IDIBC Chapter 92

The Paquin Estate

Her goal was to safely leave this country she felt she would never grow accustomed to and settle well somewhere else.

“Hah…”

Sabrina, who had been trying to concentrate her scattered thoughts on just one thing, soon gave up and buried herself against the back of the carriage seat. When had her heart become so deeply involved?

What woman wouldn’t be flustered when a man she had missed as much as she had hated suddenly brought his face right up to hers and proposed marriage?

“Right, so this is a natural feeling to have.”

Even in this moment, she found herself disagreeable for being glad she had at least seen his face one last time before leaving, but it was difficult to find a way to stop the thoughts that arose unbidden.

****

Ricardo dropped Lienne off at the winter mansion and left the ducal estate again.

The place he sought out was the Paquin family. Except for attending the regular banquets hosted by the Paquin family, this was the first time Ricardo had ever visited there.

When Ricardo found Julian, he was at the archery range set up in a corner of the ducal estate.

“You’re doing something that doesn’t suit you.”

At these words delivered in place of a greeting, Julian let out a snicker without even turning his head.

Julian thought so himself. Not just that it didn’t suit him, but that it was quite a rare sight.

To voluntarily shoot arrows in the dead of night, not to show anyone, and not during hunting season either.

Recalling the expression the chamberlain had made when he said he would shoot arrows while waiting for Ricardo, Julian chuckled again.

“Is there a particular type of person suited to shooting arrows?”

Julian briefly acknowledged Ricardo with a glance before nocking another arrow to his bow. Though there were lanterns here and there to light up the pitch-black night, it wasn’t enough to properly see the distant target.

Since the owners rarely visited the archery range, even for a ducal family, it was inevitable that its maintenance was neglected compared to other places.

“Of course. And it’s certainly not you or your family, at least.”

While Ricardo tilted his head as if to tell him to look around the desolate archery range, Julian drew the bowstring taut.

With a whoosh, the arrow flew quite far, but Ricardo shook his head from side to side.

“Not everyone is skilled in martial arts like your family.”

“That’s why I said you’re doing something that doesn’t suit you.”

Julian raised his bow again and cast his gaze into the distance.

“Did I hit the target?”

“No.”

Ricardo, who had answered coldly, approached Julian. Stopping behind Julian, Ricardo spread his arms wide and grasped both of Julian’s arms.

Julian’s honey-colored eyes widened in surprise.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Ignoring the flustered Julian’s words, Ricardo gripped his arms even tighter.

“Now, put strength here and conversely release the tension here. If you don’t do that, the arrow will curve to the right.”

As he applied light pressure and moved, Julian’s posture immediately became perfect. This time Julian’s eyes widened for a different reason.

“Concentrate.”

Julian couldn’t resist at all and moved his arms as Ricardo directed.

Supporting Julian’s back firmly with just his left shoulder, he pulled the bowstring all the way back and released it, and the arrow flew with a completely different sound than before.

The dull thud of the arrow piercing the target echoed through the quiet archery range.

As Ricardo released the tension in his hands, Julian shuddered and threw the bow to the ground.

“Are you trying to make some rumor circulate in society tomorrow? Don’t you know how many eyes are watching us here?”

“Are you boasting that Paquin has no loyal retainers?”

“This is why rumors spread that you have special tastes!”

“If you didn’t blush like you’re doing now, such rumors wouldn’t spread.”

Julian glared straight into Ricardo’s eyes, seething.

“Things didn’t go well, it seems.”

At those piercing, sharp words, he hastily averted his eyes from Ricardo.

“Stop it, trying to peek into my feelings and such.”

“Well. I don’t even need to use my power—just looking at your face right now.”

“Don’t worry. Things with Harriot went well.”

“Did they?”

Julian brushed off his hands on his pants and started walking. It wasn’t a story to share at the archery range.

“Let’s go inside.”

The two men soon sat facing each other in the mansion’s study. Their usual drinks and light refreshments were laid out, but Julian just sat there vacantly with his hand covering his mouth.

Watching him, Ricardo picked up the bottle and filled the glasses himself.

“Julian?”

Julian reflexively looked up at Ricardo’s call and their eyes met. He quickly looked away, but it was already too late.

