Miyako promised to stop at nothing to save Fuuka, and then she left. Just then, a figure emerged from behind a tree.
“Miyako.”
“O-Odina?!”
That figure was Odina Florence, Miyako’s older brother and the eldest son of the Florence family. He was at that time working for the Reinhardts for networking purposes.
“Why are you here?”
“Susie told me. The one time I managed to get some sleep in the house, too.”
“Wait, you were there?!”
“Yeah. I was out for the count. I’ve got to make the most of my days off, after all. And I wasn’t feeling great, so...”
Miyako thought she had been the only one in the Florences’ second home in the capital. But you were just sleeping?!
“So, why are you here?”
“Simple,” said Odina with a sigh. “I’m here to stop you.”
“...That’s not gonna happen.” Miyako stepped back, glaring at Odina. If you’re going to stand in my way, I don’t care if I have to thump you to get past. “You’re on the Reinhardts’ side, right? Well, I’m on Fuuka-chan’s side.”
“No... Well, I do work for them, but... If you do this, it’ll be a real pain, so quit it. I mean, it’s not like it’s guaranteed she’ll die when she prays at the river anyway...”
“I can’t let them treat Fuuka-chan like she’s some tool.”
“Yeah, but...”
“So don’t try to stop me.”
“Listen to me!!!” shouted Odina.
He furrowed his brow, looking older than his years. His usual cheerfulness was gone.
“...I’m telling you not to go stirring up trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“That’s right. God only knows why, but Klaus-sama is head over heels for you. The way I see it, you should ask him to uncancel your engagement. He might actually do that... I work for the man, so I can tell. He’s just another simpleton. To be honest, he doesn’t have much going on in his head.”
“I know that.”
“And he doesn’t have any sense as an employer!”
“I know that too.”
“And he exploits his employees!!”
“Odina.”
“Right, yeah. The point is, as ordinary as he is, he’ll do all right when he takes over the powerful Reinhardt family.”
“So?”
“So... families are organizations. However much you love somebody, I think it’s stupid to go up against a powerful organization for a single person,” said Odina with a self-deprecating chuckle, as though he knew better than anyone.
“...Odina.”
“What is it? Do you get it now, little sister?”
“You’re such an idiot!!”
“...Huh?”
“You’re such an idiot, I said. You blockhead!! You dunce!!”
Miyako’s stern look drove Odina back a step.
“You act like a good little servant and work till you drop, but tell me this: will the amazing and powerful Reinhardt family be there for you when you need it?!”
“I, er, well... Could you keep your voice down? I’m something of a professional when it comes to spying, so I’m just letting you know, but the Hamiltons will find you!”
“Like I care! I never should have written you that letter.”
Miyako removed an envelope from her pocket. She wrote it before coming to the Hamilton mansion.
“Stay out of my way! I’ve decided to look Fuuka-chan in the eyes and tell her how important she is to me, how much I love her.”
She shoved the envelope at Odina and made her exit.
She had shouted too loudly and worried someone from the Hamilton mansion would find her just like Odina had said. She ran away, without looking back.
✦ ✦ ✦
Of course, if he had wanted to, Odina could have grabbed Miyako’s arm and kept her there.
“Hey, hold on, Miyako...”
But he didn’t. Or rather, he couldn’t.
Will the amazing and powerful Reinhardt family be there for you when you need it?
Those words stuck in his mind.
She was just a girl from a family of country nobles. While she did score an engagement to the Reinhardt family’s heir through some sort of miracle, she was still just a young woman.
I’ve worked more than she has; I’m the Reinhardts’ spy, I’ve done more in front of and behind the curtain... Well, mostly behind. I know more about the world. But...
“Will the amazing and powerful Reinhardt family be there for you when you need it?!”
He couldn’t deny the persuasiveness of those words, which gave the impression she had lived through it herself.
I don’t mind Klaus, myself. People don’t notice because they’re distracted by his good looks, but he’s quite the good-natured man. He’s a nice guy, if you ignore his rough treatment of subordinates and lack of thinking. But, she’s right, at this rate...
Odina heaved a sigh.
“...A letter, huh.”
Odina carefully opened the envelope that Miyako had thrust at him. Written inside, Miyako asked about his health and made a single request. She detailed a way for the Florence family to flourish without relying on political marriages, even after her departure.
The Florence family’s financial difficulties were the reason Odina started to work for the Reinhardts. What would happen if those difficulties went away? Odina imagined a life unburdened by long working hours and his boss’s monumental tasks. He saw a life where he only had to worry about himself and his family, and where he could look after himself and those around him. The more he thought, the more he fell in love with the idea.
“Welp, guess I’m going on a round trip to the Atika region. What’s that, two days?”
Odina smiled a little. Not his usual cynical smile—
“I wonder if I can get this as paid time off?”
—but instead, the smile of someone with a bright future.