Chapter 57

"Ah?!"

A sudden strong wind blew in.

As Cordelia instinctively closed her eyes, a sharp pain shot through her head, and a rustling sound was heard by her ear.

"Veil!!"

The veil slipped through her fingertips and fluttered in the air.

"Wait!!"

The maid chased after it, but the veil was carried away by the wind, quickly moving farther away.

Cordelia wanted to run, but it would be considered impolite in the palace.

As she watched, the wind died down, and the veil began to fall.

(Too late!!)

The pure white veil was about to fall to the ground and get dirty.

However, Cordelia's anxiety did not come to fruition.

"Hmph, quite careless, aren't you?"

A young man in white clothes caught the veil.

Just in time, he managed to catch the end of the veil before it touched the ground.

"Thank you. I'm saved."

Cordelia sighed in relief and thanked the young man.

(White high-collar with shoulder epaulettes. This outfit is that of a military officer of the Eltria Kingdom.)

The figure before her matched the knowledge she had learned.

Was he one of the attendees of today's welcoming ceremony?

His neatly cut golden hair, styled at the shoulders, gave an impression of good upbringing.

"The wind blew away my veil, and I was in trouble. Thanks to you, it didn't get dirty. Could you please return the veil to me?"

She explained the situation, but the young man continued to hold the veil.

He looked at Cordelia with a stern gaze.

"Y-You are the 'Holy Maiden of the Lion,' Lady Cordelia?"

He managed to attach the honorific, but his tone was strong.

Without returning the veil, he continued to look at Cordelia rudely.

(Are you hostile?)

Cordelia raised her guard and forced a social smile.

"Yes, I am Cordelia. May I ask for your name?"

"Francois Blanchoise."

Blanchoise.

The name of a ducal family that holds a key position in the military of the neighboring kingdom of Eltria.

(Francois of the Blanchoise family, so he must be the captain of the first detachment of the resident military here.)

He was a significant figure.

Indeed, he was not alone; there were soldiers behind him.

As Cordelia observed the situation, Francois snorted.

"Hmph, you are the 'Holy Maiden of the Lion,' huh? Despite your visit, I find it hard to believe."

"It's not a lie. Though I am of humble origin, I am indeed the person known as the 'Holy Maiden of the Lion.'"

"Then where is the 'Holy Beast'? I've heard that you command the 'Holy Beast' and receive its blessing. If you could direct the 'Holy Beast' or use its blessing, you could easily retrieve the veil if it were blown away by the wind, right?"

"…The 'Holy Beast' is a very precious being that protects this country. I cannot use its power so casually."

The 'Holy Beast' is Leonhardt, who can transform into a lion.

Cordelia couldn't summon him at will.

"Quite inconvenient, isn't it? A power that can't be used when needed is like a treasure wasted."

"When needed, you mean?"

Cordelia had a thought in response to Francois's words.

To confirm, she took a step forward.

"Do you mean when faced with harassment like this?"

"…What do you mean by that?"

Francois's eyebrows shot up.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

"I mean exactly that. The wind that just blew was unnatural. It was created by magic, wasn't it?"

"……"

Francois fell silent, his brow furrowed.

(Lord Francois is definitely a wind mage, right?)

This was information she had just learned a few days ago.

About 30% of the nobles in the Kingdom of Eltria can use magic. The higher the rank of the noble, the higher the proportion of mages, and Francois, being from a ducal family, was naturally a mage.

"You may not know this, but the capital's climate is very mild this season. The clouds are moving slowly today, and strong winds rarely blow."

"I know that much. I've been living in this country for over a year."

Feeling insulted, Francois countered.

"Besides, I am a great mage who can control the wind. Don't you think it's embarrassing to explain the wind to me? I can easily tell if it's natural or not."

"Then, do you also think the wind just now was unnatural?"

"……Maybe."

Francois turned his gaze away, his bangs shaking on his shoulder.

He tapped his foot on the ground, showing his displeasure.

"Either way, it's not a big deal, right? Someone used a wind spell somewhere, and by chance, it blew your veil away. That's all there is to it."

"The veil might have fallen to the ground and gotten dirty."

"Thanks to me, that didn't happen. Or are you suspecting me of being the culprit?"

Ridiculous, he said.

Francois shook his head dramatically.

(What do you mean, 'thanks to me'? The wind was clearly your doing.)

Cordelia was clearly being underestimated.

Proving magic use is difficult without catching the user in the act.

Suppressing her anger, she reached out to Francois.

"I understand your point. The welcoming ceremony is about to start, so I'll leave the search for the culprit for later. For now, could you please return the veil?"

"I refuse."

"…What do you mean?"

"Accidents can happen again. I'll hold onto it until we reach the ceremony venue."

"Please don't worry. Give it back."

Despite her repeated requests, Francois did not return the veil.

(…Is this harassment? But it's too clumsy…)

Francois lifted the veil above his head.

Though he was short for a man, he was still taller than Cordelia and the maids.

She couldn't reach it easily, and the veil just fluttered uselessly in the air.

(What should I do? I don't want to make a big fuss, but…)

As Cordelia hesitated,

"What are you doing there?"

A voice called out.

A man in red clothes walked over.