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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: A Surprise Announcement
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“Oh? The candy.”
Lumina’s eyes followed the candy as it rolled onto the floor.
Since the carriage was moving, it looked like it would roll right under the seat.
That would make it harder to find, so she quickly reached out to grab it.
*Thump!*
Coincidentally, Lumina wasn't the only one who had bent down to pick up the candy.
“Ouch.”
Having bumped heads with Endymion, who was sitting across from her, Lumina hastily rubbed her forehead.
“I-I’m sorry, my lady.”
“No, it's fine. There's nothing to be sorry for.”
Lumina quickly reached down again, picked up the candy, and handed it to Endymion.
“Don’t forget to take it. It might not seem like much, but a little sugar helps you think more clearly.”
“Y-yes.”
Was it because of the impact from hitting his head?
For some reason, Endymion seemed a bit dazed.
Considering that a strong blow to the head could actually lower one's intelligence, it was quite a worrying thought.
“By the way, about the marriage…”
“We've arrived at our destination!”
The carriage came to a halt, and the coachman's booming voice rang out.
Endymion’s voice was completely drowned out.
The carriage door opened, and Lumina, not having heard Endymion, stepped out.
Endymion followed her, looking slightly dazed.
He remained that way until they met the academy official waiting for them.
“I'll explain everything after your exam. Good luck!”
“…Yes.”
Lumina found herself inspecting the boy's head with a suspicious gaze.
*I hope he doesn't have a bump on his forehead.*
Endymion's responses were slower than usual.
Lumina had felt the impact too, but it hadn't hurt her that much.
She even had the rational suspicion that her own head might be harder than Endymion's.
“Do well on your exam. I'll see you in a bit.”
“…Yes.”
At this point, she wondered if she should have treated him back in the carriage.
But her promise to Lucius not to use her abilities on anyone other than Karayan made that difficult.
She watched Endymion's retreating back, feeling an inexplicable sense of worry.
Then, once the small boy had completely disappeared from sight, Lumina smiled and turned to Ash.
“Sir Ash, I hear the exam is quite long. Shall we do some sightseeing in the city while we wait?”
*Nod.*
Ash nodded.
Lumina had two reasons for insisting on accompanying Endymion today.
First, to build a friendly relationship with Endymion.
Second, to build a friendly relationship with Ash.
It couldn't be helped if it seemed opportunistic.
An opportunity to befriend a future Sword Master? That was rare.
*And I think I need to investigate something closely.*
In her past life, the House of Munez had fallen after Olivia betrayed Lucius.
Lumina recalled a conversation she'd overheard back then.
“You traitor! Are you trying to be Olivia Munez?!”
“Olivia Munez?”
“The name of the woman who, despite being Duke Heart's adjutant, had the audacity to betray him, leading to her family's downfall. How could you not know that after only a few years?”
As one man shouted triumphantly, another who had been listening to their conversation interjected.
“Hey, watch your mouth. If the Duke finds out you're spreading stories like this, you'll be in for it.”
“…”
“So you know the woman betrayed the Duke, but you don't know that His Grace wishes for the story not to be spread? You only see one side of the coin.”
“True. If I were betrayed by a subordinate I'd trusted with my life, I'd be furious too.”
The traitor of the century.
That was the moniker attached to Olivia after she died for betraying Lucius.
But there was one strange thing.
Ash, the traitor's son, had remained in the Dark Moon Knights without any punishment.
Despite the immense criticism.
*Something smells fishy.*
To say they left him alone simply because a Sword Master was a coveted asset was too suspicious.
No matter how talented he was, he was still the son of a traitor.
Wouldn't people inevitably suspect that he would betray them too?
*There's something more to it.*
This was before Olivia had been branded a traitor.
Lumina decided to dig into the House of Munez.
***
“What is your mother like, Ash?”
“Ordinary.”
*She didn't seem ordinary at all.*
“And your father?”
“Ordinary.”
He was an impenetrable fortress.
There wasn't a single crack in his defense.
*Come to think of it, I've never heard anything about Olivia's spouse. People just guess he was from a nomadic tribe based on Ash's appearance.*
The House of Munez was one of the vassal families that had served the ducal house for generations.
And the current family head was Olivia.
While Olivia received a fair amount of attention as the Duke's adjutant, her spouse's existence was so faint as to be unknown.
