AUTHOR’S PREFACE TO CHAPTER 7
This chapter is from William’s point of view.
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William Erlanger was the young head of House Erlanger.
His parents had died in a rockslide accident a little over three years ago. William had protected the ducal house by himself ever since.
When his father was the head of the family, House Erlanger had been called a disgrace to the Seven Great Ducal Housesāa family that lined its pockets through wicked deeds.
His father should have been arrested many times over, but the man possessed enough cunning to evade every investigation. Then one day, a rockslide struck his carriage and he never returned.
After his parents’ deaths, the ducal house had been left with a veritable mountain of problems.
William had long regarded his father’s conduct with bitterness. Since inheriting the title, he had worked to restore the family to what it should have been, always placing the people of his territory first.
His efforts had borne fruit. His reputation among the people had recently improved, and others were beginning to acknowledge that he was fulfilling his responsibilities as the head of one of the Seven Great Ducal Houses.
In other words, he was both capable and trusted.
Yet even so, William encountered situations he could not begin to understand surprisingly often.
Unfortunate as ever, he now stared into the distance as he recalled his first meeting with the group that had arrived to protect him during the Crown Prince Selection.
“What in the world was that earlier…?”
One of the guards he had met in the study bore the same name as his former wife.
Lelia was not an extraordinarily rare name. He tried to accept that fact and redirect his thoughts, yet an unshakable sense of incongruity remained.
(Her appearance is completely different… and yet something about her expressions reminds me of Lelia.)
Pierrick, William’s steward and personal attendant, had known him since childhood. He gave William a gentle smile.
“She shared your former wife’s name. It made me remember those days as well. How nostalgic.”
“But she is a different person. There is no reason for concern. Even accounting for the fact that a mage must use their true name to cast magic, there is no possibility that the two Lelias are the same woman. The Lelia we met today was dispatched by the Royal Bureau. Her appearance is completely different, and she is someone worthy of trust.”
William spoke as though trying to convince himself. Pierrick smiled knowingly.
“I am not concerned. If anything, I am disappointed that she is someone else.”
William gave him a baleful stare, then sighed.
“Do you remember what happened when I divorced Lelia three years ago?”
“Yes. I was not present, but it was the day she fell down the stairs with Lady Catherine, your childhood friend, and you brought up divorce immediately afterward.”
“Yes. I believed Catherine had been ordered by House Garcia to assassinate Lelia, so I divorced her to send her somewhere safe.”
“There certainly were many relatives threatening you to kill Lady Lelia or drive her away at the time.”
Pierrick’s words drew William back into his memories.
The rumors of his former wife’s eccentric behavior had indeed reached even the most distant relatives of House Erlanger. Every family that supported the ducal house and shared its interests demanded that he do something about Lelia. More specifically, they clamored for him to kill her at once because her extraordinary foolishness made her dangerous.
(But even if I was forced to marry her by royal command, how could I subject a woman who became my wife to something so cruel?)
In other words, William had divorced Lelia partly to protect her.
When he ended their marriage, he had deliberately used the harsh words “I can’t love a foolish woman” so those around him would not realize his true purpose.
As William fell silent, Pierrick continued.
“…Even so, what does it mean that you kept Lady Lelia in the mansion for half a year, despite all the trouble she caused, until the apparent assassination attempt?”
“Pierrick?”
William’s cheek twitched at the remark, which he could hardly ignore. But Pierrick remained in excellent spirits.
“You have always been exceptionally attentive, Young Master. Ha ha ha.”
“…Enough.”
William stopped him twice and glared, but his elderly steward and attendant refused to relent.
“Lady Lelia was such a charming young womanāadorable and impossible to hate. I was very fond of her too. I wonder where she is and what she is doing now. I would dearly like to see her again.”
“…I said nothing then, and I am saying nothing now. Be quiet.”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Although William looked profoundly displeased, the faint color in his cheeks did not escape Pierrick. The older man smiled as though fondly watching his own grandchild. Then, still wearing his gentle expression, he lowered his voice.
“Young Master, has there been any change in the future you see through your ćBlessingć?”
William closed his eyes at the old man’s question.
“…There is probably no change. The mere appearance of a guard who shares my former wife’s name will not alter the ‘ending’ I can see.”
