Chapter 9
Long Time No See
This morning we were expecting guests. My family lined up in front of the entrance, and soon the sound of rattling wheels drew near as a carriage stopped close by. The butlers quickly laid out a carpet from the carriage to the front door.
It was probably my first time formally welcoming guests. I always thought shoes were meant to keep one’s feet clean, but perhaps this was more about keeping the shoes themselves from getting dirty.
Flanked by my parents on either side, and with Leon standing behind me, we welcomed Duke Sheik and Louie as they stepped out of the carriage. I felt Leon ought to stand at my side as well, but for reasons known only to him, he insisted on remaining at my back.
As soon as Louie stepped down from the carriage, his face lit up with a bright smile when he saw me. He almost broke into a run but restrained himself, coming toward me at what could hardly be called a slow pace.
“Thank you very much for inviting us today.”
He bowed politely before me, gentlemanlike, and moved to press his lips to the back of my hand… but he couldn’t.
Leon, who had been clinging to me from behind like a kyonshi, casually intercepted the gesture. Clearly, Leon was wary of Louie.
The day before, he’d given me an endless list of warnings. They went on so long that I fell asleep partway through, but I remembered the first few:
Don’t meet his eyes. Don’t touch him. Don’t smile at him. Don’t flirt.
I had no intention of flirting, of course, but the rest were impossible to follow when treating a guest properly. Still, Leon kept making me nod until I dozed off. No doubt his intuition had picked up on some ominous premonition that his little sister might someday end up used as a chair.
“Lord Louied, if you don’t mind, I would be delighted to show you the garden. We’ve prepared a comfortable sitting area there.”
“By all means, let us go.”
Just as Mother and I had rehearsed days earlier, I guided the flow of conversation once greetings with Father were complete. Leon tried to volunteer himself as well, but he was gently rebuked—told that he should stay to converse with Duke Sheik instead.
Since the reception inside would be all stiff formality among adults, it seemed they were deliberately allowing us children to reunite outside. I led Louie to a white, round, Western-style gazebo a little ways from the manor and we sat down.
“Long time no see. Louie, you’ve grown a bit, haven’t you? You looked so gallant and gentlemanlike just now.”
Louie’s cheeks reddened and he looked down shyly before finally lifting his gaze. He was still as timid as ever.
“Maria, you too… you’ve become beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
To blush so much from such a small exchange… he’d never survive my family’s flowing stream of effusive compliments. And yet, this timid boy was supposed to grow into the kind of man who treated beautiful young women as his servants? All the more reason I had to stop it here and now, for the sake of fair maidens everywhere.
“Louie, has anything changed for you since then?”
“…I made a friend. Just one.”
Hopefully not that so-called “servant girl.”
“That’s wonderful. May I ask what sort of person?”
“He’s the son of the Knight Commander. His name’s Kyle. We’re the same age, but he already seems like a knight. He kind of reminds me of you, Maria…”
So it’s a boy. My apologies for suspecting otherwise.
“Reminds you of me? My face?”
“Don’t say ‘face’ like that! No, he doesn’t look like you. It’s his straightforwardness that’s similar. Nobody looks like you, Maria. No one.”
“That’s quite a bold claim. There might be three people in the world who do.”
“Impossible. Absolutely not. You’re special.”
Special… my face? When I looked in the mirror, I never thought it was anything remarkable. Was it really so unique? Well, the “chair scene” where my expression looked bizarrely delighted was certainly special, but I always thought I resembled Father and Mother quite a bit.
Father had the same silver hair as me and vivid, deep blue eyes. Mother had platinum-blond hair and golden eyes. Both had such youthful, serene features they sometimes looked like teenagers themselves.
“It’s wonderful you’ve made a friend. And since he’s a knight-in-training, maybe spending time with him will help you grow up properly.”
“That makes it sound like I’d grow up wrong on my own.”
“…You mean giving orders to girls, surrounding yourself with beauties, making them kneel on all fours and calling them chairs…”
Louie, who had only been glancing at me shyly until now, suddenly turned his whole face toward me, blushing furiously. What’s with that reaction? Suspicious.
“What are you saying! I’d never do anything like that! Sure, maybe my words are rough sometimes, but I don’t order people around. I’d turn down girls who tried to cling to me. And making someone crawl on all fours—what the hell’s in your head?! Pervert!!”
“Wait, you’re calling me a pervert, Louie!?”
He turned bright red and looked away. Unbelievable. That perverted behavior was your doing, you know!?
“Why would I ever do that! I’m not even interested in girls…”
“…Oh?”
“No! That’s not what I mean! It’s not that I can’t think about girls—it’s that I only need one. As long as I have one girl I truly love by my side, I’ll treasure her completely.”
I blinked in surprise. For a second I thought he’d strayed onto the path of preferring men. But perhaps this was actually progress? Thanks to his knight friend, the suffering maidens of the future might be spared. Amazing, Sir Kyle. At your age, you’ve already protected maidens indirectly. I’ll remember your name.
“Truth is, I wanted to visit you sooner. But the Arnim Marquis is famous for never letting his family out of sight. The fact we met at all is considered a miracle.”
Not a sheltered daughter, but a locked-away-in-a-vault daughter—that was me. Though right now I didn’t mind, since being away from Helen and Rufus would be too lonely.
“That’s true.”
“The Arnim Marquis family ranks high among the nobility, with vast lands and strong influence at court. Surely there are plenty of people eager to curry favor with you.”
“I’ve never seen any visitors at our house, though.”
“I thought so. Marquis Arnim is friendly, but he guards his family so stubbornly that strange rumors have spread. Some say there’s nobody inside the manor at all. Others say everyone but him is a ghost. Or that the mansion is full of beautiful dolls.”
“A haunted house!? That’s terrible for his reputation… I hate that Father is the subject of weird rumors. Next month, we’re planning to hold my birthday party quietly at the villa, but maybe we should invite guests as a chance to show ourselves.”
“I’ll come!”
Louie’s eyes sparkled as he grinned brightly.
“I’ll ask Father, but I can’t promise it’ll happen. If it does, I’ll invite you—and your friend Kyle as well.”
“Kyle’s the only son of Count Elter. His rank makes him eligible. And don’t worry, he’s not interested in girls.”
“…Oh?”
“No, no! What I meant is—he’s just obsessed with training to become a knight. That’s all.”
“I see. I’ll look forward to his future then.”
Perhaps he’d grow into a burly gorilla-like man. The thought excited me.
“Your face looks dangerous right now.”
“Shut up.”
A macho gorilla man…
