Chapter 46

I ignored Rani Dubos and kept swinging my sword for quite some time.

But she kept staring at me, making it hard to concentrate.

I wondered if she’d come out determined never to lose a staring contest. Even when I threw her irritated glances, she just kept her gaze fixed on me without wavering.

If she had something to say, she could just come over and say it. If not, she could leave. I wish she’d pick one of those options, but instead, she just kept watching me like a guard on duty.

In the end, I let out a long sigh and approached Rani Dubos.

She flinched as I came closer, but she didn’t run away—she stayed right where she was.

“Why?”

“...Huh?”

“What’s your goal? Why are you just standing here like that?”

“...I, I just...”

I didn’t have the patience to wait for her to finish, so I pressed her further.

“Are you okay if Vivian catches you like this? She won’t be happy if she finds out.”

“...”

“Just get lost. You’re driving me crazy.”

Rani furrowed her brow again and spoke up.

“I-I told you to mind your manners, didn’t I?”

“You’re the one who’s been ignoring propriety since yesterday. And here you are again today, watching me without permission.”

“...T-That’s...”

“And besides, from the way you keep forgetting yourself when you look at me... Let me remind you that in the Eastern Kingdom, my family is on par with the House of Rondor. Someone like you isn’t exactly in a position to lecture me on manners.”

“...”

Rani seemed speechless at my words; she stiffened, and her lips started to quiver like waves.

“Hic!”

She suddenly squatted down and began whimpering in a small voice.

I clicked my tongue and rolled my eyes.

I’d gotten so used to Vivian that I never expected someone would break into tears this easily.

No matter what I said, Vivian would always glare back at me with defiance, but Rani didn’t.

And at the same time, I realized once more that I really don’t like seeing a woman cry.

At least I could handle it when Vivian cried, but seeing this naive Rani Dubos cry just made me annoyed and tired.

“Alright, alright.”

Because I hated the sound of her crying, I tried to console her, albeit halfheartedly.

I stepped closer to where she was burying her face in her arms, pressed my fingertip against her forehead, and made her look up.

Then I dabbed at her eyes with my sleeve, wiping away her tears.

It felt a bit gross and unpleasant when my sleeve got soaked, but oh well.

My clumsy attempt at wiping her tears startled her. She seemed to forget about crying almost immediately and pushed me away.

“W-What on earth are you doing...?”

“Just stop crying. Hearing you sob is driving me insane.”

“...Y-You’re the one who made me cry...”

“Alright, fine. Just tell me why you came here. I need to know your reason to do anything about it.”

Rani averted her eyes.

There was a flicker of indignation in her expression as her lips parted soundlessly. After a long moment of hesitation, she mumbled,

“I just... I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday...”

“Okay, I heard you. Now go. Stop interfering with my training.”

“Wh-When did I ever interfere...”

“This right here is interfering!”

“Sob!”

“Ugh, damn it.”

Even that small shout made Rani burst into tears again, and I pressed a hand against my forehead.

I used to think of myself as relatively kind, but maybe that was all in my head.

Back then, I was doing everything for Vivian, so I could at least scrape together some patience. But when it came to someone else, my frustration just kept piling up.

Maybe there really is something about Vivian. Could I really be under a curse?

If only I could get to the truth, I felt like I would even behead dozens of witches if that’s what it took.

Looking at Rani sniffling, I gritted my teeth one last time.

I put my wooden sword aside, patted her shoulder as she crouched there, and spoke.

“Alright, I get it. I’m sorry. Thanks for coming over to say thank you. Now, could you leave?”

“You’ll... accept my thanks?”

“Yeah. I’ll accept it.”

At my words, Rani managed to stop crying. She sniffed, then looked up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite figure out and asked,

“...Then can we be friends?”

“...”

I shut my eyes tightly.

Rani Dubos seemed like one of those people you just can’t reason with.

I had no idea why she would blurt out something like that all of a sudden, nor could I understand her boldness—she acted like she couldn’t even imagine being rejected.

But if I lost my temper again, she’d just start bawling, so I felt completely cornered.

