Chapter 58 (1/2)

Before long, the carriage slowly dropped in speed, then came to a stop.

I may have been lost in thought, but it didn’t seem like it had been that long since we set out.

Besides, rather than say that the castle was close, it was actually more like Leon’s mansion was close to the castle. It only stood to reason, considering her was the Third Prince. I mean, he was at the castle every day, too.

Still.

We’ve arrived. Oh G.o.d, we’ve arrived.

I’m already nervous. I know I’m being a sore loser, whining like this, but I really, really want to go home. If I say that I’ve got a stomachache, will they do me a favor and let me go, do you think?

As if it could read my thoughts, with good timing — or maybe bad — the carriage door opened. The plan was for the coachman to get off first and open the door, it seemed. That’s the upper crust for ya, always trying not to lift a finger if they can help it.

As the armsman, Palmira descended first. Followed by — Leon. Then me.

Apparently even the order was important. I’d been properly schooled in that department. Though it was pretty much an eleventh-hour cram session.

Grudgingly stifling my inner thoughts, I stepped through the carriage door.

” — !”

And the scene before my eyes left me dumbstruck.

What stood before me was the castle. A colossal structure linking together rows of white-walled spires.

It was a series of buildings with a tower of unrivaled height at its heart, so tall it even seemed to touch the skies over the capital.

The place where the ruler of this great empire resided. Stroidel Castle.

Anyone would fully agree that it made for a majestic sight. Even more so now that the sun had set. Bathed in moonlight, it glowed in the darkness.

Acutely aware that I’d ended up in an unthinkable place yet again, I gulped nervously.

My head was empty but for one word: ‘Seriously?’

“Chris.”

The sound of Leon’s voice brought me back to my senses. I tore my eyes away from the castle, which they’d been glued to, and turned to Leon.

Having gotten off before me, Leon was holding his hand out to me with a grin.

I sighed.

Not only was he relaxed, his figure was too perfect a fit for the place. ‘He honestly is attractive,’ I thought. G.o.d help me, but I really thought so.

Right. The castle entranced me, but even if I was closer to it than I ever thought I’d be, there was someone here I wasn’t about to lose to. Besides, I’d be seeing it all the time.

My nerves eased up a bit at the thought.

Suddenly laughing, I took the proffered hand. The words Karen said to me before we set out came back to me. That is, ‘Follow the gentleman’s lead. It will not do to lose face.’

Of course, I had no intention of coming this far to be embarra.s.sed. If anything, I wanted to outs.h.i.+ne Leon.

I mean, I’d be pleased by that, too.

I don’t mean to brag or anything… How should I describe this feeling?

“Thank you, Lord Leon.”

Stepping down to the ground with a sweet smile, I recited the lines I’d prepared for going outside.

It was a strange sensation, somehow. Maybe Leon felt the same, because his face held a trace of surprise.

“Is something the matter?”

“No… How should I put it? I thought I was beyond this, but I was somewhat mesmerized.”

My chest suddenly tightened at his words.

Though he’d often said that sort of thing in the beginning, I hadn’t heard much of that kind of talk recently.

Now that I was hearing it again, it was as embarra.s.sing as I would’ve expected. Oh, G.o.d, I’m floating on air here.

I mean, don’t make me feel so d.a.m.n giddy. Somehow, I feel like I’ve lost.

“Shall we?”

“Yes.”

In response to those words, Palmira began to walk, taking the lead. Unexpectedly, her conduct was very much that of an armsman’s. h.e.l.l, I even thought she seemed far more imposing than me.

Following her, Leon lightly pulled on my hand as he stepped forward.

In the dazzling light spilling from the castle entrance, I could see several people entering just as we were. My mind had been too preoccupied to notice, but carriages had been pulling up one after another, and gaudily dressed party-goers, young and old, male and female, were likewise heading into the castle.

Every one of them was a n.o.ble.

Suddenly, I remembered what I was thinking about on the way here. Alright, I can’t be swiveling around to goggle at them.

Before the huge doors, which had been thrown open to allow entrance into the castle, Palmira suddenly stepped off to the side.

Before I could even question it, Leon pa.s.sed through the doors like it was totally natural. I see — outside the castle, the armsmen functioned as heralds. Apparently, when it was time to go inside, the master was to enter first. How meticulous.

That being said, Palmira’s ability to adapt was really something. She was a proper attendant from head to toe. Except for how small she was.

And so, pulled along by the arm, I went through the doors too.

On the other side was an entrance hall with a soaring ceiling. Forget comparison, this was my first time inside a castle at all, so I didn’t know if that was normal or not.

Pa.s.sing through the hall in all its overwhelming vastness, we proceeded toward a door staffed by a butler-like man past his middle age.

“My, my, it’s the prince. You arrived early today.”

“Croteaux, how is everything?”

His demeanor mild, the man noticed the prince… Leon, and executed a deep bow. It wasn’t until now that I appreciated how familiar he was with the castle’s people. Not that it was all that surprising.

“More than half are already in attendance. This time, you did not arrive last, as I would have expected.”

“Ah, Croteaux. Let me introduce you. This is Christine Rouelle Felmiran. And her attendant, Palmira Wilback.”

So this butler-ish man is a butler, I guess, but is it normal for a butler to talk this way? Wondering, I inclined my head as I was introduced.

Because I didn’t know what att.i.tude to take, I stayed silent.

“Chris. This is Croteaux Catolette, who manages all the miscellaneous matters in the castle. Generally speaking, no one knows more about the affairs of the castle than him. If you run into any trouble here, he’s the one to call.”

“Your words are too generous. My lady Christine, Lady Palmira, please, do take care… of Lord Leon.”

“…–!”

Old man Croteaux’s bait-and-switch at the end completely turned the meaning of his words inside out. He even dropped a conspiratorial wink.

His unexpected words left me dumbstruck.

While he looked like a strait-laced butler, it was no stretch to call him a friendly old man, surprisingly enough.

I didn’t dislike this sort of thing, but I wished he’d stop dropping surprises on me.

“Honestly… Enjoying yourself, Croteaux?”

Though he sighed at Croteaux’s antics, Leon’s tone was one of amiable exasperation.

It was hardly surprising, but Leon gave the impression that he and Croteaux were quite familiar with each other. They’d most likely known each other for a long time.

“Enjoying myself? My, I do wonder. Could it be that Lord Leon, always unwilling to put in an appearance at this sort of gathering, consistently the last to arrive and the first to leave, has come to the castle with a beautiful woman on his arm — would there be anything unnatural about considering it a surprise upon surprise?”

“Is that true?”

Picking up on the surprising revelations in Croteaux’s speech, I unthinkingly asked for confirmation.

So, sociable Leon. And here I thought he’d behave with perfect propriety at this kind of auspicious event.

“It certainly is. Lord Leon has disliked parties since long ago. He is quite poor at handling the advances of women… Even I have always wondered what to do with a worthy member of the imperial bloodline who would flinch at such things, but even so — ”

“Alright, Croteaux, that’s enough. Let’s go in.”

With a hint of seldom-seen sourness in his expression, Leon forcibly ended the talk that I was genuinely finding very interesting.

‘Poor at handling the advances of women’, was it?

Picking up this extremely unexpected tidbit, my mouth curved in an indecent grin.

Considering everything that happened until now, that was the last thing I would have expected. Generally speaking, I felt like Leon played me like a pro every time. And pretty much no holds barred, at that.