Volume 1 Chapter 14 Elizabeth - About A Young Man Named Randolph
The dinner party with Father and Mother ended with great praise. Both Sir Randolph and Sir Alan said in unison that Lord Victor had "nothing special," but I think the meat from the high-ranking beast is something to be proud of anywhere.
I still remember how surprised I was the first time I tasted it; it was so delicious. Unfortunately, it's hard to preserve raw meat, and since only someone like Sir Randolph can hunt it, it has become a rare meat that is only consumed in the mansion.
Still, I hear they sometimes share the leftover meat with the villagers. Because of this meat, even in a territory that is poor and doesn't promise much profit, people might stubbornly choose to stay.
Anyway, it's certain that this rare meat satisfied even my father.
After the dinner party ended, we were guided to the guest room, where we enjoyed some family time.
Things at school.
Updates about the family.
My own updates.
This journey.
The conversation was endless, but when there was a brief pause in the topics...
"By the way, he was quite an interesting young man."
...My father must have been thinking about Sir Randolph, as my mother nodded in agreement.
"His ability to treat even the [Iron Lion] like a child. His patience to turn ideas into reality. And he has guts too."
I was surprised. My father was laughing happily, but I had hardly ever seen him praise someone this much. He had never praised even His Highness, who excels in both academics and martial arts, to this extent. Perhaps it was since my brother, who made my father call him a genius.
But I could understand why. In just one day, I had rewritten my opinion of Sir Randolph countless times.
He arranged for me to meet my parents.
He treated me the same even after seeing through my lies.
When I finally met my parents, I ended up expressing my frustration towards him like a child because of the situation's weight.
Just thinking about it now makes me embarrassed.
Still, I can't thank him enough for brushing off my tantrum and creating a space for conversation with my parents.
And then there was that incident. I had no idea what was happening.
At first, I heard Sir Randolph's loud voice and rushed to the front yard with my father, mother, and Sir Alan, only to find Sir Randolph holding a huge log.
As Sir Alan whispered, "I'll stop him," and tried to move, my father stopped him, saying, "Well, isn't it fine?" According to my father, he had been hearing Sir Randolph's heroic tales from the coachman, Mr. Harrison, on the way here.
So perhaps he was a bit curious if those tales were true.
But on the other hand, I was worried. Of course, I thought I knew Sir Randolph's strength from what I had seen then. But he was an adventurer who had protected my father. There was no doubt he was skilled.
Facing an adventurer who was guarding Father, and especially with a log like that──. I was so worried that I could hardly breathe when Mr. Harrison gave the signal to start... and in an instant, the match was over.
I hope you can forgive me for letting out a surprised "Huh?" because my father and mother had the same stunned expression on their faces.
I couldn't see Sir Randolph's movements at all.
Just when I thought something had burst, Sir Randolph had stopped the log right in front of the adventurer.
That was it. Just that alone decided the match.
Of course, I haven't seen many serious matches, but I have seen a few. For example, last year, I watched a sword-fighting tournament held at academy.
Since His Highness was participating, I went to cheer him on as part of my engagement duties. Even though it was a school tournament, I had heard that the participants were quite skilled, and even the knights were impressed.
I remember the intense back-and-forth that took place.
I'm not very knowledgeable about sword techniques, but I could tell that both fighters were skillfully attacking and defending. Yes, I couldn't follow everything, but I was still able to keep track of their exchanges.
But today, it was different. I couldn't see the movements of the sword──well, technically the log──but I couldn't even see Sir Randolph.
Inside me, Eleonora was saying, "As expected of the kid. If he's my servant number 2, he has to be this strong," in a cheerful tone.
The business negotiations that followed were impressive too.
He stood his ground against my father without backing down.
He was clever enough to win the maximum reward we wanted.
And he had a skillful negotiation technique that satisfied the other party.
On top of that, the many ideas he shared at the end. Sir Randolph said, "Anyone could think of these," but I had never thought of them at all.
──"Solving inconveniences is my motivation."
Hearing him say that with a smile made me realize just how spoiled I had been.
"Is this what they mean by 'hidden talents'?"
"What does that mean?"
My father, smiling gently, explained the meaning of the words. It seems to refer to great people or promising young individuals who are hidden away without opportunities. I thought it was a perfect expression to describe Sir Randolph.
"Hidden talents..."
"But it's strange. Randolph is studying abroad at the Royal Academy, right?"
I nodded at my mother, who tilted her head in confusion. It was true that just a few days ago, he had been at the same school, yet I had never heard such rumors about him.
