Chapter 18
“Or could it be…?”
At that moment, a single thought suddenly crossed her mind. Violette was undoubtedly the child of Marquis Rascal and his wife—but the soul residing within her was not truly Violette’s. No matter how she thought about it, that was the only reason the Holy Sword might have reacted to her.
“Could it be what?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Unable to bring herself to say such a thing to Narcissa, she brushed it off vaguely. Deciding to look into it secretly later, Violette calmly changed the subject.
“Then what should we do with this sword? Is it really okay to just keep it in amethyst form?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? You just take it.”
“…Huh?”
Narcissa spoke as casually as if he were giving her a piece of clothing or jewelry, leaving Violette more than a little flustered. Just moments ago, he had gone on at length about how it was a precious sword bestowed directly by the founding emperor—yet now he was handing it over to her without hesitation.
“It’d just sit here as a decoration anyway. No one’s used it for two hundred years. Well, not that they didn’t want to—they couldn’t. And yet, that sword chose you. There has to be a reason.”
“Ah… still, I feel bad just taking it like this…”
“Of course, none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t gone poking around someone else’s house and touched the sword. But what can you do.”
There was a sharp edge to Narcissa’s words, but since he wasn’t wrong, Violette couldn’t argue. After hesitating briefly, she picked up the amethyst again and let the sword take form in her hand.
“Then I’ll use it well. Thank you. If I die for some reason, I’ll make sure the sword is returned to the ducal house, so don’t worry too much.”
“Why would you say something so ominous? But can you even handle a sword? It looks almost as big as you are…”
At Narcissa’s worried remark, she snorted in disbelief. Asking whether she could handle a sword—of all things, it was the most absurd thing she’d heard in a long time.
“Narcissa, do you think I’ve been going around beating up noble young masters with my bare hands all this time?”
“…So you’ve been stabbing them with a sword?”
“Well, close enough.”
Having regained her composure, Violette lightly swung the sword in her hand. It fit her perfectly, as though it had been forged for her from the very beginning.
Though she had obtained it by chance, the sword in front of her was more to her liking than anything she had ever wielded before. Her pale green eyes glimmered, reflected sharply in the keen blade.
Excited, Violette kept swinging the sword through the air. As it sliced through the wind and flashed before their eyes, Narcissa shook his head. When he held out his palm as if asking for the sword back, Violette raised an eyebrow and hid it closer to her body.
“That’s so unfair! You can’t take back something you already gave!”
“I’m not taking it back. I’m holding it for you. How are you planning to carry that all the way back to the territory? The amethyst form is much more convenient. Once we get there, I’ll have it crafted into a necklace or earrings.”
“Oh… right. Thanks…”
Feeling awkward for having doubted him, Violette smiled sheepishly and handed over the sword. Narcissa tucked the amethyst into his inner pocket, then turned and left the room.
Though he didn’t show it, his thoughts were quite tangled. Glancing sideways, he looked at Violette, who was cheerfully following him with the egg tucked under her arm.
‘The Holy Sword really chose her?’
Until now, the only people the Holy Sword had ever responded to were members of the Kegreiner family—those with exceptionally special sword aura. All who wielded it ended their lives bearing illustrious titles such as the empire’s finest swordsman, Sword Master, or war hero.
Narcissa himself, having little interest in swordsmanship, had given up on wielding the Holy Sword early on. But his father, Ophea Kegreiner, and the previous generations had devoted tremendous effort to mastering it.
Slipping a hand into his pocket, Narcissa toyed with the small amethyst. According to records, the Holy Sword concealed itself in the form best suited to its master.
Until today, he had thought that nothing more than a fanciful tale made up to glorify the sword.
If he hadn’t personally witnessed the amethyst fall from Violette’s hand today, he would have doubted that story until the day he died. Staring at the softly swaying hair beside him, a faint smile spread across his lips.
He could finally understand why the Holy Sword had chosen to become an amethyst.
“So, are we leaving now?”
“Yeah. I think we’ve found almost everything we need. If I compare this with what I investigated earlier, I should be able to get an answer. Let’s go before it gets any later.”
