“The content of your conversations. I was impressed by how easily and accurately you could discuss things like the classical play this one pays homage to. I came here with the intention of backing you up, but to be honest, I feel like I’ve been given the slip. The way you were talking, you could join a gathering of theater lovers. I’m sure they’d commend your knowledge.”
“Oh... When I was little, the bedtime stories mommy read to me and the scenarios we acted out with dolls were all taken directly from her noble education, apparently. Before I knew it, I’d learned most of the old stories out there. But it’s not like mommy took the books with her when she left home. She recited them to me from memory. Don’t you think she’s a monster?”
Baldur hummed, impressed. “That’s...incredible.”
“Anyway, a gathering of theater lovers, huh? That kind of thing might be nice.” Fiene smiled.
Baldur’s eyes widened. “This is exactly what I find most surprising. I thought you didn’t like that kind of overly noble thing. Not because you can’t act like a noble, but because you don’t want to. But earlier, you played the part of a perfect noblewoman, and you didn’t even seem like you were forcing yourself to. You looked like you were having fun, which surprised me. You seem unusually proactive today, and it was your idea to go to an upper-class establishment in the first place. Could it be that you haven’t done this kind of thing before?”
“Oh, you noticed? Yes, I had a bit of a change of heart...or I guess you could say I decided it’s time to accept my fate. I came here today to see what my future life will be like. Well, I think I’d be able to handle this for short periods of time. I’d rather hunt powerful monsters and establish a presence through military feats, but I know that’s not appropriate for a marquise. I’ll try my best to fit in with high society.”
“Are you saying...?” Could it be? No, there’s no way.
Deep blue eyes, filled with anticipation, gazed upon a girl with sky-blue eyes inherited from her father.
Fiene smiled radiantly. “I am. I’ve come to love my sister, you, and everyone else too much to run away from the royal capital. So I’ve decided to marry you and become a wife to the marquis, Sir Bal.”
Amidst the buzzing crowd in the theater, Fiene’s words rang remarkably clear, as if she herself were the lead actress. Baldur was willing to follow her anywhere in the world, yet she declared she would put down her roots right where she was. He’d never even dreamed of such joy.
Baldur began to stand up on reflex, but paused when the girl tilted her head quite dramatically.
“Oh, but before that, I’m thinking of serving the royal family as my sister’s bodyguard for a few years,” Fiene said. “In that case, should I stick with father and learn some things from him first? What’s the test to join the knights again? I have to beat up five or six full-fledged members?”
Baldur felt like he’d been hit with a wet blanket. He sat back down on the sofa, dejected. However, from the look on his face, he seemed to be taking her question seriously.
“Well, if you just want to join the knights, that’s possible,” he said. “But if you want to be part of the crown princess’s imperial guard, you’ll need to obtain a recommendation through connections and achievements, and then there’s a written exam and an interview. You probably don’t have to worry about connections since Lieselotte and His Highness will take care of that. As far as achievements go, standing out among your peers at school should do the trick...assuming the classroom lectures don’t hold you back. I think you just have to work a little harder until graduation.”
“That all sounds like a pain. Then again, what’re the other ways of gaining prestigious achievements as a noble? Doing business? Managing territory? Socializing? I’d much rather study than any of those. Well, I’ll do anything if it means I can stay with my sister, who’s helped me so much.”
“I see... So you made your decision because Lieselotte’s going to become crown princess soon, and you were thinking about what you’re going to do when that time comes. You want to stay with Lieselotte, huh? Not me,” Baldur muttered, melancholic.
Fiene laughed and patted him on his back, which felt strangely small even though it was supposed to be very broad. “Oh no, don’t be so depressed, Sir Bal. Didn’t you vow to stay with me no matter where I went? I know you’re always going to be around, so I was thinking of what else I wanted to do. The reason I want to gain prominence as a noble is so no one will complain about my becoming your wife—the wife of Marquis Riefenstahl.”
“I see. My uncle seems to think you’d make a good successor, though. Are you fine with not taking the reins yourself?”
“I’d rather leave the actual ruling to you, since you’ve received the right education for it. Actually, I chose to stay with the marquisate because I thought you’d be happier that way. I wanted to make the better choice for you too, I guess.”
“Fiene...”
The girl averted her gaze. “You wanted to succeed the marquisate because father took good care of you, didn’t you? That’s why you’ve worked so hard all your life. I haven’t done nearly as much, so it’s only natural for you to take the reins.”
“Right.” Baldur firmly held her hand. “Thank you, Fiene. For choosing to stay with the marquisate and accepting my proposal in the best way possible. I really appreciate it.” He spoke passionately and emotionally, as if he were praying to the gods.
Fiene drew back ever so slightly, embarrassed. She tried to squirm her hand free, but the warmth and strength of his hand weakened her will to resist. She could only give a strained smile.
“Anyway, I’ve made up my mind,” she said. “I’m gonna become a marquise! Because that way, I can stay with all the people I love—my sister, Sir Bal, mommy, father, my little sisters, and everyone at school! We can all be happy together that way. Probably! So, Sir Bal, I’m counting on you to give me guidance and stuff, since you were raised to be the next head of House Riefenstahl!”
“Yes, I’ll do everything I can to ease the burden on you. I don’t want you to regret your decision. I want you to be glad you chose this path. I’ll offer you my love and devotion—no, everything I have—for the rest of my life.”
“Um, I don’t want to count on you that much...”
It wasn’t clear whether Baldur had heard Fiene’s dismayed mumbling. He continued to shower her with words of love and admiration until the beginning of the play, sounding more grandiose than the actors onstage. Fiene covered her ears, indifferent.
────
“Ohhh,” Lady Kobayashi said. “It’s a shame she didn’t make the decision because of her love for Bal alone, but at least it doesn’t seem like her past life’s trauma is affecting her much?”
Lieselotte sighed. “Well, now that I’ve heard about her past as Eve, I think she may unconsciously be making it look like she prioritizes me over Baldur. She may feel like something bad will happen if she openly says he’s her beloved.”
“Then...”
Perhaps it would be better to tell her it was the evil god Kuon who instilled that fear in her, and there’s no need to worry anymore now that he’s sealed away?
Before I could raise the question, Lieselotte stopped me with a very reassuring smile.
“However, Baldur is fully capable of overcoming that much, so I don’t think there’ll be any issues,” she said. “There are only two ways to make a Riefenstahl give up on their love. Either you make it clear from the very start that you think nothing of them, or you outright kill them. If you let them think they have a chance even one time, they’ll cling to hope forever, convinced they can change your mind. They’ll continue to chase you for their entire life, offering their love and begging for your affection. That’s how our family is.”
Lord Endo’s face twitched. “The Riefenstahls sure are messed up, huh...?”
In other words, Lieselotte also loves me that strongly. I couldn’t help but feel happy, although I was perhaps similar in that regard. Lieselotte wasn’t the first Riefenstahl to marry into the royal family, so it was possible I had inherited some of their characteristics. However, for the sake of staying on topic, I’m not going to mention it.
“Well, at any rate, let’s leave them be.” I smiled. “We won’t tell them about Adam and Eve yet.”
Lieselotte gave a polite nod. “Yes, I think that will be fine. Now then, as for other major changes since the ball... It’d have to be Count Leon Schach.”
“Oh, something happened with Professor Leon too?” Lady Kobayashi’s eyes widened. “Wait, ‘Count Leon Schach’?! Professor Leon inherited House Schach?! That’s a humongous change!”
“Is it really such a surprise?” I asked.