“You’re… sorry right now?”

“No! And I told you not to peek into my feelings.”

“Julian Bow Paquin feeling sorry? Just like the Grand Priest said, perhaps the empire’s end is coming soon.”

Ricardo clicked his tongue with the face of someone who had seen a truly bizarre animal.

“That person you’re sorry to wouldn’t be Harriot, and it certainly wouldn’t be the family that won at the Palium today.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“You’re sorry to someone, but it’s none of my business?”

Ricardo swirled his glass, wet his throat, and gazed at Julian calmly.

“A woman problem. Well, there’s more than one or two women in the empire you should be sorry to.”

“Please, Ricardo. Don’t waste your ability on useless things.”

“As I keep saying, that ability is like breathing for me. And right now I don’t even need to use it.”

Ricardo refilled Julian’s glass, which wasn’t even empty, and gestured with his head. As if to say, go ahead and talk. Nevertheless, Julian remained silent.

“How boring. Julian Bow Paquin weighed down by love.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“It’s truly regrettable that His Highness the Crown Prince can’t see your face right now.”

Ricardo laughed, his chest rising slightly. It wasn’t the laugh of someone who claimed to be bored.

“Listen, Ricardo. I don’t believe in things like love. If such a thing truly existed, I wouldn’t have been born.”

Julian hadn’t been born with the surname Paquin. His mother was a woman of noble birth, but her family was as humble as could be.

In the end, his mother never even rose to the position of the Duke’s second wife until her death.

Duke Paquin loved the Duchess. Of course, that love was merely Duke Paquin’s subjective opinion.

The Duke who loved his wife was said to be happier than anyone. Until one day, when a woman from a humble family appeared before him with a child who looked exactly like the Duke.

“Yes, I know better than anyone. That’s your true feeling too.”

For him, there was no more destructive word than love. Ricardo raised his glass high and changed the subject.

“Rather than that, tell me why you wanted to see me.”

“You were right.”

Ricardo had told him to observe the Emperor’s movements right after the summer hunting festival ended. The sound of pouring alcohol into the suddenly empty glass mixed with Julian’s sigh.

Though one of the three great ducal families, Paquin was considerably weaker compared to Chaplin or Rochester.

It hadn’t always been that way.

During the empire’s thousand-year history, there had certainly been moments when Paquin shone like the sun.

There were many wars but it was difficult to earn merit, and their incompetent father managed to lose money in every business venture he touched.

They possessed the ability to erase memories, but using the power required paying a price in wealth, and at some point, the power became a vicious cycle.

In short, it had reached a point where that power was difficult to use to raise the family.

For that reason, even when Ricardo had separately requested a meeting and asked him to observe the imperial situation, he hadn’t hesitated. The next emperor ordained by God was Rochester.

For Julian, a self-proclaimed opportunist, choosing to prioritize Ricardo’s words was too easy a choice.

“It seems he’s stationed soldiers somewhere other than the imperial capital.”

“How many?”

“Countless. To borrow Harriot’s words. I couldn’t find out the exact number of troops, but I did find out where they are.”

“Mercenaries, I suppose?”

“Half are, and half are Elmakeins.”

The Elmakeins were people from Elmakenia, the country Ricardo had annihilated first upon returning to the empire.

They were small in stature, quick and agile, but had no expertise in handling weapons or deploying military tactics.

“Then they’re no different from mercenaries. Where?”

“Ricardo, I need to know properly now too. At first I thought I just needed to know the general situation, but this is much bigger than I thought.”

“What would change just because it’s big? Don’t think too complicated. Anyone could guess that the Emperor would secretly raise an army to avoid losing the throne.”

Julian agreed. As Ricardo said, he hadn’t thought about it in complicated terms from the start. Even without God’s will, no one would believe that fool Harriot would become the next emperor.

Yet he felt uneasy. It was because Hadeima’s movements were unusual.

If the imperial family and the Grand Temple joined hands, Julian would have no choice but to face a crossroads. The situation wasn’t quite right, but more than anything, he sensed a subtle change in the man before him.

“Yes, it’s foolish to raise an army against the god of war from the start. What I’m talking about isn’t the Emperor’s attitude.”