USML 14

Chapter 14

“Perri.”

“Huh?”

Perri had one arm draped over the rim of his teacup and looked up in confusion.

Fairies originally have no names. “Perri” was a name I gave him after hearing that fairies are often named based on their temperament.

Because he resembled a peridot, I called him “Perri.” At first, he scoffed and said he didn’t like it, but before long, he stopped responding when I called him “fairy” and would only answer when I used his name. It seemed he’d grown quite fond of it.

Ah—there was one strange thing after the contract. Perri, who had been genderless, gained a gender. When a fairy forms a contract with a human, it takes on the opposite sex of its contractor.

Perhaps because of that, Perri’s physique became more solid than before, and his voice grew deeper. His jawline sharpened, tendons standing out clearly. He felt unfamiliar at first, but with time, I grew used to it.

“Hey, if you called me, say something, human!”

Well, his personality hadn’t changed at all. I got up from the bed and walked toward Perri.

“So refreshing!”

At that moment, Perri flapped his wings and flew up. As he shook his wet wings dry, tea splashed onto my face.

Hey—tea’s splashing. I was about to nag him but shut my mouth tight. I was the one asking for a favor now, so I’d endure it.

Perri dried himself with magic and combed his hair with his personal comb. He glanced at my hair and puckered his lips.

“Hmph, looks like that kid—Dorai or Dona or whatever—takes good care of you.”

“It’s Dona, not Dorai.”

Perri stared at my hair with jealous eyes. As if he hadn’t been picking on Dona just the other day.

“It’s tangled again!”

When the comb wouldn’t go through my hair, he grumbled and threw it aside. What a temper. I shook my head.

“Sniff sniff.”

Suddenly, Perri leaned in and sniffed my hair like a dog.

“Sniff, sniff. It smells nice.”

“Were you about to say it smells like fertilizer again?”

“I’m not denying it. It’s not your hair, but there’s a strange smell coming from your vitality.”

Why, you little—! I slumped into a chair like someone who’d lost all strength and rested my chin on my hand.

“Want some perfume?”

Perri’s eyes sharpened warily.

“Human, why are you being scary?”

“It’s time for you to help me, Perri.”

Looking slightly frightened, Perri bent forward as if ready to bolt at any moment. Then he crouched down on all fours, watching me carefully.

“W-what is it?”

Creeping forward, Perri picked up the comb that had fallen near the edge of the table. Even now, he’s worried about the comb. I asked him a question I’d been wanting to ask for a while.

“You can erase a human’s memories, right?”

“Hmm, I can. But judging by my accumulated mana, I think I can only do it to one person, so I was saving it.”

“For me?”

“Of course!”

“Should I just sell you off?”

“You greedy human!”

Who’s calling whom greedy? Hah. I pressed my temple and sighed, and only then did Perri realize this was serious. He scratched his head, flew up, and perched on my shoulder.

“Ugh… I want to help, but I can’t. Unless a human harms a fairy, I can’t freely use my mana. Erasing memories also damages the mind and body, you know.”

So it really wasn’t possible. I lowered my head and muttered,

“Then at least make the proposal never have happened.”

“A proposal? A proposal as in humans pairing up and living together?”

“Yes.”

“Human, you’re getting married?!”

Perri gaped and covered his face with both hands.

“I need to buy new clothes!”

Why are you going down that route? If you think about it, Perri is quite extravagant.

To calm Perri, who kept insisting on going out with me, I’d bring him merchant flyers whenever I went out. Of course, on the way back, I also had to buy him snacks or gifts.

This is all my fault for indulging him.

“A human wedding, wow…”

Above Perri’s head, fluffy clouds of fantasy began to form. His cheeks flushed red as he squirmed. I waved my hand firmly to stop his imagination.

“I’m not getting married.”

“What?”

As Perri snapped back to his senses, his fantasy seemed to pop like a balloon.

“Human, what’s wrong with you?”

He spread his arms and shrugged dramatically, like a Hollywood actor.

“Think about it. Who else would accept a human with flaws in every possible area like you?”

Under the table, I clenched my fist tightly. Guess I really named you well, Perri… I’ll beat you to a pulp. Perri let out a deep sigh and turned his face away.

“Humans are foolish, after all.”

After that, Perri muttered to himself, lamenting the foolish choices humans make.

“Perri, aren’t you tired? You said you sleep twenty hours a day. Lately, it doesn’t seem like you do.”

“Yeah! These days I get energy from you, human, so I’m overflowing with strength!”

“Then go out.”

“…Huh?”

I pinched the back of Perri’s neck with my fingers and headed toward the window.

“Hey, human! Let go of me! You think I’ll just let this slide?!”

“Go earn your snack money.”

I opened the window and tossed Perri outside as he struggled wildly to escape.

“Aaah!”

Spinning like a wagon wheel, Perri flew far away. I closed the window and dusted off my hands in satisfaction.

