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The next day.
Just before sunset, a carriage stopped in front of the inn.
It had been sent by the lord to pick her up. Unlike the carriage they had seen the day before, this one was lavishly decorated.
“Well then, I shall be off.”
“Be careful. If he turns out to be some kind of creep, punch him if you have to and come straight back.”
“W-well, good luck. I’m rooting for you. Lord Gawain, please take care of Levia.”
With encouragement from her two companions, Levia climbed into the carriage.
Sitting across from her was Gawain, once again serving as messenger. At his signal, the driver snapped the reins, and the carriage set off with a steady clatter.
Levia had prepared thoroughly. Taking Liz’s advice, she had investigated the lord beforehand.
The results were overwhelmingly positive. The town was pleasant to live in and public safety was good. Taxes were not particularly low, but they were spent in ways people considered reasonable, so there was little dissatisfaction. He commanded the eccentric Twelve Knights and was known for his gallant victories in war.
Dependable and unpretentious. Devoted to his people. The finest lord one could ask for. Almost everyone Levia questioned had nothing but praise for him. She had nearly started wondering whether the whole thing was staged.
There was only one thing the people were worried about when it came to their lord: an heir. He was already in his mid-thirties, yet there had never been so much as a rumor of romance around him. It was only natural that his subjects would be concerned.
He was a good and capable lord, but he was still human and would eventually die.
The worst possibility was that he might suddenly die in battle. If that happened without a legitimate heir, the territory would undoubtedly fall into disorder. That was why the people living here hoped he would produce an heir as soon as possible.
Levia would therefore unquestionably be welcomed if she married into the family. She was beautiful, intelligent, and exceptionally strong. Setting aside the difference in status, there could hardly be a better marriage prospect. The people would surely rejoice at their lord taking such a splendid wife.
And if they were that easy to win over, they would probably find some convenient justification even if taxes went up a little. In other words, if Levia kept her husband firmly under her thumb, she could live extravagantly not only on his money but on the people’s as well. Nothing could be better.
There was, however, one thing.
One concern in particular bothered Levia. There were other issues, certainly, but none seemed especially important compared with this one. Hopefully meeting the man himself would put that concern to rest…
“There is no need to worry. Lord Arthur may look intimidating, but he is a kind man. I am certain he will make you happy, Lady Levia.”
Gawain, sitting across from her, tried to reassure her. Levia had merely been thinking, but apparently he had mistaken it for nervousness. Deciding it would be better to go along with that impression, she placed a hand against her cheek and made herself look anxious.
“Yes. Even so, I cannot help worrying. What if some careless behavior of mine disappoints Lord Arthur?”
“Hahaha. Careless? Surely you are being modest. Your manners are remarkably refined. I was surprised to hear that you were an adventurer.”
A handsome smile. It would have inflicted tremendous damage on Ney, but against Levia it was completely ineffective. Compared with herself in her previous life, his looks were hardly worth a sniff.
Come to think of it, she had also heard a few things about Gawain while investigating Arthur.
Gawain Galadin.
Despite being the eldest son of the Galadin baronial family, he had given up his right of succession and become a knight instead, making him something of an eccentric. He had earned his place among the Twelve Knights through ability rather than birth, and Arthur himself had granted him the emblem of the brightest sun. Because of that, the people apparently respected him under the title “Knight of the Sun.”
“Forgive the question, Lady Levia, but were you born to a noble house? I do not recall a family named Gran in this region.”
After reassuring Levia, Gawain slipped in a question of his own. She was going to become his lord’s wife, so naturally he would not want her to be someone suspicious. Levia of Poppy Anemone was well known in the royal capital, but apparently the details of her background had not reached Pendran.
“Noble? Not at all. I was born into a reasonably wealthy family, but we were far from noble. Why, even the head of the family went around swinging a sword himself.”
“I see. So you come from a family of knights. Given what I have heard of your abilities, your father must be quite formidable as well. May I ask his name?”
“That is… I’m sorry. I have severed ties with my family.”
“Ah, forgive me. Please don’t worry. Lord Arthur treats people equally. Why, among the Twelve Knights there are not only commoners but even a former slave. Whatever your circumstances may be, I am certain he will not hold them against you.”
