“Lady Crusch, we need you to have the best dress, and the best jewelry, and just all-around look the best you can! And believe me, it’ll be great!”
“Yes! Crusch! I’ll be savoring the anticipation!”
The combined enthusiasm of the cat-boy and the prince finally overcame Crusch’s objection. Her amber eyes turned to look out the window, presenting her face in a somehow transient-looking profile. Ferris naturally followed her gaze, and looked up at the night sky.
The pale, cold half-moon floated against a field of stars. The next day would be Crusch’s birthday. The moonlight shimmered weirdly, as if presaging a great many changes to come.
7
The next day. Crusch Karsten’s seventeenth birthday was blessed with clear skies.
“Mm! What beautiful weather!” Ferris laughed as he pulled back the shades and opened the window. The breeze caught his shoulder-length hair. He was up earlier than usual, and the morning sky was clear and cool. The night before had been spent talking late into the wee hours with Crusch and Fourier, but he was so excited for today that he barely felt tired. He was completely awake and ready to go, more than he’d been on any other morning.
“Perfect for a birthday party!” he said merrily. “Looks like the weather gods are working overtime.” Quickly, he took off his pajamas and pulled on his feminine clothes, just as always. The white ribbons in his hair made his outfit complete. He gave himself a once-over in the mirror, then veritably danced out into the hallway, where he found the servants already at their work.
“Gooood morning to you!” he chirped.
“Ah, Master Ferris, good morning. You’re up early today.”
“Well, it’s a very important day. Need to put my best foot forward, you know? And you’re still all up even earlier.”
“It is our job, sir. And you aren’t the only one looking forward to today. We want to make sure everything is perfect.” The elderly steward smiled. Ferris had known him for quite a while, and the normally reticent man looked about as happy as Ferris had ever seen him.
The other servants around were the same; although they were at work, not one of them looked unhappy. That was just how much the object of today’s festivities was beloved by all.
“But! But I love Lady Crusch just as much as anyone here! I’ll do anything I can to help—just tell me what needs doing!”
“How enthusiastic. I’m sure there are plenty of little chores you could do…”
No one was so insensitive as to suggest that Ferris should avoid menial labor just because he was a close personal attendant of Crusch’s. They saw how excited he was and were kind enough to let him help. Ferris resolved to repay them by working as hard as he could.
The birthday party was scheduled to start that evening. Guests were expected to arrive in the hours before that, so all the preparations for the party had to be completed before noon. Of course, most of the work had been done in the days prior, but there were some final details to be settled, including the serving order of the food, along with who would do what when.
“I can’t wait to see Lady Crusch’s dress tonight,” one of the servants said.
“I couldn’t agree more. I had begun to doubt I would live to see her in such an outfit.”
The long-standing servants and the old steward laughed together, but Ferris found himself feeling self-reproachful. When he and Crusch had made that promise as children, he had never thought about how many people might quietly be hurt by it.
They weren’t intentionally being critical of him, of course. They were simply overjoyed to see Crusch, whom they had cared for since she was a little girl, in women’s clothing.
“I’m so sorry, everyone.”
It was a very modest form of atonement: Ferris spoke his apology only under his breath and only out of his own feelings of guilt. But it inspired him to redouble his efforts, and when the servants saw him, they knew they couldn’t let themselves be outdone. So they all threw themselves more and more into their own tasks, and the preparations were finished well ahead of schedule. All that remained was to wait for the guests, and nightfall.
Or anyway, so it should have been, if nothing had happened.
Just as Ferris entered the front hall, he heard a voice:
“I must speak to Duke Karsten! I have a message of utmost importance!”
As Ferris went to ask what chore he should tackle next, he found a group of servants circled around someone. He went over to get a better look and saw a young man, out of breath and sweating profusely. He appeared to have come running at breakneck speed from his carriage, and every inch of him screamed trouble was afoot. He wasn’t hurt, but was clearly exhausted, heavily burdened both emotionally and physically.
“I must tell him what brings me here…!”
“Tell us, then. What is going on?”
As the young man fell to his knees, he happened to look up at Ferris. The cat-boy gulped when he saw the ghastly appearance of his face.
Shuddering and fearful, the young man said, “Demon beasts have appeared on Foutour Plain—massive bunnies!”
8
“Giant Rabbits have appeared, have they?” Meckart sighed as he received the news. “What a stroke of bad luck…”
About ten people were squeezed into the duke’s office, looking worriedly at each other. All of them were Meckart’s trusted subordinates, people who had arrived at the mansion early in anticipation of Crusch’s birthday celebration. But no one could have known that the happy meeting would turn into an emergency council.
“Bad luck indeed, but the silver lining is that we were all here already. The first moments of a demon beast attack are the most crucial. We will be able to respond as quickly as possible.”
“As ever, I am saved by a retainer who knows how to look on the bright side,” Meckart said. “To begin with, I want to know how things stand. Any damage or injuries? Can you tell me?”
“Y-yes, sir.” The young man was absolutely petrified to be standing before not only the pillars of the ducal house but also Duke Karsten himself. But he wanted to fulfill his duty, and Meckart and the others nodded along as he explained.
