Chapter 100
From the day after Louis assigned Monica the duty of escorting Princess Tsetsilia, Monica was required to remain in the royal capital.
There were still several days until Princess Tsetsilia's visit, but there was a mountain of work to do, from preparations for the escort mission to meetings and briefings.
One unexpected thing about Princess Tsetsilia's visit was that Second Prince Felix Arc Riddle had not been summoned to the castle.
Isaac had put it this way.
'Rather than not summoning him, they probably don't want him to come.'
Monica didn't really understand it, but apparently there had been some political maneuvering behind the scenes.
For that reason, Isaac would be staying behind in Sazandoll with Nero this time.
The fact that Isaac seemed to be shouldering something all by himself concerned Monica.
But Monica had to face the task she had been given with all due seriousness. After all, she was escorting a guest from the Empire.
The first place Monica went after arriving in the royal capital was the residence of 〈Abyssal Curse Mage〉 Ray Albright.
The Albright family's main residence in the royal capital was an impressive mansion, and the sitting room she was shown into was furnished with lavish, high-class pieces.
"Ray's place is newer than mine, and it feels so modern!"
Sitting beside Monica and looking around the room was 〈Thorn Witch〉 Raul Roseberg, one of the Seven Sages.
Today's gathering was the meeting of the Seven Sages' young trio—a name Raul had come up with himself.
At Raul's words, 〈Abyssal Curse Mage〉 Ray Albright, seated across from them, twisted his face into a self-deprecating grimace.
"S-so you're saying our family is far inferior to the Rosebergs in terms of history, is that it...? I know people say behind our backs that, even though we're both prestigious families, compared to the Rosebergs we're just a money-grubbing clan that rose to prominence under the previous head... Even though the only greedy one is Grandma... Uuugh..."
"I actually envy a new, beautiful mansion like yours, Ray. My family can't throw anything old away. Nearly all our furniture is antique. I need my grandmother's permission just to throw out a single chair, you know?"
Raul had been pouting, but then he suddenly clapped his hands as though remembering something and began rummaging through his bag.
"Oh, right, right. Sis asked me to bring a bunch of things today. Let's see... First, this is for Monica!"
What Raul pulled out of the bag were two small bottles.
Both contained whitish ointment, but the writing on their labels was different.
"They're ointments. One is labeled 'almost odorless and reasonably effective medicine,' and the other says 'smells bad enough to kill, but works incredibly well.'"
"...That's why she's such a nasty person. She gives you choices like that..."
Ray stared sullenly at the medicine bottles, but Monica was honestly delighted.
The wound on her right hand had mostly healed, but Melissa had strictly ordered her to keep applying medicine until the scar disappeared completely.
"Thank you, Raul-sama. Um, please give my regards to your sister."
"Sure, I'll tell her! And this is for Ray! She said it's an engagement gift!"
When Raul began rummaging through his bag again, Ray's features drew tightly toward the center of his face, creating an indescribable expression.
"That woman... an engagement gift for me?"
"Um... here you go!"
Raul held out a glass jar of salt.
It was high-quality rock salt produced in a region called Uria.
Ray took the jar of salt, bared his gums, and groaned.
"...She means, 'Pour this over that slug bastard,' doesn't she? I know she does."
"Amazing, Ray! That's exactly what Sis said!"
"See?! There was no way that woman was going to give me a proper congratulatory gift!"
Ray clawed at his hair and shrieked.
Ray and Melissa had become Seven Sages at nearly the same time, but apparently their relationship was even more complicated than Monica had imagined.
Once Ray's shrill cries had died down, Monica asked cautiously,
"Um, Ray-sama, where is Frieda-sama today...?"
"She should be here shortly. She's making sweets to serve everyone right now... Frieda's cakes are incredibly delicious..."
As Ray's eyes wandered and he idly fiddled with the hair beside his face, Raul said with a broad grin,
"You and Frieda have got a good thing going!"
"G-getting along great? What is the standard for 'great'...? But yes, yes... By the standards of my life, it feels incredibly, incredibly great... Heh-heh, hehehehe... Yes, it's great..."
