by Dojyomaru
Albert put his hand behind his head and laughed. “We got to know each other through our parents, and we’ve been together since we were children.”
“I’m sort of interested,” I said. “Ah! Should we sit down somewhere?”
It seemed odd to just stand around talking, so we sat down on one of the benches in the garden.
“Come to think of it, Sir Georg mentioned he owed you for something,” I went on. “What was that about?”
“Oh... Georg has settled down these days, but he used to be a rambunctious little brat. He broke his father’s precious vase, he cut up an impressive tree in the garden while swinging around a sword, and, although this one wasn’t entirely his fault, he beat up a nobleman’s son who was causing trouble in town.”
It seemed Sir Georg had been your typical tough kid in his younger years.
“He was always being punished by his father for it, so Georg often fled to our house. I wasn’t as active as Georg, but I lacked the guts to get up to any real mischief, and I was a quiet boy, so I was well-liked by adults. I smoothed things over between Georg and his father a number of times. He wasn’t always entirely in the wrong, after all.”
“I see...” I murmured. “That’s why he ‘owes’ you, is it?”
“Yes. Oh, because Georg is clumsy with words, there was also the time I acted as a go-between between him and his fiancée. He never flinches in the face of an enemy, but you can see the fear on his face when he doesn’t know how to handle a woman. I helped make sure he wasn’t misunderstood because of that.”
“O-Oh...?” I was dumbfounded by this unexpected side of Georg.
This was... maybe it wasn’t my place to say this, since I’d asked the question, and Georg might have preferred I didn’t know. Still... I’d learned something from asking.
This man before me didn’t have a public face and a private face; he was exactly what he looked like. I had witnessed so much hatred and ugliness through the other “me”s that this felt like a kind of salvation to me.
Surely, this man wouldn’t try to eliminate anyone.
Even if someone was harmful to him, and eliminating them would be to his benefit, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do it. That was his weakness, and his kindness. It was disqualifying as the ruler of a country, and a comfort to me right now.
This man surely would not be able to overcome the current crisis.
However, if it was a fate I couldn’t transcend anyway, it might not be bad to spend my final days relaxing by his side.
I would surely see less dirtiness than the “me”s up until now had. Because this man couldn’t possibly do anything dirty.
But... in order to do that, there was something I had to tell him.
If he was with me, he would be caught in the unrest, and might lose his life.
It would be dishonest to cling to him without telling him that much.
If, even after being told, he would still take my hand... I...
“...Sir Albert,” I said slowly. “There is a garden at your family home, isn’t there?”
“Oh. Yes. It’s much smaller than the gardens at the castle, though,” Albert said, staring blankly at me.
I looked Albert straight in the eye and asked, “Would you take me to see those gardens?”
Albert’s eyes went wide. “That’s...! No, I would love nothing more than to show them to you, but my domain and mansion aren’t fit to invite a member of the royal house to...”
“I know that. I wouldn’t be going as a princess of the royal house.” Albert didn’t seem to get where I was going with this, so I told him clearly. “I wish to cast aside my family name, and marry down into yours.”
“M-Marry down?! You want to come and marry me?!” he exclaimed.
“Yes. Do you already have a wife, perhaps, Sir Albert?”
“Oh, no, I’m still single...”
“That’s perfect, then.”
“Wait, that’s not what I wanted to say! Why is this coming up so suddenly?!”
With a self-effacing smile, I told the confused man, “I’m currently being pressured to choose a fiancé. However, no matter who I marry, as long as I am in the castle, I will be caught up in the conflict. That’s just how valuable royal blood is. Using people, and being used... I’ve had too much of it. I want to spend my days relaxing with someone like you, and to do so as long as I can!”
Then I extended a hand to Albert.
“This is my selfishness. From where you stand, I am a troublesome woman who might drag you into the conflict just by being at your side. Even so, if you will allow it... I want... for you to take this hand. I’d like to spend time resting my heart with you, for as long as possible.”
My words made Albert gulp.
I knew I wasn’t being fair. I realized I was taking advantage of his kindness.
Still, if I couldn’t change the fate that would ruin me, I at least wanted someone like Albert with me at the end.
Now that I had given up on resisting, like the other “me”s had, this was my sole wish.
There was a short silence, and then Albert slowly opened his mouth.
“I’ve always... wanted to protect you. Yet I lack the wits to do it, and I could be of no help. That... frustrates me.”
I was silent.
“That’s who I am, but if all you want is for me to be with you, I can do that much.”
Then Albert took the hand I’d offered him.
“I can in no way promise you’ll be safe if you come to my domain. I doubt you’ll be able to live in the same splendor as at the castle, either. Despite that, I will work to allow you to spend your days in peace and quiet. If you are willing to have me, then please.”
“Thank you... Albert,” I said.
This was how I chose my fiancé.
“It sure is tranquil out here, isn’t it?”
