Chapter 64

"Nice to meet you, Lord Edgar."

I closed the 'Black Fan', pinched the fabric of my dress, and lifted it slightly to greet Lord Edgar.

Being royal and step-parent and child, etiquette is important! However, not to the point of being overly formal.

"Likewise, it's nice to meet you. It's a pleasant morning, isn't it?"

A gentle response came from Lord Edgar. ——That's good, but he then stared at me intently. For about ten seconds?

Then, Lord Edgar nodded as if satisfied.

"Also, I'm relieved. I've heard from Enoch, but I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. And, visiting you was forbidden... But, you look well."

Ah...

Visits to my room are also restricted. Even for Lord Edgar. It seems that Father's visit was an exception.

"Yes, it doesn't affect my daily life at all."

I answered with a smile.

I switched the 'Black Fan' to my left hand, which was bandaged after applying medicine. It hurts a little when I move it. However! Here, I must endure.

I must show that I'm fine!

"Since I'm taking a walk in the garden like this. Is Lord Edgar also taking a walk this morning?"

"...This morning too?"

Lord Edgar, who was wearing glasses, blinked and pointed out the inconsistency.

I said this because I remembered seeing Lord Edgar in this garden from a window facing a corridor before going to the training ground at midnight...

Well, it's a good opportunity to confirm.

"Last night, I had the chance to walk around the castle with my brother. At that time, I saw Lord Edgar from a window facing the corridor. You were in this garden, weren't you?"

"Hmm..."

Lord Edgar placed a hand on his chin.

"Did you see me?"

He asked, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I went out without permission. I'd prefer if you could keep it from Enoch..."

I was shocked.

"Lord Edgar, you really went out alone last night? Without Father's permission?"

I never thought Father didn't know.

Because Father cares about Lord Edgar so much! He doesn't show affection in public, but when there's even a hint of danger in Lord Edgar's official duties, he always requests enhanced security measures.

He is overly cautious about Lord Edgar's safety.

However, it doesn't seem like he's overly restrictive. It's more like... he can't stand not knowing where Lord Edgar is... or feeling uneasy if he's not within sight?

Yet, Lord Edgar went for a walk at night without telling Father... That's too daring.

If Father found out, he'd be stressed to the point of going bald!

Is it a midlife crisis?

Lord Edgar's guards are also assigned to Father. They are all selected from Father's guards. They are highly skilled, but they also report daily to Father about Lord Edgar's well-being.

This is why I feel Father is overly protective of Lord Edgar.

Even with his light-footedness, sneaking out without Father's knowledge... evading the guards' checks...!

Even for movement within the castle, someone usually follows.

How did he do it?

A completely solo action... I'd rather learn that skill! Maybe I can use it when I want to sneak out!

"I did bring a guard, though."

But Lord Edgar said it casually.

Was I jumping to conclusions...?

I shouldn't be disappointed, but I was.

Plans like secretly visiting Clive and other schemes automatically vanished.

Now that I think about it, one of Lord Edgar's guards is standing at a distance, close enough to respond immediately but far enough not to hear our conversation.

"Then that's good... "

"You were worried about me? Thank you."

Lord Edgar smiled. ...What a sight. I was reminded again that Lord Edgar is a different kind of handsome.

He is Father's partner. My foster parent (male)!

On the surface, we are a happy family. But not in the parent-child sense.

Among the royal children—my brother, me, and Alec—the one closest to Lord Edgar is my brother. But even without the surface-level relationship, I'm not on bad terms with him.

In fact, I don't remember Lord Edgar ever bullying me. The ones who were mean were my brother's fans!

I couldn't act like a child with him, but Lord Edgar never pushed me to be his "daughter" either—our impressions of each other aren't that bad.

Lord Edgar... maintains a good distance. He avoids me when I give off a "don't come close" aura, and responds when I give off a "want to talk" aura.

I'm currently giving off a "let's talk" aura. That's the plan. ...Auras can't be seen, but... with determination! Atmosphere!

Because, in a situation where the people I can interact with are extremely limited, this is a precious encounter with someone else!

