IBYVS 38

Chapter 38

“Dad, hurry up!”

Daphne Marinnest was anxious.

“At this rate, the ceremony will already start!”

And for good reason—today was the wedding day of Cedric and Ellia.

Daphne had even received an official invitation to the wedding.

Calvados sighed, then tore a teleportation scroll that would take them to the wedding venue.

A brief sensation of weightlessness passed through their bodies, and when they instinctively opened their eyes, they were outdoors.

Calvados, having slicked back his neatly combed hair like a proper guest, remarked,

“There’s no need to rush. It’s not like the venue will disappear.”

But his face made it clear—he truly had not wanted to come.

The truth was, even though he had received an invitation, Calvados had planned to just send a gift and decline attendance.

Kaliv… I thought he was just a child, despite being the Grand Duke’s heir.

Before announcing he would put Renard Babylon on trial, Kaliv had also confronted Calvados.

In fact, without any concrete evidence, Calvados had pointed to Indigentia as the culprit behind Daphne’s kidnapping.

So, of course, the Grand Duke’s heir had every reason to be offended.

Calvados had prepared himself for a formal protest.

But to think they would not only lodge a formal complaint, but also use public opinion to shine a spotlight back on the incident…

Cedric and Ellia’s wedding was being called the wedding of the century, known to nearly everyone.

Not just because of the provocative slogan—“Love that transcends the status of noble and commoner!”

The Grand Duchy of Indigentia owned a newspaper company.

Originally, it was distributed only within the duchy and neighboring lands, mostly to promote ducal events such as this wedding.

But newspapers—and by extension, public opinion and information—could be monetized.

The Grand Duchy knew this and had long been itching to expand their newspaper into the capital.

Recently, Kaliv, the heir, had found his solution: Marinnest.

[“Hit by a rebounded curse, yet still blamed—how is that fair?”]

[“Lady Marinnest’s clumsy magic causes harm to an innocent victim…”]

[“Accusing someone as a kidnapper with no evidence?”]

[“Why has the Imperial Court not granted Indigentia any reward?”]

[“The Duke of Marinnest ought to compensate the Grand Duchy of Indigentia.”]

They flooded the press with articles exposing not only disputes between three of the Empire’s great families, but also past scandals once hushed up.

The capital’s nobility were highly sensitive to trends—meaning they loved gossip.

And Cedric’s curse had been particularly juicy gossip for them.

That had been overshadowed by Daphne’s protection of Renoir and the miraculous revival of the long-lost Mirror Shield spell.

What’s more, Indigentia had been on the verge of ruin, while the Imperial family and Marinnest had remained quiet.

You can’t spread rumors unless there’s something to spread, after all.

But now, with the bait of a great noble feud thrown into the water…

Of course everyone would be desperate to get their hands on the news.

Nobles rushed to subscribe to Indigentia’s Verbum newspaper, eager not to miss a single development.

With such soaring demand in the capital, establishing a headquarters there was inevitable.

Thanks to this, the Grand Duchy of Indigentia successfully expanded its newspaper business into the capital.

And that wasn’t all.

By stirring up the incident again, they even extorted a hefty settlement from the Duke’s house.

Looking at the grand venue, Calvados clicked his tongue.

Half of the settlement money they wrung out of us must have gone into this place.

A small domain, a gold mine with more than 40 years’ worth of yield, nearly 100,000 acres of farmland, and gold coins equal to three months of territorial expenses!

It was absurd—but they had made it a condition that we forgo any Imperial rewards, so we had no one to appeal to.

They had even demanded the entire sum at once, causing House Marinnest to stumble financially.

So naturally, no matter whose fault the whole mess had originally been, Calvados could hardly look upon the Grand Duchy favorably.

Which was why he had planned not to attend the wedding at all.

“Dad, look over here! There’s a lake! Oh, are those gondola boats?”

Daphne, ignorant of all these circumstances, was simply marveling at everything around her.

“Wow, it feels so cool. Even though it’s summer, there’s a chill breeze—could this be Lord Cedric’s weather magic at work?”

Daphne skipped around as though she were on a picnic, oblivious to the fact that this place belonged to those who had drained her family dry.

Calvados clicked his tongue at the sight of his joyful daughter, then shook his head.

Forget it. These are adult matters, nothing she needs to worry about.

As long as his only daughter was happy, that was enough.

Besides, he still felt guilty about how the papers had reported her kidnapping merely as a “disappearance.”

Calvados forced his face to soften as he agreed.

“Yes. It’s quite impressive.”

