79
It can’t help but be a question with a long and tired history.
“I asked you what you think of our young lady.”
Anticipating such a question, I had prepared an answer in advance.
“Reyna is…”
“It’s not a matter that can be dealt with in vague terms. Adrian, even if it may seem impolite, I must ask this question out of an old man’s desire.”
Hmm.
Is that so?
Just from his tone, it’s clear he’s entirely serious.
Mr. Frommon is Reyna’s very loyal confidant, who, unlike Count Wolfgang, who has no interest in his own children, has cared for her since she was young, almost treating her like a daughter.
What do you think of our young lady?
Just one sentence, but it likely holds a lot of meaning.
Will you really marry her, will you hinder her, do you truly consider Reyna as a serious partner, and so on…
Then, my true answer is this.
“…… My answer is always the same. Reyna is truly a good child. She was born with the potential to become a great sorceress, and as the top student of the School of Magic in Selenium, a brilliant future awaits her. She is an extraordinary child to me, so much so that her choice to be with me seems beyond my understanding.”
“……”
Engagement.
By setting, Reyna and Adrian were engaged at the age of eight.
Since then, there hasn’t been any mention of it.
Though bound as betrothed, there has been no instance of attending balls together or behaving like betrothed couples.
But now that I have become Adrian, and likely to live my life as Adrian, I understand that I cannot ignore this issue indefinitely.
And… I am not so dull and clueless as to not even notice one-sided favor towards me.
But.
“I understand what you are saying, Frommen. However, now is not the time.”
“……Excuse me?”
“Right now, there is something more important that I need to focus on. Reyna is by my side, helping me with that.”
I must become the Viscount.
And I must survive.
The world may be saved by the hero chosen by this world, but even so, I have the duty to ensure that the said hero does not die.
And my ‘knowledge and skills honed through years of work’ are all things that can only be used within the walls of the Selenium Academy.
That is why I am relentlessly pursuing my goals in a place where I can make the most of my knowledge.
“Reyna now, rather than a lover-like betrothed, is a partner running towards a goal, a trusted comrade, my indispensable right-hand. …That’s about right.”
Upon hearing my answer, Frommen the butler remained silent for a moment.
After three waves of night sea waves passed, his mouth opened again.
“……Your goal is to return to the Repelheight Viscounty through the family. And recently, I’ve heard you’ve become an aide to Princess Lizelirias. You’ve also recruited a graduate student and have a strong faction, including our young lady.”
The old butler spoke slowly.
“……Truly, you have changed as per the young lady’s letters.”
“……”
“I’ve heard a lot from the young lady. Her letters are always filled with your words. If before it was just information within the academy, politics, and superficial words lacking sincerity, now I can feel that the young lady is writing her letters with emotions.”
Was that so?
“Do you know? Count Wolfgang is constantly pressuring Reyna for a breakup.”
I nodded silently.
“In fact, until I met you today, I was in favor of the breakup.”
Of course, that was to be expected.
A commoner expelled from the family, a failure who couldn’t even handle a single spell while in the School of Magic.
Having only bloodline to hold onto, being expelled from the family meant losing the meaning of that bloodline as well.
For such a person to maintain an engagement with the daughter of the second most powerful family in the West is absurd.
“I had vowed to reclaim the lost position, but I thought nobody could achieve it. Even I had that judgment. However, you, Adrian, have been defying all expectations and steadily moving forward. And the young lady is genuinely happy by your side.”
Frommen turned his head, gazing at the dark night sea that had settled.
“And so, I thought.”
A cold sea breeze brushed my face.
“Above all, Reyna’s happiness should come first. I will ask one more question.”
Eyes that could not easily gauge the passing years stared at me.
“Adrian, do you hold Reyna dear?”
“Sir.”
“If that child is not by your side…”
“Frommon, sir.”
“…Yes.”
“No one will be able to take Reyna away. I will not allow it.”
At those words,
“Is that so.”
The old butler smiled.
“In that case, there is a place for us to go. Please come inside. The wind is getting chilly.”
“Yes.”
* * *
The place he led me to was the top floor of the villa.
“Young master, I have arrived.”
“Come in.”
Creak, the door opened, revealing the top floor.
The first thing that caught my eye was a large table. And there, a person sitting on the chair.
“…Alphren von Volkang?”
“Adrian, brother, no, Sir Adrian.”
With long purple hair tied in a ponytail, a young lad in a child-sized noble outfit stood up, approached me, and bowed his head.
“I cannot accept. I am a commoner. Alphren.”
“However, your origins cannot be ignored. This is how it should be done. Please, have a seat.”
An audacious and composed lad beyond his eight years.
As the lad, the butler Frommon, and I sat side by side at the table, the lad spoke up.
“Seeing the butler bringing Sir Adrian, can we consider the test passed?”
“Yes, young master. Passed perfectly.”
Was there a test?
Alphren nodded, then continued.
“Alright, let’s get straight to the point.”
The lad’s eyes met mine directly.
“Father is planning to arrange a new engagement for another noble and Lady. We are almost at the final stages of negotiation.”
