A stillness lingered in the clan’s reception room for some time.
Liya had already left the room. In truth, Liya had wanted to stay until the end, but I deliberately gave her a hint to make her leave.
In the end, my younger sister left grumbling all the way. Seeing her glance at me with discontent, it seemed her temperament had not changed.
I wondered which man would take that mischievous girl away.
Sighing discreetly, I leaned back on the chair’s backrest.
Liya had been famous for her beauty since long ago. I had heard that several clans had taken interest, leading to a few proposals, but she had cut them all off decisively.
After all, to endure her temperament, a man would need to be anything but ordinary. At the very least, he must be equivalent to her in order to maintain peace in the household.
I did not know if there existed someone who could match my sister, who possessed both beauty and talent.
Of course, the important issue at hand was not about Liya’s marriage. Instead, I needed a solution to the immediate crisis we were facing.
So I had no choice but to directly ask my companions.
“……What should we do?”
It was a short but essential question.
Many details were omitted, but the topic I wished to raise was clear.
The Rainelle clan’s magic troops were coming.
Skilled knights were a rare resource, but they paled in comparison to mages. Thus, only a few clans could form magic troops.
Only the five great noble clans of the Empire and a few so-called “magical noble families” possessed the capability to do so.
The Rainelle clan was one of those few families.
They had a magic troop, which was even rarer than a knight order.
While I could not know their exact strength, it was well-known that the commanders of each magic troop were composed of the Rainelle clan’s bloodline.
The magic troop that was coming today would undoubtedly be no exception.
This meant that someone of the Rainelle clan was coming.
This was a matter of a different dimension compared to the last time when I had provoked a knight of the Rainelle clan. Initially, the Rainelle clan was much more famous for their magic troops than for their knights.
Both the level of expertise and the fact that the Rainelle clan’s bloodline was leading them made it impossible for us to treat them lightly.
Even if I wanted to take Senior Elsi with me without hesitation, there was no justification to stop them.
Especially since Senior Elsi froze up the moment she heard the news.
“W-who? Exactly who is coming?”
The words that Senior Elsi blurted out after being frozen for a while were also a sign that she had awakened from her panic. Because Liya had already left a long time ago.
No matter how dazed she was, there was no way Senior Elsi could not know this.
It seemed she had thrown out any question simply out of excessive anxiety.
Celin looked puzzled at the sight of Senior Elsi trembling in fear.
“Why are you so tense? No matter how much of a magic troop it is, you are directly related, right?”
After all, she was one of the most promising talents from the Rainelle clan.
Among the children of the current clan head, Senior Elsi had the highest achievements. Even if her brother or sister came, there would be no need for her to feel intimidated.
Nonetheless, the fact that Senior Elsi was trembling in fear meant one thing.
The Lady Virgin Saint let out a quiet sigh.
“There’s someone, isn’t there? Someone who can subdue Sister Elsi, in the magic troop.”
If that were the case, then they had likely sent that person.
Currently, Senior Elsi was in a situation to declare a bombshell and then escape.
Personally, I would have preferred to leave Senior Elsi alone, but the thoughts of Count Rainelle seemed rather different.
It appeared they intended to bring her back to the clan and do something about it.
Otherwise, there would have been no need to go through the troublesome process of dispatching a magic troop.
Senior Elsi’s complexion turned pale. Since I was in the same boat as her, I felt even more anxious.
However, the only two feeling anxious were the two of us.
The Lady Virgin Saint instead wore a benevolent smile, as if things were turning out well.
“In that case, you can return to the clan.”
“……Absolutely not!”
Senior Elsi shouted like she was having a fit at the Lady Virgin Saint’s single comment. Regardless of being a noble daughter of the Rainelle clan, she had to use honorifics with the Saint, but in her desperate call, she seemed to forget even that.
“If that happens, I’ll immediately be banned from going out and have to secretly deal with things? My father is quite capable of that!”
“But there’s no other way, is there?”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s voice contained even a hint of joy as she said this.
It sounded as if she had already finished her calculations.
“Since Sister Elsi is involved in various rumors, there won’t be any arrangements made during this break. So don’t worry too much and just return to the clan for now.”
As she spoke, the Saint quietly made the sign of the cross. It resembled a priest praying for a blessing.
“I will take good care of Brother I-an.”
The reactions from Seria were not much different from those of the Lady Virgin Saint.
“Senior Rainelle… I understand the circumstances, but isn’t it unavoidable as a noble?”
From her polite tone, it seemed that Seria had greatly improved her social skills over time. Strangely enough, I felt slightly touched by that point.
She has grown, Seria.
