LP 1.12 The New Servant

Ostbrahe Palace was truly vast and labyrinthine. Every door was closed, and it was impossible to tell where anything was. It seemed to be the largest castle Kosha had ever encountered in his life. How naive he had been to think all castle structures were more or less the same!

…Perhaps it would be better to turn back? Just as Kosha, feeling utterly lost, was pondering this.

‘Hey, you there. What are you doing?’

A slightly shrill woman’s voice came from behind. Thinking his unintended escape had been discovered, Kosha jumped in surprise and turned around. It was a young woman with her hair neatly braided up.

Her eyes, which had been blankly staring at Kosha for a moment, widened slightly.

‘Oh my. What’s this? Are you new?’

‘…Ah.’

Now he saw she was wearing clothes similar to his. Ah, she must be a servant. As he stiffly nodded his head, she took a step closer.

‘You’re a new recruit, then. No wonder I didn’t recognize your face.’

Mylotte’s claim that there were so many servants you could trip over them and it would be fine seemed to be a complete misjudgment. For a new recruit to be so easily distinguishable…!

His stomach fluttered with worry that he might look suspicious for no reason, when she asked again.

‘Which wing are you assigned to?’

He didn’t know how to answer this either. In the end, he could only point in the direction he had come from.

‘Over there, that side…’

‘Ah, the West Wing? Then you must be under His Highness Lucian or Her Highness Sorelin.’

She was a kind person who understood even from his flimsy explanation! When Kosha smiled with as much gratitude as he could muster, her cheeks flushed slightly.

‘Goodness, you’re really pretty. Ah, no, sorry. Since you’re a man, I should say handsome, right?’

‘Thank you…’

‘But what are you doing in a place like this?’

Kosha’s lips twitched. He often received comments about being weak and lacking tact, and to some extent he agreed with them, but even his dull mind thought this might be an opportunity.

‘…Actually, I’m looking for Sir Mylotte. I have an errand for him, you see. But, well, I got lost.’

‘Sir Mylotte? Ahh. His Highness Lucian’s.’

That Mylotte was someone known by name to everyone in this castle was truly a rare piece of good fortune in Kosha’s life.

‘At this hour, he’s probably near the main tower. Come with me. I’ll take you close by.’

She was really kind. Kosha followed her, bobbing his head repeatedly. Though it was a bit awkward as she kept asking for personal information along the way…

‘…No wonder, you’re young. Did you just start working?’

‘Yes, yes.’

‘But you really are pretty. Sorry for saying it again, but you must hear that a lot, right? That’s why I actually thought you might be from the East Wing. Hmm, His Highness Bastian’s… you know what I mean?’

He didn’t know what she meant. Kosha awkwardly nodded his head again. Yes.

‘It’s a relief you’re not. But you should be careful, kids like you. If you’re unlucky, you might get caught. Don’t even think about going near the East Wing.’

‘Yes, I’ll do that.’

‘How about…’

Her cheeks flushed again as she looked at Kosha with an endlessly softened expression. She even went so far as to brush off and straighten his clothes before parting, as if she were an older sister who had practically raised him.

‘There, go that way. The meeting should be over by now.’

‘Thank you for guiding me.’

‘Don’t mention it. Take care. See you later.’

Perhaps because he had met a good person for his first encounter, Kosha felt a bit more courage to wander around this unfamiliar place. Though he got a little lost, after stopping and asking one more person along the way, he managed to arrive at the right place.

Of course, he was a bit startled to run into Lucian first.

But he had heard this problem only lasted until sunset. Under the blazing midday sun, Kosha felt somewhat reassured.

Honestly, he also harbored a hope that, unlike last time, his appearance was now neat, so Lucian might recognize him—Kosha, who had chased after him and even given him a bouquet.

So when Lucian strode toward him as if charging and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, Kosha was so flustered he didn’t even have time to defend himself. Well, of course, it was understandable to be surprised that someone who was supposed to be confined was wandering around freely.

“What are you doing here.”

His voice was so lowered it sounded almost like he was speaking through clenched teeth.

“W-well, I wonder?”

And Mylotte, unusually, couldn’t produce an answer right away. He looked somewhat dazed, as if he’d seen a ghost. His eyes looking down at Kosha seemed slightly unfocused.

“Why are you here?”

“I can explain. I didn’t come out on purpose—”

“Is that what you should be saying right now? Hand him over immediately.”

But Lucian, as if he couldn’t hear Kosha’s words at all, cleanly ignored them and only pressed Mylotte. Mylotte looked around frantically.

“Hand him over? Ah.”

Generally, wherever he went, the minimum entourage he brought along consisted of Pellon, who he usually took everywhere, and the two knights under him; Mylotte, who accompanied him to the council meeting, and the three advisors he brought; two attendants for basic service, and three servants for miscellaneous tasks.

They were milling about, unable to move, having been left behind by their lord who had suddenly moved alone.

