Chapter 16

I sent a letter to the Sekles family stating that I wanted to visit them in five days, and they immediately responded to my request. Despite having sent a letter unexpectedly, their response time was terrific. I had intended to give them the minimum amount of days, considering their preparation time, but it might’ve been better if I had planned to go a little earlier.

I had some extra time on my hands, so I took that opportunity to find fault with the servants and guards to dismiss them. Especially those guards who fought with Sieg and the others. I could still freshly recall neglecting Carlos and having to corner him in return , so it was just the perfect time since I wanted to deal with it soon as possible.

Karl asked me if we were to replenish the reduced personnel, but doing so would only be replacing the victims, which would be meaningless; so I just shook my head. Having done that without giving him a clear reason for it, Karl didn’t pursue further.

It was Craig whom I had to deal with. It would’ve been nice if he had just gone along the whims of his lord, just like he had in the past, saying ‘Oh, it’ll be a bit less secure in here and there, but are you okay with that?’ or ‘This servant is someone’s daughter, but are you sure about this?’ Instead, he would ask questions straight out, blatantly trying to find out my real intentions.

I wondered if they might’ve been Craig’s companion, whom he’d be inconvenienced if they were to disappear, and even tried to indirectly ask him about it; but apparently, that was not the case since he quickly pulled back whenever I probed about it. I wondered what I should do with him, but I eventually decided to postpone dealing with it for now, partly since he followed my orders.

And so, the day of the visit came. We were headed towards the Sekles territory, riding in the carriage Karl had prepared and led by the escorts Craig had arranged.

It was at a distance that would’ve been easily reached by train or car but would take a certain amount of time in a carriage. I itched to kill some time and tried to suppress my yawn, thinking that I should’ve at least brought some books with me, when the sight of the main road began to change.

As we saw the city in the distance, the flowers and the greenery, which might have been artificially planted, began to increase. It became more and more vibrant. By the time we arrived in front of our destination, the estate of the Sekles family, the whole area was surrounded with all kinds of flowers.

“…How wonderful.”

I got out of the carriage and unconsciously muttered my honest impression.

No, it was really amazing. I thought that the perfectly maintained garden of Heinreid’s estate was extremely beautiful, but this garden (or rather, it was almost like a flower garden for that matter) was a masterpiece. Various kinds of flowers were fresh and in full bloom.

The mansion, standing amidst those flowers, was magnificent yet lovely, as if it were a fairy tale.

“It’s the flower garden that has been passed down for generations in the Sekles family. As far as I know, it’s currently being managed by Lady Angelica.”

“Huh…”

I responded to Craig’s explanation.

…I had no idea why we were chatting casually, but I didn’t want to have a dispute in a place like this, so I didn’t say anything.

As I was captivated by the spectacle that could be described as fairytale-like, the escorts who had gone inside the mansion earlier to announce my arrival returned with two men and a woman.

The oldest amongst them, a tall, skinny man with grizzled hair, gave a slight bow.

“We are very grateful for taking your time to stop by today. We have never introduced ourselves before, but I’m the head of the Sekles family… I’m Ralph Sekles.”

…Yes, this was the first time we ever met. In the first place, this marriage wasn’t something neither they nor Heinreid had wanted but was rather Eberhardt’s own decision to bring us together. Heinreid just accepted the offer despite having no interest, and never greeted his fiancé at all. Nor did he let her, since it was only for formality’s sake. It was ridiculously absurd.

“And I am the daughter of the Sekles family, Angelica Sekles. It is my pleasure to meet you.”

Next, the person who slightly lifted her dress and gently curtsied was my fiancé, Angelica.

Her black hair that curled inwards was cut short and was straight in the front; even her dress was solemn, also dyed in black. If I may say so, her figure, almost entirely in black, stood out a bit amongst the colorful flowers. It wasn’t that it didn’t suit her, but I got this impression that there was something of an imbalance within her, who still had traces of a young girl.

”

”

“And, one more. This is my brother, Vim. …Now, Vim. Say your greetings to the Duke.”

“…I’m Vim Sekles, my lord. Thank you for joining us today.”

Lastly, Angelica urged a very young boy to introduce himself, who squirmed and repeatedly gripped and opened his hands.

He was a lot younger than the hostage I previously released, Elmer, and yet, he did his greetings properly and even smiled broadly at the end, embarrassed.

The introductions from the entire Sekles family had been finished, so I had to respond as well.

“How thoughtful. Now, if I may introduce myself formally… I’m Heinreid von Rodvelia. It must’ve been hard on you to welcome me on such short notice.”

…I’m getting pretty good at this whole pompous attitude, huh? It’s actually quite scary.

It was already ingrained in my body though, so it wasn’t really hard to begin with. Even in these places, it made me realize that I was definitely Heinreid.

“Not at all! Normally, we should’ve been the one to visit you… No, let’s leave that aside. You must be tired from your long journey. We have prepared refreshments, so please come in.”

But he was indeed the Marquis. Without being in the least bit offended by the attitude of someone younger than him, he smiled affectionately at me and led us into the mansion.

I was invited onto the terrace, sat around the table with the three members of the Sekles family and drank tea.

I never thought I’d be able to spend such a peaceful time in their mansion, gazing at the flower garden under the soft sunshine. The air was basically stagnant there.

”

”

“So… As you mentioned in your letter, you came all the way out here today to meet my daughter?”

Marquis Ralph asked me, after enjoying the taste of the black tea for a while.

