Reggie arrived during that same night.
It was Margrave Vayne, Madame Beatrice, who had thankfully recovered enough to walk, Alan and his knights and I and the other handmaidens who went out to greet him.
Reggie showed up on horseback, dashing through the darkness of the night. Unlike previous times, he was surrounded by a company of over twenty knights.
His men got off of their mounts, Reggie was the last whose feet touched the ground.
Soldiers who had been waiting, immediately took their horses and led them away to the stables. Then Reggie took a step forward and addressed Margrave Vayne.
“It’s been too long, Margrave. I sent a messenger ahead as soon as I could, but I’m afraid we have still inconvenienced you greatly.”
Reggie’s clothing was much more sophisticated than before. Both his height and the broadness of his shoulders were now not much different from the knights around him.
Perhaps it was because they had come by night, but he was wearing a dark cape and hood to cover himself, but strands of his silver hair were still visible as they shone a reddish gold under the torchlights.
Seeing him like that, I had to bite down on my lip to stop from crying.
I knew just why he had come here.
Monsters had started to appear much more frequently in Salehard as well, and when they had caught someone on suspicion of instigating the attacks, it was discovered that he was from Faruzia.
Salehard had immediately demanded that the matter be settled, and as Everal had been experiencing similar attacks, the King had decided to solve the case for both countries and create an opportunity to negotiate with Salehard.
And it was Reggie who had come to represent the King.
Aside from the timing and small details, this was just as it had happened in the game.
The negotiation with Salehard.
Reggie’s arrival.
In that case, it was possible that Ruain had its troops ready to attack. And yet, we haven’t received any information yet.
…How long would it take after Reggie’s arrival for Ruain to attack?
I wanted to demand information from the man we captured as soon as possible.
As I stood there and tried to restrain the mounting panic within me, Grol, who had returned as the captain of Reggie’s guards, addressed the Margrave.
They would stay for two weeks.
Reggie, and his twenty-five knights.
He wished to borrow Margrave Everal’s castle for negotiations…
What? Right here!?
My surprised eyes met with Reggie’s. He seemed to be asking, ‘Are you surprised?’ and I almost nodded.
But why? I wanted to ask, but this was not the place for a handmaiden to interrupt them.
And so my fears were not wiped away.
What if they attacked just as the gates opened to welcome the visitors from Salehard? What if the people they had assumed were the negotiators turned out to be Ruain’s men in disguise?
Ahh, if only the prisoner would hurry and wake up and confess everything. Why it was that they controlled the monsters. If it was just a cover for Ruain, we needed to know where their army was hiding.
I decide to consult Cain about this as I follow Madame Beatrice back into the building.
Madame Beatrice was headed for the feast that was prepared to welcome Reggie, but she knew that I had been out fighting all day, and so she allowed me to rest until tomorrow.
Depending on what the prisoner said, it was possible I would have to change my focus and stop being a handmaiden for a while, she tells me.
I gratefully accept this, and immediately make my way towards the dungeons… Or I attempted to but was stopped. Cain had reached it first and blocked me.
“It is not something that someone like you should have to witness.”
He said vaguely, and at first, I did not understand the reason.
“But, why…”
“It should be fine for you to see the interrogation, but I cannot allow you to see past that.”
I detect it through his words.
The man was now awake then. And they were likely interrogating him now. It was probably not going very well.
In all honesty, my sensibilities from my past life remained, and so I was fearful of imagining what might occur ‘after’ that. I even felt a wish for them to stop. But not willing to make this sacrifice could lead to the deaths of so many of the Margrave’s people. I couldn’t allow that.
I pretended that I did not hear, attempted to distance myself. It was all I could do.
But even as I stood there and tried not to hear anything, it was Cain who was shouldering what I could not accept. It made me feel ashamed.
“It seems that he is very faithful to his master. It is taking a long time. However, we do know his weakness. I’m sure we will learn at least enough to make a report before things become foul.”
“I…understand.”
I nodded and attempted to return to my room. But Cain suddenly grabbed my hand.
It wasn’t strong or forceful. It was soft as if he had merely touched me on a whim.
“You should know, you do not have to try so hard.”
What was he saying? I look up and he had the wincing expression of watching something painful.
“You’re barely an adult. You’ve experienced so much misfortune up until now, that perhaps you have learned to swallow your emotions first. But there is no need to blame yourself for running from things you are not accustomed to.”
I was surprised that he had not only seen through me but had been concerned. Perhaps that was why, that even though I was honestly grateful and happy, I swallowed my words instead.
