Riersha’s awakening of her abilities had become the hottest topic within the Arachrene household.
Word had spread that Riersha, who had awakened so late, was in fact a dual-ability user.
The Empress’s spy hiding within Arachrene had certainly received that news by now.
And without question, they had been thrown into considerable panic.
The Empress had used Riersha as a pretext to sow discord within the Arachrene family. But now that Riersha had awakened, everything the Empress had set into motion was on the verge of unraveling.
Worse still, the spy would now have to live with the gnawing fear that their deeds might one day come to light.
Whatever the Empress had promised her spy, one thing was certain — they would attempt to approach Riersha again.
Rosinante arrived at the young duke’s office and knocked.
“My lord, it’s Rosinante.”
“Come in.”
When he stepped inside, Pernoa was in the middle of receiving a report. Rosinante gave a small nod and stepped back to wait.
“For the young lady’s gift, my lord — what do you think of the theater at the capital plaza? After looking into it, it seems quite acquirable.”
“Hmm. Not a bad choice. Though isn’t it rather far?”
“…Shall I look into theaters within the Arachrene direct territory instead?”
At Pernoa’s noncommittal response, the man’s expression dimmed slightly. Even so, he pressed on without giving up.
“No young noble currently owns a theater in the capital, my lord. A troupe created solely for Lady Riersha — it would be entirely one of a kind.”
“Isn’t she a bit too young to be enjoying that sort of cultural institution?”
“Naturally, we would craft performances tailored specifically for Lady Riersha. I’m quite certain she would adore it.”
Pernoa appeared to consider this for a moment.
Come to think of it, even during that brief visit to the capital, Riersha had looked at the streets as though she were leaving pieces of her heart behind. Even as they moved away, she had kept turning her head back toward a simple street performance, again and again, unwilling to let go.
There was no question about it — if Riersha got to see a real theater production, she would leap for joy.
Pernoa briefly imagined what the child’s face would look like in that moment, and his expression softened into something warm.
“Go ahead with it.”
“Yes, my lord. And the budget?”
“Spare nothing on the acquisition. Keep the negotiations quiet — if word gets out, hangers-on will start crawling out of every corner.”
The theater troupe at the capital plaza was already a target that other noble houses had been eyeing for some time. If rumors spread that Arachrene had made contact, opportunists looking to pick up scraps would only create unnecessary trouble.
“Have the production ready in time for Riersha’s birthday.”
“Understood. Ah, and one more thing — I’ve heard that high-ranking mages are being hired these days to create more lifelike stage effects. Shall we pursue that as well?”
It was precisely the kind of lavish hobby one expected from refined noble lords whose daily lives were endlessly dull and who had altogether too much wealth and nowhere to put it.
Hiring high-ranking mages — the sort capable of laying waste to an entire nation — as special effects artists for a theatrical production. It was almost laughable.
Though in a way, it was also proof of just how peaceful the Declair Empire truly was.
Pernoa let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“Interesting. Go ahead and hire the mages, then. The fee doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, my lord. I’ll see to it.”
It occurred to him that this might also be a way to quietly cultivate a different kind of power, beyond the Emperor’s watchful eye. If the Arachrene family were ever compelled to disband their military, they would need another means of preserving their strength.
The man finished his report, gave Rosinante a brief nod, and left the office.
Rosinante stepped forward. The warmth that had lingered on Pernoa’s face vanished, replaced by a look entirely without expression.
“What did you find? Has anyone attempted to approach Riersha?”
“Yes, my lord.”
In truth, Rosinante had spent the past while keeping close watch over Arachrene’s ducal estate — having first spread word that he had gone out on business at the young duke’s direction, as a cover.
Rosinante possessed the ability to see and hear everything within the range his magical power permitted.
The ability left him with mild aftereffects each time he used it, but it was well worth it.
At Rosinante’s answer, the atmosphere around Pernoa dropped several degrees in an instant.
“Who was it?”
⁂
Riersha appeared looking thoroughly rumpled.
The Arachrene retainers who spotted her emerging from the direction of the training grounds exchanged warm glances.
She must be coming back from her training. What a hard worker she is.
