"Kaian, did you set fire to the village of Plogne?"
Kaian raised his eyebrows as if he'd been caught off guard by the sudden question.
*...I want to believe it isn't true.*
To do that, I hoped he could say something I could understand. Instead of deflecting like before or pretending not to understand and avoiding the point, say something that would make me say "I see."
"Who did you hear that from?"
However, the words I heard from Kaian's mouth were unexpected.
"I heard you were with Bianque all afternoon."
"...Kaian."
"I said the Queen ordered it to be kept secret, but were you investigating?"
I felt my whole body shaking.
"You really said that?"
I could clearly feel the man hiding the source of the information instead of answering. Kaian was very direct and honest, but his attitude was different from usual, so I was even more certain.
*I guess this man won't give me a proper answer again.*
I won't get the words I want when I ask.
Still, I hoped he'd say no. To say that Bianque's words weren't true and that the Queen had told him that something else had happened, or that he could at least make an excuse.
"Why can't you answer? Is it really okay for me to think that you did that?"
"What are you going to do about the past now?"
It felt as if a cold wind was blowing from Kaian, something I'd only felt in Valmonde in early winter.
"Does it matter? Does knowing anything make a difference?"
"How can you say that?"
I could barely speak, feeling like a tight snare was wrapped around my neck.
"It's my life. My mom died because of that fire."
No, I said it wrong. It wasn't just my mother who died.
"My dad passed away too. After saving me and Hannah, he couldn't bear it anymore."
The shock brought on by a few words tore me to pieces.
"Hannah's parents and younger brother too. Everyone in the village."
That being said, it wasn't just a human problem.
"Why did you do that? It was just a quiet village, right?"
My life was completely destroyed. Not only me, but Hannah and everyone else in the village—lost to the fire.
"You are a murderer."
My unbearably painful heart sharply criticized Kaian.
"Do you know that now?"
The man who received my words, which came out in a twisted manner, seemed normal—as if he was fine.
"What... what?"
"The number of lives I cut down on the battlefield is immeasurable."
The words that were spoken as if they were going to stab Kaian came back and hit me.
"Have you forgotten who your husband is? I wouldn't be here if undefeated Temnes hadn't maintained its reputation."
He had a hard and stern face as if he were wearing invisible iron armor.
"It is natural for a subject to respond to the country's call and follow the King's orders."
"..."
"Make sure you don't bring this up again."
When I didn't answer, he sighed and walked out of the bedroom. My legs gave out and I collapsed on the spot.
"Ah..."
My lower abdomen was in knots and painful. I stopped rubbing my stomach with my hands as if comforting a baby, as had become my habit these days.
"Unbelievable. Kaian was the enemy who killed my parents."
Then something more cruel than that penetrated me.
"I... I'm having my enemy's baby."
At that moment, something warm ran down my cheek. I touched my face as I felt an unfamiliar sensation for the first time in nearly ten years.
"I'm crying."
No matter what happened, I never shed tears. Because I'd been so distraught, there were times when my memories were unclear, but it was clear I'd been unable to cry since sometime after my father passed away.
I'd thought it was because too much sadness had passed. I'd thought it was because there was a hole so big in my heart that any sadness couldn't leave a trace.
Sadness smaller than that was invisible, like a small rock thrown into an empty cave, so it didn't cause tears.
"Ah..."
Tears soaked the palm that covered my face, squeezed through the cracks between my fingers, and ran down the back of my hand.
"Huh... ugh..."
I wanted to scream out loud and cry. But even that couldn't be done.
While I was trembling and tensing the whole time, I felt the baby's movements in my stomach, which had become hard as a cold stone, as if the baby was complaining of discomfort.
"Ah."
I held my stomach and sobbed.
The night of frustration deepened.
---
The butler passed through a long hallway shrouded in darkness, holding an oil lamp in his hand. He stopped and handed it to the attendant who followed him. After taking a moment to inspect his clothes, he lifted his hand into a fist.
*Knock knock.*
When he knocked on the guest room door, he felt a presence inside the room.
"Come in."
He opened the door when he heard a deep voice speaking informally. Then, a middle-aged man with white hair who was sitting on the sofa in a fairly spacious guest room, drinking a glass of wine, looked at the butler and smiled.