However, cornered, Senior Elsi looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
Her gaze seemed to plead for anything to be done.
I cleared my throat and subtly gestured to Reto.
Reto wore an expression of much annoyance. But perhaps unable to flatly refuse my request, he sighed deeply and opened his mouth.
“……It’s possible that nothing major will happen, right?”
The party’s gazes shifted to Reto, as if to ask what he meant.
Then Reto began explaining in a calm manner.
“Everyone seems to be mistaken… For the Rainelle clan, there’s really no need to separate I-an and Senior Elsi. No, rather, there’s a possibility they might want to establish them as an officially recognized couple.”
At Reto’s words, Celin and Seria’s eyes widened in surprise. Only the Lady Virgin Saint slightly narrowed her brows.
She had a face as if she sensed something.
Yulen crossed his arms with an interested look, taking on the role of a relaxed audience.
“Think about it. Although there are distinctions between clans, I-an is a shining star growing in reputation. Moreover, Senior Elsi… well, frankly, the previous ‘master’ declaration has had a grievous scandal effect, hasn’t it?”
“……So instead, they’d want to keep Sister Elsi with Brother I-an?”
“Furthermore, Senior Elsi is a talented resource cherished by her clan. It would be a waste to let someone like her go, while I-an, being the second son, wouldn’t necessarily have a reason to stay in the clan.”
A son-in-law.
Reto even mentioned that possibility.
Although it was still common for a wife to follow her husband, it wasn’t entirely unheard of.
Recognizing that Reto’s hypothesis had some validity, emotions among us shifted again.
Celin and Seria, as well as the Lady Virgin Saint, grew serious, while Senior Elsi’s expression brightened.
However, I knew.
In fact, Reto was just throwing out a comment. While it could turn out as he said, there was also a good chance Count Rainelle would choose the exact opposite path.
After all, the main objective of noble marriages was to establish blood ties between families.
From that perspective, my marriage with Senior Elsi was still a bad idea.
Ultimately, it was the Lady Virgin Saint who brought the long discussion to an end.
She let out a sigh, as if resigning to the situation.
“……In fact, it’s useless to talk right now.”
“Are you saying there’s no solution?”
“No, there’s still plenty of time left.”
Even with my inquiry, the Lady Virgin Saint spoke without hesitation.
She was one with the most profound knowledge on politics in this place. Perhaps she had organized her opinions from the very beginning.
“Magic troops are fundamentally a military force. No matter how peaceful the era may be, sending such formidable power to someone else’s territory requires justification.”
“Are they here to find their runaway daughter?”
“If that were the case, Sister Liya wouldn’t have reacted as she did just now. Furthermore, since Brother I-an is a part of the Percus family, using their escape as a justification would be inappropriate.”
If they were to overpower the situation by force, I would have no words against that, but I had another power behind me.
The Yuridina clan and the Imperial Court were that power.
Count Rainelle would not be unaware that I shared a special bond with Senior Delphine and the Imperial Princess.
Given that, it would be awkward to treat the Percus family lightly.
“Therefore, the justification itself will be different. They must have created a reason for their dispatch. For now, we have no choice but to pretend to carry out that business.”
“Ultimately, do we have to wait for the answer to be delivered later?”
“For now, we don’t even know their intentions.”
We had no choice but to fall silent at the Lady Virgin Saint’s words.
She was right. We still had not grasped the true intentions of the Rainelle clan.
Talking any further would only lead to a chaotic discussion.
The only response I could offer was one.
“……Then let’s wait for now.”
Since we still had time, we could afford to wait for the Rainelle clan’s opinion.
I patted Senior Elsi’s trembling shoulder.
Nothing should happen.
If something major were to occur, I wouldn’t be able to resist at all. So the best comfort I could offer was just that.
And a few hours later.
I had to face the magic troops dispatched from the Rainelle clan.
At a glance, they exuded a strong scent of magical power. Among them, there was one man who appeared particularly robust.
It felt like looking at black wood charcoal.
He seemed like a person scraped together from the last remaining parts after burning and using up everything.
His brown hair complemented his blue eyes, which looked weary.
Even with a discreet glance, the tall man appeared to be over 190 cm and slightly lowered his head while extending his hand to shake mine.
“……Nice to meet you. Nephew ‘candidate’.”
Upon hearing those words, Senior Elsi’s eyes trembled violently.
Looking into the chillingly blue eyes of the man, I was certain.
This was the person Senior Elsi had been so afraid of.
The eyes of the middle-aged man met mine in the void, and a maiden’s voice rang out.
“U-uncle!”
That was how Senior Elsi had referred to the man.