I'm hungry for conversation! Aura, come out!

"Since we're here, shall we take a walk together? Octavia."

Lord Edgar caught my aura!

"Of course. —Hugh, please follow at a distance."

I gratefully accepted the invitation and gave Hugh instructions. I mustn't forget that he is also my brother's spy!

"As you wish."

Hugh bowed gracefully.

Lord Edgar and I started walking side by side in the garden.

---

Hugh, who was following us at a distance—along with Lord Edgar's guards—looked back, and Lord Edgar tilted his head.

"Hugh was one of Serius's guards, right?"

It's understandable to be curious.

Hugh is my brother's confidant. They are a set.

"Thanks to my brother's consideration, Hugh is temporarily assigned to my guard duty."

I emphasized the word "temporarily" subtly, as it's very important.

"Oh, so you're not interrupting a secret rendezvous?"

Huh?

"Maybe Hugh was your secret lover... I was going to tell Enoch if that was the case."

"...Lord Edgar?"

It's not true at all!

I sent a strong gaze to protest.

Lord Edgar chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry."

He delivered the final blow while laughing.

"Too much of a joke. I'll wait patiently for the debut day."

"...Yes, I'll wait."

I covered my strained smile with the 'Black Fan'.

Not just waiting, but... uh. The pre-ball ended in a fiasco, and I haven't even found a fake boyfriend yet...

In the original story, the character who was depicted as an enemy was a good target! But Rust, whom I tried to approach, is no longer a candidate. I couldn't even bring it up, psychologically...

With the current restrictions, the number of eligible men is even smaller. Considering the remaining time, I can't afford to be picky.

Maybe I should go with Hugh, as suggested by Lord Edgar?

Should I try asking Hugh—no.

I shook my head vigorously in my mind.

I can't even imagine a successful future at this point! If I asked, the success rate would still be higher with Rust.

If we had a similar relationship as in the original story, I might have been able to ask casually... but in that case, my "I also have someone I love" to my brother might not have been triggered.

If I really had a boyfriend...!

Surrounded by love, yet...

—One of those living examples is Lord Edgar.

I nodded in my mind.

He overcame gender and status to marry Father. A famous love story. It's almost too perfect, isn't it? If it weren't about my father, my fangirl heart would have been on fire.

I would have loved to read it as a completely fictional novel and swoon! If a prequel about the parent generation had been published in my previous life, I would have bought it!

—But it's not fiction.

Father's nervousness about Lord Edgar's safety might be due to their past. A fear of losing him.

Thinking about that...

I looked up at Lord Edgar, who was walking beside me. As an adult male, he is much taller than me.

"Is it okay for you to go out at night without telling Father?"

Lord Edgar smiled wryly.

"To be precise, he tolerates my midnight walks in this garden. I don't ask for permission every time. ...By the way, Enoch doesn't like this garden very much."

"Really?"

Why?

I didn't voice my question, but Lord Edgar answered quietly, looking at my face.

"...Probably because the previous king tended to this garden himself."

"Grandfather did? Himself?"

The wasteful grandfather who was a gem collector? When Father was the crown prince, he often argued with Grandfather, and after abdicating the throne to Father, he hardly ever visited the capital until his death.

He was my grandfather and the previous king. I visited the castle he renovated and lived in after retiring, and it was all glittering with gold and gems. Excessively luxurious, almost tacky?

Honestly, I can't imagine him doing gardening...

"Can't imagine it?"

"No."

I nodded honestly.

I haven't heard many good things about my grandfather, who died when I was eight.

He was known for his excessive affairs with handsome men... and being taken advantage of by merchants... but only in his personal life.

As a king, he did a decent job. At least, the country didn't decline. Father strongly opposed him.

Grandfather...

—A new perspective on my grandfather is that he was the older brother of the Kilglen Duke.

He died of old age, like the Kilglen Duke. Generally, male royals tend to live long.

I recalled the portrait of my grandfather, which looked exactly like him, hanging in the castle.