Ray's laugh was gloomy and unsettling, but he certainly looked happy.
His usually sickly pale face was now tinged with a faint blush.
"The other day, I went on a long horseback ride with Frieda... This counts as a date, right? Me, on a date with a girl... Heh-heh, kuh-hehehehe..."
"Wait, Ray, you can ride a horse?"
"Of course not. Frieda held the reins, and I rode behind her."
The women of Valmberg were apparently skilled at horseback riding as well as swordsmanship.
It was easy to picture Frieda riding briskly along with Ray seated behind her.
"And what's more... what's more, when I nearly fell while we were out walking, Frieda took my hand... and we walked hand in hand for a while..."
After saying this, Ray pressed both hands to his grinning cheeks.
A creepy laugh escaped his mouth—fuh-heh-heh-heh...
"Holding hands is nice... Really nice... Heh, hehehe..."
Walking hand in hand with the person you loved.
Imagining herself in that situation, Monica pictured a slender-fingered hand reaching out to her...
(............... Waaaaaaah!)
She covered her reddening cheeks with both hands and lowered her head.
Then, wearing the expression of someone who had just been told about an incredibly passionate night together, she said:
"That's... um... really incredible."
"Ah, it was incredibly incredible... Heh..."
To reiterate, they had merely walked hand in hand.
Ray idly fiddled with his fingers and said with a silly grin,
"I-I can't put 'I love you' into words, but... I want to find a way to convey that I love her all the same... So... someday, I want to kiss the back of her hand in a way that tells her I love her..."
"Excuse me. I brought some sweets for tea."
The tall woman who entered the room carrying a plate of sweets had short blond hair and sharp gray eyes—Ray's fiancée, Frieda Blanke.
Ray's face alternated between red and pale as he looked at Frieda.
"D-did you hear what I just said...?"
"Everyone expresses affection differently, and I don't think you need to be particular about the form it takes. However, I am pleased by your sincerity, Ray."
"A-bababa..."
"Whenever you need my hand, please just ask."
"Obo-bubu..."
Frieda set the plate of sweets on the table, then turned toward Monica and Raul and bowed.
"It has been some time, 〈Thorn Witch〉-sama, 〈Silent Witch〉-sama. Please have some tea cakes first. They're made with redcurrant jam."
Frieda briskly began cutting the cake into portions.
The cake was made from firm, cookie-like dough with redcurrant jam sandwiched between the layers. A pleasant scent of honey and cinnamon rose from the pastry.
Frieda offered Monica a slice, saying, "Please help yourself," but before eating it, Monica had something she absolutely needed to say to Frieda.
"Um, Frieda-sama..."
"Yes?"
"A-about the other day... I'm sorry for being mean to you!"
When Monica first met Frieda, she had been mean to her while acting as a villainess.
The fact that she had yet to properly apologize had been weighing on Monica's mind ever since.
When Monica bowed deeply, Frieda drew her brows together in puzzlement and tilted her head.
"I don't recall you ever being mean to me, 〈Silent Witch〉-sama."
All the villainess Monica Everette had done was laugh ominously behind her fan. That was all.
But for Monica, it had been an all-out attempt at being mean.
"I was very mean to you... I'm truly sorry..."
"I don't mind at all, so please don't worry about it."
At Frieda's straightforward reply, Monica's eyes unexpectedly grew moist with emotion.
"Y-you're so kind... even though I was so mean to you..."
"That's right. My fiancée is incredibly kind... Heh..."
Monica was deeply moved, while Ray chuckled to himself.
Without paying any attention to them, Raul, who had been munching on cake, held out the small jar of salt to Frieda as though he had just remembered it.
"This is an engagement gift from my sister."
"Salt? My homeland is far from the sea, so until fairly recently, salt was a very precious thing. I gratefully accept it. Ray, you can look forward to soup tonight."
At Frieda's words, Ray shouted, "My fiancée is wonderful!" and rolled around on the floor.
If Louis Miller had seen him, he might have said, "Has the Curse Mage turned into a mop?" But since that foul-mouthed mage wasn't here, Frieda calmly took his place and admonished Ray, "You'll get your clothes dirty."