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A small laughing sound from Kaiden was felt from the nape of my neck.
“Of course. It’s the Baltstein family’s wedding, so it’s only natural. It will go down in history and make you glorious for a long, long time.”
Kaiden must have been concerned that our wedding was being used politically.
But for me, marrying him in itself was already an honor. I couldn’t understand why he was being so considerate of my feelings.
On the contrary, I wanted to apologize to him. To say sorry for being born so unworthy. If only I had at least parents.
“Um… about my parents.”
In the end, I couldn’t hold it in and opened my mouth.
“Parents?”
“Yes… at the wedding.”
“Ah, my parents decided to come the day before the ceremony. You remember, right? We met them three years ago.”
“Ah, r-right.”
That’s true. Of course Kaiden’s parents would come to the wedding. It had been so long since I last saw them that I had completely forgotten. I started to feel even more nervous.
“When I told them you’re my bride, Mother was especially happy. She said she was glad to welcome a healthy bride. As you know, Mother isn’t in good health.”
“Haha. That’s a relief.”
If it’s about being healthy, it has to be me.
Hearing that Kaiden’s mother liked me lifted my sunken spirits a little.
But the seats for my parents would be completely empty, so that still made me uncomfortable in its own way. So I cautiously brought up the thought I’d been having all day.
“Um… as Your Highness probably knows, there’s a one-armed knight who taught me when I was young.”
Kaiden reacted sharply.
“Why him. Did he ask you for money again?”
I hesitated before answering.
“No. I already gave him money about six months ago…”
“Marion.”
Kaiden got up from the bed. When the arm that had been wrapped around me disappeared, I cautiously turned to look at him.
Kaiden had already turned on the lamp on the nightstand beside the bed. The Grand Duke’s bedroom was softly dyed in orange light. And his serious face was revealed.
I timidly and slowly sat up. It seemed he wanted to have a serious conversation, and I felt the need for it too.
“Didn’t I tell you over and over again? Don’t give that man any more money.”
“……”
The one-armed knight was the first adult man who had ever been kind to me.
An adult man who treated a little girl from the slums well without any ulterior motive was rarer than beans growing in a drought.
That’s why I had thought countless times that I wished he were my father.
Of course, that kindness didn’t last long.
Being a former knight, he taught me swordsmanship, and I had outstanding talent.
So he immediately sent me to a mercenary group. He wanted to make money by essentially renting me out to the mercenary group.
“…Marion, I don’t know what that man means to you. But he’s living soaked in alcohol and drugs every day with the money he took from you. You’ve already done more than enough.”
I bit my lip.
In truth, I had no intention of giving him any more money either. Now that I had awakened to my past life, I realized how foolish that behavior had been.
But…
“…Wouldn’t we need someone in my parents’ seats?”
“What…?”
Kaiden looked at me with surprised eyes and then hardened his face.
“Are you thinking of him as your father?”
“No. It’s not that.”
My mind was complicated.
“I mean…”
I hesitated. Kaiden quietly looked at me and waited.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“I don’t have anything, you know. This marriage feels so inadequate for Your Highness that I just wanted to at least make it look proper…”
Kaiden immediately cut me off.
“That’s not true at all, Marion. There’s probably no one in this world who wants this marriage more than I do.”
“Yes?”
For a moment I frowned, wondering if I had heard him wrong. He shook his head and continued.
“I’m saying it’s not something you need to feel sorry about. Rather… maybe…”
Kaiden continued.
“Is it because I asked about your parents during the day?”
I hesitated for a moment and then nodded. At that, Kaiden put one hand on his forehead and let out a sigh. My heart shrank at the sound of that sigh.
“I’m sorry. I asked something unnecessary and only ended up hurting you.”
“No, it’s not.”
Kaiden looked at me for a moment and then slowly spoke.
“The reason I asked that question was because there’s a person I suspect might be your mother.”
“Yes?”
I was so shocked that I looked at him with a blank face. I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“But it’s not certain, so I asked just in case I could get any clue from you.”
“……”
I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say.
My mother? My real mother?
“I didn’t consider that you would trouble you. I was short-sighted. I’m sorry.”
“No, no.”
I waved my hands and shook my head. Kaiden tightly grasped both my hands. Warmth was transmitted. He apologized to me again.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“But… my mother? The mother who gave birth to me?”
When I swallowed and asked, Kaiden spoke with a troubled expression.
“…I saw a portrait of a woman who resembles you. She looked so much like you that it felt strange. But she has already passed away, and it was purely my feeling, so I didn’t say anything in case it wasn’t her and you would be disappointed.”
Ah. I see.
It was strange. The sentence “There might be a mother of mine somewhere” was truly a strange sentence. For someone else it was natural, but for me it wasn’t.
My heart wavered.
“Marion.”
Kaiden called me. I looked at him with a dazed face. Then Kaiden looked at me with a regretful expression and murmured.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“Ah.”
I must have been crying.
“I’m sorry.”
Kaiden pulled me into his arms. I was held like a child sitting on his lap. He stroked my back.
“I’ll give you everything I have so that you never feel any lack.”
His whisper tickled my ear. I just listened to his words thinking, “I see.”
Perhaps feeling that I had calmed down a little, he said what he had to say.
“So let’s cut ties with the one-armed knight.”
In the end I let out a small laugh. Somehow the tears had stopped too. Leaning in his arms, I said.
“Alright.”
* * *
“No, calling a child who’s not even fully recovered yet—come here, go there!”
From the morning, the Grand Duke’s anger echoed through the Grand Duke’s residence.
It was the morning two days after slaying the demonic beast—now—when the Emperor summoned me to the imperial palace.
Meanwhile, an order came for Kaiden to return to the east immediately. The reason was that he was supposed to stay at Marquis Fernandi’s estate for three days but had only stayed one day.
Kaiden frowned and ignored the order.
“I’ll go east after the wedding.”
I looked at Kaiden and asked.
“Is it okay to ignore the Emperor’s order like that?”
“I’m not saying I won’t go at all, am I?”
I nodded at his brazen attitude. And I realized that this very attitude was what I should emulate from now on. There was no need to be intimidated by the Emperor or the Crown Prince.
“He probably wants to commend you, Marion, for your recent achievement.”
Kaiden guessed the reason the Emperor called me. Then the former Grand Duke, who had come out to see off the two of us heading to the imperial palace, exploded in anger.
“He could do it a bit later! Is your body really okay, Marion?!”
“I’m fine. Haha.”
I smiled brightly. I said it hoping he would stop worrying about me. The former Grand Duke clicked his tongue and said.
“The wedding is soon and we’re busy to death— I really don’t understand why he’s calling you now. Commending you in front of all the nobles at the reception would have been more than enough.”
Kaiden also nodded at those words.
“That part bothers me too. It feels like he’s rushing to call Marion.”
“That’s right. It seems he’s playing petty tricks because he doesn’t want to raise Marion’s status. Aigoo, what a stingy bastard.”
Marion laughed, hee-hee. It was so funny how the two of them were completely trash-talking the Emperor.
I could see Vito, the butler, and the escort Bedel nearby biting their lips hard, trying to keep a straight face. Their effort to hold in laughter was admirable.
“Come back safely. Kaiden, take good care of Marion.”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
“We’ll be back. Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
Kaiden and I greeted and left the Grand Duke’s residence.
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