I raised an eyebrow upon seeing the official confirmation of Urschel’s status as Prince Carlos’s prospective fiancé. Urschel casually said the arrangement would be later dissolved… But I knew better.
Prince Leodore was serious about taking Urschel as his royal consort. I wasn’t sure whether Prince Carlos was aware of that, but, at this rate, Urschel would remain as Prince Carlos’s prospective fiancé, or… Prince Leodore would come to snatch Urschel away.
—Sigh.
I absolutely hated this.
I couldn’t even imagine Urschel belonging to someone else.
With a blank expression, Urschel ruminated on the letter’s contents right in front of me: “Well, we’ve got the contract in written form; now we just need to work out the dissolution time period.”
“When will that be?”
“That depends on Prince Carlos. He promised to make a decision by the time I come of age, which could be as little as six months away or a year… it’s just–”
“Just?”
""
“The nobility of Janvagar usually… are engaged by the time they’re sixteen and get married by twenty… so I… I have to find someone by the time this arrangement is dissolved…”
His concern made me figuratively tear out my hair.
I couldn’t blame him for not knowing about my feelings—but it still bothered me that he was thinking of getting engaged to somebody else just because it was tradition. However, I wasn’t in a position to reveal my feelings for him at the moment.
After Prince Leodore’s coming-of-age party, the Duke spoke to me.
“Now, Theodore—I must warn you in advance that you mustn’t tell Urschel about His Highness Leodore’s plans.”
“Why…?”
“He’s a stubborn aristocratic rationalist, you know. If he discovers that His Highness Leodore is interested in him, he’d probably contemplate whether or not it would be beneficial for the House of Minusle—put his own feelings on the back burner—and finally agree to an engagement with His Highness. He’d certainly think it’d be for the good of the duchy—for the future growth, or something along those lines—once he’s connected with the royal family, despite the future issue of succession. Therefore, we absolutely can’t tell him about this matter.
He’s very conscious of his status as the heir and is well-aware of his nobleman duties. So, even if it’s against my wishes, he’d agree to any engagement for the sake of the family. It’s a problem, really. I’ve wagged my tongue weary saying I wouldn’t accept anyone unless they married into this family, but, in the end, he’s all about profits and losses. Although, as an aristocrat, it’s the right thing to do; still…
…And furthermore, not telling Urschel about it is just a way to harass His Highness Leodore. Isn’t that a great way to torment someone? When the person you love doesn’t realize the feelings you have for them, not even a single millimetre?”
…Harassment aside, it was certainly problematic that Urschel had such a strong loyalty to noble etiquette. He was too much of a nobleman for his own good. Even if I were to lay my heart bare and speak of my feelings, it’d only corner him and make him needlessly worry.
—Urschel didn’t feel the same way for me that I did for him.
Perhaps he would reject me, apologetically; it wouldn’t be profitable for the House of Minusle. I still needed more time. Surely, I would have to work on his sense of nobility if I were to have any chance of turning his eyes towards me.
I must be somebody Urschel wants so badly, he wouldn’t even care about profit. At the same time, about Prince Carlos… let’s put that aside for now; first, I have to protect Urschel from Prince Leodore.
Just as I thought that, Urschel casually asked me something outrageous: “Theodore.”
“Yes?”
“Theodore, if you were to get engaged to someone, what kind of person would they be? Do you have an ideal fiancé in mind?”
I choked on saliva.
This guy… He was oblivious to what was inside my heart, yet he…!!
But Urschel had always been like this.
The puzzled look on Urschel’s face was really annoying, but I decided to give in and answer his question.
As I replied after a long silence, I had hoped my answer would make him slightly upset, “…I do.”
“Huh? You have someone in mind? Who?”
“…I’ll tell you sooner or later.”
Urschel looked like he wanted to ask, but I ignored him and dodged the topic. It was still too early to tell him what was hidden in my heart.
If I were to tell him… It would only be much, much later. Everything would depend on Urschel and my future. So, until then, I’ll keep it to myself.