“...Why? Why would you jump to that conclusion?”

Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Rani answered,

“...B-Because you seem like a good person.”

“And what gives you that idea? Do good people automatically become your friends?”

“That’s not it, but... you’re pitiful.”

She left me utterly dumbfounded.

“I heard that everyone who’s brought here as a hostage from the Eastern Kingdom is lonely and struggling... So...”

“So you decided you’d become my friend?”

“...And there was what happened yesterday, too... plus I want a knight who slew a dragon as a friend... and I’m curious about what’s going on with V-Vivian...”

I let out a hollow laugh.

How many flowers must be blooming in her head for her to make such a suggestion?

She truly seemed like the child of a well-bred household.

“Stop misunderstanding—I’m not a knight. I’ve never been knighted, and I never will be in this land. From the start, I’ve always thought the whole idea of knighthood was foolish.”

“Even so...”

I shot her a glare in a warning.

“...If Vivian sees you like this, it won’t end well. Every maid who tried to do something for me got an earful from Vivian.”

“...”

Rani hesitated for a moment at those words. Her eyes wavered for a while before landing on me.

“Th-Then let’s be secret friends...”

Her persistence left me at a loss for words.

From what I could tell, it wasn’t any deeper reason than simple fascination with the fact that I slew a dragon. If I’d known the aftermath of killing that dragon would get this out of hand, I might have thought twice about it.

“Either way, you’re heading back home tomorrow, aren’t you? What’s the point of being friends?”

“I-I’ve grown close to Lady Vivian, so I plan to visit often. We can meet each time I come.”

By the look of it, she wasn’t going to leave until she got what she wanted. No matter what I asked, she had an answer ready. There was no winning this.

“...If I agree to be your friend, will you leave me alone?”

“...Yes.”

Hearing Rani’s firm reply, I let out a sigh and mulled it over.

The one thing I was sure of—I really wanted her gone.

After a long silence, my patience wore thin, and I quietly gave my answer.

“...Fine. Let’s be friends.”

“Really?”

“...Yeah.”

At my words, Rani wiped away her tears and beamed. I couldn’t understand why she looked so happy. She was a completely different sort of person than me.

I waved her off.

“Go now.”

“Yes!”

Having achieved her goal, she left without another word. She disappeared so quickly that I almost wished she’d done that from the start.

“...”

But once she was gone, I was left with a strange feeling.

She said I was pitiful.

Has anyone ever told me that before?

I don’t want anyone’s pity, but it was odd realizing that someone saw me that way.

***

“Lady Vivian! Lady Vivian!”

The next morning, Vivian found herself confused by yet another drastic change in Rani’s demeanor. Yesterday, she’d spent the entire day seemingly lost in thought, and now she was calling Vivian’s name the moment they met, all frantic.

Taken aback by the lack of distance between them, Vivian shrank back slightly.

But Rani, oblivious to Vivian’s discomfort, snatched her hand and held it tight. Her eyes sparkled as she pleaded,

“Lady Vivian...! I-If it’s alright... could I please stay at Rondor Castle for just a few more days?”

“What?”

“I-I’m not ready to go back home yet... and I’m sad thinking about parting ways with you so soon...”

“...”

Vivian glanced at Asha, hoping for some explanation. But Asha just stood there, looking weary, as if she, too, was waiting for Vivian’s response.

It seemed Rani had already discussed this with Asha in advance.

Vivian asked politely,

“When you say a few days... how many are you thinking?”

“P-Perhaps two days... Ah, or maybe three...”

Rani’s proposal made Vivian think of Kylo.

When Rani and her party were around, Vivian couldn’t meet him.

“...That’s going to be difficult.”

Vivian answered briefly, with hardly any hesitation.

“My schedule is a bit tight... I don’t think it’ll work. It’s a shame, but let’s save it for another time.”

“...Alright.”

Rani’s disappointment was evident. And somehow, seeing that disappointment gave Vivian a small thrill—it felt like a sign of genuine friendship formed in just a few days, that Rani would be sad to part ways.

“In that case, let’s at least have fun today,” Vivian suggested.

Rani nodded.

