Chapter 14
It had been two weeks since then.
Even after I calmed down, I didn't return to the mansion. I stayed in the forest, right by Lazuli's side.
“Sis, your heat seems almost over. Don't you need to go back?”
“...I don't know. I'll stay here for a while, at least.”
“You're impossible.”
This is too much. I was so upset, you know.
“Stay still! If you move, you're disqualified as a pillow.”
“Yes, yes.”
Pat, pat.
That's right. Just stay still and let me indulge myself.
“But, um... won't your benefactor be waiting?”
Him? As if he'd be waiting for me.
I'd taken care of all his urgent matters, so he'd probably be lounging around, not giving someone like me a second thought.
...Probably.
Swish, swish.
“Ugh, Sis, you're making me dizzy.”
“Sorry. I couldn't help it. It's been so long.”
After all, whenever I move one tail, all nine of them move at once.
But I've wondered about this for a long time: having nine tails is such a strange sensation.
It feels like I only have one, but when I touch them with my hands, I can feel all nine.
And yet they're not heavy. On the contrary, they're as light as if I only had one.
Is it because they're made of spiritual energy?
“You left without saying anything, didn't you?”
“Th-that's right...”
“Are you really okay?”
Honestly, I'm not.
Even if I think of it like a job, I've been absent without leave for two weeks without contacting anyone. By any ordinary measure, I'd definitely be fired.
But what can I do?
I don't know how my body will react if I see Theo right now.
Even if I'm a woman now, and my memories of my past life are hazy...
I was a man.
But just because my body feels attracted to him, I can't go, “Hehehe,” and fall in l-l-love...
And if that happens, someday Theo and I...
“Yeah. I can't.”
I know I'm a woman now, but the idea of being in love with a man was too much for me to handle mentally.
Of course, it's not that I dislike Theo.
“Hehe, actually, I'm really happy. I wish you could stay here forever, Sis.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I was really lonely without you.”
That's a relief. I wasn't the only one.
Living among humans wasn't bad, but since I was fundamentally a fox, I couldn't completely fit in with them.
At least Seolli had been kind enough to approach me.
Speaking of my little sibling...
“When did you get so big and learn to say such sweet things?”
My little sibling, who used to be a shut-in fox who only knew how to go “Kyuung,” had now become...
...a shut-in beastkin.
Come to think of it, when I came here, they were lying in bed reading only the books I'd brought them.
And they'd been with me ever since.
Could it be...?
“You only use guarding the forest as an excuse. You just didn't come with me because you couldn't be bothered, right?”
“Huh? N-no!”
That's no denial. I hit the nail on the head.
I must've spoiled them too much. They shouldn't be this lazy.
Maybe it was time to show them the dignity of an older sister again.
“How's the forest these days?”
“T-the forest? Same as always.”
Yeah, they barely go outside.
If this were my previous life, they could entertain themselves with a computer or smartphone.
But there's nothing here but books. What on earth does this kid do for fun alone?
“...I do meet friends now and then, you know.”
“When was the last time you saw them?”
“Hmm, maybe the last time there was a full moon?”
This won't do. I have to do something about this kid.
“Let's go out! I want to take a walk around the forest for the first time in a while.”
“Ugh... That's a pain.”
“I want to stroll with my little sibling for a change... Don't you want to?”
I gave Lazuli the most pitiful look I could manage,
“Aww...”
My little sibling seemed to hesitate for a moment at the sight of me,
“Good grief, fine!”
and reluctantly nodded.
Just as we were getting ready to leave the house and head into the forest,
BANG!
“Lady Edeeeel!!!!”
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a black-haired girl came charging at me,
Whoosh
I sidestepped slightly.
Crash!
Hmm, she sure rolls well.
No, that's not the point!!
“Hey! Don't make a mess of the house!”
Whoosh
“That's so mean! We haven't seen each other in ages!”
Good grief, she hasn't changed at all.
And thanks to her, the tables and chairs I'd set out in the living room were all in disarray.
“You clean it all up!”
“Eee...”
“Don't cry, Magpie.”
“Lady Lazuliiii!”
Hug!
“There, there.”
Good grief, what a drama queen.
I guess I'll have to clean it up after all.
It's been a while since I've used this, too...
[Telekinesis]
And at the same time,
[Restoration]
As the two skills took effect, the fallen furniture slowly rose into the air and returned to its proper places. Meanwhile, Restoration gradually returned the slightly damaged items to their original state.
“Wow, your power is awe-inspiring every time I see it.”