Centuries before, a witch had created a variety of demonic monsters—and Giant Rabbits were reputed to be among the three most powerful of them. The very name portended destruction.
The White Whale. The Black Serpent. The Giant Rabbits. They were sometimes treated like natural disasters, and they were so overwhelmingly destructive that entire nations had dispatched forces to defeat them to no avail. That these creatures had survived such determined efforts to exterminate them hinted at just how dangerous they were.
Today, Giant Rabbits had appeared on Foutour Plain, a wild area on the edge of the Karsten domain.
“The first people to notice the rabbits were a group of trappers in a nearby forest. They were trying to get pelts from an animal that can be found there called the ubzus when the rabbits ambushed them.”
“Poetic justice, one might say. What happened to them?”
“The herd ate most of them, including their leader. The only survivor was a young man who had stayed with the dragon carriage. He worked his way back to the nearest village, and that was when we first heard what had happened.”
Meckart’s face darkened at the young man’s report. “He went to a village…? And what became of that village?”
“Forgive us for not consulting you, my lord, but we packed all the villagers into the local dragon carriages and evacuated them. Including the young survivor, sir. My father, the village chief, sent me here to inform you.”
Meckart nodded at the terrified young man. “I see. A wise decision. I shall remember your father, and you.” Then he turned to his advisers. “I believe the first order of business should be to contain the damage the rabbits are causing. Hopefully only the one village at most will be destroyed. Gentlemen, what do you think?”
One of the men, middle-aged and with a thoughtful look on his face, raised his hand. “Th
is young man’s village made an excellent choice. Perhaps the best move would be to expand the scale of the evacuation to other nearby villages and keep the Giant Rabbits under observation. If the rumors about the ways of demon beasts can be relied on, we need not provoke them and deliberately let them know where there is prey to be found.”
So the first suggestion was to avoid combat. A grim-faced man offered a counterargument. “That would only work if the rabbits remain satisfied with their current situation, which is an awfully optimistic assumption. What if they destroy the woods and the villages and still aren’t sated? What then? If the herd scatters, we’ll never be able to deal with it.”
“What do you propose we do, then?”
“We must take the initiative. I request the Karsten domain muster a unit to exterminate the creatures. We must not cede any part of our lands to some beast, not even the untamed wilderness. Not to mention that if we stay shut up in the heartland while the people are terrorized, it will undermine ducal authority.”
“We have nothing to gain by defeating these creatures.”
“We have nothing to gain, but we do have something to lose. The people’s trust, and our own pride.”
Those for battle and those against it clashed, and neither opinion was wrong, exactly. Both had merit. That was why a decision had to be made.
“—”
Meckart remained silent. His own thoughts were as much in conflict as his advisers’. And at that moment, a hand went up that seemed out of place. It was none other than the person who had brought the young man to the office and then quietly stayed to listen to the proceedings—Ferris.
“Um, Lord Meckart? Sorry. I know it’s not really my place, but…”
“…Ah, Felix. Yes, thank you. What is it? What do you want to ask?”
“It’s about Lady Crusch’s birthday party. I know we have to cancel it, but the guests will be arriving soon. What should we tell them?”
“That… That’s a good question. Another problem to resolve. Terribly unlucky, all of this.” Meckart chewed on his lip. But then he suddenly looked up. “Speaking of Crusch, where is she? You haven’t spoken to her about this, have you?”
“Don’t worry, sir. I brought the messenger straight here… I suspect Lady Crusch is busy entertaining Prince Fourier right now. At least we can thank His Highness for that.”
“I see, that’s good. That gives me all the more esteem for His Highness.”
A palpable relief shot through the room. Meckart was not the only one to relax; everyone there who knew Crusch shared the feeling. If the young woman, with her sense of pride in her noble house and her devotion to chivalry, found out that the people were threatened by demon beasts, it would be hard to stop her from flying out the door to save them. All those who were familiar with her passionate nature could tell it only made sense to ensure she got no wind of this situation.
“—Now then, time is short. We don’t have long to spend fretting and arguing,” Meckart said.
His momentary smile of relief had become a frown again, and he adjusted his position in his chair. This caused everyone else to straighten up as well. They attended silently to his words.
“First, evacuate all towns and villages near Foutour Plain. Send our own dragon carriages to help, as well as those from any other villages who can spare them. Evacuate all the people and as many of their possessions as is feasible. When the rabbits come through, nothing will be left. You must ensure there is absolutely no looting. Bardok, you’re in charge of the evacuation effort.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Further, set up a combat perimeter around the Foutour forest. We can’t have the rabbits destroying an area we haven’t even cultivated yet. However, our objective is not extermination. It is simply damage control. So don’t put too many hot-blooded young soldiers on the front line, hmm?”
“Understood, sir. Who will be in command?”
“The old coward who’s charged with looking after this domain,” Meckart said with a shrug. “Ahh, no rest for the weary, is there?” His advisers smiled at one another. And then, as the room grew increasingly tense, Meckart turned to Ferris. “I have an order for you, too, Felix. Do not let Crusch find out about the rabbits. And make sure her birthday party comes off flawlessly.”
