Chapter 1. Hypocrisy (5)
“You’re not wearing a mask. Is there a reason?”
Eckart accepted the offered wine glass and responded with a greeting.
“Because I didn’t want to. More importantly, isn’t it uncomfortable staying in a place like this?”
“Thanks to your consideration, it’s better than I expected.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you. Just a change of clothes, yet you look like a different person.”
“I feel awkward too.”
As Eckart fidgeted with his constricting collar while speaking, Tariq smiled.
“Armor certainly suits you well. Ah, of course you look quite handsome now too. It’s just that everyone has attire they’re naturally suited for, and yours happens to be armor.”
“I think so too.”
After readily agreeing, Eckart wet his throat and looked around before speaking.
“Your Highness’s attendants don’t seem to have arrived yet.”
“A letter arrived not long ago. They’re carefully selecting who to send here. We should be able to meet them soon.”
“I hope Your Highness will be able to put your mind at ease with those who are chosen.”
“I very much hope so too.”
After exchanging a few more brief words, Eckart gave a light bow and moved away. The nobles who had been watching the two began to whisper among themselves.
“Is he still too young to understand?”
“You found it strange too, madam. He seems so composed. Standing before the one who invaded his country, killed all his family, and ultimately dragged even him here as a hostage.”
“Even if he’s young, he’s still a prince of a kingdom. I heard he’s the last remaining prince. They finally acknowledged defeat and sent their flag only to save that prince…”
“How tragic. He’s still so young.”
Tariq heard everything but maintained his composure, pretending not to hear. The nobles seemed surprised, but in reality, Tariq felt no particular emotion toward Eckart.
Of course, his family had died by his hand. Under the pretext of a treaty, about half the kingdom had been taken by the Keshet Empire. He had been dragged here as a hostage and couldn’t even promise when he would step on his homeland’s sand again.
Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to resent him because he was merely a knight following his lord’s orders. He was like the epitome of knighthood, showing utmost courtesy even to a prince of a defeated nation. What was resentful was why someone skilled enough to be called the Sword of God had been born in the Keshet Empire rather than in his own kingdom. Why hadn’t his kingdom had such a knight?
If this was God’s will, he had no choice but to accept it.
Tariq cast a hollow gaze toward Eckart’s empty spot, who seemed to have left the hall.
***
Though he had left the hall, a greater ordeal awaited him. Men and women intoxicated by alcohol and atmosphere had claimed intimate spaces one by one, so wherever he tried to enter, he could hear moans drunk with passion. There were even rooms specifically decorated for them. Eckart had nowhere to rest.
It was when he had crossed the corridor and reached the last room. Should he try the garden instead? Would that place be any different? Since he had maintained his position long enough, should he just return now? As he pondered, voices reached his ears.
“…so I placed an order through Madame Cornelia. Since someone famous from the Kingdom of Yespe had come to Duran for pleasure, I intended to personally verify their skill.”
“The reputation doesn’t seem to be for nothing. Extraordinarily beautiful. I even think the skill might have been understated. But why specifically…”
“It just went from two holes to one, but the situation of taking a man and panting is the same, isn’t it?”
“That’s not wrong either.”
The men’s laughter somehow seemed familiar. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but they had left the door open, so their conversation flowed entirely into the corridor.
It was when Eckart, who had turned around to go back, unconsciously glanced into the room. A man inside who had also been looking toward the corridor spotted him and hastily called out.
“Eckart? Isn’t that Sir Eckart!”
The voice seemed familiar – it was the man who had been with the Pope not long ago. What was it, the Duke of Estania?
“How wonderful to meet you here! Could you spare some time? Let’s have a drink together!”
Hakan, who had risen from his seat entirely, invited him into the room. When a count was actively calling him, he couldn’t very well refuse, and Eckart entered the room with a reluctant expression. Grand Duke Canis, whom he had seen before, was also seated there.
“Then I’ll excuse myself briefly.”
“Excuse yourself for what! I was just regretting not seeing today’s banquet’s guest of honor.”
Hakan tapped the chair next to him as if telling him to sit. Eckart sat down thinking to just exchange one drink and return, when his eyes met with the person sitting across from him.
For a moment, he felt the illusion that the world had slowed down.
Unlike the other women who had exposed more than half their chests, this woman wore a dress that layered cape-like fabric up to her neck. She was quite tall and seemed to have a large build because of it. Though her jawline and wrists showed she clearly had a slender body, she gave off an androgynous atmosphere without any sense of fragility, yet her face was extraordinarily beautiful enough to offset that.
