Episode 2
「What letter is it?」
「It was sent by the Head of the Gracus family.」
At the mention of the family name, Hebe tilted her head in confusion.
「Gracus?」
「You should know it.」
「Ah, could it be…?」
Something came to mind as she heard her mother’s words. Her father, who had been a diplomat, had told her stories about the Gracus family before.
「Is it the same Gracus family I’m thinking of?」
「It is.」
「Does Mother have some kind of connection to that house?」
「It’s not entirely unrelated. The situation is a bit complicated.」
Hebe tried to organize the facts as she knew them. Her mother was originally from Divenia, not here in Iren. The small island nation of Iren and the great empire of Divenia were as different as light and shadow. In such a place as Divenia, the Gracus family was said to be one of the founding noble houses, standing firm like a central pillar.
「I don’t understand the situation at all. Why suddenly the Gracus family, and…」
「Read the letter first.」
As she unfolded the letter, the elegant, flowing handwriting and the crest of the Gracus family stamped on the paper caught her eye.
「What does this mean?」
「It’s exactly as it says. That family needs you.」
The contents of the letter were simple. The Gracus family had received an oracle, and to fulfill that oracle, they needed Hebe.
「But why me? I have nothing to do with that family.」
「I told you the situation was complicated, didn’t I? Listen to me.」
Her mother shared the rest of the story that wasn’t written in the letter.
「You know I was a priestess before I got married, right?」
「Yes. You told me.」
It was a custom for Divenian women to enter the temple and serve as priestesses for three years before marriage. At the time, Hebe’s mother was tasked with managing the spring water in the temple’s inner courtyard. Compared to the other priestesses who performed chores like cleaning, it was a less physically demanding job.
Then one day, she made the mistake of dropping her jewelry into the spring. While she could have been severely punished for polluting the sacred waters, she was saved thanks to the intervention of Kalia, the temple administrator. Later, discovering that Kalia was a distant relative, her mother visited her before her marriage to express her gratitude. But Kalia was not particularly welcoming.
“I think it might have been better if I had let you be punished then. I have a premonition that this will return as a debt one day.”
Hebe was still confused; everything she heard felt like a dream.
「Hebe, I’m sorry. But we cannot ignore the demands of that family.」
The Gracus family was said to have produced generations of high priests. Since those priests played a major role in protecting the Divenian Emperor’s throne, the Divenian Imperial Family also maintained a close relationship with the Gracus house.
The current head of the house, Castri, had five sons, but four had already died, leaving only the youngest. Fearing for the health of the youngest son, who might become the next priest, the head of the house sought an oracle.
The content of the oracle was specific yet bizarre: if Hebe Haenel, daughter of the diplomat Nicanor Haenel living in Iren, came to the Gracus house and stayed by the son’s side as a “sin-eater” (ward) for ten years, the son would be safe.
「This is nonsense. How can they base this on just one oracle…」
「From their perspective, it makes sense.」
「The oracle could have been misinterpreted.」
「An oracle is never wrong. To think so would be to doubt the gods.」
「What exactly does it mean that I have to act as a ‘ward’? Do I have to nurse him?」
「It means you have to become that son’s wife. Like a proxy bride.」
「Wife?」
「The effect only works if you are registered as a married couple at the temple. It’s not enough for you to just be near him.」
「The more I hear, the more nonsensical it sounds. It’s too absurd.」
Overwhelmed, Hebe clutched her head. Her mother patted her back.
「It’s only for ten years. The Gracus family doesn’t want more than that.」
「You want me to live as a married couple for ten years with a total stranger and then just come back?」
Looking at Hebe with troubled eyes, her mother lowered her voice.
「The priestess guaranteed that it will be a marriage in name only; you won’t truly be a couple.」
「How? By what means can they guarantee that?」
「Hebe.」
Her mother looked at her with pity.
「When I went to say my greetings, I didn’t know why Kalia had such a look of regret. Back then, I thought that even if I had to repay a debt, I, the one who made the mistake, could handle it somehow. But Kalia was right—the gods are cold. The gods are punishing me in this way.」
「What you’re actually worried about isn’t the gods, but that family, isn’t it?」
Hebe let out a sigh. What would happen if she refused this? It wasn’t just Hebe’s family that would suffer; perhaps Iren itself, a small island nation, would face the consequences.
「Compared to the northern continent, Iren is just a small, powerless country.」
Her mother spoke as if reading Hebe’s mind.