“Ah, it’s finally quiet.”

Dragging my aching body, I headed to the bed. As I lay down, Perri’s careless words suddenly came back to me.

“Telling me to get married when I’m supposed to be rejecting someone…”

In the Empire, there is an unwritten rule regarding proposals. Among the nobility, marriages fall into two categories: those between lovers who share feelings and promise marriage, and political or economic marriages arranged for strategic purposes.

Therefore, unless the families are already on friendly terms, it is customary not to send a proposal to someone with whom you have no prior connection. A one-sided proposal is considered an insult to the other family, often leading to conflict or damage to one’s reputation in high society.

Yet Evan managed to do exactly that difficult thing.

In a rigid class society, when the suitor’s rank is higher, it is hard to refuse unless the other party has some serious fault.

Evan Dustin—who was he, if not the most desirable groom in the Empire?

There had been rumors that he was a bloodthirsty man who willingly entered battlefields, but those rumors would have vanished without a trace after the banquet.

The current emperor had been very close to the previous Duke of Dustin and, upon ascending the throne, cut out the roots of political corruption and strengthened imperial authority.

That wasn’t all. Evan expanded the Empire’s territory with the fall of the Kingdom of Nawat, and he demonstrated the strength of the military and the solidity of border defenses.

He was the youngest duke to earn distinguished merit, and a favored vassal of the emperor whose authority was the strongest in history. To reject his proposal? That would be like kicking away a blessing that had rolled right to your feet.

Still, it wasn’t as if there were no options at all. If the recipient of a proposal has disqualifying flaws as a spouse, or simply does not favor the suitor, rejection is possible—

—but only after letting a certain amount of time pass. In the end, is this the only way?

“It’ll take some time.”

The proposal had to be withdrawn before it became public, so that there would be no strain on the relationship between Sherry and Evan. Only then could I live with peace of mind.

“Better to get hit first.”

I pulled the bell rope by the bed and called for Dona. A little later, Dona entered with a bright smile.

“Dona.”

“You called, miss? You should change your clothes before sleeping, right?”

“Wait.”

I stopped her, took a quill and paper from the bedside drawer, and wrote quickly. After leaving a short message in Imperial script, I handed it to Dona and whispered as if issuing a royal decree.

“Send a letter to the Duke of Dustin’s household by carrier pigeon.”

Dona accepted the letter with a dazed expression.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

I waved my hand as if dismissing her and lay back down on the bed.

Time to rest. The riding club, the book club, arguing with Perri—it was enough to wear anyone out.

Lying down, I blinked slowly up at Dona. After even letting out a lazy, catlike yawn, my mind grew hazy. As my vision faded, I saw Dona standing there awkwardly, holding the letter.

Just before falling asleep, I thought—

I hope Dona delivers the letter secretly, just as I asked.

“Ugh, it’s noisy.”

At some point, the servants’ movements grew hectic. As time passed, their footsteps became more hurried and their voices louder—loud enough to reach me as I slept in my room.

What on earth is going on? Scratching my head, I got out of bed.

“Oh no!”

“Should we wake the miss? We should, right?”

“Wait, maybe we can handle this ourselves!”

“But the master isn’t here either!”

Their voices were loud enough that I could hear everything from my room. When I opened the door groggily, Dona and several servants were pacing anxiously outside.

“What are you all doing there?”

“M-Miss!”

They jumped in place like startled cats.

“Dona, what’s going on?”

“Miss, I’m sorry to disturb your rest, but a guest has arrived quite suddenly.”

“A guest?”

Dona approached carefully and whispered,

“His Grace, the Duke of Dustin, has come to visit.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and fidgeted with her fingers as she explained.

“I—I’m sorry. I think I made a mistake. I sent the letter right away, but… Miss?”

I hurried forward. Hearing the creak of wood, I rushed down the stairs toward the central hall.

When I stepped outside the mansion’s main doors, the servants were lined up, bowing deeply. In the middle of them, the butler stood facing a man with an imposing presence, wiping cold sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

The butler spoke hesitantly, clearly troubled.

“Y-Your Grace, I apologize, but the master of the house is away—”

“There is more than just Count Zendelin Feard in this residence. I believe I said I came by invitation.”

My goodness. Recognizing the identity of the imposing man, I took a deep breath.

Yes, that face. The face that made me feel rapture when no other man ever satisfied me—so handsome it almost made me laugh in disbelief.

Perhaps frustrated by the meaningless exchange with the butler, the man’s perfectly composed features twisted slightly. After a moment, he sensed my intense gaze and slowly lifted his eyes. His blue pupils widened briefly, then settled.

“Basil.”

Those cold blue eyes swept over me from head to toe, examining my unfamiliar attire. He let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“No… it seems I should call you Lady Vanessa.”

Evan Dustin—he had come to see me.