Those who harbored such thoughts wore perfectly composed expressions, however.
Though… isn’t this the opposite direction from Lady Riersha’s annex?
Riersha was making her way somewhere with determined little steps, clearly on a mission.
The nearby retainers held their breath and watched with bright, curious eyes to see where she was heading.
They found themselves drifting back to the day Riersha had first arrived.
When she had stepped into the main estate, she had seemed somewhat withdrawn — shrinking into herself. Even with Sona assigned as her personal knight, Riersha had struggled to hold her head up with any confidence.
They had all felt a quiet ache at the sight.
But that had lasted only a short while.
“Sona, look! Hurry, hurry!”
“Oh my — the ants are moving house?”
“Yeah! Are they moving somewhere bigger too?”
Riersha had grown brighter with each passing day.
Whenever the retainers caught sight of her playing outside with Sona, they couldn’t help smiling.
There was something about it — as though, though they stood apart, they were all raising this child together in their hearts.
“Lady Riersha! Don’t run like that, you’ll fall!”
“Sona! Come look at this! Ako!”
On the day Riersha nearly tripped over a stone while running, the retainers collectively mobilized to clear every last pebble from the paths throughout the estate.
“Mm, let’s rest a little. My legs are tired, Sona — these steps are so high.”
Benches had appeared on landings along every staircase that same day.
“Whoa, Sona, there’s fishies here! Are they eating? They’re so pretty.”
“Shall we feed them, then?”
“Yeah! Oh — but the food’s all gone?”
The moment those words left Riersha’s lips, the fish food jar at the lakeside had been quietly refilled to the brim.
Without anyone issuing a single order, the entire ducal household had begun pouring itself into the raising of this one small child.
What a relief that Lady Riersha is growing up so well.
Watching her change so visibly filled them all with an inexplicable pride.
“Hmm.”
The retainers were still watching Riersha with that soft, fond attention when her footsteps came to a sudden halt.
She began to examine the garden around her with great deliberation.
“What would be best… …Alright, that one!”
After a brief moment of thought, Riersha stepped into the section of the garden where new flowers had recently been planted.
She studied them carefully, then began plucking the prettiest ones, one by one, and cradled them gently in her hands.
The gardener who had been watching let out a quiet cry of triumph.
My taste is impeccable after all.
He cleared his throat with an air of satisfaction and approached her.
“Lady Riersha, what are these flowers for?”
“I pwomised to make Daddy a bwacelet.”
“So they’ve been chosen as a gift for the young duke.”
“Mm-hm.”
“Well then — if you mix in some of these white flowers as well, I think it will come out even lovelier.”
The gardener handed her a small cluster of white baby’s breath from beside him.
Riersha accepted them quietly and broke into a radiant smile.
It seemed she had been mulling it over — a bracelet made entirely of vivid blue had struck her as not quite right.
“Thank you vewy much!”
Riersha gave a deep, earnest bow of her head.
The gardener blinked in momentary surprise, then smiled back warmly.
“Not at all. If anything, it is I who should be thanking you.”
“Hm?”
“Because of you, Lady Riersha, this estate has become such a different place.”
Everything had changed from the day Riersha entered the main estate.
A warmth had begun to seep into every corner of the grounds.
It felt as though emotions they had long forgotten — ones they hadn’t even realized had gone dormant — were quietly waking up again.
⁂
Riersha set the flowers she had gathered from the garden down on her desk.
This time, she planned to make something a little more crafted — a bracelet with real care put into it.
“I should make Daddy’s from the blue ones.”
She had made Achmonde’s from red flowers, so she would use something different so they wouldn’t match.
She spread out everything she needed and was deep in concentration when Sona hovered nearby, peeking over her shoulder.
“Who is that one for, Lady Riersha?”
“For Daddy. And this one — I’m gonna make it into a necklace for you, Sona.”
“Goodness — something this precious, really?”
Sona pressed a hand to her mouth, visibly moved.
The accessories Riersha made had become something everyone in Arachrene quietly coveted.
One of a kind in all the world — made by Riersha’s own hands.
The third person to receive such a treasure was going to be Sona.
