Chapter 29 - Departure
"Does that mean... with your family, Claude?"
Startled by Claude’s words, Opal pulled herself forcefully from his arms. Then she stared at him intently and posed her question. Claude gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"Not quite. I want you to marry me."
Opal touched her ear, wondering if she had misheard. Not that it helped her understand anything. Seeing her obvious confusion, Claude pressed on.
"I love you, Opal. I have for a very long time. But I felt so unworthy that I never intended to confess. Still, I did ask the Count for your hand in marriage twice before."
"That was..."
"You heard from the Count, didn’t you?"
"Yes... just the other day..."
"The other day, huh... That’s not very flattering..."
Opal’s heart was so full from Claude’s confession that she couldn’t manage a proper reply. Of course, she had been happy when her father told her, but regret over her own foolishness, along with the thought that it might just be pity, had prevented her from feeling pure joy. But now, Claude had told her he loved her. That was enough. That made her happy.
"At the time, I thought I was following the proper procedure. But I’ve since realized I just didn't have the courage to confess to you directly. So this time, I’ll say it to you myself. As many times as it takes. Opal, marry me."
"...That’s... impossible."
"Is it too audacious of me, after all this time?"
"It’s not that. But..."
"But what? Is it impossible because we’re friends?"
Claude’s proposal brought her an unbelievable amount of joy. She felt a power welling up inside her, so much so that she felt she could leap off the great boulder. Even so, Opal lowered her eyes and, summoning all her reason, refused. But Claude would not back down.
"Do you dislike me?"
"Of course not!"
"Then do you love me?"
"...Claude, we’re not children to be having this kind of immature back and forth—!?"
Opal’s attempt to reason with him was cut short when Claude suddenly kissed her. Her first kiss with Claude was so pleasant that for a moment, she wondered if this was what a real kiss felt like, before she came to her senses.
"Claude!"
"Did you not like it?"
"—Th, this place has a very good view, you know!"
"I know. It’s a convenient landmark from anywhere, isn’t it?"
"So what are we going to do if someone sees us!"
"What, are you worried about your reputation?"
"I don’t have a reputation to worry about. But you have to get married someday, Claude, so..."
Claude paid no mind to Opal’s protests. A mixture of anger and sadness caused Opal’s vigor to wane, and Claude pulled her into his arms once more.
"I’m marrying you, so everyone will overlook a little something like this."
"...Hey, were you listening to me?"
"I heard you loud and clear. You've always hated lying, Opal. Whenever you have to, you avert your eyes and change the subject. So that means you love me and want to marry me, right?"
Her feelings laid bare, Opal pushed Claude away and hastily tried to flee. But the footing on the rock was unstable, and just as she jumped down from the large boulder onto a slightly larger one used as a foothold, Claude caught her.
"Don’t be reckless, Opal. We’re both not as fit as we used to be. You said so yourself, didn’t you?"
"I did. That’s why... it’s impossible."
"What is?"
Though not as much as when they climbed up, they were both slightly out of breath. But the reason Opal’s heart was pounding so violently was because Claude was holding her even tighter than before. She wanted to be released from this torture, but it seemed Claude had no intention of letting her go.
"Claude, you’ve become a Marquis... You need an heir, don’t you? But I’m almost twenty-seven, and children are—"
"What I need is Opal, not an heir. What I want is Opal, not an heir. Understood?"
"That’s not the issue."
"It is the issue. You’re as stubborn as ever. Just say you’ll marry me."
"I won’t."
Something that hadn't bothered her so much with Hubert felt intensely important with Claude. If she could, she wanted to bear the child of the man she loved, Claude’s child. But her age made her afraid. And yet, Claude refused to yield.
"Alright. Then I’ll just renounce my title as Marquis."
"That’s not alright! If you do that, what will your mother, what will your family think! And besides, you’ve surely become a fine lord. Your people would be in trouble!"
"But if you won’t marry me, then I’ll be the one in trouble."
Opal’s anger was no match for Claude, who was proposing something so outrageous. Claude, too, was plenty stubborn, though he didn't seem to realize it.
"You know, I have a small piece of land I have to manage. I even got a dog recently, and there are so many other things I need to do—"
"Then I’ll live here with you, Opal, and go back there from time to time."
"In that case, I should be the one to come back here from time to time, shouldn’t I?"
"Alright, let’s do that. It’s settled."
Her attempts to persuade Claude were fruitless. Worse, when she found herself reflexively retorting to his nonchalant solution, it was immediately declared a settled matter.
"Wait a minute, Claude. I haven't said I’ll marry you yet."
"But you will, won’t you? So look at me, Opal."
This time, even if she wanted to escape, she couldn't. She was still held firmly in his arms. Cornered, Opal finally surrendered and raised her head. When she did, Claude smiled happily, the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, which hadn't been there in his youth, crinkling. Feeling a bit vexed, Opal revealed her trump card.
"The dog I got is named Claude."
"...Can we change his name?"
"No. He’s a mischievous one and still in training, but he’s already learned his own name. It’s true what they say, the more trouble they are, the cuter they become."
"...I’ll accept it."
Seeing Claude sigh in resignation, Opal laughed. In response, Claude feigned a grimace, then hugged her tightly and kissed her again. And this time, Opal understood that this was a real kiss. It seemed Claude had been holding back in that place with the all-too-perfect view.