Arthur himself might not care, but his relatives and retainers certainly would. A commoner marrying into the nobility was extremely unusual.
Nobles ordinarily married other nobles to strengthen relations between their families. If this Arthur wanted Levia despite that, there would undoubtedly be opposition.
Even a renowned lord was subject to problems like this. Human emotions truly were troublesome things. Perhaps that line from a certain pilot—“People who cannot control their emotions are garbage”—was not entirely wrong. What eventually happened to the man who said it was another matter.
In any case, despite the obvious problems involved, Gawain showed no sign of objecting. Perhaps it was an act, but there had been a strange enthusiasm behind yesterday’s request that she marry Arthur. So much enthusiasm, in fact, that at first everyone had thought Gawain himself was proposing.
Still, he had casually asked about Levia’s birth, so he clearly understood that her status was an issue. If he did not, he was simply an idiot, and Levia doubted an idiot could serve as Arthur’s foremost knight. Most likely, Gawain was worried about the succession problem as well and therefore welcomed Levia as a potential wife.
The carriage left the inn, turned past the square, and continued along the main avenue. Before long, a building that appeared to be the lord’s residence came into view. It was not as large as a royal castle, but the high-ceilinged, two-story structure was imposing enough. Knights stood watch from the pointed towers on either side, suggesting that security was taken quite seriously.
They passed through the main gate and entered the grounds. As the carriage approached what appeared to be the main entrance, several people were waiting outside. The man in the center was probably the lord, while the others looked like knights and servants.
The carriage stopped in front of them. Gawain stepped down first, then took Levia’s hand as though escorting a noblewoman. Following his lead, she slowly descended with her face lowered.
The moment she raised her head, time seemed to stop.
She wore a modest white dress with a matching white hat. The outfit was simple, but brought out Levia’s beauty to its fullest, making her look like some sheltered young lady untouched by the world. Everyone before her, men and women alike, stared as though frozen in place.
“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Levia Gran. Thank you very much for inviting me here today.”
“A-ah…”
The man who appeared to be the lord responded vaguely as Levia delicately lifted the edge of her skirt in greeting. His cheeks had turned red, and like everyone around him, he was still staring blankly at her.
“Ahem!”
Gawain cleared his throat, finally bringing the lord and the others back to their senses.
“M-my apologies. I am Arthur Pendran. I should be the one apologizing for troubling you with such a sudden invitation. I intend to welcome you as best I can, so I hope you will forgive me.”
His dark-brown hair was slicked straight back, and he wore an impressive beard of the same color. His clothing was suitably lavish for a nobleman, but he gave the impression of a warrior. The dignity about him made him look older than his actual age in the mid-thirties, though at the moment that dignity had been considerably weakened.
Levia answered him with a smile.
“Of course. I hope you will tell me all about yourself today, Lord Arthur.”
She gave him her best smile.
“Ngh…”
Arthur groaned as though in pain and looked away in confusion. Levia wondered if he was about to freeze again, but this time he managed to answer almost immediately.
“Y-yes. Gawain, take Lady Levia to the dining room. I have a small matter to attend to first.”
“Understood. Lady Levia, this way.”
Levia followed Gawain into the residence. Behind her, her sharp ears clearly caught someone muttering, “What was that? She’s far too lovely…” Apparently the first impression had gone well.
They were shown into a spacious dining room.
A rectangular table covered by a pure-white cloth stood in the center, surrounded by several elaborately decorated chairs. Paintings hung on the walls, and a red carpet covered the floor.
A man in a tailcoat pulled out a chair for her, and Levia took the seat at the right end of the table. In noble society, it was the position reserved for the most important guest. Levia was the guest of honor this time—or rather, the only guest—so naturally the seat was hers.
After a short wait, Arthur arrived. Levia stood and gave him a small bow. His face was still red, but at least he no longer looked stiff as a board. Apologizing for keeping her waiting, he sat at the head of the table to her right.
The maids began bringing out the food. Everything looked delicious, but the dishes were more common than aristocratic and required little in the way of complicated table manners. He had probably taken Levia’s position as an adventurer into consideration. Arthur seemed to be a very thoughtful man, though perhaps one had to be in order to govern a territory well.
