IDIBC Chapter 88

Pallium (3)

Cutting through everyone’s anticipation and tension, the long, heavy sound of a horn made from beast horns rang out.

It was the start of the Pallium.

“Lienne, did you prepare a handkerchief?”

At Sabrina’s question, I briefly recalled what happened at the Duke’s residence. The Duchess had explained various things about the Pallium to me and told me she would have difficulty attending today. She had prepared a handkerchief embroidered with the family crest for me, but somehow I hadn’t had the courage to readily bring it.

“No, Ricardo isn’t competing anyway.”

“True, you’re right.”

While we were talking, the first match began. An imperial attendant came out and struck the stake hard once more with a large hammer, opening the competition.

With a thud, the sound of people’s cheers echoed to the sky.

Once the match actually started, I forgot about glancing at Ricardo and began focusing on the game.

“This is really fun.”

“What did I tell you? At first I went to the fighting arena to hang out with men, but later I really got hooked on watching. Say what you will, but men who compete purely through strength and focus on that contest are cool.”

The fighting matches Sabrina used to watch in Resotia were person-to-person bare-handed contests, but as she said, I thought those would be worth watching too.

As much as we focused, the heat in the spectator seats intensified even more. Several heated matches continued like that.

When the match that had started in the morning was approaching lunchtime, Julian stepped into the middle of the fighting arena with his family’s people.

As he appeared, cheers of a completely different magnitude than before rang out.

From the moment Julian mounted his horse, he had already received handkerchiefs from countless women.

Unlike at banquets, anyone who wished for victory could give a handkerchief to whomever they wanted.

Young ladies who looked like they had just had their debutante balls blushed at his horse and giggled. They looked just like flower petals swaying in even a light spring breeze.

I was curious about how Sabrina felt watching him, but I didn’t feel like asking her, as her words had noticeably decreased since Julian appeared.

Only after standing in the middle of the fighting arena did Julian cast his gaze for the first time toward where we were sitting. That moment wasn’t long, but there was one thing I could feel. The relationship between the two people whose eyes met was no longer as light as before.

As if he had never looked at Sabrina with intense eyes, he smiled leisurely toward the crowd and then engaged in the match.

“The match is too one-sided.”

As soon as Sabrina finished speaking, Julian kicked the horse’s side and moved his body fiercely.

Then he struck the side of the stake hard with the stick he was holding. Like that, someone riding with a bow hooked a rope ring onto the slightly loosened upper part of the stake.

In an instant, the opposing side rushed to pull that ring first, but Julian was faster. As he charged toward the stake at tremendous speed and grabbed the rope, the stake that seemed like it would never be pulled out came out in one moment. People who had been holding their breath cheered purely at that sight.

For that moment at least, Sabrina also set aside her hatred for him and cheered enthusiastically.

Julian received all the attention as he rode several laps around the fighting arena on horseback. He was a man for whom standing at the center of people seemed so natural that it looked familiar.

He was already the protagonist of the fighting arena.

A lonely look crossed Sabrina’s face as she watched Julian, but soon a voice thick with resignation was heard.

“I don’t want to admit it, but… he’s really cool. At least he was a man worth liking. Funny, isn’t it? That this would be comforting.”

“Really, I only thought he was a complete playboy.”

With his match, the first tournament consisting of a total of 4 matches came to an end. After taking a short break, the match that could be called the main game would begin.

Sabrina and I soothed our heated insides with cold drinks and returned to the arena.

As I headed to my seat, my gaze reflexively fell on where Ricardo was. He was sitting as if painted in the same position as before, not having moved from his seat. Beside him, the saintess was also keeping her seat in the same posture.

Even to me, the two looked like a beautiful couple painted in a famous painting.

“After hearing your story, the saintess looks very cold.”

Sabrina whispered softly in my ear so others couldn’t hear.

“I’m not sure about the snake part yet, but anyway, it seems best to be careful as our Young Duke said. Try not to even make eye contact if possible.”

I nodded and deliberately turned away from them.

My body trembled slightly as I recalled the scene of the saintess pouring terrible curses on me and then immediately crying miserably toward Ricardo.