That evening—
Urschel came home in a good mood, humming to himself, his face bright and smiling. Something wonderful must have happened.
“What’s up, Urschel?”
“Hahaha. Got a moment? Do you wanna hear?” Urschel sidled up next to me and whispered.
“Don’t tell Father, okay? You know, today, by chance… I happened to meet one of my relatives on Mother’s side of the family—Benedict Grantier… I call him Brother Ben; he’s been a very kind big brother to me.”
“Brother Ben?”
This was the first time I’d heard this person’s name, but I couldn’t help but think his name was vaguely familiar…
Urschel continued excitedly, “When I was the Prince’s study mate, he was like a big brother who doted on me all the time; he was so very kind to me. I haven’t seen him in so long! Brother Ben is one of Prince Leodore’s closest aides; ever since he became the head of the House of Grantier, I don’t get to see him very much.”
My eyes squinted inadvertently. Prince’s Leodore’s close aide… ah, no wonder I’ve heard his name before.
He was the man who stood behind Prince Leodore at the party. The Prince had called him Ben as well. So the man Urschel mentioned was unmistakably him…
Urschel seemed happy to have seen this guy. He couldn’t stop smiling gleefully.
Then, he whispered to me, “Soon… oh, it’s still two months away, but—I promised to have tea with him! Keep this a secret from Father, okay? Ehehe, I’m so looking forward to it~!”
—I’d never seen Urschel so happy. But I wondered what he meant by keeping their meeting a secret from the Duke…
“Why a secret?” I asked, but Urschel raised his eyebrows, his face lost his countenance.
“Er, um, actually… Brother Ben was… my first love.”
…I thought my heart would stop.
First love… his first love…?
But, before I could get too jealous, Urschel hurried to explain himself, “Don’t get me wrong; when I say ‘first love,’ I mean, when my age was only in the single digits. It was too childish to even be called a first love—and when I think about it now, it’s… it’s a past I’d rather bury.”
“…”
But, still, it was hard to accept. He might say it was a past he’d rather bury, but if the present Urschel said brother Ben was his first love—no matter how fleeting it was—he was still his first love.
…I felt inclined to click my tongue at the thought of someone awakening Urschel’s romantic feelings.
Perhaps my discontent was evident on my face, Urschel hurried to explain: “Th-Theodore, by all means, don’t get me wrong! I was a child back then. In so many ways! Brother Ben was seven years older than me, and he was so nice and cool.
“I mistook longing for a ‘big brother’ like him for love! It was only a fleeting, not-quite-a-first love! First of all, Brother Ben had a fiancé to whom he had already been engaged since before he was even born! It was pointless to fall in love with him in the first place!
“And then, you know. I was a child who didn’t know anything about love and marriage and stuff, so I told my father about it. He instantly hated Brother Ben! He called him a player—at that time, I didn’t even know what that word meant. Of course, Brother Ben was nothing like that, so it was totally my fault!”
For once I could totally understand the Duke’s feelings. I didn’t think I could tolerate the idea of Urschel falling in love with some random person.
“Well, that’s undoubtedly your fault…” I said.
“Yeah, right?!”
“…That doesn’t mean I’m going to be friends with this Ben guy, though.”
“Why?!” Urschel was stunned by my proclamation.
Urschel was desperate to convince me—telling me how good of a person this guy was, or that he was the epitome of a kind big brother—but I was sure I couldn’t be friends with this ‘Ben’. He had been Urschel’s first love.
Well… I’ll surely make you forget about your first love, one of these days…
“…Be ready, Urschel.”
“For what?!”
Whatever it was… I needed time, first and foremost… Urschel’s tea party with this guy called ‘Ben’—or whatever his name was—was still two months away… Until then, I had to make plans.
In the meantime, I should adjust my schedule to Urschel’s; I should be able to finish my training and studies at the Knights Order and the Ministry of Magic to a certain extent—maybe this would take a month.
…Then I will find the time… to make Urschel fall for me.
chocolala: Theodore will go studying how to catch a man’s heart