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Arthur narrowed his eyes as he watched Levia smile elegantly.
He was relieved. He had worried that, depending on how things went, she might even burst into tears.
After all, she had been summoned by a nobleman. A commoner being invited by a noble was not especially unusual in itself, but this time the nature of the invitation was another matter. It would hardly have been strange for her to suspect that something improper was intended. Gawain had said he had conveyed the request as sincerely as possible, but Arthur had still been anxious.
Arthur remembered.
It had begun with Gawain’s actions. Apparently someone was causing trouble in the square, and he wanted to go warn them. It was exactly the sort of thing the earnest man would say. Gawain had been in the middle of guarding Arthur, but they were already this close to their destination and there was probably no danger. Thinking that, Arthur had readily given permission.
Whoever the troublemakers were, Gawain would handle them without difficulty, so Arthur had not been particularly interested. He had simply happened to glance out the window.
—Shock.
As far as Arthur could remember, he had never experienced anything quite like it.
His first time on a battlefield. The deaths of his parents. The day Kay handed the title of count over to him. All were events that had remained in his memory, but this was different in kind. His chest hurt. It felt tight. Yet it was not an unpleasant pain. He had never felt anything like it before.
An angel…
Arthur had learned all manner of things as a nobleman, yet the only comparison he could produce was the thoroughly conventional word angel.
Then, suddenly, his eyes met the angel’s. They looked at each other for a moment, but Arthur grew embarrassed and turned away. Once Gawain returned and the carriage began moving again, he immediately regretted it. He had wanted to look at her longer.
What exactly is this feeling…?
He could guess. Of course he could guess, but somehow it did not feel like him.
Arthur had worked hard ever since childhood. He was the second son, a spare for his elder brother, and would most likely be married into another house someday. He had wanted no part of that. Yet harming the brother he respected was even less imaginable, so he had worked to ensure he could survive on his own. Women had always been a secondary concern.
After various twists and turns, he had ended up inheriting the house and becoming its lord anyway, but perhaps because his youth had been so thoroughly gray, women had never quite registered with him. Marriage proposals came in by the dozen, yet somehow none appealed to him. Even so, he knew that eventually he would have to accept one. And then this happened.
When he consulted a certain subordinate about it—
“Spring has finally come for the boss! Boss, that’s love!”
So that was it. It really was.
His first love, in his mid-thirties. And the girl was a student, probably around half his age. If his life had gone according to plan and he had married at the usual age, she could have been around the same age as his own child. On top of that was the difference in status between a nobleman and a commoner. It was a love that ought not to be pursued.
Arthur had intended to give up on it, but apparently his subordinate disagreed. The man he had consulted quietly brought the other knights into the matter and arranged this entire meeting. Naturally, Arthur had scolded them, but—
“For Lord Arthur’s sake.”
“Spring finally came for the boss, after all.”
“There are problems, certainly, but if we all work together, I’m sure we can manage.”
They were truly dependable, wonderful subordinates. “Thank you” was about all Arthur could manage. If he tried to say anything more, an enormous amount of sweat might have started pouring from his eyes.
According to their investigation, the angel’s name was Levia Gran. She was not a student at all, but a member of the A-rank adventuring party Poppy Anemone.
Arthur knew little about adventurers, but he had heard that some A-rank adventurers were on the level of the Twelve Knights. To think she possessed such beauty and strength as well… just how many gifts had heaven bestowed upon her?
And now the meeting he had wished for had come to pass. The angel stepped down from the carriage—no, the goddess.
Her casual clothing the day before had been lovely too, but today she was… there was simply no other way to describe her than as a goddess.
Even her bearing was as noble as a goddess ought to be. There was no way this woman was a commoner. She could only be the daughter of some distinguished house.
According to Gawain, who had accompanied her, she came from a family of knights. Arthur had never heard of a house named Gran, but surely they could not have been mere landed knights. Most likely, she came from a fallen family of high nobility.
If so, that was convenient. Even if the family had fallen, an old and distinguished lineage would make it easier to win over those around him. The only concern was why she had severed ties with them, but apparently Gawain had been unable to press her for details. She had seemed reluctant to discuss it. There were probably complicated circumstances involved. Arthur himself had plenty of things he could not tell others. They could simply learn to understand each other little by little.
Even if her family did eventually appear, the Pendran house was one of the most powerful countly families in the kingdom. He would show them due consideration as his in-laws and would not hesitate to bow his own head if necessary, but if they still objected, he would simply handle the matter accordingly.
With those thoughts in mind, Arthur began his meal with the goddess. He had instructed the kitchen to prepare food that would be easy for a commoner to eat, but apparently the consideration had been unnecessary. She correctly used every piece from the assortment of cutlery he had prepared just in case. His earlier deduction seemed to have been right after all.
Perhaps, then, he ought to make suitably refined aristocratic conversation. Arthur began considering subjects they might have in common.
Painting, music, theater… As a nobleman, he had been educated in all of them and could speak on any without difficulty. The problem was that he had no idea which would be appropriate.
Normally he would make casual conversation while gauging the other person’s interests, but his nerves had left both his mind and mouth working poorly. He could barely manage conventional compliments and the things he had prepared beforehand. As a host, this was disgraceful. The goddess was going to lose all respect for him…
But the goddess was a goddess.
