No Need For Love (2)

As darkness began to wrap the surroundings, Kardia and the others returned with a large crowd. By then they seemed much friendlier; laughter drifted from the group as they came back.

“Welcome home.”

“You came all the way to greet us? Thank you. You’ll catch a chill.”

Since greeting them was about all Noi could do, Kardia draped his own cloak over her and guided her back inside by the small of her back.

(…Huh? He didn’t pick me up?)

At times like this, Kardia would usually scoop Noi up without asking. But now she felt only the faintest brush of fingers at her back.

(…Well, he’s still recovering. He shouldn’t push himself.)

Conveniently ignoring the fact that he had spent the entire day out on inspections in all directions, Noi settled on that conclusion.

Dinner would be taken together with the royal soldiers staying at the manor. In the Esria Kingdom, the host sat in the middle of a long table, with the guest of honor opposite; from there, those of higher rank were seated outward from the pair.

The seat prepared for Noi was at the very end.

It was by no means the servants’ spite. For now, although she held the position of Kardia’s fiancée, Noi was still just a commoner child.

Nor did she intend to take a higher seat than the royal soldiers and mages who had spent the entire day sweating at hard work. She was, in fact, almost grateful they had placed Aidoni across from her.

As a servant drew out her chair and Noi was about to sit, Kardia spoke up.

“Geiko, if you please.”

The butler flew to him at the call.

“From now on, her seat goes in front of me.”

“—Understood.”

Ordered to treat a commoner fiancée above even Captain Gruno, whom the king himself had led here, Geiko’s eyes widened for an instant. But, well-trained servant that he was, he voiced no question and nodded.

“And show her more respect than you show me.”

“I will take that to heart.”

“I’m sorry I forgot to say so earlier. Then, please adjust the seating order.”

Noi, listening slack-jawed to the whole exchange, blurted out in a rush.

“Fool! You can’t change it now!”

The dishes were already set out. From the arrangement of plates and wine to the placement of cutlery—everything had been laid to match each person’s seat. Move one person and you had to move everyone.

“Do you know how much work that is? Besides, everyone is already waiting.”

“It can’t be helped. I will never treat you lightly.”

Kardia narrowed his eyes and spoke to her as if to soothe.

What he meant was that he would not back down, however much Noi objected.

He had never tried to treat her like someone heavenly when she was simply ‘Noi’ at his side.

Fear outweighed joy.

(Does this man fear nothing…?)

Likely not. Precious though he held them, he could probably cast aside the lordship—even the kingdom—if driven to it. These were not things Kardia would cling to if it meant changing his convictions.

But if he did that here and now, it would be a problem.

Noi clutched her head. To redo everything at this point would take a great deal of effort and time.

The servants looked at her with pale faces.

“…Kardia.”

“What is it?”

“If I… beg you very, very nicely, will you not relent?”

Noi blinked again and again, eyes as dewy as she could make them.

“My apologies.”

Kardia turned her down with a rueful smile—without a shred of give.

(And I swallowed my pride to ask cutely!)

In any case, one did not meddle in another house’s affairs unless one was very intimate indeed. The royal soldiers gathered here seemed mostly nobles; though the disappointment of not eating immediately hung in the air, none tried to stop Kardia.

Noi was flustered.

Flustered, she resorted to the most embarrassing move.

“—I—I don’t like this! I can’t wait even one more minute! I’m starving!”

Surely now Kardia would give up and start the meal.

As the good-for-nothing layabout who had spent the whole day wandering about shouted, a thread of mana shimmered up. It wove itself smoothly, and a large magic circle spread to fill the dining hall.

“Eh?”

In the next instant, the circle activated. Every piece of cutlery danced across the tabletop and shifted places of its own accord. The platters landed without so much as a single drip of sauce spilled.

Having moved dozens of objects at once to exactly where he wanted them, Kardia smiled.

“Not a minute has passed, has it?”

The royal soldiers gaped; the mages gazed at Kardia with envy.

Noi clutched her head and sat at the place now arranged for her—across from Kardia.

Because Kardia’s insistence had frozen the room, the meal began quietly, but once the wine flowed the mood loosened. The hall grew lively, with the scrape of cutlery sounding between snatches of conversation.

Beside Kardia sat Captain Gruno and the representative of the mages; beside Noi sat Vice-captain Ela and Aidoni. Aidoni was introduced as the proxy for the king’s aunt, but it was unmistakably a placement to keep Noi from being bored.

Sipping water steeped with sweet preserved fruit, Noi ate while chatting with Aidoni and Vice-captain Ela. The steamed fish in white wine before her was delicious; she felt she could eat four more.

“You eat with such relish.”

“It’s very good.”

“Heh, it is.”

Vice-captain Ela was a woman. Her healthily sun-browned skin—something most mages lacked—was something to envy.

“Lady Noi, what is your relation to the Hyuetos Magic Count?”

Given how much Kardia had respected Noi, Ela likely could not treat her lightly. She attached an honorific and used polite speech toward a mere little girl.

“Ah, I am Kardia’s—”

Fiancée.

Noi started to say what she always said, but Kardia cut in.

“A relative’s child.”

(…What?)

Noi’s mouth fell open.

“But one I am entrusted with more dearly than my own life. I ask you to take utmost care.”

“I see. As you command.”

Vice-captain Ela smiled and nodded. With that explanation, Noi would be taken as a young noble of high birth being hidden away and sheltered in a remote land. She even looked satisfied by Kardia’s earlier conduct.

But Noi was not satisfied in the least.

(…Why?)

Why hadn’t he introduced her as his bride as usual?

It felt as if darkness had fallen across her vision.

Aidoni peered at Noi anxiously from beside her, but Noi could not even return the glance.

(A relative’s… child?)

It was clearly an excuse to sever their future ties.

From then on, Noi waited for Kardia to flash his usual smile and turn it into a joke—“my bride.” But no matter how long she waited, he showed no sign of saying it.

For the first time in her life, Noi set down her fork with food left on the plate.