3. Your Grace, You Must Take Rose In
The Consultation on the Disposition and Future Whereabouts of Miss Rose Mayfield, Age Five.
If I had to give a grand title to today’s solemn assembly, that would about cover it. They had quietly summoned us under the guise of “needing to speak for a moment,” but there was no mistaking what kind of gathering this truly was.
“If you prefer, you may leave the kit—ahem, the youngest lady, in the chamber.”
“No. It concerns her, so Rose ought to know. Small though she looks, she is a full forty-eight months old.”
“Still… very well. I shall announce your arrival.”
The Count, having escorted us to the doors of the conference room, looked between my composed face and Rose.
“…”
‘Come now, as his advisor, I shouldn’t be acting like this.’
Old man, your thoughts are written right across your forehead. Pretending not to notice the belated cough as he turned away, I maintained my air of solemn resolve to the bitter end.
Thud. Only after he vanished past the intimidating doors did I quickly drop to one knee and take Rose by the arm.
“Rose, look at me.”
“Okay.”
Rose, wearing a red ribbon hairpin, turned toward me. The pin I had made by hand for her birthday last year had no jewels and was utterly plain. But against the stark, black chill of the Grand Duke's Castle, paired with her platinum hair, it sparkled like a ruby in its own right. Dressed in the cleanest, neatest white linen frock she owned, she looked like nothing less than a doll. Had there been enough time, I might have checked her back for a winding key.
“Rose, what did I say my name was?”
“Um… Sister Elijah!”
“That’s right. And did I tell you where we’re going now?”
“Yes. To see His Grace the Grand Duke!”
“Yes, good kitten.” As I stroked her hair and praised her, she shook her head happily. Poor little thing. Oblivious to everything, she was just excited to be going somewhere and acting so cute, making my heart sink with a heavy ache. But then again, she was my secret weapon, so there was no need to get gloomy beforehand.
“Sister, but you said the Grand Duke is a beast, so why—”
“No, you can’t say that! Don’t say that anymore! Say anything else, but never that! Not from now on, understood?”
“…Okay. I got it. I won’t wonder about it anymore.”
Rose’s shoulders slumped, her innocent curiosity squashed. Even so, what was off-limits had to stay off-limits. That man wasn’t one to show mercy just because she was a child. No matter how well the plan went, that one word was strictly forbidden.
“As you so aptly put it, I am a beast.”
Ugh. Talk about holding a grudge. My spine still tingled whenever I recalled what he’d said last night. For someone who held the rank of Grand Duke, he was astonishingly petty; the more I learned about him, the more of a headache it became. Still, swearing at him could wait until after we secured our lives.
“Then, Sister, what do I do inside? Do I say, ‘Please spare us, I won’t eat much’?”
“No. You don’t have to do that either.”
“…Then what?”
“You don’t have to say a single word. Just… do whatever you want, Rose.”
Now that our main strategy for the day was finally out, my expression brightened considerably. Letting out a soft sigh, Rose pouted, utterly confused.
“Hmph, whatever I want?”
“Yes.”
“What I want… I don’t really know. I just want to stay beside you, Sister.”
“…”
When had anyone ever bothered to ask her what she wanted in her life? Other young noble ladies would have been thrilled by such a question, rattling off whatever pretty trinket they’d been eyeing, but Rose wasn’t like that. All she had ever known was trotting after me over mountains and fields, so she had nothing she longed to own, nothing special she wished to do.
Suppressing the ache in my chest, I offered her a bright smile.
“Just pretend there’s no one in there, not even the Grand Duke. You don’t have to be scared.”
“…Not scared? Really?”
“Yes. Not even a little. Remember seeing that chessboard at Aria’s house? Think of them as wooden chess pieces like that.”
Bringing up something familiar did the trick, and Rose broke into a white-toothed grin.
“Oh, I see. They’re dolls!”
“That’s right. If you want to stay by my side, you can. If you want to wander around, go ahead. Eat whatever you want, look at whatever you want.”
“…Truly?”
“Of course. There’s nobody there besides me. What did I say everyone else was?”
“Wooden dolls!”
