Chapter 131

Margrave Rowan Briarwood.

Current age: nineteen.

He had become head of his family at a young age after the sudden deaths of his parents, but thanks to the exceptional military strength and training methods passed down through generations, his house had maintained an excellent reputation.

In high society, he was known as the model upstanding young man of the new kingdom, and since he was handsome as well, he ranked first among young ladies as prospective husband material.

He used to reject every marriage proposal on the grounds that he was far too busy, but apparently he had finally begun settling into life as head of his house.

Judging by the fact that he had sent a marriage proposal to me.

Tap, tap.

I tapped my chin with a finger and began calculating.

House Briarwood not only guarded the border with Doctia, but also protected the mountain range that cut across the southern region.

The area had once been overrun with bandits and outsiders, but thanks to Margrave Rowan it had regained its peace, so the houses of the south had always looked favorably upon House Briarwood.

“If I married Margrave Rowan and joined hands with House Briarwood?”

The houses in the southern territories would naturally support us.

He was portrayed as an upright young man in the original novel, too. He wasn’t some hidden mastermind, either.

Not bad.

No, forget not bad. Wasn’t he the best possible marriage partner if I was looking for an ally?

“Margrave Rowan is supposed to attend the monster training center completion ceremony too... I should at least talk to him once.”

I tore open the envelope containing the marriage proposal and checked what was inside.

Neat handwriting, personally penned by Count Rowan, covered the luxurious paper.

But.

[I miss you.]

“Aaagh!”

The words Kyle had written suddenly appeared superimposed over the elegant handwriting, and I screamed.

I was so startled that I dropped the paper without thinking and stumbled backward.

...Are you really going to run off and leave me behind, Aisha?

My delusions about Kyle were only just beginning.

A boy with violet eyes stared at me with a sullen expression.

Kyle never said anything like that, though?

The moment I thought that, the little boy puffed out his cheeks like rising bread and planted his hands on his hips.

My home is Aisha. If Aisha goes away, where am I supposed to live?

The sight was so unbearably cute that it made me want to fuss over him, and I found myself turning serious.

“...You’re right. Where would my Kyle live?”

If he ever came to the ducal castle because he missed being around people, who would take care of him if I wasn’t here?

Aisha, you liar.

The little Kyle who had been glaring at me suddenly began to tear up.

Oh my God.

“No, Kyle. Even if I got married and moved to another territory, if you came to visit the ducal castle, I’d go see you right aw—huh?”

My heart had started aching along with his, and I was sincerely apologizing when I violently shook my head.

“What is this? Why is Kyle suddenly showing up here?”

I was making a ridiculous fuss all by myself when—

“Assistant Knox is here!”

“What? Assistant Knox is here?”

“Yes! They said he just came out of Duke Kreutz’s office!”

I heard servants who had been chatting noisily in the corridor suddenly hurry off somewhere.

“...Knox? Knox is here?”

I had needed something to clear my head anyway, so I seized the opportunity and left my room.

I heard he was coming back, but isn’t this much earlier than expected?

He had said he would arrive the day before the monster training center completion ceremony, so Mai and the maids had been preparing a party around that schedule...

Why did he come so early?

In any case, if Knox had arrived at the ducal castle, that probably meant Kyle was here too.

“...Since it’s come to this, I’ll see Kyle in person and get rid of these weird delusions.”

Come to think of it, I had heard Kyle was taller than Knox now.

Kyle was my friend and practically like a little brother to me, so maybe seeing him fully grown would be so strange that it would kill this urge to fuss over him.

“Alice. Where’s Knox?”

“He went that way.”

“Thanks!”

I forced down my excited breathing as I searched all over for him, eventually finding Knox not far from the monster training center.

Long hair tied tightly back. A monocle.

His features looked exactly the same as before, but his build was completely different from ten years ago.

Just how much had he been put through in the snowfield over the last ten years?

The old Knox had definitely had the typical build of a researcher who seemed to have nothing whatsoever to do with exercise.

But now that he had returned, his shoulders and chest had grown broad and solid like Father’s.

“Knox! Knox!”

“Princess? It has been a long time.”

“What is this, a surprise? You definitely said you were coming the day before the monster training center completion ceremony.”

I was so happy to see him that I practically leaped into his arms. He didn’t refuse me, giving me a brief hug before politely stepping back.

