At the mention of “squad members,” I flinched and looked away.
If someone asked whether I’d gathered them, I’d say I had… in a manner of speaking.
I’m not sure he’ll actually accept this, though.
Still, there was really no reason the Grand Duke shouldn’t.
The instructions were to assemble a squad, by any means necessary. Whether that meant an orphan from the slums or a squire, it was all fair game.
…Though probably not the coachman.
In any case, it wasn’t really a problem—just a slight twinge of conscience on my part, that’s all.
“I’ve assembled a full unit.”
“Oh! Already? You must have quite the talent for recruitment as well.”
“…I suppose so.”
Watching the Grand Duke beam with such unfiltered delight, my conscience gave another feeble jab, but I ignored it and nodded.
The Grand Duke, looking thoroughly satisfied, curled his lips up and nodded as well. “That’s good. At least it means you’ve got enough people to keep Lea safe while I’m away.”
“…”
“Oh, right. So where did you find your squad members? Knights, I assume?”
“…Miphra Territory.”
“Hmm? What was that? Ah, from Miphra Territory, is it? Well… I suppose there are some fine knights there as well. What are their names? Maybe I’ve heard of them.”
…No. No, you definitely haven’t. Because… well, one’s a coachman.
I shifted my gaze, swallowing the words that threatened to spill out.
The Grand Duke, meanwhile, seemed positively giddy and kept the conversation rolling.
“Hah… Still, what a relief. When you brought that squire in as a squad member, I was this close to despair. I almost wanted to ask if you’d just add a coachman next, bahahaha!”
…He doesn’t actually know, does he?
I eyed the Grand Duke with a healthy dose of suspicion, but he just kept grinning, looking for all the world like a man blissfully ignorant of everything.
“…Ha.” I couldn’t keep it hidden forever, so I let out a faint sigh and spoke up. “It’s a coachman.”
“What is?”
“The last squad member. It’s a coachman.”
“…Hmm?”
The Grand Duke simply blinked.
* * *
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, without so much as a hiccup.
Honestly, there was never any real reason for things to go wrong.
Who would dare complain about me picking my own squad members? The only issue, really, is that it’s all a bit ridiculous.
Just like the Grand Duke’s expression right now.
“…Do you perhaps not understand what ‘squad member’ means?”
“You did give me free rein.”
“…If only you’d lost your tongue along with your senses.”
The Grand Duke sighed and lit a cigar. The scent was so sweet, you could almost hear it humming the tune of money well spent.
I suppose he wouldn’t give me one if I asked?
I briefly eyed the Grand Duke’s cigar with hunger, but the moment passed as he tapped off the ash and continued speaking.
“Ughh… Who in the world would pick a coachman…?”
“As a noncombatant, he’s the best squad member I could have asked for.”
“Ha! That’s something to brag about, is it?”
He exhaled a puff of smoke, then said, “Do as you please. They’re your squad, not mine.”
“Thank you for your permission.”
“My head’s starting to hurt, so let’s drop it. If I hear any more, I might end up bedridden.”
“Then, does this mean the Special Taskforce Captain position is settled?”
“…I did say it was.”
Hearing the Grand Duke’s confirmation, a smile curled at the corners of my mouth.
At last. At long last, I’d gained military command within the family.
For now, it was just a squad of five, but who could predict how large it might grow in the future?
It wasn’t much as a means of revenge, but as a stepping stone toward vengeance, it was more than enough.
One step at a time.
Artezia—the enemy who killed me and my family. I would keep moving forward, one step at a time, until their House was wiped from existence.
And then, without fail…
I’d shove an arrow down their throats.
No matter what, I’ll kill them all.
But just as I was fanning the flames of revenge in my heart—
“What are you thinking about?” The Grand Duke tossed the question at me, glancing my way.
Snapped back to reality, I took a deep breath and shook my head, replying, “It’s nothing, Your Grace.”
“Hmm… It doesn’t look like nothing to me.” The Grand Duke gave me a quick once-over, then leaned back in his chair, feigning indifference. “By the way, how are the engagement preparations coming along?”
Engagement preparations? Is there even anything I’m supposed to prepare?
“…Is there really anything I need to prepare? Surely the attendants will handle everything.”
“Hah? What are you talking about? The gift, the gift! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
The Grand Duke’s eyes grew wide as he fixed me with a glare. It was the sort of look that said, “Surely you haven’t actually forgotten?”—with a side of disbelief.
But no matter how fiercely he glared, ignorance is stubborn. If you don’t know, you just don’t know.
What gift…?
“…I’m not sure what you mean.”
“The engagement gift! Have you forgotten the Empire’s ancient tradition?”
Ah.
I finally remembered.
In the Empire, when nobles held an engagement, the couple exchanged gifts.
What was it again… They said it was to wish for unchanging love and all that.
But in reality, it was more like a down payment—one you never got back if you broke off the engagement.
The moment you call it off, you can kiss that gift goodbye.
Of course, this wasn’t some ironclad imperial law. It was just a tradition, passed down through the ages.
So why hadn’t I remembered it?
The answer was simple.
…Hera. That woman never gave me a gift.
Naturally, I didn’t receive one at our engagement, either.
She was so intent on not giving me anything that she even refused to accept a gift from me, just in case she’d have to return the favor. That really says it all, doesn’t it?
