(157) In the meantime (3)
Cyrus smiled bitterly.
"So, you must have seen some miserable failures. Can't we rest easy now?"
"I was going to do that, but the Northern Lord seemed like he might collapse and die at any moment. I can't afford to remove another corpse from this mansion. Even God would be shocked."
“Yeah, I almost left something bad in Little Lord’s mansion again.”
Geor didn't tell Cyrus to leave immediately. He simply suppressed his bitter feelings, as bitter as Cyrus's, and watched him.
'You're making Ariana cry.'
Cyrus called it a miserable failure, but Geor didn't see it that way. He had won a piece of Ariana's heart. A piece of affection that Geor couldn't get, no matter how hard he tried.
It was both refreshing and depressing to see Cyrus, who had coldly pushed Ariana away without even realizing she was holding it, now being pushed away by her.
'Ariana gets so emotional in front of you.'
Ariana showed Cyrus the sincerity she didn't even show her family. Thinking back, it was always like that.
Only in front of Cyrus did she blush, get angry, and sulk like other girls her age.
'You're the only one.'
So Geor was jealous.
He doesn't know that there's a man here who's terribly jealous of her.
“You.”
Cyrus's low voice brought Geor out of his reverie. Cyrus was staring at Geor with crimson eyes.
“Do you love Ariana?”
At his slightly wary question, Geor smiled slightly.
“Even the great Northern Lord becomes like a child in the face of love.”
“Yeah. I thought you were fully grown, but you haven’t really grown up yet.”
"I love Your Excellency, the Lord of the East. I love my family, and I love my sister. I can't give up anything."
The moment he tells her that she is also his family.
“Ariana is my sister, too.”
He decided to give up on love.
“Because you are such a coward with no courage.”
Because he was afraid of being rejected by her.
Ariana is his family.
Even the wind couldn't completely wash away the remaining regrets. Ariana cast her gaze toward the window of her room, and Cyrus spoke.
"Can you become a family? Even your immature eyes can see such foolishness."
"It has to be. If you try, anything is possible. If you pray to God every night, you'll receive an answer."
"Is that so?"
Cyrus's gaze was also directed to the same spot as Geor's. The two men stared at the same spot for a long time, their expressions similar.
“How about you, Lord of the North? Would you like to pray to God with me?”
Cyrus laughed as if the wind was blowing.
“Because I don’t believe in God.”
“Then would you like to cry? I can watch over you.”
“Thank you, but I’m past the age where I could just cry and do nothing.”
“I thought you hadn’t grown much.”
“Still, haven’t you grown since then?”
Only then did Geor look back at Cyrus.
The eyes that had been so empty, as if they had lost everything in the world, were shining again. Their reddish glow, bathed in moonlight, made them look like the rising sun.
"I can't stay immature forever. I did it, so I'm going to clean it up."
"Can you do it?"
“I always felt like I couldn’t do anything, but if I kept trying, I would eventually succeed.”
“You don’t even know what Ariana is?”
Cyrus locked eyes with Geor.
"She is the woman I adore. My first and last. My one and only."
He could tell Cyrus had made up his mind. He was certain he would remain by Ariana's side, unwavering.
Geor swallowed a sigh and looked away. He wanted to be the man who would stay by Ariana's side his entire life. So, when he tried to envision a future with her, he couldn't. He couldn't even envision a wish the size of his palm.
So he imagined a different future. A future where he would watch over Ariana as her older brother, as the son of a lord.
Then, it was drawn with ease. A brilliant, beautiful, yet slightly melancholic picture came to mind vividly, as if it had come to life.
'Then.'
He thinks this guy would be a good fit for Ariana.
A man who is strong, beautiful, smart enough to realize his own mistakes, and above all, who makes Ariana's heart beat faster. A man who allows Ariana to truly be Ariana.
“If.”
Cyrus spoke slowly.
“If things don’t go well and I end up crying, I hope you’ll watch over me.”
