Chapter 80

It had been a little puzzling that the Obiedo family was such an old and distinguished house, yet I had never once heard that the Marchioness had passed away.

In any case, I understood why Terni had stiffened, unlike his usual self.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. There’s nothing to apologize for. Anyway, Mother isn’t here, so you just need to know about Father!”

Fortunately, Terni was beaming again in no time. Contrary to my worries, the mood lightened again.

“What kind of person is Father?”

I had not seen him since our awkward first meeting at the Empress’s birthday party.

We had to part without even holding a proper conversation. He had been a very gentle and handsome gentleman.

Now it was Terni’s turn to explain. Terni smiled brightly and opened his mouth.

“Father is Father!”

“……What?”

“Don’t worry. Because he’s Father!”

What kind of groundbreaking explanation was this?

So dumbfounded was I by the half-hearted answer that I nearly grabbed him by the collar and shook him.

“I mean, what kind of person is he―.”

“I said he’s Father? He’s our father!”

What a useless human being he was. In the end, I failed to obtain any information from Terni.

All I gained was that Mother had already passed away and that “Father is Father.” I grumbled with a serious face.

“Where in the world is there a daughter who doesn’t even know what kind of person her father is?”

And that daughter was none other than me!

I worried about how I should answer if anyone ever asked me about Marquis Obiedo.

……I won’t be found out like this, will I?

Putting my unease behind me, I decided to shelve the matter of family for now.

But the incident happened before long. It was while I was chatting with Acacia, who had come to visit Lily Palace.

Acacia asked me.

“Sister Artie. What does your father call you?”

“Cough, cough! ……W-why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

I was so startled that I nearly spat out my tea.

“My father keeps calling me ‘our precious little brat,’ you know? Even when I ask him to call me by my name properly, he doesn’t listen to a word I say!”

It was a very adorable concern.

If Acacia were my daughter, I would probably have called her by an even worse nickname than that.

“Sister Artie’s father calls you by your name, doesn’t he?”

“Um…….”

“When I go home today, I’m going to complain to Father that Sister Artie gets called by her name. So I need your help, sister! What does he call you?”

This is a disaster.

I smiled awkwardly at Acacia, who was looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

I had expected a situation like this to come someday, but I never thought the other party would be none other than Acacia.

I could just brush it off vaguely, but looking into Acacia’s moist pink eyes, I simply could not bring myself to lie.

“Acacia, do you dislike it when your father calls you that?”

“Yes. I really, really hate it!”

“But doesn’t that mean he loves you?”

“Uu……. That may be so, but I want to be called by my name too. It feels like he sees me as nothing but a thoughtless little child, and it makes me sad.”

Acacia drooped her shoulders sullenly.

How can even her sullen look be so lovable……. I’ll have to brag about this at the next Asa-mo regular meeting!

“……Sister?”

“H-huh?”

“So what does Sister Artie’s father call you?”

I had thought I had changed the subject, but no. Acacia was more persistent than I had expected.

Should I lie after all? But if I carelessly said he called me by my name and a contradiction with the existing Artienne’s backstory arose later, it would be hard to fix.

“I, my father…….”

As I trailed off and agonized, Essen, who had just finished his business, happened to come into view.

“Ah. Lord Essen has come to fetch me. I forgot I had supplementary lessons today. Acacia, I have to go now. Get home safely and see you next time!”

“What? Yes!”

And so I fled, leaving Acacia behind. I felt guilty, but there was nothing to be done.

Please understand the heart of a sister who doesn’t want to lie, dear Acacia.

This time I had muddled through somehow, but if someone like Gabriel ever asked me about my family, it would be a problem.

“As expected, this won’t do.”

I needed special measures. The so-called “Operation: Become a More Perfect Artienne”! For that, I needed someone to help me.

The first person I discarded was Terni.

“An older brother who’s nothing but an obstacle instead of help.”

I thought of asking Diano, but the time I could meet him was extremely limited.

As expected, is Lord Essen the only one I can trust?

I solemnly requested instruction from Essen.

“Lord Essen. As the current Artienne, I have something to ask the former Artienne.”

“What is it?”

“What kind of person is His Excellency Marquis Obiedo?”

“His Excellency Marquis Obiedo?”

“Yes. The one who is, by setup, my father.”

He had once been Essen’s temporary father as well, so wouldn’t he know him well?

But he betrayed my expectations.

“Actually, I don’t know him well either.”

“What? But you were Artienne.”

“As you know, I didn’t cross-dress because I wanted to. I avoided meeting anyone as much as possible while in women’s clothes.”

“Ahh…….”

Well, if it were me, I suppose I would also find it shameful to meet a friend’s father while cross-dressed.

