<Episode 20>
“Lord Solomon, I still think we should stop.”
In the carriage on the way home, I make a serious suggestion.
However, Lord Solomon, sitting across from me, only smiled with a troubled look on his face.
He usually says he will grant me whatever I ask, but he never nodded his head.
“I don’t need Lord Solomon to be in danger. Please think of another way, together.”
Even though I leaned forward and appealed to him, Lord Solomon did not agree. His beautiful face became even more troubled.
He looks at me with the eyes of a child who has no sense of hearing.
“I will talk to my parents’ father and mother about it. They’re not a social person, but they know a lot of people……”
“Chelsea.”
He called me with a voice that sounded like a gentle rebuke. A large hand touches my hand, which was clenched hard in my lap.
“It’s kind of sad that people think I’m going to lose right from the start.”
“That’s…”
I can’t say that it isn’t.
I know that matter and my anxiety are two different things, but it is true that I am not sure if Lord Solomon can beat Lord Oswald.
“I think my swordsmanship is also quite good.”
I have heard rumors that Lord Solomon is strong. He is said to be able to go toe-to-toe with the elite of the Order of the Knights.
But when it comes to fighting magic knights, it’s a different story. I heard that Lord Solomon cannot use magic.
I’m not sure. But there are still a few days until the match. I’m going to ask a mage I know to train me.
Apparently, I have more magic power than anyone else. If it were that easy, wouldn’t Lord Solomon have learned to use magic long ago?
He knows that better than anyone else.
“You say you are training in magic, but before that, isn’t your magical power not stable these days, Mr. Solomon?”
“Oh, ……. Hmmm, well, I guess so”
Lord Solomon affirmed with some brusqueness, his gaze escaping diagonally upward.
“Come to think of it, I still don’t know anything about causes and remedies.”
“I didn’t tell you.”
“Lord Solomon! You don’t need to know.”
I felt annoyed with Lord Solomon, who drew the line at a quiet voice.
I can only assume that the reason he is pushing me away is to protect me.
This person is kind and would not hurt me for no reason. So I am sure that this time, too, he has consideration for me at the root of his principle of action.
(Even so, I can’t pull it off.)
“What are you going to do if the color changes during the match?”
“I’m not so sure that’s an option.”
“Wha……?!”
I was speechless.
“Even if this doesn’t happen, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to keep it secret for years to come.”
“Even if that’s the case, why would you doing it in front of all those people?”
“Since it was Chelsea who found me at the evening party, nothing happened, but there are a lot of people with vile thoughts in the world. It would be better to be exposed in front of the public than to be threatened as a weakness of the Duke’s family.”
“…… that’s just too extreme.”
“I guess so.”
“That’s right! In general, if that were to happen, I don’t know what you would suffer ……”
Just thinking about it is frightening. And yet, Lord Solomon laughs with a calm face.
“I don’t care who or where they despise me. As long as you don’t hate me, that’s fine.”
“Huh …….”
He doesn’t care. How can I allow someone to hurt someone I care about?
Seeing my face twisted into a scowl, Solomon-sama added impatiently.
“Besides, I don’t think there are many people who would openly pick a fight with the heir to the duke’s throne.”
“What do you think they can say about you behind your back?”
“And I’m not the only one enduring the world’s unreasonableness and discrimination.”
Indeed, this world is not equal. There are clear differences at birth, and they may be oppressed for reasons beyond their control.
Dahlia and Pamela are probably among them. In the distant past, royal twins were considered a bad omen.
Even though it is now a forgotten superstition, some elderly people still have such a perception.
Moreover, the mother of the two had a poor post-natal growth and had been lying in a hospital bed for a long time.
And a little over a year ago, I heard that she passed away from a persistent cold.
It’s not surprising that some people would talk behind your back about what they saw.
No matter how much Lord Oswald’s position as the king’s brother, I don’t think he can protect his children from all the noise.
No, in fact, the position could be a fetter. Lord Oswald is still young and has no sons.
There must be many people encouraging him to remarry, and his position would make it difficult for him to turn down all of the offers of marriage.
(That must be why he asked me to marry him.)
It was convenient for me to get along with the kids and not belong to any of the domestic factions.
It would be hard to find another person like that, on such a short stay.
That’s probably why they were so pushy. I understand the circumstances and the situation.
I also want Dahlia and Pamela to be happy.
But I am no saint, and I cannot sacrifice my own happiness.
And it is out of the question to force Lord Solomon, whom I cherish more than anyone else, to suffer.
That’s about as far as I’m willing to go, and I’ll use any underhanded means I can.
“Chelsea.”
Perhaps concerned about my silence, Lord Solomon calls out to me.
When I looked up and looked straight into his eyes, he was slightly frightened.
“Lord Solomon, please hold me.”
“…… sorry, I think I heard some kind of strong auditory hallucination. Can I try one more time?”
Lord Solomon seemed to freeze with a straight face, then tapped one ear with a thump and smiled.
It is not clear whether he really thinks he heard wrong or is trying to deceive.
But I can’t let you go, no matter which one you are.
A woman who has a relationship with another man after being proposed to the royal brother of a neighboring country would not be approved by the people of her country, even if Lord Oswald approved.
And if there is a possibility that she is carrying the heir of the first duke’s family, even more so.
There is a risk of being punished, but I want to believe in Lord Oswald’s conscience.
Because even though he used forceful hands for the sake of the children, I think he is by nature a gentle person.
(I didn’t want to be tied down by such calculations.)
Sentimentality is in the air. But there is no time to be lost.
“Chelsea! Look out!”
As I stood up in the running carriage, Lord Solomon reached for me as if in a hurry.
Without disobeying, I jumped straight into Lord Solomon’s arms. Then Lord Solomon grunts a short “ugh”.
He stopped moving, dressed with his arms outstretched to hold her in place.
I hesitated for a moment and then climbed up onto his lap.
I heard him scream, but I pretended not to notice.
When I twisted my arms around his neck and made eye contact with him, Lord Solomon was bright red.
At least there is no disgust in his eyes as he stares at me in disbelief.
(Thank goodness ……, I thought I was going to be disillusioned.)
I was worried that he would not like me, and that he would hate me.
It is meaningless if people hate you even if you endure embarrassment to the point of death.
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