380 - Leonardo's Perspective - Behind Rannvald
...Ah, this is bad.
It's not like I can really put it into words, but the moment I was introduced to this person named Rannvald and stood face to face with him, some kind of line was drawn within me. An alarm went off in my head telling me I must not get involved with this person any further, and though I think this is extremely rare for me, I found myself feeling bad at dealing with someone I'd just met. When this feeling of being bad at dealing with someone arises in me, it's usually when a woman has taken a liking to me and won't leave me alone. It's a reaction I almost never have toward a first meeting, and especially not toward a man.
But it seemed I was the only one who felt uneasy with the other party. Upon meeting face to face, Rannvald's black eyes widened slightly, and immediately his expression showed joy. If I had to pick a similar face, it would be Alfred when he's faced with Alf. Now that the two have switched places, or rather, as they themselves would say, returned to their original positions, things have settled down, but Prince Alfred, who used to cling to Alf with a beaming face full of joy, and Rannvald right now wore the same expression.
The emotions I could read from his expression were joy and unwavering favor.
For a moment I felt like bewilderment was mixed in too, but maybe it was my imagination. No sooner had we exchanged greetings and given our names than Rannvald spread both arms wide and hugged me. With a welcome as if deepening a bond with an old friend, I had no memory of ever receiving such an embrace, so I tried offering up Alfred, who should be Rannvald's relative, as a substitute. Perhaps accustomed to Christoph, Alfred showed no mercy toward his overly affectionate uncle. Grabbing Rannvald's forehead firmly with one hand and peeling him off, he tossed Rannvald with a flick toward the two silver-white knights he'd called over as guards. Karl and Reinart caught Rannvald's body without trouble, but Rannvald, having been caught, was not at all deterred. No sooner had he straightened himself up than he charged at me again with both arms spread wide, and this time Alf, who had stepped out in front of Alfred, tripped him and pinned him to the floor.
If this had been the Alf of before, I would have praised him for such an accustomed response, but the one doing it was Alf, who had been on the receiving end of being treated like Alfred. The two's switching was so perfect that only I and Rannvald seemed to have noticed that Alf and Alfred had swapped places.
"...Lord Ran-whatsit, even between men, if you try to hug someone the moment you meet them, you'll be disliked."
"As for that, it's the same whether it's a daughter of marriageable age or a son. It's normal to think your dad is annoying."
"I never thought you'd go for a hug the second you met."
"As expected of Lord Christoph's younger brother. That's way too impetuous."
Reprimanded by the two Alfreds from both sides, Rannvald seemed to reflect on his actions. He cleared his throat, stood up, straightened his posture, started to spread his arms again, then thought better of it.
"Ahh, so this is the first time we've met face to face. Leonardo... is it Leonardo? The name's different, isn't it? What happened to the name your mother gave you?"
With his black eyes sparkling with expectation and his arms still raised as if demanding a hug, I couldn't hide my bewilderment. From Rannvald's expression, it wasn't the look you'd give a man of your age meeting for the first time, and his words were ominous. My mother should have no connection at all to Rannvald, who was royalty.
...Huh? How does he know that Leonardo is not the name my parents gave me?
And for that matter, he was certain that my previous name was given by my mother. If it was just the name Leonardo that was given to me later, that's part of the story so he might know about it. But even so, he shouldn't be able to be certain that my previous name was decided by my mother.
...Ah, so that's it.
I think I understand the nature of the unease I felt the moment we met. What I felt right after meeting was just intuition, but now it's changed into a premonition. Rannvald knows my mother, or perhaps my father. Or he was in a position very close to one of them. Tina told me he looked like me, and looking at Rannvald's face from the front, he really does resemble me. We're not identical like Alf and Alfred, but Rannvald and I share a similar overall atmosphere.
...If I remember correctly, Rannvald-sama supposedly died of illness eighteen years ago...?
I think he was about sixteen at his time of death. With such a similar atmosphere, it might have been inevitable that Christoph took an interest in me as soon as I started coming to the royal castle as a knight. Someone with a similar atmosphere to his lost brother, close to the age he was lost, had appeared before him. Watching over me, healthy unlike the Rannvald recorded in history as sickly, must have also served to heal Christoph's grieving heart, as if his younger brother were still alive.
