Chapter 121
Scandal
Luri spoke as she watched the visibly excited Valdrova.
“Since Lord Ferda is hosting the banquet, the hostess’s role will be equally important.”
—By hostess... you mean me, correct?
“Yes.”
—Hmm...
—A man and a woman together...
Valdrova’s head drooped.
No matter how much she admired such events and wished to attend one, the moment it became her own concern, fear seized her first.
Naturally, Luri understood that tendency of hers perfectly.
“Lord Ferda intends to dance there.”
—Dance?
“It is called the waltz—a dance performed by a man and woman in harmony. It is considered a basic accomplishment among the nobility.”
—...
The man would be Ferda, and the woman would be her.
Imagining the two of them as a pair made her heart pound. Owing to her enormous size, the heavy thudding of her heartbeat resounded clearly.
—What if I say that I cannot attend...?
“Then Lord Ferda will presumably dance with another partner.”
—Hmm...
Valdrova sank into deep contemplation.
Imagining Ferda dancing with another woman made her heart ache even more.
No matter what it took, she had to attend.
—Then perhaps I could go in my armor...
“That would be impossible.”
Luri spoke even more firmly than usual, lest Valdrova entertain the idea of somehow reducing the armor’s size.
“More importantly, would that not make things difficult for Lord Ferda? He would have to lead someone more than two meters tall. Furthermore...”
—Furthermore?
“If you accidentally stepped on his foot, his bones would be crushed. I would support the idea if you intended to cripple him, but surely you do not.”
—Of course not.
While she was in dragon form, the armor alone weighed several hundred kilograms. Frail Ferda would never be able to withstand that.
Realizing Luri had a point, Valdrova nodded.
After watching her struggle to reach a decision, Luri spoke again.
“Not attending is also an option.”
—You truly mean that?
“Yes.”
Luri continued.
“My master is the Aspect of Fire and Power. You are an immortal being who does not readily reveal herself before humans, so it may be better to preserve your mystique.”
—...I suppose so?
Valdrova hummed and nodded as though she had found the perfect excuse.
Luri knew that accepting it would only cause her to hide herself away even more.
After all, Luri had served her longer than anyone else.
“I nearly forgot to mention something.”
But there was one thing Valdrova did not know.
This was merely one step backward to take three steps forward.
“Are you aware that Olivia Arken arrived today?”
Valdrova froze.
She knew Olivia was called the Golden Rose of the Empire and was extremely popular among men.
And Ferda was a man too.
—I am vaguely aware.
“Did you watch her when she arrived?”
—I was working, so I did not see her.
“She came here and personally instructed Lord Ferda.”
—Are you saying she danced with my fiancé?
“Yes. They held hands and practiced the waltz without music—for nearly four hours, no less.”
—Four hours...
Valdrova had already felt terrible when she heard that Ferda had held Olivia’s hand.
But they had danced.
For four whole hours.
A man and a woman, together for four hours.
Valdrova felt as though the world within her heart had turned dark and gloomy.
“Do you know what that means?”
—What?
“It means Lord Ferda wishes to dance with you, Master.”
Her unsettled mood instantly soared.
Valdrova flapped her phantom wings and snorted excitedly.
Then her body gradually began to shrink. Her scales receded beneath smooth skin, and her form finally transformed into that of a beautiful woman.
She possessed gentle eyes utterly unsuited to the Aspect of Fire and Power.
With the expression of someone who had made a monumental decision, she declared,
“I-I want to try that w-wild thing!”
“It is called a waltz.”
Although, considering the things you usually do, “wild” is not entirely inaccurate.
Everything had proceeded exactly as intended, leaving Luri privately satisfied.
“I will teach you how to dance.”
“Huh? You knew how to dance?”
“I did not originally, but I learned.”
She had watched Ferda practice dancing for nearly four hours.
During that time, she had mastered every movement and detail.
Ferda, the one actually receiving the lesson, could barely move his feet, yet Luri had memorized the entire dance.
Two facts had become abundantly clear: Olivia Arken was an excellent teacher, and Ferda was a hopeless dancer.
“Imagine that I am Lord Ferda and try taking my hand.”
“But Ferda isn’t this small...”
“That is why I said to imagine it, Master.”
“O-okay. Sorry...”
She had inadvertently offended Luri.
Valdrova lightly took Luri’s hand and looked down at her.
This is Ferda’s hand...
Once she thought of it that way, it truly began to look like his.
The hand that always enveloped her in warmth.
The hand that made her heart flutter and filled her with nervous excitement at the mere sight of it.
Ferda’s hand.
Crack—!