What I usually heard were things like... big, red-haired, all show and no substance, a low-ranking noble from a dukedom, and not fitting for the academy. I didn't understand the "all show and no substance" part, but I only remembered Sir Randolph quietly staying in the corner whenever I saw him.
I thought that perhaps his passive attitude, which didn't match his physique, was leading to those dishonorable rumors.
"He's a strange kid."
"Yes."
"But isn't that okay? I think he deserves a passing grade."
My mother clapped her hands with a big smile and looked at my father, saying, "He doesn't look bad, and you recognize his talent, right?"
"Hmph. I think it's still too early."
With a snort that seemed uninterested, Father said so. Then, "Oh? Then should we wait a little longer?" Mother smiled mischievously. Honestly, I didn't understand what they were talking about and could only compare the two of us...
"Especially, the declaration 'I have no intention of using Miss Elizabeth as a tool' was really cool."
...Mother winked. It was true that, as a noble daughter, I had thought about living as a tool, so it was a shocking statement.
"But that doesn't mean──."
"I don't know. After all, Father's proposal was, 'Flora, I love you not as a political tool, but as a woman'."
At Mother's words, Father turned red and looked away. Seeing that reaction made me remember and feel my own face heat up... but I must not misunderstand. Sir Randolph is someone who will soar high in the future.
"Mother, please stop joking around."
I stood up and turned to face them.
"By the way, we are planning to build a port at the edge of the territory. If you don't mind, I would like to hear Father's opinion."
As I forced the topic to change, both of them smiled kindly at me. Leaving that smile behind, I quickly left the reception room and hurried to my own room...
As I headed to my room, I could hear Eleonora's voice in my head.
'You should just be honest.'
"I'm not lying."
'I think the boy is quite a good catch, don't you?'
"That kind of talk──."
I instinctively raised my voice and quickly looked around. It seemed no one was nearby, so I let out a sigh of relief.
"Sir Randolph is someone who will soar high in the future. And..."
'And?'
"Very soon, Sir Randolph will return to the academy."
Saying it made my chest feel slightly heavy. Soon, I would have to part from him. Even if it's temporary, I wonder why I feel so lonely.
"If the people at the academy find out about Sir Randolph's talents, no one will ignore him. There must be many who are more suitable than a damaged former noble lady."
I didn't understand why saying that hurt my chest. But I had to remind myself that this was reality.
'Hmm? If you think so, that's fine... I thought you were in love with the boy, though.'
With that, Eleonora vanished without a trace.
"In love... I wonder about that."
Even when I asked myself, I couldn't find an answer. I didn't really understand what 'being in love' meant.
"More importantly, it's the port construction plan now."
In my room, I found what I was looking for and turned on my heel. I would get used to this pain in my chest eventually. I told myself that.
* * *
After Elizabeth left for a while, in the reception room...
"Flora. Isn't that a bit too much?"
"It's fine. That child has been holding back for too long."
Marchioness Flora puffed out her cheeks, and Lucian couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"Now that she's finally free from pressure, I think it's okay for her to experience love."
Marchioness Flora stared blankly at her reflection in the window.
"As a mother, I want that child to be happy. If she can live freely, I want her to live as she wishes."
With a heartfelt cry, Lucian let out a deep sigh.
"That's true."
Just as Lucian muttered this, there was a knock on the reception room door, and Elizabeth peeked in.
The long-awaited night for the 3 of them continued for a while after that──
* * *
As the night grew late, just before the day changed... Randy was getting ready to go to bed when someone visited him.
"Hey... don't come to a guy's room at this hour."
In front of Randy, wearing a nightdress, was Eleonora.
"And with Keith... is that Rita too? You brought 2 people along."
Feeling the presence of 2 people beyond the open door, Randy gave Eleonora an exasperated look.
"Oh. You can tell where people are just by their presence. Impressive."
Randy felt a headache coming on from Eleonora's cheerful laughter. He thought it was okay to praise her for having some common sense, but still, it was questionable if it was the right time to be with an old man and a woman.
"Staying up late is bad for your skin, you know? I won't be surprised if Miss Elizabeth gets mad at you."
"No problem. The young lady is already asleep."
Still laughing cheerfully, Eleonora made Randy scratch his head and say, "That's not what I meant."
"By the way, kid, aren't you going back to that academy soon?"
"What about it? I'm going to bed, so just get to the point."
In front of the seemingly annoyed Randy, Eleonora puffed out her chest proudly and grinned.
"I want to go to the academy too."
"Huh?"
A huge question mark rolled around, completely out of place in the night mansion.
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