And so Cain continued, it was his attempt at lightening my heart.
“Women are often much more sensitive to matters of life and death. I believe that it is the right feeling to have, to fear the killing of others. And so even we wish to hide these things. Once a person’s hands are stained, they want to connect with something beautiful. You should allow them to protect you.”
“Oh…”
I was quite sure that my face had reddened like a boiled octopus.
I had not expected to be referred to as something beautiful. It was embarrassing. It was quite unbearable.
I was surely not such a wonderful being, it made me want to bow and ask him to take it back.
Ahhh, if this was how things were to turn out, I should have just said ‘Thank you, Cain’ immediately! Then I would not have had to hear those embarrassing words!
Was it just me, or did people here say the most enticing things so casually!? Surely not? The cook’s apprentice, Harris. He was not too different from my classmates in junior high school?!
Or maybe it was the other thing. His age?
But then again, Reggie was a pretty smooth talker as well, wasn’t he?
Though with him, he had a way of coating the air with this alluring atmosphere. I can’t help but just listen!
It was a little too much for me to be able to reply, but my hand had gone up to my face, which made my internal reaction very obvious. Cain chuckled.
“It seems that you’re not accustomed to being praised.”
He was right, and I had no words to return.
And now he seemed quite confident as he held my hand once again…
What should I do? If this was my previous life, I would have fallen so hard by now.
I would probably be chasing him from the next day and making him sweets, wouldn’t I!?
Of course, I had enough self-control to know that now was not the time. I had to save Reggie, I had to shove undeniable evidence under Alan’s nose. We were in a situation where we could all die.
Even then, I was at a loss as to what to do. I was even forgetting how to breathe as I stood there.
Then Cain said,
“Ah, you now look much better than you did a moment ago.”
“Huh?”
“It is not good to regret so much or to feel so low. It hinders your ability to make decisions. Now, you should go and rest. For tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes…”
He smiled and let go of my hand. I nodded, turned on my heels and walked away.
Um, had he done all of that just to rid me of the tension and inner torment?
Thinking this made it even more embarrassing.
Surely someone like Cain had been decently popular in life, he must have seen countless crazy girls like me. I could only hope that he saw it as such, and did not ponder on it… Or things would be very awkward from tomorrow on.
Reggie arrived during that same night.
It was Margrave Vayne, Madame Beatrice, who had thankfully recovered enough to walk, Alan and his knights and I and the other handmaidens who went out to greet him.
Reggie showed up on horseback, dashing through the darkness of the night. Unlike previous times, he was surrounded by a company of over twenty knights.
His men got off of their mounts, Reggie was the last whose feet touched the ground.
Soldiers who had been waiting, immediately took their horses and led them away to the stables. Then Reggie took a step forward and addressed Margrave Vayne.
“It’s been too long, Margrave. I sent a messenger ahead as soon as I could, but I’m afraid we have still inconvenienced you greatly.”
Reggie’s clothing was much more sophisticated than before. Both his height and the broadness of his shoulders were now not much different from the knights around him.
Perhaps it was because they had come by night, but he was wearing a dark cape and hood to cover himself, but strands of his silver hair were still visible as they shone a reddish gold under the torchlights.
Seeing him like that, I had to bite down on my lip to stop from crying.
I knew just why he had come here.
Monsters had started to appear much more frequently in Salehard as well, and when they had caught someone on suspicion of instigating the attacks, it was discovered that he was from Faruzia.
Salehard had immediately demanded that the matter be settled, and as Everal had been experiencing similar attacks, the King had decided to solve the case for both countries and create an opportunity to negotiate with Salehard.
And it was Reggie who had come to represent the King.
Aside from the timing and small details, this was just as it had happened in the game.
The negotiation with Salehard.
Reggie’s arrival.
In that case, it was possible that Ruain had its troops ready to attack. And yet, we haven’t received any information yet.
…How long would it take after Reggie’s arrival for Ruain to attack?
I wanted to demand information from the man we captured as soon as possible.
As I stood there and tried to restrain the mounting panic within me, Grol, who had returned as the captain of Reggie’s guards, addressed the Margrave.
They would stay for two weeks.
Reggie, and his twenty-five knights.
He wished to borrow Margrave Everal’s castle for negotiations…
What? Right here!?
My surprised eyes met with Reggie’s. He seemed to be asking, ‘Are you surprised?’ and I almost nodded.
But why? I wanted to ask, but this was not the place for a handmaiden to interrupt them.
And so my fears were not wiped away.
