Chapter 10
Alter was flustered, yet couldn't utter a single word.
It was likely that Brillie had responded swiftly to protect him.
Especially since he could be seriously hurt by even a small impact, she likely enveloped him to ensure his safety.
"What are you doing! How could you lose sight of a criminal inside the headquarters!"
"S... Sorry."
At Lang's rebuke, the order members just did their best to avert their eyes.
Of course, the criminal who tried to flee was recaptured, but the problem started with Lang intervening in the first place.
And since they even had a guest present, it was as good as exposing their ugly side.
"I'll hold you responsible for this incident later. Take him away."
"Yes, sir."
Lang dismissed the order members and let out a deeply furrowed scowl.
He had probably meant to detain the criminal for a short time and then hand him over to the patrol or the guards.
But of all days, there had to be an incident in this place today, and as the leader of the knights, he couldn't overlook it.
'To show such conduct in front of a guest... Truly, I'm ashamed.'
Although Lang felt quite embarrassed, he was also somewhat relieved.
At least they had subdued the criminal quickly, and no harm had come to their guest.
From the start, he had trusted Brillie, so he was able to charge at the criminal without hesitation.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"Could you let me down now?"
"Ah... Of course."
Brillie bent her body belatedly and let Alter go.
He was so light that she'd even forgotten she was holding him.
She couldn't help but wonder—what on earth had he been eating all this time to be so delicate?
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine."
"I apologize. This was my negligence. Even now, you could return to the mansion..."
"I just started looking around, and must I already leave? Couldn't I stay a little longer?"
"...?"
Encountering this unexpected answer, Lang couldn't help but close his mouth at once.
Ordinary nobles, when facing such an event, would do anything to get away from the scene.
But, as from their first meeting, Alter simply showed an aloof reaction.
"In that case, I'll leave Brillie with you. She knows this place as well as I do, so guiding you won't be a problem."
"You're leaving first?"
"Yes. Something urgent came up. I'll take care of it quickly and return."
Lang exchanged looks with Brillie, then promptly left the training grounds.
Brillie instantly understood what he meant, and Alter too had a vague sense of it.
As the leader of the order, Lang surely had to intervene directly with his subordinates.
"Um... Is there anywhere you want to go?"
"I'll just follow along. Walking like this isn't bad at all."
"All right, then I'll take the lead."
Brillie glanced sideways at Alter as she carefully proceeded.
She felt as if something would happen the moment she took her eyes off him.
At the very least, for as long as she was by his side, she would certainly have to safeguard her fiancé's well-being.
'He's not as easily frightened as I thought.'
Brillie found herself thinking that Alter was rather bold.
Even if he didn't tremble with fear, he should at least show some sign of agitation.
Yet even in the moment he was in her arms, he just looked on with indifferent eyes.
'Well, he did live in a place like that...'
The northern region was always buried under snow and ice, with hardly a trace of warmth to be found.
On top of that, savage monsters roamed everywhere, and barbarians were said to constantly disturb the front lines.
He had survived in such a harsh land all this time, so he'd likely hardly feel fear at anything.
'Is that why he accepted the marriage so calmly, too?'
It was only then that Brillie could reflect on Alter's demeanor.
He had lived such a powerless life so far, he probably couldn't even harbor any hope.
He was unable to realize his own will wherever he went, and had no choice but to rely on his family.
So, although he calmly accepted the political marriage, perhaps he could only foresee the possibility of annulment.
'I can't leave him alone. There's no one but me to look after him.'
Of course, even without her, butlers or maids would assist him.
But they were only employees of the duke's household, and in reality, there wasn't any substantial bond.
Beside herself, no one could offer true sincerity to Alter.
'He doesn't need marriage — he needs care and recuperation, first...'
* * *
Brillie left work early, taking Alter with her.
Coincidentally, there was no particular work that day, and Lang had given the order first.
It was probably due to the incident that had occurred at the training grounds, but she couldn't bring herself to mention it.
"Ah, Hilise. If you have no work right now, can I see you for a moment?"
"... Understood."
"I'll wait for you in my room."
Hilise, summoned by Brillie, straightened up her outfit first.
Being called separately meant Brillie wanted to discuss something.
Given all that had happened recently, it was surely related to her fiancé.
'She must have a lot on her mind. If the engagement isn't called off, she'll have to get married...'
Hilise checked for any outstanding work, then paused at Brillie's door.
She still remained friends with Brillie, but their hierarchical relationship did not disappear because of that.
So she always had to follow formal procedures, and never lose her dignity as a butler.
"You're here? Please, have a seat."
Brillie sat at the table first and offered her a seat.
Hilise quietly bowed her head and took the seat opposite.
"......"
"......"
Brillie simply kept up the silence, facing Hilise.
But Hilise waited quietly, and after a delay, finally heard her voice.
"Have you met my fiancé?"
"Yes. Not often, but I have attended to him at times."
"How was he?"
"He's a thoughtful person. Not stubborn or capricious... I'd say he has a gentle disposition."
Hilise answered honestly, based on her experience so far.
Other butlers and maids were paid employees, so they had no choice but to hide their own thoughts.
But as Brillie's friend, she could speak the truth, at least at this moment.
