Chapter 8 Part 9
Translator : PolterGlast
Nozomu
was offered sake by Madam Parline when he delivered the food to the office at
Mena's request.
He
now held an ornately decorated glass sake cup in his hand.
At
first glance, one could tell that the sake cup was a luxury item made by a
craftsman. However, rather than such a luxury item, Nozomu was more concerned
about Victor, who was lying on the desk next to him, wetting his desk with
tears.
"Guu
.... *Hiccup, hiccup* ..."
For
Nozomu, Victor's current appearance was unimaginable from his normal self.
Especially since he had remembered the dignified Victor when he was questioned.
The way he broke down in tears without daring to look at those around him was,
frankly speaking, bewildering.
However,
unlike Nozomu, who was stunned, Madam Parline's shoulders slumped and she
sighed.
"Hey,
how long are you going to have such a bitter face? Didn't you say that you
already feel sorry?"
"I-,
It waz my baa~d. Military Poli~ce. I don't nee~d it."
Victor's
handsome face was messed up with tears and snot, and he let out a muffled cry.
It
seemed that the cold stares he received from his daughters at the dinner table
were taking their toll on him.
The
sight of him in such pain made Nozomu feel a little sorry for Victor.
However,
he couldn't stand up to Victor because of the things he had done and because he
truly deserved it.
(I
guess this happened because Victor-san interfered too much in the lives of Iris
and Somia…)
Disappointment
is an emotion that doesn't happen unless one has expectations.
For
Irisdina and Somia, who lost their mother at an early age, their father must
have been very important.
Naturally,
there was no doubt that they adored him. Perhaps that was why they were so
overwhelmed by their father's black history that they rejected him so much.
"Umm,
Victor-sama. I-, I'm sure it'll be all right. Iris and Somia were just a little
taken aback by the unimaginable story this time, but I don't think they really
dislike you."
"R-,
really?"
"Y-,
yes, I believe so. So, please be a good and firm father in front of
them..."
"Well,
in my experience, girls at their age want to be separated from their
father..."
"Uaaaaaa!"
"Me-,
Mena-san!"
"My
apologies, my tongue slipped..."
An
unexpected betrayal. The spear that was shot at the wounded man from the back pierced
deep into his heart.
Oops!
Mena put her hand on her mouth, but it was too late. Victor looked up at the
sky and hung down like a corpse.
"M-,
my daughters hated me... I-, I can't
live any longer..."
"Good
grief, what a troublesome man. What are you doing, boy? Since you're here, have
a drink."
"Y-,
yes! Ue~ ..."
Leaving
Victor, who was about to turn into ashes, Madam Parline poured a glass of sake
into Nozomu's glass.
What
was poured was an amber-colored sake, different from the wine Madam Parline
drank.
Nozomu
smelled a strong scent of wood along with the strong scent of alcohol on his
nose.
Nozomu
was concerned about Victor, who was dying next to him.
However,
he couldn't ignore Madam Parline's urging, so he did as she urged, tilting the
glass in his hand and pouring the amber liquid down his throat in one gulp.
At
the same time, a searing heat rushed down Nozomu's throat.
Nozomu
involuntarily choked on the nose-tingling scent and the intense stimulation
that seemed to burn right down to his organs.
"*Cough,
cough!*"
"Oya~,
it's the same sake that Victor drinks, but I guess it's too strong for
you."
"*Cough,
cough!* What kind of sake is this?"
"It's
a fermented and distilled barley liquor. It's much stronger than fruit wine, so
you should not drink it in one gulp..."
"I-,
I can't believe you let me drink that stuff..."
"Weren't
you the one who swallowed it in one gulp, boy? You shouldn't shift the blame to
others."
Madam
Parline sighed in front of the coughing Nozomu and smiled with a smile on her
face.
She
had expected that Nozomu would drink a little at a time, but he unexpectedly
drank it all in one gulp, and she seemed a little dismayed.