Why, I’d also be surprised if someone suddenly came to me after being completely ignored until now.

Hmm, if possible, I’d like to cut straight to the point, but Angelica and Vim are here. Not to mention, Craig was just right behind me. It’ll be kind of unwise for him to hear it… Should I try to bring it up in a roundabout way, and somehow get it to the point where we should talk about it alone?

“Yes. In fact, my lord… His Majesty Eberhardt had reminded me of it. He reprimanded me regarding my attitude; as if I had forgotten about my fiancé, as our wedding day is approaching, and that she might run out of patience. So, I thought a lot about how I didn’t even have the chance to meet her yet, since I was so busy working and rushed over here.”

It was an exaggeration though. In fact, Eberhardt didn’t seem to care, and was fine whether I remembered the marriage or not.

For the meantime, I planned on connecting Eberhardt’s story to the main topic, but Angelica was the one who responded to these words first, rather than the Marquis.

“Oh, my.” She put a hand over her mouth and smiled gracefully.

“What a pleasure it is, to have the two of the most powerful men in the country to care so much for me. I must be the most fortunate person in the country right now.”

I was taken aback when she said that with a sweet smile.

No, no, no, wasn’t it the exact opposite? It was no doubt that we had top class power, but to be recognized by those two in the country could be a bomb in itself. An unrecognized and completely ignored existence would have a better chance of survival and happiness.

However, I couldn’t really see fear on Angelica’s face. I doubt ordinary girls would be able to laugh and talk like this, if they ever heard even the slightest rumor about Heinreid.

Hmm, how sheltered from the world is she?

“Is… that so… His Majesty did… And then…”

In contrast to Angelica’s smiling face, the Marquis’ complexion was in some way pale. It was hard to tell, though, since he was pale to begin with, but I thought that he got even paler with the mention of Eberhardt’s name.

Oh no, I guess I shouldn’t have mentioned the name of that tyrant, who is a symbol of fear, without warning.

I was wondering how to follow through when a voice came out from an unexpected source.

“Lord Heinreid. Lord Heinreid.”

Angelica’s younger brother, Vim, called my name a few times.

“Yes?” I turned to him, and he asked me a question while fidgeting.

“Will Lord Heinreid become elder sister’s husband?”

“Yes, that’s right. By the end of the year.”

Hmm, I guess he wouldn’t really yet understand the whole thing about engagements at his age. I would never become her husband, but I should just nod at this situation for now.

Then, for some reason, Vim looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“Then, you’re going to be my elder brother, Lord Heinreid!”

E-Elder brother? There’s nothing wrong with that, but… What the hell? Did the Marquis really raise his children shut off from the world?

His eyes still sparkling, unmindful of my befuddlement, Vim continued.

“My sister told me about it! She said that the one who’ll become her husband is going to be my brother! I also like my sister, but I’ve always wanted to have an elder brother, so I’m happy–“

“Vim!!”

The young boy’s lively voice was interrupted by an angry voice that destroyed the mood.

Startled, I checked the source of the voice and found the Marquis glaring at his son, Vim, as he raised his sunken eyes.

“What kind of discourteous things are you saying, do you even know who this man is?! He’s a noble man whom we aren’t even allowed to speak to normally, and to call him your elder brother…! I already told you not to say those unnecessary things, so why can’t you listen to me…!”

Rather than scolding a child for their mistake… It was a very hysterical clamor wrung out of fear. He had completely lost his composure.

The harmonious atmosphere that we had until then was dissipated all at once. Vim, the one who was yelled at, completely shrunk into himself and tears started to well up in his eyes.

“I-I’m… sor…”

“Father.”

”

”

Angelica’s gentle voice resonated through the place just the accumulated tears spilled out of Vim’s eyes.

“Please do not raise your voice, you’re in the presence of Lord Heinreid. Vim, you must not cry either. You’re a boy, so you must be able to put up with it, right? I think it’s time for you to go back to your room.”

A gentle voice that seemed to loosen tangled and hardened threads and set the situation with appropriate words. At his sister’s urging, his throat moved up and down, as though he swallowed his sobs and covered his eyes once more with his cuffs to soak up his tears. Then, he bowed his head to me and left his seat.

“Pa…Pardon my rudeness…”

The Marquis also seemed to have regained some of his composure at Angelica’s calm demeanor. His complexion had turned white from blue and uttered an apology.

I took a sideway glance to Angelica as I replied to him half-heartedly. The gentle air around her hadn’t changed. However, it was definitely her who reproached the Marquis when he lost his composure and soothed her younger brother when he was about to burst into tears.

…What’s that all about? Wasn’t she just a naïve young lady?

She seemed to have noticed me staring at her and caught my gaze while I was in bewilderment.

“We have shown you something unsightly. If you do not mind, Lord Heinreid, why don’t we change locations for a while? As an apology, I would like to show you around the flower garden which our estate takes pride in.”

…At any rate, the Marquis would have to calm down a bit more before we could talk properly. Angelica probably made that suggestion with that thought in mind too.

I decided to take her up on the suggestion, partly because I was a bit curious about her.

“…I guess I’ll be counting on you.”

“Well then, it’s this way. Oh, and I’d be pleased if you were to bring an escort.”

Angelica intentionally directed only Craig with her gaze. Well, even I would think that the fewer people, the better. And it’s safer here compared to the Rodvelia territory. …Honesty, it would be better if it wasn’t Craig, but it’d look unnatural, so I have to compromise.

I instructed the other guards to stand by and followed Angelica.