The Secret Wrapped In Quilts (2)

“—M-more importantly, are you always that close?”

“Kardia? Well, yes. Most of the time—”

“With Ornis.”

“Huh?”

Noi, choosing her words carefully because the question was awkward coming from Aidoni—who had wanted to be Kardia’s bride—blurted a goofy sound.

“…With Ornis? Were we close?”

“You were nestled side by side, eating plums!”

Spoken with startling force, as if it were a verdict.

Put that way, perhaps they had been eating together.

But by the time Aidoni came, Noi thought they had already finished. Perhaps Aidoni had been watching Noi and Ornis for quite a while.

Tears spilled in big drops from Aidoni’s large eyes, and Noi jumped.

“—Uh! Right. Well! I just… felt out of sorts today…”

“So when you feel lonely, you cling to anyone and everyone? And you call yourself Lord Kardia’s bride? Have you no sense of your station?”

“You’re absolutely right. I’ll correct myself from now on.”

Faced with a heartbreakingly beautiful crying face, Noi bobbed her head in flustered agreement.

“Is he always… that gentle?”

“…Kardia is?”

“I’m talking about Ornis.”

“Ornis… always… gentle…?”

“Gentle” and “Ornis” did not readily connect in Noi’s mind; she tilted her head so far it nearly touched her shoulder.

“Ornis is gentle to Kardia.”

“Don’t state the obvious!”

“You’re right. Sorry. Um… Ornis usually isn’t… very gentle…”

“That’s impossible!”

“M-maybe not, then!”

Noi was easily swayed.

Especially by a nearly naked girl with rabbit-red eyes crying as she leaned in—Noi was utterly weak to that sight.

“He was gentle even today, wasn’t he? He went out of his way to take you to the kitchen. He even held your hand!”

Noi had no idea why Aidoni was angry.

Nor, for that matter, whether Aidoni wanted her to say Ornis was gentle—or not gentle.

So Noi simply spoke her mind.

“Ornis generally isn’t very interested in me. Today he must have pitied me so badly he couldn’t just leave me be.”

That seemed to satisfy Aidoni; though she kneaded her pouting lips, she fell silent.

“…While we’re at it, tell me—did he say anything? After you parted in the corridor?”

“—K… arnis?”

“That’s right.”

Apparently, she had awarded Noi a passing grade. It really was nothing but talk of Ornis. Noi folded her arms and screwed up her face, thinking hard.

-“‘Finally gone.’”

-“‘Don’t mind it.’”

-“‘She doesn’t hate you; she hates me.’”

-“‘She only came to jab at me because “bride” outranks “disciple.”’”

Recalling the conversation with Ornis, Noi froze mid-pose. Every single line felt like something she should not repeat to Aidoni.

“…H-he might have said something… or not…”

At Noi’s mushy answer, Aidoni stuck out her lips again.

“Remember next time, please.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Noi nodded firmly.

“…Aidoni, you’re always thinking about Ornis, aren’t you?”

Happy that Aidoni had begun to open up, Noi said it—and Aidoni widened her eyes for a heartbeat, then smiled beautifully.

“Because I hate him.”

The sheer force of the declaration left Noi staring.

“I told you, didn’t I? I was meant to be Lord Kardia’s disciple. But that coward—he debased himself and begged Lord Kardia, and had himself taken as a disciple.”

Aidoni’s eyes shone with a fierce will.

“Thanks to him, I lost my standing in the Enclave. And Ornis… knew it very well…”

Her last words trailed off, scarcely audible.

But the tremor in her voice let Noi feel the deep sorrow from that time—sorrow that had yet to fade.

Noticing Noi’s pained frown, Aidoni started, then smoothed her expression. Bracing herself, she faced Noi with poise.

“As apology for my rudeness, I’ll offer counsel. That one is a base man who will betray even those close to him with ease. You would do well not to trust Ornis too much.”

“Your room is prepared this way.”

After their bath, Noi—wearing clothes borrowed from Aidoni—arrived with her at the room where she would sleep that night.

But though it was supposed to be Noi’s room, noise already rose within. Frowning, Noi opened the door before she noticed Aidoni’s soft “ah—” to stop her.

—And there was Kardia.

Reclining on the bed with a woman.

Noi gaped. Kardia—usually so neatly dressed—had loosened his clothes and lay sprawled on the bed. A woman with her garments fallen open was on top of him.

Noi quietly closed the door she had opened.

“—Bride! My bride!”

The door opened from within.

Kardia burst out, hastily dragging up his half-slipped clothes.

“Whoops. For you to see me looking this pathetic—”

Smoothing himself just a bit, Kardia gave Noi a sunny smile.

“You’ll at least let me explain, won’t you?”

He scooped Noi into his arms as usual, then turned back to the women with unhurried grace.

“My lovely bride is back. Now then, ladies, back to your rooms.”

For a groom caught in infidelity, he was far too composed—the smile almost insolently unrepentant.

“Oh my. If it’s Lady Noi, we can keep her in the communal children’s dorm, Lord Kardia.”

A woman with her hair let down and collarbones bare leaned on Kardia’s arm and smiled seductively. From deeper within, two, three more dressed much the same appeared, and both Noi and Aidoni stared.

In a crowded Weavers’ Enclave, it was hard for every household to allot rooms; children were housed together in a single dorm by default. Noi presently looked about fifteen; to these women, “children’s dorm” was adequate for her.

“It would pain me to make the dorm any more cramped.”

“Oh, but our dorms are quite comfortable. We even have rare toys. Lady Noi, shall we show you?”

Carefully made-up and beautifully dressed, the woman peered at Noi.

It was outright treating her as a child. Adults did not seek a child’s opinion. The best proof was that, when deciding where to place Noi, they addressed Kardia first—not Noi.

To them, a “bride” like Noi was no threat at all.

Kardia’s arms tightened around Noi.

Noi smiled blithely.

“Forgive me. Invite me next time. Tonight, I must scold my bridegroom here for amusing himself with ‘side sights’.”

Pressed close, Kardia’s body gave a sharp jolt.