“It's nothing.”
“How modest...”
Well, Telekinesis had become a genuinely powerful ability by now.
Restoration only worked on inanimate objects to begin with.
More importantly,
“Do you think I'll forgive you just because you did that?”
“Eeee!”
I rushed over and grabbed Magpie by the ears in an instant.
“W-wait, Lady Edel! I really have urgent news!”
“What is it?”
“J-just let go first!!”
I loosened my grip and let go of Magpie's ears,
She stepped away from me and rubbed her ears, looking at me with tear-filled eyes as if blaming me.
“Oh?”
“Aah, I'm sorry!”
You should've done that from the start.
“So what is it you wanted to tell me?”
“Oh, right! Th-the orcs have come into the forest!!”
“Orcs?”
“Is that true?”
Eek, Lazuli suddenly spoke in a voice gone cold.
Lazuli had trauma from orcs just as bad as I did.
Magpie started trembling a little, perhaps frightened by the cold voice of the younger sibling who was always smiling at her.
“Y-yes! And it wasn't just one. There looked to be more than ten!”
“They're insane. How dare orcs enter this forest...”
“Right... They must want to die.”
Lazuli was actually eager to kill them...
That was a little scary.
“All right, shall we go drive them all out?”
“Yeah, let's go, Sis.”
“I-I want to come too!”
* * *
“Father, what did you just say?”
She wasn't asking because she hadn't heard.
It was simply that what her respected father, Kerenes Verdia, had just said...
was impossible for Ellis Verdia to believe.
So she asked again to make sure.
“I told you to give up on Theo Rebellin.”
“Why? Why on earth...?”
“Someone came from Rebellin just now, carrying the gold they borrowed from us.”
“What?!”
"At the same time, they unilaterally notified us that they were breaking off the engagement. Of course, they also paid additional compensation in the same amount."
Ellis knew that the amount Rebellin had to repay was over 30,000 gold.
Considering that the Shastia Kingdom's annual budget was 100,000 gold, that was an enormous sum.
Rebellin wouldn't have been able to pay that easily even in the past.
Much less the Rebellin of today...
“How... How could Rebellin possibly have that much money?”
“I hear they seized all of the Arm Hunter's assets.”
“You mean that criminal?”
Ellis had often heard of the Arm Hunter, who held Rebellin in his grip.
A cruel criminal rumored to cut off the arms of anyone who offended him and keep them in his house.
A man with great personal strength and leadership, whom the few knights in Rebellin had been unable to capture.
“How did they...”
“Sigh...”
Kerenes was just as troubled as Ellis.
If this marriage had gone through, Rebellin's technology and Verdia's financial power would have been joined through marriage, creating an unrivaled power that even the royal family couldn't easily ignore.
“I hear Theo—Theo Rebellin himself—subdued him.”
“Theo did? That can't be...”
“It's hard to believe, but it's true. Many people saw it.”
Of course, Ellis knew that when Theo was young, he'd been called a genius with the sword and had considerable talent for magic, too.
But she'd heard that after ‘that incident,’ he'd given up both.
“Could he have been hiding his strength this whole time?”
“...I suppose so. But that isn't what's important now.”
“Then what is?”
Someone had once said this about Theo after that incident.
That a hawk had lost its wings just as it was about to take flight.
But that wasn't it.
The hawk had been hiding its wings and waiting for the right moment.
To fly through a wider sky with better winds, from a greater height.
“Theo may attack Verdia.”
“Why... Why would Theo?”
“Are you asking because you don't know? Doesn't that boy resent us for his younger sibling's death?”
Ellis knew that.
But...
“That wasn't our fault! It was an accident!”
“Do you really think so...?”
Gritting her teeth, Ellis bit down hard on her lip.
It had been an accident. Even if their side had caused it.
Verdia hadn't intended to kill a child of Rebellin's.
But...
“In any case, we need to act before Theo strikes first.”
“What do you mean?”
Ellis sensed unease in her father's words and asked again.
To someone else, it might have sounded like he meant to prepare for a defense,
but to her, who knew Kerenes well...
“We will prepare for a territorial war with Rebellin.”
“Father!!!”
“Of course, I know Rebellin has no capacity to attack us right now. But what do you think it means that he suddenly revealed a card he'd kept hidden?”
Kerenes's words made sense.
Theo, who had concealed his strength until now, was beginning to show himself.
Which could mean he was about to start something.
And that might be revenge against Verdia.
But...
“I've visited Rebellin often. They don't have the means to wage war against us, or any justification.”