...Age-wise, I don't think he could be my father, though.
Given how similar we are, my father might be in the bloodline of Ethelbert or his wife. Unpleasant sweat ran down my back. I'd wondered about my younger siblings, but I'd avoided thinking about my mother. I'd always assumed I simply had no father. And before me was someone who might be able to reach out to one of them.
Under Rannvald's gaze as he stared at me with an expectant face, I felt uncomfortable and my throat went dry. I wanted to shout back that I didn't know the name my mother gave me, but it was probably better to answer what I'd been asked.
"Leonardo is the name my name-giver gave me."
I don't know where or how Rannvald lived after leaving the royal castle, but my life story, which had even become a tale, didn't seem to be that famous. Come to think of it, Tina hadn't known my name either. Though in Tina's case, she was born in a village without even a Menhishumi Church, so it wasn't strange for her not to enjoy stories as a form of entertainment.
"...Leonardo is a child who was sold by his parents and about to be made a slave, but was rescued by a White Knight and entrusted to an orphanage in the capital."
Just as I was thinking it would be troublesome to explain, Alfred explained to Rannvald instead. He was simply stating the facts concisely, but even as I listened, I felt a slight discomfort mixed into Alfred's words. I'd told Alfred about my upbringing before, so it wasn't embellished like a story, but something felt off.
"...When you think about it that way, Leonardo really was a name given to me later."
The name my parents gave me was lost the day I was sold as a slave. What I was given at the place I was sold to wasn't a name, but a product designation needed for managing goods. Male child, healthy. That was my product name.
"What's your real name?"
"I forgot."
I actually remember it, but I cut off the conversation because I didn't want to bother saying it. I have no plans to ever use my real name, and it's a common name you can find anywhere. I have a fine name given to me by Saromon, so I have no intention of using my real name now.
More than that, what was strange was why someone I'd just met was interested in my real name at all.
...No, wait. Come to think of it, Rannvald-sama was strange from the start, wasn't he?
It's not uncommon for the royalty of our country to be generally favorable toward me, the same as Alfred. Whether because of this face, Christoph takes an interest in me, and Felicia is also favorable. I have various thoughts about the two younger princesses below her, but then I remembered the face of the former king, Ethelbert, as a kind old man, and I suddenly noticed.
...Come to think of it, why did Ethelbert-sama come to the orphanage I was in?
Looking back, there was a time when Ethelbert showed up at the Dupre Orphanage disguised as a vagrant. Since he was someone who'd appear in odd places seemingly at random, I thought it was just a coincidence. But if there's some connection between Rannvald's face and my face, then it's possible Ethelbert was involved.
...No, that's not it. My being placed in the Dupre Orphanage was just chance.
Saromon initially tried to send me back to my hometown, but I said I didn't want to go home. I said it was better to go to an orphanage than return to parents who would sell their child. So instead of my hometown, I was entrusted to the Dupre Orphanage in the capital. Even if one of Rannvald or Ethelbert knew my mother, there's no way they'd know her child was in the capital.
"My name doesn't matter. Lord Ran-whatever, there's something I'd like your cooperation with..."
"Ah, I understand. If Leo wishes it, I'll help with anything."
Before I could even finish speaking, words of consent came from Rannvald's mouth, and I blinked. From Alfred's description, I thought it would be difficult to persuade him, but it was instantaneous. Having my request accepted without even hearing the details was helpful, but also unsettling. It seemed I wasn't the only one who felt that way, as the two silver-white knights serving as guards were also staring at Rannvald with shocked expressions.
"...I was told by Alfred-sama that you seemed a bit sulky and that negotiations would be difficult."
"Hm? What? You want me to set conditions? Well then..."
Before he could finish saying well then, Alf grabbed Rannvald by the collar. Even if he's supposed to be dead, he's still technically royalty. I wondered briefly if this was an appropriate way to treat him, but since the two guards said nothing, it was probably fine. Rannvald, flanked by guards on both sides, was being sent to the Menhishumi Church where Nils was waiting. On the way to the Menhishumi Church, Alf would probably explain the upcoming plans.
"...He was quite different from the impression I'd heard."
