Chapter 7
There had been all sorts of rumors and speculation about the youngest son of the Northern grand duke.
That he was suffering from an incurable disease and wouldn't last a year; that he looked like he was dying; that his appearance was unremarkable; and so on.
In the first place, Alter Radiant was only now showing himself for the first time, so there was no way anyone had actually met him.
'He probably hasn't gone through his coming-of-age ceremony yet. As for his body, he can just train.'
Lang was looking upon Alter with an optimistic outlook for the future.
Right now, since his body was frail, there was nothing he could do, but if he stayed in the capital for a while, he was likely to improve bit by bit.
And after that, if he honed his body, even that slender frame would probably become sturdy soon enough.
'It's possible that even Brillie may have wavered a little.'
Even Brillie had held a negative view about her fiancé.
She had never met him before now, and her goals were clear.
But with that kind of appearance, it was inevitable that her feelings would begin to change.
'Even to another man, he seems attractive—what would a woman think...?'
"Did you come to meet my fiancé?"
"No. I'm here to see Duke Illenart."
"You must be quite close with Duke Illenart."
"I had some business to take care of. As it happens, since I'm in the same knight order as Brillie, I've simply met Duke Illenart often."
"I heard you're the next Sword Saint. In that case, you must be very skilled."
"Not enough to be called exceptional. There is still much I have to learn."
Lang replied humbly while observing Alter's appearance.
No matter how many times he looked again, he couldn't help but be amazed.
Even in that moment, Alter was exuding a pitiful yet composed aura that made Lang unconsciously take on a reverent demeanor.
"I hope you'll continue to be good to my fiancé. As for me... I don't think I can fulfill that role."
"..."
Lang flinched as he realized the meaning behind those words.
Alter was saying that, being too weak, he couldn't protect his own fiancé.
So, he was asking the next Sword Saint and his immediate superior to look after her in his place.
"You must have noticed when you shook my hand. My body is not normal. With a body like this, I can't do anything."
"... But you shouldn't say such things as Brillie's fiancé."
"I can't pretend to be strong, either. Lies that are exposed so easily are just despicable."
"There are such things as white lies."
"My white lies would be worthless anyway. If it ever looked like malice, that would only get me in trouble."
"Brillie can tell the difference between good intentions and bad ones. Don't you trust her?"
"It's myself I don't trust. I don't want to give my fiancé false faith."
"Marriage is built on mutual trust. Why do you throw that trust away?"
"Because it's a political marriage. Doesn't that make my trust meaningless too?"
"..."
Lang instinctively felt resistance, but could only fall into silence.
Any noble loses their pride in the face of a political marriage.
Only by calmly accepting it can one contribute to the family's prosperity and avoid any scandal.
"But it may even end in a broken engagement, so I don't think too much of it. All I have to do is wait."
"Do you have to take such a cold stance?"
"This isn't being cold. It's just my reality. My fiancé probably feels the same."
After meeting Lang, Alter offhandedly mentioned the possibility of a broken engagement.
He didn't wish to get caught up in any messy drama over Brillie.
If so, he had to respond swiftly and erase his own presence as much as possible.
Who knew when he would run into Lang again—so he wanted to settle things now.
"... You think differently from me. Brillie isn't as cold as you assume."
"There's no reason to think my fiancé would be different."
"You'll find out soon enough what the difference is. Even if it is a political marriage, Brillie won't neglect it."
"..."
Alter found it odd but didn't bother to argue.
He had already read through the original story and understood Brillie's personality and actions.
He was showing such passivity that he felt sure she wouldn't be devoted to a political marriage.
"Would you visit our knight order sometime later? I'd really like to show you how our members train."
On a sudden impulse, having just remembered something, Lang made an unexpected suggestion.
Alter hesitated for a moment, but saw no reason to refuse.
"I'll visit when I get the chance."
"Yes. Then I hope to see you then."
Lang gave a light nod and immediately turned away.
He did have things he was curious about regarding Alter, but he hadn't expected him to be this extreme.
Even if it was a political marriage, was it really possible for someone to be so passive about it?
'It's a wise choice... but even so, he should have some backbone.'
Of course, from his own standpoint, he was weakly supporting Brillie's annulment.
But Brillie's fiancé was the child of a noble who hadn't even gone through his coming-of-age ceremony yet.
On top of that, he himself brought up the subject of annulment, making it hard to accept.
'He's underestimating Brillie.'
Hearing Alter's words, Lang was convinced.
To him, Brillie must have appeared to have a strong will like a knight, so he must have judged she had a decisive character.
But Brillie, the vice-commander of the Setinos Knight Order, was not that cold-hearted.
'He should at least know why Brillie wields her sword.'