"Nozomu-sama,
please drink this."
"T-,
thank you……"
Nozomu
slowly sipped the water offered by Mena.
Nozomu
felt a sigh of relief as he felt the cool water quenching his burning fever.
Meanwhile,
Madam Parline turned to Mena, who was standing next to Nozomu, and offered her
an empty glass.
"Mena,
why don't you join us for a drink?"
"No,
I'm a maid, so I can't share a seat with the master and his guests..."
"I'm
your friend, aren't I? You don't have to worry about your status now. In the
first place, I was of a lower status than you when we first met."
"That's
... Haa, I understand. Mazari is very pushy as usual..."
Madam
Parline, who was called Mazari, smiled broadly.
Mena
let out a deep sigh and reluctantly sat down next to Madam Parline.
With
her own hand, Madam Parline poured the wine into the cup held by Mena, and Mena
accepted it as well.
Nozomu's
eyes widened at the maid's attitude towards Mazarinette and at Madam
Mazarinette's wicked smile.
Apparently,
they were also old acquaintances. Moreover, they seemed to be quite close to
each other, which could be seen from their demeanor.
Nozomu
then remembered that Irisdina had once told him that Mena and Victor were old
friends at a noble school in their home country.
"Well
then, for celebrating a reunion with a best friend..."
"Cheers……"
Then
they drank the wine that had been poured together.
Both
of them let out a relieved and glazed breath. A tender atmosphere filled the
office.
"But
it's been a while since we last had a drink together like this. Was it about
three years?"
"To
be precise, it's been three years, two months, and thirteen days."
"Even
if I invite you out, you will never accept my invitation..."
"Isn't
that obvious? I cannot accept such an invitation. As I said before, I'm a maid
now..."
Madam
Parline's lips twitched in frustration as she recalled the time when her
invitation was rejected.
Meanwhile,
Mena, with a regretful smile, poured the wine into Madam Parline's empty glass.
After
returning the bottle to Mena, Madam Parline picked a piece of cheese from the
plate in front of her and put it in her mouth.
"Even
though you should be a knight already... Those good-for-nothing
bastards......."
"It
can't be helped. I had no other choice at that time."
Madam
Parline bit off a piece of cheese while looking very annoyed. She seemed to be
very upset, remembering the old days.
On
the other hand, Mena, the woman in question, was still smiling calmly. Her
usual sharpness was gone, and she was filled with gentle affection.
"Besides,
I like the life I have now. Master has been kind to me, and watching young
ladies grow up makes me very happy."
"When
I heard that Victor had hired you after you were expelled from the Knight
Order, I thought he was going to make you his second wife..."
"Come
to think of it, after I was hired by Francilt, you once stormed into the main
house..."
"How
could I keep quiet when I heard that my best friend might be harmed by an
eloquent and skilled child of a noble family?
What
a terrible thing to say.
What
she meant by an eloquent and skilled child of a noble family was undoubtedly
Victor.
Hearing
Madam Parline's words, Victor's body, which had been nodding, trembled.
Apparently, his consciousness was still in this world.
"I've
never experienced such a thing. Because Master was devoted to
Firana-sama."
"He
fell in love with Firana, after all."
"Fufu.
Yeah, that's right."
Two
women smiled in a friendly manner as they reminisce about the good old days.
Mena
and Mazari were drinking again in an atmosphere where others were not allowed
to interject.
On
the other hand, it was Nozomu who was left in a state of being completely left
behind.
Girl
talk among mature women? There was no way that such a male student could join
in.
Licking
the remaining sake from his cup, Nozomu felt as if he were on the other side of
a mirror.
"U-,
umm... What kind of relationship do you both have?"
"Ah~,
sorry, boy. We were just reminiscing about the old days."
"Mazarinette,
Firana-sama, the mother of Irisdina-ojousama, and I were classmates at the
school of nobility in Forsina."
