Chapter 32
Cyril Ashley had never told anyone, but he actually disliked parties and the like.
Every time he saw the contests of vanity, the probing for weaknesses, and the attempts to trip one another up in those glittering spaces, the puritanical part of him sprang into action.
One's fall from grace in high society takes only an instant. The slightest mistake can become a lifelong weakness.
That was why, when Cyril had been at Serendia Academy, he had kept a close eye not only on his own behavior at parties, but also on Monica's.
He had to make sure she dressed appropriately, behaved appropriately, and did not embarrass herself while dancing... Even one disgraceful blunder could become a lifelong scar for Monica.
(Of course, that was because I couldn't overlook a student council member making a blunder and tarnishing the name of His Highness, the student council president. In other words, it was only natural consideration from the vice president... Even so, Monica's dancing remained terrible to the very end. Do the Seven Sages ever have occasion to dance? If so, that dance was far too problematic...)
"Cyril-sama, what is the matter?"
The voice of the young lady looking up at him with concern brought Cyril back to his senses.
What a disgrace, thinking about something else while escorting a woman!
"My apologies. I was just reminiscing a little about my days at Serendia Academy."
The young lady Cyril was chatting with was Aurelia Harvey of House Bellsting.
House Bellsting was the birthplace of the 〈Star-Seer Witch〉 and a prestigious magical house. It also had distant ties to House Hione.
Marriage negotiations had now begun between Lady Aurelia and Cyril, but, honestly, Cyril could not bring himself to regard the matter as something that concerned him personally.
Lady Aurelia was beautiful, with deep golden hair and lovely, delicate features. Wasn't it his cousin Curtis who had raved that she was like a flower fairy?
More important than her appearance, however, was her bloodline.
Cyril had House Hione's blood in his veins, but he was an adopted son, not a member of the direct line. And since he had come from a commoner background, there were quite a few people who looked down on him.
But marrying Aurelia, a direct descendant of House Bellsting, would give him prestige.
Since both Cyril and Aurelia had an aptitude for magic, the child they had would surely be brilliant as well... That was the opinion of those around them.
Even so, Cyril was not enthusiastic about the match.
Ever since he had been adopted into House Hione, he had resolved to devote himself to the marquess's house. Marriage was part of that.
If he was going to inherit the marquessate, then choosing a woman suitable to be his wife was only natural—a duty, even.
Cyril knew from observing his own parents that a love marriage did not necessarily lead to happiness. If his adoptive father had arranged a match for him, Cyril had intended to accept it quietly.
However, when the Marquess of Hione first brought up the matter, he had said this to Cyril:
'It was my choice not to take a second wife who would bear me a son. Claudia's marrying into another house was Claudia's choice. You became our adopted son because it suited us, but you needn't accommodate us when it comes to your spouse. Choose the woman you wish to spend your life with.'
If the marquess had ordered him, "Become engaged to Lady Aurelia," Cyril would surely have obeyed. But his adoptive father had not done so.
(...If I am thinking of what is best for House Hione, I should make this match work.)
Lady Aurelia was a modest, demure lady who knew how to defer to others.
She had beauty, magical talent, family, and bloodline—all ideal. There was nothing whatsoever to complain about.
Unlike a certain someone, she surely would not make a fool of herself dancing.
(And yet... why am I not enthusiastic about this?)
He felt far more fulfilled discussing joint research with Raul and Monica than discussing fashionable operas with Aurelia.
Surely it was because he still had not settled into his work as his father's aide enough to have room to think about marriage. In other words, he was ashamed that all of this was due to his own immaturity.
Regardless, facing Lady Aurelia while feeling this way would be terribly dishonest.
"...Lady Aurelia, regarding the matter of our marriage negotiations..."
When Cyril awkwardly broached the subject, Aurelia answered, "Yes," and turned to face him.
Her eyebrows drooped slightly with sadness. She had realized what conclusion Cyril had reached.
"I am still far too immature to become engaged to you. Please... withdraw from these marriage negotiations yourself."
Rather than making it seem that Cyril had rejected the match, it would spare Aurelia's reputation any damage if she were the one to call it off.
With that in mind, Aurelia lowered her long lashes.