“Alright!”
“Oh my, Narcissa!”
Just as the two opened the door of the annex to leave, a familiar voice called out to them from ahead. It was Ayla Kegreiner, Narcissa’s mother and the Duchess of Kegreiner. Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, Narcissa looked flustered.
“Mother? Why are you at the estate at this hour?”
“I came back early today. But really, how could you come all this way and think of leaving without stopping by?”
“N-no, it’s not like that. I was just about to come and greet you.”
“Don’t lie. You even asked Meln when your father would be back. Do you think I don’t know you by now? I’m just glad I happened to spot your carriage on the way… Come along. At least stay for dinner. It’s my first time seeing Violette since the wedding—I’d like to talk a bit.”
“We were going to—”
Ayla looked at them with a gentle smile. Just as Narcissa was about to refuse, Violette lightly poked his side and stepped into the conversation.
“We thought you might be busy, so we were going to head back. But if you’re inviting us, we’d be honored. Thank you, Duchess.”
“As expected, Violette—you’re so thoughtful. I’ll go on ahead, so follow me.”
Hearing Violette speak in such a soft, refined tone for once, Narcissa shuddered slightly. He found it hard to adjust to seeing her speak just like any other young noble lady.
“So… are we really staying for dinner?”
“Yeah. Why not? I like your parents. And this is a chance.”
“A chance for what?”
“To show them how sweet our newlywed life is.”
With that, Violette winked playfully. Narcissa could only follow after her in a daze, finding the situation utterly ridiculous. Somehow, it felt like a rather formidable dinner awaited him.
Contrary to his expectations, the dinner was exceedingly pleasant. Unlike usual, Violette was courteous and proper, actively engaging in the conversation, while Ophea and Ayla listened with warm smiles, clearly enjoying her words.
Quietly, Narcissa lifted his glass and took a sip of water. The three of them were chatting so animatedly that even if he slipped away, no one would likely notice.
“So, is everything going well with managing the territory?”
“There’s still a lot I’m not used to, but I’m learning diligently. Since it’s my first time in Navian Territory, many things felt unfamiliar, but everyone at the estate has been kind. And above all, Narcissa takes such good care of me. I’ve been doing very well so far.”
“He really does resemble me in being affectionate toward his wife, doesn’t he?”
“Oh, honestly.”
Only then did Narcissa realize that throughout dinner, Violette had been subtly praising him. Most of it was exaggerated, but Ophea and Ayla seemed genuinely pleased to hear compliments about their son. After a brief hesitation, Ayla looked straight at Narcissa and spoke slowly.
“To be honest, I’ve been worried all this time, even though I never said it aloud. Narcissa has always been… unusual. It feels strange to say this myself, but despite being born into the Kegreiner ducal family, he had no interest in inheriting the title, disliked politics, and hated business. It broke my heart.”
Bitterness spread across Ayla’s face. Though she had clashed with Narcissa for a long time, she loved her child more than anyone. Watching her, Ophea gently took her hand and spoke.
“Of course, we understand your desire to become a mage. As parents, we naturally want to support our child’s dreams. But we also have duties. As you know, Violette, we must never forget that everything we enjoy was built upon someone else’s sweat and labor. And we must take responsibility for enjoying it.”
“That’s why when Narcissa said he was getting married, we were happy—but also worried. We wondered if he was marrying for the sake of the family, or because he couldn’t withstand our pressure. But after hearing you today, I’m relieved. It seems you’re truly happy together.”
Instead of answering, Violette offered a gentle smile. Ophea’s words about duty and responsibility as nobles stirred her sense of guilt. She had never once thought about such things.
At the Rascal marquisate, she had given up her claim as an heir early on and lived carefree, doing little more than enjoying herself. Even in Navian Territory, she merely handled tasks delegated to her, never seriously striving to learn or solve anything.
To her, Navian Territory was simply a place to stay for a year before leaving—but to the servants and the people of the land, it was their lifelong home. Only then did Violette realize how lightly she had entered into her contract with Narcissa.