“It’ll be over soon, right?”

On the highest platform sat a group of those called the most noble in this world. Even in this situation, I had to maintain the family’s seat as Rochester’s fiancée.

What kind of absurd picture was this?

I knew what it was that had crumbled inside me at that moment when Walter asked if I was okay.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon.”

Sabrina’s firm voice penetrated through the increasingly bold whispers of people. That alone was the only refuge in this entire stuffy situation.

The Pallium was an occasion that even Sabrina didn’t necessarily have to attend. Nevertheless, she firmly stayed by my side. Even though she too had someone she didn’t want to face.

That was Sabrina’s way of being considerate of me. So I must not crumble under any circumstances.

I was struggling to shake off the afterimage of Ricardo and the saintess that blurred before my eyes and lightly predicting with Sabrina who would win in the upcoming match.

An unusual murmuring of people was heard.

“It’s Young Duke Chaplin!”

Where Sabrina’s surprised voice led, Walter was really there. He who had supposedly never once competed in the Pallium before.

It was a wild match held without proper helmets or shields to cover the body, as it was a fight that even commoners participated in. The competitors wore armor that only covered the front of their upper bodies, and that attire alone created a completely different feeling from the Walter until now. He slowly rode his horse, having his people stand in the middle of the fighting arena.

“He’s coming this way.”

“No, he’s not.”

“What do you mean he’s not?”

‘Please, don’t come to me. Don’t come.’

I repeated it like a spell through clenched teeth, but it became increasingly clear that his destination was me. Without realizing it, I glanced at Ricardo. He was staring straight ahead like a stone statue, not even turning his head this way.

While he looked away, Walter came straight toward me.

Walter’s beautiful blue-green eyes were unwavering. As if to remind me that the situation between Ricardo and me was absurdly unclear, he was focused only on me.

Was the problem that I had overlooked the fact that he wasn’t in a position to fear rumors spreading through society?

He was already a man called Duke Chaplin.

Such a Walter seemed to have enough confidence to easily dispel gossip that people might spread.

So why on earth!

My gaze turned resentfully toward the man who had already approached right in front of me.

“Since I’m not competing against Rochester right now, you could at least cheer for me, couldn’t you?”

Like a gentleman sent from heaven, his polite words overlapped with Ricardo’s voice.

[Don’t be shaken by anything.]

“Of course. I hope you win.”

I gathered all my strength and returned a smile appropriate to the situation. It was the most suitable smile a woman with a fiancé could show to his friend.

“Lady Lienne.”

“Please speak.”

“Next year at the Pallium, I hope you’ll be here in this seat for me.”

My eyes squeezed shut. It wouldn’t have been heard by everyone, but it was loud enough to be clearly heard by those nearby. This was no different from making a frontal declaration of war toward Rochester.

“You’re being rash.”

“I know. But it’s also unavoidable. I can’t catch you being swept away by rough currents without getting wet myself.”

After taking a deep breath, I looked directly at Ricardo. His profile, stubbornly staring only straight ahead, made it hard to recall the man who had held me and told me not to waver.

“I will never put you in such a terrible, absurd position.”

At words that sounded sweet on the surface, I straightened my body.

The face of the man who had said he would find a way even if it meant disobeying God’s command was utterly cold and indifferent. But even while seeing his cold expression, I realized once again.

Even if Ricardo ultimately couldn’t find a way and we really had to part, the fact that I would turn away from him first would never happen.

“Well, my legs aren’t so weak that I need someone to prop me up to stand.”

Because foolish me didn’t know how to waver.

Walter shook his head and chuckled as if he had expected that.

“Is that so?”

Turning my gaze from Ricardo, I looked straight into Walter’s mysteriously shining eyes and smiled brightly.

“Of course.”

“Infinite glory to your firm legs.”

Like a man leaving for battle pledging victory to his lover, he bowed deeply at the waist on his horse. It was a unilateral action, but it was etiquette that would look perfect to those watching from around.

I once again realized that this Dermeier Empire was a jungle.

A battlefield where people took others’ possessions with swords and bows, a fierce fighting ground where people dressed in fine clothes pulled out stakes—nothing more, nothing less.