62 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
Grand Duke's Bride is Warrior of Hell 62
"Y-Your Highness."
"Don't you know my name?"
"I do."
Alisha leaned back as far as she could.
Her back was buried in the soft back of the chair.
"What is it, then?"
One should not call a member of the Imperial Family by their name so casually.
No matter how close one was, unless they were also a member of the Imperial Family, they could not call a member of the Imperial Family by their name.
Calling a member of the Imperial Family by their name so freely was an act that risked one's own neck.
"I, I know it."
Alisha's lips moved, but she spoke weakly.
"Call me by my name from now on."
Reikart straightened up as he spoke.
It was an order, but it didn't feel like one.
"Pardon?"
But it was absurd.
If the atmosphere had been lighter, Alisha would have grumbled, asking if that was a declaration that he was going to kill her.
"I said, call me by my name, Alisha. Don't you know my name?"
"I know it. But..."
Alisha felt wronged.
Only someone with ten necks would readily call a member of the Imperial Family by their name when told to do so.
She suspected it was a clever scheme devised to torment her.
"If you know it, try saying it."
Reikart tilted his face towards her.
The slightly curved corners of his eyes seemed amused.
Indeed, was he trying to kill her?
Alisha's suspicion deepened a little more.
Smiling softly with such a face so close was as cruel as telling her to call a member of the Imperial Family by their name freely.
"Your Highness, that's..."
"Are you pretending to know when you don't?"
"No, I'm not."
"Then, say it."
Alisha wanted to shout.
How could she call a member of the Imperial Family by their name?
Even if a member of the Imperial Family allowed you to call them by their name, they could change their mind and have your head cut off for calling them by their name.
But that wasn't the only reason she couldn't even open her mouth.
Reikart.
It was difficult to bring the name that everyone in the Empire knew onto her tongue.
It felt as if her voice wouldn't come out.
She hesitated, her tongue stiffening even as she tried to call him boldly.
It was just a name.
But it was difficult to say that name.
"...Re..."
Alisha, who had barely uttered one syllable, closed her mouth again.
"I see you do know it."
Reikart whispered with a bright smile.
"I know it, of course, I know it."
Alisha blurted out quickly, embarrassed.
Seeing her flustered face, Reikart spread an even deeper smile.
"Practice it."
Reikart demanded confidently.
Alisha wanted to shout, asking if she really needed to practice just to say a name.
But she couldn't say anything.
"......"
She just stared blankly at Reikart's face, who was smiling more comfortably than ever.
It was the first time she had seen him smile without any reservations.
He had smiled or shown signs of enjoyment before, but he had never laughed so freely as he did today.
"The recent prophecy is invalid. That prophecy may come true, but it's not a prophecy I requested. Also, I think it's too much to treat a prophecy that betrothed couples will marry as just a promise."
Alisha nodded at Reikart's words.
"Then..."
Alisha also intended not to treat it as a prophecy.
She had spoken confidently as if it were a prophecy, but it was more uncertain than any other word.
There was no way to know if that prophecy would come true.
So it wasn't a prophecy.
"Is there any place that will experience a rainy season this summer?"
"It will rain around Mount Kaif throughout July. There will be landslides, large and small, in August."
Alisha predicted a terrible event with a blank face.
"The Imperial Spring Hunt competition will be held next week. Please accompany me. I brought a gift to prepare for the hunting competition."
"A gift?"
"Because you have to look pretty. I'll come again tomorrow."
Reikart said with a refreshing smile.
He glanced around and left the reception room.
Thanks to him, Alisha could mutter to herself, "I'm pretty even without a gift," like an idiot.
Sven's sleek carriage, carrying Reikart, sped towards the castle gates.
Daisy watched the Grand Duke leave with a broad smile.
Annie called out to Daisy, who was hurrying to the reception room to choose what to say to Alisha.
"Daisy."
Annie's face was ambiguous.
She seemed happy, but also frowning.
"Annie, what's wrong?"
Daisy wanted to go to Alisha as soon as possible, but she didn't show it.
"His Highness the Grand Duke left a gift for the Lady."
Annie said with a slightly furrowed brow and a troubled face.
"A gift?"
Daisy smiled brightly without realizing it.
"Yes, but..."
Annie looked at Daisy, who was beaming, with pity.
She herself had been so happy when the Grand Duke had asked her to deliver the gift to the Lady.
"Where's the gift?"
Daisy said with sparkling eyes.
"Sir Juan brought it into the hall. Will you check it and tell the Lady?"
"Okay."
Daisy headed lightly into the hall.
As Annie had expected, exactly one minute later, Daisy's face, which had been smiling brightly, was filled with deep questions.
It even darkened a little.
The only person who was calm was Juan, who had brought the gift into the hall.
Daisy was an excellent maid who faithfully carried out her duties.
She composed her hesitant face and headed straight for the reception room.
"Lady."
Alisha was sitting blankly in the chair in the reception room.
It was strange.
According to what she had heard earlier, the Grand Duke and Alisha were getting along well.
But her face, as she sat in the chair, didn't show the excitement of early romance.
"Daisy."
"Lady, the Grand Duke has left a gift. Would you like to check it?"
Daisy said without making a fuss, worried that Alisha would be disappointed.
"A gift?"
At Alisha's questioning face, Daisy gave her a calm expression as if it were nothing.
