Chapter 32

"Would you mind calling me Eriq if you don't mind?"

"I must decline, Baron Prado. It's fine to call me Holoway. After all, you'll be calling me Lady Lucel soon enough."

"I see..."

With this, Opal made it clear that she had no intention of becoming close to Eriq, nor did she want him to interfere with her relationship with Claude. Eriq, who had been listening silently, then burst out laughing.

"Eriq, no matter what you think, I intend to marry Opal, and Opal doesn't care what you think. So if you want to remain my friend, either welcome Opal or don't interfere at all."

"I misunderstood, Claude. If I caused any misunderstanding, I apologize. Miss Holoway, I am very sorry."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind at all."

Claude, still smiling, firmly declared his choice—Opal. Eriq, who seemed to understand Claude well, apologized. When Opal smiled and replied, Eriq turned his face away and faced Claude again.

"Right, I almost forgot the important matter. Claude, Lord Balba is calling for you."

"I can't leave here."

"His Majesty's morning schedule seems to have been extended, and he just returned to the castle. You haven't been summoned yet. So it's better to go to Lord Balba. It seems His Majesty mentioned that the ball the day after tomorrow is to celebrate your engagement. It's probably about the details."

"Again, he's doing such a thing..."

Claude responded with a troubled look. Even so, when Eriq continued to persuade him, Claude sighed deeply.

Lord Balba, who serves as the chairman of the House of Nobles in this country, is one of Claude's allies.

"Claude, I'm fine. Why don't you go? I'll have tea here."

"But..."

"Don't worry, Claude. I'll keep her company until you return."

Eriq added this to encourage the hesitant Claude, but Claude looked at Opal as if he was worried about it. Opal tried to suppress a laugh that almost escaped, but Claude seemed to notice. Claude, feigning confusion, sighed for the third time.

"Really... I can't even get a moment's rest."

"Don't take it so seriously, Claude."

Even though Opal smiled gently, Claude wasn't fooled. Still, he sighed for the fourth time and turned to Eriq.

"Eriq, I consider you a friend. That's why I'm allowing you to spend time with Opal. I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry, Claude. Miss Holoway has a chaperone, and I won't do anything inappropriate."

Eriq winked at Naja, who was quietly standing in the corner of the room. Naja, unlike her usual self, blushed and looked down. It seemed that Naja's training with the duchess had been effective.

"Don't say such silly things, Eriq. —I'll be back soon, Opal."

"Yes, go ahead. I'll wait here quietly."

"...Yes."

Claude scolded Eriq and then called out to Opal as if to remind her. Even though Opal answered honestly, Claude narrowed his eyes suspiciously and nodded. When Claude left, a maid brought in the tea, seemingly surprised by Eriq's presence.

"We'll pour the tea ourselves, so you can leave. Thank you."

"...Understood. Excuse me."

The maid bowed slightly, looking a bit disappointed. As she left the room, she glanced at Eriq with a lingering look, which Opal understood. It seemed that the baron sitting in front of her was popular with women.

"Are you married, Baron Prado?"

"...No, I'm single. I have certain expectations for a wife or a lover. For example, chastity."

"Oh..."

Opal had asked out of pure curiosity, but Eriq seemed to have misinterpreted it. His rather sarcastic response made Opal smile, but she didn't say anything. In this Kingdom of Taisei, it seemed that Opal's old "promiscuous" reputation had spread. Bad rumors spread quickly, but good ones didn't. To Opal, it was no longer a concern, but Naja, who heard Eriq's sarcasm, seemed to disagree and placed the cup on the table a bit roughly. This could be seen as a sign of her growth.

"Thank you, Naja. I'm fine now."

"Ah... thank you."

Eriq seemed surprised either by Opal thanking her maid or by sensing Naja's anger. Naja, understanding the implications of Opal's words, bowed and moved back to the corner of the room. After taking a sip of tea, Opal put the cup back on the saucer and asked Eriq again.

"Although it may be impolite to ask, when did you meet Claude?"

"...About four years ago. Claude was originally a friend of my brother, Turi, but we became close after I returned from my studies abroad."

"Oh, you're the younger brother of Viscount Amaidi?"

"Do you know my brother?"

"Only by name. I often hear about him from Claude."

At this, Eriq seemed to bristle. In essence, Opal was saying, "I've never heard your name from Claude." Honestly, Opal remembered that she had heard Eriq's name a few times from Turi's name, but she wasn't that kind.

"Then, are you... twenty-six years old?"

"That's correct, but is there a problem?"

"No, not at all."

When Opal smiled, Eriq looked suspiciously back at her. Still, Opal ignored it and elegantly brought the cup to her mouth. Eriq was the same age as Hubert when she married him. Compared to Hubert back then, Eriq seemed cuter. If Eriq knew what Opal was thinking, he would probably be angry.

Thinking about this made Opal laugh, so she took another sip of tea to cover it up. She then remembered that Claude used to say he wanted a younger brother. He said he was always bullied by his older brothers and would be a kind older brother if he had a younger one. At the time, Opal regretted not being a boy and was disappointed that a sister wouldn't do.

"—Do you really intend to marry Claude?"

"Huh?"

Opal, lost in memories of her childhood, hadn't heard Eriq's words. Eriq glared at her.

"Claude is a respectable and excellent man. There are many more suitable women, so I can't understand why he chose someone like you."

"Yes, Claude is indeed an excellent person."

"Then why don't you step aside? If you truly care for Claude, you should do anything for him, right?"

Opal herself thought that Claude deserved a younger and more influential family background. However, except for her age and marriage history, Opal was quite well-qualified. In the Kingdom of Taisei, she had a weak foundation, but in her homeland, the Kingdom of Sosieu, she had a strong backing and was also a wealthy person. It wasn't clear whether Eriq was overlooking these facts or deliberately ignoring them, but his words were purely emotional. Opal had been troubled by the situation in this country, but Eriq's way of speaking made her angry.

"...You're quite naive."

"What's naive! You're the one who's naive! You won't be welcomed in this country! Don't think you can do whatever you want like in your homeland!"

Opal's unintentional remark seemed to ignite Eriq's anger. It felt like a replay of eight years ago, and Opal sighed in exasperation.

(Are all men of this age like this? It's so troublesome...)

The memory of Hubert's angry outbursts, which now seemed nostalgic, overlapped with the present. At that moment, she remembered the letter she had received yesterday.

(By the way, there was a letter from Duke in the one from Father.)

At the time, she had only read the letter from her father and then went for a walk with the dog Claude, completely forgetting about it. Wondering what it could be about now, she heard Eriq's even louder voice.

"Hey! Are you listening!?"

"—If you shout so loudly, I can't help but hear you."

"Claude!"

"Oh, Claude. You're back earlier than I thought."

"...Yes, His Majesty's preparations are ready, so I came to call Opal. Shall we go?"

"Yes."

Claude, who had entered the room without Opal noticing, exclaimed in surprise. Opal was also surprised inside but maintained her composure with a smile, and Claude matched her tone.

"Then, Naja, wait here for a while."

"Understood."

"Eriq, do you have anything else to do?"

"A, ah... no."

"Goodbye, Baron Prado. It was nice."

As Opal stood up and called to Naja, Claude also spoke to Eriq in a slightly dismissive tone. Opal politely greeted Eriq, who frowned unhappily. Claude, however, said nothing more, urged Opal, and turned his back on Eriq.