A Birthday Gift
RiReiner $0an stared at the man in disbelief.
"...... What did you say?"
"Well... I'm terribly sorry. You witnessed me discarding the gift on behalf of Lady Cynthia Rebellion."
After running into Rian, Liner had hurried back to Cynthia as if fleeing the scene. This matter seemed likely to escalate into a serious problem, so he had no choice but to report it. And upon hearing Liner's report, Cynthia's expression hardened into something he'd never seen before.
"......"
'Ah, this is the first time I've seen the young lady react like this... It really must be a disaster, right?'
Cynthia had no intention of marrying Rian, but their engagement period still had six months remaining. If the engagement were broken off sooner than expected, it could introduce unforeseen variables into her plans.
"You..."
"Yes?"
"You can't even handle something this simple?"
"!"
Her voice was usually emotionless, but today it felt especially icy. Sensing danger, Liner began making excuses without realizing it.
"I-I'm sorry! But it's not that big of a problem, is it? After all, my lady, you..."
"Who told you to make that judgment? All you need to do is carry out my orders properly, isn't that right?"
"Th-that's... I'm sorry."
"And him?"
"Pardon?"
"What did he say?"
"Well..."
Rian Veilburg hadn't said much at all. He'd simply asked one thing: 'Did the Rebellion heiress order this?'
As Liner recalled the moment and explained in detail, Cynthia's expression grew increasingly fierce.
"... Haah..."
"... Forgive me, my lady. If I had been more..."
"Enough. What's done is done. There's no helping it now."
Her face was gradually turning red, as if her anger had reached its peak. To the remorseful Liner, she responded in a frigid tone.
"And from now on, you don't need to stay by my side. You've been disqualified as my guard knight."
"What!? M-My lady! What are you..."
"I have no use for someone who can't even carry out a single order correctly. I'll inform the family myself, so don't set foot in my mansion again. If you do, it'll be a death sentence."
"B-But! Lady Cynthia! No matter what, isn't this too harsh?"
"... Hah."
'Oh no!'
The moment Cynthia let out a hollow laugh, Liner's mind snapped back to attention. It was a dangerous sign. Just as he hurriedly tried to drop to his knees to apologize again—
"May."
THUD!!!
"Gah!?"
The instant Cynthia called the name, a heavy impact rang out against the back of Liner's head. Had he been an ordinary person, the blow might have killed him. But since Liner was a trained knight, it didn't reach that point. That didn't mean the strike wasn't painful, though.
"Ugh... M-My lady..."
"Teach him a proper lesson. As long as he doesn't die, it's fine."
"Yes, my lady."
There had only been Cynthia and Liner in the area, yet a mysterious woman's voice echoed from thin air. Leaving Liner sprawled on the ground, Cynthia turned and walked toward her carriage.
She thought of Rian Veilburg, the man who had spent time with her today.
(I was simply following orders.)
(Did the Rebellion heiress order this?)
(That is all I have to say. If you're curious, ask the young lady yourself.)
'......'
It had been a short conversation, but it was the worst possible exchange. She hadn't meant to corner him like this, yet she had unintentionally shown him the absolute worst of her actions.
'What should I do?'
In truth, if she only considered the political marriage, there wouldn't be any particular problem. Her image was already at rock bottom, so simply suggesting they break the engagement would be enough to dissolve it. But guilt was an entirely different matter.
Nobles were the sort who could treat human lives as insignificant for the sake of their goals, but Cynthia had not yet become that steeped in aristocratic ways.
'I never intended to show him that. Of all people, that idiot had to...'
How must he be feeling right now? He had probably experienced the most humiliating moment of his life. Not only had he witnessed his fiancée's atrocity, but he'd also been insulted to his face by one of her subordinates. Before he was even a noble, his pride as a man must have suffered a devastating wound.
'I... should apologize. Thinking about it again, that was far too rude.'
Surprisingly, her hesitation didn't last long. She had never used the word "apology" with others before, but this time it was clearly her fault, so she wanted to offer one. The only question was when and how to deliver it...
"... Ah, that's right. May."
"Yes, my lady."
The woman's voice came from the empty air once more. Cynthia gave an order to her true guard knight.
"That gift box from earlier—do you know where it was thrown?"
"I do."
"Bring it back."
"Understood."
The next day after the date, at the Veilburg County estate.
Rian was enjoying lunch with his family. Unlike his relatives who were eating with relish, however, he was the only one mechanically chewing his food with no appetite.
"Munch munch..."
"Rian."
"Yes, Father."
The head of the Veilburg family, Hidelus Veilburg, sat at the head of the table.
