kscans

Chapter 3 - A Few Days After Being Offered an Arranged Marriage by the Commander, He Disappeared with Her

Leonhard, captain of the First Knight Order. At only twenty five years old, he had a record of winning tournaments and distinguished himself in the last war. Though not a noble, his exceptional skill for his age commanded respect from everyone.

It was Darius, the former captain of the First Knight Order who had been promoted to supreme commander, who had recommended him for the position and brought the order together. He had convinced everyone that Leonhard was the most suitable person for the job. It was also Darius who had protected him from the constant harassment from the Imperial Guard, which was filled with the sons of nobles.

Then one day.

"You, you have any interest in an arranged marriage?"

Leonhard answered Darius’s abrupt question immediately.

"...To be honest, I have my hands full managing the order. It’s all I can do to fend off the Imperial Guard’s harassment. I don’t have time to spare for a wife."

"I figured as much.... It’s not something I can ask just anyone, so if you’re not up for it, I guess I’ll have to give up."

He looked strangely disappointed. ...He’s already decided on the person, hasn’t he?

It was the first time Darius had brought up a woman on his own initiative.

He was deeply in love with an alchemist who had saved his life on the battlefield. He didn’t visit brothels, and there were no rumors of him fooling around. An offer of an arranged marriage from a man like him had to be serious.

"Out of curiosity, who is she?"

"She’s the child my partner is raising. She turns eighteen this year. I think she can get married."

"...You mean she’s of an age where she ‘can’ get married, right? Why the rush?"

There was also the age difference between them. She was at an age where she would meet many people. There was no need to rush and push a partner on her. That's what he thought.

"She seems to be worried about her daughter. The girl was abandoned by her parents, and it seems my partner hesitated to live with me while she was still a minor. She’s finally turned eighteen, but... she’s torn about whether it’s right to let her go for her own happiness."

...She had a child? He had heard she was in her early thirties...

And she took in a child who wasn't her own flesh and blood?

He let the matter drop for the time being, but he was curious and passed by the front of the shop.

It was a stone building, but the large glass panels made by the alchemist carried the warm lamplight from inside to the outside, creating a space that made you want to step in.

There were several employees, but only one girl, young enough to be called a maiden, was serving customers. She answered questions accurately and was called over by other staff to repeat her explanations. She must have studied a great deal.

--That girl looks like she could manage on her own.

Was the arranged marriage really necessary?

A few days after thinking this, Darius vanished.

Along with her.

...And he left that girl behind.

He was questioned about the situation, but he couldn't say anything. His own interrogation was brief, but he heard the daughter was being treated quite harshly.

If Darius was involved in a crime...

--Could he have been deceived by that alchemist lover of his?

The daughter might be in on it too...

No, she was just an eighteen year old girl. She might have just been deceived.

Darius was not a man obsessed with money. He was the type of person who would treat all the knights to a meal after a battle. His family was a ducal house, so he wasn't short of money either.

Once again, pretending to just be passing by, he walked past the shop. The entrance was destroyed, and it was like a ruin. The girl who had been so diligently serving customers was no longer there.

But there were several guards watching the area around the shop. Weren't they awfully fixated on this case?

Just then, Leonhard suddenly remembered. Those words Darius had asked of him during that talk about the arranged marriage.