“Is there anything you want to do, Lady Rani? If possible, I’d like to help you enjoy your time here.”

Rani, wearing a bright smile as if trying to smooth over her moment of rudeness, shook her head at first—then she suddenly froze as if something had come to mind. Her voice turned excited.

“I-I want to watch the knights train!”

“...”

At that, Vivian gazed at Rani for a moment, a strange sense of unease flickering through her.

She couldn’t pinpoint why it bothered her. It was perfectly natural that Rani, who’d always expressed her admiration for knights, would say such a thing... So why was she uneasy?

Vivian stood still for a while, trying to read Rani’s expression, but finally, she turned and called the head butler.

“Pippin.”

“Yes.”

“Which order is using the training grounds today?”

“It’s the disciplinary brigade, My Lady.”

Of all days.

Vivian hesitated, then gestured for Pippin to lean in. He bent down, keeping his posture perfectly proper.

“...Tell Sir Burger not to include Kylo Allen in today’s training.”

Lately, Kylo hadn’t been showing up anyway, but it wouldn’t hurt to double-check.

Pippin nodded.

“Yes, My Lady.”

****

“...You did, huh? Oh, right—why weren’t you at training today?”

Rani came looking for me again that night, hounding me with all sorts of questions she was curious about.

I answered, “Vivian told me not to come.”

“Why?”

“Because you guys were there.”

“Why us?”

-Thud.

I set my wooden sword down and replied, “Vivian was looking forward to seeing you two. She probably didn’t want me spoiling it.”

“...She thought you’d spoil it?”

“Even if I don’t try to, Vivian and I fight a lot. She wouldn’t want you seeing us at each other’s throats.”

“Aren’t you scared of fighting with Lady Vivian? I’d be terrified if I were in enemy territory.”

No matter what I said, Rani fired off another question. Talking with her for a while, I found myself going numb, partly in awe of how her questions never stopped.

I must not be suited to be around chatterboxes. The more time we spent together, the faster my energy seemed to drain.

“That’s enough. Go back and get some sleep.”

I tried to nudge her along, but she didn’t like that.

“...Why?”

“Why? Because you need to rest if you’re heading home tomorrow.”

“But that’s exactly why I should stay up and hang out more—I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“...”

Seeing my stern expression, she let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, acting all sulky.

“...You lied about being my friend, didn’t you? I mean, who treats a friend like this?”

She might be a bit dense, but Rani did have some intuition. Maybe it’s the kind of awareness nobles have to develop.

“...Aren’t you going to comfort me after I said that?”

But that persistence was something I just couldn’t get used to. I sighed and asked back,

“Why would I?”

“...Hah.”

Rani, disappointed, flopped onto her back. She didn’t hesitate, even though she was lying on bare dirt. It was surprising, given that she seemed so delicately raised.

I found myself stopping my practice to watch her.

“Hey, Sir Kylo. Since we’re friends now... can I tell you a secret?”

“How long have we even known each other? Are you crazy, spilling secrets to me?”

Her sense of personal boundaries was as off as ever. It really drove home just how big the world was for even people like her to exist.

Rani giggled. “Actually, the reason I can tell you is because we haven’t known each other for very long. I don’t think you’ll judge me too harshly, nor do I think you’d go around telling people. I just... want at least one person to know how I really feel.”

“Don’t you have other noble ladies you’re close to? Why not tell the—”

“—I... want to run away from home.”

She said it with a bright face—no sign of pain or anguish. If anything, there was excitement and longing in her eyes as she gazed up at the stars.

“I want an adventure. I want to grab a sword and see the world. I want to meet dragons, fight battles, climb towering mountains... Being cooped up in a mansion is so boring.”

With a big grin, Rani turned her gaze to me.

“Now you see why I can’t tell the other ladies? They’d just make fun of me for having such an unladylike dream.”

I was momentarily frozen by her sudden confession, but I pulled myself together and replied,

“...What, you think I wouldn’t make fun of you? You’ve probably just never experienced the harshness of the outside world because you grew up so pampered. The minute you get blisters on your hands from gripping a sword, that little dream of yours will vanish.”

