EEA Chapter 32

Just before Cyril left, he turned to look at Ailea and said, "Since you've already broken off an engagement once, don't be afraid of divorce if you need to fight. Come to Yuliana, don't suffer alone."

At that, Ailea laughed softly. "Yeah. If my husband gives me too much trouble, I'll come."

Cyril, who had been looking warmly at Ailea, briefly lifted his head to look at Clint and couldn't help but chuckle. Clint's eyes, which had been frantically appealing to Cyril for two days and one night, turned cold at the mention of divorce. Seeing those eyes, Cyril worried whether Clint would even let her freely leave the castle, let alone divorce.

While Cyril rode away on horseback, Ailea couldn't take her eyes off him. Clint mounted his horse and escorted Cyril quite far from the castle to show him the quickest route. When Clint, who had come so far that Escalize Castle was no longer visible, stopped his horse and said,

"There's a boat large enough to transport horses over there. Take that to cross the river, Captain... no, Lord Cyril."

"I see. Thank you."

"And this." 

Clint unfastened the sword sheath he was wearing and held it out to Cyril. 

"It's the same as the sword you carry. Please give it to Lady Sophie." 

"Is this also Father's?" 

"Yes, that's right." 

"Are you sure it's alright to give this?" 

"The Captain would have wanted this too."

Cyril accepted the sword.

When Cyril came from the imperial capital to Escalize and saw Ailea who had come to greet him, he hadn't expected his sister to be receiving her husband's love.

It had been a marriage Clint never wanted, with a woman who had broken off an engagement and even contracted an illness. No matter how much she was his sister, it seemed too difficult to expect, so he had been thinking of suggesting she return to Yuliana Castle if things went badly. However, Clint was treating Ailea with sufficient respect. Cyril could feel this even in the sword he had received. When told that Sophie, being a woman, would want a sword more than jewels, Clint didn't laugh. Instead, he seriously offered the sword he had received.

Cyril drew the sword to examine it. It was a sword that clearly showed traces of being loved by its owner. How much deliberation must he have gone through right up until this moment when he decided to give it to Sophie?

Sophie had always envied Cyril's sword. How many times had they fought because she kept trying to steal that sword inherited from Ron whenever she got the chance! Having a thief in the house...

Anyway, now he wouldn't have to waste energy on such things anymore.

Cyril left Serton with a joyful heart. There were many things he wanted to hurry back to Yuliana and tell them about.

A few days later, a party was held with the castle's garden and the one banquet hall that had been repaired opened to guests. The banquet that began in the afternoon was quite lively. The music from the band Flora had introduced was excellent too.

Fortunately, the nobles of Serton made gestures to get along well with the Grand Duke of Escalize, more than Ailea had worried about.

However, the people who should have come most importantly didn't come. Until Escalize was reclaimed, the most powerful force in the Serton region had been the family of Marquis Cus, Emperor Murray's close friend. After realizing that people from Marquis Cus's family hadn't come, citing poor health, the atmosphere in the banquet hall changed.

Even other nobles who were close to Marquis Cus's family hadn't arrived yet. They were deliberately being late, planning to suppress the initial momentum. They held a grudge because this year had been too dry, preventing Clint from harvesting niwana, the fruit most favored by the nobles.

When Ailea worried, Clint said, "We're still young and not from this region, so it can't be helped. Sorry. I should have been more careful." 

"Why are you sorry? The banquet is entirely my responsibility. Go quickly and build connections by having drinks with the men." 

"Public affairs aren't supposed to be about building personal relationships." 

"Hurry up." 

"...Alright. I'll tell Kaiton to escort you, so stay with him."

Clint, who had tried to object, immediately gave up and walked toward the local dignitaries who were ten or twenty years older than him.

Flora, the Countess whom she had befriended at the salon last time, had promised to give advice and stay with her, but why wasn't she coming? Ailea's expression hardened slightly as she peered toward the door.

Countess Boer, who always had tea with Rita, the Crown Prince's lover, in the imperial garden, was walking in with a group consisting of her husband, a knight, and the knight's wife. When Boer spotted Ailea, she curtsied and greeted her.

"I'm sorry for coming without an invitation, Lady Ailea Rishers de Escalize. Lady Rita very much wanted to congratulate you on your first banquet."

"Oh, thank you for coming!"

Ailea greeted her with some difficulty. She had to hastily arrange seating for four people, including Countess Boer. 

She said, "Could you wait just a moment? I'll arrange seating for you right away." 

"It looks quite empty? Couldn't we just sit in the empty seats?" 

"Ah, in case others come late..." 

"Hmm, it seems people in the Serton region don't keep their promises well."

When Boer spoke sarcastically, Ailea's mind went even blanker. While she asked the maids to hurriedly arrange seating, Boer walked around the banquet hall. 

She lamented, "To come all this way from the capital... This is all we can expect."

At her words, several noble ladies who had been enjoying the banquet looked at Boer. Boer continued, "Are all banquets in Serton this crude?"

Then Lady Coty, who was nearby, asked Boer, "Are banquets in the capital glamorous?" 

"Of course." 

"The Grand Duke and Duchess of Escalize also came from the capital..." 

"The Duchess was so introverted that she never attended parties at all. I quite enjoy parties, but I've never seen her even once. Oh, I saw her once, but even then."

Boer lowered her voice. "Since her appearance is rather distinctive, she drew attention and ended up hiding behind curtains."

People's gazes turned toward Ailea. Their expressions seemed to understand why she had rarely been able to attend parties. Ailea knew those gazes were directed at her, but having firmly decided to pretend it didn't matter, she approached Boer with a smile, pretending not to have heard.

"I've prepared seating, so please enjoy your time, Countess Boer." 

"Yes, thank you."

Boer nodded slightly in greeting. From the moment she entered, the flow of the atmosphere had been changing. Boer's group swept through the banquet hall finding fault, so the nobles of Serton couldn't praise anything about the party for fear of looking provincial.

She was used to criticism about herself and could laugh it off, but seeing the people of Serton being collectively criticized because of the banquet she had organized made Ailea's mind go increasingly blank.

Then Kaiton, who had been looking for Ailea, found her and approached. 

"Where have you been? The Captain sent me to escort you, but I couldn't find you and spent quite a while searching." 

"Lady Rita sent Countess Boer to congratulate the banquet. So I was making arrangements for seating..."

"What's with your expression?" 

Kaiton, whom she hadn't seen in a while, frowned. 

He seemed worried that Ailea might have heard something again. Then Ailea shook her head. 

"It's nothing. I'm just flustered since this is my first banquet..." 

"Lady Rita is really something too. I mean, why send someone when she wasn't even invited?"

Kaiton grumbled while looking at Ailea's face with concern. His worry made Ailea feel a little better, so she said quietly, "Make a girlfriend today, don't stay with me." 

"Do you think I'm that unpopular too? Why is everyone so worried?" 

"Um, architecture talk is honestly a bit boring." 

"What? How can you not understand the charm of architecture? Living in this Escalize Castle that craftsmen built with their heart and soul, yet having no interest in architecture..."

At Kaiton's aggrieved expression, Ailea couldn't help but laugh. Worried he might be embarrassed, she covered her mouth tightly with both hands and laughed with her eyes, making Kaiton grumble. 

"Ah, yes. Go ahead and laugh at me. I don't know how to talk to women, fine."

Ailea shook her head to say she wasn't laughing at him, but her eyes were completely curved from laughing. Finding that cute, Kaiton ended up laughing cheerfully too.