While following the two men who didn't seem to know how to read the atmosphere, the path to the huge private airfield appeared. We loaded back into the carriage prepared there. As soon as I sat inside, Rue asked me what was so funny that I kept looking at his neck on the streets there. "What is so unsatisfactory, my Viscount?"
I replied immediately, as I had been waiting for him to ask me. "I'm not happy that you're so pretty."
One of Rue's eyebrows, looking up obliquely, moved up and down. For a moment I almost couldn't breathe. This was because I felt as if I were dealing with Rue, the gardener-chef who was 190 cm tall, cheeky, bad-tempered and greedy, not Morian, whom he had become. I wanted to sew my lips shut and just stand gaping while talking about how pretty he was. However, I was very dissatisfied. It was always better to say what you wanted to say if you wanted to feel better. "You didn't have to be so pretty."
I couldn't help but keep my eyes on him. The servant closed his ears and immersed himself in driving, but it wasn't hidden in his eyes that he was thinking all sorts of nonsense. Rue, who had been silent for a while, warned grimly, "I told you not to fall in love with me."
"I told you not to talk nonsense to me."
"It's okay to seduce me. But don't do it to other women. I know how to keep my eyes open. Don't stick out your lips. In fact, try to keep your eyes closed as much as you can."
"Should I just not breathe?"
Meanwhile, our carriage arrived at the private airfield. After getting out of the car, I couldn't help but burst into admiration for a moment. "This is..."
It looked like a night dinner. Tables were lined up on the green lawn, with sweet desserts and champagne at each one, waiting for their owners to arrive. The crowd of people seemed busy conversing, enjoying the relaxing free time they had just before boarding the airship. And beyond all that, a large and picturesque airship.
He said it was called Black Ragel? In the first place, it was black. It looked like a crow in full flight as it stretched its wings and soared in the sky. The super-large modifier made me immediately understand how massive the oval body really was. "The aristocrats are waiting there. Follow me, we'll take your luggage to the cabin."
I wasn't used to this kind of treatment. But Rue seemed very familiar with this. He even waved his hand at the men who looked at us stupidly. He definitely was really interested in the role. I can easily bury myself among these people. Rue could also have easily blended in if he weren't so unnecessarily beautiful.
"Please, please! Come back after having a great time! It would be very good and peaceful for the Weatherwoods mansion if no incident occurs. Please, do your best to make sure it isn't like that." Me, Daisy. A brave soldier on the front line in the name of a master who didn't even exist.
I carefully checked the dozens of influential people who filled the airfield one by one, reflecting on the head maid's request who had been about to beg me when we were leaving on her knees. "Mmm." I have no idea who is who! I was sure I had memorized "members of the aristocratic society," the list the maid had given me the last few days... but it seemed that things like that can never be memorized in theory. Furthermore, there are several people in the aristocratic council who aren't actually aristocrats. Several wealthy commoners were also visible. While it could be called the aristocratic council, at this scale it was no more than a large-scale social meeting for the upper class.
The stairs leading to the airship entrance were long and unstable. I went up the stairs first, carefully helping Rue with her high-heeled shoes. Dozens of heads watched us under the sky. "Who is that?" "They're young. Has the aristocratic association recently accepted a new family?" "Right? If they were from a famous family, how would we not know them?"
At reaching the entrance, the man who guided us told the stewardess, "This is Viscount Weatherwoods and his wife, the Viscountess." It was when we were identified. "Viscount Weatherwoods?" The man walking down the hall in front of us turned his back to us. A familiar face with the weight of years asked me, "Is it really the Weatherwoods' son?"
I couldn't not recognize that imposing middle-aged face. Viscountess Weatherwoods' father, and a comrade who fought with me on the battlefield as part of the allied forces, and taught me how to perfect my swordsmanship skills. It was the Count of Rosebell. My heart pounded because I wanted to approach him and greet him immediately. Take it. You have to endure it. You're not here as Andert, there's no reason to be so enthusiastic about meeting him. The joy welling up in the heart was dangerous. I replied, slowly lowering the corners of my mouth, which had risen slightly just below the cheekbone. "Yes, I am Gray Weatherwoods. Would you be Count Rosebell?"
