“THIS is a happy occasion, so I hope nothing happens…” Cesia mumbled. She and Marcus were sharing a bumpy ride in a carriage, just them, so they could enter the venue separately from everyone else in the Second Division.
“It’ll be okay, Cesia. I’ll be here for you,” Marcus said, taking her hand.
Cesia raised her face and couldn’t help but smile at her fiancé’s confidence. He hadn’t asked her, “Are you okay,” he had basically said, “I’m here, so you’ll be okay.”
And he was there for her. He always would be, even if everyone in the world was against her. With that in mind, she felt encouraged to do the right thing and be someone who could stand by Marcus with her head held high.
She had never thought of things like that back when she was alone. She had been desperately trying to survive. Good and bad had nothing to do with it. Even now, she wasn’t doing the right thing only out of a strong sense of justice; she did the right thing because she wanted to be worthy of the person she loved.
“Thank you. No matter what happens, I won’t lose to anyone or anything because Your Royal Highness is here for me.”
“That’s brave of you.” Marcus smiled. He quickly kissed her on the lips, and Cesia smiled shyly, her face turning red.
Just then, the carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at the venue: the residence owned by Rosary’s father, a count. To avoid casting a shadow on Rosary’s happy day, Cesia fired herself up.
“Should we get going? My fiancée.”
“Yes, my future husband.”
Marcus put out his hand, and Cesia took it and stepped out of the carriage.
✦ ✦ ✦
MEANWHILE, in a corner of the castle, the office of the Second Financial Audit Division was almost empty. Almost all the members were out at the party. Only Layne and Roy were left, and they were doing some paperwork.
“You planned on going with the others too, right Layne? I can finish the rest,” Roy said.
Layne looked up from the documents in front of him. Even though it was the busy season, he had taken a few days off recently. He had been working faster than usual, but he still had some work left over, which was rare for him. “Sorry, Roy.”
“Not at all, I don’t mind. Keith always pushes his work on me anyway,” Roy said with a smile.
Layne put a hand to his forehead. “You can say no to him.”
“No, it’s fine. And besides, I’m not at all suited to the physical jobs that he’s so good at, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to prove myself here.”
Roy seemed to be sincere. However, Layne was conflicted about how long he ought to keep Roy in the Second Division. While still accomplishing his normal duties, Roy had also researched and published an article on magic theory that became the center of attention for magic researchers from all over the world.
“All right. Sorry, but I’ll leave it to you then. Feel free to go home whenever you feel it’s best,” Layne said.
“Okay, good work today.”
Layne quickly left the office.
Seeing Layne go, Roy thought, He really must’ve been late after all.
Keith resented Layne after he had heard about the harsh things Layne said to Cesia, but no matter how Layne had said it, Roy took it as a sign that he was worried about her. Feeling warmed by Layne’s kindness, he finished up the documents Layne had left behind for him first, and he turned back to his desk.
“Haah, I wish I could’ve gone to the party. I wonder if Cesia’s doing well.” He hadn’t been able to see Cesia much lately, but he was her coworker, so at the very least, he would see her when he attended her wedding.
Keith had said that Cesia had gotten quite pretty, but Roy had thought she was pretty from the moment they had met. He had always thought she was good-looking, but she had never really worn makeup, and she hadn’t paid much attention to her appearance, so she hadn’t been a typical beauty. But, he had always thought that the determined aura that seemed to be pouring out of her was beautiful.
Roy was the son of a margrave and had been blessed with a talent for magic, which meant that people had always paid attention to him whether he liked it or not. He had gotten fed up with it, and after graduating from his school in the province where he had grown up, he had come to the capital. Here, he had thought, my family and my ability won’t stand out.
His plan had been a success, and he met Cesia there. She was only a commoner, and her abilities were mostly just average, but her strong sense of purpose and overflowing competitive spirit roused the ire of sheltered nobles. To him, everything about her was radiantly beautiful, and since then, he had always been a fan of hers.
When Marcus had suggested that he be Cesia’s magic teacher, Roy had enthusiastically accepted. She didn’t possess a particularly large amount of magical energy and didn’t have any special abilities, but she was clever and a hard worker. She quickly picked up whatever he taught her and steadily learned new skills. There was a simple joy in teaching her, and watching her show off her ability motivated him to devote himself to his research.
Roy sorted the paperwork as he thought about Cesia. Layne hadn’t left too much work for him, but paperwork from the other members of the division constantly piled up on the deputy chief’s desk. It looked like the real chore would be to dig through it all and sort it.
Marcus had created the Second Financial Audit Division to have more room to act flexibly without formal, official permission, but now that the incident with Juliette was over and the Second Division’s merits were widely recognized, it was no longer necessary that he be head of the division. Their relationship with the Security Bureau was good, too, to the point where they sometimes gave the Second Division the duty of investigating before they made an arrest.
“Keith… Please tie up documents with string or do something to keep them together before you submit them…” Roy mumbled to himself as he continued to work smoothly. Just then, he noticed a bundle of documents that looked different from the ones he had been working with and stopped moving his hands. “What’s this? Security Bureau? Some other documents must’ve gotten mixed in.”
When he turned the page to check what the document was about, his eyes widened in surprise.