"The Northern Lord knows how to joke," he thought, and Cyrus disappeared. Geor sighed for the umpteenth time and stepped forward.
The East, Chase Castle.
Eastern Lord, Russell, read the letter sent by the Western Lord with a serious expression.
The story was that the route taken by northern traders was blocked by frequent landslides, and bandits were rampant, making it impossible for traders to travel.
Langster, who read the letter together, said.
"Is that area prone to landslides? I don't think anything like this has ever happened before. And, strangely, a knight unit sent out to eliminate bandits has gone missing."
Russell wondered which countries the traders using that route came from.
“It seems like they’re trying to artificially block the road and prevent trade.”
“Maybe they’re doing this because they want to cut off trade.”
"Cutting off this one road won't eliminate all access to the East, and cutting off a few trading partners won't endanger the East. And yet, they're doing something like this."
“It seems like some country wants to cut off trade with us, but they don’t want to let us know.”
Russell seemed to think so, too.
And there was one reason for that.
“I guess they’re trying to end it because they’re trying to get information about the East through traders, and it seems like it’s going to get long.”
Russell brought out a map and spread it out on the table. He scanned the various countries with a keen eye, then pointed to a few with his finger.
“I heard that these three kingdoms have been having deep exchanges with each other recently.”
"And this country is close to 'Hedran,' where Paganus once resided. Perhaps it was Paganus' power that caused the landslide."
Maybe it wasn't a big deal. Maybe there really was a landslide, and the knights were simply unable to relay the news because the roads were cut off.
But he couldn't just ignore the slightest suspicion about what was happening with Paganus.
"What should we do? Since Little Lord and Averaster are away, should we send Fellowes?"
"No."
Russell crossed his arms and sat thoughtfully.
About 20 years ago, he had suffered a painful defeat due to the plot of the Count of Paganus.
Russell simply wished for peace in the East, so instead of arguing with the Western Lord, he distanced himself from the Empire. The Western Lord sought the Emperor's trust, so he believed that if he stayed close to the Emperor, there would be no conflict.
But now, Ariana is in the Empire.
“Ariana must want revenge on the Bronte family.”
At Russell's muttered words, Langster's expression darkened.
“I guess so. The perfume incident was like that too...”
Russell learned a little later that a rumor had been circulating that the Northern Lord had invested in the perfume business. Ariana was in the North at the time of the rumor.
Later, he heard that Ariana tried to dissuade Countess White, Isabelle's mother, from buying the perfume. Ariana even bought the potion Isaac had created and gave it to the common people, earning her the veneration of a saint.
In comparison, the Western Lord, who had invested in the perfume business, had a poor reputation.
“The same goes for the weapons dealer...”
Before Ariana fully supported the Robern Arms, the arms dealer run by Viscount Alfreich of the West was renowned. With the Robern Arms' success, Alfreich's Arms went under. And Viscount Alfreich is currently the husband of Helena, the eldest daughter of the Bronte family.
Ariana always moved quietly, but she couldn't avoid Russell's gaze, which was always scrutinized by her. He wished she'd just forget the past and live like a reckless Princess, but every time he saw Ariana unable to do so, his heart ached.
The reason he couldn't stop her was that he felt like he didn't deserve it.
The father, who had neglected his young daughter until she developed an unquenchable hatred in her heart, had no right to restrain her or help her. That's probably why Ariana never once asked for help.
If she asked for help, he crushed them in an instant. Even if it meant turning his back on the empire entirely, he would do anything to heal the deep wound in her young heart.
"It's suspicious that the Lord of the West has remained silent, even though the Perfume Incident has brought down the West and Ariana's reputation has been elevated. Perhaps the Lord of the West has had some influence on this."
“Would you like to go to the Empire?”
"No, I'm going to investigate the trade route. The Empire, keep an eye on the situation. Keep a close eye on any news coming in."
The weather was nice, so they prepared breakfast and lunch in the garden. As they ate in the warm sunshine, Geor spoke.