"Baron Colon."
"Court Chamberlain Makie, long time no see."
"I was too busy overseeing the ship earlier, so I couldn't say hello properly. Thank you for coming here."
When Makie was young, he'd had brown hair and brown eyes. But at one point his hair had started to turn gray rapidly and now all of it was white.
He had a strong physique and looked younger than his age, and his pure white hair was very noticeable. In contrast, his brown eyes were still full of vitality, so he was likely to leave a deep impression at first sight.
"You're welcome. Your Majesty's beloved ship cannot be treated carelessly. I just did what I had to do."
"Why don't you sit here?"
Baron Colon went to sit across from him, as Court Chamberlain Makie recommended.
The man poured the drink he was having and set it down in front of the butler without asking. The faint scent of brandy rose from the swirling golden liquid.
"I was quite surprised to see Rowan Port this time."
Makie grinned.
"In the past, it wasn't a proper port—compared to the capital, of course."
"Isn't the trade moving ships quite actively? The Lord paid special attention to trade on the Sol Continent, so the size was adjusted accordingly."
Baron Colon raised his glass and took a sip of the brandy that Court Chamberlain Makie had freely poured.
"What brings you to Rowan?"
"What's going on?"
"Aren't you the kind of person who doesn't want to come to Rowan?"
Makie laughed at his words.
"Where are the likes and dislikes? I serve His Majesty the King and do whatever the Lord wants."
"I understand that Her Majesty Silvia never visited Rowan while she was alive."
Court Chamberlain Makie narrowed his eyes at the inquiring tone.
"She did. At that time, Her Majesty had something else to do in the royal castle, so she didn't bother to come down to Rowan with us."
"Then what made you come this far this time?"
Baron Colon added, "Dragging that large a boat."
Originally, the "water banquet" was literally entertainment enjoyed on the water. The bigger the boat, the further from the water's essence it was, making it less suitable for the event's purpose.
It was common for four, five, or ten people to have fun on a small boat, but the boat Makie came on from the capital was a fairly large vessel with three levels.
"It would be difficult to enjoy the water banquet on that boat."
Moreover, boats were quite expensive items. The Shen River was wide enough for boats to travel up to the capital, but the waterway from the capital to Valmonde was narrow and steep, so boats couldn't enter.
However, ironically, Vermont, which monopolized the northern sea route on the continent, had a near monopoly on ship manufacturing technology, so it cost a huge amount of money to hire engineers every time one built a ship.
Logistics using ships was quite useful even inland, but the ships brought by Court Chamberlain Makie were so different from cheap merchant ships that they could rather be called luxury items.
"The King said that it's been a while since he's been away, so he'd like to stay in Rowan as long as possible. This is just a way to get back to the capital quickly."
Court Chamberlain Makie answered leisurely.
"Furthermore, since Her Highness Bianque is coming with us, we changed it to a ship with separate cabins. It would be impossible for His Majesty the King to share a cabin with his sister on the way."
"Yes, don't worry. I'm just asking because this was so sudden."
Baron Colon was intrigued by the large ship with its many cabins. It was so large that even if something was stolen, it might not be known. Was it because of Makie that people looked at this with suspicious eyes? Because he was a very mysterious person with a formidable personality?
"It's symbolic for the King to attend the Water Banquet. But he cannot be expected to mingle with common people. No one will be dissatisfied with that ship."
"I understand."
"By the way, Baron Colon doesn't do any sword training these days?"
Makie asked, looking at his slim physique with reduced muscles, unlike when Colon had been the sword of the previous Duke of Temnes when he was young.
"A sword that is not sharpened will rust quickly."
"Even if the owner changed, it would have been better to put in more effort."
"As soon as the Lord succeeded, didn't he go to war? Instead, the vassal had to manage the territory."
Baron Colon stood up.
"If you need anything, please feel free to ask."
"I will."
As the butler disappeared out the door, Court Chamberlain Makie pulled up the corner of his lip as if sarcastically.
"Anyway, he's a quick-witted one."
When returning to the castle, Valquiterre would not be alone.
"Those who cannot protect it have nothing to say even if it is taken from them."
---