CH 27

And so it is today, the eve of an imperial-sponsored equestrian competition.

Elsie, now seventeen, rushed out of the academy at first light.

He had heard a story at the academy.

“Sister!”

“El, Mrs. Cheshire doesn’t like noise in the house.”

Elsewhere, Elsie stopped dead in his tracks.

“More than that, sister, divorce. Is what I heard true?”

“Father says you’ve been throwing punches at your classmates. Is it true?”

Ellen asked the question at the same time, and Elsie, who was only seventeen years old, cried out in exasperation.

“No, elder sister, that’s not a classmate. Do I have to respect people who only want to disparage others, with no intention of learning anything from the academy in the first place?”

“You don’t have to respect them, but you do have to put up with them.”

It’s father’s job to repair the damage you’ve done.

She rebuked her immature brother.

“No, they said they killed father with similar skills. So am I supposed to just endure hearing words that belittle my father?”

Elsewhere, Elsie’s temper quickly flared, and he shouted.

A sister is supposed to take my side!

He was going through a rough patch and was upset by his sister’s lack of understanding.

“You’re also dishonoring father by running around like that, so use your head, El.”

Ellen sighed and spoke softly.

“If you’re going to use a sword, you’re going to ask the professor properly and have an initiation, and then you’re going to duel. And if you can’t, you’re going to use something other than a sword.”

“What do you mean, something else?”

“What I heard was that you’d stolen some of the Periwinkle family’s food. Periwinkle’s got a lot to write home about, don’t they? Ah, yes. Are you acquainted with the young lady of Sorbonne?”

“Not exactly… But I know who she is. What is it, sister?”

“There was a not very honorable duel between the two, as I understand it, and they took advantage of it.”

Miller Periwinkle.

The man who had fought Elsie was a famous ruffian whom Ellen knew.

His name was well known. So well known that not long ago, at an imperial banquet, he had made Mrs. Periwinkle shut up by reciting his news.

Dueling over a woman, dueling because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

He was always one to stir up trouble, and his involvement with the Sorbonne young lady was a story that had been circulating in the rumor mill since his days at the Academy.

It all started with nothing.

It was simply that she was in his class, that she was a prominent student, and that it was a swordsmanship class.

Miller Periwinkle, who was known for being at the top of the academy in many ways, was at the top of his class in all of them.

In other words, even in the relatively male-dominated swordsmanship class, he was below the Lady Sorbonne.

And adolescent boys of that age are often full of pride.

He sarcastically remarked, ‘You can’t even get a job as a bureaucrat, so you come here looking for a groom and steal the Academy’s grades,’ and Sorbonne challenged him to a duel in his honor.

The result, of course, was Miller Periwinkle’s defeat.

Swordsmanship classes used small swords, and dueling under the fast-paced First Blood rules was Sorbonne’s specialty.

But the tumult would not end with just one individual.

What followed was bullying, using the power relationships between the families.

It became very difficult for her to continue her studies.

Bad rumors followed, and her grades dropped.

It wasn’t until a few months later that the decisive event occurred.

The Sorbonne young lady was intentionally injured during a swordplay competition.

She received an indelible cut on her left cheek, and half of her face could no longer see the light of day.

It would not have been surprising if there had been some sort of confrontation between the two families.

But the Sorbonne did not.

The Count, realizing that he would be laughed at if he protested to the authoritative Periwinkle, focused more on solving his daughter’s immediate problems than on the pride he had to lose.

Of course, the Sorbonne young lady expressed her desire to serve the family for life instead of marrying.

But the count was not having it.

There was no family, at least not within their society, that would take it literally if a woman remained in the family without marrying.

In the meantime, Periwinkle, who did not want to create a public stir, offered to arrange her marriage himself as an apology, and the Count of Sorbonne chose to take Periwinkle’s hand.

And so the case was buried.

May Sorbonne’s name disappeared from the academy and from social circles, and all that remained was the praise of the family for having ‘arranged the marriage of a girl who knew nothing of the subject’ that Miller Periwinkle proudly tossed around.

And Ellen knew a man who was very much indignant at the ending.

“Ah, the duel. How did you know about it, sister?”

“Because its me. But more than that, is the young lady of the Sorbonne still attending the Academy?”

