167 – Return (2)
The restraints were released and I returned to my original position. In the end, I never heard the name of the guy who passed Zeldan Heart’s test.
Bibi’s awkward ride with the carriage continued all the way to the lodgings. Silverine’s expression of dissatisfaction did not dissipate throughout the trip.
She said, resting her chin and pouting her lips.
“It looks like that woman will follow me on my way back to Eternia.”
It may seem a little excessive, but I fully understand Princess Vivi’s feelings of disappointment. I am one of the few confidants she can rely on, and if I leave now, she will be lonely for a while.
“Teacher, are you also returning to Eternia?”
She shook her head.
“Then should we split up now?”
“Yes. But I will accompany you for a while on your way back. I’m going to see you off. Places we wanted to go together… “There is one.”
“Good.”
Now that my schedule in the principality is over, I have to return to Eternia. Eternia is in session, and if I procrastinate, she will miss out on precious lessons.
And it was some comfort that I didn’t break up with Silverine right away.
After entering the castle, the carriage stopped.
And then, as if we had made an appointment, Bibi’s carriage stopped behind us.
When I got out of the carriage with Sylverin, Vivi also got out of the carriage. Bibi was alone, she didn’t know what to do, she just looked at us. Did she just follow us without any plan?
It seems like he’s having a hard time with Silverine. Sylverine glanced at the baboon behind her. Perhaps he senses Silverine’s hostility and is not willing to approach him.
The air became somewhat heavier.
This is the first time Bibi has looked so unconfident.
Sylverin crossed her arms and spoke coldly.
“It looks like you have something to say.”
“Can I come by for a moment?”
A cold air current was flowing between Vivi and Silverine. I don’t know what the story is, but based on what I was seeing, I felt like I shouldn’t let these two be close to each other anymore.
Silverine sighed and answered.
“Come back.”
When I walked up to Bibi, her face lit up. It feels as if the prisoner is visiting her family.
Bibi greeted me with a trotting pace and held onto both of my wrists tightly.
“You’re dressed so nicely. “She feels like you are someone else.”
“The princess is also very beautiful.”
“I’ve heard so many empty words, but hearing them from you feels different. I came because I had something to tell you. “Your father wants to see you.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“I guess you have more to say.”
“It seems so. It’s not a sin, so don’t stress too much. And… “When will you leave?”
“I will leave tomorrow without further delay.”
A look of loneliness passed over Vivi’s face for a moment. But she didn’t try to show it out loud.
“… I get it. She can stay here as long as she wants, and she will be welcomed anywhere in the principality, but you still have a lot of work to complete. My father will come to this castle around evening tonight. Be prepared. And… ….”
Vivi was unable to finish her sentence readily and she hesitated.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
She then glanced at Sylverin with resentment in her eyes and said.
“I thought we could be together until you left, but I was wrong…… Could you make some time for me before you leave? Even just an hour is fine.”
I nodded. Although I was leaving early, every second was not urgent.
“I will come out and wait for you at the time you want.”
Bibi smiled brightly, showing his teeth. Then she placed her palm on my cheek.
“Okay, that’s enough…. Let’s meet under the zelkova tree in the west garden of this castle at six in the evening. “I hope it’s time just for the two of us.”
Then he turned around and got into the carriage.
I also finished my business and returned to Silverine. However, Sylverin’s energy was unusual.
She had her arms crossed and was glaring at Vivi’s carriage with her fiery eyes.
“… Teacher?”
***
Bibi took pains to brush her and groom her. She hadn’t done much since her investiture ceremony at Memorial Hall was over, but she wanted to stand out, so she was looking at her hands here and there.
Her goal was simply to be memorable. I thought that she should remain in my memory so that I can think of her from time to time, and that I want to see her when I think of her, and that I should at least sow seeds in memory of her in the future so that I would want to visit the principality.
And just as we were finishing preparing, an attendant opened the door and came in.
“It looks like the chef is ready.”
“Okay. “Let’s go now.”
Bibi and the servant came out of the room and headed to the garden. And in the garden, a chef was waiting with a cart.
The smell of fragrant bread irritates her nose.
She asked.
“It’s getting cold… “I guess you didn’t?”
“Your hands will get burned so you will need time to cool them down. And even if it cools, the taste won’t change.”
“Okay. That is enough.”
Vivi hurried her steps. The evening sun set and the time for my appointment with Damien arrived.
And then the promised zelkova tree in the western garden came into view. There was a person sitting down there waiting.
She carried her plate on her cart with both hands. Her heart was full of anticipation.
Then, the baboon saw a person from a distance and stopped for a moment.
Pure white skin and dark red hair blowing in the wind.
The person sitting under the zelkova tree was none other than Silverine.
“….”
Bibi’s heart grew cold.
And Damien was lying with his legs crossed on her back. Silverine teased him by poking his face with an innocent look on his face.
Although it was a picturesque and calm scenery, Bibi could not enjoy it comfortably.
Was she not allowed even one hour to herself? That’s what I asked for. She became lethargic and had no desire to do anything.
The baboon looked downcast and she stood still, then she slowly turned around.
“… “Let’s go back.”
“Lady?”
She turned around and walked out weakly the way she came.