My impression of my grandfather in life was of a decadent, bored person. He seemed to try to fill that void with luxury goods.

He showed no interest in his grandchildren—my brother, me, and Alec... In that sense, his treatment was fair.

But...

"What was Grandfather like, from Lord Edgar's perspective?"

"What was he like..."

Lord Edgar stopped and reached out to a lily of the valley flower blooming in the garden, squinting his eyes.

"He was weak and very kind. That's why he might have planted these flowers here."

"—Lilies of the valley?"

I followed Lord Edgar's lead and looked at the garden, now white with flowers.

A fragrant, beautiful white flower.

Come to think of it, lilies of the valley bloom only in this garden in the castle.

...Did Grandfather plant them?

Weak and kind...

But even if Grandfather had such qualities, why would he plant lilies of the valley? I have knowledge from the original novel, but it doesn't cover events from Father and Lord Edgar's generation.

I reached out to the white petals.

"Last night"

I stopped just before touching them and looked at Lord Edgar, who had spoken.

"I had a bad dream."

Lord Edgar leaned his face toward the lily of the valley in his arms, as if cradling a treasure.

"The scent of these flowers calms me down."

I have had bad dreams too, to the point of being sick of them. I couldn't tell anyone.

But Lord Edgar has someone to confide in.

"Lord Edgar, you have Father. Why don't you consult him about your bad dreams?"

A strong wind blew, and my hair flew up. I held it down.

A whisper came from nearby.

"...Enoch?"

Lord Edgar's face, which had been looking up, showed a smile.

...What is it? It felt strange.

For a moment, I sensed a shadow of darkness in his voice and expression.

Lord Edgar continued, still smiling.

"I can't tell Enoch the content of my dreams."

"Can't tell?"

"Yes. Because I don't want to. And because Enoch can't do anything about it."

His voice wasn't loud, but the firmness of his statement was confusing.

A few seconds passed. Lord Edgar spoke first.

"...Sorry. I surprised you."

He sighed and smiled wryly.

"Octavia is a good listener. I end up saying more than I should..."

Lord Edgar, as I know him, placed a finger to his lips.

"So, I'd appreciate it if you could keep it from Enoch."

"That's..."

I naturally had a troubled expression. I couldn't agree.

Lord Edgar, do you have some troubles?

Even if Father can't do anything, it might be better to talk to him...

"—By the way, I sense that Octavia has some troubles?"

"!"

"Would you like some help?"

The bait was thrown...!

I remembered that Lord Edgar used to be a merchant.

In terms of status, Lord Edgar is the second in line in Esphera.

My brother can't be too forceful. This is the key point!

If Alec were here, it would be different, but with Alec absent, Lord Edgar is the top candidate to help me break the current situation in the castle.

Moreover, Lord Edgar is hinting that he will help if I keep it from Father. The content itself is private.

This is an opportunity I can't miss...

"Lord Edgar"

I closed the 'Black Fan' in front of my face and looked directly into Lord Edgar's brown eyes.

"Yes?"

"I cannot accept your offer."

"Is the price not enough?"

I shook my head.

"It's not about that. I can't promise to keep it from Father. Lord Edgar, if you have a clue about the cause of your nightmares—especially if it involves Father, please talk to Father properly."

"......"

Lord Edgar, looking surprised, smiled through his glasses.

"I see. So that's your approach, Octavia."

That's right!

I can't miss this opportunity! I can't...

As someone who has been plagued by nightmares for years (I just decided that!), I couldn't jump at the chance even if it meant not getting Lord Edgar's help.

It's similar to when I was asked by Sir Sil to keep it from my brother during the pre-ball, but I knew from the original story that the problem would eventually be resolved.

This case with Lord Edgar and Father is different.

Even if it's meddling, I can't let it continue like this. Usually, such issues linger and worsen. If left alone, they might explode later! I won't help light the fire!

"I understand. ...I can't force you."

"Is the negotiation broken off?"

"No, it's half successful."

...Huh?

"Even without a trade, I've decided to help Octavia."

With a likable, unadorned smile, Lord Edgar said.