Leaving the printing of the guidebook to Rannvald and Nils, I returned to the Grenore Fortress with Alfred. His face was indeed similar to mine as rumored, but unlike what Alfred had said, I didn't get the impression of a sulky, troublesome person. For the request I'd thought would be difficult, I'd received his consent before I'd even finished explaining everything.
But still, I didn't want to get any closer to him.
Behind Rannvald lurked things I'd been avoiding thinking about until now. That was the premonition I had.
As I sat at my desk going through a mountain of reports, Alf returned with a proposal from Rannvald. When he'd talked to Rannvald about printing the guidebook during Tina's absence and how to use it, Rannvald had apparently appended several revisions to the operation plan.
"The guidebook is one thing, but having actual lace samples would be better, huh."
"Indeed, when Christina made the guidebook for nobles, she made bobbin lace bookmarks too. With bobbin lace, having the actual thing versus not having it makes a big difference in impression."
"Aurelia's lace is more intricate and delicate than ordinary lace."
Lace itself isn't uncommon in households that can afford to pay some attention to clothing. I can't even imagine how it's woven, but we've been using it in Tina's clothes for a while. However, when it comes to Aurelia's bobbin lace, it becomes intricate and complex enough that even I can tell the difference. According to Tina, it's more like weaving than knitting lace, but even that explanation doesn't help me understand the difference. With bobbin lace, having the actual thing would definitely make it easier to understand.
"...But something more presentable than bookmarks would be better, huh."
"If we want to spread it widely, then rather than just attaching bookmarks to guidebooks, having a complex finished product on display that makes it easy to understand what bobbin lace is and is visually appealing would be good, but..."
"A visually appealing complex finished product, huh."
When I thought about bobbin lace that was more complex and visually appealing than bookmarks, the first thing that came to mind was Aurelia's ribbon. Since the guidebook was started based on what she taught us, when it comes to the highest quality bobbin lace, it would of course be the ones Aurelia made. Several were sent to us as her keepsakes, so if I searched the attic room that's become Tina's treasure vault, I might find one.
...No, even I know that if I took Aurelia's lace while Tina was away, she'd fly into a blazing rage.
I can't touch anything Aurelia made. In that case, the people who can currently make the most complex and visually appealing bobbin lace would be Tina and Kalisa, who learned bobbin lace from Aurelia. Both of them are in places where they can't make new bobbin lace.
"...Right, the Mandez Residence. The people at the Mandez Residence, including Iridal, should be able to make bobbin lace too."
Kalisa had brought bobbin lace back to the Mandez Residence and honed her skills there. Whether truth or rumor, even the steward Iridal had learned to weave bobbin lace, and once sent Tina a collar as a gift.
"I can't take Aurelia's lace out, but if it's one Iridal and the others wove, Tina wouldn't be that angry... no, we can have them make new ones."
"If we're having new ones made... there might be a few people in the capital who can make it too. Christina was spreading the guidebook through big sister and teaching bobbin lace at tea parties too, I believe."
There probably aren't yet people who can make complex pieces as quickly as Kalisa, but there might be people who can make basic ribbons like Tina used to. Even for spreading bobbin lace, without actual samples, there's no point.
I wrote a letter to the Mandez Residence asking if there was new bobbin lace, and requesting they come to Grenore to help distinguish Aurelia's lace from others. I hesitated a bit about Kalisa's death, but in the end, I simply wrote the facts concisely. The body I'd intuitively thought was Kalisa had been difficult to identify facially, so I hadn't been able to confirm it definitively. Either one of Kalisa's two sisters, or Iridal who had raised her since she was a baby, might be able to confirm whether the body was actually Kalisa from the location of her moles and such.
...Speaking of the capital, Elke and Petrona had also started bobbin lace.
Elke had started bobbin lace late, saying she was confirming the guidebook's usefulness, so she might not be reliable, but I might try asking Petrona.
Once the discussion about printing the guidebook was settled, Cody headed to the Zugari Empire to spread rumors that a new trend was about to be born within the Kingdom of Ivizia. If he was bringing food products as merchandise, this time of year before winter made it easy to cross the Empire's border. The plan was for him to do business within the Empire while spreading rumors, gather information, then pass through the Divine Kingdom of Quebia, and stop by the Kingdom of Ivizia again next spring. By then, the guidebook printing should be finished, so I planned to have him help transport guidebooks within the country first.