“You’re not going to cancel it, sir?!”
“Whatever happens on Foutour Plain, it’s not likely to affect the mansion. And our guests have gone to all the trouble of coming here.”
“But! But! Without you here, Lord Meckart, it’ll be awfully hard to hide that something’s going on…”
“I’m not telling you to keep the secret with your life. If you can just keep it quiet for this evening, that will be enough. I assume Crusch will find out by tomorrow. I would appreciate if you would be so kind as to bear her wrath for me this time.”
Meckart spoke lightly, but Ferris could see further argument would be futile. He pursed his lips and made his displeasure obvious, glaring at Meckart.
“You’d better promise to bear it with me, sir. Otherwise, I’ll be awfully upset.”
“Gracious, you’re most intimidating, Felix. But in the event I can’t keep that promise…”
“…then it had better be because you underestimated the demon beasts too much and died fighting one or something.”
“My boy, you do say the most inauspicious things!”
As they bantered back and forth, Ferris found himself resigned. In stubbornness if nothing else, father really was like daughter.
“All right, sir. I, Ferris, will stake my very life on making this party a success. I’ll be praying for your good fortune in battle, Lord Meckart.” He offered a curtsy along with his wish for Meckart’s good fortune in battle.
The duke nodded at him, then began to discuss the next steps with his advisers. Ferris slipped quietly out of the office, and hurried to rejoin the deeply disturbed servants. They would have to move quickly now.
—For they were about to try to pull off the biggest lie of their lives.
9
Several hours after Meckart had left the estate, Ferris, outfitted in a resplendent dress, was in the party hall with the biggest smile he could muster.
“Welcome, thank you so much for coming.”
It was evening, and well-appointed dragon carriages arrived at the Karsten mansion one after another. Their riders—nobles and VIPs of every kind—looked every bit as impressive as their carriages. They were the lucky few to be invited to the birthday party of the duke’s daughter, and as such, they displayed a sophistication that would have left the average person breathless. Luckily for Ferris, he lived at the estate of the very duke hosting the party and was close friends with an actual member of the royal family.
Having said that, the woman he knew spent her time looking very grave and generally not being sociable, so whether that experience would help him today was questionable. Regardless, Ferris greeted each of the guests and showed them to their places with exactly the right amount of deference and respect, never obsequious or impudent. As he stood ready to receive visitors in his blue dress, even those who didn’t know him stopped when they saw him, some looking as if they might fall head over heels in love.
At the moment, he was gently rebuffing the advances of some well-heeled young man.
“To think I overlooked one as beautiful as you… I can only castigate myself for this lapse in judgment!”
“Oh, you’re sweet. But you mustn’t be so lavish. The young woman with you is giving me the most terrible glare…” As the young man walked away, Ferris gave the couple a wink. No trouble. It was all so easy. The least he could do was keep a smile on his face for the night.
“Excuse me,” someone was saying to the nattily dressed maid beside him, his fellow receptionist. “Might I inquire as to the whereabouts of Duke Karsten? I should like to ask him to say a few words of introduction before we announce the woman of the hour, Miss Crusch.”
“I’m terribly sorry,” the maid repli
ed, “but Lord Meckart is indisposed at the moment… I think he’ll be about shortly, but I must ask you to wait until then.”
“What a shame, and on such an important day. I understand. Please forgive my impertinent request.”
Since the moment guests started arriving, there had been no end of people asking after Duke Meckart. It was only natural. Only a handful of people had been chosen to attend the party. Not counting the members of the household, most of the people at the estate were probably there to check in on Meckart or otherwise ingratiate themselves to him. They would of course be disappointed to find him absent.
“Well, if mew ask them, they’ll say they’re not upset, though…”
“Master Ferris, be careful. You’re frowning.”
“Oops! I’ll have to be meow careful.” Ferris’s muttering to himself had drawn the maid’s attention. She must have felt the same way he did, because she didn’t chastise him for what he actually said. As much as they were used to it, it still hurt those who simply wished the best for the household.
Still, emotions of every kind could be observed among the guests. It was just as well. When the star of the party showed up in her most beautiful dress, they would all feel nothing but admiration.
“Heh-heh… Heh-heh-heh!”
“Master Ferris, I don’t like the look in your eye…”
“Oops! Have to be meow careful.” He stuck out his tongue in embarrassment, having now been called out twice, albeit for different offenses.
The party was only just starting, and the guests were still arriving. The introduction of the evening’s star, Crusch, would be the main event. Until then, she would have to remain in her rooms. She would no doubt be bored, but Ferris couldn’t help a feeling of relief.
Thanks to her special blessing, it was hard to keep secrets from Crusch for long. Her blessing of wind reading allowed her to interpret the wind—not just the actual breeze but the air in a room or surrounding a person, the aura that communicated their emotions. She was quite good at it, and it made her very difficult to deceive. Although, with Crusch being as upright as she was, she sometimes let herself be misled about minor daily matters.
The Dream of the Lion King Page 8