Gerda let the hint of a smile cross her face. She brought her lips to my ear and told me not to worry. I could hear the confidence in her voice. Though she was my older sister and we shared the same blood, I was nonetheless startled at such a beautiful woman getting so close and whispering in my ear.
“But if the king were to ask me to bear his child, don’t you think that would be wonderful?” said Gerda, her luscious lips forming the shape of a most alluring smile.
“Oh? Is that what you’re scheming?” I asked.
“You make it sound so uncouth when you use that word. The fact of the matter is, the king already has two children, which means that any child of ours would have little chance of inheriting the throne. I’m well aware of that.”
“Yes, I see...”
“But in this world, one never knows. The empire’s interference has only grown in recent years, and there are rumors that war may not be entirely an impossibility.”
The mysterious smile that brought a glow to Gerda’s eyes marked a part of the girl that I did not know. I was shocked. My sister was far more ambitious than I had ever considered. I swiftly changed the subject; I didn’t want the queen or any of the king’s heirs setting their sights on me, by way of my sister.
“Your manor is quite far from the castle,” I said. “Are you sure it’s better here than there? Don’t you think it will be troublesome if people start spreading rumors that you’re seeing other men?”
“Oh, my,” replied Gerda. “And here I was thinking you were still a child! I stand corrected. I’m a royal concubine, dear, and as such rumors will always be prevalent. But I’d never get a moment’s rest in a place like the castle. Some say that everyone there is watched over even in their sleep. No, thank you.”
“Oh, so you’ve already thought that far ahead.”
“Well, you know me. In any case, I’m glad to see you’ve got the smarts to consider these sorts of things.”
Well, that’s probably because I’m actually in my thirties.
“Well, I am sixteen,” I said.
“Yes, sixteen already. I apologize that I wasn’t able to celebrate your birthday.”
“Never mind that; I know you had your standing to consider.”
“You realize I can rebel a little more now, yes? I’m allowed a certain level of defiance in my position.”
“Probably not a good idea to draw too much negative attention, sister.”
“Think nothing of it. It’s not like I’ll be poking my nose into politics. All I have to do is spend time with the king here, so you can rest easy.”
Gerda understood that her role differed from that of the queen’s. And I didn’t doubt that she would avoid political matters. She seemed intent on putting her energy into winning the king’s favor and attention. Until now, the man had never had a concubine. It was clear that he was positively smitten, and this would certainly shift the power balance among all the related families. Naturally, this extended also to me as Gerda’s younger sister.
“By the way, is it true you accepted your marriage proposal?”
Gerda interrupted my traipsing through nostalgia with her blunt question. I’d expected this. After all, this was the very reason I was visiting the manor in the first place.
“Yes, about that,” I started.
“I know it was forced on you, but the second son of the Rodenwalds isn’t a bad sort, I’m sure. His father, the marquis, also gave his approval, which means you can rest easy. You’ll be treated well.”
You’re kidding. That’s the guy I turned down.
I’d realized then that Gerda was still unaware of that fact. I’d already chosen the other option, and in doing so I’d left the Kirstens pulling their hair out.
“Gerda...” I said. “Though I’m happy you feel that way, don’t you think forcing me into marriage is a little too much?”
“I did think that initially, yes, but then I realized it would be good for your future. The king thought as much also.”
How am I going to tell her...?
Gerda was very excited about it all, and it felt harder and harder to say something.
“Gerda,” I said timidly as I sat up. “You realize that I was offered two prospective marriage partners, yes?”
“Oh, the other one? I suppose you mean the man that the head family recommended? The elderly man on the frontier? Arno was furious about that.”
Now I knew that the frontier option had initially been the only option, meant to get me as far away from the center of the nation as possible. I knew I should’ve discussed things with Arno myself, but he’d been so busy since I last saw him that he hadn’t even returned home. The head family had been intent on pushing their marriage proposal through. But, through Gerda’s work—possibly with the help of the king—the Rodenwalds had been approached and another option was presented. Everyone had assumed I would naturally choose the younger option. Under normal circumstances, that was the logical choice.
“My... There certainly are quite the number of people wrapped up in all of this,” I remarked.
“And it would seem, thankfully, that they listened to our requests... Karen? Are you quite all right?”
This is bad. It’s so bad, isn’t it? There’s no doubt about it, my actions have disgraced the king and Marquis Rodenwald.
“Um, Gerda? I have a request.”
“Yes?”
There was a kindness in my sister’s voice that brought back memories. Before my mother had forgotten me, before I had been kicked out, we’d shared the same bed. We were sisters who did our fair share of bickering, to be sure, but we got along well now.
“It would make me so happy if you would share some of your favorite earrings with me,” I said.
“I’d be happy to, but aren’t our preferences rather different?”
“Being able to look upon something that belongs to you would so cheer me up.”
“Oh! Hold on just a moment, then!”
Gerda leaped from the sofa while I crossed my arms and racked my brain. Things did not look good. They looked very bad, in fact. If I left things as they were, I had a feeling that I would be at the mercy of the others.
I needed a plan. I’d been intending to have dinner with Gerda, but after some thought, I opted to cut my visit short. Gerda insisted on seeing me off at the gate.
“The carriage appears to be running rather late,” I said.
“Y-Yes. I wonder what could have happened?”
With her attempts at conversation, Gerda made it painfully obvious that she was trying to buy time, but at this point I did not think she held any ulterior motives. Ten minutes had passed and, in my impatience, I decided to go looking for the driver. It was then that we were informed that the carriage was broken.
“Well, there isn’t anything we can do about that,” said Gerda. “Let’s wait inside for a spell.”
“Er, no,” I replied. “I suppose I’ll just walk home.”
“You’ll walk home?!”
“I’ll walk until I can pick up a hansom cab. I’ll be fine.”
“N-No! No, you won’t! A young noble girl walking by herself?! You’re putting yourself in danger!”
“Look at me, Gerda. Who’s going to think I’m a noble, dressed like this?”