#53
However, I couldn’t believe that the Duke, who lived his days busily, had made time in his packed schedule to visit the school. There must certainly be another reason. Was it because of the magic circle created during the entrance ceremony? Or was it to take the sword in my hands? If it were the latter, he would have contacted me as soon as he arrived at school, so the Duke’s purpose seemed to be related to the magic circle.
“I heard you had arrived. Is Kara well?”
“Is that what you came all this way to ask?”
The Duke frowned, perhaps intending to scold me for wasting time. In the past, I might have been frightened at the thought of displeasing him, but it’s different now. I had grown accustomed enough to the Duke that I could easily brush off something like this.
“I came to pay my respects as well.”
The Duke stared at my face for a moment before walking ahead. It was heartless, but in a way, truly characteristic of him. I followed him, thinking about how I could extract information from him.
It seemed like this was the only way. Though the Duke normally wouldn’t speak to me even once, there were times when he would open his mouth first.
“Have you had dinner yet?”
The Duke stopped walking and turned to look at me.
“If you’re amenable, would you like to dine together?”
At my words, the Duke neither agreed nor refused by saying it was useless talk. This suffocating silence had become familiar to me now. When did I stop being afraid of the Duke? The moment I realized there was still enough time before he would harm me, some of the fear I had toward him disappeared.
As long as I had value to be used, he wouldn’t threaten my life. It was because of this belief that I could speak to him so casually.
“The food at the school’s dining hall is quite good. Or should we eat outside?”
I thought it wouldn’t be appropriate for the Duke to eat in the school cafeteria. If possible, it would be better to eat out somewhere… I kept glancing at the Duke, waiting for his response.
Those mineral-like eyes, devoid of even the slightest warmth, took me in. Standing before such a man suddenly made me feel remarkable.
Finally, the Duke slowly nodded.
“Let’s do that. Then go get the sword I gave you and come back.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll be waiting at the main gate.”
After saying that, the Duke walked away without waiting for me. The sword? Could it be that he came to take the sword from me? It was about time to start the plan. However, I didn’t think the sword would be needed yet. This wasn’t the time to worry about Persis being endangered because of the seminar.
The fact that the Duke was already moving meant that the war with him was about to begin. The fear that had largely disappeared recently suddenly surged. As soon as the Duke disappeared, I hurriedly moved back to my room. The sword was waiting for me, placed in its usual spot.
“You’re early today?”
I picked up the sword without even time to respond to the greeting.
“What’s wrong?”
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the sword asked with concern. I don’t know how it could read my feelings so well without even having eyes.
“I’m going to have dinner with my father.”
“Oh, really?”
“He told me to bring the sword too…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say I was worried he might take you away. Surely he wasn’t thinking of moving up all the plans? I wanted to punch the face of the culprit who had turned the entrance ceremony into a disaster. Wasn’t it all because of that culprit that things had gone awry? I couldn’t understand what purpose they had in causing such an incident.
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him. Let’s go.”
The sword urged me as I stood there, speaking as if it was slightly looking forward to meeting the Duke. Were the sword and the Duke this close? I was the only one who could properly hear the sword’s voice. Though the sword had sent mental messages when we were with the Duke before, the Duke didn’t seem to hear them at all.
“Are we eating dinner outside? You haven’t been feeling well lately, so ask him to buy you meat. That’ll help you grow taller quickly.”
“Father might ask for you back.”
“That won’t happen.”
When I cautiously voiced my concern, the sword responded nonchalantly.
“What, is that what you were worried about? How long has it been since I came to you? If he had thought about taking me back, he wouldn’t have sent me in the first place.”
When the sword put it that way, I felt a bit foolish for worrying all this time. With a small sigh of relief, I gripped the sword in my hand a bit more firmly. I hadn’t made any preparations yet for what would happen in the future. If the Duke was already making moves, Iria would return to her country before she could even connect with Persis.
“If that’s not the case, then I’m relieved.”
