Chapter 134

Knox, noticing that the nobles were looking at the Feris with favor, quickly continued his explanation.

“Monsters communicate in ways completely different from humans. Training begins with learning how to communicate from the monster’s perspective.”

“How long would the training period need to be if we wanted to add Feris to our military strength?”

“It depends on the trainer’s ability, but one year is generally used as the standard.”

“Marquis Rant. Surely you aren’t thinking of trying to train them yourself?”

Another noble, startled by the Marquis’s apparent interest in training, asked the question.

“Why shouldn’t I? I hear that thanks to these Feris, House Kreutz has cut the time required for monster subjugations in half.”

Knox gave him a faint smile.

“That is true. However, rather than thinking of a monster as merely a military weapon, it would be better to think of one as a knight in its own right. They require continuous training and care, and they also need companions they can rely on. As long as the head of the family gives them proper attention, I believe the Feris will be more than capable of meeting his expectations.”

“Hmm...”

Marquis Rant’s gaze became more thoughtful than before.

The conversation unfolding before him was unexpectedly sensible, and Knox judged the monster training center tour to be quite a success.

They had begun to sincerely consider the existence of monsters, which they had previously regarded either lightly or with fear.

Even if it was only a handful of nobles for now, this could become the beginning of broader positive interest.

However.

That was merely Knox’s personal satisfaction as a monster enthusiast. There was another true reason why so many northern nobles had been gathered in one place.

To keep watch on the opposition forces that should currently be in the banquet hall.

With the northern houses away, this is the perfect chance for the opposition to do something suspicious.

Once the situation at the training center had stabilized, Knox’s thoughts naturally drifted toward the banquet hall.

And at the same time—

Where the hell has that bastard gone?

He worried about Kyle, who still had not appeared.

Of course, Kyle must have felt horribly betrayed after discovering Knox’s lie, but even so, it would have been normal for him to have already arrived at the ducal castle if only to see Aisha, whom he adored so much.

If he still had not appeared, perhaps something had happened...

“...Knox. Are there any human-shaped monsters among the ones being trained?”

Just as his thoughts were about to spiral deeper into worry, Marquis Rant, who had been peering closely into the enclosure, suddenly asked a question.

“There are no humanoid ones.”

“Then what exactly is that young man... or monster? He definitely has violet eyes.”

“......?”

Knox, who had been answering absentmindedly while distracted by other thoughts, followed the direction of the Marquis’s finger.

At once, his mouth snapped shut.

Inside the enclosure—or more precisely, beyond the bars that screened the monsters from view—Kyle could be seen walking somewhere in a black robe.

Whatever he had been doing or wherever he had come from, he was roughly holding a cluster of flowers in one hand that glittered like snow crystals.

“...Guide. Take over here for a moment.”

“What? Yes!”

Knox, finally coming back to his senses, patted Guide on the shoulder and started running.

Kyle looked as though he intended to go find Aisha like that, but that had never been part of Calypse’s plan.

His clothes were completely unsuitable for the banquet. Worse, his violet eyes made it obvious that he had no intention whatsoever of concealing his identity.

If he went in like that, they would not catch the opposition at all. They would only expose Kyle’s identity.

“Kyle! Kyle, stop!”

Kyle had clearly heard him shout, but without so much as glancing back, he quickly disappeared.

“Damn it. Your Grace! Your Grace!”

Knox abruptly changed course and ran toward Calypse.

Something had gone very wrong.

***

“What are you talking about?”

“P-Princess!”

“Hello, Princess Aisha!”

The young ladies, who had been chatting with excited expressions, greeted me almost with shrieks when I appeared without warning.

After we exchanged a few light pleasantries, a young lady named Nati asked with sparkling eyes,

“Princess, by any chance, have you received a bouquet of Himali snow blossoms during today’s banquet?”

Himali snow blossoms.

As the name suggested, they were flowers that grew in colonies in the Himali Mountains, named because their blossoms resembled snow crystals.

Because they naturally emitted light at night, they were often used in children’s stories, with tales of tiny fairies plucking them to light their paths through the darkness.

