43. Unwelcome Return (1)
Surprised by Suren’s words, I turned around. She casually spoke harsh words.
“If you want to put it in a cage for transportation, you have to do that, right? If it tries to fly, it’ll hurt itself more. And when it’s young, cutting helps it adapt faster and heal quickly. If you want to raise it as a pet.”
Sometimes, even in a delicate situation, Suren spoke chilling words as if it was nothing.
“You say frightening things, Suren. It’s better not to say such things in front of the weak.”
“To survive as a maid, I have no choice. As a minority, I’ve faced countless discriminations. I had to be tougher than others to survive. The empire here casually discriminates, too.”
I agreed. Even though we were of the same nobility, she had experienced discrimination just because of her mixed blood. In other places, being a Baronet like me wouldn’t lead to contempt from a maid. Her status as a minority must have made her situation even more miserable.
“Young Lady should toughen up a bit more to survive. Even if you’re mixed-blood, many people hate the blood of minorities. Although the capital adapts quickly, in the provinces, people get stoned to death just for being a minority.”
She added.
“If you want to keep this bird around, you’ll have to cut its wing feathers.”
“No. It’ll live without doing that. It’s okay; it can survive.”
I murmured quietly.
It can survive. It felt like I was cheering myself on.
We can survive. Both you and I.
* * *
An urgent report arrived in the capital.
In the center of the thick, light pink paper, there was a neatly stamped seal.
The royal emblem was imprinted on the red wax seal. It bore the same pattern as the one engraved on the prince’s shoes. The memory of that time flashed back, causing an involuntary shiver.
“We can depart according to the schedule.”
Deon, who was carefully reading down the document, folded the paper. Despite this being the first letter he received since being demoted and coming down from the northern regions, there was no noticeable expression on his face. He seemed indifferent, as if he had seen a flyer trampled on the street rather than a letter from his hometown.
“Do we have permission?”
Viter asked.
“For now.”
Viter took the document from Deon’s hand.
While reading down the letter with a smile, Viter’s expression gradually distorted. It didn’t look good.
“Isn’t it a lottery ticket?”
Could it be that entering the capital is prohibited? At my question, he weakly replied.
“It is indeed a lottery ticket. And it’s for entering the capital.”
He slumped into his chair and let out a deep sigh. He looked tense.
“I thought Viter would be happy if it’s a lottery ticket. But no.”
“…It’s not a proper reception.”
He spat out the words like a curse.
“Even though it’s a lottery ticket, there’s no award ceremony. They say to quietly come to the capital and receive the baptism in the temple.”
He clenched the paper in his hand, and it crumpled miserably.
“This is why they only fix the documents.”
“Did you want a ceremony?”
“Not that I wanted… originally, the reason for hosting a ceremony is to show it to the imperial citizens. There’s nothing easier to promote the lottery than a grand festival. If you quietly come up to the capital, who will know? Even the imperial citizens living in the capital are mostly unaware of the lottery.”
He seemed genuinely angry. The confidently speaking man now appeared irritated. Continuously frowning, he forcefully put down the document.
“Although it’s written that unnecessary formalities will be reduced due to His Majesty’s health, will they really? Not long ago, the empress’s birthday celebration was so extravagant it bordered on extravagance. I wonder how it’s any different from treating the lottery like a mere mercenary.”
“Viter, be careful with your words.”
Deon, who had been staring at the document without expression for a while, spoke.
“Anyway, our goal was to enter the capital. Nothing else is necessary. If they say being too conscious of the ceremony will be tiring, then so be it.”
“But still, we should accept the treatment others receive. Did we make unreasonable demands? These are things we should naturally receive. Surely, it must have caused a commotion among the nobility of the Second Prince’s faction. Moreover, since many nobles who organize events are involved.”
“Nevertheless, the response came faster than expected. If we proceed according to the original schedule, there won’t be a need to find a separate residence.”
“You plan to return to the mansion as originally planned?”
Deon nodded in response to Viter’s question.
“That’s fine. It feels refreshing. It might be a bit dirty from being neglected for a long time, but… if we clean and tidy it up diligently, it should be better. Regardless of where we go, it must be better than here, right? Even if we clean the windows every day, the frost still builds up. So, it’s better than waking up to a place covered in snow the next day…”
Vitair shivered as he spoke.
Everyone seemed to have no complaints about the cold of the North, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.
If it had been on the outskirts of the capital, they could have secured a spot next to the famous dessert shop… The legendary dessert shop, where even nobles had to stand for over two hours just to get a taste of the bestselling item. I wondered what it tasted like.
It’s a pity, but it doesn’t matter. Just escaping from the North was not a bad thing.
From the bedroom to the secretary’s office, from the secretary’s office to the study. It felt like the place where one would die was gradually becoming warmer.
Wherever one dies, the body temperature will eventually drop rapidly under the blade.
It was better to have entertainment closer than a place to live immediately, for the next four months.
“It would be nice if it were close to the shop…”
Deon opened his mouth, hearing my muttering as if talking to myself.
“That house… has a larger greenhouse than here.”
We’ll have to redecorate it from the beginning since it hasn’t been cultivated. He added,
“You can also place flowers.”
It was a dull consolation. I couldn’t understand the intention behind those words. I didn’t need to explain or convince; I just had to be by his side.