I was staring out the window at the scenery during a rocky carriage trip.
Albert’s domain was in the countryside, centered around a farming and dairy village in the mountains. While the carriage bounced along the country road, we passed ox-drawn carts.
There was a pastoral scene, unlike anything in the castle, spread out before me.
“I’m getting a little excited,” I said with palpable anticipation.
Albert smiled wryly. “I can see that. Though I am not sure we have anything that will entertain you, princess.”
“Albert!” I grabbed him by the beard and pulled out a few hairs.
“Yes...? Ouch!”
“You’re going to be my husband, so drop the formal language, and don’t call me ‘princess.’”
“O-Okay. Elisha.”
Albert begrudgingly nodded as he rubbed his chin. The fact that he couldn’t take a firm stance against me, even though he was about five years older than me, spoke to an inborn timidity. That said, I was gradually beginning to see that as part of what made him cute.
“Oh! What a pretty river,” I said, enchanted. “Do you think there are fish in it?”
“Yes. When fall comes around, they’ll be quite plump indeed. Georg and I often went fishing there when we were children. Georg was always quick to get bored and resort to catching them by hand, though.”
“Fishing! That sounds nice. I’ve never done that before, so, please, take me.”
“Of course I will.”
While looking at the country scenery, which seemed unaffected by the murderous atmosphere in the capital, I chatted with Albert about nothing in particular, saying things like, “What’s this?” “What’s that?”
It was a lot of fun to simply do that, and I felt my original, more active personality coming back to me.
That kept up for a while. Finally, before I knew it, we had arrived at Albert’s mansion.
It was small for a noble’s manor, but in this land, with its lack of other buildings nearby, it still had a certain presence.
When we passed through the little gate in a wall that wasn’t going to provide a
defense against much more than wild animals, the well-kept gardens were right before our eyes. They weren’t the size of the royal gardens, to be sure, but they were a good match for the compact space, and they came off as being in good taste.
“The gardens are wonderful...” I sighed in contentment. “Did you do all this, Albert?”
“Yes. I made these gardens as a hobby.”
“They’re incredible. Well done.”
“It’s embarrassing when you praise me so freely.”
Albert laughed bashfully, but I really did think his gardens were wonderful.
We sat down in a roofed terrace between the gardens and the mansion. Staring into the sunlit gardens from the shade there, the contrast of light and shadow felt very tasteful.
“This is the perfect place to relax,” I told him.
“We can relax all you want. Now seems like a good time, so would you like tea?”
I nodded, so Albert had one of the servants prepare it.
When we were drinking tea here in the seats of this terrace, time seemed to flow at a more relaxed pace.
“Whew... I’m starting to get sleepy.” I yawned.
“It’s a warm, sunny day, after all. You must be tired from traveling, too. It’s the perfect situation for dozing off. It’s all right if you go to sleep. I’ll wake you when the sun starts to go down.”
“Hee hee, it’s a luxury to be able to use our time like this.”
I took him up on his kind offer and did just that.
The pretty garden, the warm atmosphere, and Albert’s gentle smile made my heart and body feel like they might just melt away.
How long had it been since I’d felt so at ease?
If I could have a wish, it would be for these good days to last as long as possible... I thought as I drifted off to sleep.
I’m sure, somewhere, I must have thought it was an impossible wish. However, contrary to my expectations, those dream-like days continued.
It seemed that the bloody struggle continued unabated in the capital, but it never extended to this domain.
I learned this later, but apparently my marriage to Albert worked in my favor.
Albert was known for being mediocre and without ambition.
When the factions saw me throw away my family name to marry a man like Albert, they must have seen me as lacking ambition, too. They might have thought, “If she has such a poor eye for men, that little girl is not worth worrying about.”
There was also Albert’s well known friendship with Georg. If they carelessly acted against someone with connections to the House of Carmine, they would be in trouble if Duke Carmine intervened.
It was possible Georg made sure talk of their friendship spread far and wide. That would have been the most he could do to help his friend Albert.
Perhaps those were the reasons why I, who had demonstrated that I was of little threat by marrying a mediocre man, and who was also difficult to act against, was being left alone for the time being.
Thanks to that, I was able to spend my days relaxing here in this land.
In fall, we went out to fish.
“There... Got it! I caught one, Albert!” I grinned.
“You’re good at everything you do, Elisha. I can’t catch a thing.”
I usually helped Albert with his work, but on days off we would go fishing together like this, or enjoy a picnic in the hills.
“What shall we do on our next day off?” I asked him.
“It should be just about time of year when we can pick mushrooms in the back hills. Do you want to go?”
“Mushroom hunting! If we manage to pick a lot, let’s share with everyone.”
“Hmm. I do need to give Johan the hunter something in return for the venison.”
Our relationship with our subjects was good. It was a small domain, so we had to interact with the people without regard to status. When we went out like this, people wouldn’t hesitate to call out to us.
