[…get out of my way.]
[…what?]
[You seem awfully ignorant. It appears you haven’t heard of the formidable mage from the House of Marquis Castana, have you? Don’t get hurt wandering around near me, just leave.]
Truly, I couldn’t stand the haughty woman who had been arrogant since childhood. I disliked the way she rigidly held her head high, acting so proud. So, I made a snide remark to Bianca, who thought a bit too highly of herself.
[Why are you giving me orders when you’re just a marquess’ daughter? My family holds a dukedom. It’s a bit much for a child to be so proud.]
That’s how Bianca and I interacted.
And, to my immense embarrassment, I was soundly beaten up by a girl younger than me soon after…
To be honest, it was a completely unfair fight. How could I possibly win against a formidable mage who claimed to have been manipulating magic since birth?
However, Cain von Estel wasn’t one of those men who’d be easily discouraged by a few punches from a girl with such small fists!
After all, the honor of the Duke of Estel rested on my shoulders. I couldn’t bear to lose to anyone, but losing to the daughter of the Marquis of Castana was particularly humiliating.
Even after that, whenever I ran into Bianca, we’d constantly argue, and each time, it would end with me throwing a few punches before running away.
The last time I met Bianca, I think we discussed something, but I didn’t recall much about it. Honestly, why would I remember such trivial matters?
“…well, you’re quite foolish yourself. If you weren’t my son, I would have beaten you to a pulp.”
“…yes, Young Lord?”
“Haahh. There’s no point in explaining things to a simpleton like you. As the head of the Estel Duchy, I’m giving you an order. Keep your mouth shut and entertain the delegation with dignity. I will not tolerate any objections. Do you understand?”
“….”
****
Later that day…
“Very well, Father. I’ll see you off.”
“Good. I’ve delegated full authority to you, so do whatever you see fit. Don’t worry about the future.”
Nodding at my father’s encouragement, I bowed slightly to him and was about to depart for the drawing-room with a few chosen knights to ‘entertain’ the guests from Marquis Castana.
“Young Lord Cain, Young Lord Cain!”
“What is it, Aria?”
Suddenly, Aria jumped in front of me and grabbed the hem of my clothes.
“May I accompany you, Young Lord? I won’t be a bother. I want to be of some assistance. Please.”
As she said that, Aria looked up at me with pleading eyes. To be honest, those eyes were incredibly persuasive. It was hard to refuse someone looking at you like that.
However, I denied Aria’s request without hesitation. There was no way I could allow her to come.
“No, I can’t permit that, Aria.”
“…but why not?”
Aria’s face paled at my rejection.
Seeing her like that filled me with guilt, as if I’d done something terrible. But allowing Aria’s foolishness here was simply out of the question. In the end, I had no choice but to harden my heart and speak harshly to her.
“You wouldn’t be much help there. I’m sorry, Aria.”
“….”
At my blunt words, tears welled up in Aria’s eyes.
However, this time, it couldn’t be helped. No matter how much Aria grows into a powerful mage in ten years, that’s still a story for the future. At this point, Aria was nothing more than a sweet lady-in-waiting in the Estel Duchy. Sure, she was learning magic from Old Carol, but it was unlikely that Aria, who had just laid the groundwork, would be of any help in an emergency.
Crucially, there was also a reason I didn’t want Bianca and Aria to come face to face with each other. I was having a strange feeling about the situation, similar to what happened with the Princess and Ariel.
Of course, it was far more likely that I was just overreacting, but it could be something more.
I smiled wryly and gently patted Aria’s hair as a form of apology. I’d make a proper apology later. Having made up my mind, I walked past Aria.
****
[Aria’s POV]
And Aria was left alone.
“…Young Lord Cain.”
It was of no use.
She herself, in the end, was of no use to that person. She made an effort, trying to be his strength. He gave her a name, prepared a place for her, and she tried to be the strength for him, the person who gave her the meaning of living. She thought that if she worked hard and tried again and again, someday she would be of help to him.
But…in the end, she was useless.
At the crucial moment, she was not able to help him in any way.
That fact made Aria sad.
Aria was no longer the immature girl she was when she woke up in his bed. Now she knew a lot more. Since she opened her eyes to this world, she saw many things, felt many things, and shared many things with him. As a result, her perspective on the world had broadened, and she had realized more things.
For example, while she was a lowly girl of unknown origin, he was a young nobleman from a high-ranking aristocratic family, and it was only because of his consideration that she was allowed to be close enough to wait on him. That much was easy to understand.
She hated it.
She hated herself for having no choice but to let him go like this.
She hated herself for not being able to do anything for him.
And, as he said, she hated herself for being useless.
“Young Lord Cain.”
Left alone like that, she could only reproach herself for being placed safely outside the crisis.
For a while, she continued to stay like that.
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