena’s shoulder. Asena immediately felt her face grow hot. He was so close that she could smell his scent. She kept her expression stiff, but she could not meet his eyes.
“I only have my little sister. Then I’ll leave it to you, Asena. I already have armor. You know that, right?”
“...Yes.”
Since it had been brought from the Freister family, Asena knew about it.
“The only thing missing is the lance. If you’re going to prepare it, just get that. Do you know the lance specifications?”
“......I’ll ask while I’m preparing it.”
She answered while suppressing her pounding heart. After that, the two chatted about everyday things before parting ways.
Asena headed to the armory. Many Knight Department students were already there. They all seemed to be preparing their own equipment in advance. When Asena appeared, a worker from the armory hurried over and stood before her. He clasped his hands together and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to prepare equipment for the upcoming jousting tournament. I don’t need armor, just a lance.”
“Ah, I see. You’re aware that the tournament provides lances as well, right?”
The worker informed her that there was no need to have one made here. Asena nodded.
“I know.”
“Hmm. And if you’re having one custom-made, you should prepare three or four. Tournament lances break easily.”
“Understood.”
After watching the nodding worker, Asena lowered her voice and asked carefully,
“......I heard there are specifications for the lance.”
Without knowing why, the worker also lowered his voice.
“...Yes. There are.”
Even after bringing it up, Asena hesitated for a moment. The image of Caiden’s happy face came to mind. But soon she shook her head. Asena still disliked the idea of him shining in front of others. His charm could not be known to anyone else. Only she should know it. She had heard that serious injuries were rare in jousting tournaments. They weren’t nonexistent, but they were uncommon. If so, Asena hoped Caiden would be eliminated quickly. That would be enough. Then he wouldn’t shine, and there would be no reason for others to covet him.
She said, “.....Make the lance… no… about two spans shorter.”
The worker took a moment to process her words, then asked in bewilderment,
“....Pardon? That would put him at a disadvantage in the match, wouldn’t it?”
“I know.”
The worker blinked as if he couldn’t understand, but his head still nodded in compliance with her words.
“....Then… I’ll do as you say.”
There was no one in this Academy who would carelessly defy a noble’s order.
“...Ah.”
Asena opened her mouth as a question occurred to her. In truth, this was what worried her most.
“....The person using it… won’t notice that the lance has been shortened, right?”
Asena imagined Caiden noticing her dirty deed. There could be nothing more horrifying. He must never find out. The worker stroked his chin.
“...Well, unless someone puts two side by side to compare, it would be hard to notice. Lances are so long that one or two spans wouldn’t be obvious to the eye. You’d only notice during the actual match.”
“...Then that’s fine.”
Asena nodded.
The day of the jousting tournament.
“Ready, Judy?”
Judy nodded while taking a deep breath, looking tense. “...You?”
“I’m ready too.”
I held out my fist. Judy lightly bumped it in response. After that, we parted and entered our respective waiting areas. The waiting area was nothing more than a small tent set up temporarily. My horse, Rush, and my armor were prepared. The lance had not arrived yet. Asena had said she would bring it soon.
When I slightly lifted the tent flap and looked outside, a tremendous number of people had gathered. They all seemed excited, chatting noisily and eating snacks. Everyone was dressed neatly. Since it was a day they could take off their Academy uniforms, beautiful men and women who had been hidden until now revealed themselves one after another. It looked as if the entire Academy had gathered. This was the perfect place to overturn my reputation.
“...Hoo…”
I shook my body to release the tension. I hadn’t shown it to Judy, but I was quite nervous too. For my plan to succeed, I needed to make a strong start right here.
“Huff.”
Rush snorted and pawed the ground. He seemed excited by the noisy atmosphere.
“Let’s do well, Rush.”
I approached and stroked him, then opened the pouch attached to the saddle. Fortunately, the item I had prepared was safely inside. After that, I began to put on the heavy armor piece by piece. The gleaming black armor. It was a magnificent suit that seemed to display the power of the family. Grandmother Liana had given it to me. Warmth filled my heart, and strength surged through me for no reason.
“Brother!”
Kirsi entered, lifting the tent flap. She froze upon seeing me in armor. It was the first time she had seen me wear it. From her reaction, it seemed to look decent. Though it might just be an act.
“...How is it?”
“Yeah… cool.”
“Where’s Asena? My lance still hasn’t arrived.”
“She’s here.”
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the tent. Soon Asena entered with several men carrying three or four lances. A smile spread across my face. I was grateful for the sincerity she had shown in preparing them for me. The behind-the-back talk still stung, but gratitude was gratitude.
The men carefully set the lances down on the ground. The Freister family crest was engraved in small on the handles. The fact that they were exclusively mine made my heart flutter with honest excitement.
“Wow… thank you, Asena.”
I smiled, picked up one of the lances on the floor, and tucked it under my armpit. The grip felt smooth. Then came another sensation.
“.......?”
“...How is it, Brother?” Asena asked.
I thought to myself. What is this? Why is it a little short?