Scandal

Ruri said as she watched Waldrova, who was visibly excited.

“Since Lord Ferda is the host of the banquet, the hostess’s role is important as well.”

-If it’s the hostess…… You mean it’s referring to me?

“Yes.”

-Hmm……

Waldrova lowered her head.

No matter how much she longed to attend, she grew frightened the moment it became something concerning her.

Ruri had naturally seen right through that side of her.

“Lord Ferda is planning to perform a dance there.”

-A dance?

“It’s called a waltz, a dance in which a man and woman move together in harmony. It is a basic accomplishment among nobles.”

-A man and woman together……

The man would be Ferda, and the woman, herself.

The thought of them becoming a pair made her heart pound.

Because of her enormous body, the thudding of her heart rang out clearly.

-What if I say I cannot go……?

“Then Lord Ferda will dance with another partner.”

-Hmm……

Waldrova fell into deep thought.

The thought of Ferda dancing with another woman made her chest ache even more.

No matter what, she had to attend.

-Then what about going in armor……

“That’s impossible.”

Fearing that Waldrova might even consider shrinking her armor, Ruri spoke more firmly than usual.

“For one thing, wouldn’t that put Lord Ferda in a difficult position? He would have to lead someone over two meters tall. Besides—”

-Besides?

“If you stepped on his foot by mistake, his bones would be crushed. I would approve if you intended to cripple him, but you don’t, do you?”

-Of course I don’t.

In her dragon form, the armor alone weighed several hundred kilograms. The frail Ferda obviously would not be able to withstand it.

Waldrova realized that Ruri had a point and nodded.

As Ruri watched her struggle to make a decision, she spoke.

“Not attending is another option.”

-You mean that sincerely?

“Yes.”

That was what Ruri said.

“My master is the embodiment of fire and power. Since you are an immortal being who does not easily reveal yourself to humans, it would be best to preserve your mystery.”

-……I suppose you’re right?

Waldrova nodded with a hum, as though she had found an excellent excuse.

Ruri knew that this would only make Waldrova hide herself even more.

After all, Ruri had served her longer than anyone else.

“I forgot to mention something.”

But what Waldrova did not know was that this was merely a step backward in order to take three steps forward.

“Do you know that Olivia Arken came today?”

Waldrova’s body stiffened.

She knew that Olivia was called the Golden Rose of the Empire and was popular among men at the same time.

Ferda was a man, too.

-I know roughly about it.

“Then did you watch her when she arrived?”

-I couldn’t. I was working.

“She came and personally taught Lord Ferda.”

-You mean she danced with my fiancé?

“Yes. They held hands and danced the waltz without music. For nearly four hours, no less.”

-Four hours……

Even hearing that Ferda had held her hand had made Waldrova feel terrible.

But dancing?

For four hours, at that.

A man and a woman, for four hours.

The world inside Waldrova’s heart grew dark and gloomy.

“Do you know what that means?”

-What does it mean?

“It means that Lord Ferda wants to dance with you, Master.”

Her restless mood instantly brightened.

Waldrova flapped her useless wings and puffed out streams of hot air through her nose.

Then Waldrova’s body began to shrink.

Her scales slipped beneath smooth skin, and her form finally transformed into a beautiful woman.

She was a woman with gentle eyes that did not suit the embodiment of fire and power.

With a look of great resolve, she said,

“I-I’ll try that waltz-dance thing!”

“It’s called a waltz.”

Given what she usually did, “wild dance” was not entirely inaccurate, though.

Ruri was secretly satisfied that everything had proceeded smoothly, exactly as she intended.

“I’ll teach you how to dance.”

“Huh? You know how?”

“I didn’t originally, but I learned.”

She had watched Olivia practice dancing for nearly four hours.

During that time, she had mastered every movement and detail.

Ferda, who had actually received the instruction, could not even move his feet, while Ruri had memorized everything.

One thing was certain: Olivia Arken was excellent at teaching, while Ferda was hopelessly uncoordinated.

“Please imagine that I am Lord Ferda and try taking my hand.”

“But Mr. Ferda isn’t this small……”

“That’s why I’m asking you to imagine it, Master.”

“S-Sorry……”

She had unintentionally struck Ruri’s pride.

Waldrova lightly took Ruri’s hand and looked down at her.

‘This is Mr. Ferda’s hand……’

Once she thought of it that way, it really did look like Ferda’s hand.

That hand that warmly wrapped around her.

That hand that made her heart flutter and her body tense just by looking at it.

Mr. Ferda’s hand.

Crack—!