*
Opal, along with Nadia, was giddy with excitement on her first sea voyage. And on her first visit to a foreign land, she was simply overwhelmed by the prosperity of Taisey Kingdom. They would travel from the port to the Royal Capital by passenger train. The country had always been powerful, but it was hard to believe it had been ravaged by plague and civil war eight years ago. It had developed so much. She thought she understood the extent of the country’s technological prowess from her experience with Mantest, but it seemed she had been naive. It was no wonder, then, that high society had been in an uproar when the engagement between Opal and the Marquis Rousel of Taisey Kingdom was announced.
After the announcement, a flood of invitations began arriving for Opal, who had finally started to live a quiet life. However, the ulterior motive of getting closer to Marquis Rousel was transparent in all of them, and she and Claude had laughed as they sent out refusals to every single one. It seemed no one had yet realized that Claude, the third son of a Baron's family, was Marquis Rousel, as not a single invitation had arrived addressed to him.
Hubert was in a similar state of confusion, and had apparently asked her father several times how the two of them had become so close. But her father had refused to answer at all, reportedly advising him that Opal’s personal affairs were no longer his concern and that he should focus on himself and his future family. Hubert had been utterly crestfallen ever since. While some in high society were indulging in vulgar speculation, Opal and Claude had decided to ignore it all.
(I'm not looking forward to it, but I’ll have to start making appearances in that country’s social circles, and I’ll probably have opportunities to see the Duke again. They’ll find out the Marquis Rousel’s true identity eventually, I suppose...)
Opal was an investor in Mantest, so her ties with Hubert were not completely severed. Moreover, she had just launched an organization for women, so she would have to attend social gatherings to solicit donations. She decided she could have any necessary conversations then. Just as she thought this, the train arrived at the station. After alighting, Opal's party separated from the Baron and his wife, climbing into the three carriages the Marquisate had prepared. Claude joined Opal, Nadia, and Dog Claude in their carriage for the journey to the Rousel Marquisate's residence in the Royal Capital.
As the carriage began to move, Opal and Nadia could do nothing but marvel at the cityscape visible from the window. Dog Claude, perhaps because he had been cooped up in a cage on the ship and train, was sprawled out on the seat, resting his chin on Claude’s knee. The human Claude remained silent for a while with a complicated expression on his face, but then he remembered something he needed to discuss before the wedding and spoke up.
"Come to think of it, I forgot to mention, but when I decided to return to my home country this time, I told His Majesty that I wouldn't be coming back to Taisey until my childhood friend agreed to marry me."
Claude's sudden confession startled Opal, pulling her attention back inside the carriage. Nadia, whether out of consideration or lack of interest, kept her gaze fixed out the window.
"...What did you plan to do about your parents?"
"They’re all adults, they can manage on their own as long as the arrangements are made. More importantly, I was planning to court you patiently this time, without any hesitation. I thought a lot about how I could move beyond being just a childhood friend. Well, if it really didn't work out, I was prepared to kidnap you and bring you to this country anyway, and then start courting you again."
"Claude... kidnapping is a serious crime."
"It’s fine. His Majesty said, ‘In that case, bring that childhood friend back, even if you have to kidnap her.’"
"...And I had heard that the King of Taisey Kingdom was such a respectable man."
"He is a respectable man. Anyway, on to the main topic."
"There’s more?"
"It's no big deal. As a condition for leaving the country, His Majesty is going to grant me the title of Duke when I return. I tried to refuse, but with the number of nobles reduced by the previous turmoil, he says there are titles to spare."
"I don’t think ‘sparing’ is the issue here... So, you’re going to be a Duke, Claude?"
"In this country, yes. Which means you, Opal, will be a Duchess again. The fief will be even larger, but it would be a great help if you could manage it with me."
"Of course... I’ll do my best, but... I’m anxious."
"There’s no need to worry. We can handle it together, right? Besides, you’re skilled at managing a fief, Opal. I’m a lucky man."
"...Becoming a Duke and getting a larger fief... that is a big deal..."
While Opal was still reeling from what she had just heard, the carriage arrived at the Rousel Marquisate's residence. As she stepped down from the carriage with Claude's help, she saw the Baron’s wife, who had arrived earlier, having an emotional reunion with the familiar butler and servants. Claude must have decided to leave his family matters to his mother, for he began to explain things as he stood beside Opal, who was looking up at the residence. Dog Claude was frolicking about, running up and down the stairs.
"This has been the Rousel family’s residence in the capital since they were Counts, and half the servants are the same. But, and I feel bad for my mother, it was a bit inconvenient, so I had it renovated in a modern style."
"...It’s very, lovely."
"I’m glad you think so. But living here might be different, so if there’s anything you’re not happy with, just let me know anytime. I’ll have it fixed again."
As Opal gazed up at the Rousel residence, the image of the Duke McLeod's mansion, which she had looked up at on the day of their separation, floated in her mind. Her reply was distracted, but Claude's next words brought her back to the present.
"I’m sure I won’t have any complaints. And... the attic rooms look quite comfortable, too."
"Ah. Even for an attic, I thought it would be more pleasant to have large windows if it was going to be used as a room."
"You’re right. There’s no doubt about that."
Opal answered with confidence, turning to Claude with a radiant smile. Seeing her expression, Claude raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Knowing her well, he seemed to sense there was a hidden meaning.
"I was just thinking it might be fun to hole up in the attic room from time to time."
"Then I’ll hole up there with you."
Unfazed by Opal’s words, Claude replied with a grin. His very Claude-like response made Opal laugh out loud. It was true. With Claude, no matter what the future held, she was sure they could enjoy it together.
Her memories, her stubborn insistence on living in the attic, she could tell him about all that eventually. Claude would surely just laugh it off and listen. So for now, all she needed to do was look forward. A smile still on her face, Opal walked with Claude, step by step, up the stairs to the residence where they would live together.