Lucian clicked his tongue irritably. It would be troublesome if ‘this’ was exposed to too many eyes. To brazenly show his face right in the middle of Ostbrahe…

“Y-your Highness. Perhaps it’s better to—”

Mylotte, having regained some composure, tried to pull Kosha by the shoulder toward his side. But he didn’t budge. Kosha’s nape was still firmly gripped in a large hand.

“Your Highness, now.”

Just as Mylotte was looking up at his lord in bewilderment, a thunderous voice echoed from inside the corridor.

“Lucian!”

Mylotte almost reflexively pulled Kosha toward him. At the same time, the hand gripping him pushed him away as if shoving him. Kosha practically tumbled into Mylotte.

Mylotte quickly pushed Kosha behind him and pressed down on the back of his head.

“Bow. Do not raise your head under any circumstances.”

He whispered low. So, Kosha, who had been forced into an almost right-angled bow in his confusion… just stayed like that, perfectly still.

Of course, he had absolutely no intention of causing any trouble.

Still, he was curious about who the man with the rough voice was, shouting Lucian’s name so freely, and his ears perked up…

“Lucian! My damn brother. You’ve gone quite far in such a short time.”

“…Brother.”

Lucian turned toward the man descending the corridor stairs without hesitation, and the knights who had been keeping their distance moved closer.

“Still dragging a whole entourage around, I see!”

Duke Aramore Bastian stood on the stairs leading to the inner courtyard, looking down at Lucian with a nasty smile. His large frame cast a shadow with the sun at his back.

His curly black hair was short and scattered messily over his forehead. About ten years older than Lucian, he had a handsome face that gave off a wild feel in its own way.

He was insulted with curses like ‘pig-like brat’—though not exactly curses, but Bastian wasn’t particularly obese either; he just didn’t have a body as meticulously groomed as Lucian’s. To begin with, most of Izelant’s princes were large-boned.

“Everyone comes running to tattle to you the moment anything happens. It’s a wonder your ears are still intact. Do you think this court would function without you?”

Bastian snickered, and Lucian smiled back.

“You flatter me. Isn’t His Majesty the King still in good health?”

“Good health? That rotting old man.”

Bastian spat out the words as he descended the stairs. His movements were like a bear lumbering along. A thick hand came to rest on the shoulder slightly higher than his own.

“So, I hear you opposed my northern expedition?”

A sharp edge was cleverly inserted into the relaxed atmosphere. Lucian, facing his half-brother, lowered his languid eyes and pulled up the corners of his mouth in an overly theatrical smile.

“No, it’s not quite that I opposed it.”

“……”

“It’s closer to saying the necessary requirements for approval were not met.”

There wasn’t even a need to discuss pros and cons, he added. The hand gripping his shoulder tensed. The corners of Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Submit your plan for military supply first. An army ultimately comes down to money.”

“You dare tell me to submit this and that—”

“I understand your impatience, as you’ll soon need military achievements.”

Lucian’s voice, lowered to a whisper as he bowed his head slightly toward Bastian, grew husky. For a moment, Bastian’s jaw clenched and the veins in his temples bulged.

“You lowborn bastard…”

At those words, Lucian lightly furrowed his brow and placed his own hand over his half-brother’s hand gripping his shoulder. His expression and voice were gentle, as if placating a child.

“Calm down, brother. Would I be doing this now out of personal feelings?”

“……”

“It’s just that we should at least follow the basics. Moreover, my lands border the Ithah Barbarians across a mountain range. Naturally, I would be concerned.”

And the two overlapping hands slowly lifted from Lucian’s shoulder. Bastian clicked his tongue. A contemptuous gaze swept up and down the ‘younger brother’ who was larger than him.

“…Your words are always so slick.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Lucian bowed his head lightly. Bastian waved his hand dismissively as if he had no more business here and turned to leave.

It was the moment when the man, who had quickly realized that his favored method—essentially, repeating intimidation and persuasion in private to extract the desired result, a way overly typical of the king’s eldest son, was utterly useless against this damn half-brother, was about to leave in a huff.

“Ah, brother. Now that I think of it.”

A voice tinged with laughter caught him from behind. Mylotte looked sharply at his lord at this unexpected topic. Lucian tilted his head.

“How is my sister-in-law doing?”

“What?”

Bastian’s footsteps halted abruptly. His already fierce eyes were now wide open.

“Why are you suddenly asking about your sister-in-law?”

“Does one need a reason to inquire about a family member’s well-being?”

Lucian uttered words no one present would believe without batting an eye. And then, as if hesitating, he drew out his words.

“And Sir Mathers…. Ah.”

“……?”

“No. It’s not appropriate to discuss such matters now.”

His eyelashes, a darker gold than his hair, lowered as if embarrassed. Seeing this, Bastian’s expression twisted.

The foot he was about to turn changed direction. Mylotte, who had been keenly observing the situation, urgently shouted.

“Duke Aramore!”

