Chapter: 25
In any case, it was time to head back. Leopold would also need to clean up the scene further.
I gave Leopold a brief farewell and bowed my head to Baron Foreman as well.
“Baron Foreman, it was an honor to meet you.”
At that, Baron Foreman firmly grasped my hand. Then, fixing his sparkling eyes on me, he said,
“When all of this chaos is over, please be sure to come to the west.”
With an earnest expression, he added,
“I will host a banquet in Foreman.”
“I will look forward to the invitation.”
I replied elegantly.
And just like that, our simple farewell came to an end.
I waved once to Leopold and was about to turn away when—
“Don’t worry. Those who are after your life are also enemies of Nozen.”
Leopold spoke in a low voice.
“It’ll be fine.”
I gave a brief nod.
As I headed toward the warp gate, I could feel his gaze on my back.
‘That went well, right?’
I blinked and thought.
‘It was natural, right?’
After speaking with Leopold, I always found myself worrying.
‘I seemed… normal, didn’t I? I treated him just like anyone else, right?’
My heart pounded.
To calm myself down, I felt like I needed to hurry back and eat some bread.
Before I knew it, my memories drifted back to my engagement ceremony five years ago.
* * *
My engagement ceremony was held lavishly.
Because it was a rare engagement within the Five Great Houses for the first time in a very long while, people from all five meritorious families of the Empire were in attendance.
In the Empire, there exist five founding noble houses.
The Duke of Divostan in the East.
The Grand Duke of Nozen in the West.
The Marquis of Naisar in the South.
The Duke of Bakahun in the North.
And the Marquis of Searce in the Central region.
My fiancé also belonged to one of these Five Great Houses.
So many members of these families attended that the engagement ceremony was truly magnificent.
In truth, among them, there was another family like Searce that merely held the title of a high-ranking noble.
One year after the engagement, the Bakahun Ducal House completely lost its ruling authority.
Still, regardless of how much their current statuses differed, all five families had shared in the Empire’s history and origins.
“Hahaha, it’s been so long since we’ve all gathered in one place like this.”
My father, Marquis Searce, was heavily drunk that day.
“It feels as though we’re reliving the ancient glory of our ancestors!”
His face was already flushed, yet he kept draining his wine glass. At that rate, it seemed he might soon join those very ancestors.
It was said that the Five Great Houses had contributed extraordinary supernatural powers during the Empire’s founding.
But now, only two families had such abilities passed down directly.
The Divostan Ducal House of the East possessed Nullification, which could neutralize curses and status abnormalities.
And the Nozen Grand Ducal House of the West possessed Air Severance, which could slice the air itself to launch physical attacks.
The rest had vanished over time.
The Searce family’s power was said to have been Taming. Of course, it had disappeared from the family records without anyone even knowing when.
Now, no one even knew exactly what kind of ability it had been.
“Brisa.”
My mother whispered beside me.
“Straighten your back more.”
Seven-year-old me did my very best to stand straighter.
Mother had put in tremendous effort to make this engagement happen.
She had pulled together enormous sums of money and carried out countless behind-the-scenes dealings, all to spread my reputation within my fiancé’s family.
The daughter born to the last princess of Riente. Intelligent from a young age, pretty, gentle…
Rumors like these were spread throughout the Empire.
And there was one more reason.
“Marchioness Searce isn’t insane. Those were baseless rumors spread by malicious schemers.”
“With only one remaining bloodline of Riente, how eager they must be to drag her down.”
It was to suppress the rumors about my mother’s madness.
Thus, Mother bought people’s gossip and public opinion.
Father, who had previously watched with disapproval, clicking his tongue and calling it all useless, was unable to keep his mouth shut once the engagement date was set.
“R-Really? The engagement truly went through?”
The ceremony was held by Lake Beas, on land belonging to the imperial family, which the Emperor had temporarily lent out, celebrating the first engagement between the Five Great Houses.
To encourage renewed unity, he even provided a pleasure boat for a lake cruise.
Because many children were present, a boat excursion was more suitable than a formal banquet.
After the luncheon ended, everyone boarded the ship.
“Brisa.”
Mother spoke gently.
“If you start to feel seasick, tell me. I brought sleeping medicine. Nothing cures motion sickness better than falling asleep.”
“Yes.”
Having grown up in the central region, I had never ridden a boat before. It was also my first time seeing such a vast lake.
The ship glided across the water.
“Wow!”
“It’s truly beautiful. Oh my, look at those birds!”
People gathered in small groups along the railings, admiring the scenery. I was no exception.
Father went into the cabin with several other nobles and started playing cards.
Mother whispered softly at my side.
“Brisa, everything was wonderful, but…”
That meant she was about to point out the problems.
“‘Delphoven’ is a place name in the West. You must draw out the ‘pho’ pronunciation.”
“Yes. I’ll be careful.”
“And when you’re with people from the South, you should unfold your napkin to the right.”
“I’m sorry. I remember now.”
Still, it was a good day. Both Mother and Father seemed to be in high spirits.
The maids were also delighted because of this engagement.
Even though I had met my fiancé and his family for the first time that day, and barely exchanged any conversation with them…
The food was delicious, the sky was clear, and the sunlight was warm.
“Everyone, please gather on the deck in ten minutes.”
As I gazed at the sunlight sparkling on the waves, a voice amplified by magic rang out.
“We will begin the prize drawing.”
At those words, Mother smiled gracefully.
“That sounds fun, doesn’t it, Brisa?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, pulling out the ticket I’d received at the luncheon.
“I hope I get a doll.”
“How cute.”
Mother’s green eyes curved gently.
Today, Mother was perfect.
It had been a long time since she attended a social gathering, yet her every movement and word was flawless. People even joked, “As expected of the princess of Riente.”
“Please come often, Marchioness. A lady as elegant as you—I’d like my daughter to learn from you.”
“Indeed. Why don’t you attend social events more often? Next time, you must visit the East.”
All the anxiety we had felt seemed utterly unnecessary.
The maids, too, had been restless for days, but they comforted me, saying, “It will be fine since it’s not nighttime.”
“Her symptoms usually appear at night… Since she left the Kingdom of Riente at night, she may keep returning to that moment.”
“That’s right. So as long as it’s not night, there’s nothing to worry about. She’s always fine during the day.”
And indeed, since it wasn’t night, everything felt perfectly natural.
The maids stayed at a distance where they could come at my call.
They hadn’t said it, but they’d been extremely tense. Now, it was clear they had finally relaxed.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been on a boat.”
Mother murmured, gazing at the distant waves.
“So very long…”
As far as I knew, Mother had never boarded a ship after getting married. We usually stayed within the marquis’s estate.
As I quietly admired the scenery, I saw a large bird catch a fish.
“Oh my goodness!”
I cried out and quickly covered my mouth. My voice had been too loud, and I was sure Mother would scold me.
“Is something wrong?”
But just then, a black-haired boy passing by raised his brows and approached.
It was Leopold Nozen, a nine-year-old boy.
