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Chapter 08
Instead of correcting him that Rita would be the heir, I simply kept quiet and focused on eating.
“If it’s good, please have more.”
Mistaking my sigh for admiration of the food, Eckart even pushed his own plate toward me. Blanche brought her fork straight to my mouth, smearing sauce around my lips.
“Please use my handkerchief.”
“I have a handkerchief too, Ciel.”
The two of them offered theirs at the same time. When I grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped my mouth, they both tucked their handkerchiefs away with disappointed looks.
Ha. Being with those two really drains my energy. Since I couldn’t exactly get rid of the master of this house, I subtly asked Blanche instead.
“Blanche. How long are you planning to stay here?”
“Hmm, not for long.”
“Oh. That’s great—”
I almost showed my relief, but held it back and asked calmly.
“Where are you going? Now that you’ve come out of the temple, where will you live?”
In the original story, she lived in Eckart’s ducal castle, but I doubted he would welcome Blanche for long now.
“……”
Instead of answering directly, she dodged the question by immediately expressing her affection for me.
“First, we need to go look for our wedding venue and our newlywed home!”
“Our wedding venue?”
I heard a faint cracking sound and looked toward Eckart. A fracture had appeared in the handle of the knife he was holding.
“You always make such unfunny jokes.”
“Oh my, it’s not a joke.”
At the same time Blanche spoke, the handle shattered to pieces. Pretending not to notice either of them, I focused on eating my steak.
I believed the peaceful meal would continue, at least for a little while.
Blanche reached out over the table. Since I often ate with her, I immediately knew what she wanted.
She likes to drown everything in pepper. An incomprehensible taste, but still.
I was closer, so I picked up the pepper shaker and handed it to her.
“Here.”
“Tha—”
Just then, I accidentally knocked over the teacup in front of me. The cup tipped over, and steaming water spilled across the table.
“Cielina! Are you all right?”
Eckart leapt to his feet, rushed over, and knelt down, carefully examining my hands. I was startled, but fortunately I wasn’t hurt.
“Yes, it’s nothing! I’m sorry for causing a commotion.”
“I’m relieved you weren’t injured.”
After checking several times to make sure I was truly fine, he returned to his seat.
In the meantime, Nina came to wipe up the water, and I handed the pepper shaker back to Blanche. But her face had gone deathly pale.
“…Blanche?”
“Be more careful!”
She snapped sharply. Startled, I froze with the pepper shaker still in my hand.
“You look like you’re trying to die.”
“Eckart!”
I signaled him with my eyes to be quiet. Blanche, still pale, continued in a trembling voice.
“I—I thought you were going to get hurt.”
“Huh? Even if that happened, it would’ve been my mistake.”
“But….”
Her hands shook as if I had suffered a serious injury. Panicking like this over something that barely scalded me felt excessive.
“What if Ciel gets hurt because of me?”
The people who posed the greatest threat to my safety were Blanche and Eckart themselves, and they’d been acting however they pleased until now. Yet here she was, worrying that I might be hurt because of her.
I didn’t understand it at all—and it only made me more flustered, because it was the first time I’d ever seen her this anxious.
What’s wrong with Blanche?
I recalled a scene in the original story where she was plagued by guilt.
Maybe because the temple’s rules were so strict, she firmly believed she must never harm others.
Aside from her obsession with me, perhaps that trait still lingered subconsciously. Thinking that, I hoped she wasn’t burdening herself with excessive pressure.
“Blanche. You don’t want me to get hurt either, right? Why worry so much?”
“…But. But.”
She repeated the same words in fear. I stepped closer, held her shoulders, and spoke firmly.
“Calm down. I’m really fine! And even if I do get hurt, I can heal the injury right away.”
“But what if it’s a serious injury…?”
With trembling hands, Blanche cupped my cheek and said,
“Ciel. Don’t get hurt. You mustn’t get hurt anymore.”
Anymore?
I wondered when I had ever been hurt before, but for now I stayed still to reassure her. Usually so spirited, she now looked like a soaked puppy shivering in the rain. It was strange, but I thought that if this helped her feel calmer, it was a relief.
“If you’ve calmed down, shouldn’t you let go now?”
Eckart said coldly. I raised my index finger to my lips to signal him to be quiet and gently patted Blanche for a while longer.
After the meal, Eckart summoned me separately to the training grounds of the ducal estate.
“What about Blanche?”
“She said she’s resting in her room.”
“She didn’t look well earlier. Is she sick?”
As I wondered whether I should go check on her, Eckart spoke decisively, as if he’d read my thoughts.
“That person—no, that woman—said she wants to be alone, no matter what.”
“Hm. Then why did you call me…?”
“I might get injured during sword training, you know. Please stay with me until the practice is over.”
