Chapter 85
“Wait! Why did this even come to my office? Marquis Donovan? Who is that? … Does this kind of thing happen often? I’ll make sure to warn the attendants, but Oz, if any other mail like this comes, just send it back immediately.”
“Ack—! Cough. Y-Yes, Your Highness. Cough.”
“Oh dear, you’re coughing…. Must be the chilly wind. You’ve got to take good care of your lungs as you get older, Oz. Don’t let it turn into pneumonia. You know what’s good for that? Bellflower root tea. Pear and bellflower!”
“Pear and… what? That’s not a curse word, is it?”
“No, no! It’s a real thing—it’s good for your throat! Oh! And if your throat keeps tickling and you can’t stop coughing, buy some of that rock salt from the Tolki Trading Company. They say it works wonders.”
“I have heard of that, yes. It’s very popular these days, though a bit expensive.”
“Right. But it’s worth every coin, they say. So make sure you get some.”
“Understood, Your Highness. Thank you. But, really, what brings you here today?”
Ah! My scatterbrained self!
I lightly tapped both cheeks with my palms—Oz flinched, clutching his own face in alarm—as I opened the box I’d brought.
“These are all invitations addressed to me.”
“Hah… I see. Looking at this mountain of invitations brings back memories, somehow….”
Oz’s gaze grew distant and nostalgic.
“Really? Oh-ho! So even farmers exchange invitations, huh? Well, if you’re strong and healthy, might as well put yourself out there.”
“C-Cough—! What? Cough!”
Oz was coughing again.
This is bad.
Maybe his lungs really are in trouble.
Watching him turn red from the coughing fit, I started to worry in earnest.
“Oz, this won’t do. You need to buy that rock salt right away. Or should I just buy it for you?”
“Oh, heavens, no, Your Highness. I’ll make sure to get some myself.”
“Really? Then promise me. Don’t make me worry.”
Oz nodded, his eyes drifting back toward the stack of invitations. I continued my explanation.
“Right, where was I? Ah, yes. I’ve been thinking of attending some social gatherings from now on, but I don’t know which ones to go to. I’d like you to sort through the invitations for me.”
“Ah, I see. Do you have any particular criteria in mind, Your Highness?”
“Hmm… I’d prefer families that don’t have much to trade or negotiate with. No political strings attached. You know what I mean, right? We meet, chat a bit, grab a meal, maybe watch a movie, and call it a day. Clean and simple.”
“Chat a bit and… watch a what, Your Highness?”
Oz bit his lip, looking like he was about to cough again.
“That’s not the point, Oz. Context! I just want to meet people I can laugh with and part ways without any pressure. No scheming, no overthinking—just… easy.”
Oz furrowed his brow slightly, mulling it over.
“But don’t such people already exist, Your Highness? There’s the young Duke Märchen and the Marchioness of Lewendip’s daughter. It may be difficult to find others like them….”
“Sure, I know. That’s why I’m asking you, Oz. Good. Start.”
“Haaaah…”
“That wasn’t a sigh, was it?”
“Of course not, Your Highness.”
Oz’s cheek twitched. Heh, cute. I pushed the box toward him and stood up.
“I’ll leave it to you, Oz. Oh—look at the time! I’d better get going.”
“Your Highness?”
“I’ll be back tomorrow!”
“Your… Highness?”
As I hurried out of the office, I poked my head back in one last time, flashed a grin, and winked at him.
“Phew… I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Highness.”
Oz chuckled helplessly as he saw me off.
*
Early the next morning, Oz brought me the sorted list I’d asked for, saving me a ton of time.
As expected of my brilliant aide, Oz! A joy to work with!
“Look, Liz! Oz organized everything so perfectly.”
“Al… what? Perfectly?”
“Ugh, you know—neatly, efficiently, with great sense! Look how well he did it. What do you think?”
Liz skimmed the list lazily and shrugged.
“If Sir Oz prepared it, there’s nothing more to check. I’m sure he’s already excluded any families that could harm you, Your Highness.”