“Then what is His Excellency the Marquis like as a friend’s father?”

“All I know is that, unlike Terni, he is a very normal person.”

I knew that too. There was no one in this world as crazy as Terni.

“Hm……. All right. Thank you, Lord Essen.”

Even Essen, whom I trusted, knew nothing about His Excellency the Marquis.

Was I truly to face a crisis knowing nothing about my family like this…….

“Not a single person will help me, seriously.”

I was on my way back from the library with a sorrowful heart. In the distance, I saw a familiar face.

“Lord Diano!”

“……?”

I ran over in one breath, and my lungs were at their limit.

“What is it? Today isn’t the day of the Asa-mo regular meeting.”

“I have something to ask you!”

“Is it related to Acacia?”

“No.”

“Hm…….”

Diano avoided my eyes and took a step back. So he didn’t even want to listen unless it was about Acacia?

But I had a secret weapon.

“If you answer, I’ll tell you one Acacia anecdote!”

“Very well.”

As expected, coaxing an Asa-mo member is the easiest thing in the world.

Perhaps it was excellent bait, for Diano changed his attitude to one of attentive listening.

“So what is it you wish to ask?”

“It’s nothing much. I want to know what kind of person His Excellency Marquis Obiedo is.”

“His Excellency Marquis Obiedo? Hm.”

Diano scratched his head.

“He is a good person.”

“And?”

“…….”

Diano had no answer. I smiled at him.

“Lord Diano?”

“He is a very sensible person, unlike Terni.”

I had already heard that answer from Essen.

“Is there nothing besides that?”

“…….”

“I suppose not.”

“Yes…….”

“I see…….”

Even Diano, my last bastion, had abandoned me.

To think these people knew so little about their friend’s father—how heartless they were.

Sigh. As I was sighing, Diano stared at me with sparkling eyes.

“Then now, the Acacia anecdote…….”

“Acacia is cute and lovable.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Cute and lovable.”

“Yes. But……?”

“That’s all.”

“Wh-what?”

I smiled brightly at Diano and turned around firmly. Unfortunately, I had no Acacia anecdote to tell him.

Nothing gained, nothing given. I trusted Diano would come to know this cold truth of the world.

My steps back to Lily Palace were heavy.

“Who should I ask now?”

There was no suitable person. No, actually, there was exactly one person, but it was better to exclude him.

“Right. There’s no way the Crown Prince would kindly explain it to me anyway.”

He wasn’t as frightening lately as before, but still, it was better not to meet him as much as possible.

Still, my situation was so pitiful. Surely the Crown Prince and his inner circle had an obligation to cooperate in providing information, didn’t they?

If I got found out like this, it would be dangerous for me, but it would also be a problem for them!

I was grumbling inwardly at this absurd situation as I walked, when someone blocked my path.

“……?”

I raised my head, and there was a familiar face.

“Lord Sissignu!”

“It’s been a while, Artie.”

Looking at Sissignu’s gentle face, my heart naturally calmed.

Ahh, as expected, normal people are the best.

“Where are you coming from?”

“I had some business with Diano, so I talked with him and was just leaving.”

“I see.”

The Diano I had just met must have been on his way back to Poinsettia Palace after finishing his conversation with Sissignu.

“The Benedetto family seems to have very close sibling bonds.”

“That’s thanks to our parents, who raised us all without discrimination. Actually, Diano and I fought a lot when we were young, but after Acacia was born, our relationship improved dramatically.”

“Because Acacia was so cute?”

“Something like that. Acacia hated it when we fought.”

As expected, lovable Acacia. She’s practically a symbol of peace!

“And Artie, aren’t you and your brother very close as well?”

“Close……. Yes, close.”

I wanted to deny it but couldn’t. To think Terni and I were close—how humiliating, sob.

“By the way, sometimes…….”

“Yes.”

“There are times when Artie looks at Terni as if he were a stranger.”

“……What?”

Thud. For a moment, I thought my heart had dropped.

But unlike my surprise, Sissignu’s expression was the same as usual.

Did he mean it literally? Or was there some hidden meaning? My thoughts grew complicated.

But without letting it show, I answered calmly as well.

“As you know, my brother does a lot of foolish things normally. So I suppose I unintentionally end up looking at him as if he’s pathetic.”

“Terni’s personality is famous enough. I understand.”

As expected, it seemed he had just said it in passing, right? I laughed, “Ahaha,” and felt relieved.

Sissignu looked at me and smiled harmlessly.

“By the way, Artie. May I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

This probably wasn’t a big question either. At most, it would be something related to Terni, I thought.

But―

“Why are you investigating your father’s background?”