“Yes. It is a surprise. By the way, you’re speaking casually to me now.”

“Well, I’ve spent more of my life as Princess Kreutz than not by this point.”

When I said that with deliberate dignity, he nodded with a faint smile.

“Yes. You have become a perfect Princess. You’ve grown quite tall as well.”

“...I’ve gotten a lot taller?”

My shoulders rose along with the corners of my mouth.

That was actually what I wanted to hear... but I have a Princess’s dignity to maintain, so I can’t let it show.

“Anyway, how was the monster research you spent ten years doing?”

“I was just about to tell you about it, since I assumed Princess Aisha would be interested in monster research. It’s a long story, so rather than standing here, why don’t we go to the research center together and discuss the results we’ve achieved over the years—”

“I like that you haven’t changed, Knox.”

His physique had changed, so I had wondered if his personality might have changed too.

But Knox is still just Knox.

It wasn’t as though I actually wanted to listen to such a boring story, so I hurriedly cut him off, rose onto my toes, and patted him on the shoulder.

But apparently I had pressed some kind of button inside him, because his monocle flashed white as he pushed it up with his index finger.

“I like that about myself as well. Shall we go to the laboratory, then?”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“No. Nope. I’m not going. Tell me about it later when we go to a monster enthusiasts’ gathering together. Everyone will love it.”

“I expect so. When I left this place ten years ago, the other members were terribly envious of me...”

I had no idea anymore. I thought I was pretty interested in monsters.

Maybe I’m actually just a Kyle-loving civilian.

“Anyway, where’s Kyle?”

Now that I had cut off the things that didn’t interest me, I remembered my original business.

But—

“Ah. I don’t actually know where Kyle is either.”

“Huh?”

“I heard he left before I did, which is why I hurried here, but it seems he has not arrived yet.”

Knox’s answer was nothing like what I had expected.

“Kyle hasn’t?”

That was a little strange.

Knowing Kyle, I could easily imagine him wanting to reach the ducal castle before Knox, yet somehow he was arriving later?

For a moment I wondered if something dangerous had happened to him, but that seemed impossible.

Kyle’s position in the snowfield was practically that of a king.

“...Knox. Did something happen between you and Kyle before you came here?”

“Ah,”

“?”

“N-no. Nothing happened. Ah, now that I think of it, before we left he did mention that he intended to eliminate a newly discovered ogre colony, so perhaps that delayed him.”

“...Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then. Get plenty of rest for now, and tonight let’s eat something delicious with Father and my brother!”

“Understood.”

Something felt off, but since Knox said that was what had happened, I ended the conversation for the moment.

But I had definitely seen it.

In the less than a second it took him to say no—

Knox’s eyes had blinked rapidly a couple of times, and the corners of his mouth had twitched unnaturally as he spoke.

Those were classic signs of someone lying.

Did something happen between them?

It bothered me, but Knox needed to rest first.

Even if he had lied, he probably had not done it with bad intentions.

Anyway, I hope Kyle gets here soon. I’m curious what he looks like now.

Hoo—

I let out a long breath, and white vapor bloomed like snow.

The monster training center completion ceremony really was just around the corner now.

***

The day of House Kreutz’s monster training center completion ceremony.

Carriages continued gathering at the entrance of the ducal castle, which was normally battered by nothing but blizzards.

As nobles wrapped in fur coats and scarves stepped down from their carriages, the knights guarding the castle gates began whispering among themselves.

“Look at the jewel on that young lord’s belt. It’s so huge and shiny you could use it as a mirror.”

“Did you see the young lord from the Marquis’s house earlier? He came wearing a fur hat with feathers on it. I thought a peacock had turned into a man.”

At first glance, the monster training center completion ceremony looked almost like a fashion show for noble young lords.

Since the Princess had given no clear answer to any of the marriage proposals, noblewomen who could not afford to miss this opportunity had arrived after dressing their sons as extravagantly as possible.

“Your invitation.”

“Yes. You may pass.”

Young lords who glittered more brightly than young ladies passed through the castle gates with tense expressions.

When the gatekeeper snickered at the sight, the colleague standing beside him whispered,

“Stop laughing and memorize every guest’s face. His Grace told us to report immediately if anyone looks suspicious.”

“...Of course.”

At his colleague’s words, the gatekeeper’s playful expression instantly turned cold.