Or rather, it had been.

“Aaaah!”

“……”

“M-Mr. Ferda! No, Ru-ru-ru-Ruri!! Is your hand okay? What do we do, what do we do?”

The one whose hand had been broken remained still, while the one who broke it caused a commotion.

Ruri quietly looked down at her own hand.

She could no longer put any strength into her fingers, which hung limply.

Seeing that, Ruri realized something.

Practicing the waltz right now was not the problem.

She sighed and said,

“First, let’s practice controlling your strength.”

Before anything else, she had to stop Waldrova from committing murder.

* * *

The planners Olivia had promised to send from the Empire arrived at Waldrova Castle.

They brought several lavish carriages and set about preparing the banquet and its accompanying events.

They did not concern themselves only with the events inside the castle. They also paid close attention to the area outside the castle and Hestia Town, putting forth their utmost effort to ensure everything ended successfully.

Since the only thing Ferda had to worry about was how much would be spent on the Spring Festival, everything was proceeding smoothly.

“These are letters of greeting sent from all across the continent of Cerdes.”

She poured the letters from the box onto the desk.

There were enough of them to drown in.

“That’s a lot.”

“This is after filtering them repeatedly. Taking regional influence and growth potential into consideration, I narrowed them down to roughly four hundred.”

“Did you do all that alone?”

“If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to send them in time. I did it ‘together’ with Miss Mori.”

That explained why her skin seemed oddly smooth and radiant.

Only 250 people could attend the Spring Festival. Narrowing down the remaining 150 was Ferda’s task.

Ferda read through their letters.

-I sincerely support the construction of Hestia Town by Regent Ferda Waldrova. I……

Some praised Hestia Town, which they had never cared about before, while others tried to show what sort of noble family they belonged to.

They also subtly inserted lines expressing their hopes for the success of the Spring Festival, revealing their desire to attend.

Every single letter followed the same pattern.

“There is one more letter, but this one is somewhat outside the usual category.”

The word “outside” made Ferda curious, but he understood when he saw the sender.

“It’s from the House of Yurei.”

“What do you think?”

The duchy had been saddled with enormous debts after losing the war.

The peasants exploited by those debts had come to Hestia Town in search of freedom and survival.

From Duke Yurei’s perspective, Ferda was no different from a kidnapper.

“It might be better to let them attend, though……”

Duke Yurei was the greatest victim in this situation.

If Ferda failed to send an invitation simply because the circumstances were uncomfortable, he would be giving the duke an opportunity to portray himself as the victim.

“Either way, even if we have to deal with them, it will be the duke’s son.”

“That’s true.”

The Spring Festival was an occasion celebrating the arrival of spring.

It was a social gathering for young people, with only the young and unmarried permitted to participate as a rule.

As a gathering of that sort, Olivia Arken was an excellent lure.

People from the Empire could see her at tea parties or events several times over, but to those outside the Empire, she was someone difficult even to approach and greet.

‘It’s a relief that the plan is proceeding smoothly.’

It would be nice if it continued this way without anyone throwing a wrench into things.

But as always, the world did not move according to his wishes.

Bang!

Someone burst through the door.

Despite the forceful sound, the person who walked in was a petite girl.

She strode forward without her usual maidlike bearing and asked Ferda,

“Have you perhaps been going around saying the wrong things?”

Ferda wondered what had gotten into her.

“That’s an aggressive way to put it.”

“I received information that is both regrettable and not regrettable.”

She handed him the paper containing the telegram she had received.

Now he understood why she had been so angry.

Ferda also found it absurd, and felt his anger boiling over.

“A rumor that Regent Waldrova and Imperial Princess Arken are having an affair has spread throughout the Empire. What are we going to do about this?”

* * *

When Olivia had said she was coming to Waldrova Castle, Ferda had considered several possible bad situations.

There were countless scenarios, but one in particular concerned him the most.

‘A scandal.’

It was not unheard of for a young noblewoman to stay at a man’s residence under unavoidable circumstances, but retainers and knights would thoroughly prevent anything from happening, so people did not make as much of it as one might expect.

But the more beautiful the jewel, the more prominent even the smallest flaw appeared.

And the higher one’s status, the more greatly one was shaken by even the slightest rumor.

‘It would be especially serious for Olivia.’

As an Imperial Princess, it was her duty to preserve her chastity and conduct herself properly so as to invite no suspicion.

To the men who admired her, Ferda Waldrova was an enemy.

If this incident caused relations between them to sour, it would be fatal for Ferda.