"Ah, I didn't expect you to know... yes, I am the Count of Rosebell." A long scar remained on Count Rosebell's forehead, which I could once see up close. It was so clear it looked as if it would never disappear, but now it had thinned and faded quite a bit. "I'm really happy to meet you like this. Haha, I remember my late mother often talking about the Count. For me, Count Rosebell was like a hero from a fairy tale."
Count Rosebell accepted my request for a handshake with uncomfortable eyes. "Thank you for the compliment, Viscount Weatherwoods. But have we met before? It feels as if it were something familiar." He hadn't said more than a few words, but he was still very sharp. They say a sword master envied nothing except the sixth sense and the instincts of a war veteran. The old saying didn't lie. "No, I don't think we've ever met. I apologize if I bothered you by acting too familiarly."
"...no, it's okay. The connection may have been cut, but the Weatherwoods and Rosebell are still close relatives." Count Rosebell's words were stiff. His face seemed colder and more distant than when I first met him as Andert. It's understandable. Imagine how he must feel seeing my face, the one who practically ate his daughter's fortune without even knowing him. I understood how he felt, but it was none of my business. I was not the Viscount of Weatherwoods.
"It's a pleasure to be able to meet you like this. The beautiful lady by your side is..."
"My wife, Morian Serenier."
"Were you married? Oh, I didn't know until today. The fact that I've described our families' relationship as close now seems comical."
"I apologize. There were some unexpected circumstances."
Yes, there definitely were some circumstances, so please put aside that icy expression. The successor was an egg, an egg! What were we supposed to do? How could anyone publicly marry an egg that was actually no more than a magic tool? "Count Rosebell." Fortunately, Count Rosebell was not a man who threatened a woman. They called him "the gentle swordsman" even on that tough battlefield. At least Count Rosebell was much softer when he spoke to Rue. Rue replied with a bright and feminine smile.
"This is Morian Serenier. It is a pleasure to be able to meet the great commander of the allied forces."
"Serenier, you say..."
"From the Kingdom of Astrosa. My father is known as Count Serenier."
"Astrosa? One of the Northern Union? You've come from quite a long distance."
"I can go further for my beloved husband."
Count Rosebell's eyes, as he smiled gently, were bitter. Perhaps his dead daughter had come to mind. With a short sigh, he soon turned to my face. "This situation happens to everyone. But not everyone understands it. Anyway, I'm glad the Weatherwoods haven't lost their prestige. But as I said before, not everyone will be so kind and understanding, so you'd better be careful."
"Thank you for the advice." Count Rosebell turned his back and left.
I'm glad we didn't make enemies. That was enough. Our cabin, to which the crew guided us, was spacious and comfortable. It was equipped with a bedroom, a reception room, and an office, so it was like arriving at a small villa. I was overcome with euphoria and admiration at being on an air cruise after having traveled on a mobile aircraft.
"Ah! I'm very happy to meet you, Viscount Weatherwoods." "I apologize for barging in, Viscount Weatherwoods, but I felt very grateful to meet you." Why did so many people come to meet me to give me their full name? Is this the power of a noble family? As Viscount Weatherwoods, I did my best to respond and dismiss them, but I wasn't sure how I was doing it. Around that time, the airship began to fly. The cruise would pass through three cities during a week before returning to Ragel.
It felt strange to see Ragel moving away among the white spring clouds. How did I end up becoming Viscount Weatherwoods? A maid's life is truly unpredictable. It was the ninth time someone knocked on the door that day. I opened the door with a hospitable smile on my face. Fortunately, it was a stewardess who visited me this time. "Good evening, Viscount Weatherwoods. Tonight a dinner has been organized for the aristocratic council. Would you like to attend?"
The aristocratic council dinner! This was the first time Viscount Weatherwoods comes to fill the vacancy in his seat. It wouldn't be bad to make a good first impression. I nodded immediately. "Of course we should."
"Then I'll pick you up in four hours. Please, enjoy the rest of your afternoon." I stretched for a while after the assistant left. Perhaps it was because I had been traveling all day, but my body ached. I think I need to sleep a little. I headed to the bedroom and asked Rue, "Wake me up for dinner." Rue, who was looking silently out the window, nodded. Very well, why didn't I forget about a maid's duties for a while and take a nap?
When I woke up from my deep sleep, it was already the next morning.