Chapter – 17
Morning at the Riothium estate.
At the long dining table sat three people, yet instead of the usual warm conversation, a silent battle of nerves unfolded. To be precise, it was my father and my older brother unilaterally watching my every move.
“Ahem. Rose?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Was the Marquess’s daughter’s masquerade ball today?”
You already know, yet you ask. Hiding a smile, I nodded.
“Yes, it’s today.”
After finishing my last bite of salad, I set down my fork and glanced at their plates. Despite supposedly eating, they were only poking at the air, their food almost untouched.
“I have something to tell you, Father.”
“Oh! Go on, then!”
His face practically said, So I’ll finally find out who the escort is!
“Well, since it’s a masquerade ball, I won’t announce it openly, but I plan to introduce myself properly to the Marquess’s daughter.”
At the completely unexpected topic, disappointment flickered across Father’s face. Gerard, who had been carefully controlling his expression, looked the same.
“Ah… yes, yes. That’s good. I agree. You were close as children, after all.”
“Yes. Then I’ll do that.”
“…R-Rose?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Is there… nothing else you want to say?”
Gerard, who had been pretending not to listen while stirring his salad, finally looked up.
Alright, that was enough. Time to stop teasing them.
“The ball starts at seven, so I received a letter saying my escort would arrive around six.”
“Then who is it…?”
“Duke Kaysers.”
“Kaysers… Kaysers?!”
“What did you say?!”
Father shouted, and Gerard sprang up from his seat in shock.
Avoiding their gazes, I took a sip of water. Since Riothium and Kaysers were both neutral factions, there shouldn’t be any hostility between them.
Still, it was only natural for them to be shocked—they didn’t even know I had ever met the Duke.
No, perhaps they were more shocked that that Kaysers would escort someone at all.
“Duke Kaysers is escorting you?”
“Rose, where on earth did you meet that man?”
“Please calm down, Father, Brother.”
I calmly asked a maid who had been waiting behind us for coffee.
“Just mine, please. The two of them are still eating.”
“Rose.”
“I’ll explain. I received help from the Duke. While he was investigating the unclear source of funds for the Earth Foundation, he apparently discovered a temple frequently visited by the foundation’s office staff.”
“What? You were so careful… And how did the Duke even learn you were Rosemarie Riothium?”
“The Duke’s information network seems quite impressive.”
I felt bad, but I had no choice except to omit and edit several details.
“After that… well, in short, I received the Duke’s help. The invitation from the Administrative Palace was also resolved thanks to him.”
“…I saw the article about Duke Kaysers sponsoring the foundation. So that wasn’t a simple charitable donation—it was something already discussed with you.”
“Yes, Father. Thanks to that, rumors spread that Kaysers stands behind the foundation. With him as a shield, Riothium won’t be mentioned in relation to the foundation anymore.”
“Then what exactly is this escort about? You know what kind of man the Duke is, Rose. Just think about your debutante ball—”
“Brother, this is a kind of… trust-building exercise between business partners—”
A show…? No, it was simply his request. But saying that would sound even more suspicious. As I hesitated, choosing my words, Father spoke with a worried expression.
“Rose.”
“Yes, Father.”
“From the moment Duke Kaysers inherited his title at such a young age, appearing in high society even before his debutante ball, I have never once seen him treat a lady with proper courtesy.”
“…I know, Father. He’s the same man who rejected Her Highness the Princess’s request for a dance at my debutante ball.”
“If he is not behaving properly toward you, I cannot entrust my precious daughter to a man like him, Rose.”
It was a perfectly reasonable concern. To Father, Duke Kaysers was a man rude to women and utterly inflexible.
A taciturn man who showed no interest in others—of course they’d worry about him being my first escort.
“Don’t worry, Father. His Grace is treating me with more than enough courtesy.”
“…Rose, I just… can’t believe it. You deserve the very best treatment wherever you go. To even briefly be with a man like the Duke—”
Father, I’m not marrying him….
Was it because he was my first escort? Swallowing a sigh, I called for Amy.
“Amy.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“The card and gift from that day—are they in my room?”
“Yes! Shall I bring them?”
“Please.”
What Amy brought was the card and jewelry sent by Bihan. When I placed them before Father, he frowned.