"Yes, it's in the hall."
Daisy was about to suggest that she finish reading the book she had been reading earlier.
Before she could continue, Alisha got up from her chair.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
It was difficult to read Alisha's expression. But since it was a gift left by her betrothed, she must be expecting something.
Daisy took Alisha to the place where the gift was with a slightly pitiful feeling.
She just hoped that Alisha wouldn't be too disappointed.
Only Juan and a large chest were in the hall.
Thanks to the Tessen Grand Duke's crest being stamped in gold, the chest shone brightly.
Alisha approached the shining chest.
"Lady, His Highness has sent you a gift. Would you like to see it?"
Juan said to Alisha in a polite manner.
Daisy had been sending Juan signals of opposition since she came down the stairs, but the clueless knight completely ignored Daisy's signals.
Daisy glared at Juan secretly with a gentle face.
"Open it."
Alisha's permission was given.
"Yes."
Juan opened the shining chest with a pleased face.
"......This is."
Inside the shining chest was a thick axe that shone even brighter.
It was an axe that Alisha had seen before.
Except for a few decorations, the axe, which was the same shape as Reikart's axe, gleamed with a sharp edge, befitting a new one.
"Yes, it's the same as that one."
Juan said with a proud face, as if he were the Grand Duke Tessen himself.
"......"
Daisy was upset with the clueless Juan, but barely managed to resist sending him a pathetic look.
"I should send a thank-you letter to His Highness."
"His Highness will be pleased. Where should I put the axe?"
Juan was delighted by Alisha's polite words.
Daisy thought so too.
But the atmosphere seemed to be flowing a little differently from what she thought.
Juan seemed to be genuinely pleased with the Grand Duke's axe gift, and Alisha didn't seem to dislike it either.
It seemed that Daisy was the only one who was staring blankly at the shiny, heavy, giant axe gift.
"Hang it on the wall in the study."
Alisha said to Juan.
The study was the space that Alisha frequented and cared about the most.
"Lady?"
Daisy called Alisha with a puzzled face.
"Yes."
Alisha turned to Daisy.
Her purple eyes, which had been fixed on the shiny giant axe, were filled with anticipation and excitement.
"......His Highness must be thinking of you a lot to bring you a gift."
Daisy said, wondering if that was the case.
"Is that so."
Alisha reacted indifferently.
But her gaze towards the giant axe was filled with satisfaction and joy.
Daisy felt a strange desolation.
Was anything good if it was a gift from someone you liked?
Or.......
Alisha said to Juan again.
"Take it away."
"Yes."
It was understandable that Alisha was happy with her betrothed's bizarre gift.
As far as Daisy knew, the Grand Duke was Alisha's first love.
It was understandable that the innocent and unselfish Lady would like it even if the Grand Duke sent her something he liked as a gift.
But Juan's attitude, which was as pleased as Alisha, was a bit annoying.
It was difficult to figure out whether it was because he was a close aide to the Grand Duke, or because he had only been with men and didn't know what to give a Lady as a gift.
She just thought he was annoying.
Juan went up to hang the axe in the study.
Alisha also headed to the study to write a thank-you letter to the Grand Duke.
Only Daisy was left in the hall.
Daisy, who had been silent in the empty hall, opened her mouth only after everyone had disappeared.
"It seems like she's been collecting strange things lately. What's with an axe as a gift for a fiancé......"
Daisy felt as if she was the one who had received the gift.
She resented the Grand Duke and felt sorry for Alisha, who pretended not to know the gift was wrong.
She just hoped that the Grand Duke, who had sent decent gifts until now, would send a proper gift next time.
Reikart, who had said he would come again tomorrow because he wanted to look pretty, couldn't keep his word.
The next day, he entered the Imperial Palace early in the morning after receiving an Imperial order.
The Emperor entrusted the Grand Duke with the preparation for the Imperial Spring Hunt.
Reikart, who could not come to Ludern in person, sent a letter.
[Dear Alisha.
I am sending you a letter because I cannot visit you in person.
Alisha.
I like you.
Please go out with me.
I am sending you a small gift with this letter.
Please accept it regardless of your answer.
Reikart.
P.S. 1. I've been thinking about it, are you from the Prophet's Star?
P.S. 2. When is the next treatment?]
The gift that Reikart sent with the letter was a very large chain sickle.
It was a design that seemed to be a pair with the axe.
Alisha told him to hang the chain sickle next to the axe.
Juan admired the heavy chain sickle and followed Alisha's words.
Daisy felt a headache coming on and covered her head with her hands.
Alisha, who was happy to receive the gift, wrote a thank-you letter and a reply in one breath.
She spent almost two pages writing a thank-you letter that seemed to be enough with just one word of thanks.
On the other hand, the reply to the Grand Duke's letter ended with one line.
[Dear Grand Duke.
No.
From Alisha.]
Reikart, who was busy with official duties, sent letters to Ludern every day.
Gifts that made Daisy, Annie, and Liz feel hopeless came along with the letters.
One weapon per letter headed to Ludern every day.
Alisha decorated the wall of the study with the gifts Reikart sent.
One wall of Ludern's study, which had been filled with elegant old books, became ominous like a weapon shop.
Alisha did not forget to reply.
The thank-you letter was always close to two pages long, and the reply was extremely short.
It was two days before the Imperial Spring Hunt.