Side Story Chapter 1. The Official Couple of the Worldview (Part 4)
‘Right, there’s no need for me to be uniquely peculiar.’
Isn’t he objectively a fine man, chosen by my sister and approved by all the elders of the family?
It seems I should slowly settle my personal grudge against Tesillid, which began with his familiar remark. It was a pathetic thing to deliberately look for only reasons to dislike him here.
As if sensing Printz’s inner compromise, the topic of conversation at the table progressed.
“By the way, my grandson-in-law.”
“Yes.”
“So, when do you plan to get married?”
“…Ah.”
Tesillid, with his ear tips reddening and gaze lowered, once again satisfied Leonard and Duke Hispenril.
‘He truly likes our daughter!’
‘Haha! How fresh he is!’
It wasn’t entirely wrong. He was quite fresh for someone thousands of years old.
‘Marriage…’
As soon as that one word permeated Tesillid’s mind, countless visions of choking on ecstasy unfolded.
He barely managed to compose his mind, which had almost gone blank.
‘But shouldn’t I propose first?’
It seemed like chaos would erupt at the table if he revealed such circumstances directly.
“Shouldn’t Sir Printz get married first? I heard from Aillet that you’ve had a woman in your heart for a long time.”
His intention to change the target of the conversation succeeded splendidly.
Printz’s expression immediately relaxed. Bianca, the woman he had in his heart, was someone whose mere mention could make him feel elated.
“Ahem, I intend to confess my feelings to her soon.”
His lake-colored eyes, envisioning a beautiful woman with blue-black hair, became hazy.
Bianca was the young lady he had secretly loved since his childhood, when he was a powerless page. Most of the servants at the count’s mansion avoided her, saying she was cold and inscrutable, but in Printz’s eyes, she was different. He had experienced Bianca’s kind and affectionate nature several times.
Back when he had just become a whipping boy and was taking beatings for Romdio, he used to hide in a corner of the mansion and sob alone. Even though it was something he had volunteered for, he was still young, and the beatings hurt. Sometimes, when Romdio, like a scoundrel, provoked the tutor, the punishments Printz received would even include emotional venting.
The flower garden outside the library wall was his secret place, which he had painstakingly found because he didn’t want to worry his father and sister. He was confident no one would find him there due to the sparse foot traffic. However, instead of people, some angel seemed to have found him. From a certain day, a bag of cookies with his name written on it was left on a nearby windowsill every day. -Who could it be? He wrote a letter in return and placed it, and also a garland of wildflowers, but there was no reply.
Eventually, Printz couldn’t overcome his curiosity about the angel and secretly ambushed himself below the flower garden. And seeing someone’s small hand place the cookie bag down and disappear, he impulsively grabbed it.
Thus, he discovered that he had dared to grab the wrist of the young lady he served.
-Oh, Young Lady?!
-…It hurts, could you let go?
-I-I’m sorry. But I didn’t know the angel who gave me cookies was the young lady… Why…?
-Because you’re suffering because of my foolish brother. I just felt a sense of responsibility as the future head of the Gillette Count’s family.
-You didn’t have to… More than that, I’m sorry.
-For what?
-Not knowing you were the Young Lady, and giving something trivial like wildflowers as a thank-you gift… It’s so embarrassing. You must have thrown it away, right? Haha.
-I didn’t throw it away.
-That’s a relief… What?
-It was pretty, so I dried it well.
-…Bianca, replying, was subtly smiling. It was a rare, thus even more precious, smile.
A kind noble young lady is certainly enough to become the first love of many boys, isn’t she? Printz couldn’t escape this classic trope either, and the young boy couldn’t sleep that night.
In fact, Bianca’s influence was significant in his dream of becoming a knight too. Even though he was a commoner, if he received a knight title, he could become useful to Bianca. He harbored the dream that he might even become her personal guard knight.
And his dream came true. His talent was discovered following the rogue young master’s violent incident, allowing him to learn swordsmanship from Viscount Carmel. He was going to be satisfied with just that… - Actually, big brother, you’re pretty much royalty. You and I are Duke Hispenril’s grandchildren. At the time, it was too shocking, but as time passed, he couldn’t help but feel joy subtly rising.
If I’m a noble.
If I’m a noble.
Wouldn’t I be able to get closer to Bianca?
Wouldn’t I be able to become a man worthy of her?
The desire, having gained a trigger, quickly swelled. Printz himself was surprised by the strong desire he had within him.
And now that he was a knight with the backing of his family, proposing marriage to the prestigious Gillette Count’s family wouldn’t be an insult to Bianca.
