Chapter 4
"Hoo... What an interesting metaphor."
Cadeon calmly sipped from the tea cup that the maid had brought him.
Alter waited for a moment before following suit and lifting up his own cup.
"The more beautiful the flower, the more thorns it has. You're sure to get pricked... Can you end it with just one time?"
"Is it absolutely necessary to grasp the flower with your own hands? Even if you leave it alone, a flower can continue to exist as a flower."
"If you can't grasp the flower, you'll suffer from loneliness. To harmonize with the flower, don't you have to hold it first?"
"Then allow me to ask just one thing. Do I look like someone who would suit a flower?"
"...?"
Cadeon was momentarily surprised, though he didn't show it outwardly.
It was clear that Alter was using his own daughter as a metaphor for the flower.
But why, in the midst of mentioning the marriage of convenience itself, was he questioning his own worth?
"... For me, a flower is too much. I have to be afraid even of being pricked by its thorns, and just a little blood could put my life in danger. Even so, do you think I suit the flower?"
"There are very few who truly suit a flower. Rather... a flower simply exists as what it is."
"That's why I'm asking. A flower should exist as a flower, but isn't it difficult for it to bloom fully?"
Cadeon unconsciously revealed a stiff expression upon hearing those words.
Now, he could not easily infer what Alter was alluding to.
Of course, he had a general sense, but he couldn't have anticipated so much.
"Then let me ask you: how can a flower bloom in full?"
"I am far too weak to make a flower bloom. Wouldn't it take something like the sun high up in the sky for that to happen?"
"The sun... I'm not sure what you mean."
"In the Agnes Empire, there aren't many existences as powerful as the sun. I'm sure Duke Illenat knows about that very well."
"..."
Cadeon did not respond to that part.
He was simply curious what kind of thoughts Alter was harboring.
Could it be that he had noticed the plan to make his daughter the crown princess?
"I know myself very well. So even if that time comes, I won't harbor any complaints. My father may be a little disappointed, but I believe Duke Illenat will resolve things well."
"... Just what are you talking about now?"
"Duke Illenat. I haven't said a thing. I was only speaking of flowers and the sun."
"Hoo... So that's what you meant."
Cadeon only nodded in agreement belatedly.
In fact, Alter did not mention his daughter or the crown prince even once.
He had only explained things vaguely by way of a metaphor between a flower and the sun.
In other words, no matter how deeply one probed, from Alter's standpoint, he could always offer an excuse.
"I will remain quiet until that time comes. No one will know what I'm thinking."
"So, you... have a clear understanding of political marriage, then?"
"Yes. I only understand it, nothing more. My health is more important to me. Isn't a political marriage something to be decided by those in high places?"
"I understand well what you mean. I'll do my best to accommodate your wishes."
Cadeon felt a definite sense of distance from Alter.
Judging by the atmosphere, the grand duke in the north seemed not to anticipate the possibility of breaking off the engagement at all.
But the youngest son of the grand ducal house saw right through everything and simply acted according to his place.
'The reason for pretending not to know, even when he does... is probably because he wants things to pass quietly.'
Cadeon was sincerely impressed by Alter's judgment.
He didn't reveal anything directly, while purely conveying his own will.
Moreover, just from the rumors circulating in the capital, he had peered into Cadeon's intentions—remarkable indeed.
'Fine. I'll do as you wish. Better someone who knows how to play along than someone ignorant.'
Cadeon recognized precisely what Alter was hoping for:
The prosperity of the grand ducal house, resolving things without the chaos of a broken engagement, and improving his own health.
So long as Alter helped him, Cadeon could sufficiently cooperate on these matters.
'He's a perceptive one. If I'm to draw him to my side, I'll have to treat him accordingly.'
* * *
After being escorted to his assigned room, Alter gave it a simple inspection.
The atmosphere of the room was cozy, and he thought it quite spacious for a single occupant.
His luggage had been neatly placed in one corner, and there was nothing to complain about in particular.
"We will help you unpack."
The maids started acting even before Alter could request their help.
They must have been fully prepared on orders from the butler-in-chief.
Alter hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"Well, shall we start by taking out the clothes?"
"Yes, sir."
Alter indicated each luggage bag one by one, designating where its contents should go.
Simultaneously, the maids moved quickly, carrying items from the cases.
As nothing was particularly heavy, there was no need to call for male servants.
'Since I indirectly mentioned my cooperation over the broken engagement... they'll take good care of me, I'm sure.'
Alter had intentionally alluded to breaking off the engagement to Duke Illenat.
Although he had done so indirectly, Duke Illenat would certainly get the message.
Above all, while staying in this mansion, he simply wished for a quiet life, hence why he had settled things in advance.
'Now, my job is to bring the crown prince over and connect him with Brillie.'
Even until now, Alter had not lost sight of that goal.
Unless Duke Illenat took the initiative, the female protagonist would never be freed from the engagement.
Even though the crown prince might not immediately intend to marry the heroine, he at least had to develop some interest in her as the opposite sex.
'The problem here is how to lure the crown prince out.'
In the original story, the heroine encounters the crown prince in the early stages.
But it's nothing more than a meeting between a royal and a noble, with little emotional exchange involved.
It would take until at least the middle arcs of the story for her even to consider him as a potential marriage partner.
'Also... if I bring the crown prince in too early, it could create unforeseeable variables.'
This was the area Alter worried about the most, and which was impossible to predict.
If the original story was not faithfully recreated, no one could say what might happen.
Of course, his own survival was a variable in and of itself, but that didn't mean he could accept death as an outcome.