Her servants watched her with a sad heart. This is because I watched from the side as I prepared harder than anyone else.
Vivi walked along, lost in thought, but then she stopped and repeated the path.
Then she noticed something in her eyes and she turned around again. She then walked towards Damian with long strides.
Silverine’s hostile gaze glared at me harshly, but I paid it no heed.
The attendants followed and spread a mat on the seat next to Damien.
Vivi sat down next to her and opened the lid of her plate.
It was the San Crotis-style apple pie that Damian had mentioned the other day that he wanted to eat.
Damian, who sensed the presence of a person, finally stood up.
“You came… “Is it?”
He looked embarrassed when he saw Vivi’s face. Looking at him, it seemed like he had no choice but to accompany an uninvited guest.
No one opened their mouth and only heavy air flowed.
Damian was sweating and not knowing what to do between the two women who were having a war of nerves.
The baboon, filled with poison, finally opened his mouth.
“You must be receiving coercive guidance since you are not even allowed time alone.”
It was a sarcastic comment about Silverine. It was something that even the strongest of hearts could not say easily, but Vivi was not afraid because her remaining future was short.
Furthermore, it was clearly rude to arbitrarily interfere with the two’s alone time. It was enough to point this out.
Silverine answered calmly.
“I don’t know when I might put handcuffs on her student’s wrists again, but I can’t just hand him over.”
It seemed like Damian was trying hard to get her head to lighten up the mood, but it didn’t seem like she was getting an answer.
Vivi put a slice of her apple pie on a plate and handed it to Damien.
“I didn’t come to trouble you, so take it easy.”
“Did you have something to say?”
“I was just trying to have a comfortable time with you. Also… “I didn’t take care of anything special.”
Then she glanced at Sylverin and reluctantly took a piece of her pie and held it out in front of her.
“Let’s eat.”
So they just ate in silence. For as long as an hour.
***
After breakfast, I dressed up nicely again and put on my tunic. This was because there was still a schedule to meet with Grand Duke Gainax.
I saw it once the day before, but I couldn’t help feeling nervous. It is an audience with the highest authority that rules a country. This is an incredible thing, considering that just a few years ago, you couldn’t even look a nobleman in the eye.
I knocked on the door of the VIP room where Grand Duke Gainax was staying.
Soon after, an attendant opened the door from the inside.
Grand Duke Gainax, who looked like the fighter I saw the day before, sat down on a chair and greeted me.
“Ah, I was waiting.”
“It is truly an honor to meet you again.”
“Okay, let’s just shake hands.”
The tone and atmosphere were cold and emotionally restrained, like a test proctor.
When I shook the hand he gave me, a strong force passed through his palm. Are you trying to gauge my strength?
Duke Gainax stares at me with eagle-like eyes. Just facing that time made me feel naked.
“Okay. That’s enough.”
Fortunately, it seemed to have met the archduke’s standards.
“Sit down. “I heard you had a hard time accepting Vivi’s temperament.”
“No.”
“There is nothing to deny. I know Vivi’s personality well. She lost her mother at an early age, so she lacks much of the soft, feminine side of a baboon. “Her stubbornness and obsession are very strong, and her resentment is so venomous that I will remember it for the rest of my life.”
“The princess I saw was a strong and upright person.”
“That’s exactly what her daughter said about you.”
“….”
“Half of the stories my daughter told me were about you. “I know most of the information about Vivi that she knows.”
“This is too much attention for me.”
“No, you deserve it. Didn’t she cut down the phantom beast? Vivi said she said you have special powers that are different from others. “Can you tell me what kind of power she has?”
“….”
“As expected, judging from your cautious attitude, it seems like you shouldn’t let people around you know. “Don’t worry, we will keep that part confidential.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“And make sure not to reveal the fact that you also enjoyed dating my daughter.”
“… ?”
What did I enjoy… ?
“Oh, and there is another reason why I asked to see you. You have done a great job to deserve the platinum shield. And such an achievement should be rewarded accordingly.”
“….”
He placed his hand on his temple and spoke in a businesslike tone.
“Tell me what land you want.”
Oh no. Are you trying to grant a fief?
Becoming a landowner was something I had dreamed of since I was young. However, not only do I know nothing about the geography of the principality, I have never even thought about it. Even if they were given land as a gift, they did not know how to manage it. And after entering Eternia, he lost interest in becoming a landowner.
“….”
“I guess it was too difficult a question.”
If we say land… I want it to be close to Eternia, and it should be a place that won’t cause any harm if left unmanaged. And while there are many hidden resources, other nobles should not covet them, so they should not become embroiled in political disputes.
How do I know that good place? It’s not like I know the geography of the principality….
Then, suddenly, an area flashed through my mind. Among the lands of the principality, there was one area I knew best. I answered quickly before the opportunity passed.
“Actually, there is one place I have my eye on.”
Grand Duke Gainax’s eyebrows twitched once, showing interest.
“Let me tell you.”
“I would like to receive part of the land of Barbisia as a fief.”
Barvisia preserved its pristine nature, which meant that it was an area that no one had developed. And it was a land that no one wanted.
He looks at me and nods his head silently.
“You’re not just good at swordsmanship.”