“A pretext can always be made. We could bring the old incident into public discussion.”
“Then I'll meet Theo one last time.”
“You can't.”
“Why not?”
No matter how sharp Theo's grudge was, he wouldn't take the territorial lord's daughter hostage.
That would violate the kingdom's laws,
and if he broke the law, the royal family would intervene, which would amount to Rebellin's committing suicide.
Kerenes knew that, too,
but even if the odds were low, he wanted his daughter to be in no danger whatsoever.
“What if Theo draws his sword on you?”
“That's because you've never met him. He's not that kind of man.”
“Hmm...”
“Please trust me, Father.”
Ellis was certain.
No matter how much Theo resented them, he wasn't the type to simply draw his sword on them.
He always acted cool toward her, but whenever she visited, he never actually refused to see her.
If he hated her that much, he could've just sent her away.
Ellis believed that a part of the old Theo still remained in his heart.
“If that's what you think, do as you wish.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“But... what will you do if Theo broke off the engagement not to attack us, but to marry another woman?”
At Kerenes's words, Ellis felt a sudden pang, as though a thorn in her heart had pierced it.
At the same time, the image of a woman she'd tried so hard to forget came to mind.
That woman who'd introduced herself as a maid.
And Theo, walking away with her held tenderly in his arms.
How could he do that?
She'd spent her whole life longing only for him.
Someday, she'd have children with him and raise them together.
They'd care for and love each other, and be loved in return...
She'd hoped to live with him like that and grow old together.
That was all she'd ever wanted...
Ellis closed her eyes.
If Theo didn't choose her,
if he abandoned her to live with that woman,
if he had children with another woman and lived happily,
she'd be more miserable than anyone else in the world.
Because Theo was everything to her.
So...
“Then I'll do as you wish, Father.”
“Even if Theo dies?”
He should be just as miserable as she was.
“...Yes.”
“...If that's truly what you want, I won't try to stop you anymore.”
“Yes, thank you, Father.”
“I'll make all the preparations.”
“Yes.”
Then Ellis left the room,
and Kerenes turned his chair to look out the window.
She'd always been a good daughter to him, always a gentle child.
And now she was saying she'd kill the person she'd loved all her life.
“Love is frightening.”
Kerenes was certain his daughter wouldn't get what she wanted.
If the problem could've been solved by going to talk to him now, Theo wouldn't have broken off the engagement.
But,
“That might not be so bad.”
If this helped his daughter grow a little more mature, that would be enough.
No matter what happened, Verdia wouldn't be defeated.
* * *
Thud.
“Haa...”
Theo dragged his tired body back to his office, slumped into his chair, and closed his eyes.
His exhaustion was plain on his face, and deep dark circles had appeared beneath his once-clear eyes.
That was because he'd been incredibly busy, dealing one by one with the problems that had to be handled with the sudden influx of money.
And the biggest of those problems, without a doubt, was breaking off his engagement with Verdia.
A wish Theo had held for a long time had come true so easily.
So Theo should have been at his happiest right now, but ironically, his heart was filled with nothing but confusion.
And the source of that confusion now took on a woman's form and smiled at him.
As always, with both arms outstretched...
“Grr...”
Clatter
Theo shook his head, trying to clear away the thoughts crowding into it.
There was no way to resolve them right now, anyway.
“Where on earth did she go?”
In the end, Edel never came back that day.
And she still hadn't, even three weeks later.
That left Theo feeling so frustrated he thought he might die.
Honestly, even while dealing with all the problems, he could think of nothing but Edel, so he couldn't handle anything properly.
Fortunately, his capable household members were taking care of things without too many major problems.
But at times like this, the head of the family had to keep a clear head.
Even knowing that...
‘Master~!’
‘Master, hug me.’
‘Master, I love...’
“You never said that!!!”
BANG!
The desk shook violently from the impact, scattering the papers, and Theo's right hand throbbed with heat,
but none of that mattered to him.
Why had she acted that way toward him all this time if she was just going to disappear like this...?
Knock, knock.
Just then, there was a knock at the office door,
“...Come in.”
The door soon opened, and the head maid entered, bowing to Theo.
“What is it?”
“Lady Ellis Verdia has arrived. She wishes to see you, Master.”
“That woman?”
‘The engagement should already be broken off. Is she here to complain about the unilateral notice?’
Theo wasn't exactly eager, but he nodded.
“I'll go to the reception room.”
“Understood.”
Even so, Theo's mind remained in turmoil, filled with thoughts of Edel.