Reciting it clearly without missing a beat, Rose grasped my hand. Eager to get inside, her steps practically bounced with excitement.
“Wooden dolls! Sister, wooden dolls!”
“That’s the spirit, Rose!”
As we approached, holding her little hand tight, the knights guarding the entrance bowed their heads without meeting our eyes.
“…”
See, wooden dolls! So many of them! Watching Rose cover her mouth with one hand in sheer awe, it was clear she had bought it completely. I drew in a deep breath and squared my shoulders.
“Would you open the doors?”
“…Your Grace, Lady Elijah has arrived.”
At the doorkeeper's booming voice, the massive doors swung open, and over a dozen knights in black dress uniforms with silver epaulets turned toward us in unison.
To think it would be this severe. I had expected as much, but the sight was breath-stealing all the same. Much like their master, their faces were uniformly impassive, rigid with military discipline. They must have wondered what kind of meeting this was to pull them all together. Most had served the Grand Duke for years, spending the better part of their lives on bloody battlefields. It was only natural that men who lived with blood on their faces would look bewildered by such an absurd affair.
Pretending not to notice, I walked past them, fixing my gaze on the man seated dead center. The fiercest of beasts, the one who had subdued an entire continent and now held our very lives in his hands—Grand Duke Valencia.
“Elijah Mayfield greets Your Grace, master of the North.”
“…And Rose too.”
Glancing up at me, Rose bent her knees in kind. Though it lacked the practiced grace of a proper curtsy, she dipped both knees and tilted her head inquisitively. ‘Sister, like this, right?’ I smiled warmly at her pleading little gaze. When I looked back up, Kiers, seated with his legs crossed, had narrowed his eyes into a faint scowl.
“…Be seated.”
“Yes, Your Grace. As for Rose…”
“Sigh. A separate seat shall be prepared—”
“No, it is quite all right. She is a quiet child and won't cause any commotion.”
I saw your eyes waver just now. Hiding a triumphant smile, I surveyed our surroundings. When I pointed to a chair nestled among the knights, Rose hesitated for a moment before trotting over. Seeing the little girl pattering in their direction, a few of the knights squeezed their eyes shut.
“I trust you know why I have summoned you here today.”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
Taking the seat across from him, I lifted my head, and his posture relaxed slightly. An arrogance exuded from him, as if daring to ask what I could possibly do about it.
“If this concerns yesterday’s events, it seems we must address them thoroughly.”
“…I have no choice but to follow your lead. Might you give me a moment, though? There is something I forgot.”
Breaking the taut silence, I stood and asked for his permission. Silence meant assent; he clearly found it distasteful, but the Grand Duke offered no objection. Walking gently over to Rose, I pulled a prepared paper bag from my pocket.
“Rose, would you like to eat this while we talk? It’s your favorite.”
“Yes!”
Heartened by her small but cheerful reply, I returned to my seat with a smile. Fully aware that all eyes were fixed on me, I smoothed the skirts of my faded dress as if completely unbothered. Stronger and straighter than the rest, a pair of red eyes began to glow with mounting intensity.
“Now then, to begin with an explanation of yesterday’s—”
Crunch!
“…”
In the suffocating silence, Rose bit down on a hard candy. Completely unaware that she had just dared to cut off the Grand Duke, her face went ecstatic as she pushed the candy to her other cheek and bit down once more.
Crunch!
“…”
What an adorable child. Swallowing a meaningful smile, I held my head high. I couldn't see beneath his mask, but I would bet my entire fortune that his face was twisted in sheer bewilderment.
I had resolved to get the land out of him, but I wasn't so reckless as to rely on that alone. Nothing had ever gone my way so far. Having brought Rose all the way here packed inside a wooden chest, there was no way I hadn't planned at least this much.
“…Your Grace, is something the matter?”
I ignored the twitch beneath his mask. Wearing an innocent, radiant smile, I sat ready to listen.
“Please, go on. Only then can I offer my reply.”
“…Sigh. As for our purpose here today—”
Crunch!
The crisp sound of Rose chomping through her candy echoed through the hall once again. Even as the august Grand Duke trailed off mid-sentence, everyone's eyes were drawn elsewhere.