According
to Mena's story, these three were close friends who transcended their status at
the Forsina School of Nobility about twenty-odd years ago.
"Firana-sama,
who was the heir to her household, Mazarinette, who, although a commoner, was
recognized for her intelligence by the Parline Household, and I, who comes from
a family of Chevalier. We were from different backgrounds and different
statuses, but strangely enough, we hit it off."
"After
she graduated, Mena joined the Order of the Knights of Forsina. She is a very
skilled swordsman, and she even taught Irisdina and Victor how to use
swords."
"Mena-san
is?"
With
an exclamation of admiration, Nozomu shifted his gaze to Mena, who was sitting
across from him.
She
was tipping her glass in a nonchalant manner, but her cheeks seemed to have a
slight vermilion on them.
"That's
not something worth showing to Nozomu-sama..."
"What
are you talking about? You challenged a knight to a duel, and you fought him
with just one hand. And didn't you also drive away Victor, who was in love with
Firana, with your sword when you were a student?"
"You
used to be quite the dangerous maiden", Madam Parline continued.
"Ara~?
Aren't you quite a tomboy yourself even after becoming a successor?"
Mena
returned a cold glare to Mazarinette, who smiled mischievously, and retorted,
"Isn't breaking into Master's main residence the best example of
that?".
But
from Nozomu's point of view, neither one is the same.
How
many commoners in this world would poke around an heir (or whatever the head of
the family was at the time)?
In
the first place, how could such a person live properly in a country where the
status of nobility exists?
However,
the two women were enjoying the feast in a lively manner, regardless of
Nozomu's doubts.
The
most frightening thing about them is that they are women. Nozomu's mind was
filled with such words.
"By
the way, I was wondering how much you know regarding the status division system
in the country of Forsina?"
Nozomu's
consciousness was instantly brought back to reality by Madam Parline's sudden
question.
Nozomu
was not a native of Forsina, but he had some knowledge of the general status
division system.
"The
most important thing I remember is that nobility can be hereditary or based on
achievement. And hereditary nobility can rule over a territory... Apart from
them, they have no peerage, and we usually call them 'landlords'."
There
is no detailed aristocracy division in Forsina, such as counts and viscounts.
However, powerful families are naturally called "landlords" and have
a prominent presence among the nobility.
The
Francilt, Fabran, and Parline are definitely classified as
"landlords".
"I
see... I guess we need to have a little talk about it."
Hereditary
Nobility.
It
is a title held by the traditional aristocratic families of Forsina and is a
general term for those who can be called nobles by birth.
Most
of them are descendants of those who were involved in the founding of Forsina
and are often referred to by their "family name," such as Francilt,
Fabran, or Parline.
The
title of hereditary nobility is basically inherited by the head of the family,
while the heirs of a family can establish themselves as hereditary nobility by
starting a new family and having it recognized by the king.
On
the other hand, nobility based on achievement, also known as knighthood, is a
general term for those who have made achievements and have been listed in the
name of the nobility.
Compared
to hereditary nobility, its power is more limited, and basically, only three
generations of it are allowed to hold the title.
However,
if a person has again achieved something worthy of the name of knight within
those three generations, he or she is guaranteed his or her status again.
"By
the way, the reason why peerage titles are no longer used is that some people
who misinterpret their status for money, jewelry, and so on, are starting to
appear."
In
Forsina, there have been no disturbances, such as wars with neighboring
countries, for nearly one hundred years.
The
country's savings were not over-consumed by the upheaval, and the economy was
able to run smoothly.
Therefore,
inevitably, the nobles and commoners, who had won a fortune, began to have too
much money in their pockets.
At
such a time, many people began to misrepresent their status, resulting in the
emergence of "nobles in name only" in the streets.
As
a result, the king decided to reset the status of the nobility and abolished
all titles such as duke and count.
