Side Story 7

“Ba… baaa.”

After sending Talfrin out, Nerys had been lost in thought for a long while when she heard the adorable sound.

Even if twelve dragons were dancing around her, she wouldn’t have missed it. Nerys’s face lit up as she rose from her office chair and hurried over to the baby, who had just been brought in by her father.

“My angel.”

Cledwyn’s bangs were disheveled, as if the baby had been playing with him for a while. He handed her over with a reluctant look, and the baby immediately began squirming the moment she saw her mother.

“She likes you more than me.”

“You say that, but when you disappear and come back, she goes to you again.”

“So she needs both? The next Emperor should be that greedy.”

Sure enough, Arbyone—now in Nerys’s arms—contentedly clutched Cledwyn’s clothes. The couple exchanged warm smiles.

Arbyone was growing by the day. It felt like only yesterday that she couldn’t even open her eyes properly, but now her babbling had become surprisingly distinct. When Arbyone first said “Dad”—two weeks ago—Nerys thought it sounded like “Eubba,” and a festival had been held.

‘She called me Mom first, though.’

Nerys kept that to herself. When Arbyone first said “Mom” three weeks ago, Nerys worried her husband might feel upset. And after Arbyone finally called him “Dad,” Nerys didn’t want to puncture his happiness.

Still, she was secretly proud. ‘Yes. Even if I can’t always be by her side because I’m busy, Mom is still the best.’

When she asked the linguistics professors at the Noble Academy, they also confirmed that “Mom” was easier to pronounce than “Dad.”

Arbyone laughed, let go of her father’s clothes, and clapped her hands. Then she stared at her mother for a long moment before snuggling into her arms.

Nerys happily savored the feeling of the baby’s soft cheek burrowing into her neck. Then, as Arbyone babbled, “Eueueung!” she asked Cledwyn,

“What is Duke Ganielo thinking?”

Cledwyn raked a hand through his bangs and kissed his wife’s forehead. Then he shrugged, as if it were nothing.

“He must be after something.”

He already knew what his wife was asking about. ‘How does he already know this?’

Talfrin wasn’t the type to chatter about such things to Cledwyn. When Nerys’s eyes widened, Cledwyn admitted it without hesitation.

“Aidan was worried, so I looked into it.”

“Ah, I see. You three seem very close.”

“Because we survived hard times together.”

“It seems so. You don’t usually tell me old stories. I’m a little curious. Was Talfrin your subordinate since childhood?”

“He was. I picked him up from the village below the castle.”

“I’ve heard that you took him in when he was wandering after losing his family. Was that when you and Count Pickering became close too?”

Aidan Pickering had also received the title of count. In his case, he often appeared in public as the vice-commander of the Platinum and as Cledwyn’s close aide, so it felt as though only his title had changed slightly.

Cledwyn gently patted Arbyone’s back and lowered his eyes for a moment, choosing his words.

“That’s right. Aidan used to come in and out of White Swan Castle with Lord Pickering since I was young, so he was like my playmate, in the southern sense. When I was very young, I only saw him occasionally, but I started seeing him often around the time the castle was in ruins. Looking back, I think Lord Pickering deliberately increased the number of times he came because he was worried about my safety.”

“A vassal lord trying to protect the heir in that situation… the elders probably didn’t like it.”

“They didn’t.”

The baby breathed softly, her eyes closing in contentment at the familiar touch. Her tiny fingers wiggled.

Cledwyn, uncharacteristically, drifted into old memories. A dark period. A deep swamp that only seemed to drag him down the more he struggled… He didn’t often recall those days. He had thought it was simply because there was no need to.

But was it because the person he loved was beside him?

Only now could he vaguely understand that he had suffered back then—that it had hurt so much he hadn’t even wanted to remember.

“Lord Pickering nearly died several times back then. But every time, he still took the risk. He even brought his young son with him. Now that I have a child, I understand how brave he was.”

“Now that he’s passed away, you can’t repay him, so you have to treat Count Pickering well.”

“That’s what I intend to do. Anyway… I met Talfrin not long after I started seeing Aidan often. Talfrin has been with me ever since I entered the Noble Academy.”

Cledwyn didn’t say it, but Nerys could guess there had been others. Only those two remained in the end. From the first time she met him, he’d carried the air of someone accustomed to betrayal and spies.

Now Cledwyn Maindulante was no longer a boy clawing to survive, but a composed adult man. Still, his face subtly avoided those old stories, and Nerys felt sorry for him, so she gently stroked his cheek.

Cledwyn could see his wife’s softness as if he could hold it in his hands. After finishing her revenge, she had become unreserved in expressing her kindness. As if she now believed that if she showed warmth and was mocked for it, the fault lay with the other person.

As if she had finally become able to love and trust without limit.

Cledwyn didn’t think there was any reason for her to pity him. He had always had people. He had Ellen. He had Talfrin. He had Aidan and Lord Pickering. And because he was arrogant by nature, he had never doubted his own worth. So even when things were difficult, he could endure.

Still, he didn’t dislike his wife’s sympathetic gaze. At least when he acted pitiful, her attention was entirely on him.

With a satisfied look, Cledwyn suddenly kissed Nerys. Then he whispered,

“Talfrin is smart. He has a habit of thinking negatively, but he always did his job properly when it mattered. Believe what someone who survived beside me says.”

If Cledwyn said that much, Nerys could only nod.

❖ ❖ ❖

As Diane stepped out of the Ganielo family’s carriage, the eyes of the banquet hall, as always, poured over her.