“The elephant is coming.”
Isabelle's eyes widened.
"Elephant?"
“Yeah. It’s a huge beast with a long nose. Wow.”
"No, I know what an elephant is. Why is it suddenly here? Isn't that an animal that lives in a faraway country over there?"
"It seems that Karutto is sending a Prince to the empire during this social season. He's probably trying to show his face and win the Princess's favor since it's her wedding time. He sent a few elephants as a gift."
Ariana listened to the conversation between the two with wide eyes.
Elephant.
She heard of such a large creature, but she had never seen one. Not only had she never visited the Kingdom of Karutto in her previous life, but that country had never sent an elephant to the empire.
When Ariana went back in time and changed the past, the future changed dramatically. Lately, she has become so unaware of everything that it feels like she is living a new life.
"Elephant..."
As Ariana was lost in thought and muttered something without realizing it, Geor asked.
"Would you like to see it?"
Cyrus smiled bitterly.
"So, you must have seen some miserable failures. Can't we rest easy now?"
"I was going to do that, but the Northern Lord seemed like he might collapse and die at any moment. I can't afford to remove another corpse from this mansion. Even God would be shocked."
“Yeah, I almost left something bad in Little Lord’s mansion again.”
Geor didn't tell Cyrus to leave immediately. He simply suppressed his bitter feelings, as bitter as Cyrus's, and watched him.
'You're making Ariana cry.'
Cyrus called it a miserable failure, but Geor didn't see it that way. He had won a piece of Ariana's heart. A piece of affection that Geor couldn't get, no matter how hard he tried.
It was both refreshing and depressing to see Cyrus, who had coldly pushed Ariana away without even realizing she was holding it, now being pushed away by her.
'Ariana gets so emotional in front of you.'
Ariana showed Cyrus the sincerity she didn't even show her family. Thinking back, it was always like that.
Only in front of Cyrus did she blush, get angry, and sulk like other girls her age.
'You're the only one.'
So Geor was jealous.
He doesn't know that there's a man here who's terribly jealous of her.
“You.”
Cyrus's low voice brought Geor out of his reverie. Cyrus was staring at Geor with crimson eyes.
“Do you love Ariana?”
At his slightly wary question, Geor smiled slightly.
“Even the great Northern Lord becomes like a child in the face of love.”
“Yeah. I thought you were fully grown, but you haven’t really grown up yet.”
"I love Your Excellency, the Lord of the East. I love my family, and I love my sister. I can't give up anything."
The moment he tells her that she is also his family.
“Ariana is my sister, too.”
He decided to give up on love.
“Because you are such a coward with no courage.”
Because he was afraid of being rejected by her.
Ariana is his family.
Even the wind couldn't completely wash away the remaining regrets. Ariana cast her gaze toward the window of her room, and Cyrus spoke.
"Can you become a family? Even your immature eyes can see such foolishness."
"It has to be. If you try, anything is possible. If you pray to God every night, you'll receive an answer."
"Is that so?"
Cyrus's gaze was also directed to the same spot as Geor's. The two men stared at the same spot for a long time, their expressions similar.
“How about you, Lord of the North? Would you like to pray to God with me?”
Cyrus laughed as if the wind was blowing.
“Because I don’t believe in God.”
“Then would you like to cry? I can watch over you.”
“Thank you, but I’m past the age where I could just cry and do nothing.”
“I thought you hadn’t grown much.”
“Still, haven’t you grown since then?”
Only then did Geor look back at Cyrus.
The eyes that had been so empty, as if they had lost everything in the world, were shining again. Their reddish glow, bathed in moonlight, made them look like the rising sun.
"I can't stay immature forever. I did it, so I'm going to clean it up."
"Can you do it?"
“I always felt like I couldn’t do anything, but if I kept trying, I would eventually succeed.”
“You don’t even know what Ariana is?”
Cyrus locked eyes with Geor.