Without much to say, I stared at him and eventually spoke.
“That’s… fine. It seems like a good place for the bird to live.”
He responded to my words.
“It’ll be a good place for you to live too.”
* * *
I placed candles in front of the grave and lit them. The wind blew, making it difficult for the fire to catch.
“Can you shield it from the wind a bit?”
Suren stood still, ignoring my words.
In front of the tombstone, fruits and snacks were laid out. After dinner, all the usable dishes were packed into the head chef’s cart. Unable to find suitable dishes, she brought out the ones that were supposed to be discarded.
They closed their eyes, buried in the cold ground.
It was pitiful for them to stay in this barren land where even the grass wouldn’t grow.
“I did ask her to do it, but… What’s this in the middle of the night? We need to leave early tomorrow, and if you don’t sleep now, you’ll be tired.”
Suren tutted. She came out, wearing only a cloak over her nightwear, and stood in front of the grave, yawning continuously.
“What is this?”
“…A memorial service, perhaps?”
It seemed like that.
“Do we need an exorcism? Should we drive away these ghosts disturbing the princess’s peace of mind?”
“…”
“Or what do you see? Maybe… have these spirits been bothering the princess’s mind until now?”
Suren frowned. She seemed ready to dig up the grave and bring out the corpse, looking like she was about to commit a murder.
I chuckled. You really don’t understand this.
There was no concept of ancestral rites or ceremonies here.
“On the contrary, it’s a treat. Come here, eat before you leave.”
Suren’s face turned pale.
“Are you… summoning ghosts?”
Her face was even whiter than her eyes. It now seemed to be as white as her hair.
“No, it’s just offering comfort. Wish them well.”
“Why bother?”
“There’s no one else to take care of them now.”
“Take care? Of this graveyard?”
Suren wrinkled her forehead.
“Was there anyone taking care of it before? Except for occasionally visiting to hide items by the princess, this place was originally deserted. It’s on the way to the princess’s frequent path, so the servants cleared the way, but it was usually an uninhabited place.”
The surroundings of the graveyard, as she described, were desolate and lonely.
“So… I’m doing more for them. It was originally where I would be buried. Birds of a feather.”
She shrugged when Suren tilted her head.
“Don’t make creepy noises. Are the princess and those people alike? It seems like the weather has gotten colder, and the princess looks more empty-hearted. But the princess will live much longer! Don’t worry. Get rid of negative thoughts. Now that you’re leaving the North, leave all the strange thoughts here.”
Now that there were no more belongings to leave behind, it would be good to leave their hearts here as well.
Suren, who said so, jumped in place. She was scared that ghosts might appear, shaking off the fear on her shoulders. It was cute. I let out a dry laugh.
“Yeah. Thanks for the joke.”
I touched the tombstone.
The tombstone was not well-maintained and looked old, but the sunken relief allowed the name to be read.
With my fingertips, I traced the name.
Ray Houston.
He was a replacement for Deon during the peak of the war.
It was a cruel fate. Perhaps he was a man who had worse luck than me.
Blood was needed more during the war, and he was dragged to the battlefield. He died, entangled in enemy bombing on a foreign land without ever setting foot on his territory.
Fraser Duncan.
He was an old man who lived a vagabond life after being rejected by his child. He accepted the proposal of the Duke and came to the North, living a very short life.
Naturally, he died of old age, but it was difficult to believe their records as they were.
Maybe he had forced himself too much and died earlier than expected. Periodic blood donation was a strain even on a healthy person.
“Shall we light the candles now?”
I nodded.
Before Suren could blow, the wind blowing from the mountains extinguished the flame.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we don’t become evil spirits after eating this? Don’t stick too close to the princess. Staying close to the Duke… might be okay.”
Suren, who was scolding, was cute. How the opinion about the Duke changed in just a moment.
“Don’t you like the Duke?”
She asked as she gathered the food from in front of the tombstone.
“I don’t really like him now.”
“Really? Why?”
“He wasn’t a real lover. He wasn’t even a fake one. Moreover, if you just observe the situation, the princess would have to pretend to love even more passionately, right? It hurts my pride. Rather than demanding that she pretend to love, it would have been better if he had just said he loved her. Then, maybe it could have been passed over.”
Suren rolled her eyes at my words. Was it because of that?
“You think I would fall for it if he whispered that he loves me with that face?”
“If he whispers that he loves with that face, is there a woman who wouldn’t fall for it? Even if you try to think rationally that it’s a lie, it won’t work when you make eye contact.”
That’s true.
I’m used to it now and don’t get surprised as much as before, but his face is still fantastic.
It makes sense that Leonie in the original work fell for him at first sight.
And maybe, I believed it a little too.
“Anyway, no one will believe it. If I say I have a crush, some might believe a little.”
“Why? The princess is not bad! Except for staying in the unsuitable North, her figure becoming thin, her skin getting rough, and her hair breaking off, she’s not bad.”
That seemed to be all that determined a person’s beauty.
“Anyway, don’t forget to participate in the inspection and join the acting. It’s faster for rumors to spread from the maids in the back room than the talk of the ladies drinking tea. Don’t forget that.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Suren silently replied, munching on the apple she had placed in front of the grave. There was a crisp sound from her mouth.
