The Tyrant's Daughter-in-Law — Episode 17
"Wow. It's a chasmoberry! Where was this blooming?"
I widened my eyes at the flower being pressed into my hands and asked.
It wasn't particularly potent, but I loved this wildflower for the way it swayed so prettily in the breeze.
Mars raised a finger and pointed toward the mountain behind our house in Galnem. Then he turned and bobbed his head, as if to say, *Come with me.*
"Alright. Let's go watch the sunset together."
I took Mars's hand and climbed the mountain behind our home in Galnem — the same spot where we often went together to gaze at the stars.
"Wooow, it's beautiful!"
I had no idea when the season had changed, but the chasmoberries were in full bloom. They swayed in the wind, painting a gorgeous landscape.
We sat side by side in the flower field, watching the quiet village as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"I'm so glad we came up here. To see such a beautiful view!"
Galnem had no delicious food or comfortable bedrooms, but it was a place that soothed the heart.
I loved the smell of the soil. The scent of wildflowers, the sounds of birds — everything felt so warmly familiar.
"...Hey, Mars. You won't leave me, right? Like the other people did?"
Jimma's face and the villagers suddenly came to mind, and I turned to look at Mars, imagining he was also admiring the beautiful village.
But the moment I saw him, I froze in shock.
"...?!"
Instead of Mars, it was Crown Prince Briton holding my hand.
His beautiful face, his blue eyes rippling with a cold chill.
His silver hair fluttered in the wind.
His lips moved slowly.
I could tell even without hearing the sound.
"Lady."
As those words left him, Galnem began to burn.
The sight of Galnem engulfed in flames against the backdrop of the sunset was strange, yet beautiful.
My heart began to pound — *thump, thump* — faster and faster.
And in that instant, I jolted upright in bed with a start.
"Ugh!"
Daylight was streaming through the window.
It was morning. No birdsong came from outside here.
I sat dazed for a moment, then raised my hand and smacked my own cheek. *Smack.* Ouch!
I really did have a nightmare, didn't I?
"The bishop has announced the lady's engagement ceremony. Congratulations. I'm sure you'll have much to discuss when you meet His Majesty."
"What? *Cough, cough...*"
As I ate breakfast with a fork, the memory of last night's dream still fresh in my mind, Adam delivered news he'd forgotten to share.
"Lady, please have some water."
"Y-yes. Thank you..."
*Gulp, gulp.*
I clutched the cup with both hands and drank the water in a hurry.
Now that I thought about it, Parmes had said he'd sent my marriage contract — or rather, my scribble — to the bishop.
Announcements of engagements or marriages among the royal family are made by the bishop, the religious leader, who resides in the temple on the Quinnel Mountain range, known as the Holy Mountain.
It was also the place I would need to go if I were to hold a wedding ceremony with Briton.
"The documents His Majesty sent for this engagement will be displayed at the Quinnel Temple in perpetuity. In fact, it's the first celebration since His Majesty's ascension. I imagine many people will come to see it."
"..."
"But, are you not feeling well? You haven't eaten much at all."
Adam asked with a worried tone.
"Your face looks a bit flushed as well. Are you unwell?"
Shame washed over me at the thought of so many people seeing that paper with my terrible handwriting on it!
So that's why you always have to be careful when signing your own name...
Still, I never imagined that something I'd written at eight years old would end up being used like this.
"No, I'm fine. I just suddenly felt a bit sad... *sigh*."
It's not like I'm really going to marry Briton in the future, right?
We were about the age of upper elementary school students by modern standards, and kids change as they grow up. There was no way Briton, the prince beloved by all, would remain single-mindedly devoted forever.
It would just be a matter of cheering for whoever became Briton's girlfriend later and then calling off the engagement.
Thinking of my age, I decided not to worry too seriously about it for now.
I lifted my water cup and took another sip.
"Lady, what are your plans for today?"
Adam asked, having watched my refreshingly meager meal.
I thought for a moment before answering.