Wait.
…What?
“Please elaborate a bit more.”
“Using the fact that Sir Adrian is a commoner, he successfully nullified the forced engagement. Despite inquiring if the Repelheight family had any objections, they stated that since it was their completely given child, it was irrelevant. They even found it unpleasant to bring up past mistakes.”
“…Hmm.”
So.
It felt like asking him about the problem of a lad already cast away rather than his own. And since Repelheight didn’t care, Viscount Volkang saw an opportunity. He seized it by attaching a new alliance.
“So, Father swiftly arranged not another noble engagement but a direct marriage. It is with the eldest son of the Gayle family, one of the knightly families in the west.”
…Gael, Gael, it seemed like there was one in the Salenium 3rd grade.
Ah, no way, that guy.
As the story unfolds, there was a mad noble who, after declaring he would marry a servant and dropping out, chose to flee.
Yes, so that noble family… It seems like it was Gael.
With that guy…
“Negotiations for marriage are ongoing, and we might be entering the final stages?”
“Yes, it could be announced as early as… tomorrow.”
“Does Reyna know about this?”
“No, she has no idea.”
I see, that’s how it is.
“Planning to break off the engagement without their knowledge and arrange a betrothal with someone else, is that it?”
“Yes.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…I see.”
This is really…
I can’t stand this.
“Adrian?”
As Count Wolfgang had mentioned before, he was ambitious.
Even though my dream of using me, a “pawn,” and marrying Reyna to gradually strengthen his position within Repelheight was shattered when I was driven out, he must have had a Plan B.
Now that Plan A had failed, he seemed to be thinking of marrying Reyna off to another noble to solidify his foundation, even if it meant labeling it as a “breakup.”
Why?
In this marriage, where exactly is Reyna’s ‘will’?
Does the Count only see his daughter as a long-term chess piece?
-You’re not alone.
-So, don’t always try to walk alone.
-Thank you, Adrian.
On a bench.
Or in a hospital room.
And on the street.
Regardless of the place, the face of the guy who always smiled brightly came to mind one after another.
“Adrian, please relax your expression. The young master is afraid.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Seems like I was inadvertently tensing my expression.
“…By the way, Alphren, aren’t you supposed to be fully cooperating with the Count? If you had stayed quiet, it would have been to the Count’s advantage, so why are you sharing this information with me?”
“…Do you, perhaps, not remember?”
Remember?
What memory?
“Brother…, no, Adrian, you once told me. Not to be swayed by the Count, but to prioritize my own path, my own thoughts.”
Really? Did I say that?
If it were back then, I would have been a wretched Adrian, not myself.
He said that to her.
“…At first, I thought Adrian was wrong, but he proved himself at the academy. Seeing that, my thoughts changed too.”
He looks at me and says.
“And above all, even if our mothers are different, we’re still family.”
…Family.
“I believe that we can only be happy when we’re with the person we need.”
Is that so?
“But even if we have the information, we don’t know what to do. There’s no way to stop it…”
I see.
So, is that why he gave me this test and brought me here?
Apart from all the other problems, Reyna is a presence that must be kept here.
Her departure as the future Archmage and the party’s only dealer-type mage would result in a loss of more than half of our power.
For the sake of preparing for the difficulty of Act 4 that lies ahead, for the sake of my survival… Reyna must be in the party.
…A way, yes, a way.
“There is a way.”
I said with a bitter smile.
Let’s see… After the summer vacation, there was definitely something like that in the Ebenus route.
“As far as I know, there will be a ball in the west to foster camaraderie from Wolfgang’s nature. Is that true?”
“…H-How did you know?”
I know.
In the original, even in the Ebenus route, I was invited as a knight escort, and among the territorial duties mentioned by that guy, there was also a ball.
Also, in the original, it was just a friendly ball, but if it’s a new ‘marriage,’ there’s a high possibility that the ball will be used as an event to announce the marriage.
A ball.
This is also a really good stage.
“Alphren, lend me for a moment.”
I lightly took out the paper and pen on the table, quickly scribbled a note, and folded it into a small letter and handed it to the butler.
“Butler, could you deliver this to Her Highness Rezelillias in the palace by midnight today? It’s something that should be kept strictly confidential.”
First, I secretly invite Princess Rezelillias to the ball.
Since it’s the first time I’m appearing publicly, I have to use all the cards I have to protect myself.
“Wha-What are you saying to the princess? Can Adrian really… overcome this situation?”
Can he?
“Yes, he can.”
Of course he can.
“How… how are you going to do it?”
“It’s simple. First, we get rid of the marriage candidate.”
“What…? Wait, what are you saying…”
“You’ll find out if you follow me. And I’ll need all of your help to do this.”
“…The butler and I agree.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Look forward to it. Count Wolfgang.
With a bitter smile, she crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand.
I will make sure they pay the price for daring to exclude my party members.
Since my reputation in the Academy is stable enough that I won’t even get hit with a sword, I thought it was time to start looking outside.
This incident will be a stepping stone for me.
A ball?
It will just be a complete mess.
And causing a mess is my long-standing specialty.