Or rather, what had once been Luri’s hand.
“Aaaah!”
“...”
“F-Ferda! No, L-L-Luri! Is your hand all right? Wh-what do I do? What should I do?”
The one whose hand had been crushed remained perfectly calm, while the culprit fell into a panic.
Luri silently looked down at her hand.
Her fingers had gone limp and refused to move.
Looking at it, Luri realized something.
Practicing the waltz was not their immediate concern.
She sighed and said,
“Let us begin by practicing how to control your strength.”
First, she had to prevent Valdrova from committing murder.
***
The planners Olivia had promised to send from the Empire entered the city.
They arrived with several luxurious carriages and began preparing for the banquet and festivities.
Their attention was not limited to events within the castle. They also made arrangements outside it and throughout Hestia Village, devoting themselves to ensuring that everything concluded successfully.
The only matter requiring Ferda’s attention was how much money would be spent on the Beginning of Spring Festival, so the preparations proceeded smoothly.
“These are letters of greeting sent from all across the Cerdes Continent.”
She emptied a box of letters onto his desk.
There were enough to drown someone in well wishes.
“There are an incredible number of them.”
“This is what remains after filtering them repeatedly. Considering each sender’s regional influence and potential for future growth, we narrowed the list down to approximately four hundred people.”
“Did you do all of this by yourself?”
“If I had, I would never have finished in time. I did it ‘together’ with Miss Mori.”
So that explained why her skin seemed strangely glossy.
Only two hundred and fifty people could attend the Beginning of Spring Festival. Ferda would have to eliminate the remaining one hundred and fifty himself.
He began reading their letters.
—I wholeheartedly support Regent Ferda Valdrova’s construction of Hestia Village. I am...
The letters praised Hestia Village, despite their writers having never previously shown any interest in it, and went on to advertise what sort of nobles they were.
They also slipped in lines expressing their hopes for the Beginning of Spring Festival’s success, subtly conveying their desire to attend.
Every single letter followed the same pattern.
“There is one more letter, but this one is something of an exception.”
The word exception puzzled Ferda, but he understood as soon as he saw the sender.
“It came from the Yurei Duchy.”
“What do you think?”
The duchy had fallen into tremendous debt after losing the war.
The farmers being exploited to repay that debt had come to Hestia Village in pursuit of freedom and survival.
From Duke Yurei’s perspective, Ferda was little different from a kidnapper.
“It seems inviting him would be the better choice...”
Duke Yurei was the greatest victim in this situation.
If Ferda refused to send an invitation merely because their circumstances made things uncomfortable, he would only give the duke an excuse to portray himself as the victim.
“Even if we have to deal with someone from the Yurei family, it will most likely be Duke Yurei’s son.”
“That’s true.”
The Beginning of Spring Festival celebrated the arrival of spring.
In principle, it was a social gathering for young, unmarried people.
For an event like that, Olivia Arken was excellent bait.
Those from the Empire might encounter her several times at tea parties and other events, but people from outside the Empire would find it difficult even to secure an audience with her.
Fortunately, the plan is proceeding smoothly.
If only it could continue without anyone interfering.
But as always, the world did not move according to Ferda’s wishes.
The door was flung open roughly.
Despite the forceful noise announcing her arrival, the girl who strode inside was quite petite. Casting aside her usual maid-like composure, she marched directly toward Ferda and asked,
“Have you been carelessly running your mouth?”
Ferda wondered what had gotten into her.
“That is quite an aggressive way to speak.”
“I have received some information for which I am both sorry and not sorry.”
She handed him the telegram she had received.
Ferda immediately understood why she was so angry.
The report was so absurd that rage began boiling within him as well.
“A rumor that Regent Valdrova and Princess Arken are having an affair has spread throughout the Empire. What are we going to do about this?”
When Olivia said she would visit Valdrova Castle, Ferda had considered numerous ways the situation could go wrong.
There had been countless possible scenarios, but one had concerned him above all others.
A scandal.
There were occasions when a young noblewoman had no choice but to stay at a man’s residence. However, because retainers and knights closely supervised such visits, they were not regarded as seriously as one might expect.
Yet the more beautiful a jewel was, the more conspicuous even the smallest blemish became.
And the higher someone’s status, the more severely even a minor rumor could shake them.
That is especially true for Olivia.
As an imperial princess, it was her duty to preserve her chastity and conduct herself properly so that she never invited suspicion.
To those who adored her, Ferda Valdrova was an enemy.
If this incident turned them against him, it could prove disastrous.
Yet before all those political calculations, one person’s face appeared in Ferda’s mind.
“Does she... know about this?”