Even though black mesh lace covered her eyes and nose, her beauty was not concealed but rather made her unique atmosphere stand out even more. Eckart found himself unable to look away from the eyes he had accidentally met.
The mysterious eye color visible beneath the black mesh lace. He seemed captivated by those clear, transparent light green eyes, like the precious angel’s gems that were said to come only from the very highest mountain ranges of the Ilknur Kingdom.
It was certainly a rare color. He couldn’t have seen such clean, vivid, and bright light green eyes before. But why? He felt a sense of déjà vu. He felt like he had seen somewhere those eyes that seemed both alluring yet innocent, tender.
A voice shattered his time that had slowed to the point of seeming stopped.
“Doesn’t your god teach not to covet what belongs to others?”
At the voice full of mockery, Eckart came to his senses and turned his head. Grand Duke Canis, who had been resting his chin on his hand, came into view as he placed that hand on the woman’s shoulder. He acknowledged his mistake. To stare so intently at another man’s partner. It seemed like the first time he had ever looked at someone so intensely.
It was when Eckart, having decided it would be better to withdraw from the awkward atmosphere, was about to rise from his seat.
“Were you here? Do you know how much I searched for you? I kept bursting through doors and even got slapped… Huh?”
“Well, well! If it isn’t Sir Ardwino!”
Ardwino, wearing what was clearly a formal mask perched on his forehead, showed a momentarily flustered expression upon discovering Hakan and Grand Duke Canis. Though he quickly returned to normal.
“Oh… Hello. We meet again.”
“What a curious coincidence this is! For both knights to walk directly into the room I’m in! Did someone smear honey on this room?”
As Ardwino also entered the room, Eckart realized he had missed his chance to leave. This was because Ardwino had sat down next to Eckart and begun conversing with Hakan with him in between.
“I didn’t know you would welcome me this warmly. I’m honestly delighted.”
“Delighted… I haven’t said anything, but you don’t know how much I’ve wanted to see Sir Ardwino.”
“…Me?”
“Of course. Ah, I saw Prince Tariq during the day today… He spoke of you. You were quite famous in the kingdom?”
“My, how embarrassing. So? What did Prince Tariq say? Please tell me the details quickly.”
“This fellow, he didn’t seem like it, but he’s quite the type who likes hearing about himself, isn’t he?”
“Is there anyone who dislikes praise?”
Only Eckart, caught in between, was in a difficult position. He tried to naturally slip away after yielding his seat to Ardwino, but failed due to Ardwino saying, “Where are you going again? Do you know how much trouble I had looking for the commander? Please stay still, even if just for a moment,” and making him sit back down.
True to Ardwino, who had always followed only him around even on battlefields and even though he wasn’t part of his knight order, it seemed his words about searching through the banquet hall to the point of getting slapped weren’t entirely false.
As he sat there swallowing a sigh, Grand Duke Canis, who had been quietly observing, spoke to him.
“By the way, I don’t see your partner.”
“I don’t have one.”
“Why not? The others seem to have already caught one each and are playing. Don’t you have an interest in that sort of thing?”
Though Grand Duke Canis’s voice wasn’t clearly audible due to the chatter on both sides, he could sense that the man didn’t particularly like him. He continued speaking in a clearly mocking tone.
“Many women will be carrying God’s teachings in their bellies tonight. God must be pleased that His servants are increasing. Shouldn’t you also hurry and create more servants to worship God?”
“It’s not particularly interesting. Neither this kind of occasion nor such acts.”
Due to Eckart flatly stating that sitting here was uncomfortable and uninteresting, Grand Duke Canis’s eyebrows rose crookedly. He continued speaking.
“Isn’t it because you don’t have a partner? Ah, perhaps. Have you never had any fun at all? Your god teaches to stay away from pleasure, so you’re not following those words literally, are you? If so, that would be pitiful.”
Eckart had no intention of falling for Grand Duke Canis’s provocation. Since he had made a mistake, it was understandable that the man would show such sharp emotions. Though he seemed to have been born with that kind of temperament anyway.
Displeased that he was taking it calmly, Grand Duke Canis spoke with a sneer.
“I’d like to teach you what fun is, out of pity for your virginity.”
Grand Duke Canis applied force to the arm he had placed on the woman’s shoulder, pulling her closer.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