“...You really think so?”

“Your pretty idea of adventure doesn’t match reality. If you want to see the world, you’d be better off marrying a man with plenty of money and traveling around together.”

“...It doesn’t work like that. My father’s going to use me as a political tool. The moment I get married, I’ll be completely trapped. How can I suggest traveling the world to a husband I didn’t choose myself?”

Rani’s words actually made me take her a bit more seriously. She went on,

“Isn’t it horrible, having to be sold off to someone you don’t love and live trapped like that your whole life?”

“So what’s bothering you more—being sold off, or missing out on an adventure?”

Rani gave a self-conscious laugh.

“To be honest, I’m not sure.”

“...”

“Kylo, I... I think you’re amazing. Living strong in a foreign land, slaying a dragon so young, practicing your swordsmanship every night... I admire all of it. It’s incredible how you carve out your own path.”

“So that’s why you approached me.”

“...Even if that weren’t the reason...”

“...?”

Suddenly blushing, Rani cleared her throat and got to her feet.

She dusted off her back and came right up to me before speaking.

“Kylo, do you mind if I swing your sword just once?”

This time, it was hard to refuse her request.

Honestly, there wasn’t much harm in letting her try.

Without a word, I handed Rani the wooden sword.

Her eyes went wide.

“It’s… this heavy?”

She wobbled under its weight, barely managing to lift it with both hands.

Before long, she had to set it down, then let out a small sigh and spoke sheepishly.

“I guess this really isn’t such a realistic dream after all.”

“...Have you never had the chance to hold a sword before?”

“My father absolutely forbade it...”

In the end, I’m human too, and I started to feel a little sympathetic toward her.

We weren’t enemies, and there was no real reason for me to force myself to hate her.

She did seem a little pitiful.

But it still didn’t have anything to do with me.

“...If spilling your secret made you feel better, then go back now. Honestly, I can’t even say I care about your troubles. It’s not like we’re—”

I stopped talking and looked up at the sky.

Rani did the same.

She reached her hand out slightly and mumbled,

“...Oh, it’s raining.”

***

-Swaaah...

Vivian watched the pouring rain in silence.

She could see the roads of Roctana quickly becoming muddy and waterlogged.

She had no idea where these sudden torrents had come from.

Vivian normally didn’t mind the rain.

Whenever the weather got too hot, a good rain would cool things off for a few days.

...But not today. Today’s rain, even Vivian found unwelcome.

Her gaze, cold as ice, glared at the endless downpour.

-Knock, knock.

Someone rapped on Vivian’s door. It was just before breakfast.

“Come in,” Vivian called.

At her command, the door opened, and the head butler, Pippin, appeared.

As expected, Asha and Rani stood behind him.

With a troubled look, Pippin spoke.

“Lady Vivian, the Dubos ladies were preparing to depart, but with this rain...”

“...”

Vivian felt more annoyed than ever with these Dubos girls.

They kept her from returning to her usual routine.

And now, how much longer would they stay?

Two days? Three? Four?

Even as she considered how long, a tiny voice inside her whispered:

When can I finally have dinner with Kylo again?

When can we face each other once more?

How long do I have to pretend he doesn’t exist around the Dubos girls?

It would be awkward to go see him while they were still here.

...She missed him now.

“........”

Vivian started, shaken by the sudden thoughts tumbling through her mind.

Her heart thumped loudly at the realization that she was even thinking that way.

She felt both startled and embarrassed, and her heart refused to settle down.

She was beginning to notice all sorts of strange changes in herself as she grew older.

Vivian shook her head firmly.

Asha and Rani looked at her, puzzled.

She couldn’t afford to lose herself in weird thoughts in front of them.

They’d come to help her, after all—she shouldn’t be acting so distant.

Collecting herself, she smiled and spoke.

“Traveling back home in this weather would be dangerous. Please, stay until the rain stops and the ground dries. Then you can set off safely.”

“Really?”

Rani’s face lit up as she exclaimed.

Vivian nodded with a smile, but inwardly she kept thinking the same thing:

Please… let this rain stop soon.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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