Ch#222
Knight Aires gazed at me with a dark expression. He looked distressed, as if he didn't know how to answer. Was it that he couldn't abandon his loyalty to the Crown Prince, or was it that he couldn't say for certain what the prince's reaction would be?
Regardless, the fact that he was hesitating at all proved that I didn't hold the upper hand, which was admittedly discouraging.
Is it impossible after all? Well, it's only natural that a friendship maintained for such a long time wouldn't be severed so easily. His previous actions were what had been strange.
My lips trembled slightly at the strange sensation. It was around then that Knight Aires let out a light sigh and opened his mouth.
"Even if that were the case, His Highness would not dare to dictate your disposal, Lady."
Hidden behind his words was the implication, 'Because I am here.' It meant that even the Crown Prince couldn't touch Sise de Bischwaltz because of Michael Aires. But was that really true? Knowing the Crown Prince, it felt like he could ignore even that...
As if reading my doubt, he quickly continued. His voice, sunken heavily, was deeply sincere. Despite the fact that he was answering a hypothetical about a distant future that hadn't arrived, Knight Aires remained serious throughout.
This was proof that he was taking my question seriously. Though it wasn't a perfectly satisfying answer.
"I swear upon my sword that no one, no matter who they are, shall dare touch so much as a fingertip of yours, Lady."
"Even if it is His Highness?"
"Yes."
For some reason, my chest felt tight. At first listen, it sounded like he would do anything for me, but looking closer, it wasn't a statement that he would turn against the Crown Prince to protect me.
This meant that if he were ever faced with a situation where he had to make a final decision, he would suffer a significant dilemma. And so would my future self, watching him anxiously.
Of course, as the Crown Prince suggested, everything would be easy if I simply handed Roena over to Count Kiran. I wouldn't have to force a choice upon Knight Aires, and I wouldn't have to fret over whatever disposal the Crown Prince might decree.
In fact, wasn't it the greatest wish of my life to see that annoying girl floundering in despair? In other words, it was an excellent opportunity to finish her off in a legitimate way. If the charge of rebellion was brought up, even her maternal family wouldn't be able to protest easily.
Nevertheless, the reason my heart didn't move readily wasn't out of sympathy for her. It certainly wasn't a sense of solidarity as a fellow woman. It was simply that I hated the idea of Roena becoming miserable through something I hadn't planned myself.
I must be the one to push her to the bottom. Only then would I feel I had repaid the god or devil who brought me back.
Of course, my life and future currently rested in the Crown Prince's hands. Even so, I loathed being used so helplessly in this manner.
I find the Crown Prince horrific. Every time I see him, the nausea is unbearable. While the Grand Duke is equally sinister, the Crown Prince and Roena are the twin peaks of people who genuinely exhaust me. I often thought it would be better if they both killed each other so someone else could take the throne.
Because of this, I had even fantasized that the reason the Empress was betraying the Crown Prince was because she felt the same way I did. Otherwise, there was no reason to try and pull down the child she gave birth to.
Ah, no. This is a common occurrence in the world of nobles. Even inheriting a small noble house involves all sorts of hideous schemes; how much more so for the Emperor's seat? One could surely abandon even humanity for that.
I was having quite the naive thought.
Anyway, if the Empress didn't hate me, my loathing for the Crown Prince was so extreme that I would have helped her without hesitation. But with Knight Aires answering like this, there was no point in continuing the conversation further.
So, I smiled brightly as if it were nothing. There was no reason to be disappointed anew just because he wouldn't take my side, so I actually felt calmer.
I also fully understood his position, which forced him to answer that way. I was just a little worried by the thought that the Knight's vow was limited only to my life.
"The best thing would be to not let such a situation happen, wouldn't it?"
"Lady, could it be...?"
"Shh. Don't think strange thoughts."
I pressed my index finger against his lips and wore a gentle smile. Knight Aires looked like he was very conscious of my finger on his lips, unable to say anything and merely blinking his eyes.
He looked calm on the surface, but his ears were already flushed deep red, looking as if they were burned.
"I only asked to consider a possible hypothetical. Perhaps I was just being a bit petty. His Highness is being so harsh with me that I couldn't help it."
"I would rather,"
He mumbled, moving his lips with difficulty. It was almost comical how hard he tried to avoid my finger slipping between his lips.
