Chapter 98
Fiancée?
At Duke Adrian's sudden question, I furrowed my brows and looked at him.
"What are you suddenly—"
"Ah, it is nothing more than a question born of curiosity."
Adrian looked at me as though that really was all he meant.
"So, what do you think? Do you have a fiancée?"
"I don't have a fiancée, to begin with..."
'Come to think of it, he definitely did...'
Duke Adrian had a daughter the same age as Kairun, didn't he?
Fraternal twins.
Moreover, I had heard that the duchess of House Stellaraim had died on the spot immediately after giving birth following a difficult labor.
It was quite well known that, because Adrian Stellaraim had loved his wife so dearly, he had vowed never to take another wife.
Since I knew the situation, at least roughly, it was no coincidence that Duke Adrian's words sounded even more significant.
I did not know what he had seen in my eyes as I fell into thought, but Duke Adrian sighed and spoke with a hollow laugh.
"I tried to approach the subject indirectly, but I suppose that won't work."
"..."
"Then I'll speak frankly."
Perhaps.
"Would you be willing to become acquainted with my daughter?"
...
When Adrian finished speaking, silence descended upon the dining room, where we had been sharing drinks and conversation moments before.
The words Duke Adrian had just spoken.
Asking whether I was willing to become acquainted with his daughter.
And his earlier question about whether or not I had a fiancée.
"Ah, of course, I don't mean an engagement or a union between our houses, so put your mind at ease."
Sensing my gaze growing strange, Duke Stellaraim took the initiative and explained what he meant.
"You know about it too, don't you? The relationship between the Emperor and the Four Great Dukes, and the pact made between them."
"I know the basics."
The Emperor and the Four Great Dukes.
In the past, because the Empire had been unable to properly manage its vast territory, it had divided it among the four most prestigious dukes of the time—East, West, South, and North—and granted each of them autonomy.
However, the Emperor of that era had made one pact when granting them autonomy.
Namely.
[Even if they are collateral relatives, the people of the Four Great Ducal Houses must not join their bloodlines.]
This was a pact made to prevent the dukes from banding together under the pretext of marital alliances.
At first, it was a pact maintained because the Emperor's power was overwhelming.
But now, it had become a pact that the dukes themselves were even more eager to uphold.
If the pact were broken and a union between two houses went ahead, the other three would unquestionably move to check them simultaneously.
They feared that, if that happened, the peace of the current age—barely maintained as it was—would come to an end.
"Are you really saying that despite knowing all that?"
I looked at Duke Adrian with my eyes half open before I knew it.
"What? I'm only saying that the heir of one house and the young lady of another should become acquainted. I hope you won't treat it as such a serious matter."
"..."
I did not believe the duke's words and simply looked at Duke Stellaraim.
At my gaze, Duke Adrian let out a small sigh and began frankly laying out his thoughts.
"Haa. I suppose deceiving you is impossible... In truth, this is also a decision intended to prevent rumors about this incident from spreading."
Only then did Duke Stellaraim finally voice his thoughts.
"It happened inside the academy, and fortunately, because you, Abel, covered up the scene itself—the one where you were hanging—the rumor hasn't spread quickly."
However.
"Still, since the chairman, that Holy Sword Solaris, personally stated in the report that the offenders would be punished severely, I can't deny that rumors will spread among the students."
Suddenly, the heir to a ducal house and a prince of a great power were being punished?
Even if they did not know the details, rumors would certainly spread among the students, and such rumors would inevitably reach the ears of the houses those students belonged to.
In that situation, House Nebla suddenly visiting House Stellaraim?
Suspicious.
Adrian knew well that, no matter how thoroughly House Stellaraim tried to suppress the rumor, people's tongues were not easy to control.
"So I'm saying this to throw up a smokescreen over this incident."
In such circumstances, the duke had judged that if they suddenly showed the young lady of House Stellaraim and the heir to House Nebla growing close, it would serve as a sufficient smokescreen.
"..."
After hearing everything the duke had to say, I took a sip of the [Winter Heart] Duke Stellaraim had given me.
"Of course, this isn't compulsory. It's nothing more than a suggestion. I swear on my name that even if you refuse my request, there will be no major disadvantage."
"..."
"And if my suggestion leads to any political pressure or strange rumors, House Stellaraim will deal with all of it in its name."
"What do you think?"
"..."
House Stellaraim would bear all the risks?
"Well, if that's the case..."
With Mist having left for the Frozen Mountain Range, I had been wondering whether I should find lodging in the city since I had no idea how long I would have to stay here, so this worked out well.
Moreover, he said this would draw the attention of the Imperial Family, which was currently making a commotion over the succession rights, so I had ample reason to accept.
"I understand."
If it was merely a matter of remaining acquainted, there should be no problem.
Thinking of it that simply, I readily accepted Adrian's request.
