Chapter 26

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: A Sad Affair
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“There are two ships.”

The man from Cartiel and Mirta wouldn’t be using separate ships, let alone separate rooms.

It was the moment I raised an eyebrow.

—Fwoosh!

“Huh?”

One of the two ships burst into flames.

…What could possibly cause a fire to suddenly break out in the middle of the sea?

All the while, the water I controlled swiftly guided our boat toward the deserted island.

And as we drew closer, the sight that came into view nearly made me forget to slow down.

It was because someone I never expected to see here was standing there.

“…Diello?”

It was Diello.

He was dressed in a pristine white shirt and jet-black uniform trousers.

His uniform jacket was nowhere to be seen, perhaps taken off because of the heat.

He stood with a beret in his left hand, tilting it to shield his eyes from the sun.

In his other hand, he lightly held a longsword.

And from that sword, something red was dripping.

“…”

I watched as Diello turned to face me.

Was it because we had crossed the deep sea, or was it because of the red blood splattered on his cheek?

His light-colored eyes looked exceptionally deep and dark.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his cheek and his sword.

“…Diello?”

Sword in hand, he slowly approached me.

As I stepped off the boat and onto the sandy beach, the scene became clearer.

The person he was leaving behind him was, unmistakably, Mirta.

Mirta was already dead.

It was the moment it became clear who Diello’s sword had cut down.

And next to Mirta, a stranger lay collapsed.

He didn’t seem to be breathing and looked like one of the Cartiel men.

“…”

I looked from them back to Diello.

Up close, his eyes seemed different from usual.

Most of all, he, too, looked as though he had never expected to meet me here.

“…How did you get here?”

His voice was a little subdued.

My eyes still fixed on the blood spatter on his cheek, I answered.

“I received a report from your office that Mirta’s contract was burning… But.”

How was Diello here?

Hadn’t he departed for the sea?

Did he hear the news and come straight here?

Then again, if he had set out to sea, catching up with Mirta by water wouldn’t have been difficult.

But…

I couldn’t continue.

The sight of him holding a sword was foreign to me.

Yet it looked so utterly natural on him.

“…Ah.”

Noticing my gaze had shifted back to Mirta, he put on the beret he had been using to block the sun.

Then, he unfolded a handkerchief and used it to cover my eyes.

Whether he knew that a small drop of blood had stained the corner of the white cloth was anyone’s guess.

“I’ve shown you something unpleasant, Croire.”

I could feel warmth through the handkerchief covering my eyes.

No, perhaps it was heat.

After a moment of silence, Diello spoke again.

“I didn’t expect you to come, Croire.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here either, Diello.”

The reply that was about to tumble out got stuck in my throat.

To be precise, I never expected to see a sight like this.

Let alone with my own eyes.

Of course, he was a family head, and he was the one who had signed that bloody contract, so I suppose I should have thought it possible.

But seeing it in person was far more…

“…”

Just then, Diello took a step toward me and gently pulled me into his arms.

With just enough force not to aggravate my bruised areas, he turned my body slightly to the side.

So that Mirta was no longer in my direct line of sight.

Then, he removed the handkerchief from my eyes.

The first thing to fill my vision once the handkerchief was gone was Diello’s distorted face.

“Fulfilling a contract is a sad affair. One writes them hoping they will never be broken.”

An expression of regret surfaced on Diello’s face.

But the bloodstain did not disappear.

“—Thank you for coming all this way for me, Croire.”

He cupped my cheek with the hand holding the handkerchief.

“Mirta’s business is Argenta’s business.”

His fingertips wiped away the seawater that had splashed onto my cheek.

He gave a fragile smile.

“I’m sorry to have shown you such a grim sight.”

I was beginning to get confused whether he was referring to Mirta’s state or his own.

“Croire.”

He then called my name in a whisper.

His voice was calm and composed.

The tranquil voice of someone who didn’t seem to have just killed a person.

“Yes.”

At my response, he tilted his head slightly.

“You also said you would be leaving this place, didn’t you, Croire?”

His tone was the same as always.

But if I shifted my gaze just a little, Mirta would be there.

…Her life taken by his sword.

Executing a traitor is a matter of course.

It is a duty that rightfully falls to Diello, the head of Argenta, and it was stipulated as such in the contract.

It was natural, of course it was, but…

Was this who Diello Argenta was?

“…I did.”

I answered slowly.

“But I won’t be running my mouth about Argenta like that.”

There would be no reason for us to meet under such unpleasant circumstances.

I looked him straight in the eye.

Diello listened to me, then said abruptly.

“Just stay, Croire.”

“Pardon?”

He smiled radiantly.

“You’ve come to know about Argenta as well. Our Argenta, which moves differently from the other families.”

He held out his hand.

“You belong in Argenta, Croire.”

—Drip.

At that moment, the blood that had beaded on the tip of his sword fell, staining the sand.

The crimson hue quickly vanished into the sand, disappearing without a trace, as if only a single drop of water had fallen.

“It’s not just me; many in Argenta want you, Croire.”

Diello’s soft words continued.

“So please, become an Argenta.”

“That’s—”

That was a settled matter.

No, it was a matter that never needed to be started.

Because once the real Pero appeared, I would no longer be the Duchess of Argenta.

Not only that, but for Diello to fully awaken and defeat Alloje, I couldn't afford to get in the way of his relationship with the real Pero.

But Diello gently cut me off.

“I will persuade Pero.”

For some reason, the word “persuade” sounded particularly jarring.

Diello smiled.

“I trust you, Croire. Because you, too, are someone who knows the rules of Argenta.”

His words brought one phrase to mind.

“…Do, or do not.”

At my words, Diello smiled beautifully again.

“Yes, Croire.”

As if I had given the correct answer. He extended his hand to me.

“Will you become an Argenta?”

Of course, I can’t go back to Alloje.

I have no intention of going back.

Becoming an Argenta isn’t a bad choice.

…If only he can fully awaken.

“…Diello.”

Just as I was about to say something, Diello continued in a gentle voice.

“Pero’s opinion doesn’t matter, Croire.”

His words flowed on.

“I can make it so that it doesn’t matter, Croire.”

Into the brief silence, a strange remark was added.

It was the moment I parted my lips slightly.

Diello’s fingertips brushed against my hand.

“Will you become an Argenta, or…”

His blue eyes were softly veiled by his sorrowfully downturned eyelids.

The shadow cast by his eyelashes made his blue irises seem dark.

“…will you make me sad?”