Furthermore, it was simply fascinating that a man who previously hadn't hesitated to give me an embarrassingly erotic kiss was now so startled by such a minor contact that he didn't know what to do. It was all the more so because I couldn't predict when he would be bold and when he would be weak. If I were him, I would have pushed back even harder.
He really is an incomprehensible man.
At any rate, he spat out his words one by one, slowly. Every time his warm breath touched my finger, my heart felt a ticklish sensation.
"It would be better to challenge His Highness the Crown Prince to a grand duel. Had I known you would be this upset, I would have done it sooner."
For a moment, I almost let out a bitter laugh. It's moments like this where I discover the difference between someone who was born a noble and someone who wasn't.
Even Knight Aires, the knight among knights, views political marriages as a matter of course. No matter the age gap, or whether the parties involved are willing. His attitude of treating it as perfectly normal made me wonder if I was the strange one.
That's why his sudden talk of having a sword fight with the Crown Prince wasn't pleasing. It's not like he could actually wound him, anyway. It was just a desperate measure to soothe my mood, and for the first time, his behavior was disappointing. So, it's better to part ways here. The verdict I had waited for with a racing heart was close to dissatisfaction.
"It's fine. Knowing you care is enough. Rather, I'm sorry for being needlessly petty. Could you please understand with your broad heart?"
"If it is your request, Lady, I shall always do so."
I took my hand off Knight Aires's lips and gave a formal farewell. Knight Aires stared at me so intensely it was embarrassing, then visibly hesitated as if he were reluctant to leave. Though he didn't say it aloud, his face was dripping with the sentiment that he didn't want to go back to the Crown Prince.
"Please return to His Highness. I don't know if he'll scold you for being gone too long. I should return to the mansion and rest as well."
Knight Aires ignored my refusal and insisted on escorting me all the way into the carriage. He only stepped back after instructing the coachman to drive carefully.
True to form, he would likely stand in that spot until the Bischwaldz carriage disappeared from his sight.
Despite that, I didn't open the window to look at him, nor did I order the horses to move slowly so I could stay in his vision a bit longer. Even though it was time we had barely managed to squeeze out to meet.
I only thought of what I had to do and wished for the carriage to move faster. My mind was already as cold as if ice water had been poured over it.
Before long, I returned to the mansion and headed straight for the attic where Roena was confined. Mullang was laboriously guarding the stairs to the attic herself every day, so it hadn't been discovered yet that she was here.
The butler had processed the paperwork as her taking a temporary leave for recuperation with the help of the guardian—he had backed down surprisingly easily—and since Lady Roshan and the people Marie picked were handling most of the affairs, no one was interested in this place.
As soon as I entered the room, Roena looked glad and acted as if she would rush over, but she immediately stiffened her expression and avoided my eyes. She was expressing her dissatisfaction with me for not keeping my promise.
"I heard you were looking for me?"
"Looking for you? You come after several days and that's all you have to say? I stayed in this room as if I were dead just to keep my promise to you!"
"I told Mullang, didn't I? I've been frantic trying to dodge the people looking for you."
"But it's really too horrific here!"
Roena complained whimperingly. No matter how angelic her personality, a noble lady is still a noble lady. Accustomed to a luxurious life, she found living in an attic as skin-crawling as being a prisoner in a dungeon. Even though she had only been here for a few days, she was already looking haggard and losing her mind.
"Do you think I don't know how you feel? I want to replace everything in this room with fine furniture for you too. But it's still difficult because people are watching. So just bear it a little longer."
"A little? You said that last time too. When on earth is that 'little,' huh? It's scary and cold and so hard, Sise. I'm even lonely! You don't know how painful it is to hide quietly without being able to say a single word, do you? Please, let me out."
I shook my head with a dark, pitying expression.
"Actually, I was going to let you out today, but something big happened so I can't."
"What?"
"The Empress and the Grand Duke's side are proceeding with your marriage."
I framed the Crown Prince's proposal as if it had come from the Empress's side and told Roena. I shifted the blame, saying it was all because of them. It was to emphasize her trust in me while also making her reveal more of what she was hiding.
When Roena first heard this, she listened silently, perhaps thinking of the real Grand Duke or the Crown Prince. But as I went on, her face grew paler and paler, and eventually, she began to sob, shaking her head.