“Our Andelion. You wanted to stay with me longer? Then you should have just said so.”
It seemed the sword had quite misunderstood, but I didn’t deny it. It was true that I wanted to be with the sword a little longer, as it said. I secured the sword at my waist and went outside.
Before leaving the dormitory, I informed Yutis, who would have been waiting to have dinner together, that I would be dining with the Duke. Yutis nodded in understanding but seemed somewhat disappointed. It appeared to bother him that the Duke had come to the school without contacting him once. It seemed like a good idea to casually bring up Yutis during dinner with the Duke.
As I stepped out in front of the main gate, I saw a large carriage bearing the Duke’s family crest. Though the sword had said it would be fine, my tension hadn’t completely disappeared. I stroked the sword hanging at my waist to calm my trembling heart.
Shortly after, the carriage door opened with a thud, as if knowing I had arrived. The Duke silently looked at me, then checked the sword hanging at my waist. His gaze seemed unusually sharp today, making me flinch.
Before the Duke could say anything else, I quickly boarded the carriage. As I sat down across from him, the Duke closed the door. The carriage began to move even though we hadn’t said anything. It seemed he had already chosen a restaurant.
“Andelion hasn’t been eating enough meat lately. Eat meat, meat.”
The sword, which hadn’t spoken a word when we were with others, suddenly sent a mental message. I tried not to show any reaction as I observed the Duke’s expression. Fortunately, the Duke didn’t seem to have heard the sword’s words.
I thought I had gotten used to the Duke not saying anything, but today was different. I took a small deep breath and cast my gaze out the carriage window. I wondered if I would even be able to properly eat the dinner today.
***
The restaurant was decorated with dim lighting and classical interior design. Most of the people seated were wearing what appeared to be expensive clothes. We sat in the most secluded corner possible. It was better to sit somewhere away from people’s gazes, as the Duke was a face that would attract attention wherever he went.
It seemed the food had been ordered in advance, as dishes were set on the table as soon as we sat down. The Duke, who never handled even the smallest matter carelessly, had perfectly prepared everything from the balance of the food to the nutrients. I was once again struck by what an impressive person he was.
“How is school life?”
The Duke asked, lifting a glass of wine he had ordered as an accompaniment. The red wine disappearing between his lips created a mysterious atmosphere as it caught the dim light. Only the Duke could look so elegant while simply having a drink.
“It’s enjoyable. I like being able to learn many things I didn’t know before.”
“I heard you’re participating in a seminar.”
It seems the news has already reached the Duke. I wanted to ask Rikin how this seminar that even the Duke knew about could be considered small. Perhaps I should have dissuaded Persis more strongly. Why did I back down at that moment? I really shouldn’t have done that.
“Yes. I got the opportunity by chance. I think I’ll just go up briefly and then come back down.”
“Is that so? From what I hear, they’ve set aside a separate time slot for your presentation.”
I never expected things to have escalated to that extent. If not for the Duke sitting across from me, I would have wanted to hold my head in both hands.
I shakily managed to spear some salad with my fork. At that moment, I saw a figure approaching us. Though I couldn’t see the face, I knew well who this person was. How many people go around covering their entire body with a robe?
“Your Grace, fancy meeting you here.”
Yaksi approached us as we were dining and addressed the Duke in a confident voice.
I never expected to see this person here. Whether she had known the Duke from before, Yaksi blended in very naturally, as if she had been part of our party from the beginning. I had thought she wasn’t the sociable type, but perhaps that wasn’t the case. It seemed like she intended to sit in the remaining chair if left alone.
I slightly moved my chair to hide the sword I had leaned against the wall. The reason I couldn’t carry the sword around school was precisely because of Yaksi. While others didn’t show any particular reaction, Yaksi had sensed to some extent what kind of sword this was.
If she discovered this was a demon sword, I might be misunderstood as having connections with demons, rather than the Duke. I didn’t want to be expelled from a school I had barely attended.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