"You say that you are still immature... In that case, once you have formally succeeded to the title, will you marry me?"
"That..."
Cyril's heart gave a startled jolt.
This was the moment when he should have answered, "With pleasure." And yet his tongue would not move, as though it had gone numb.
As Cyril stood there with a stiff expression, Aurelia smiled sadly.
"I'm sorry for putting you on the spot. But when that time comes... please think about it one more time."
With that, Aurelia left.
Left behind, Cyril bit his lip and lowered his head.
He wanted to be sincere, truly he did. And yet he could not shake the feeling that he had done something terribly dishonest.
That was surely because Cyril had deceived his own heart.
But he did not know what he had tried to hide from himself, or what was catching in his chest.
(The only thing I can do now is fulfill my duties as Father's aide and strive to become a worthy marquess.)
Cyril left the party at a brisk pace and proceeded down the hallway.
Apparently, all Seven Sages were attending today's party, which was unusual. In other words, Raul and Monica were here as well.
(I should confirm the schedule for our joint research going forward. And report on this year's budget and the investors...)
For now, he would stop thinking about unnecessary matters and do what he could as his father's aide.
If he did that, then someday he would surely be able to give Lady Aurelia his answer without hesitation.
He still did not know whether that answer would be yes or no.
＊ ＊ ＊
When Monica entered the anteroom with Raul, she found Ray wrapped up in a curtain.
Monica could well understand the urge to wrap oneself in a curtain when driven into a corner. When people grow anxious, they naturally seek solace behind curtains.
However, there were people in this world who did not seek peace in curtains. Raul was one of them.
"Hey, Ray. What are you doing wrapped up in a curtain? Are you imitating a bagworm?"
"Th-this is the worst... Everyone's going to laugh at me. They definitely are, in these clothes... Of all things, something like this... this..."
"Come on, get out!"
When Raul pulled on the edge of the curtain, Ray staggered forward a few steps.
Ray was wearing formal attire predominantly white in color.
The formal outfit, with its delicate embroidery and ornate trim, was extremely glamorous and beautiful... but whether it suited Ray was another matter entirely.
"White on me... Choosing white for a curse mage is insane... It's better than a frilly blouse and shorts, but even so, why white...? It's impossible... The 〈Star-Seer Witch〉's sense of style is bizarre..."
"It's fine, it's fine! Your hair is so flashy that you'll stand out no matter what you wear!"
Raul's words did not reassure him in the slightest. Ray muttered resentfully, "Be cursed..."
Monica tried to think of something reassuring to say. But Monica, who knew next to nothing about fashion, had no idea whether the outfit suited Ray or not.
While Ray muttered complaints and Monica stammered helplessly, Raul launched into the subject with a smile as though nothing at all was wrong.
'Now that Ray has changed into his formalwear, let's get started on the meeting for the 'Get Ray and His Fiancée Together Plan'!'
Ray watched Raul, who thumped his chest and declared that he had come up with all sorts of ideas for today, with deep suspicion. To be honest, Monica was more worried than anything else.
Even so, Ray and Monica decided to hear Raul out for the time being.
"Plan One! I'll approach Ray's fiancée and tell her all about his good points!"
"Rejected! Rejected! Rejected! Are you stupid, or what? A-a good-looking man like you approaching her would obviously make anyone fall for you instead!"
Ray was right. Although Raul Roseberg was disappointing on the inside, he possessed such beauty that people called him the spitting image of the first 〈Thorn Witch〉.
He usually threw a robe over his work clothes, but today he was wearing a subdued brown formal outfit.
The outfit itself was restrained and understated, but that only made his beautiful rose-colored curls and mystical green eyes stand out all the more.
Monica was indifferent to other people's looks, but attending Serendia Academy had given her a vague understanding of what sorts of appearances appealed to the opposite sex.
If Raul were dropped into a party at Serendia Academy, the female students would surely swarm around him all at once.
Despite that, Raul acted as though this plan was certain to succeed.
"I think it's a really good plan. I even prepared for today by coming up with about a hundred good things to say about Ray!"
"M-my... good points? Wh-what, a hundred...?"