'Are the knight commander and the butler currently around Brillie?'
Since the original story was just beginning, naturally there would be only a few male leads at this stage.
As the plot progressed, additional male characters would appear.
Among them, there were two in particular he needed to be wary of.
'Those two are a bit dangerous. Even as male leads, they are too unpredictable.'
The Phantom thief. The Vampire.
It sounded fancy to call him a phantom thief, but in reality he was nothing but a thief.
No matter how handsome the vampire was, in the end he was still a monster.
If the heroine got involved with either of these two in the wrong way, she could end up significantly hurt.
'To keep them in check, I'll probably need to bring in someone else...'
Alter had no intention of intervening directly himself.
It was all he could do to take care of his own fragile body—he couldn't go up against any of the male leads.
Rather, it would be better to leverage the competition among the male characters.
'If it's just the knight commander or the butler, I might be able to do something about them.'
At least those male characters held genuine affection for the heroine.
They would thus be willing to help at any time, and also possessed considerable power.
If things ever took a turn for the worse, they would probably put everything on the line to resolve it.
'The crown prince... hmm... he's a bit ambiguous, though.'
Alter didn't have any particular expectations regarding the crown prince.
He was simply trying to approach him as a prerequisite for breaking off the engagement with the heroine.
Rather, the crown prince hardly ever revealed his emotions, making it difficult to assess his true state.
'For now, if I just explain things to Brillie, she'll probably get it, right?'
* * *
Brillie, dressed formally, entered the drawing room.
Her father had already told her to wear a dress, but she didn't want to follow that order.
She was a swordswoman, as well as the vice-commander of her knight order, and wanted her attire to properly reflect that.
'I can't get married like this. There's still too much I haven't accomplished.'
Brillie quietly sat down and waited for her fiancé to appear.
She didn't want to waste her life on something as trivial as marriage.
She was so close to attaining even higher mastery as a swordswoman—how could she throw away such an opportunity?
'What I need right now is...'
Brillie responded unwittingly at the sound of the door opening.
A stranger entered the drawing room alongside a maid.
She had been told what to expect of her fiancé, but something felt a bit different from what she had imagined.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Alter Radiant, youngest son of the Grand Duke of Radiant."
"Uh... I am Brillie Illenat, second daughter of the Illenat ducal house."
Brillie hesitated a moment before finally introducing herself.
She had expected, considering his frail health, that he would look sickly.
Yet he didn't seem especially gaunt—just a bit small and slender.
'Why is his skin so pale? Are all people from the northern region like that?'
Brillie couldn't take her eyes off Alter, feeling a sense of incongruity.
White hair neatly tied back, faint but clear azure eyes, a gloomy yet gentle impression.
He was every inch the image of a young nobleman, with an even more refined aura emanating from him.
'This is a man? Why does he look so delicate?'
Brillie was unable to accept her fiancé's appearance, questioning it over and over in her mind.
He stood in stark contrast to herself, who sought the highest essence of swordsmanship.
Moreover, since most knights were men, his appearance felt even stranger.
'Weird. So weird. Could he have come to the wrong place—'
"Is something the matter? Is there a problem?"
"Huh? Oh, no, I, uh..."
Brillie quickly fumbled for words, lowering her gaze.
She realized she must have stared a bit too much from the start.
Yet she couldn't think of any plausible excuse if called out on it.
"Are you uncomfortable because I look young? I suppose I do appear that way compared to others."
"Uh... it's just a little bit different from how I imagined, I guess."
Brillie belatedly came up with an excuse, cautiously averting her gaze.
Alter accepted it calmly, nodding slowly.
"I understand. I'm young, and even frail... It must be hard for you to accept."
Alter could read Brillie's thoughts to some extent.
She had much to accomplish—and surely had no desire to marry a distant northern nobleman.
On top of that, his weak health made it understandably difficult to even see him as a man.
"This is a marriage decided by our families anyway. Both you and I are merely following orders, aren't we?"
"Well, yes."
"I do not wish to cause any trouble while I stay here. Since this must be uncomfortable for the both of us, why don't we take some time to sort out our feelings?"
Alter maintained a calm demeanor even while being aware of Brillie's presence.
Of course, Brillie would try to uphold her dignity as a noble, but if crossed, she wouldn't hesitate to snap back.
Thus, by being the first to step back, he hoped to soothe Brillie's emotions.
"So you mean... you don't want to get married?"
"Not that I don't want to—I just don't think I should. You're already aware of my health condition, aren't you?"
"Huh? Well, I heard a little about it."
"With this body, I can't do much of anything. Let alone producing an heir... even handling simple chores would be difficult."
"..."
Brillie fell silent, unconsciously trying to read his mood.
Her fiancé was frankly listing out the terms forced upon him.
If he laid out everything so plainly from the start, there was nothing more to question in detail.
"You might feel differently, but I am already preparing myself for the possibility of a broken engagement. There are surely other nobles in better circumstances than I."
"Hmm... uh... it does happen from time to time."
"As you said, it's not that rare. So why don't you wait as well? We're not getting married right away, and I have no desire to be greedy."
Having concluded things perfectly, Alter finally fell silent.
He had deliberately belittled himself while also presenting other options.
With this much courtesy, even Brillie wouldn't be able to treat him recklessly.
'Now I shouldn't have to clash with Brillie—'
"Excuse me. I've been listening all this time, but why are you speaking like that?"
"... Pardon?"
"Even if it isn't a marriage you want, shouldn't you at least show some dignity in front of your fiancé?"
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Brillie's mother's instinct is kicking in?
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】