* * *
Brillie looked out the window for a while, then belatedly turned her head.
Since he almost never went out, she had been wondering what he did inside the mansion.
But the person in question merely walked around the mansion, or wandered the garden.
'What's with that? Why not just go outside?'
Brillie was dissatisfied, but faintly guessed the reason.
He had lived his whole life in the northern region and was experiencing the capital for the first time.
Besides, with such a frail body, leaving the mansion would only put him at unnecessary risk.
'Should I go and talk to him? No, why should I?'
Brillie couldn't stop wavering, glancing at the window from time to time.
There was always a butler or maid with her fiancé, but he never met family.
Moreover, he had no acquaintances, so he was practically drowning in solitude.
'If not for me, there isn't anyone who would talk to him...'
"Are you thinking about your fiancé?"
"Why would I be thinking about him?"
"You keep staring out the window."
"It's just that things are moving out there, so I unconsciously look."
Brillie made a perfunctory excuse and then drew the curtains closed.
Her exclusive maid, Edith Millasch, watched her carefully before speaking again.
"You know, the maids have been talking about your fiancé."
"... What are they saying?"
"That he's gentle and quiet, so he's easy to serve. And that he's handsome, so there's satisfaction in serving him."
"Haa... Well, that's better than being ugly."
"And he has a kind of boyishness to him, doesn't he? Some people like that, too."
"He really is young, that's why he seems boyish. Why do you call it boyish?"
"Oh, come on. Eighteen is plenty grown up."
"You can say that, even after seeing him?"
"I think he's fine. What about you, Brillie?"
"I have absolutely no desire to get married. What am I even supposed to do?"
Brillie found Alter rather burdensome.
Of course, while there were cases of marrying before the coming-of-age ceremony, and she herself was of age,
She still had unfinished goals, and Alter had only reluctantly accepted this engagement.
"Well, it's not like you can just refuse, right? Maybe you should try to get along with him."
"You only say that because it's not your problem. I'm about to lose my mind."
"If it were me... I think I'd be a little excited?"
"What's there to be excited about?"
"He's so petite. Plus, he's handsome and has a mature side. Isn't that great?"
"Why not just say he fits your type?"
"Oh, my type is a bit more manly..."
"Tch! Why am I even talking about this with you."
Brillie shooed her away and unconsciously glanced toward the window.
But the curtain blocked her view so she couldn't see outside.
Of course, she could just open them again, but her trivial pride wouldn't allow even that.
"Haa... Stay here. I'm going out for a bit."
"Where are you headed...?"
"Don't ask about every little thing. I'm not leaving the house."
Brillie answered bluntly and left the room.
Edith gazed after her absentmindedly and then quietly muttered, "It's okay to be honest... She must be really embarrassed."
* * *
As usual, Alter was wandering the grounds near the mansion.
Normally, a butler or maid would follow him everywhere, but this time he had told them to keep their distance.
If they were too close, he'd just feel like he was being watched, so he had taken minimal measures.
'The sunlight is nice. Makes me feel languid.'
Alter quietly chased off the drowsiness that was creeping over him, and took another step.
Being bathed in sunlight like this, he felt as if his condition improved a little.
Even if this didn't solve the fundamental problem, shouldn't he at least try?
'If I just walked outside like this...'
Alter came to a slow stop as he ran into someone.
That someone waved a hand at the maid who had been following; the maid bowed and left at once.
In the end, Alter was left alone, facing this someone.
"Uh... what are you doing here?"
Brillie, feeling slightly awkward, spoke first.
Watching from inside her room had gotten on her nerves.
So, she had come out of the manor to approach Alter.
"I was just taking a walk. Aren't you going to work today, fiancé?"
"The commander told me to take a break. So... here I am."
Brillie didn't explain why she had been given leave.
Lang had given her time off so she could look after her fiancé, after all.
Did she really need to tell Alter the reason?
"Did you come out because of me? If it was for—"
"Ah... no. I came out because I wanted to take a walk, too. Now that I see you, it looks like you come out here often?"
"Um... there is a reason I take these walks. Would you like to hold my hand?"
Without much thought, Alter naturally extended his right hand.
Brillie hesitated for a moment, but soon gently touched Alter's fingertips.
An unfamiliar, chilly sensation crept up from her fingertips.
"... It's cold."
"It gets a little better if I sit in the sunlight like this. That's why I often take walks."
Hearing this, Brillie unconsciously curled her fingers.
Then she fully grasped Alter's right hand and now felt an even deeper chill.
Without realizing, both of her hands were now wrapped around Alter's right hand.
"How's this? Does it feel a bit warmer?"
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Knight Commander will probably be a Brillter shipper...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】