Chapter 50
I Want to Be Helpful to You (5)
I quickly flicked my finger to hide myself with an invisibility spell.
I tucked the letter inside my outer garment for now. Surely, they wouldn’t immediately notice just one missing letter.
I had already pushed the drawer back in, was there anything else different?
Just as I quickly surveyed the surroundings and confirmed, the door opened, and Father and Ethan entered the study together.
Using an invisibility spell doesn’t make you silent.
Being careful not to make any noise, I moved to lean against the bookshelf.
“Ahem.”
Father immediately came in and sat down at the desk.
He didn’t seem to notice that the drawer had been opened and closed.
…But why did Ethan come in with him?
While I was looking at Ethan questioningly, my father gently opened the conversation.
“If you had made an appointment through a servant, you wouldn’t have had to wait. I was enjoying the good weather outside. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, young lord.”
“Not at all. It was a sudden thought, so it’s my fault for visiting immediately, even though I knew it was impolite.”
Ethan is also very polite. He stood in front of the desk with his hands behind his back, with a demeanor of dignity and manners that was unbelievable for someone still called a young lord.
‘…Oh no.’
Did he make up an excuse about having something to say because Father noticed him knocking on the door?
But it shouldn’t have been difficult for him to hide right after knocking.
‘Could it be on purpose…?’
No. That’s overthinking it. I shook my head.
‘Whatever he’s going to say, I just hope it’s not nonsense.’
No matter how young, Ethan is Ethan. He’s not someone who can’t take care of himself.
‘But why do I feel so anxious….’
“Please, speak.”
Father spoke kindly. Ethan tilted his head slightly. I caught his fine bangs falling to the side. It means I was that focused on him.
‘Let’s see, what he’s going to say….’
“I want to start a development project in Crowell territory.”
“…Pardon?”
For a moment, I thought I had shouted.
But it was Father who had spoken.
Ethan pressed a point on the map of Crowell Castle’s territory spread under the glass of the wide desk.
“From here…”
His finger, pointing at Crowell Castle, moved relentlessly from the wide mountains next to the castle to the wasteland. And it stopped at a point that almost covered the entire Crowell territory.
“…to here, I want to help with land reclamation.”
It’s a vast territory. It was clear that this was a project that couldn’t even be attempted without a magician of my level.
‘…That much?’
I know best what can be achieved with money and power, but still.
I stared at the back of Ethan Behemoth’s head.
“The Behemoth Duchy will bear the cost of troops and resources needed for the development and reclamation.”
‘What’s his intention?’
Father also belatedly raised his head, not hiding his perplexed expression.
“….I appreciate the offer, but this is a remote territory with frequent monster appearances. The development would be troublesome. Besides, you’ve only been here a day. What did you see to make such an offer….?”
“I saw Edith Crowell.”
‘Me?’
“Pardon?”
I looked at Ethan with a similar expression to father’s.
Whether he felt my gaze that had disappeared with the invisibility spell or not, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…What I’m proposing is, therefore, a marriage alliance based on an engagement relationship. Connecting the Behemoth Duchy and the Crowell Barony…”
‘……’
Is there anyone who has driven me this crazy in such a short time as Ethan Behemoth?
I barely held back an escaping sigh.
[Let’s stop and come out.]
When I spoke directly into Ethan’s mind with magic, Ethan quickly concluded his words.
“…Please consider the matter. Well then.”
“…We will need to discuss this further later. For now, I need to think. You may go.”
Father dismissed Ethan with a chilly voice.
I slipped out just as he opened the door and came out.
The hallway was much cooler than inside the office.
As soon as I turned the corner of the long corridor following Ethan, I used magic to confirm there were no servants nearby. Then I quickly dispelled my invisibility.
“Edith.”
Ethan called me just as I dispelled the invisibility spell. I also immediately lowered my voice towards him and started speaking.
“Ethan. Why did you say that? Are you crazy?”
“You mean about the marriage alliance?”
“I can see from your immediate response that you already know.”
“Come to think of it, I should have asked you first.”
He turned around completely to look at me as if he had realized something. No. That’s not the issue right now.
“That’s not what I was pointing out.”
“No, it’s important. Edith, do you dislike it?”
“……”
They say there are no coincidences in this world.
I will call it cheating that Ethan Behemoth happened to turn around at a spot by the window, that the brainwashed servants were dedicating their entire lives to polishing the castle, and that today was an exceptionally sunny day for Crowell Territory, which is famous for its harsh weather.
The way his sharp eyes glimmered like dark sapphires.
“If you were to get engaged to me.”
That’s why I couldn’t immediately deny it….
“…Of course. I’m not interested in strengthening family relations through marriage alliances. I didn’t know Ethan was interested in such things.”
Get a grip. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve realized Ethan Behemoth is handsome.
Before he could point out my slight hesitation, I quickly added words and touched my forehead.
His jawline seems to have become sharper. Is he still growing even in those few days? Maybe it’s natural. He’s in his growth period, after all.
“You don’t think I’d be interested?”
“…You’re always swinging your sword. You like sparring and battles, and never back down. Naturally, a future on the battlefield comes to mind rather than a peaceful family life.”
Oops. That was a bit harsh.
Anyway, imaginations—or rather, delusions—like Ethan liking me in this life too were no longer welcome.
I had never done anything to gain his favor, and it hadn’t even been a day since we concluded that our relationship was just friends who happened to be by each other’s side.
So to describe my feelings accurately… it was closer to not wanting to make the same mistake as I did at the fountain during the Academy days.
Because the more I do, the more I’ll only be reminded of the fact that he’s a terrible battle maniac and war maniac.
I rubbed my face once and started speaking.
“…I spoke a bit harsh just now. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like it’s the first time.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I’ll let it slide once because we’re friends. Letting out a faint sigh, I leaned my shoulder against the wall.
“…Let’s start with explaining your intention. You didn’t start with engagement, so there must be a reason you brought up the development project, right?”
“I wanted to check the range of reactions that brainwashed people are wary of.”
“Please explain in more detail.”
“We already know that brainwashed people are sensitive to damage to Crowell Castle’s property. Then, how far does the range they’re sensitive to extend? Would the territory’s people or the territory itself be included in that range?”
“So you mentioned reclamation and development projects. Because developing is also a kind of damage?”
“That’s right.”
“So what was the result?”
While I was observing Ethan, Ethan was observing Father’s face.
Like me, having witnessed the intense reactions of a brainwashed person three times, he would have been able to easily gauge the level of excitement of Father, who was facing him closely.
He raised one hand and made a gesture of pointing at an invisible map.
“Here, and here. Even when my finger passed over the mountain next to Crowell Castle, the rejection reaction was fierce. If I wasn’t a young lord, I might have been kicked out already at this point.”
“…Did you realize you could be kicked out?”
“Of course.”
He answered nonchalantly and continued.
“So… it seems the range of brainwashing is wider than Crowell Castle.”
“…This is serious. But the knights guarding the outer castle were fine when we entered Crowell Territory, so the source must be Crowell Castle.”
“I agree. And Edith. I haven’t even mentioned when the brainwashing reacted most intensely yet.”
“Was there a time when it was most intense?”
In response to my question, Ethan slowly raised a finger that was gesturing at the map and pointed at me.
“It was when I pointed at you.”
“…Did you bring up the marriage alliance or whatever to confirm that?”
“That’s right.”
“Haa….”
What? So that’s what it was. My voice lightened.
“Then you should have asked me first, even if it was just bait.”
Ethan Behemoth really lacks sensitivity.
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
