~Chapter 45~
“Dear.”
The Duchess held out her hand with a bright smile.
“Looks like I lost this time.”
The Duke of Willovis quietly took out a banknote and handed it to her.
No one knew this, but every year, the Duke and Duchess made a bet on one thing.
Whether Aska and Relshiz would grow closer or not.
The Duchess always bet they would. The Duke bet things would stay the same. And the Duke always won—until yesterday.
“Still, I was really surprised… a child? Weren’t you?”
“Yes. He used to be all about studying. When did he grow up so fast…”
The Duchess’s expression turned a bit gloomy.
“When Lady Hillya took an interest in Relshiz today, I was so nervous…”
“You can’t control who people meet or leave.”
“Do you think her ex-husband was more handsome than Aska?”
“That’s hard. Aska’s tough to beat.”
“True. I wonder who gave birth to that face.”
This lighthearted couple had carried a debt in their hearts for Relshiz for a long time.
“…She really could have been adopted anywhere. She was more than deserving.”
Relshiz was the first person Aska ever showed interest in, the one who pulled him out of his shell and into the world.
What began as sponsorship turned into affection. She was more lovable and mature than they expected, and the couple slowly began to dream—What if we had a daughter like her?
“Relshiz, would you stay with us and Aska for just a little longer? Just a little.”
The couple imagined a future with Relshiz and Aska, living together like family.
But that wish never came true, and the opportunity for adoption passed as well.
Even now, remembering that still filled the Duke and Duchess with guilt.
That’s why Relshiz was still a precious girl to them—just her existence was enough to make them grateful. They still couldn’t help wanting her around.
‘I hope Relshiz stays by Aska’s side forever!’
From the very beginning, they knew Relshiz had the strongest impression on Aska.
Because of that hope, they ignored all the marriage proposals that came in for Relshiz, and every spring banquet, they made sure she was invited.
And now, unexpectedly, a child had shown up. And clearly, something had changed between Relshiz and Aska.
It didn’t take long for the couple to realize that the presence of little Shiz had shifted their relationship.
“What do you think? Has Aska finally realized how he feels?”
“Hmm… I still think he has a long way to go.”
The Duke thought back to his son’s younger years. It felt like ages ago and yet just yesterday.
“He used to tease Relshiz so much, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did…”
“Remember? He would take everything she liked.”
“Right. Her teddy bear, her pretty blanket, even her hair ribbons. What was he going to do with hair ribbons when he had such short hair?”
“I scolded him so many times back then…”
The duchess sighed softly.
“Thinking about it, Relshiz was quite a handful too. Climbing trees dangerously, bringing home wild animals… and Aska, not knowing any better, copied her every time.”
“Oh, right! Didn’t they once bring back squirrels?”
They both laughed, remembering how the house servants had to chase squirrels around thanks to the two kids.
Back then, the two of them actually got along fairly well. But things changed when they started learning magic.
During magic lessons, they became completely different people—serious, competitive, and constantly arguing.
Relshiz would show off after mastering theory, so Aska would work harder to bring that theory into reality. Then Relshiz, frustrated, would follow and try to catch up. It was a constant back-and-forth.
“Relshiz’s competitive spirit was a good thing. Because she hated losing, Aska got serious about magic for the first time.”
“They both worked hard, but Aska always achieved her dreams first. Even I thought it was unfair to Relshiz sometimes.”
“Hmm…”
As they recalled the past, the couple’s expressions grew more serious.
“Come to think of it, Aska deserves to suffer a bit more.”
“Yeah, maybe…”
After a pause, the duchess smiled.
“Want to make another bet?”
“Sure. What is it this time?”
The Duke nodded, and the Duchess grinned brightly.
“That the two of them will… before the year ends…”
Their cheerful voices faded into the night sky, like starlight disappearing.
***
Shiz and I left the White Swan estate early in the morning.
Aska was nowhere to be seen when we woke up. He must’ve gone to work at the Tower of Dawn. So I decided to save the talk about President Ansif for later.
The Duke and Duchess, who had already woken up early, saw us off warmly as we boarded the carriage.
“I wish you could stay longer, but I understand you’re busy. Come visit us often!”
“Travel safely.”
“Thank you.”
“Goodbye!”
With Shiz’s cheerful goodbye, the carriage began to move.
I waved until the mansion disappeared from view.
“Big Sis, can I come back here again?”
Shiz was wide awake and full of energy after a good night’s sleep, wearing a cute pink dress. That adorable dress, of course, was a gift from the Duchess.
“You have to dress her up while she is still small. Once she grows, they won’t fit!”
Somehow overnight, the Duchess had contacted the tailor and had several outfits and shoes made just for Shiz’s size.
“Pick whichever you like. The rest, I’ll have sent to your estate.”
“Thank you, Duchess!”
I couldn’t refuse—she had already bought them.
Thanks to that, Shiz’s affection for the Duchess had hit its peak. I could sense Shiz’s sadness at having to leave as the White Swan estate disappeared into the distance.
“Will we really come back again?”
“Yeah…”
You’re lucky—so carefree…
As the carriage entered the city, it noticeably slowed down.
Shiz peeked out the window, and her eyes lit up.
“Big Sis! There are so, so, so many people out there! What’s going on? Is it a street show? Or a festival?”
“Wow, why are there so many people?”
Muttering to myself, I tried to think. It was late spring.
“Oh, it must be the market.”
“Market?”
“This is the season when trade ships come from abroad. And foreign merchant groups come into the city.”
Around this time, the wind shifts between spring and summer, opening sea trade routes.
Merchants eager to make big profits loaded their ships and arrived at the Kingdom of Edelheim around now.
“What’s a merchant group?”
“It’s like a group of people who sell stuff.”
“Oooh! What kind of stuff?”
“Clothes, jewelry, rare art—things like that.”
This was also the season when fashion trends in high society changed. I remembered seeing rows of royal-approved merchants lining up to enter the palace.
The Crown Prince is probably off somewhere doing a full-on fashion show right now.
Just then, the carriage slowed to a full stop. I opened the window and asked the coachman,
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. There are too many people. The horses are getting nervous. If we go any farther into the city, they might panic.”
“Oh no…”
We were stuck. I didn’t know what to do.
Then Shiz gently asked,
“Big Sis, can we get out and look around for just a little bit?”
“What? No, it’s too dangerous. There are too many people.”
“Pleeease? Just a little. It looks so fun!”
She tugged at my sleeve with a pouty face.
Hmm… she worked so hard pretending yesterday. I guess I could grant her a small wish like this.
This time of year, the capital is filled with travelers, which increases the chance of incidents—but ironically, security is also tighter than usual.
Still unsure, I cast an illus
ion spell to disguise my appearance.
Shiz realized what I was doing, and her face lit up with excitement.