"Did something happen?"
"... No?"
"Really? You don't look well at all."
"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night, so I'm a bit short on rest."
Upon hearing his eldest son's answer, Count Hidelus wore a worried expression. From beside him, the countess, Aichel Veilburg, who had been listening, joined the conversation.
"Rian."
"Yes, Mother."
"How have things been between you and Lady Cynthia lately?"
"They're tolerable. We haven't grown any closer, but nothing has worsened either."
Countess Aichel's face crumpled at his reply. The count and countess hadn't pried deeply into Rian and Cynthia's relationship, but they already knew the two weren't getting along well. Since they met far less often than most engaged couples, it would have been stranger if they hadn't noticed.
"Don't worry, Father, Mother. We'll manage somehow. And if any problems arise, I'll tell you both first."
"... I see."
"Hmm..."
At their son's gentle smile, the count and countess eventually nodded. But perhaps the conversation had left them uneasy, because the youngest of the Veilburg family—Rian's three-years-younger brother, Hatz Veilburg—spoke up.
"Brother."
"Yeah?"
"If it's too hard, just break off the engagement."
"... Hatz."
Rian glared at his brother with a stern expression at the sudden blunt remark. It was a clear warning not to say such foolish things. But Hatz simply met his gaze with a nonchalant look.
"We all know the general situation. Of course, you can't break it off without any justification, but if you two really don't suit each other, then there's no choice but to..."
"Will you be quiet?"
"... Tsk. I was just worried about you. Why are you getting angry?"
"......"
Breaking an engagement with a grand ducal house was by no means easy. The Veilburg County primarily earned its income through merchant operations, and this engagement had come with various contracts with the grand duchy—everything from importing goods from each other's territories to joint marketing. If the count's house unilaterally ended the engagement, all those contracts would be severed at once, and the count's house would have to pay all the resulting compensation. Unless both sides agreed to the dissolution, they could never demand it from their side.
"Hatz isn't entirely wrong."
"... Father."
"We, too, are disappointed by Cynthia Rebellion's behavior. If the two of you truly don't match, there's no problem with ending the engagement. The grand duchy bears some responsibility for how things have turned out."
"... If any issues come up, I'll tell you first, so please just watch over us for now."
'Father really...'
It was impossible. Even if the other party were a marquisate, they might be able to hold them somewhat accountable, but the Rebellion Grand Duchy was on an entirely different scale. While the title of grand duke was second only to the emperor in power, that was merely in name—the grand duke of Rebellion possessed authority nearly equal to the emperor himself. If they incurred his displeasure, the Veilburg family would suffer irreparable damage.
'Still, my family is genuinely worried about me. Just knowing that is enough...'
Knock knock—
"Count. It's Daniel."
"The head butler?"
At that moment, the voice of head butler Daniel came from outside the dining room door. Count Hidelus looked puzzled and granted him permission to enter. It was unusual for him to interrupt mealtime like this, so the count was curious.
"What is it?"
"Forgive me for disturbing your meal, Count. But I felt this was something you needed to know immediately..."
"I understand. Just tell me. Is it difficult to say here?"
"... This..."
The seal of the Rebellion Grand Duchy is affixed.
Sender: Alkesta Rebellion
Count Hidelus's face stiffened as he looked at the letter the head butler presented. The seal of the Rebellion Grand Duchy was attached. It wasn't particularly surprising for a letter to arrive from the grand duchy. What mattered was the name of the sender written upon it.
'The grand duke himself...!?'
Alkesta Rebellion, the current head of the Rebellion Grand Duchy. This was the first time Count Hidelus had ever received a letter directly from him. Usually, his aides handled such matters, so even during the arranged engagement process, he had never once heard from the man himself.
'Why all of a sudden... I need to check the contents first.'
"Father? What's wrong?"
Hatz spoke up when he saw his father's suddenly rigid expression, but the count had no attention to spare for his son. He quickly tore open the letter and scanned its contents.
"......"
"...... Father?"
Rian, who had noticed the Rebellion crest a moment later, called out to his father with a tense face. The count let out a small sigh of relief and looked at Rian. His expression had relaxed, as if reassured.
"It seems this letter is for you, Rian."
"Pardon? For me?"
"Yes... It says the Rebellion Grand Duchy will be hosting a birthday party for Lady Cynthia."
"......?"
Blink. Blink.
'A birthday party?'
The very birthday party that Cynthia had said she wouldn't bother preparing for. As Rian blinked in confusion, unable to grasp the situation, the count put on a serious face again and addressed the family.
"It looks like we'll need to visit the Rebellion Grand Duchy."