But even more than such political calculations, one person’s face came to stand before Ferda’s heart.

“Does she…… know about this?”

Ruri calmly answered his voice filled with anger.

“Not yet. But she will eventually find out.”

“……”

What would happen when Waldrova learned the truth?

She looked as though she might kill someone.

The anxiety made him want to tear out his own pounding heart.

“Phew……”

Ferda took a deep breath.

Getting angry would not resolve anything, so he had to do what needed to be done.

“We’ll have to talk.”

He had no choice but to contact the Imperial Palace and speak with Olivia.

Since she was at the heart of the Empire, she would know how to deal with a situation like this.

-It’s merely a minor piece of gossip.

Unlike the anxious Ferda, Olivia sounded relaxed.

She understood the importance of appearances better than anyone, so he could not imagine that she was being foolish.

Ferda asked why.

“Minor gossip?”

-Think about it. Did we do anything there that could be misunderstood?

“No, we didn’t.”

-We didn’t stay the night, and we were only in the reception room. The captain of the knights did leave the room, but there was a servant inside, wasn’t there?

“That’s right.”

-Lady Ruri Silverwind has sworn loyalty to Lord Waldrova. Of course, if that loyalty meant condoning an affair, then the situation would be different—

“If I had done something that stupid, I would have torn his head off.”

Ruri cut in with chilling intensity.

She did not specify whose head she meant, but judging by her eyes, Ferda was clearly the target.

Despite that, Olivia responded without losing her composure.

-As befits a loyal servant, that was a very forceful answer. There are witnesses, too, so it should be more than enough.

After hearing her explanation, some of Ferda’s unease subsided.

-Still, the fact that the rumor has spread is troublesome. It could become fuel for hostility toward the regent.

“That’s exactly what I mean. That’s why I contacted you.”

-Oh my, do you need my advice?

“Regardless, you know more about this sort of thing than I do, so I need to hear your advice.”

-Hmm~ So you’re saying you need me.

Olivia exhaled as though she were enjoying herself.

Then she said,

-Then how about this? Have him ask me to dance at the banquet.

No matter how he thought about it, that seemed far from a solution.

“What would that accomplish?”

-I’ll politely refuse.

“Wouldn’t that make it look as though I had been rejected?”

It would be interpreted as though he harbored some degree of romantic interest in Olivia.

He did not want Olivia to be the only one who benefited from this.

-Oh my, to think you would see it that way. Do I resemble a witch in your eyes, Regent?

“That’s not it.”

Having seen all the witches himself, he considered Olivia a heavenly maiden.

-Don’t worry. As the host of the party, you have a duty to dance with young ladies who have no partners.

“Would that duty apply to the Empire’s flower? There won’t be any men left around you.”

-You really don’t understand. I don’t dance with any man.

Ferda understood what she meant.

Olivia gathered the information together and explained it again.

-As the host, dance with the other young ladies and then approach me. It should seem as though you are approaching me out of your duty as host, not because you have feelings for me. If you say that, I’ll refuse the dance.

“Would that be enough?”

Ferda felt that the fundamental problem remained unsolved.

How could they explain anything with that alone?

-Yes. You don’t need to offer any opinions, either. Saying more would only invite trouble. Time will naturally show everyone that it was nonsense.

“What makes you so certain?”

-I know just by looking at your eyes.

“My eyes……?”

-You’re always trying to look imposing, but did you know that you’re terrible at acting? Just do exactly what you always do.

Olivia suddenly insulted him.

-Anyway, this is just a minor piece of gossip, so don’t think too deeply about it. I should get going. This will probably create another piece of gossip.

“Yes. Thank you for the advice.”

Ferda ended the telepathic communication and looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

“Ruri.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what she meant by saying she knew just by looking at my eyes?”

Ruri met Ferda’s eyes.

Her gaze seemed to ask whether that was even a question.

“I do.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a secret. But as the Imperial Princess said, it should be enough.”

“Hmm……”

I see.

Having been relieved of one worry, Ferda threw himself back against the chair.

“Do you feel better now?”

“……No.”

This was one thing, and that was another.

Ferda could not tolerate this situation.

Who was the bastard trying to test him?

‘The starting point must be the captain of the knights.’

He was the Emperor’s man, not Olivia’s.

But he was unlikely to be the mastermind.

He must have spread it to several people while reporting to the Emperor.

‘I need to find him.’

Ferda had to find out what that man’s purpose was.

No, he did not actually need to know the purpose.

He simply had to destroy him.

That was why Ferda took something out of the drawer.

It was a black hood.