Wine was poured into their glasses, and Arthur took it upon himself to make the toast.
“Then let us begin. Hmm, what should we drink to…?”
“Lord Arthur, this is the first meal the two of you have shared. Why not keep it simple and drink ‘to the two of you’?”
Gawain, who was waiting behind them, offered the suggestion. Arthur looked slightly embarrassed by it, but not displeased.
“I-is that so? Then… to the two of us.”
“Yes. To the two of us.”
They raised their glasses modestly. Clinking them together would have been acceptable, but when using glassware that looked this expensive, it was polite to take care with it.
Levia took a small sip of wine. It was delicious and clearly of very high quality. Since someone else was paying, she would ordinarily have liked to drink straight from the bottle, but obviously she could not do that here. She would save that sort of thing for after the wedding.
“I must admit, I’m surprised. I thought you were beautiful when I saw you in the square, but I never expected to be struck even harder today.”
“Hehe, thank you. Yesterday’s clothes would hardly have suited an occasion like this, so some friends helped me choose these.”
“Is that so? Your friends have excellent taste. For a moment I thought a goddess herself had descended before me.”
“How embarrassing. I shall have to thank them.”
Putting up with that four-hour fashion show had been worthwhile after all. Levia had spent half the day investigating Arthur’s background and the other half choosing clothes, once again with Lulu and Anna in tow.
“There is one thing I should say first. I know it may sound strange after asking you to marry me, but I have no intention of forcing you against your will. If you feel this is impossible, then… regrettable though it would be, I want you to feel free to refuse.”
Arthur’s voice grew quieter toward the end. Gawain offered a warning from behind him.
“Lord Arthur. You cannot begin with such timidity. You should approach this with your usual courage and determination—”
“Gawain. This is a matter of sincerity. I have no intention of using my authority to pressure someone who may become my family. It would do neither of us any good.”
“Lord Arthur…”
Arthur’s answer left no room for argument. Gawain placed a hand over his chest and bowed, acknowledging that he had overstepped, then retreated toward the wall without saying anything further.
“My subordinate was rude. Please forgive him.”
“There is nothing to forgive. Still, to think you would show this much consideration to a commoner like me… I can understand why the people of this town are so devoted to you.”
Levia smiled, and Arthur responded with another strained “Ngh…” while his gaze darted around awkwardly.
Watching him, Levia thought:
Hmm. He’s one hell of an innocent old guy. Guess being unmarried past thirty wasn’t just for show. Well, the pinnacle of beauty is sitting right in front of him. Of course he’d react like that.
An impressive display of vanity inside her own head. Arthur, unaware of any of it, seemed both embarrassed and delighted by the praise of the woman he had fallen for.
The meal continued that way, and gradually the atmosphere warmed. Arthur, who had been tense at first, had relaxed considerably and was now smiling naturally.
That was Levia’s doing. She had deliberately behaved with a childlike innocence, trying not to make Arthur conscious of her as a woman. Seeing her as a woman was what made him act unnaturally; there was no reason to be nervous around a child. And people tended to lower their guard around children as well.
“…Isn’t that awful?”
“Hahaha! Your companions certainly sound entertaining. I like to think I understand my own knights well, but I doubt any of them would behave quite that openly with me.”
“Hehe. Why not try it once? I’m sure something entertaining would happen.”
“Hahaha! Tempting, but I think I’ll pass. I suspect I would be dealing with the consequences for quite some time.”
Arthur laughed cheerfully at Levia’s mischievous expression.
She had decided that aristocratic topics would do nothing but make him wary, so instead she was telling amusing stories about ordinary mistakes and everyday mishaps. Even the retainers around them were chuckling at some of them. The response was good.
Phase one is a success. Now for the next step.
By this point, Arthur probably had no hesitation about taking Levia as his wife. She was extraordinarily beautiful, cheerful and down-to-earth, yet still possessed proper refinement. Anyone who did not want a woman like that as his wife had something wrong with his head.
But for Levia’s purposes, she needed to be more thorough.
This was where the real work began—