The last time I drank, I acted strangely and didn’t even like the taste. That’s precisely why I hadn’t touched a drop since then. Yet, I remember feeling pleasantly light-headed back then.
But now, it doesn’t feel very good. Was it the one gulp that did me in? Or is it the carbonation I can’t handle?
Stumbling off the carriage, I stood in the night breeze to distract myself from the hangover.
I hopped lightly onto the roof, compensating for the difficulty of balancing in heels by forcing my way up with muscle power. I shouldn’t have done this in a dress. I couldn’t even sit down because I didn’t want to get it dirty.
Despite my regrets, I gazed up at the night sky. A crescent moon peeked in and out from between the clouds.
Searching for what I thought I’d seen just the other day when I went to space on a moon trip, I strained my eyes.
Holding an unstable posture with my ankle bent awkwardly, I stared at the moon for a while.
All I saw was the moon, but my drunkenness had worn off considerably. When I thought about coming down, a carriage stopped beside the mansion. It was suspicious that it stopped in front of the wall, not the main gate. Patrick stepped out from inside as I observed the unfamiliar family crest on it.
He walked to the main gate and tried to enter the mansion with a straight face.
“Over here.”
Hearing my voice, Patrick noticed me and hopped up onto the roof.
“How about you hold back from being a tomboy at least when you’re wearing a dress?”
“Climbing onto the roof is part of being a tomboy.”
“Jumping up in one go feels like it goes beyond being a tomboy. …Were you waiting for me?”
“…Yeah. I was worried until Patrick got back safely. Also, to sober up. And to observe the moon.”
“Oh, that. You seem sober now. Moon observation? Are you planning to go again?”
“I think I’m done with space travel for a while. I was just observing to see if I could spot something I saw when I tried to go before.”
“Is there something on the moon?”
“I thought I saw something that looked like a flag. Maybe I was mistaken.”
Before entering the atmosphere, I briefly looked up at the moon. I saw something that looked like a flag, or maybe I didn’t. There was no time to observe it properly before entering the atmosphere, so it’s vague.
Even though I went to space, it was only as far as a satellite orbiting a planet. The moon doesn’t look that different from how it looks from the ground, so maybe it really was a mistake.
Patrick looks up at the moon, too.
“Can’t see it from here.”
“I think… around the rabbit’s face.”
“Like I said before, what’s this about the moon rabbit?”
“You know those patterns on the moon? In Japan, they say it looks like a rabbit pounding rice cakes.”
“A legend from Yumiela’s world? So, what exactly are those moon patterns?”
No, I already explained it. That pattern doesn’t look like a rabbit pounding mochi… Not unless it’s illustrated with ears here, a pestle and mortar here, and so on.
Another time I’ll draw a picture to explain it, but now isn’t the time for that.
Instead, I asked Patrick about something far more important than the moon rabbit.
“I’ll explain the rabbit with a drawing later. More importantly, what happened with Marquis Prynan?”
“It should… work out. I need to go to the castle tomorrow, but the extremists’ fervor will be contained.”
Damn. How did he manage that negotiation after that situation?
I thought I was going to be screwed for a moment, but Patrick handled everything. I feel bad that he always has to clean up my careless mistakes.
“Sorry for going off on my own. I thought I had nothing to lose and that talking to Marquis Prynan wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I didn’t notice beforehand either, so it can’t be helped. If Yumiela hadn’t used her wits to buy time, the extremists might have become the Dolknes faction by now.”
That’s a truly terrifying thing to say. After all, the Marquis had already shifted his goal to establishing the Yumiela faction. It’s easier to manage when people driven by ambition and resentment gather around a leader who lacks ambition.
But thanks to Patrick’s negotiations, the Marquis has relented. That’s a relief.
“He really gave up? What did you say?”
“Marquis Prynan hasn’t given up. I’ve actually been backing him.”
“What do you mean?”
This hasn’t been resolved at all. I asked, still dumbfounded.
Then Patrick opened his mouth, avoiding eye contact as if it were inconvenient.
“Yumiela has no desire to get involved in politics. But I’m different. Even Ashbaton, which has maintained its independence, must reach its limits. I want to secure a position in the central government to prepare for that. It’s ideal to get closer to royalty without getting too close, and to increase our voice in the capital, which is where the former Duke Hillrose’s position comes in. Even a rabble is acceptable if there are enough of them. So I’m going to talk Yumiela into it and gradually form a faction.”
Huh, so that’s what he was thinking.
My fiancé used me for the sake of the frontier county. He even said he’d talk me into it. Patrick’s just not used to doing bad things.
…That’s impossible, so I’ll speak for him.
“…And you told Marquis Prynan that. What happened next?”
“Since Yumiela left and the party ended ambiguously, we’ll steer tomorrow’s meeting to formally establish the Dolknes faction. Specifically, Marquis Prynan will advocate abolishing the Defense Lord, and Yumiela will object. If you defends Count Archiam before His Majesty, everyone will understand he’s under your protection.”
“…So, if I don’t react to Marquis Prynan’s plea, which he believes is the plan, it’s resolved.”
“Exactly.”
I see. What I considered a stalemate was that Marquis Prynan could achieve his goal without taking action. Only the rumor that I protected Count Archiam would remain if he remained silent.
In that situation, Patrick worked to make the rumor become fact.
The Marquis waited for my objection to corner the count, but no objection came. It became clear in a public setting that Yumiela Dolknes had no intention of aiding the extremist nobles.
“The Marquis trusted you well.”
“He seemed to think there was no way I would have gotten engaged to Yumiela without ulterior motives…”
Ah… Patrick showing ambition was expected, just as he thought it would be.
That leaves only Count Archiam, abandoned and stripped of his position. Ah, so that’s how it ends.
“What about Count Archiam?”
“Unfortunately… If Yumiela intends to save not just Count Archiam but the entire extremist faction, I won’t stop you.”
Count Archiam, I’m sorry. Please give up your position. We don’t need a job that does nothing.
It’d be easier to apologize casually… but I feel guilty. Maybe it’s fortunate I didn’t run into him before storming into the party venue after the prince incident. It would’ve made apologizing even harder if I’d been putting on airs before him. Eleanora-chan would be sad too… I feel down.
Then, there was a snap. Does a broken heart make a sound? My vision started tilting too…
“Ah.”
Looking down, I saw my heel had snapped clean off. So that was the noise.
The slanted roof must have taken a strain because I was forcing myself to stand upright.
At this rate, I’d tumble down, so I reached out my hand toward Patrick. He stared at my hand strangely, then grabbed it just before it was too late.
“Did you really need to push it that far?”
“I thought you could handle it on your own.”
“This outfit isn’t exactly made for flashy moves.”
“If you knew that, you wouldn’t have climbed onto the roof.”
This kind of banter was usually fun, but it wasn’t fun right now.
With the Imperial Council looming tomorrow, I must first apologize to Count Archiam.
Their families will become regional nobles living on their estates. I’ll teach them how to enjoy their territory as a small token of atonement. There should be one dungeon in the Archiam territory. It was a mediocre dungeon with about ten floors… Ah, but it is right to show them the appeal of speed runs.
I’ll also send Eleanora along. She gets along reasonably well with Dorothea, and having her around will significantly reduce the gloom. Eleanora might enjoy it, too.
Alright, this plan isn’t half bad. Punch-boom! Magic-boom! While I’m not great at solving problems that can’t be resolved with a punch or a boom, that is handy for supporting level grinding.
The strangely twisted conflict surrounding the Defense Lord will finally conclude tomorrow.