A faint glimmer of expectation appeared in Ray's pink eyes.
For Ray Albright, who craved affection more than anyone, the prospect of having a hundred of his good points listed was apparently impossible not to anticipate, at least a little.
Ray toyed with his purple hair with his fingertips, fidgeted shyly, and opened his mouth.
"T-try telling me some..."
"Sure! First, there's your purple hair! And the fact that you can complain at incredible speed without biting your tongue! And how insects absolutely love you, and how good you are at harvesting cabbages, and..."
"...That's enough. I was an idiot to get my hopes up even for a second."
Raul pouted and said, "I still have ninety-six left..." but at this rate, the remaining ninety-six would hardly be anything to look forward to.
"No good? I thought it was a great plan."
"...Your nerves are bizarre if you can call that a good plan."
"Then let's regroup and move on to Plan Two!"
Raul dragged something out of the luggage bag sitting in the corner of the room.
It was an extremely flashy dress made of rose-colored fabric adorned with black lace.
"〈Thorn Witch〉-sama...? That dress...?"
"I borrowed it from my big sis for today! So, Plan Two! Monica will put this on and become a villainess, then bully Ray's fiancée! Ray will rush in and protect his fiancée! That'll make her fall for him for sure!"
The plan sounded vaguely familiar. Specifically, something from two years ago... and, more recently, Setchen Village.
Monica kept her face rigid and desperately squeezed the words out.
"Um, 〈Thorn Witch〉-sama, have you perhaps... read Dustin Gunter...?"
"Sure have! It's one of my favorite books! Oh, have you read it too, Monica? Then you'll nail the villainess act!"
"N-no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I can't!"
Monica shook her head so vigorously that it looked as though her head might pop right off.
Monica playing the villainess was a complete miscast, no matter how you looked at it.
"I-I... me, playing a villainess...!"
"But you acted so cool at the Supreme Council two years ago, didn't you? Just do it like that. You can do it, you can!"
"I absolutely can't!"
What Monica had done two years ago had only been possible because of her friends' help and meticulous preparation beforehand.
If someone handed her a dress and suddenly told her to become a villainess, Lady Isabelle was probably the only person who could pull it off.
"No good? Then I could put this on and become the villainess..."
"Th-that... would be... a bit... um..."
Raul was a very beautiful young man, but his body had been honed by gardening and was, in short, incredibly muscular. It went without saying that putting him in a dress would end in catastrophe.
Ray was shaking his head too, his face looking as though he might die at any moment.
"Stop... Please, stop... I don't want to see a scene out of a nightmare like that..."
"No, I think it might actually work if I tried it on!"
"...W-where does that bizarre confidence of yours come from...?"
If this continued, a nightmare-like beauty (with a muscular body) would be born!
As Monica and Ray turned pale, someone knocked on the anteroom door.
Ah, whoever it was, a savior had come to resolve this completely unmanageable situation!
Monica looked at the door expectantly.
The savior who opened the door and entered was Cyril Ashley.
"Excuse me. I wanted to confirm something with Monica and Lord Roseberg..."
"Hey, Cyril! You came at just the right time! Put on this dress and become a villainess for us. Don't worry, I guarantee it'll look great on you, Cyril!"
The air around them instantly turned cold.
Cyril fixed Raul with a chilly stare.
"Why am I being humiliated the moment I walk in?"
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
However, Raul said, "Wow, Cyril, you're so dependable!" and looked fully prepared to put the dress on him.
Monica was the one who turned pale at that.
Because Monica knew. Cyril was currently involved in marriage negotiations.
And yet they were talking about making him walk through the party in women's clothing!
(N-no... Cyril-sama has worked so hard to become a worthy marquess... I can't let them make him wear women's clothes... And the lady involved in his marriage negotiations is... here, too...)
Remembering the marriage negotiations made Monica's eyes grow hot again. Surely the place where she had bumped her head had started hurting once more.
Monica sniffed once, wiped away the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand, and lifted her head.
"...〈Thorn Witch〉-sama, please lend me the dress."
To keep Cyril from being embarrassed, and to bring Ray and his fiancée together, Monica straightened her back and declared in a trembling voice,
"I-I will... become... the villainess!"