‘I’ll propose before the year ends! Definitely!’
Just then, Tesillid also spoke words that boosted Printz’s confidence.
“Sir Printz is a model for knights, so the person receiving your proposal would surely be delighted.”
“R-really?”
His words, spoken with such a pure-hearted expression, sounded not like flattery but genuine praise. It was then that his goodwill towards Tesillid was inevitably about to surface again.
But then!
“Yes, unless it’s a woman like the young Countess Gillette, who desires a son-in-law.”
“…What? What do you mean?!”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Aillet said so. That the young Countess Gillette wants a husband who is a second son or younger noble with no right of succession, or a commoner.”
“…!”
“Come to think of it, according to a recent letter delivered by His Majesty King Celestid, there’s fierce competition in royal society these days for the position of the young Countess Gillette’s husband.”
The next moment, Tesillid, with a face as if sculpted from all the goodness in the world, delivered the coup de grace to Printz.
“However, Sir Printz must succeed the Hispenril Ducal family, so you can never become a son-in-law.”
“W-w-wait a minute!”
“Yes, Sir Printz.”
“W-why should I succeed the ducal family? I have an Aura Master sister?!”
The four-person table fell silent for a moment. The awkward atmosphere clearly implied, ‘You’re asking because you don’t know that?’
A moment later, Leonard, Duke Hispenril, and Tesillid amicably shared the answer.
“Well, Printz, you are also the eldest of our family.”
“Our little darling is the Pope of the Incantation Cult, you see.”
“According to doctrine, marriage is possible, but succession to a title is difficult. It’s hard for a Pope to return to secular life.”
“…!”
Only then did he finally gain a shocking realization.
Becoming a noble was not something to be happy about at all!
Following this, Printz’s brain furiously worked, devising a way to escape this once-in-a-lifetime crisis.
‘I have to pass on the title! To Aillet!’
And to do that, something is necessary.
“Brother-in-law!”
It means withdrawing support for Raywin. The Hispenril family will need a son-in-law anyway. And the former prince whose older sister has already inherited the throne is perfect for the son-in-law condition!
Tesillid was flustered by the sudden grasp on his hand. But his mouth was faithful.
“Brother?”
When the correct address was returned, as if clapping hands, Printz brightened.
“Yes, brother-in-law! I’ve been thinking, I believe it would be best for you and my sister to succeed the ducal title!”
“What? But as I said before, Aillet has the issue of returning to secular life…”
“Our grandfather is in his prime! He’ll wait long enough until his great-grandson inherits the title!”
“…”
As Tesillid said nothing, Printz grew anxious. For desperate persuasion, he even resorted to saying something materialistic that he wouldn’t normally.
“Come on, think about it carefully. The Pope’s position isn’t hereditary, but the ducal title is. Shouldn’t you at least pass on a ducal title to Aillet and your precious children?!”
“…”
Tesillid, who had seemed stiff until now, finally reacted.
“Children… Aillet and mine…”
The ducal title seemed to be of no concern to him. Tesillid’s eyes, repeating the heart-stirring words, were slightly dazed.
He was currently imagining in his mind a daughter with pink hair and sea-colored eyes, and a son with silver hair and peridot-colored eyes.
“No, does everyone have no interest in the ducal title…?”
It was then that Duke Hispenril lamented.
“Hm? What are you all talking about so interestingly?”
“Eltea! You’ve come at just the right time. Your father is sad. Why does everyone dislike the ducal title so much? At this rate, our family line will be cut off!”
Printz also stepped forward.
“Mom, I have a favor to ask. Could you please accept the ducal title for a bit? Just until your grandson grows up!”
“…No, what are you all saying right now? Leo, could you explain?”
“Hahaha…”
✠ After sufficiently socializing at the table, people began to move to meet various others.
People gathered in small groups could easily be seen in the empty spaces of the banquet hall and the courtyard outside.
Taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, Tesillid decided to look for Aillet.
‘She seemed to have gone to the garden with the young Countess Gillette.’
The garden trees, having passed summer, boasted abundant greenery. Walking alone between the well-trimmed hedges, inhaling the clear, moist air through his nose felt pleasant. The air, cleansed by the previous day’s rain, felt refreshing, as if it were washing even his lungs clean.
However, this pleasant feeling didn’t last long. It was because he felt a presence trailing him.
The other party seemed to have no intention of hiding their presence, calling Tesillid. And with quite an affectionate voice.
“Brother.”
“…”
Tesillid made the same mistake he had made previously when he encountered Raviosa in the backyard of Saint Agnes Church. He instinctively stopped his steps at a call he shouldn’t have responded to.