“Exactly! That’s what I mean. Oz is really amazing. He used to be a farmer, I think—but how does he know all this stuff?”
“Pfft—a farmer? Sir Oz? Was… was he really?”
“When I asked, he didn’t deny it!”
“Huh… is that so…? Hehehe.”
Her twitching cheeks betrayed a suppressed laugh.
What’s so funny? Being a farmer is honorable!
My Oz may be a little—well, a lot—older, but he’s strong, capable, obedient, and rich!
“Do you have any idea how noble farming is? Liz, I knew you were a bit of a snob, but I didn’t realize you were this prejudiced.”
“Oh my! Goodness, no, Your Highness, that’s not what I meant… Fine, fine, I’ll be the snob.”
That wasn’t the reaction I expected.
Her sudden surrender made me curious, but I had no time to dwell on it. I spent the entire morning glued to my desk writing replies to the invitations.
Oh right!
“Wasn’t there supposed to be training today?”
“It’s probably already over by now.”
“Ah… right…”
It was the one time in the week we never skipped, no matter how busy we were… what a shame.
*
Kilian’s sword dragged along the ground.
Even if his pitiful sentiment wasn’t understood, his intelligent sword—Tia called it “artificial intelligence”—seemed to sense his emotions and left scratch marks on its own as it trailed behind him.
“Hey, stop moping. You’re the one who screwed up.”
Adele smacked his shoulder. The fact that he didn’t even try to retaliate and just trudged along said it all.
Of course, watching him like that didn’t exactly make Adele feel great either.
Thinking back, Tia had seemed off ever since the debutante ball. She looked lonely, weighed down by something. It wasn’t just because of Kilian.
Just remembering Tia sitting alone made Adele’s stomach churn.
Damn it, past Adele, you idiot! You should’ve stayed by Tia’s side! What was so important about that stupid magic? You didn’t even find it in the end!
She had planned to side with Tia today—to comfort her, badmouth Kilian a little, cheer her up. But she hadn’t expected Tia to vanish without a word.
Tia had always been so considerate—if she couldn’t make it somewhere, she’d send word ahead, explaining why. Only now did they realize how kind she’d been.
Tia was royalty—the Crown Princess of the Empire, no less. She could’ve acted however she pleased, and no one could have blamed her.
But what she had shown them was loyalty, and more than that—kindness. And now that she was gone, they were left scared and uncertain.
No wonder he looks like death.
Kilian looked ready to dig a grave and lie down in it.
Adele decided she needed to save him first.
“Kilian.”
“…”
“Hey! Are you going to keep sulking like that? Where’s your spirit, man?”
“Just… leave me alone.”
His voice was so low even an ant would’ve missed it.
“Come on! Snap out of it! And stop dragging that sword!”
“Why are you yelling…”
Adele stepped closer.
“You’re not really giving up, are you?”
“What?”
“Tia. Are you giving up on her over something this small?”
Kilian’s pitiful aura sharpened in an instant.
“What are you talking about? Give up? I haven’t even started. How can I give up on something that hasn’t begun?”
“Exactly! That’s my point! You haven’t even started properly, so why are you so down? If you think she’s mad, apologize! Move on! Try harder next time!”
Kilian exhaled deeply.
“I know that. But… not seeing her face—it just drags me down, no matter what I do.”
“…Oh.”
So that’s what this was.
Adele blinked, momentarily speechless.
Kilian stopped walking and said quietly,
“Adele, I have no intention of giving up on Tia. Give up? That’s not for me. I belong to her. My life, my body, my soul—all of it already belongs to Tia. So even if she casts me aside, I can’t leave her. I won’t. Not even in death.”
So… obsession can sound that passive, huh.
“I know it’s disgustingly selfish, but even if Tia wanted to kill me, I don’t think I could leave her. I just couldn’t.”
…Wow.
He’s insanely insane.
While Adele was trying to figure out what to even say to that, Kilian slid his sword back into its sheath and murmured,
“I miss you, Tia.”
