Chapter 43
Happy Crowell Castle (7)
As I came down to the dining room, everyone was still waiting for me without touching their utensils. Even Ethan was already seated.
“I’m late. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, just sit down quickly.”
“Yes.”
I quietly looked at my father’s kind face, then found my empty seat. As it happened, the vacant seat was across from Ethan and next to Diana.
Ethan stood up and pulled out my chair, escorting me.
“Thank you.”
I nodded quickly at his courtesy and sat down. As I did so, I glanced at Ethan’s face, his sculptured features still shining as usual.
…I hope nothing happened while I was gone?
Ethan must have felt my gaze, as he whispered while pushing in my chair.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just looking. Does it wear you out?”
“Maybe.”
“……”
I turned my head abruptly, deeming it not worth responding to.
Diana in the next seat, having heard the whispers, made a “Bleh” gesture as if vomiting, but was warned by mother with a stern “Diana.” A laugh almost escaped me.
…It’s the same peaceful family dinner scene. To the point where my worries seemed unnecessary.
The appropriately sized chandelier lit up the dining room brightly, and all the cutlery in front of the seats shone without discoloration.
The food brought out by the chef soon after was all excellent. To what extent? It was of a level that could be proudly presented to Ethan Behemoth.
The crispy baked bread had risen fully in the oven, with the brown crust cracking to release the sweet smell of butter.
Not only that, from the amuse-bouche made with fresh herbs and raw meat, to the soup full of mushrooms, the salad made of mashed sweet potatoes, the perfectly cooked steak, and the main dish of turkey with fragrant mashed fruits spilling from between its parted flesh…
It was a feast prepared to celebrate the safe return of the beloved young lady of the Baron and Baroness from the turmoil at the academy.
Everything was peaceful and going smoothly.
‘Right. What’s the big deal about not mentioning one wound.’
They might not have seen it. It’s fading away now anyway…
Just as I was starting to feel relieved, that’s when it happened.
The conversation at the dinner table was focused on the guest, Ethan Behemoth.
How well I had adapted to the academy, and exactly what had happened during the subjugation.
Mother and Father asked things that any parent of an academy student would naturally be curious about.
In response to these questions, Ethan, unlike his usual behavior, spoke like a quite well-mannered student.
“…So, thanks to the Imperial Knights arriving on time, we were able to deal with the monsters that attacked the campsite.”
“My, it really was a dire situation. We were so focused on the news that Edith was safe that we didn’t know about all this.”
“We’re so fortunate that Young Lord Behemoth accompanied our Edith. We don’t know how to thank you enough…”
Mother and Father were completely absorbed in Ethan’s story. Ethan led the conversation with a skill that seemed beyond his years.
“The Dean also seemed to refrain from saying too much, probably not wanting to worry you. And actually, Edith was the one who helped me a lot.”
Right, so he even knows how to put in a good word for me. I leisurely picked up my glass and drank water, with their conversation as background noise.
Rather than boasting about myself through my own words, it looked better to have Ethan step up and praise me.
To ease my father’s worries, having someone like Ethan vouch for me was probably necessary.
By the way… with Ethan defending me to this extent, you’d think Diana would start to show some fondness towards him too.
But Diana’s reaction was quite poor.
I don’t know how much longer Ethan plans to stay at Crowell Castle, but Crowell territory was a place that could be toured entirely in 3 days, yet also insufficient to explore even in 3 months.
Why? Currently, there is too much unexplored wasteland.
Crowell territory only rises to prominence after I become a hero.
So for now, it was just a remote area frequently invaded by monsters and where the abduction of territory residents often occurred.
Therefore, if Ethan wants to briefly tour Crowell territory, it would take about 3 days, and during that time he would frequently encounter Diana. It would be troublesome if Diana showed displeasure every time she saw Ethan.
I didn’t expect Diana, who generally likes people, to be so unreceptive to Ethan for no apparent reason…
As I put down my glass, I suddenly turned to look at Diana.
Come to think of it, why is Diana so quiet?
Even if the attention is focused on Ethan, Diana is only 12 years old.
In the dinner scenes at Crowell Castle that I remember, Diana’s chattering voice was always heard.
It’s too quiet today….
Here’s the English translation:
I glanced at Diana, and she was pretending to eat with a pale expression.
She couldn’t even properly pierce the food with her fork, and was making empty gestures with the fork to her mouth.
…Is she still upset about Ethan being my friend?
“Diana.”
“…!”
I leaned over carefully and whispered, trying to comfort her.
Diana startled, dropping the fork she was holding to the floor.
Clang!
A sharp sound rang out.
“Oh dear, I’ll pick it up for you.”
And at that moment when I lowered my head under the table…
…A strange silence fell over the table.
The voices of father and mother, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly ceased.
“Diana, did you just drop your fork?”
It was my father’s gloomy voice, one I’d never heard before. Even when scolding me for returning from the subjugation exercise, his voice wasn’t this cold.
Slowly, I felt around the floor, grasped the fork, and raised my body.
“I dropped it. I’m sorry.”
Instantly, Father’s cold face softened.
Diana turned to look at me with a pale face.
Deliberately not looking in Diana’s direction, I asked a servant for a new fork and turned my head to look at the table.
Then, as if winding up a talking doll, Father continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“Where were we? So that’s how Edith came to attend the academy.”
Then he turned to me with a benevolent smile.
It was the same smile he had when I first entered the dining room.
Mother also had the same smile on her lips as she looked at me.
“Edith? You don’t look well.”
“Is something wrong?”
Both of them still didn’t even glance at the bandage wrapped around my hand. There’s no way they couldn’t have noticed it.
And on top of that, their bright smiles felt out of place…
“……”
Diana trembled without raising her head, and Ethan Behemoth, sitting across from me, stopped talking and looked at me with a serious face. He must have sensed it too.
That this wasn’t how my beloved family should be. That something was wrong.
I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth. The strength in my hand holding the fork completely drained. I couldn’t even muster the energy to stand up from my seat.
I couldn’t fathom what had gone wrong, or where it had started.
🥀
After that, I couldn’t eat anything.
But Ethan continued to lead the conversation naturally, helping me gather my thoughts and obtain information.
Thanks to him, I was able to discover a few patterns in my mother and father’s strange behavior.
Firstly, mother and father don’t notice the changes that have occurred to my body since I left Crowell Castle.
Secondly, they are extremely sensitive to damage to objects. I’m not sure what the range of ‘objects’ includes.
And lastly, third, they…
They love me. Excessively so.
The melted ice cream pooled in the dessert bowl.
“Edith, you haven’t looked well for a while now. You can go to your room first if you’d like.”
I suddenly raised my head at my mother’s voice.
It was a kind voice, in stark contrast to the cold tone she had used moments ago when ordering Diana to return to her room and reflect after she had trembled and broken a plate while receiving her dessert.
It was the first time I had seen mother lose her temper like that, as if forgetting we had a guest in Ethan.
As that thought occurred to me, the discrepancy between the parents in my memory and the ones before my eyes grew even larger, making my head feel like it was about to burst.
Pretending to give in to Mother’s consideration, I nodded.
“…I’m sorry. I think I’m tired from the long journey. I’ll retire first.”
“Go ahead, dear.”
“Edith, if you’re hurting anywhere, you must tell us, okay?”
But why can’t you notice the wound on my palm?
“…Yes.”
I bowed my head lightly and stood up.
I can’t bear this situation any longer.
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