“These are from the Duke. If he shows me this much courtesy and sincerity, I think it’s more than sufficient—perhaps even excessive. I’m considering wearing the jewelry just this once and then returning it. What do you think, Father? Would that be too rude?”
“….”
The jewelry was impressive even compared to Riothium heirlooms. Father sighed deeply, and when he read the card Bihan had sent, he pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Rose?”
“Yes, Father.”
“If the Duke were to propose to you—”
“Father, you’ve gone too far.”
“But, Rose—”
“Business partners. That’s all.”
“….”
“….”
As I firmly shook my head, Gerard and Father exchanged looks even more serious than before. Predicting exactly what they were thinking, I deliberately set my coffee cup down with a clatter.
“It’s really not like that.”
There was absolutely no way something like that could ever happen between the Duke and me.
Thanks to the madam’s efforts, the dress arrived just as Amy began styling my hair.
The black silhouette of the gown shimmered with violet hues the fuller the skirt spread toward the floor. With my shoulders bare, my black hair swept up, and the necklace and earrings Bihan had given me…
“My lady, your gloves.”
“Mm. And the gift?”
“I placed it in your bag. My lady, you look absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you, Amy.”
Thankfully, I finished preparing on time. Holding the black mask that matched my dress, I paused halfway down the stairs.
“Father? Brother?”
As if they’d been waiting only for me, the two stood at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor.
“…Would you like to greet the Duke?”
“Ahem. Gerard will see you off, Rose.”
“…I feel like I’m attending my debutante ball for the second time thanks to you two.”
Letting out a laugh-tinged sigh, I finished descending the stairs with Gerard escorting me.
“You’re beautiful, Rose.”
“Thank you, Brother.”
After exchanging the expected farewells, we stepped outside. A black carriage with no crest drawn upon it waited in front of the estate.
And standing before it was Duke Kaysers, dressed not in his usual suit or noble attire, but in the full uniform of the Imperial Knights.
His silver hair and the pristine white uniform looked so perfect together it felt like a scene straight out of a novel.
“Rosemarie.”
“Your Grace.”
I deliberately addressed him as “Your Grace” as I approached. I hoped Bihan noticed how Gerard flinched the moment he casually called me by name.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
“Baron Fior.”
“So you’ll be escorting my sister today.”
“Yes.”
With that brief reply, Bihan reached out to take my hand—but Gerard didn’t let go easily.
“You may not know this, but my sister is not in good health. Please ensure she can return home early.”
“Of course.”
“….”
Only after forcing a polite expression did Gerard finally hand me over.
“I’ll be back soon, Brother.”
“…Yes.”
The moment the carriage door closed, I let out a short sigh.
“Your Grace, if you call me that in front of my brother, it puts me in a very difficult position. The men in my family are all rather… intense.”
“Then it’s fine when it’s just the two of us, isn’t it, Rosemarie?”
I hesitated, then nodded. Now that I thought about it, the carriage was a very confined space—for just the Duke and me…
I averted my gaze, scrambling for a topic.
“You’re… wearing the Imperial Knights’ uniform today.”
“For now, I am still part of them.”
“For someone meant to lead them, ‘for now’ sounds rather distant.”
All Imperial magi-swordsmen belonged to the Imperial Knights. In times of war, they were expected to lead the knights from the front.
But Bihan deeply disliked being part of the Imperial Knights. Had he inherited the dukedom with more leeway, he likely would never have revealed he was a magi-swordsman at all.
“But you don’t usually wear it, do you?”
“…I heard it’s the most popular attire at masquerade balls.”
“…I suppose it would be. With faces hidden behind masks, wearing a knight’s uniform means you’re clearly affiliated with the Empire, so of course…”
“Do you think so as well?”
“Pardon?”
Bihan smiled faintly.
Was Bihan Kaysers always someone who smiled so easily?
His expression earlier with Gerard was completely different. That cold demeanor was far closer to the Bihan Kaysers I knew.
“Rosemarie, I hope I please you.”
What?
“I’m glad you accepted my gift and came.”
“….”
I should respond, but no proper words came to mind. My lips parted uselessly until only an unfinished name escaped.
“…Bihan… really?”
“So you’ll call me that?”
“….”
Who am I talking to right now?
Is this really Bihan Kaysers?