"I'll be reading in the study until Lady Alence visits. Adam, could you... go visit the Borden Viscount family?"
"Ah, you mean the family of Lady Shiller that you met at the tea party last time."
I nodded.
"Yes. I've already made contact. Seeing the article about Lady Alence's new dessert in the newspaper, it seems she's doing well... Everything is progressing step by step."
Adam smiled, showing his teeth, then spoke carefully.
"When I first met you, you were so small and cute... I only thought about how I needed to protect you."
His gaze toward me was always warm.
"Every time I see your abilities, I'm simply amazed. I never imagined you'd be so clever and brilliant... So, if the Marquis had..."
"He would have been so happy, right?"
I finished Adam's sentence for him.
He nodded, his eyes glistening as if about to cry. He must have followed his father very closely.
"Don't cry, Adam."
"Understood. *Sniff.*"
It felt awkward, a child comforting an adult.
What kind of person was my father?
Every time I saw people who knew him, I felt he must have been a warm, good person.
Realizing anew that I could never meet him again, a wave of regret washed over me.
"Then, I shall go with pleasure."
That was when Adam's reliable voice came.
The Borden Viscount family employed underground cellar technicians, since they were involved in both the wine business and the business of building underground cellars for wine storage.
For now, it would be good to dig one underground cellar beneath the mansion.
If I wanted to make and sell good products during the upcoming red sugar beet craze.
But everything required preparation, and since I had time today... there was something I'd wanted to look into when I was free.
"*Sigh*..."
I placed my hand on my waist and surveyed the study.
My father's study was filled with countless spiritist books.
The sheer volume was enormous, and they were covered in dust, so I'd never dared to use the study — but today was the day I'd resolved to read about spirits.
I had never learned spirit magic, but I'd grown curious about my father's scholarship as a Great Spiritist, and a certain incident from the past had suddenly come to mind.
About a year ago, when I was in Galnem village.
As I often did, I had gone alone into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, when I misstepped and fell into a pit, losing consciousness.
When I came to, it was raining, and the pit was filling with water — I might have drowned if Mars hadn't saved me.
To make matters worse, my body began to tremble as if I were suffering from hypothermia... and that was when *they* appeared.
They were glowing, butterfly-shaped things. They came close to me and settled on my shoulders, the backs of my hands, and my head, and then my whole body began to grow warm.
That warmth, wrapping around me as if someone were casting a spell, was something I would never forget.
Once I had safely preserved my body heat, I took Mars's hand and climbed out of the pit, and they disappeared. Mars had pulled me into his embrace.
Could it have been spirits that saved me back then? I could only guess.
*Thump.*
I placed five enormously thick spiritist books on the desk.
Ugh, they're so heavy.
The Origin of Spirits, The Four Attributes of Spirits, An Introduction to Spiritology, A General Theory of Spiritology, Spirit Theory.
...Could I really read all of these?
Looking at the thickness of the books I'd chosen, a sudden fear crept over me.
I opened The Origin of Spirits and turned a page.
The four spirits that exist in the world are the Spirit of Fire, the Spirit of Water, the Spirit of Wind, and the Spirit of Earth.
Hmm, this much is readable?
Spiritual talent is innate, but there are cases where someone who showed no talent awakens their spirit power when placed in a dire situation.
*Nod, nod.*
The formulas for each spirit magic are as follows. In the case of the Spirit of Water, the hexagonal structural formula is...
"..."
...I closed it. It's way too hard!!!
What are these massive clusters of formulas that keep going on and on!
All I could tell was that the white parts were paper and the black parts were letters.
"Let me find something easier."
Giving up on reading the difficult books, I tiptoed on my toes and stretched toward the bookshelf again.
*Hm.*
I ran my hand along the books on the shelf and stopped at one.
It was noticeably older than the others, and its title read:
Spirits and the Saint
My hand naturally reached out and pulled the old book from the shelf.
One simply cannot pass by a book with a title like that.