Chapter 18

"Miss Celia, are you feeling better now?"

It seems that Miss Celia wasn't faking her illness, as even with her makeup, her complexion was not good. Unusually, her three-year-old stepbrother Louis was playing with the nurse in the room. I wondered where Father, who should have been here, was. And what about the people the Duke sent to escort us?

I became worried that something had happened and turned to look at the butler, Herman. However, Herman shook his head, indicating he didn't know, and glanced at Miss Celia.

"Well, Father is..."

"The smell of dragons is making me feel terrible. Melfiela, if you're going, could you please hurry? That annoying screeching is having a bad influence on Louis."

"I'll leave after greeting Father."

"Oh, I see. He's outside."

"Is that so? I thought he would be here."

"He's checking your luggage to make sure nothing is left behind. I'm sure your room, which is so unpleasant, is now much tidier. Don't leave any unnecessary things behind."

Today, Miss Celia is wearing a deep blue, modest dress. It's not flashy, but it has a similar cut to the dress I saw in the capital recently, with the latest lace trend. Although I didn't intend to mention it, Miss Celia's words reminded me that I had left part of the Duke's gift behind.

"Miss Celia, I'm leaving the golden fur of the Loiaymoodler. It seems this winter will be colder than usual, so please use it to make warm clothes."

"The fur of a magical beast is quite terrifying."

"It's very valuable and expensive. It's too much for me, so I'm leaving it for you and your son."

"Oh, I see. You're leaving something that can't be used without thorough purification."

Despite her words, it seemed that Miss Celia liked the golden fur of the Loiaymoodler. Her reluctance to say it was unnecessary was very much like her. Our relationship has always been more distant than that of distant relatives.

"Thank you for everything."

I thought I should properly conclude our relationship, even if it was just a polite farewell, so I bowed deeply and slowly performed a lady's curtsy. However, Miss Celia's reaction was different. She raised one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows and slowly fanned herself with a feather fan, even though it wasn't hot. Her eyes were smiling, but her mouth was twisted.

"Hmph, what a hypocritical farewell. Congratulations, Melfiela. I don't know what tricks you used to deceive the Duke, but I'm glad you don't have to go to the convent. Try not to bore him."

She sat languidly on the sofa, hiding her mouth with the feather fan. During the ten days since my engagement was decided, I never saw Miss Celia, who had been confined to her room, but her sarcastic tone remained. Perhaps my initial impression of her poor complexion was just an illusion. At least she seemed to be in her usual spirits.

"Yes, I will do my best."

"I know you understand, but I'll say it anyway. Even if a child with the Duke's blood is born to you, only my son Louis will inherit the Maris Raid title. Your name will no longer be here."

"Yes, I am leaving to marry."

"You have no right to inherit the Maris Raid family."

"I will remember that. In the future, I will devote myself to the Galbraith family."

"Oh, how annoying. You're just like the perfect Elise! You always have that composed face and take all the good things. Truly, both you and your mother are detestable."

Miss Celia snapped her feather fan shut, as if displeased with my response. Elise is my mother. I've never heard Miss Celia talk about my mother before, but her tone suggested she knew her well. Given the age difference and the fact that my mother was from the south while Miss Celia was from the capital, I wondered where they met.

"Listen, Melfiela. If your engagement is broken, there will be no second chance. If you return, you will immediately be sent to the convent."

"Yes, I will do my best to prevent that from happening."

"If you don't like it, never come back here again. Ah, what a relief. I have nothing more to say to you."

Miss Celia, seemingly losing interest in me, called out to her stepbrother. Louis, who had been playing in the corner, looked at me curiously and toddled over. Miss Celia picked him up and kissed his soft cheek, then stood up, turning away to avoid looking at me. From start to finish, our hearts never connected, but she clearly had affection for her son.

"Miss Celia, your son, please take care of yourselves... and please take care of Father."

Miss Celia did not respond to my farewell and did not look at me. But that was fine. It was normal for a noble to dislike me.