“According to the Verbum newspaper, this venue was built solely for Sister Ellia’s wedding!”

Daphne added that the recent tea parties she attended had been filled with talk of nothing but this wedding.

“And out of everyone, I was the only one who got an invitation.”

She puffed herself up proudly, as though she had been specially chosen. It was endearing.

Just then, a gondola boat set off.

The oarsman spotted Daphne and doffed his hat with a dignified bow.

Daphne curtsied in return.

Calvados watched his lovely daughter, then glanced up at the wedding hall as they joined the gondola line.

“It really is… grand enough to impress even the invited guests.”

“Right, Dad? I wonder how beautiful the ceremony itself will be!”

Daphne squeezed her father’s hand as they gazed at the venue.

In the middle of the lake, a building as grand as a temple gleamed white.

No—like a floating sky garden, it hovered high above the ground.

As expected of a family whose signature magic was gravity magic.

“How did they ever think to suspend an entire building in midair?”

Daphne marveled.

But that wasn’t the only surprise.

“Ah! Look over there—it’s just like the newspaper said, the boats are really flying through the sky!”

The gondola that had been gliding across the moat slowly rose into the air.

“In zero gravity, water doesn’t flow, right? It just forms beads, like droplets?”

Daphne pointed to the water supporting the gondola below.

“It’s like carrying it in a transparent bowl.”

She smiled brightly.

“I can’t wait to ride it myself!”

Those waiting in line also looked eager, excited to experience the wondrous gondola.

But Calvados could not simply enjoy it.

Impossible.

He was stunned.

Because that magic… belonged to House Marinnest.

Daphne thought the effect came from gravity magic, but that wasn’t true.

If gravity were reduced enough to float a gondola, the water would have to form into nearly perfect spheres.

In other words, for the water to form a hemisphere, as if cupped in a hand, one would need to use water magic—specifically, “surface tension.”

This was the house that had even revived lost weather magic. I could concede that they might have rediscovered the fundamentals of water magic, like surface tension, somehow.

Water magic was rooted in nature, after all.

It was possible that through research they could have arrived at such a conclusion.

And surface tension did have some relationship with gravity.

But this form… it’s exactly the same as what our family uses.

In zero gravity, water droplets are not stable—they wobble and ripple.

But the boundary of the water supporting the gondola now was rigid and firm.

How on earth…

Calvados stared, slack-jawed, at the gondola drifting toward the floating hall.

Meanwhile, Daphne was watching him nervously.

He hasn’t realized… has he?

Her mouth went dry.

Because the one who had taught the Grand Duchy the basics of water magic—was none other than Daphne herself.

She swallowed hard, recalling what had happened at Marquis Babylon’s estate.

Shameless.

Calvados had been questioning Renard about her kidnapping, while Ellia had stepped aside to talk with Cedric.

At that moment, Kaliv had approached Daphne.

He pointed at her nose and said,

“…You.”

“…Me?”

“Who else?”

Only then did Daphne realize, from his icy tone, that Kaliv had been mocking her.

Even if you are the Grand Duke’s heir, your words are too harsh.

Too harsh? Looks to me like your skin is plenty thick enough to handle it.

Kaliv gave a cold, derisive laugh.

Offended, Daphne had been about to leave to find Ellia—

—but Kaliv’s next words made her stop in her tracks.

“Because of you, my brother was cursed.”

His voice was tight with barely contained rage.

“And yet you, your father, and even the Imperial family only rejoice that the Crown Prince is safe. My brother could die at any moment.”

Daphne had no words.

“Fortunately, Ellia saved us. By marrying her, my brother becomes part of the family, and gains access to the Sanctuary of Knowledge.”

“Then isn’t that fine? Why are you saying this to me?”

Daphne retorted sharply.

Like someone angry at being accused after committing no crime.

But Kaliv responded as though he had expected her reaction.

“And Ellia is going to marry my brother. How dare you… pretend to be close to her?”

His clenched fists trembled.

And then Daphne realized—Kaliv was jealous of her.

At the same time, she sensed the advantage shift to her.

With a mocking smile, she said,

“Ellia chose to help me. If you don’t like it, take it up with her…”

“I already told you. Ellia will marry my brother. Because she loves him.”

Kaliv cut her off mid-sentence.

Daphne frowned.

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“She may have helped you in a desperate moment, but you—the one who cursed the man she loves—”

Daphne gasped.

“—how long do you think Ellia will keep cherishing you?”

Kaliv’s crimson eyes gleamed.