But the Himali Mountains lay so deep in the north that even members of House Kreutz had never been there.

Even I had never seen them. To me, they were nothing more than legendary flowers from storybooks.

And she was asking whether I had received them?

“No. Is there actually a young lord who managed to get them...? I think even our family would have trouble with that.”

For some reason, the young ladies’ faces flushed with even greater excitement at my answer.

Standing at their center, Lady Nati spoke with an expression that could barely contain her anticipation.

“I saw a young lord holding those Himali snow blossoms while I was taking a walk earlier.”

“Really?”

“That’s not all. He said he brought them to give to you, Princess Aisha!”

...What? I only came over here to kill some time. What is this about?

“Who was he?”

“He was incredibly handsome...”

At my question, Lady Nati’s cheeks turned pink.

Hmm. Incredibly handsome... No. That’s not the important part!

“No, I mean his family.”

“I don’t know what family he’s from. But he said he had brought the flowers for you and asked me whether I knew where you were. When I said I didn’t, he disappeared immediately... Anyway, that bouquet shaped like snow crystals was so beautiful. He must be planning to propose to you with it, right?!”

The young lady spoke in a rush, apparently unable to contain her excitement, but I was thinking about something else entirely.

He went all the way to the Himali Mountains just to pick a flower? Rather than proposing to me, he sounds like someone House Kreutz should recruit as a knight...?

Just in case, I asked,

“Was the young lord dressed like a peacock?”

“No. He looked perfectly ordinary.”

Aha!

“Then I don’t think the flowers are meant for a proposal.”

“What?”

“It seems the dress code for the young lords who came here to court me is ‘peacock.’”

Apparently that man really was someone trying to make a good impression on me because he wanted to join the Kreutz knights.

If he’s that capable, Calypse will be delighted.

As I nodded to myself, the young ladies, who had been whispering among themselves while glancing nervously at me, cautiously asked,

“But... Princess, do you actually think that looks impressive?”

Absolutely not.

I nearly answered immediately because they looked so serious, but I could hardly tell them outright that I thought it looked awful, so I pressed my lips tightly together and answered with silence.

Apparently taking that as confirmation, the young ladies crowded closer.

“Exactly, right? In all my years in high society, I’ve never seen young lords dress as extravagantly as they have today.”

“The young lord of House Greita was wearing a cape longer than a dress. It was so long that it even had shoeprints on it.”

“...Actually, I think those might have been mine. I stepped on it without even realizing.”

Ah. I can’t resist that.

In the end, I opened my mouth.

“I need to go see this.”

“What? Princess, honestly. Hahahaha!”

Loud laughter burst out, and the young lords who had been pretending not to pay attention all turned to look our way at once.

“!”

After we had laughed and chatted for a while, today’s target finally entered my line of sight.

Margrave Rowan Briarwood.

Sun-kissed skin typical of the south, pleasant blond hair, and clean, open lines to his eyes and mouth.

He drew everyone’s attention the moment he entered. Even while offering polite nods with a courteous smile, his gaze moved around the room.

He’s probably looking for me.

“I should be going now. I enjoyed talking with you.”

After exchanging light farewells with the young ladies, I approached Count Rowan.

“Hello, Count Rowan.”

I carefully greeted him from behind—

“Ah, Princess Aisha!”

He turned with a slightly puzzled expression, then broke into such a bright smile that his teeth showed.

Ah. Suddenly, sunlight...

I raised a hand like a visor and narrowed my eyes.

His bright southern atmosphere made me feel warmer just by standing near him.

Separate from that, Margrave Rowan in the original novel had been described as fairly timid and guileless.

Despite being a southerner, from a region known for loving parties, he attended banquets so rarely that you could count the occasions on one hand.

Apparently, constantly dealing with displays of force and territorial tension along the border between Frozen and Doctia had naturally distanced him from high society...

Anyway, the point is that I’m going to have to lead this conversation today.

“Count, did you bring that for me?”

When I asked playfully, he looked startled, as though he had just remembered something, and held out whatever he had been carrying.