「It feels like I’ve suddenly become a very important person.」
「You have. As long as you are named in an oracle, you are an important person.」
Hebe looked down and fidgeted with her hands on her knees. It felt like a dream that only a few hours ago she had been happily discussing a proposal with Anke.
「Fortunately, the Gracus family isn’t just forcing their demands. They promised to take care of our family for the rest of our lives if you follow their request.」
Hebe knew what her mother was talking about. Her father was currently in a nursing home due to the aftereffects of a carriage accident several years ago. To pay for his medicine and treatment, her mother had sold the family valuables and had recently seemed to be taking out loans.
It was okay for now, but if this continued for a few more years, the family’s fortunes would decline rapidly. Her mother, who had been a lower-ranking noble in Divenia and raised refined and wanting for nothing, knew how to do nothing else.
「Everything is so sudden and complicated that I don’t know what to say.」
「I don’t want to send you away either. But it’s not a permanent separation.」
Her mother patted the back of Hebe’s hand, tears falling.
「Just ten years. You only have to endure for ten years. Then you’ll be able to do whatever you want.」
「In exchange for living as a wife to a stranger? Even if it’s only a marriage in name, can you be sure that man won’t have strange ideas when he sees me? And how much will that family look down on me?」
「What you’re worried about will never happen.」
「How can you be so sure?」
A sigh escaped her mother’s lips.
「The person who will be your husband is a child.」
「What?」
Hebe asked back blankly. Her mother looked at her.
「The youngest son who is the subject of the oracle is ten years old this year. That’s why they said ten years. Once he becomes an adult at twenty, he will be able to control his power and will be safe.」
Ten years old. Was the Gracus family truly serious? Hebe was so stunned she was lost for words.
「Hebe?」
「The more I hear, the weirder it gets… Marriage like this won’t be good for that child either, not just me.」
「I told you it’s only formal. You’re just being hired as someone to look after that child.」
「Hired? So you’re saying I should act like a governess or a nanny?」
「It’s much better than a governess or a nanny! Because the son’s safety is at stake, the family won’t be able to openly reveal who you are, but they won’t treat you poorly. There won’t be anything difficult regarding the child either. Just think of it as having a brother with a large age gap.」
Her mother specifically mentioned the financial compensation Hebe would receive from the Gracus family if she followed the oracle. Furthermore, after ten years, she could simply get a clean divorce, so Hebe wouldn’t have to worry about anything.
「Still, rumors will spread.」
「What rumors? You’re just going abroad to visit a distant relative.」
「You’ve already thought of all that?」
「The Gracus family also said it would be best to create a suitable excuse, considering your life ten years from now.」
「What about Anke? You seem to have forgotten, but I received a proposal from Anke today.」
「It was just a proposal, not an engagement.」
The image of Anke’s face, smiling without hiding his joy, flashed through Hebe’s mind, leaving her speechless. Her mother was right. It had only been a vague promise to marry Anke at some point in the future.
「Do I really have no choice?」
「I’m sorry, Hebe.」
「So my thoughts didn’t matter from the start.」
「An oracle is not something we humans can do anything about. If you try to escape it, it will affect you in other ways.」
Since Iren was also a god-fearing country, Hebe knew the importance of an oracle well. But she never imagined she would be directly involved in one. To Hebe, gods had always been abstract beings.
「I have to leave anyway, don’t I?」
「Other children of noble families spend money to travel abroad just to broaden their horizons. Let’s not think too pessimistically.」
Her mother forced a smile. She, too, felt uneasy that her daughter had become the subject of an oracle because of a mistake she had made in the past.
「To the Gracus family, you are practically a savior, so they will never treat you as an inferior.」
「I should hope so.」
Leaving the living room and going to her room, Hebe sat on the edge of her bed. The Gracus family. They were people positioned somewhere between myth and history. It was said that the reason the family was born with magical power through the generations was because they had the blood of both humans and dragons. Though their power was not as great as it once was and they lived quietly, Hebe knew from her father that the family’s prestige remained unchanged.
Her father, who was a diplomat in his youth, had traveled back and forth to Divenia and had met her mother there. Since she was a child, Hebe had learned both Divenian and Irenian from her parents.
Sitting there with a complicated heart, Hebe noticed the sun beginning to set. She stood up and threw the window wide open. The scent of Roan flowers was mixed in the wind that blew against her face. Finding comfort in the familiar floral scent, Hebe closed her eyes.
From Anke’s proposal this morning to the words she heard from her mother, it felt as though a storm had just swept through, leaving her unable to grasp the reality of it all.
