I’m proud of myself because I didn’t reply with “Huh?”
After all, what I offered was a very practical counterargument.
“Uncle, I already have…I have a fiancé…”
The matter with Wolf was already public. There was no way my uncle didn’t know about it.
By the way, my face is really twisted right now. But I’m sure Uncle won’t notice, right? I thought to myself.
Whether he was aware of what was in my heart or not (no, he certainly wasn’t), my uncle looked off into the distance and began to explain his opinion.
“But it is rumored that Kafir wanted you to marry someone else because he could not find anyone suitable among his relatives. If that is so, Shade has a chance. Kafir did not know about Shade when he was worrying about who to marry for you.”
Why do I have to engage in this kind of intercultural communication?
Whatever your speculation, the engagement is already decided. That’s what I’m saying, is it hard to understand?
“…But you know, uncle, in that sense… I don’t like Shade, and he doesn’t like me either. Marrying a cousin is too close a bloodline.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
My uncle insisted in a very firm manner.
“Cousin marriages used to be commonplace. In fact, it’s precisely because they stopped trying to make the blood stronger that the ‘red of the Duke of Lilia’s family’ is clearly being lost.”
“The Red of the Duke of Lilia”
It’s an unfamiliar phrase, but I somehow understand what it means. It’s probably the red hair and eyes that Shade was talking about, which appeared in the former Duke of Lilia family.
“Uncle, my eyes and hair are not red. They are pitch black.”
So I was going to say that it would be troubling if people expected a reprint of something called “The Red of the Duke of Lilia”, but my uncle interrupted me.
“But your black hair and bright red lips are just like my grandmother’s. It’s my sister’s blood. It was said that out of all the members of the family, my sister looked especially like my grandmother. You certainly have a lot of my grandmother’s blood running through you.”
“Well, people often say I look like my mother. I don’t know much about my great-grandmother, though.”
“You don’t seem to know the value of the ‘Red of the Duke of Lilia’. In the past, almost without exception, people from the Duke’s family who were born with the color red possessed strong magical powers. It’s no exaggeration to say that this power is what built the prosperity of the Duke of Lilia!”
My uncle’s passionate speech began to seem increasingly creepy.
I no longer wanted to persuade my uncle; I just wanted to end the conversation.
“Things are going well with my fiance. I like him.”
I wasn’t using the word “like” as an excuse. I certainly did like Wolf. Although my feelings for him were still vague, fluctuating between friendship and affection.
It wasn’t a convenient excuse, but I did think that if I refused so firmly, my uncle would give up.
“No, it’s better for you not to end up with the person you love.”
My uncle’s words were becoming increasingly incomprehensible.
And yet my uncle spoke to me in a voice that sounded as if he was explaining the principles of the world to me.
“Like my grandmother, my sister was also a broken person. She only had eyes for one person and was terribly jealous. Kafir had a very hard time. But my sister, who was a lot like my grandmother, was expected to marry a man from the family and have children of good blood. She had a strong voice among her generation. Kafir was sacrificed…. When that decision was made, everyone around him expressed their sympathy.”
What is this? What is this person?
Don’t take what people like this say seriously.
“You’re very similar to my grandmother and my sister. I think you share similar traits.”
It was like a curse word.
If I listened to what my uncle had to say any more, I might go crazy too.
I ran out of the dining room.
Run out of the dining room.
I couldn’t bring myself to go back to my room and be alone.
If it hadn’t been for what happened yesterday, I would have turned to Krinum for help, but that’s no longer possible.
Hoping to at least be soothed by the trees, I walked through the unfamiliar gardens of the Rankrats residence.
Now, because of my uncle, I don’t want to see any beautiful flowers, I don’t want to go near any flowers that my uncle took care of.
I changed course every time I saw a brightly colored flower, and continued walking. Every now and then I would find a bench or a comfortable shaded area to sit and enjoy the view, or look for leaves that would make a good grass flute, and when I got bored, I would start walking again.
Before I knew it, the sun had risen high in the sky, but it’s not that I was lost in thought during that time; rather, I was constantly wishing that I would become so tired that my mind would go blank.
And so, as I continued to stagger along, I met Shade.
