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“UMM, that is… Uh…”
In the Architectural Institute’s reception room, Bernard was frozen on the spot, torrents of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. Claudio sat on the opposite sofa facing Bernard, his legs folded with a cool confidence that contradicted Bernard’s obvious anxiety. Claudio’s fiery gaze, pinned on Bernard’s face, was the only sign of emotion lurking under the surface.
The Architectural Institute’s tea was neither particularly delicious nor particularly terrible; it was merely average. Claudio sipped placidly at his lukewarm tea.
“This isn’t an order, and I’m not going to force you to tell me anything. I’m just asking because it’s been bothering me, you understand.”
“Yes…” Bernard swallowed pointedly as if trying to gather his courage and squeezed his hands into tight fists where they rested on his legs. “As Your Grace guessed, although it’s not to the same degree as my sister, I, too, possess an unusual ability.”
Claudio set the teacup down on the table and re-crossed his legs in the opposite direction.
“I’m sure it’s somewhere around here, but… Ugh, if only Bernard were here, he’d find the broken spot. I can’t determine a precise location…”
Claudio had locked onto those words that had slipped unheeded from Ophelia’s mouth at the Cathedral. Why would Bernard know the precise location if she couldn’t figure it out herself? The two had achieved seriously impressive repair records as a team.
“I’m the type who just can’t let it go without investigating once my curiosity’s been piqued. So, what’s your ability? Continue.”
Bernard pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to wipe his forehead before responding. “I can sense danger, but only in relation to buildings. Damaged spots, obviously, but also slight warping in the pillars and floor, corrosion behind the walls, that kind of thing… It doesn’t affect my body like my sister’s, but I can pick out architectural issues.”
“Only in relation to buildings, you say? So that’s why you were the one who went to figure out which floorboards were rotted that night at the ball?” Claudio asked.
“Yes. At that time, Ophelia wasn’t the only one who sensed something was off; I felt it too. …I’m sorry for concealing this from you.”
“It’s fine. You only answered the questions you were asked. I’m the one who didn’t ask the right questions.” In contradiction to his words, Claudio’s characteristically fierce glare now seemed distinctly condemning, causing Bernard to quickly avert his eyes. “What about your father? Are you and your sister the only ones who have special abilities?”
“…Father can perceive when something is off in relation to numbers. Which is why he’s in charge of structural calculations at the Architectural Institute. The director of the Architectural Institute is the only one who knows about this.”
“So you and your father both found positions that perfectly aligned with your abilities, hm? Is it hereditary, then?”
“Yes. My grandfather’s ability pertained to weight… He could tell from just a glance which of two visually identical items was heavier, so he was put in charge of material management at the Architectural Institute. Both my great-grandfather and his father also possessed some kind of special ability… Up until now, a special ability appeared only in the eldest son of each generation, but for some reason, Ophelia also got her own ability… I feel sorry for her; this was never meant to be her burden to bear.”
Claudio sighed as he watched Bernard’s fists clench even tighter. “It’s because you two are always sheltering her out of pity that she grew up without even the most basic of common knowledge. She won’t always be able to remain under your care, so you really need to—”
“I will protect Ophie for my entire life! You have no right to say such things!” Bernard shouted fiercely, glaring straight at Claudio as he cut the duke off mid-sentence. A moment later, Bernard gasped, realizing what he’d done and looking away. For his part, Claudio’s eyes widened slightly, and he closed his mouth. “Ophie… My sister is mine to protect. I’ve protected her ever since we were kids. And that’s not going to change. So please return her quickly.”
Without ever averting his eyes from Bernard, Claudio reached out and picked up his teacup. A moment of silence fell between the two, during which Bernard regained his composure, and his cheeks flushed lightly.
“Forgive me. I should not have spoken so disrespectfully, Your Grace.”
“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but your attachment to your sister really is abnormal. What made you like that?”
“…”
“…Was it your mother?”
Bernard stared at the floor, only his shoulders twitching in response.
Looks like I was right.
These days, the topic of “the miraculous divorce” seldom came up in conversation. The world had already moved past it, and yet the Narve family was still caught within its tidepool. The majority of marriages between nobles were arranged, so it was common practice to produce a few children, and then each spouse would go off with lovers of their choice. However, these couples would remain legally married and present themselves publicly as husband and wife for the purpose of the family alliance that had brought them together in the first place.
But with Ophelia in the house…
“My family was living happily. But around the time my sister gained awareness of her surroundings, her ability began manifesting. She would start to shake until she collapsed whenever she was around our mother, and our previously peaceful family life was no more. Ophelia was always shaking and crying, causing Mother to make the most distraught face… There was nothing Father or I could do.”
“…I can imagine.”
“Father and Mother decided to get divorced. As long as they kept living a lie, Ophelia would never even be able to stand upright for long without falling over.”
Claudio reached for his teacup, only to realize it was empty, and stopped his hand in midair. After a moment, he reached up with the idle hand to scratch his head. “It’s extremely rare for aristocrats to divorce. I heard that the palace officials processing your parents’ divorce had to pull up historical records to even figure out how to go about it.”
“Yes… During that time, Father spent an inordinate amount of time at the Royal Palace trying to get the divorce processed. It really ran him ragged.” As he muttered that, Bernard clasped his temples with both hands and looked down at the table. “At the time, I blamed my sister. I was confused and upset that Mother was leaving. I understood, vaguely, that Mother was the one who’d taken a lover. But that had never been a problem before. I was angry at Ophie for ruining everything. I just wanted my mother back.”
As Bernard’s voice began to shake, Claudio remained silent and slowly closed his eyes. Bernard had only been about ten years old at the time. It was unreasonable in and of itself to expect a child that age to be reasonable.
“When I said those horrible things to her, Ophie didn’t even cry. She just stood there frozen, too shocked to cry. That’s when I finally realized… For months, she’d been so confounded by Mother’s lies that she was always falling down and injuring herself. Ophie was hurting just as much as I was.”
Claudio didn’t look away. Bernard’s face looked a lot like Ophelia’s when he had tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I will spend my whole life protecting Ophie. So, please… Return her to me quickly.”
Claudio let out a small sigh, then looked down and massaged his brow with his right hand.
Claudio hated lies.
Back when he’d been a young prince, people were constantly trying to get close to him, hoping to benefit from the connection in some way. He’d quickly learned that directly condemning their fake smiles was a surefire way to send them packing. Anything that upset him, he would deal with quickly and decisively, by himself. That was his nature.
However, for the first time, Claudio experienced shame for unintentionally intruding on the pain the Narve siblings carried in their hearts.