"She is the woman I adore. My first and last. My one and only."
He could tell Cyrus had made up his mind. He was certain he would remain by Ariana's side, unwavering.
Geor swallowed a sigh and looked away. He wanted to be the man who would stay by Ariana's side his entire life. So, when he tried to envision a future with her, he couldn't. He couldn't even envision a wish the size of his palm.
So he imagined a different future. A future where he would watch over Ariana as her older brother, as the son of a lord.
Then, it was drawn with ease. A brilliant, beautiful, yet slightly melancholic picture came to mind vividly, as if it had come to life.
'Then.'
He thinks this guy would be a good fit for Ariana.
A man who is strong, beautiful, smart enough to realize his own mistakes, and above all, who makes Ariana's heart beat faster. A man who allows Ariana to truly be Ariana.
“If.”
Cyrus spoke slowly.
“If things don’t go well and I end up crying, I hope you’ll watch over me.”
"The Northern Lord knows how to joke," he thought, and Cyrus disappeared. Geor sighed for the umpteenth time and stepped forward.
***
The East, Chase Castle.
Eastern Lord, Russell, read the letter sent by the Western Lord with a serious expression.
The story was that the route taken by northern traders was blocked by frequent landslides, and bandits were rampant, making it impossible for traders to travel.
Langster, who read the letter together, said.
"Is that area prone to landslides? I don't think anything like this has ever happened before. And, strangely, a knight unit sent out to eliminate bandits has gone missing."
Russell wondered which countries the traders using that route came from.
“It seems like they’re trying to artificially block the road and prevent trade.”
“Maybe they’re doing this because they want to cut off trade.”
"Cutting off this one road won't eliminate all access to the East, and cutting off a few trading partners won't endanger the East. And yet, they're doing something like this."
“It seems like some country wants to cut off trade with us, but they don’t want to let us know.”
Russell seemed to think so, too.
And there was one reason for that.
“I guess they’re trying to end it because they’re trying to get information about the East through traders, and it seems like it’s going to get long.”
Russell brought out a map and spread it out on the table. He scanned the various countries with a keen eye, then pointed to a few with his finger.
“I heard that these three kingdoms have been having deep exchanges with each other recently.”
"And this country is close to 'Hedran,' where Paganus once resided. Perhaps it was Paganus' power that caused the landslide."
Maybe it wasn't a big deal. Maybe there really was a landslide, and the knights were simply unable to relay the news because the roads were cut off.
But he couldn't just ignore the slightest suspicion about what was happening with Paganus.
"What should we do? Since Little Lord and Averaster are away, should we send Fellowes?"
"No."
Russell crossed his arms and sat thoughtfully.
About 20 years ago, he had suffered a painful defeat due to the plot of the Count of Paganus.
Russell simply wished for peace in the East, so instead of arguing with the Western Lord, he distanced himself from the Empire. The Western Lord sought the Emperor's trust, so he believed that if he stayed close to the Emperor, there would be no conflict.
But now, Ariana is in the Empire.
“Ariana must want revenge on the Bronte family.”
At Russell's muttered words, Langster's expression darkened.
“I guess so. The perfume incident was like that too...”
Russell learned a little later that a rumor had been circulating that the Northern Lord had invested in the perfume business. Ariana was in the North at the time of the rumor.
Later, he heard that Ariana tried to dissuade Countess White, Isabelle's mother, from buying the perfume. Ariana even bought the potion Isaac had created and gave it to the common people, earning her the veneration of a saint.
In comparison, the Western Lord, who had invested in the perfume business, had a poor reputation.
“The same goes for the weapons dealer...”
Before Ariana fully supported the Robern Arms, the arms dealer run by Viscount Alfreich of the West was renowned. With the Robern Arms' success, Alfreich's Arms went under. And Viscount Alfreich is currently the husband of Helena, the eldest daughter of the Bronte family.
