Interlude:
I’ll Do Everything in My Power
I WASHED MY FACE, BRUSHED MY TEETH, AND changed into my nightwear before getting into bed. Next to the pillow on which I rested my head was a long, slim pillow. I grabbed it and hugged it tightly.
“Marie… You’re so cute…” I whispered.
“My lord.”
I yelped and sat up so quickly that I hit my head against one of the pillars of the canopy. “M-Mio! I didn’t know you were here!”
“Well, I was.”
“Couldn’t you have said something?!”
“I just did,” she said, her tone and expression as devoid of emotion as ever.
But this was just how Mio was, and I didn’t feel like arguing anymore. If she’d come to my room, she probably had something to say, so I simply waited for her to speak. Sure enough, after a few moments, she abruptly said, “What did you think? After seeing Lady Marie again for the first time in four days.”
“I love her,” I replied in a heartbeat.
“That’s not exactly what I was asking.”
“She’s so cute… Well, I suppose she’s more the beautiful type than the cute type. She’s so simple and natural, but she has this seductive charm to her, and—”
“That’s not it either. Five days ago, right before you left for work, you told me: ‘Make sure Marie has the finest luxuries. Treat her as she deserves, like the noble lady she is.’”
“I did. It’s clear the baron treated her horribly. I won’t have that happen again.”
I didn’t let it show, but the thought of what she’d endured infuriated me. It was clear as day that the baron had treated his two daughters very differently.
Treating siblings differently was typical in both noble and commoner families alike. The order of their birth, their genders, whether they were legitimate or not—plenty of factors were at play. I was my father’s fourth child, and an illegitimate one at that, but I’d become his heir despite all that simply because I was a man. I personally had a lot to say about that, but I didn’t want to create pointless feuds, so I kept my mouth shut and accepted it as the wisdom of elders even if I didn’t agree with it.
Marie’s situation was different, though. Putting her through all that because she wasn’t good-looking—in her parents’ opinion, that is—was plain bullying.
I wanted to deny it again and again. I wanted Marie to understand that she was beautiful.
Half of my anger sparked from the fact that her parents’ treatment of her was irrational. The other was purely personal.
“Marie didn’t seem to even register my declaration of love. I felt like I was speaking gibberish. She’s so convinced she’s unsightly and undeserving of love that she won’t listen to reason. It’s like adults losing the ability to see fairies.”
“You’re comparing hearing your voice to seeing fairies, now?” Mio regarded me with a raised eyebrow. “I guess I shouldn’t expect any less from you.”
“It was just a metaphor! Anyway, the main issue isn’t that I have unrequited feelings for her. We can focus on that later, but the first order of business is to nurture Marie’s self-confidence.”
Mio sighed. “I agree that would be good, but I don’t think drowning her in luxury is making her happy. In fact, she seems to be doing worse and worse.”
I’d noticed that too, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“It doesn’t seem like she hates pretty dresses and gourmet food, though…”
“She doesn’t. Actually, I’d say her admiration for these things is why she’s struggling so much. She’s convinced it’s all borrowed riches she doesn’t deserve, so all of it just ends up making her feel like she’s acting out of line.”
“Borrowed riches? Marie is the lady of this castle now. My wealth, my servants, and even me myself—everything belongs to her. Why should she hold back?”
Mio looked contrite. She straightened her posture and lowered her head.
“My lord… Ah, my lord… While I was abandoned as a baby, I was lucky enough to be found by a beautiful traveler and raised in a castle. At the moment, I’m allowed to serve as your grand chamberlain, a function that doesn’t befit me. I’m ever grateful to you and your mother for everything you’ve done for me, and I’m greatly indebted you.”
“Huh? What’s up with you all of a sudden? You never say things like that.”
I laughed in advance. I was eager to see what sarcastic punchline would follow this sudden monologue about her life. What I didn’t expect, however, was for her to keep bowing her head and continue this unprecedented train of thought with complete sincerity.
“If I may, the life I’ve led is what allows me to understand Lady Marie’s feelings. After being abused for so long, she must be blinded by the beauty of the sparkling white walls of this castle, yet she’s surely also terrified. Terrified that the magic that was cast on her out of the blue will come undone just as quickly, terrified that the beautiful dress and shoes she’s been given by someone else will disappear before she knows what hit her, terrified that the prince who’s come for her hand by no effort of her own is merely an illusion. Instead of letting that anxiety eat at her, she might find it easier to reject that this is her new reality.”
What?
Mio was confusing me. What magic was she talking about? How could I or my castle disappear overnight? None of that made any sense.
I tilted my head in confusion and stated candidly, “Marie is the daughter of a baron. She’s noble, she’s beautiful, and she has an adorable personality. Liu Liu thinks of you as her own daughter, and I chose you as my grand chamberlain because I’ve never met anyone as competent as you. That’s all there is to this. Your position in this estate is very much real, and there are no miracles or magic at play.”
Mio laughed, which was very unusual for her, and she brought her hand to her mouth to muffle the sound. “You’re right. You’re fine this way, my lord. Keep taking things at face value and accepting them for what they are as you always have.”
“Was that sarcasm?”
“No, I’m praising you. From the bottom of my heart.”