Luri calmly answered his anger-laced question.
“Not yet. But she will learn of it eventually.”
“...”
What would happen when Valdrova found out?
Ferda felt as though she might kill someone.
He wanted to tear out the heart pounding with anxiety inside his chest.
“Whew...”
Ferda took a deep breath.
Getting angry would not resolve anything. He needed to act.
“I suppose I should speak with her.”
With little choice, he established a connection with the imperial palace to speak with Olivia.
Since she stood at the very heart of the Empire, she would know how best to handle a situation like this.
—It is nothing more than idle gossip.
Unlike the anxious Ferda, Olivia sounded perfectly composed.
She understood the importance of reputation better than he did, so she could hardly have dismissed the matter without reason.
Ferda asked her about it.
“Idle gossip?”
—Think about it. Did we do anything there that could invite misunderstanding?
“No.”
—I did not stay overnight. We remained in the reception room the entire time. The knight commander did step outside, but there was a maid inside with us, was there not?
“There was.”
—And Lady Luri Silverwind has sworn her loyalty to Lady Valdrova. Of course, that would be a different matter if her loyalty extended to overlooking an affair—
“If they had tried anything so foolish, I would have ripped their heads off.”
Luri interjected with chilling intensity.
She did not specify whose head she meant, but judging by her eyes, Ferda was certainly among the candidates.
Olivia responded without the slightest disturbance.
—As expected of such a loyal retainer. A suitably forceful answer. We have a witness, so that should be sufficient.
Hearing that explanation eased Ferda’s anxiety somewhat.
—Still, the fact that the rumor has spread is troublesome. It could fuel hostility toward you, Regent.
“Exactly. That is why I contacted you.”
—My, do you need my advice?
“Whatever the circumstances, you know far more about matters like this. I have little choice but to ask for your advice.”
—Hmm~ So you are saying that you need me.
Olivia exhaled as though delighted.
Then she said,
—In that case, how about this? Ask me to dance at the banquet.
No matter how Ferda considered it, that seemed far removed from a solution.
“What will happen then?”
—I will politely refuse.
“Wouldn’t that mean I was rejected?”
People would interpret it as Ferda harboring at least some romantic interest in Olivia.
He had no intention of letting Olivia alone enjoy the outcome.
—My, for you to think that way... You must believe my reputation resembles that of a witch, Regent.
“I do not.”
Having met every actual witch, Ferda considered Olivia practically an angel by comparison.
—Do not worry. As the host of the party, you have a duty to mingle with young ladies who do not have dance partners.
“Surely the Flower of the Empire will have no shortage of partners. Would that duty still apply to you?”
—You truly know nothing about me. I do not dance with any man.
Hearing that, Ferda understood.
Olivia gathered the relevant points and explained again.
—As the host, dance with the other young ladies first and then approach me. You must make it appear that you are merely performing your duties as host, rather than approaching me with personal feelings. Say as much, and I will refuse your invitation.
“Will that truly be enough?”
From Ferda’s perspective, the fundamental problem remained unresolved.
How could that one exchange possibly clear up the rumor?
—Yes. You do not need to issue any statement. Addressing the rumor directly could instead invite further trouble. With time, people will naturally realize that it was nonsense.
“What makes you so certain?”
—I can tell just by looking into your eyes.
“My eyes...?”
—You are always trying to act dignified, but you do realize that you are a terrible actor, don’t you? You merely need to behave as you normally do.
Olivia had abruptly insulted him.
—In any case, this is only minor gossip, so do not dwell on it too deeply. I should leave now. If we continue speaking, this conversation might become the source of yet another rumor.
“Yes. Thank you for your advice.”
Ferda ended the magical communication and stared at the ceiling for a moment.
“Luri.”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand what she meant when she said she could tell by looking into my eyes?”
Luri met Ferda’s gaze.
Her eyes held a peculiar look, as though she could not believe he needed to ask.
“I do.”
“What does it mean?”
“That is a secret. But as the princess said, it should be enough.”
“...”
So that was how it was.
Relieved of one concern, Ferda threw himself back against his chair.
“Do you feel better now?”
“...No.”
That was one matter, and this was another.
Ferda could not tolerate the situation itself.
Who was the bastard trying to test him?
The knight commander must have been the starting point.
He was not Olivia’s man, but the emperor’s.
However, he was unlikely to be the mastermind.
The rumor must have spread among several people after he submitted his report to the emperor.
I have to find them.
Ferda needed to learn what that bastard’s objective was.
No, in truth, the objective did not matter.
He simply had to destroy them.
With that thought, Ferda took something from his desk drawer.
It was a black bandana.