Ariana always moved quietly, but she couldn't avoid Russell's gaze, which was always scrutinized by her. He wished she'd just forget the past and live like a reckless Princess, but every time he saw Ariana unable to do so, his heart ached.
The reason he couldn't stop her was that he felt like he didn't deserve it.
The father, who had neglected his young daughter until she developed an unquenchable hatred in her heart, had no right to restrain her or help her. That's probably why Ariana never once asked for help.
If she asked for help, he crushed them in an instant. Even if it meant turning his back on the empire entirely, he would do anything to heal the deep wound in her young heart.
"It's suspicious that the Lord of the West has remained silent, even though the Perfume Incident has brought down the West and Ariana's reputation has been elevated. Perhaps the Lord of the West has had some influence on this."
“Would you like to go to the Empire?”
"No, I'm going to investigate the trade route. The Empire, keep an eye on the situation. Keep a close eye on any news coming in."
***
The weather was nice, so they prepared breakfast and lunch in the garden. As they ate in the warm sunshine, Geor spoke.
“The elephant is coming.”
Isabelle's eyes widened.
"Elephant?"
“Yeah. It’s a huge beast with a long nose. Wow.”
"No, I know what an elephant is. Why is it suddenly here? Isn't that an animal that lives in a faraway country over there?"
"It seems that Karutto is sending a Prince to the empire during this social season. He's probably trying to show his face and win the Princess's favor since it's her wedding time. He sent a few elephants as a gift."
Ariana listened to the conversation between the two with wide eyes.
Elephant.
She heard of such a large creature, but she had never seen one. Not only had she never visited the Kingdom of Karutto in her previous life, but that country had never sent an elephant to the empire.
When Ariana went back in time and changed the past, the future changed dramatically. Lately, she has become so unaware of everything that it feels like she is living a new life.
"Elephant..."
As Ariana was lost in thought and muttered something without realizing it, Geor asked.
"Would you like to see it?"
Do I want to see it?
"It's not related to what I'm planning to do, but I've been curious about the large creature with the long nose. I haven't been out much lately, so it might be a good idea to take a look around. I also want to show Shini what an elephant is."
Geor smiled as Ariana nodded.
"That's great. I heard they're going to march around the capital later. Let's go out and do some digestion."
The maids were more excited than Ariana about going out to see the elephants.
“They say it’s incredibly big. Is it bigger than a bear?”
“It’s bigger than a bear, so it’ll be a big deal.”
“Have you ever seen an elephant, Princess?”
“Yeah. I wonder what kind of animal it is.”
"There will be a lot of people out to see it. What should you wear? The prince of the Kingdom of Karutto is coming, so all the ladies will be dressed up beautifully."
The Prince of Karutto came to court the Princess's favor, but other young ladies weren't without opportunities. If they caught the Prince's eye, even though their country was far from the empire, they still had a chance of becoming a Princess.
Ariana was only interested in seeing the elephants, so she didn't mind the clothes, but she soon changed her mind.
"It's not related to what I'm planning to do, but I've been curious about the large creature with the long nose. I haven't been out much lately, so it might be a good idea to take a look around. I also want to show Shini what an elephant is."
Geor smiled as Ariana nodded.
"That's great. I heard they're going to march around the capital later. Let's go out and do some digestion."
***
The maids were more excited than Ariana about going out to see the elephants.
“They say it’s incredibly big. Is it bigger than a bear?”
“It’s bigger than a bear, so it’ll be a big deal.”
“Have you ever seen an elephant, Princess?”
“Yeah. I wonder what kind of animal it is.”
"There will be a lot of people out to see it. What should you wear? The prince of the Kingdom of Karutto is coming, so all the ladies will be dressed up beautifully."
The Prince of Karutto came to court the Princess's favor, but other young ladies weren't without opportunities. If they caught the Prince's eye, even though their country was far from the empire, they still had a chance of becoming a Princess.
Ariana was only interested in seeing the elephants, so she didn't mind the clothes, but she soon changed her mind.
'Victoria will come.'
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