Chapter 6
***
The boy who had suddenly started going on about eyelashes was still sitting on top of her. What a pain in the neck. Elain spoke up in a giggly voice.
“Get off me. Can’t you hear me...?”
Just as she pushed him away and tried to sit up... Huh...?
Elain blinked, her expression blank for a moment.
Why wouldn’t her arm move?
It took her a little while to figure out what was going on. She just didn’t want to admit it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Haha...?”
Seeing her give a hollow laugh with wrinkles on her round forehead, the boy narrowed his eyes.
“Have you completely lost your mind? Don’t tell me you’ve gone mad, Elain Berlois?”
Elain realized for the first time that the pain of a broken arm was actually bearable. She also realized that the shock of realizing her bone had snapped was greater than she’d expected.
“Elain! Snap out of it, Elain!!!”
Why is this servant screaming like that? She was startled, but... surely she wouldn’t faint, would she? Then why was his voice growing fainter and fainter....
***
Having fainted against her will, Elain opened her eyes in the marquis’s residence. She was surprised by the broken arm—an injury she’d thought only happened to troublemakers—but she was even more shocked to discover that the daredevil boy who’d knocked her down wasn’t a servant, but the son of a duke. Unfathomable, absurd things were happening all too often in this world.
“Duke Helkaiser has sent another gift.”
“The gifts we’ve received as apologies so far alone would be enough to fill our table every day for a whole season.”
Of course, the Helkaiser family had offered a deep apology for their son’s antics. Logically speaking, Elain bore some responsibility for rushing toward Deckard as he was falling. However, since neither Elain nor Deckard had spoken in detail about the events of that day, the Duke’s family had simply assumed it must have been their son’s fault.
“They’re such a proper family. I had a hard time refusing their offer to take care of Elain at their home until she recovered.”
“Thanks to that unexpected accident, I feel like we’ve actually grown closer to the Duke’s family.”
Her mother’s calm voice came from the head of the bed.
“It’s actually for the best. We’ve only been in the capital for a short while, and the Helkaiser family needs to establish a foothold here. It would be good if we could serve as a reliable ally for them.”
To use her daughter’s injury for political maneuvering between families. That was typical of her. When she first learned of the injury, her mother had reacted with cold fury.
“What on earth have you been up to, Elain?”
She never once asked how much her broken arm hurt, or if the shock had been enough to make her lose consciousness.
“By the way, wouldn’t it be better to cancel Elain’s chess match?”
“Chess is a game of the mind, not the body. Besides, her left arm is perfectly fine.”
If both her arms had been broken, would Mother have worried about her a little more? For some reason, Elain felt a slight sting in her nose and buried her face in the pillow.
"...? Elain.”
How much time had passed?
She had kept her eyes closed, pretending not to be awake, but it seemed she had actually fallen asleep. As she rubbed her eyes to hide the tears, her mother grabbed her shoulder.
“Elain. Wake up. A guest... has come to see you.”
Her mother was smiling, but her expression was as subtle as if she’d bitten into a burnt cookie. What’s going on? Thinking it was strange, Elain struggled to change her clothes with one arm. And as soon as she stepped into the parlor, her confusion cleared.
“What? Elain. You look fine?”
“….”
Deckard Helkaiser, the second son of the Helkaiser family, stood before her. He looked much the same as when she first met him—free-spirited, to put it kindly, or, in her mother’s words, dressed in a manner utterly devoid of dignity.
Raindrops falling from Deckard’s threadbare clothes left spots on the carpet with a steady, steady patter
“Young master Helkaiser. Where is your servant? Surely you didn’t come alone?”
Her mother asked in a lukewarm tone, addressing the young nobleman from the Duke’s household who had arrived unannounced. It was only natural that her mother was flustered. It was unthinkable for Elain to visit another noble household dressed like this.
“Yes. I came alone. If Father finds out I’m here, he’ll probably hang me upside down from a tree again, won’t he?”
“Ah… young master has quite the vivid imagination. But it’s best not to make jokes like that, even in private.”
Deckard ran his hand through his tousled hair and shrugged.
“I’m serious.”
Her mother gave him an awkward smile and handed him a towel.
“H-here, at least dry yourself off a bit.”
Elain recalled her first encounter with Deckard. The boy dangling from a tree. To think it was his father, Duke Helkaiser, who had hung him upside down. A chill ran down the back of her neck. Her mother still seemed unable to believe Deckard’s words.
“The Duke’s estate is quite a distance from here. What brings you here?”
“I have something I must convey to Elain Berlois.”
Elain frowned as she watched Deckard stride toward her. She felt a sharp tingle in her right arm—which had been firmly immobilized and had felt completely numb—as if something had suddenly snapped.
“I’ll have some tea and refreshments brought out, young master. You must be exhausted from your long journey.”
“It wasn’t that tiring, though...”
“Elain. What are you doing? Show our guest to the sofa.”
At her mother’s urging, Elain pressed her lips together and forced a smile onto her face, which was on the verge of crumpling. As far as she was concerned, she had absolutely nothing to say to the young man who had broken her arm. But disobeying her mother’s orders was out of the question. From the day she was born, Elain Berlois had been taught the etiquette befitting a noblewoman representing her family.
“No, thank you, my lady. I’ve had enough to eat.”
Whether by luck or misfortune, Deckard waved his hand dismissively.
“The supply wagon heading to the Helkaiser estate is about to leave, so I have to run there quickly. I have to sneak on board without the old man knowing. That old geezer may be deaf, but his eyes are as sharp as a tack.”
“….”
Had anyone ever spoken to her mother like that before? Elain felt a mix of surprise and a fresh shock; she found herself smiling slightly before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
“Here. Take this.”
Deckard pulled a crumpled envelope from his coat and held it out to Elain.
“What’s this?”
“A letter.”
She knew it was a letter without him having to say so. Why was he giving this to her? Was it some kind of assassination threat? Because the duke had him hung upside down from a tree again because of her? As thoughts raced through Elain’s mind, Deckard continued.
“My mom said this is the best way to convey her true feelings.”
After practically shoving the letter into Elain’s chest, Deckard stared at her intently.
Why…? What…?
“Read it. Quickly.”
As Elain hesitated, her mother, who had been standing awkwardly nearby, placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll get the letter opener, Elain.”
As her mother left the parlor, Deckard snorted softly. Then, snatching the letter from her—her one hand being out of commission—he tore the envelope open haphazardly and handed it back to her.
“We don’t have time. Read it quickly.”
Elain clutched the letter with trembling hands.
<Elain Berlois
I won’t beat around the bush.
I take full responsibility for breaking your arm.
I, Deckard Helkaiser, promise to marry you.>
Elain blinked silently, then looked up. Staring at her still, Deckard suddenly asked,
“Can I touch your eyelashes?”
“No.”
Elain flinched and took a step back, and Deckard shrugged as if he’d expected that.
“You can read, right?”
“Of course.”
Should she show him the books filling her room? Seeing her about to say something, Deckard waved his hand.
“Well, I’m done here, so I’m leaving.”
What? He’s just going to leave like this? Elain found herself raising her voice at him as he tried to walk away after dropping a massive bombshell.
“Hey!”
“What?”
Elain swallowed hard, clutching the letter tightly in her hand, before speaking. She had no idea where to even begin.
“First of all, it’s not ‘insight into responsibility’—it’s ‘empathy,’ right?”
“Boring.”
Watching Deckard pick his ear, she had the illusion that she could smell the scent of burning from somewhere. It was probably just in her head.
“And marriage?”
“Exactly that. You and I are going to be husband and wife.”
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