“If anyone had dropped out, there would have been rumors, but seeing as there weren’t… I’d say she probably is, sister.”

“And there were no accidents in class or anything?”

“No. There was no such announcement.”

“I’m glad to hear that. When you return from the tournament, I want you to make sure you have a witness who knows the story about Sorbonne and Periwinkle. You can get to know the young lady, or if that’s not possible, one of the students in the class or your roommate in the dorm.”

“Yes. I understand, Sister, but what are you going to do with them?”

“Nothing.”

May Sorbonne’s maternal uncle, the Marquis of Avalanche, was the only Marquis without an heir, and was famous for loving his niece, especially May Sorbonne.

There was no way the Marquis of Avalanche knew what had happened at the Boys’ Academy.

He had his doubts, when he thought her marriage was pushed through too quickly and strangely.

But by the time he learned the full sequence of events, the dust had settled.

Ellen was quite pleased with the coincidence, and said.

“I’ll show you how to use the other one, by hand.”

At her words, Elsie exclaimed in excitement, having forgotten the original purpose of his visit.

“So my sister thinks he ought to be put down, too!”

“Use that word again, El, and you’ll be among them.”

Ellen threw a pin.

***

The day of the imperial equestrian competition arrived.

Ellen arrived at the venue with Terriod as her protector, and, of course, Elsie, who was chattering with excitement.

She was greeted by Caden, the organizer of the competition.

“Ah, Lady Kryant. I’ve been expecting you.”

“Your Highness. Are you well?”

“That’s right, but more importantly…”

He glanced off into the distance.

“Stay with me today if you can, and if that’s not possible, at least have Lord Cheshire by your side.”

He pointed to where the tents of the dukes, including Krembel, were gathered.

In other words, it means that they will pay attention to prevent Gillian’s intrusion.

“Thank you, Your Grace. Oh, and this is my brother, Elsie. He’s a student at the Academy.”

She patted Elsie on the back.

“El. Say hello.”

“Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you. I’m Elsie Kryant.”

“You look a lot like your sister.”

Two identical faces with light blond hair and violet eyes looked at him side by side.

“According to our father, we take after our late mother.”

“The Countess must have been quite a beauty.”

“She certainly was, judging by her portrait. But more than that, isn’t the proof here?”

Ellen placed her hand lightly on her chest.

He stared at it her disbelief, and Caden laughed first.

Then Terriod, who had been watching from the sidelines, interjected with a grim face.

“Your Highness, can’t you see me?”

“Ah, yes. Have fun.”

“You are too much!”

“It’s your voice that’s too much!”

Caden scowled, his ears popping.

Behind them, the Cheshire men began to enter.

They had been following them in another carriage, and now they had arrived.

“Sweeney, you’re here.”

“Yes. Ah, Your Highness, Spaniel Cheshire welcomes you.”

“Long time no see. My lady. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.”

As Caden stepped aside to speak with the count and his wife, Spaniel nudged in Ellen’s direction.

“There’s Periwinkle over there. And Osman, of course.”

“Really?”

“After all the trouble she made at the imperial banquet, she has the nerve to show her face. In a way, it’s quite remarkable.”

“What. Again.”

Ellen made no reply, and Spaniel muttered something about how dull she was.

Then, suddenly, she turned to Elsie.

“El, you have to make Periwinkle’s nose very flat. Okay?”

“Sister Sweeney, he’s no good to me in the first place.”

First of all, he is clumsy!

Elsie scowled, saying it was an insult to compare him to himself.

“Neither of you mind that. Instead, how do I look today?”

Ellen twirled her body halfway around in place, showing her front and back.

“Very nice. Enough to make even a non-horseback rider want to try on a pair.”

“And they’re easy on the eyes?”

“Sure. Red on a meadow, very distinctive. Personally, I’d like to see you win in it today, and then present the riding suit to me, because I’d like to keep it for myself.”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question.”

And so the two were fooling around.

There was a commotion outside, and Terriod looked out and said.

“Looks like Duke Krembel is here.”

There was a great deal of noise, and Gillian had arrived at the venue.

He was walking toward them to greet the prince.

As he walked, Gillian’s eyes met Ellen’s.

And then his eyes, which were supposed to show only coldness and anger, began to glow with an unusually intense light.