What if they attacked just as the gates opened to welcome the visitors from Salehard? What if the people they had assumed were the negotiators turned out to be Ruain’s men in disguise?
Ahh, if only the prisoner would hurry and wake up and confess everything. Why it was that they controlled the monsters. If it was just a cover for Ruain, we needed to know where their army was hiding.
I decide to consult Cain about this as I follow Madame Beatrice back into the building.
Madame Beatrice was headed for the feast that was prepared to welcome Reggie, but she knew that I had been out fighting all day, and so she allowed me to rest until tomorrow.
Depending on what the prisoner said, it was possible I would have to change my focus and stop being a handmaiden for a while, she tells me.
I gratefully accept this, and immediately make my way towards the dungeons… Or I attempted to but was stopped. Cain had reached it first and blocked me.
“It is not something that someone like you should have to witness.”
He said vaguely, and at first, I did not understand the reason.
“But, why…”
“It should be fine for you to see the interrogation, but I cannot allow you to see past that.”
I detect it through his words.
The man was now awake then. And they were likely interrogating him now. It was probably not going very well.
In all honesty, my sensibilities from my past life remained, and so I was fearful of imagining what might occur ‘after’ that. I even felt a wish for them to stop. But not willing to make this sacrifice could lead to the deaths of so many of the Margrave’s people. I couldn’t allow that.
I pretended that I did not hear, attempted to distance myself. It was all I could do.
But even as I stood there and tried not to hear anything, it was Cain who was shouldering what I could not accept. It made me feel ashamed.
“It seems that he is very faithful to his master. It is taking a long time. However, we do know his weakness. I’m sure we will learn at least enough to make a report before things become foul.”
“I…understand.”
I nodded and attempted to return to my room. But Cain suddenly grabbed my hand.
It wasn’t strong or forceful. It was soft as if he had merely touched me on a whim.
“You should know, you do not have to try so hard.”
What was he saying? I look up and he had the wincing expression of watching something painful.
“You’re barely an adult. You’ve experienced so much misfortune up until now, that perhaps you have learned to swallow your emotions first. But there is no need to blame yourself for running from things you are not accustomed to.”
I was surprised that he had not only seen through me but had been concerned. Perhaps that was why, that even though I was honestly grateful and happy, I swallowed my words instead.
And so Cain continued, it was his attempt at lightening my heart.
“Women are often much more sensitive to matters of life and death. I believe that it is the right feeling to have, to fear the killing of others. And so even we wish to hide these things. Once a person’s hands are stained, they want to connect with something beautiful. You should allow them to protect you.”
“Oh…”
I was quite sure that my face had reddened like a boiled octopus.
I had not expected to be referred to as something beautiful. It was embarrassing. It was quite unbearable.
I was surely not such a wonderful being, it made me want to bow and ask him to take it back.
Ahhh, if this was how things were to turn out, I should have just said ‘Thank you, Cain’ immediately! Then I would not have had to hear those embarrassing words!
Was it just me, or did people here say the most enticing things so casually!? Surely not? The cook’s apprentice, Harris. He was not too different from my classmates in junior high school?!
Or maybe it was the other thing. His age?
But then again, Reggie was a pretty smooth talker as well, wasn’t he?
Though with him, he had a way of coating the air with this alluring atmosphere. I can’t help but just listen!
It was a little too much for me to be able to reply, but my hand had gone up to my face, which made my internal reaction very obvious. Cain chuckled.
“It seems that you’re not accustomed to being praised.”
He was right, and I had no words to return.
And now he seemed quite confident as he held my hand once again…
What should I do? If this was my previous life, I would have fallen so hard by now.
I would probably be chasing him from the next day and making him sweets, wouldn’t I!?
Of course, I had enough self-control to know that now was not the time. I had to save Reggie, I had to shove undeniable evidence under Alan’s nose. We were in a situation where we could all die.
Even then, I was at a loss as to what to do. I was even forgetting how to breathe as I stood there.
Then Cain said,
“Ah, you now look much better than you did a moment ago.”
“Huh?”
“It is not good to regret so much or to feel so low. It hinders your ability to make decisions. Now, you should go and rest. For tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes…”
He smiled and let go of my hand. I nodded, turned on my heels and walked away.
Um, had he done all of that just to rid me of the tension and inner torment?
Thinking this made it even more embarrassing.
Surely someone like Cain had been decently popular in life, he must have seen countless crazy girls like me. I could only hope that he saw it as such, and did not ponder on it… Or things would be very awkward from tomorrow on.