Thanks to that, the whole idea of engagement gifts had been wiped from my memory.
…I’d managed to forget that miserable memory, but here it is, dragged back into the light.
I eyed the Grand Duke with a faint sigh. He was turning red, as if I’d just committed some unspeakable rudeness.
He probably thought his daughter had been insulted.
I might get a beating if I keep playing dumb.
Watching the Grand Duke’s face go from pink to crimson, I finally gave my answer. “Of course I remember.”
“Then what was all that nonsense you just said?!”
“I was only saying I’ve already taken care of it. You startled me by stating the obvious, that’s all.”
The Grand Duke paused mid-outburst. He seemed about to unleash a storm, but instead, he simply gave me a thorough once-over.
But only for a heartbeat.
Almost immediately, he drew in a composing breath, and beamed at me with a warm smile.
“Ha ha! You startled me, you know. Yes, well, you must be tired after such a long journey. Go on, get some rest.”
His expression had changed completely from before.
I rose from my seat, feeling like I’d just dodged a particularly large and angry bull.
“I’ll see you again later, then.”
Now, of course, I had to hurry out and actually buy a gift.
* * *
I ventured out into the busiest part of town in search of an engagement present.
If this were the Imperial Capital, there would be entire streets dedicated to nobles, but this was the North. Noble or not, if there was land to set up shop, there were always commoners to fill it.
It made sense, really. The Grand Duke wasn’t the sort to put on airs; he cared about his people, not just his pedigree.
Besides, in the North, there was only so much land where people could actually live, which did wonders for encouraging everyone to get along.
Still, being so close to the Grand Duke’s manor, the area wasn’t as noisy as a marketplace.
“Neat and tidy,” I murmured.
The streets were well-kept, and the citizens moved with a lively energy.
It wasn’t the showy, artificial splendor you’d find in the Miphra Territory. No, here, you could feel that people were genuinely happy.
“It’s the complete opposite of Artezia,” I observed, letting out a dry chuckle as I kept walking.
But as for what to buy… well, that was the real mystery.
I’d come out here to avoid the Grand Duke’s wrath, but now I was faced with the equally daunting task of picking a gift.
There weren’t any set rules for engagement presents. Nobles tended to give something expensive, but even that depended on the circumstances.
“What should I buy?” I muttered to myself, wandering aimlessly from shop to shop.
There was plenty on offer, but nothing really caught my fancy.
Not that I had any real desire to buy Lea anything. It wasn’t as if I liked her.
After all, the only reason I was getting engaged to Lea was to gain the power I needed for revenge. There was no room for soft, sentimental nonsense like love in this arrangement.
“Might as well just buy her some expensive jewelry.”
This was all for show in the end. As long as it came with a hefty price tag, no one would dare say a word. That would surely be enough to keep up appearances.
With that decision made, I set off toward the most expensive jewelry shop in the district.
I didn’t know the exact layout of the place, but a few pointed questions to the locals got me there in no time.
“Quite the spectacle,” I muttered, offering the shop’s gaudy exterior a dry nod of approval.
But just as I was about to step inside…
“Hm?”
A single flower caught my eye. A plain, utterly ordinary wildflower.
It was held in the hand of a woman selling her wares, a basket balanced on her head.
Perhaps it was the contrast with the lavish building beside her, but she looked almost painfully shabby—her cloak was caked with dirt, and her fingernails were filled with grime.
And yet, the flower in her hand swayed quietly in the northern wind, modest but enduring… looking more beautiful than any treasure.
Looking at that wildflower, a memory from the past unfurled in my mind.
Lea, the Hero of the North. She had stood, sword in hand, against the army of the House of Duke Artezia.
But in the end, she fell into the trap I’d set and lost her life.
I was there to witness her final moments. Even as she was dying—having given her life to protect the very people who had insulted her—she looked at me and pleaded.
“Please, at least spare them.”
I couldn’t understand her.
How could someone make such a request of the person who had orchestrated their death?
And all for the sake of those who had mocked her, who had shunned her for her appearance?
Part of me wanted to refuse. But since it was her last wish, I agreed.
At that, she beamed at me—bright and relieved—and spoke the words she’d always carried on her lips.
“I wanted to live like a flower. Not a flower that’s pampered and protected, but one that brings happiness to others.”
A wildflower.
She’d added that she didn’t want to be a dazzling, expensive flower—she wanted to be a wildflower like the one I was looking at.
Back then, I thought she was a fool. Dying to protect the people of the North who’d mocked her wasn’t enough—she wanted to make them smile, too.
And to think that was her final wish…
I remember thinking her head must be a blooming flowerbed.
But now… I’m not so sure. Maybe it was her life that was wrong. Or maybe it was mine. Now, I really can’t say.
“…She’s nothing like Hera.” A dry, sardonic laugh escaped me.
Of course, I still didn’t understand her. I was still moving for the sake of revenge, still planning to use her for my own ends.
But if I had to give her a gift, I wanted it to be something she would have actually wanted.
I walked up to the woman holding the wildflowers.
“How much?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I asked how much for all the flowers in your basket.”
The woman looked flustered to be addressed by a noble, but quickly named her price when she realized I was serious.
“Keep the change.”
I handed her several times what she’d asked for and took the basket.
The flowers fluttered in the wind. Just like the wildflowers that had lain beside her when she died, before I traveled back in time.