“You were having a hard time because of the curse—are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes. I’ll practice with an ordinary sword, so the curse won’t be an issue. And with a guest present, the knights mustn’t grow lax.”
I wanted to retort that someone who could cut down thousands of monsters wouldn’t get hurt during practice, but still, it was best to consider every possibility.
“All right. I’ll watch from over there.”
I pointed to the shade of a tree and walked toward it. But Eckart followed closely behind and pulled something from his pocket.
“Just a moment. Please sit here.”
He spread a handkerchief on the grass and pressed something into my hand—sweet candies. He used to do this occasionally back in the north too; it seemed to have become a habit.
“Please, have some.”
I handed one of the candies back to him.
“You should have one too, Eckart.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d unwrap it and give it to me yourself.”
“Oh. Is it because the gloves make it inconvenient?”
“It might get your mana on the candy. That would make it even sweeter.”
It’s not medicine you take like a pill, you mana-obsessed man! Thinking that, I obediently unwrapped the candy and placed it in his hand.
“…What is His Grace eating?”
“Looks like he’s chewing on rocks.”
A few nearby knights whispered in low voices.
The Eclipse Knights, under Duke Croden’s command, gathered at the training grounds. Most remained on the northern front lines to guard against monster incursions, while about a third were currently stationed at the ducal estate.
Even so, their skill and numbers are impressive.
Eckart sparred with about ten high-ranking knights. He used the same ordinary swords as the others, yet his presence was as threatening as if he wielded a demon sword.
The sound of clashing blades rang out continuously.
No sword that crossed his could remain a weapon. No matter how skilled the opponent, before him they were no more than children at play. The gap between him and the other elite knights was unmistakable.
There was no word but “innate” to describe it.
Only someone like him could be the master of a demon sword. He gave up not even the smallest opening, calmly evading every attack.
During a one-against-many exchange, one knight was knocked back while parrying Eckart’s blade. Losing his balance, he fell and barely managed to stand again.
“Ugh, as expected, I’m still far from being able to face you, Your Grace!”
“Your skills are lacking. Rest briefly, then resume training.”
Eckart issued the order to the entire knight order. I watched his swordsmanship so intently that before I knew it, over an hour had passed.
That knight… he looked injured earlier.
While training was paused, I walked over to where Eckart and the knight were. The others went to drink water or rest in the shade.
“Cielina!”
Eckart greeted me brightly, while the knight beside him looked as if he’d seen a ghost rather than his lord.
“Eckart. I’d like to check his injury.”
“Yes. Please do.”
I removed my ring to use my staff.
After graduating from the temple, for convenience I’d transformed my staff into accessories like bracelets, rings, or necklaces. When I converted the ring back into a staff, he smiled.
But when the tip of the staff pointed toward the knight, Eckart grabbed it firmly with a veined hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
His voice was as cold as a northern blizzard. Not knowing the cause of his objection, I repeated what he’d said earlier.
“You told me to heal you if someone got hurt.”
“I meant for you to heal me. Not some other man.”
Expecting me to use holy magic when all his limbs were perfectly fine? Of course, his shamelessness was nothing new.
He’d even told a subordinate who asked me for healing to get lost before.
But the situation was very different now. With my escape attempts already blocked, I didn’t want him interfering any more than necessary.
“Please let me heal the knight first. He’s your subordinate.”
It would be awkward to bicker with Eckart in front of the knights.
The best outcome here was for him to comply. He sighed and spoke as if he truly had no choice.
“…Do it.”
“Yes. Then let me take a look at the wound.”
The knight, pale with fear, obediently held out his arm. The entire healing process took less than a minute.
Once it was done, Eckart asked coolly,
“Does your body feel better?”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“It should. Whose magic do you think it was? Now run a hundred laps around the training grounds.”
He’d just said it was a rest break—how petty!
At this rate, the knights would start avoiding my healing altogether. Before I could scold him, Eckart explained,
“They lack skill, so I’m making them train more.”
“Training?”
“Of course. Shouldn’t a soldier always wish to improve his abilities? To do that, harsh training is necessary.”
“Ah… I see. I’ll go sit back down.”
As I turned toward the shade again, Eckart naturally followed me. He leaned against the tree, looking down at me. Wondering if he planned to stand there the whole time, I offered first.
“…Would you like to sit?”
“Yes.”
He spread my handkerchief on the ground and sat without hesitation.
“Thank you. Was the wait tolerable? If you were bored, I can bring you anything.”
“It’s fine. Your swordsmanship was ama— interesting.”
“If you’d like to learn, I can teach you.”
“I don’t really want to go through harsh training myself.”
“I won’t make you run a hundred laps.”
Come to think of it, aside from his extreme obsession, Eckart was kind to me. If only he showed even half that kindness to others.
“Eckart. Can’t you think of other people the way you think of me?”
“Why should I?”
“Because…”