I am aware that I did not have the qualities of the Maris Raid family's eldest daughter and did not train to be a proper lady. I should have secured a fiancé before my debut in society, given that Father had no heir. By the time Miss Celia became the second wife, I was already deeply involved in the study of monster consumption and had no interest in society. I knew I was unqualified as a noble. Moreover, our fundamental views were different. To Miss Celia, my thoughts were incomprehensible.

"Then, I will take my leave."

I left the parlor and hurried to the entrance. I urged Herman, who was apologizing for not knowing that the lady was here, and went outside to look for Father.

(Oh, I thought the escort would be a carriage?)

I had assumed the escort would arrive by horse, but there was no sign of horses or carriages at the entrance. However, I could hear dragon-like roars coming from the annex where my room was. It seemed that the "dragon smell" Miss Celia mentioned was this. It appeared that I had just missed Father and the others.

I circled around to the back of the mansion and hurried to the annex. When I was slightly out of breath, I spotted Father, who was handing over my luggage to a servant.

"Father, you're here!"

"Oh, Melfi. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm all set."

Father, who had handed over the luggage to the servant, turned to me, as if he wanted to say something. Seeing me in my travel outfit, he squinted.

"You can wear that coat now, Melfi. It was the one Elise wore when she first came here."

"This fur coat belonged to Mother... she came from the south, didn't she? Mother was also surprised by the winter in Maris Raid?"

"Yes, she was delighted to see snow for the first time. But she caught a cold soon after being covered in snow."

"Oh, Mother. I can't imagine that."

I never knew that my mother could be so innocent. In my memory, she was always sharp and worked late into the night.

"Elise seemed absent-minded and did childish things... Ah, no, I see... I never even talked about such things with you."

"What's wrong? Father, is something the matter?"

Father suddenly looked dejected, and I moved closer to him. At that moment, I heard a familiar dragon roar and turned around.

"Oh, is that the Duke? Could he have come to pick me up?"

On the back of the most magnificent Grisshel Dragon was none other than the Duke. Today, the Duke was wearing a black fur coat and a thick overcoat, fully prepared for winter. The cold in the Maris Raid territory had intensified over the past seven days. Even the Grisshel Dragons, known for their resistance to cold, were exhaling white breath and seemed to be cold.

"Yes, he greeted us from the sky a while ago. He said it would take more than ten days to travel by land, so he came by dragon."

Father muttered, "Dragons, how nice," under his breath. Indeed, there were no dragons in the Maris Raid territory, so I could understand his envy.

There were more dragons than before. The Galbraith knights who had stayed to work were giving loud instructions to the newly arrived knights. My luggage, which had already been moved out of my room, was being placed in a net made of thick, sturdy ropes by the knights who had landed the dragons.

"I've come to pick you up, Melfiela!"

"Thank you, Duke. I didn't expect to meet you so soon."

"We can't dawdle or it will be winter. Are you not sick? Even with magic to mitigate the cold, it's still very cold up in the air. Try to stay as warm as possible."

The Duke, who had dismounted from the dragon, draped his coat over his shoulder. Today, he was even wearing shiny black armor, which bore the emblem of the Galbraith Duke family and ancient magical runes.

The Duke walked gracefully to me and stopped a step away. He had two swords at his waist, ready for battle. His appearance was so handsome that my heart was racing. Then, he knelt on one knee and took my left hand.

"My betrothed, I hope you are well."

The Duke greeted me and, to my surprise, kissed the back of my left hand. It wasn't the usual social kiss; his lips actually touched my skin. Oh no, I'm not wearing gloves!

"What's wrong, your face is red?"

"W-well, because, the Duke is..."

"Me?"

"Ugh, stop teasing me!"

The Duke looked up at me and smiled meaningfully. He definitely knew what he was doing. This was the first time I had received such a heart-stirring greeting, like a knight pledging loyalty to a lady.

"Ha ha ha, Duke, to think you could do such a thing in front of me."

"Forgive me, Father. My betrothed is just too adorable."

The Duke, who was still holding my hand, and Father, who was looking at him with a half-closed eye, glared at each other with me in between. Despite wearing fur coats, the air seemed cold. The handshake between Father and the Duke, which was silent, seemed to be filled with tension... I hoped it was just my imagination.