However,
since the actual power of the nobles did not change, this only had the effect
of deterring identity fraud, and it was not very effective in preventing the
outbreak of family fraud, as people would then say, "I belong to that
great family".
However,
if their real power were to be taken away, the nobles would revolt and plunge
the country into a state of civil war.
And
then there was the Forsina School of Nobility.
As
the name suggests, it is a school for the nobility of Forsina and is the
highest educational institution in the country, training the country's most
important people.
However,
the school was open not only to nobles but also to commoners, who have a
recommendation from the hereditary nobility or knights, and were allowed to
attend if they passed the examination.
But
of course, the standard of education was naturally high, so only a few
commoners could attend this school each year.
"So
Madam Parline was originally a commoner!?"
"Yes.
When I was a dancer, I had the opportunity to meet the head of the Parline
Household. At that time, he gave me the recommendation to enroll in the
school."
Nozomu's
eyes widened at the astonishing fact.
From
a commoner to a nobleman. Moreover, Mazarinette's current position is that of
"Parline", a hereditary peerage.
Even
though the country of Forsina was tolerant of commoners, this was an unlikely
thing to happen.
"I
found out later that the head of the Parline had recognized Mazarinette's
intelligence and fell in love with her since that time."
"Well...
That's... How should I say it?..."
It
seemed that as soon as Mazarinette graduated from the Academy of Nobility, the
head of the Parline Household asked her to marry him.
Moreover,
he offered to take her as his wife.
At
the time, the head of the Parline Household was 40 years old and single.
Mazarinette was 18. The difference in age between the two was more than 20
years, and Nozomu could not help but exhale in admiration.
'Well,
marriages with such age differences are not uncommon among the nobility. It
wasn't the first time I was proposed back then either. But at the time, I was
very confused. After all, he said, "Come to me and be my legal
wife!"..."
Although
she graduated from the Forsina Academy of Nobility, Mazarinette was not even a
knight at the time.
Nonetheless,
the head of the Parline asked her to marry him, wishing to take her as his
full-fledged wife.
However,
Mazarinette at the time was adamant in her refusal. She developed her own
business, built a strong position for herself, and was awarded the peerage of
knighthood.
After
that, the head of the Parline Household, who was adamant about his proposal of
marriage, then stopped his ardent approach, quietly watching over Mazarinette
and gradually deepened his friendship with her.
"And
finally, Mazarinette accepted his proposal."
"I
knew he fell in love with me, but more than that, he was a true gentleman. I've
never met such a gentleman..."
(In
the end, "I was more in love with you than you were with me".)
With
these final words, Madam Parline sipped her cup with a smile on her face. A
slight vermilion tinged her smile.
Was
it because of the alcohol or because she was remembering the sweet and sour of
her youth?
After
that, Mazarinette married the head of Parline. As his wife, she became one of
the heirs to the Household.
It
was a success story that every woman dreams of.
"Well,
we were not blessed with children, but we were happy."
The
happy time between Mazarinette and the head of the Parline Household did not
last long.
The
head of the Parline, who was approaching old age, was often in poor health, and
after their marriage, he caught an epidemic and passed away.
The
Parline Household was temporarily in turmoil after losing the head of the
family.
However,
Mazarinette, who had married into the family as his wife, demonstrated her
talent here as well and successfully brought her confused relatives together.
As
a result, she was officially recognized by her relatives as the head of the
Parline Household.
"It
was a while after the death of the former head of Parline, wasn't it? That
Irisdina was born to Danna-sama and Firana-sama..."
"When
I saw Irisdina for the first time, she was still this tiny."
As
she said so, Mazarinette picked up a single painting among Victor's furnishings scattered on the
floor.
The painting depicted a dark-haired lady lying on a white
bed, holding a baby on her chest and smiling happily.
She
had a very beautiful face, so beautiful that she looked like a goddess. But
above all, what left a deep impression on Nozomu were the loving eyes that were
directed at the girl in her arms.