"He's a problem precisely because he's so thoughtful. He acts like a little old man."
"He has no choice but to behave that way. He knows himself well."
"... Still, can't he just let things go a little?"
"It's not easy to pick yourself back up once your spirit is broken. He should have been cared for before that point... but I suppose that wasn't possible."
"So you're saying I have to do well?"
"Even that, I'm not sure about. Since he's contemplating breaking the engagement, won't he try to push you away first?"
Brillie mulled over those words, then accepted them.
Alter accepted the political marriage, but only as a practical necessity.
So he just kept disparaging himself and foreseeing an annulment.
"It could all end up broken off anyway. Duke Illenat is the one leading this marriage, after all."
"To get something better than the grand duke's family, it would have to be the imperial family, wouldn't it?"
"We could consider another titled noble, or a highly esteemed house. Of course, the imperial family is not out of the question either."
"I really hate getting married like this... What did he ever do wrong to end up like this?"
"... Nobles have always married this way. It's just a means for securing mutual interests."
"He's so frail, and he's already thinking about annulment. Why do I have to listen to things like that?"
"......"
Even Hilise had nothing else to say on that point.
It was heartbreaking to simply watch, and it was even more frustrating to hear it spoken aloud.
Since he'd resigned himself to reality, abandoning his own will, it only made the disconnect feel more pronounced.
"So, let's say the engagement is broken. What am I supposed to say to him? 'It happened just as you said'? 'I hope you meet someone better next time'? 'I didn't mean for it, but sorry'? Is that really all I can say?"
"Everyone goes through these things. Your fiancé knows that, too..."
"If I really get mad, I might just take him and run away. Does it look like I couldn't?"
"That..."
Hilise stared at Brillie, caught up in a wave of anxiety.
Once Brillie set a goal, she saw it through to the end, no matter what.
That's why she secretly honed her swordsmanship, and even participated in monster subjugations alone.
If she truly decided to marry Alter, perhaps she'd abandon her family itself.
"Haah... For now, I'll just keep watching. It's not like either of us is getting married out of love, right?"
"For your fiancé's sake, it's best if you don't cause any trouble. Your fiancé... cannot survive on his own."
"I know that. What do you take me for? Marriage isn't child's play, you know..."
Hilise reflected on the earlier conversation, continuing her thoughts.
Brillie clearly found the political marriage distasteful, but she also felt a sense of compassion for her fiancé.
That's why she'd made such bold statements; but for now, she was still hesitating.
'She probably won't actually do it, but... if she did, both houses would be turned upside down.'
The young lady of the duke's household and the scion of the grand duke's household eloping.
Just hearing about such a thing would send shocks through society.
And since all this was the background to a political marriage, even the Emperor might take a special interest.
'With Brillie's skills, it wouldn't be hard to run away with her fiancé. After that... hmm...'
* * *
Alter sipped from his teacup as he reflected on today's events.
The weather was still bright, warmth radiating from all sides.
Amid such conditions, he'd wandered all around the headquarters of the Setinos Order, so it was practically a pleasant stroll.
'I didn't even say anything, but those two ended up dueling.'
Alter didn't remember exactly how Brillie and Lang's duel had played out.
He only knew Brillie was at a slight disadvantage, and that Lang's skills were superior.
But midway, the two abandoned their match, turning away in separate directions.
'Lang captured the guy who tried to escape... and Brillie grabbed me.'
Alter paused, setting his teacup down.
Whatever the case, she must have immediately pulled him into her arms to save him.
It wasn't a situation that could be solved with words, and a swift response was necessary.
He was aware of all these facts—so why couldn't he shake off that memory?
'She picked me up in an instant? Does that even make sense?'
He hadn't sensed Brillie's movement at all.
It was only after he came to his senses that he realized he was in Brillie's arms.
It made no sense to him, based on his own standards, so it only felt more strange.
'She's much stronger than I thought.'
Alter had roughly inferred Brillie's abilities from the original story.
She was even acknowledged by the next Sword Saint, and other knights rated her highly.
But facing that strength in person, he couldn't help but feel a certain wariness.
'She's not a match I can handle. Maybe I really should have her meet the crown prince soon?'
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Yeah, Brillie's Mama Bear instinct is kicking in bit by bit...
Can Brillie be considered a muscle mommy?
Okay, this is the 10 chapter mark... Here are my thoughts:
1. I like the story. It's my first literally weak mc...
2. The story is a bit slow, more on the intrigue side instead of action...
3. Apparently, this is a romance novel, that's a first for me as well...
4. There's a little bit of misunderstanding but all of it coming from Alter's side...
5. I like how straight-forward the characters are, aside from Duke Cadeon, which is scheming behind the scenes...
6. We have 1 and 1/2 Brillter shippers which are the Butler and Knight Commander... I say 1 and 1/2 because Knight Commander is undecided yet...
7. I'm looking forward for Alter's sister to get to the capital...
8. Also, not a lot of jokes, it's mostly serious, but I don't find myself bored.
9. There's a little bit of action from Brillie and Lang's duel, but got interrupted by a fleeing prisoner...
It's overall a fun read... Looking forward to more :D
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