Somehow, I didn’t expect to see Shade outside.
Maybe it was because I had a strong impression that he was locked up by my aunt, or maybe it was because of the translucent whiteness of his skin.
But, despite his appearance, he is just a normal boy. There is nothing strange about him going outside and playing.
As soon as I saw his face, I probably looked very displeased because I remembered my uncle’s strange suggestion.
But Shade just shrugged and seemed rather worried about me.
“You look dreadfully pale. I thought I’d met a ghost.”
Even though quite a bit of time had passed, my face was still clearly pale enough to be visible to anyone watching.
“…I think there might be something like that in this house.”
“Who bullied you?”
“My uncle. Your father.”
There’s resentment in my voice.
“Sorry”
“You’re apologizing?”
“It’s my father after all. I’ll listen to your complaints then.”
“……thank you”
I relaxed my shoulders, remembering that he too was a victim at the mercy of my uncle.
I slowly talk about my conversation with my uncle.
Complaining to Shade was something I’d never even thought about before coming to this mansion.
But now, I feel comforted by the fact that there is someone who will laugh with me at my uncle’s ridiculous idea of Shade and me getting married.
It was fun to talk about Wolf and listen to him. Now, just saying the name “Wolf” makes me feel a little better. I’m so tired.
I had no intention of talking about my mother. That was the topic that had hurt me the most in my conversation with my uncle earlier, but it was something I hadn’t been able to process.
“Then my uncle mentioned my mother.”
“Eh?”
“They say my grandmother and my mother were similar, both terribly jealous. And they say there was something broken about them. They say my father never wanted to marry my mother… And it’s like, I… I shouldn’t to tell you this.”
Shade smiled brightly, a very beautiful smile.
“You can talk about anything. I’ll be happy to listen. I’m sure it will be easier if you talk. Once you’ve finished talking, you can leave the rest to me. You want to rest, don’t you? You look very tired.”
Shade’s slender fingers ran down my cheek.
“N-no!”
With a desperate effort, I shook off his hand.
His voice was sweet, and I found it far more pleasant to obey it; even the thought of disobeying it was unpleasant.
But somewhere in my heart, a warning bell was ringing. This was the kind of warning bell that should never be ignored.
“I thought you were a strong-willed woman, but do you have strong mental strength as well? Or is it a matter of magical aptitude? Either way, it’s troublesome.”
He grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes.
I too found myself looking into those deep, deep crimson eyes. I couldn’t look away.
My whole body was stiff, my heart was pounding, and I couldn’t control how hard I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my skin.
“You’re a good girl. Listen to what I say. I won’t do anything to you.”
With that whispered in my ear, I…
I punched Shade in the side of the face with all my might.
What follows is a desperate escape.
Shade was stunned for a moment after being hit in the face, but when he noticed I had started running towards the mansion he followed me.
Being chased by a stranger is truly scary. And I’m wearing a dress. I wonder why skirts are made to be so difficult to run in.
Luckily, Shade wasn’t that fast, and my sprinting made a difference.
But who should I ask for help?
There was no way I could run back to my parents’ house. But even if I ran into a building, would anyone offer me a helping hand?
Weakness begins to rear its ugly head and my legs slow down.
Just as I was about to do so, someone grabbed me from beside me.
I was just moving forward, steadily moving forward, when someone came at me from the side, my feet got tangled and I nearly fell, but something caught me.
That person… He pulled me behind his back to shield me, then without a word he attacked Shade who was running up behind me!
“Wolf!”
There was no way I could have mistaken someone here. It was Wolfgang Eisenhut.
After Wolf punched Shade, he quickly twisted his arm and immobilized him.
“I accidentally used force… was it okay?”
“That’s fine! Ah… no, well… in this case, I think Wolf is at least not to blame!”
I said it again because the butler of the Rankrats family was looking at me from behind Wolf with wide eyes.
“When Duke Lilia asked me to take the role of Lycoris Knight in his place, it looked like he was joking… but what on earth happened?”
“I love you, Father, and Wolf!”
“Oh, love me…? Ah, no, I don’t mind…”
Sorry for the late updates. Broke my hand in a car accident.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
