Chapter 59
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Chapter 59
"That would be difficult, Miss Anne."
"Ugh...!"
I clutched my head and cried out in despair.
The person I had sought out was Lord Grunvalt. This was Grunvalt Castle.
Lord Grunvalt regarded me with a concerned expression, yet shook his head firmly in refusal.
"You won't even pretend to consider it?"
"But Miss—or rather, Miss Anne. I have received much from you, and I truly wish to help Enya with all my heart. However, we...."
"We what?"
"We are not a Central Nobility family."
Thump.
I simply collapsed back into my chair.
Right. Of course.
There was nothing wrong with what Lord Grunvalt had said.
Grunvalt was a family that had never ventured into the politics of the Central authority, instead dwelling here for generations in peaceful stability.
And this mattered because it meant they lacked the power to accomplish what I needed.
I knew that, but I had come anyway.
'Because I truly cannot return to my own house!'
I pressed my forehead against the table and groaned.
"Do you know anyone else?"
"Hehehehe, an amusing question indeed."
That meant no.
I rummaged through my mind.
Who else could there be, who else might be suitable....
Let me think carefully.
Besides Grunvalt, besides Grunvalt, what other family names could I possibly ask....
"House of Schultz has somewhat higher potential, but it's still impossible."
There was only Grunvalt or them.
But the House of Schultz, to which Cassion belonged, was the master of the Magic Tower, which contradicted my purpose.
The most I could obtain from them was the transmission of simplified pharmaceutical techniques.
If I wasn't careful, it would appear as though the Schultz Family monopolized everything.
That would merely hand the Old Nobility Faction ammunition to turn against The Emperor.
A family that remained quietly neutral, yet was absolutely loyal to The Emperor and possessed formidable power....
Such a family....
Such a thing....
"Only the Lockhart Family would suffice."
Pride in my family surged within me, yet simultaneously, a sense of helplessness washed over me.
Was I truly going to return home like this?
This situation ending my escape was never part of my plan.
There was only one way to resolve this without informing the Lockhart Family.
Just one.
"Should I quit entirely?"
The Emperor is intelligent.
The Empire would run smoothly on its own without my involvement. So I could simply...
...not do it?
I came from Grunvalt Lord's Castle. If something cannot be done, then I simply don't do it.
"What matters to me isn't serving the Empire—it's avoiding the Emperor."
Of course, this task is also quite important. But still...
Yet returning to my family meant the Emperor and I would be walking down the aisle to a wedding march.
"..."
The moment that dizzying future flashed through my mind, I made my decision.
"I give up!"
I'm abandoning this cleanly.
Once home, I collapsed onto the reception room sofa.
"Are things not going well?"
Dale approached me then, offering a refreshing herbal tea topped with ice, but he hesitated.
"...My lady."
He handed me the cup shyly.
It seemed he had finally gathered the courage to use the form of address I'd suggested before.
"Ah—I feel alive again!"
I drained the tea Dale had prepared in an instant.
"It seems winning over Lord Grunvalt proved difficult."
"He says it's impossible. So I think I'll have to give up on that front."
Dale nodded silently.
He seemed to agree that it was unreasonable.
"..."
"..."
"...Is there something you want to say?"
Dale was gazing at me intently, his eyes full of curiosity, before he finally spoke.
"Was Duke Lockhart perhaps very strict with you?"
Dale asked about my father.
"Sometimes, but he wasn't a frightening person."
"I see."
Dale nodded.
"You were curious about that?"
"I wanted to understand how you grew up. You seem to find the Lockhart Family burdensome."
Dale seemed to be someone with considerable curiosity beneath the surface.
He gazed at me quietly once more.
"May I ask just one more question?"
"Two is fine."
Dale chuckled softly before speaking.
"It seems the Duke would not force Enya into marriage. So I'm curious—why does Enya refuse to accept even the slightest help from the Duke?"
Dale's question held merit.
"It's because Duke Lockhart is as loyal to The Emperor as he is devoted to his family, and when matters concerning The Emperor are involved, there's no predicting what decisions he might make."
Dale's eyes widened at my answer.
He smiled with an expression that seemed both joyful and melancholic at once.
"So it all comes down to the marriage with The Emperor."
"That's right."
"Then if The Emperor were to withdraw his proposal, all of Enya's problems would be solved."
"Exactly!"
I bolted upright from my half-reclined position.
The moment I imagined The Emperor withdrawing his proposal, every worry and concern in the world seemed to vanish.
Please let that happen! Please!
I clasped my hands together and nodded earnestly.
Dale gazed at me quietly. He seemed to be turning over many thoughts in his mind.
"Then..."
"Yes? What is it?"
Dale exhaled a sigh and seemed about to say something before turning his head away.
"It would be better if Enya didn't trust me too much."
Dale murmured with an expression that had grown somehow darker.
"Is something wrong? If it's a problem I can help with, I'm willing to listen. You just said so yourself."
"It's not a problem that Enya can solve right now."
Dale's eyes crinkled with a faint smile that quickly faded. Instead, his face took on the appearance of someone shadowed by inner turmoil as he lowered his head slightly.
"Are you alright?"
I reached out and gently patted Dale's shoulder, which seemed to droop.
Then Dale took my hand.
"Comfort helps, but..."
"...?"
"It would be better not to give me—or Enya—false hope."
"What do you mean, who's hoping for what?"
"..."
Dale's gaze dimmed.
"What do you think marriage is, Enya?"
Dale looked at me while exhaling a shallow sigh.
What is marriage?
"Marriage is... well, when I was young and watched my parents, I vaguely thought I wanted that too someday."
"Is it that you dislike marriage?"
"That's not it."
I racked my memory carefully.
"It would have been nice if we could have met like my parents did. They met at the hunting festival."
Every spring, The Empire held a hunting festival.
Any nobleman could participate, though there were age restrictions.
From nineteen years old, when one came of age, until forty.
Primarily young noble men between nineteen and twenty-five made up the majority of participants.
The participant who captured the most threatening prey or hunted the greatest number of beasts became that year's champion, and naturally, the rewards were extraordinary.
A substantial prize of eight million crowns and a trophy made of jewels.
A laurel wreath bestowed directly by The Emperor, and a closing ball held in honor of the champion.
But there was something even more special.
"The champion can request a date from any woman, right? That's where my parents had their first date."
It was the first meeting between my father, who was a junior marquis at the time, and my mother, who was a baron's daughter.
"Mother never imagined Father would suddenly ask her on a date. She thought a high-ranking nobleman had chosen her on a whim. But Father had actually liked Mother for a long time. That was his opportunity."
"How surprising."
Dale looked at me with widened eyes, seeming a bit taken aback.
"I had no idea Duke Lockhart had a romantic side."
"Aha, I didn't know either, so how could you, Dale!"
I laughed and patted Dale's shoulder.
"You speak like one of our father's friends sometimes. You said you admired our father as a swordsman, didn't you?"
One day, I noticed Dale seemed to know quite a lot about our family, so I asked, and he said he took great interest in Father.
"Even though our father hasn't wielded a sword in a long time, I was pleased that you still admire him."
"...."
"He doesn't wield a sword now because he serves at The Emperor's side, but... no, he's always worked at the Imperial Palace. Back then, he was the commander of the Knights Order who wielded a sword directly. You must admire Father from those days, don't you?"
Suddenly, something came to mind.
"But why have I never seen The Emperor?"
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