“While we’re at it, why don’t we roast them in the garden?” I suggested.
“Ha ha ha, there’s an idea,” he laughed. “I’ll call all the townsfolk.”
And so, as we spent our days in peace, at some point, I stopped thinking about my life being targeted. I was able to believe that tomorrow would be another day just like today.
After surviving a harsh winter, animals would go looking for mates in the spring. In the same sort of way, my relationship with Albert deepened, too.
It had been a lifestyle of resignation, where I thought that if I couldn’t change my fate, I at least wanted to spend time at his side, but at some point, I began to feel I was happier than the other “me”s who hadn’t chosen him.
“Albert,” I said, “I’m glad I came here.”
Albert gently hugged me around the shoulders.
About a year had passed since I’d moved to this land.
Rumors on the wind told us that bloody incidents were unfolding in the capital frequently.
When I say “rumors on the wind,” I allude to the fact it took considerable time for news to reach such a remote location, and when it did, it came by word of mouth.
By this point, I didn’t care what happened in the capital anymore.
I had no desire to return, and... I had no need to, either.
On a clear spring day, in a small chapel in our domain, Albert and I were married and became husband and wife.
Afterwards, our people, Georg, and a small collection of friends called out their best wishes.
“Congratulations, my lord!”
“Lady Elisha, you look so pretty!”
“May you both be happy! The blessings of Mother Dragon be upon you!”
It was a chapel like you’d find anywhere, the dress was a hand-me-down from Albert’s mother, and the guests came wearing whatever they happened to be wearing. It was no different from a wedding between the common people.
So why was it that it made my heart flutter so?
I had memories of more glamorous wedding ceremonies, but I could say that the me I was right now was the happiest “me” I’d ever experienced.
I said to my new husband, who was smiling bashfully, “Albert.”
“Yes, Elisha?”
“The me who can be here, loving you like this, is happier than any other ‘me.’”
Albert stared at me blankly.
It may have been a weird way of saying it. However, those were my honest feelings, without an ounce of untruth.
Albert turned his head to me, laughed, and said, “That should be my line. I had such an adorable, wonderful princess come to marry a man with no future prospects like me. No matter who you ask here, they’ll say I’m the happiest of all.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” I teased. “I’m far happier.”
“No, no, I’m happier.”
We argued like that, then both burst out laughing in unison.
“We’re both so happy, darling,” I said with a smile.
“Yes. We are indeed, my beloved wife.”
We looked at one another and smiled together.
After that, a little more time passed.
Gradually, news of incidents in the capital stopped filtering in. Had the succession crisis finally settled down? ...Not that it mattered much to me. No matter who took the throne, no matter what faction won, it had nothing to do with us.
Besides... I had something more important going on than that nonsense.
As I was relaxing in the living room with Albert, I mustered up the will to tell him. “Darling.”
“What is it, Elisha?”
“It looks like we made a baby.”
“...Huh?” The book he was reading fell from Albert’s hands. His mouth hung open, an amusing look on his face.
While I was chuckling, Albert came back to his senses.
“A baby... Our baby?!”
“Oh, my. Do you doubt my fidelity, darling?”
“Not at all! I see... I see!”
Albert stood u
p vigorously and hugged me, then, as if that weren’t enough, he lifted me in the air and spun around. Honestly, he was too excited.
“Thank you! Thank you, Elisha!”
“Hee hee, you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself,” I chuckled. “Don’t thank me until it’s born safely.”
As soon as Albert settled down, we sat on the sofa.
“If it’s a boy, I hope he’ll be energetic and brave, like his mother,” he said.
“Hee hee. If it’s a girl, I hope she’ll be gentle and quiet, like my husband.”
We talked about the future of our as yet-unborn child.
I think that was the peak of our happiness.
Then it happened.
One of the three dukes, Duchess Excel, came to visit.
“Lady Elisha, I have come to ask you to inherit the throne of the Elfrieden Kingdom,” the beautiful, blue-haired beauty of the sea serpent race said, and then knelt before me.
For an instant, my mind was so blank that I couldn’t tell what she had said.
While Albert looked on with concern, I barely managed to speak.
“The throne... you say?”
Why now, after all this time...? Why was that word coming up?
“A-Anyway, please, come in.” Acting on my dazed behalf, Albert invited Excel to come in to the living room.
We sat down on the sofa, and when all three of us (mainly me) had calmed down, Excel explained the events that led to this point, and the current state of the country.
From what she told us, the succession conflict had ended in the elimination of almost the entire royal family. Though the chaos had been limited to the capital, maneuvering to recruit members into factions and pulling them from others, betrayals, scheming, and deceit had run rampant, and much blood had been spilled.
That had bred further resentment, resulting in interminable tit-for-tat violence. The contenders all became suspicious, and in many cases, both sides killed each other, or even members of their own side.
It may have been inevitable that this would lead to the near-elimination of the royal line.