As Lucian’s knights moved their hands to their swords, Bastian’s knights also moved. The blades of knights from both sides were half-drawn, reflecting light, and the air in the main tower’s inner courtyard tightened abruptly without warning.

A thick hand suddenly grabbed Lucian by the collar, but Lucian himself didn’t move from his spot. The embroidered deer antler pattern on his chest, a silver thread design, crumpled along with his clothes.

“Did that one come running to you whining too? Huh?”

Bastian’s voice sounded like the hiss of a snake. Simultaneously, the caw of a crow crying from above mixed in, making it feel even more ominous.

“…That couldn’t be.”

Lucian replied softly. A smooth hand came to rest over the hand gripping his collar.

“There are many eyes watching, brother.”

And again, a crow cawed. It was true that many crows lived in Ostbrahe, but people couldn’t help but think they seemed unusually noisy today.

Thwack!

Suddenly, the sound of something hard hitting rang out.

“Agh!”

The scream was simultaneous. This time, it was enough to make Lucian’s shoulder flinch.

The strength left the hand gripping his collar, and the heavy body slumped downward. No, collapsed. Knights reflexively drew their swords, and the sharp sound of metal sliding from scabbards filled the courtyard.

Lucian involuntarily took a step back. Bastian was crouching right at his feet, clutching his head.

And beside him, a flat, smooth stone, about the size of a child’s fist, was wobbling back and forth.

Instinctively looking up at the sky, a single crow was flying through the empty sky, as if showing off or perhaps expecting praise.

Even Lucian needed time to comprehend this sudden situation.

Caw! The crow’s resounding cry, having accurately dropped a stone onto an innocent person’s head, shook the main tower’s inner courtyard. And then…

“Huff.”

A short breath. But to Lucian’s ears, which had become overly sensitive in that moment, it was heard with excessive clarity. He instinctively turned around. Simultaneously, their eyes met.

It was truly, excessively clear.

The large eyes that seemed to take up half the head peeking out, the green pupils within them, and the trace of some alien light that filled them before subtly disappearing.

“……”

And the lips, hanging stupidly open as if to say he was the more surprised one.

---

“Oof!”

Kosha’s back roughly hit the wall. The man who had shoved him against the wall stood before him, leaving barely a hand’s breadth of space. Kosha looked up at the owner of the shadow cast over him.

The atmosphere during the cleanup of the situation and the return from the main tower to the West Wing had been tense as thin ice, but it was somewhat bearable. The problem started after he dismissed his entourage. As if he had been holding back all along, Lucian once again grabbed Kosha by the nape of the neck without any explanation.

Kosha had to be dragged along, stumbling and rolling, unable to keep up with the man’s stride or walking speed. It was his study, now familiar after having been here several times.

The grayish-blue eyes were persistently looking down at Kosha. He was tall, and Kosha always thought that was impressive… but being this close, he was so large it was a bit scary. Cowed by the pressure, Kosha trembled and averted his eyes.

He could see Mylotte and an unnamed knight who had followed him in, standing there unable to do anything. It was just as Kosha was trying hard to open his mouth.

“Your Highness, that is—”

“Was it you?”

Their voices overlapped. It was a strangely mismatched way of speaking with honorifics, but he didn’t seem to notice much.

“That earlier. Did you do it?”

Bastian, hit by the stone dropped by the bird, had been unable to get up for a while, clutching his head, and people were in an uproar.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the man didn’t seem to be seriously injured. He jumped up, shouting to catch and kill that bird, then poured curses on the hapless Lucian for a while, saying he brought bad luck whenever he saw him, before leaving…

“Uh…”

When no immediate answer came, the hand pressing his shoulder against the wall tightened as if urging him. At the sharp pain, Kosha shook his head frantically. Even the slightest pressure made the answer flow out.

“No. No, I mean. I did think about it. I’m sorry. I thought about it.” “Speak clearly. What thought.” “Th-that it would be good if he got hit in the head with a stone…”

At that vague, blurted-out answer, Lucian furrowed his brow. As if he had misheard, he asked again.

“What?”

“I thought it would be good if he got hit in the head with a stone, but I didn’t know it would really happen. Why the bird, why it did that… I don’t have the ability to make animals do such things. Mages who can communicate with animals are really, really rare.”

Kosha answered in a rush. A faint crack appeared on the thin-ice-like atmosphere. He could see Mylotte and the other knight exchanging strange looks behind him.

Lucian opened his mouth again.

“…Why did you suddenly think it would be good if he got hit in the head with a stone?”

His tone was noticeably less high-handed than before. His speaking pace was also a bit slower. Still unable to meet his eyes, Kosha struggled to answer.

“Because he was so rude…”

Lucian tilted his head.

“To whom. To me?”

“Yes. Grabbing your collar, cursing too… So I just, thought it in my heart. I won’t think such thoughts again. I’ve never, never done this before. It must be hard to believe, but I also don’t know why such a thing happened.”