The thought occurred to Raymund that he might have developed a liking for the Count if he'd met him before Seiana, but he quickly shook his head inwardly.
The Count only dealt with him because of Seiana; without her, the Count was the type of person who would definitely run away.
Raymund still hadn't forgotten the sight of the Count energetically fleeing during his first visit to the estate.
'Actually, the people of the Count's family are a bit...'
Weren't the Young Count and the second son practically fleeing on horseback? Didn't the Countess lock herself in the bathroom with a child?
Raymund had seen many people tremble and bow low before him, but he was astonished to see people openly run away for the first time.
As Raymund chuckled, thinking what truly peculiar people they were, the Count shouted, veins bulging in his neck.
"Why my daughter! Fed! Housed! With the Imperial family's money! I refuse! I will feed and house her with my own money! We don't need another man's money! All of Seiana's travel expenses will be covered by the Count's family..."
"Count, it is an order."
"This! Damn it!"
Raymund let out a dry laugh at the impertinent attitude. Wasn't it good if it was free? Other people would rejoice at such a windfall.
The only consolation was that the Count disliked it because it was 'another man's' money, not specifically because it was Raymund's. It meant he didn't particularly hate just Raymund.
Because the Count insisted that not all the escorts should be from the Imperial Household, they had to take several of the Count's knights along, but the discussion concluded successfully.
As Raymund exited the Count's study and headed towards the carriage presumably waiting for him, he saw Aries standing beside Seiana with a sulky face.
He didn't know why Aries would have such an expression.
Seiana seemed to be flusteredly trying to appease Aries, then her face brightened when Raymund arrived.
"Did the talk go well?"
"Yes. Thankfully. We'll be going now."
As he said his goodbyes and boarded the carriage, Aries was receiving a conciliatory hug from Seiana. Raymund watched this with narrowed eyes.
'She's doing that on purpose.'
He didn't know what she was sulking about, but it was obvious she had acted angry hoping Seiana would fret over her, not know what to do, and eventually hug her first.
The proof was that relaxed expression. Her face, which moments ago had been desperately trying to show anger, was now filled with an irrepressible smile.
'How annoying.'
Raymund was irritated as she glanced his way, as if boasting about it. The reason she was angry was probably trivial too.
He was simply vexed that she made Seiana worry over something so insignificant.
'I want to hug her too.'
It was only at times like these that Raymund envied Aries. He wanted to hug Seiana, but he was also shy, and more importantly, the moment he did such a thing, the Count might forget his fear, draw his sword, and charge at him.
He couldn't show Seiana a scene of him fighting her family.
'And it's not like I can just calmly let myself be stabbed.'
His life was precious, of course, but also, since Raymund's name was on the Imperial register, such an act would be high treason.
He had to endure it, no matter how much he regretted it. Finally, the long hug ended, and Aries finally boarded the carriage.
"The next time we see each other will be for the trip, then. I'm looking forward to it."
Seiana smiled brightly and saw the two off. After exchanging farewells, inside the rattling carriage, Aries suddenly blurted out.
"Seiana said she thinks you and I might get married."
"What did you say? Mi— No... Why would she think something so absurd?"
Raymund momentarily lost his temper, his lid about to blow, but then realized Seiana was the one who said it and quickly shut it back down.
If anyone else had said such a thing, he wouldn't have let it slide. Since he was angry but had no one to take it out on, Raymund took deep, ragged breaths, barely managing to calm himself.
"Why on earth?"
"Apparently, Her Majesty the Empress implied it."
"What... did you say?"
Ding! Raymund felt as if he'd been struck on the head. What on earth did that mean?
What he had overheard in his spirit state wasn't like that at all? The delusion even arose that perhaps the Empress had used some kind of telepathy to tell Seiana something he couldn't hear.
"Well, she didn't say it outright, apparently just kept talking about engagement and asking if there was someone she was meeting? But then she heard that I'm currently staying at the Imperial Palace due to circumstances and..."
Aries explained that Seiana seemed to have concluded: The Empress must have been warning 'her' (Seiana) not to get any funny ideas about the son (Raymund), who was interested elsewhere instead of his intended daughter-in-law (Aries)!
Hearing this, Raymund buried his head in his hands.
"Ah, Seiana..."
Raymund felt his head grow hot with frustration. How could she possibly interpret the Empress's words, "I wish you would become my daughter-in-law, forever," in that way?
'Why is Seiana so firmly convinced she couldn't possibly be the target of such intentions?'