Perhaps she had noticed his nervousness, because she actively took over the conversation. She spoke about herself while slipping questions in at appropriate moments, never allowing him to grow bored. Her stories were amusing, and she readily shared embarrassing failures that a noble would never dream of mentioning.
The pleasantly ordinary conversation put Arthur at ease, and before he knew it his nervousness had disappeared. More than that, he found himself smiling from the heart.
And it was not only him. The feeling had spread to everyone around them. A servant laughing in front of a guest would normally be a failure of professionalism, but somehow the atmosphere made it feel permissible.
So she has captured not only my heart, but everyone else’s as well. I suppose it cannot be helped. How could anyone remain tense around someone this innocent? It starts to feel ridiculous.
Her expressions changed constantly, almost like a child’s. Despite being a beauty beyond compare, she had an innocence that kept her from feeling intimidating. She was nothing like the aloof noblewomen Arthur knew. Part of it was probably her personality, but perhaps living among ordinary people had shaped her this way as well.
Arthur had first fallen for her appearance, but gradually he found himself drawn to her personality too. How wonderful would it be if this woman became his partner? Surely she would support him in both public and private life. They could build a warm home together and spend happy days as a family. He wanted three children, though if she wished for more, he would gladly have as many as she wanted.
Heh. I’m getting ahead of myself. Still… it would be nice if things turned out that way.
Arthur imagined that bright future with softened eyes. It was only a fantasy, but he had a feeling that the two of them could make it real.
Some time passed, and their conversation reached a natural pause. Levia let out a slightly tired sigh.
“Phew. I’m feeling a little tired. Lord Arthur, is there somewhere we could rest for a bit?”
“R-rest…?”
“Hehe, I did not mean anything indecent. I merely want to sit in a more comfortable position. My, Lord Arthur, what a dirty mind.”
“Wha—! M-my apologies. Y-yes, of course. There is a good sofa in the drawing room. We can continue our conversation there.”
His face bright red, Arthur glanced toward the butler. Led by him, Arthur and Levia headed for the drawing room, with Gawain accompanying them as her guard.
Once they arrived, Arthur moved to the sofa on one side and gestured toward the one opposite him. “Please, have a seat.”
Levia did not follow his suggestion. Instead, she came around to Arthur’s side. As he wondered why…
“Isn’t that the guest’s seat? If we may become family, I thought perhaps I should sit over here instead.”
…She had a point.
This room was intended for discussions with honored guests. Unless the family had some particularly serious matter to discuss, they would rarely use it among themselves. Sitting across the table would only put more distance between them than before. It was hardly the distance one expected between family.
Arthur happily agreed. But once they actually sat down, he realized something. Sitting side by side meant—
OH GOD! THIS IS BAD! SHE SMELLS SO GOOD!
She was close. Far too close.
In reality, there was about enough space for one person between them, but this was the woman he loved. It was hardly strange that she felt too close.
Arthur almost found himself sniffing at her, but suppressed the urge through sheer force of will and attempted to continue the conversation as though nothing had happened. It did not go well. He had been perfectly fine just moments ago.
Levia seemed to be having some trouble speaking as well. She fidgeted slightly, and whenever their eyes met, her cheeks reddened as she gave him a small smile. Apparently, like Arthur, she had only realized how close they were once they actually sat down and was feeling a little embarrassed.
SHE’S SO CUUUUTE! LADY LEVIA IS SO CUUUUTE! STOP! PLEASE! I’M GOING TO DIE!
Arthur turned his face away and covered his mouth to hide the grin spreading across it. He had never seen anything this adorable in his life. Wait. This girl was going to become his wife? Wasn’t that far too wonderful?
“Lord Arthur?”
Gawain called from beside the door, sounding puzzled. Apparently Arthur’s behavior had struck him as suspicious. The man could be remarkably dense about certain things. Arthur had known that already, of course.
Arthur waved one hand to indicate that nothing was wrong. And the moment his attention shifted away—
“Here.”
A cute little voice, followed by a soft sensation against him. When Arthur looked, the goddess was leaning against the left side of his body.
“W-we ought to get used to this sort of thing, after all.”
—Ah. I’m dead.
The goddess’s embarrassed expression. Dead. He had died of moe. His heart had contracted so violently he thought it might burst. Arthur had prepared himself for death many times on the battlefield, but he had never imagined he might nearly die in a place like this.
“S-sorry, Sir Gawain. Please don’t stare so much.”
“Ah. My apologies.”
At Levia’s words, Gawain sharply twisted his head away. Even he had apparently realized that the two of them were growing closer and had been watching with a warm expression. Levia must have noticed his gaze and grown embarrassed.
“P-perhaps that was a little too soon. How improper of me.”
“Ah…”
The goddess quickly moved away. A feeling of loneliness settled into Arthur’s chest. He wanted her to stay close. He knew it was unreasonable, but he could not help feeling slightly resentful toward Gawain.
Perhaps they really ought to be alone. With other people present, there were probably things both of them would hesitate to do. Reaching that conclusion, Arthur gave an order to the subordinates in the room.
“A-ahem! Gawain, that will be all. The butler may leave as well.”
“Yes, my lord. But… are you certain?”
“That question is disrespectful to Lady Levia. It will be fine. Nothing you are worrying about is going to happen.”
“My apologies. Then I shall wait outside.”