‘How does this change anything?’

Clinging to Edward’s arm, she thought listlessly. Even a pretty dress wasn’t exciting with Edward beside her. It wasn’t as if she had dressed up to show him off.

“Lady Diane, Duke Ganielo.”

Hilbrin, the hostess of tonight’s ball, hurried out to greet them. Like her husband, she was very fond of Nerys, and naturally, she was fond of Diane as well, since Diane was close to Nerys. It was a bond that had continued from when the empire was still called Bistor.

Many people were trying to attach themselves to the McKinnon family now that their status had risen, and Diane showed only the bare minimum of courtesy to such people. If she tried to deal with them all, she would run out of energy. But to the people of this family, Diane was openly friendly.

“Thank you for inviting us. Is Giberta asleep?”

“Not yet, probably. She’s sulking in her room. She keeps saying she wants to grow up quickly so she can attend evening gatherings.”

Maindulante’s social rules were more relaxed than the south’s, but even so, underage children could not attend formal events like tonight’s ball.

“Really? I wanted to see her. But if she’s sulking, I’ll have to come back and play with her next time.”

“Even if she’s sulking, she’ll be happy if I tell her Di-unnie is here, but she’s probably already getting ready for bed. Please come play again next time. Now, come in, both of you. Everyone is waiting.”

“Thank you, Madam. You look very beautiful tonight as well.”

While the two women spoke, Edward—who had been smiling politely—bowed with perfect manners. Hilbrin’s lips curved at the sophistication that was hard to find in Maindulante’s rough men.

“Oh my. Duke, you always say such lovely things.”

Diane thought the same. ‘What a smooth-talking man.’

As she was led into the banquet hall, Diane leaned in and whispered to Edward.

“So what am I supposed to find out by coming here? Tell me now that we’re inside.”

“Ah, I’ve confirmed it. You don’t have to worry.”

“What does that mean? You said I’d find something out, but now you’re talking to yourself.”

“You’ll find out when you go back later.”

‘Is this guy trying to sound wise and teach me some kind of philosophical lesson? And why did his voice suddenly get so quiet?’

Diane hated complicated things. She frowned and brought her mouth closer to Edward’s ear. Maybe someone nearby wasn’t meant to hear.

“What is it, really? If you keep acting weird, I’m leaving. Don’t you want to talk to Joan-unnie?”

Joan Moriér was now a Baroness, so she needed something more than “Miss Moriér.” Diane, who had grown up seeing Joan often since she was young, naturally called her unnie.

Most of society didn’t know that the enigmatic Edward was obsessed with a commoner-born Baroness. At Diane’s words, Edward looked startled for a moment.

“Oh. Have I been caught?”

“You’re not the type to meddle in someone else’s romance without gaining something, are you? While I was thinking what that gain might be, I remembered you suddenly joined Joan-unnie and me for dinner last time.”

It had been about two weeks ago. Joan, usually busy with merchant affairs, came to Penmewick to spend the winter in Maindulante. Diane happened to have a bit of free time, and the two of them went to a high-end restaurant that had recently opened in Penmewick.

Penmewick had always lacked facilities suited to southern nobles. Maindulante nobles usually had homes in Penmewick, or they relied on other nobles who did, so there had been little room for such businesses. But as Penmewick became the new capital, many nobles who fit neither category began visiting for short stays.

That restaurant was one of the first to rise to meet the new demand. So when Edward approached Diane and acted friendly during her dinner with Joan, Diane hadn’t suspected anything. She’d thought, ‘It’s a popular place. It’s normal to run into people.’

But now that she reconsidered it, wasn’t he using Diane as an excuse to get closer to Joan? Diane narrowed her eyes at him, half pitying.

“Hmm.”

Just before they entered the hall itself, Edward guided Diane behind a shaded pillar in the bustling corridor. For once, his usually relaxed face looked troubled.

“First, it’s not a situation where I’m the only one benefiting and Lady Diane is the only one losing. That’s why I came to this ball with you.”

“I’ll believe you if I feel like it, depending on how today goes.”

“It’s true. And I meant it sincerely when I said you should fix Count Wirtam’s mental state. The Count needs to feel a sense of crisis. Speaking as a man, if there’s no proposal under these circumstances, that’s a problem. He believes he still has time to think.”

“Keep talking.”

“If he realizes that thought is a delusion, the situation will resolve immediately. There are already rumors about us, and everyone entering the banquet hall saw you whispering to me earlier. Don’t you think that story will reach Count Wirtam’s ears? He’ll be wondering why you didn’t choose him as your partner today.”

It sounded plausible. Diane thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Well… fine. I’ll believe you for now.”

“Really. Everything is prepared, and if we show other options from our side to a country that won’t ratify the treaty, the situation ends immediately. It’s a method often used in diplomacy.”

That much? Diane pouted.

“I said I believe you. So what do we do now? What do you mean you ‘confirmed it’?”

“That’s exactly what you’ll find out when you go in later.”

‘Annoying…’

Diane thought it, but she didn’t doubt Edward. He wasn’t strange enough to lie about something like this for no reason.

“Fine. Then I’ll trust you, so let’s go in. I don’t think we need to feed the rumors that the two of us were hiding behind a pillar for ages.”

“I agree.”

The two of them nodded with solemn resolve.

(T/N: Okayyyy, I thought I would hate Edward for stealing Di from Talfrin but this is a nice twist haha. )