When she was so pretty and loved. Raymund couldn't understand it, but that aspect of her was also cute, making him chuckle faintly amidst his exasperation.
"Anyway, I found it so unpleasant that I jumped up, insisting it absolutely wasn't true. Only then did she look like, 'Oh, really?'... but she didn't seem completely convinced."
Thanks to Aries vehemently denying it, the misunderstanding seemed somewhat cleared up, but...
'Should I just tell her directly?'
The thought that she might feel burdened made him hesitate to act on his own. As someone who was a coward only when it came to Seiana, Raymund felt stuck.
Sighing deeply, Raymund looked out the window. Aries, who had sighed along with him, spoke again.
"Hey."
"..."
"Will he be okay, Grandpa Violet?"
"...It'll be difficult."
He was already 78 years old. Even for someone without abilities, that age was within the range of longevity...
The wounds from the attack weren't deep, but he had collapsed due to the devil's poison injected at that time, which made it worse.
"Devil's poison is difficult to detoxify with any healing magic, isn't it."
Whether magic or medicinal herbs, nothing worked against devil's poison. The only option was to recuperate and hope for natural healing, but unfortunately, Violet was injured and old, making it difficult.
"...Someone will inherit again soon, then."
At Aries's murmur, Raymund fell into thought. Who was the youngest in the Violet Ducal family?
'His condition must have already been reported to the Ducal family... but preparing the next successor will be a race against time.'
It was regrettable that someone else would have to bear this curse, but what could be done? It wasn't as if they could announce, 'An ability-user will die on this specific day and time, so prepare the next candidate in advance.'
Therefore, the only thing Raymund could do was pray that on the day of succession, the successor would suffer less emotional pain from the coldness of those around them.
***
Time flew by, and finally, the day of the trip arrived.
'The theme of the trip being fairies is a bit cringey... but is that important? The people you go with are what matters.'
I wasn't interested in fairies, but I was looking forward to the scenery, as it was said to be good.
Although Ray said he would prepare everything, from escorts to attendants, for some reason, several knights from our family ended up joining as well.
They were probably worried about three kids traveling alone and added more escorts.
But the curious point was...
"Why is Oppa here?"
Among them was my second older brother, Heillo. Isn't he an Imperial Knight, not one of our family knights? Moreover, he looked full of fighting spirit, as if heading off to war.
Dumbfounded, I looked back at Father, who answered calmly.
"I didn't include him."
"Then?"
"He came on his own. What can I do when he insists on escorting, even using his vacation time?"
Father also seemed baffled. He said Heillo seemed determined to follow along regardless, even if told not to, so he was just letting him be...
"I'll cut you down if you approach! I'll cut you down if you try anything funny!"
What was he planning to cut...? Surely not Raymund? I hoped he hadn't forgotten Raymund was his own superior's son.
"Cut him down, you say? I like it. Very proper."
"...Father?"
"Ahem, it's nothing, dear."
Even Father seemed to have no intention of stopping him. As I worried whether it was really okay to take him along, the clatter of hooves approached from afar. It wasn't just one or two horses, so it had to be the carriage carrying Ray and Ari.
"Huh?"
But it was different from the carriage they usually rode. It was a plain wooden carriage without any decorations.
Puzzled by a carriage unfit for royalty, I suddenly understood.
'Aha, they came in that kind of carriage to avoid being recognized as royalty.'
I hadn't expected a luxurious carriage ride, so it was fine. In fact, I felt relieved that it would attract less attention.
As the carriage stopped at the main gate, I lightly touched its surface.
'It looks like an ordinary carriage, but it's surprisingly sturdy. The small windows are a bit disappointing, but they'd be advantageous in case of an attack. Just keeping the door shut would be better than most barricades, wouldn't it?'
Moreover, the carriage wheels even had locking mechanisms. It seemed unlikely that an accident involving the carriage rolling away on its own while parked would occur.
Impressed by the considerable attention paid to safety, I just hoped my brother wouldn't ruin the atmosphere by saying something foolish.
Fortunately, my brother, who just moments ago was shouting "I'll cut you down if you even breathe!", seemed to have regained his senses and was now standing quietly.
"How about getting down and resting for a bit before we go?"
"No, I think we can just go."
"I'm fine too."
Although the distance from the Imperial Capital to the Count's territory wasn't that great thanks to a warp gate, they must still be tired from the journey, yet both declined the offer to get down.
Comments Box