*Since perceptions of nomadic people aren't good, perhaps Olivia intentionally hid information about her husband.*
As they wandered through the bustling streets, Lumina asked all sorts of questions.
Each time, the answer that came back was consistent.
"It's fine." "Ordinary." "No."
It was almost as if he were rotating through those three phrases.
“A toy store. Let's go inside.”
Lumina pulled Ash into the shop.
As she fiddled with a doll, Ash shot her a look that seemed to ask if she was really interested in such things.
“I was thinking of getting it for Endymion to celebrate his admission to the academy. He won't know anyone in the dorms, so he'll be lonely.”
Lumina picked up a teddy bear.
When she pressed the doll's chest, which was embroidered with a red heart, a voice sounded.
"I love you!"
She pressed the doll's chest again.
"I love you!"
It felt strangely familiar.
The doll and Ash were exactly the same.
It occurred to her that a conversation with this doll would be more substantial than one with Ash.
"I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!"
In a fit of pique, she repeatedly pressed the doll's chest, her frustration mounting.
Ash stared at Lumina in surprise, which was enough to snap her back to her senses.
“Ah. It's... surprisingly addictive. I should stop.”
Lumina muttered the excuse and put the teddy bear down.
“Oh, there are more toys over there.”
Lumina sidestepped away awkwardly.
Staring at her retreating back, Ash recalled a conversation he'd had with Lucius before being assigned as her escort.
“I want you to observe her personally, compile your findings, and report back to me.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes. And since you're a terrible actor, just don't say anything.”
Despite Olivia's protest, which began with, "My boy might be a bit of a bad actor, but—!", Lucius remained firm.
“If you find yourself in a situation where you must speak, limit your answers to 'It's fine,' 'Ordinary,' and 'No.'”
And so, here he was now.
Spouting only the designated words.
He hadn't been Lumina's escort for long, but it was enough time to gather sufficient data for a report.
Ash amended his mental report on Lumina.
*Note: Far more violent than she appears.*
***
Having gained little from the toy store, Lumina continued to wander the bustling streets.
But something felt distinctly off.
“Sir Ash, don't you think people are staring at me?”
“It's normal.”
…What exactly was normal about this?
Lumina ignored the broken record that was Ash and scanned her surroundings.
*It's not my imagination.*
Whenever she met someone's gaze, they would startle and quickly look away. Some even hid their faces with the newspapers they were holding.
Others would glance furtively between her and their newspapers.
*Newspapers?*
Come to think of it, most people were carrying newspapers. Sensing something was up, Lumina flagged down a passing newsboy.
She bought a copy and went to open it.
But there was no need.
The story was right there on the front page, in a headline large enough to see at a glance.
[EXCLUSIVE! YOUNG DUKE HEART ANNOUNCES SURPRISE MARRIAGE. "WE HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED OUR MARRIAGE AND HELD THE CEREMONY."]
A small photo of Lumina's face, seemingly taken from a distance, adorned the paper.
*Judging by the background, they must have been waiting near the manor and snapped this when I stepped into the garden.*
It was a small mercy that neither Endymion nor Ash had been in the shot.
*Karayan is too difficult to track, so they probably couldn't get a picture of him. Of course, they'd go after my face first—I'm the easy target.*
By now, most people in the capital would know her name and face.
And all without her permission. A wave of indignation washed over her.
*If you're going to take my picture, you should at least pay me for it!*
For the rest of the day, the name 'Lumina' would be on the lips of everyone in the capital.
If the paper had come out a day or two ago, the interest would have died down.
*This was terrible timing for an outing.*
Lumina ducked into the nearest clothing shop, pressed some money into the owner's hand, and bought the first hat she could find.
“Sir Ash, here's a hat for you.”
It wouldn't be fair for her to be the only one, so she got one for Ash too.
Ash took the adorable pink bonnet, stared at it for a moment, and then put it on without complaint.
“Ah, Sir Ash! That one's mine! We mixed them up!”
Lumina, who had been flustered ever since realizing she was the center of attention, finally noticed the design of the hat on his head.
And let out a shriek-like call to Ash.
He had even tied the dainty ribbon perfectly.
With a crestfallen expression, Ash untied the ribbon and swapped hats with Lumina.
As he did, he added another note to his mental report.
*Fickle.*
***
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Lumina may not have noticed, but from a distance, a sinister pair of eyes was watching her every move.