"It's not a lie. They are truly pushing for a marriage between you and Count Kiran. Even today, they asked me if I had found you. They kept urging me that even if you haven't returned yet, it would be fine as long as I gave my permission. They're doing this because I'm the one managing the house."
"...W-why? Why with such a person? I-I haven't even debuted yet, and I'm much younger than that man."
"Because they have no more use for you."
"What?"
"It's a fact everyone knows that the relationship between Count Kiran and the Empress isn't good. So it seems they intend to offer a reconciliation by handing you over. If they're making such a proposal to me, whom they dislike, their hearts must be desperate. There are rumors that Count Kiran has taken a liking to you. Roena, have you ever met him?"
Since Roena hadn't even debuted in society yet, the range of her activities was very narrow. Therefore, if she had met him, it would have been at the Empress's palace.
As if my guess was correct, Roena nodded blankly.
"Yes. I ran into him a few times when I went to visit Pulkeor. I thought it was strange that he kept staring at me... Sise, you aren't going to send me to him, right? You didn't say yes, did you? Please tell me you didn't!"
Roena rushed over and hugged me tightly. Her whole body, as she gripped my arms, was trembling like an aspen leaf. I gently stroked Roena's back and whispered in a small voice.
"How could I ever do that? I told you, Roena. I will not betray you. So trust me."
"Yes, I'll trust you. No, I do trust you. You're the only one who thinks of me."
"But isn't it strange? Why do such bad things keep happening only to you? It seems to be getting worse after you returned."
At my question, her body flinched. Her spine, stiff as if pricked by guilt, was so fragile it felt like it would break if touched.
I carefully moved the soft hair resting on Roena's nape to the front and continued speaking. Very calmly, as if I hadn't noticed her reaction.
"The Empress especially is so anxious because she can't get you into her hands that she's even pushing for a marriage with Count Kiran. They say she took you as a key to control the house, but this is too much. It's as if you're holding their most important secret..."
Then, Roena answered in a tiny, mumbling voice. Each word she forced out, as if she were suffocating, made her look mentally unstable.
"I-it must be to silence me."
"Roena?"
"Because I know what they are planning."
"No, if that were the case, Knight Sylphice wouldn't have stayed behind alone; he would have escaped with you. So tell me honestly. There must be nothing more hidden now. For your own sake. I'm begging you. Let me be able to protect you."
The voice urging her to tell the truth was quite clever even in my own opinion. Especially the part about how she should do it for 'her own' sake. No one would be able to remain unshaken.
After a moment, Roena's lips parted and she finally spoke. Her voice, laced with deep anxiety, was very unstable.
"The ship."
"The ship?"
"The merchant ship of House Bischwaldz. I had Knight Sylphice deliver a letter to the captain of that ship. Because they said they needed a ship. They said only our family's ship could reach the Capital, so they needed my help. They told me if I did that, they would help so the family wouldn't be in danger. So I did it. But to think they'd try to make me a sacrifice for a political marriage..."
"Oh dear."
I clicked my tongue and let out a sigh. Since a letter alone couldn't be trusted, did Knight Sylphice go in person to confirm that Roena's writing was real?
I felt like I finally understood why he stayed behind. And why they weren't looking for Roena anymore. Since the path was already opened, it was obvious they'd think the family ordered it if he visited the merchant ship continuously. It would be easier to move, too. Mimicking handwriting isn't hard once you have a sample.
"When did they decide to move the ship?"
Roena gave a date. It was exactly the time the Emperor died.
Well, at that time, all the nobles of the Capital were gathered in the hall, so they could have been suppressed without much difficulty. The only defensive force would have been the Imperial Palace Knights. But because Roena escaped, they had to change their plans in a hurry.
They had been so busy with final preparations that they neglected their surveillance of her, and this kind of blow had struck. How angry must the Grand Duke have been? He had to change his task to stopping the funeral, after all.
"Do you have a separate way to contact Knight Sylphice?"
At my question, Roena wore a gloomy expression and shook her head.
What, so you parted ways without even making a backup plan like that?
Roena is one thing, but I couldn't help but think Knight Sylphice is truly incompetent. Isn't that basic?
I clicked my tongue again and spoke to her.
"Rest."
My head was complicated as well, and I needed rest. I didn't want to think about anything. So I stood up and left the room. Roena didn't stop me. No, it was more accurate to say she had no intention of stopping me. She wouldn't have been able to think straight due to the shock.
Shards of the Broken Glass Shoe