"Ah, come to think of it, I still don't know your daughter's name."
I had not paid much attention to it, but I remembered that, strangely enough, almost no information about Duke Stellaraim's daughter had come to light.
At my words, Duke Adrian smiled and explained about his daughter.
"Kyla."
Kyla de Stellaraim.
"She can be a little stubborn, but she is still my daughter, and her heart is in the right place."
***
"What?"
Kyla furrowed her fair brow at the sudden communication from her father and stared at him inside the crystal ball.
"You want me to meet someone?"
Kyla still doubted whether what she had heard was true.
"Nebla?"
What sort of house was Nebla?
Wasn't it a noble house that was also called the king of the underworld—that is, the dark world?
"You want me to become acquainted with the heir to that house?"
[Yes.]
"..."
At the sight of her father readily affirming it on the screen, her eyes began to gleam sharply.
Surely that couldn't be the case, but had she perhaps received some kind of brainwashing from House Nebla?
Judging by the fact that he appeared drunk, had they put something in his alcohol?
It was a rude thought.
Rude to both her father and House Nebla.
But her father's sudden change in attitude was shocking enough to make her think that way.
'What on earth is going on?'
Having lived with Adrian for a long time, she knew that her father harbored uncomfortable feelings toward House Nebla.
And yet he had changed his attitude so suddenly?
[Kyla.]
While she was pondering the change that had come over her father, she heard his voice.
[You said this before, didn't you? That you wanted to marry a man stronger than yourself.]
At her father's sudden words, Kyla stopped thinking and flinched involuntarily.
In the past, Kyla had confidently declared at a cathedral in the North that she would avoid an engagement or marriage.
[I will marry someone my own age who can defeat me!]
Of course, she later learned that her father had never intended to marry her off or arrange an engagement for her in the first place; it had merely been something Kyla had done based on her own assumptions.
The problem was that, having already made such a declaration before the gods, it was impossible to take it back.
When she learned the truth, she had been so embarrassed and regretful. Even she had lost count of how many blankets she had kicked until they burst in those days, but it was probably close to double digits.
'Ugh...'
To make matters even more disastrous, the real problem lay in Kyla's talent.
With talent that surpassed Kairun's, she was already in a situation where finding a peer who could rival her was impossible.
And it was precisely for this reason that she could not become the heir to House Stellaraim.
After all, no matter how exceptional one's abilities were, one had to be capable of marrying to inherit the headship of a house—and she could not do that.
For reference, because of this, Adrian had even considered a collateral relative or adoption if he removed Kairun from the line of succession, as he had told Abel.
"Wait a moment."
When her thoughts reached that point, Kyla found herself looking at her father in the crystal ball.
"Don't tell me..."
[Yes. From my judgment, he seems like a man more than capable of defeating you.]
"But he's from House Nebla."
The words came out involuntarily, almost like a whine.
Hearing them, Adrian's voice began to sink slightly.
[Kyla de Stellaraim.]
"..."
[I have never raised my daughter to be a small-minded person who judges others without seeing them for herself.]
An engagement? Or marriage?
From Adrian's perspective, he would be glad if it came to pass.
Though she was his cherished daughter, precious beyond measure, he knew all too well how difficult it was to live this long life without a companion.
In the past, he too had arrogantly believed he could do everything alone, only to be defeated by the Duke of Nebla—and then he met his wife.
The love he had felt then. The sense of security. The warmth.
He had personally experienced how having just one person to support each other could make a person so much stronger.
[For now, the priority is simply for you two to remain acquainted.]
In that sense, Kyla was Adrian's greatest worry.
Because, thanks to her rash mouth, she might have to live almost her entire life as a single woman.
[Just think of it as making a friend, my daughter.]
Moreover, Kyla had been refraining from outside activities altogether out of remorse for the thoughtless remark she had made.
As a parent, he was terribly worried.
This was why he had arranged for Kyla to meet Abel.
He wanted Abel to at least become her friend.
"I understand."
Knowing her father's worries well, Kyla had no choice but to accept his words.
'All right...'
Yes. Since things had come to this, she might as well see the face of the heir to House Nebla whom her father had praised so highly.
Squeeze.
Thinking that, Kyla gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist so tightly that it made a sound, steeling both her mind and body.
...Let's overlook for now the fact that, to anyone watching, she looked like she was preparing to go to war.
A few days later.
In the reception room, Kyla finally met the heir to House Nebla whom she had been looking forward to meeting for so long.
"How do you do?"
'Huh?'
"I am Abel de Nebla, heir to the Duchy of Nebla."
'More than I expected...'
"I look forward to working with you."
'He's handsome?'
As if he had been made to embody her exact type.
But a man who was exactly her type was stronger than her?
"Ah..."
"?"
"H-hello...?"