"Silence!"
The Old Prime Minister struck the floor with his staff, the sharp crack finally causing the buzzing in the great hall to subside, if only slightly.
A duke, whom the Queen had just asked to be her husband, had refused her on the spot. Furthermore, he had added remarks about returning his ducal rank and wanting to play around with women—comments one would hesitate to record in the kingdom's history. It was only natural that the nobles found it impossible to remain calm.
Alecia, seated upon the throne, took a breath to compose herself, as if to hide the lingering flush on her cheeks, and then scanned the entire hall.
"My previous proposal was not a royal decree. It was a request from me, as a woman, for Duke Razgrim to be my husband. Therefore, I will not permit anyone to treat his refusal as an act of impertinence."
At those words, the atmosphere surrounding those watching me shifted. While their looks of doubt regarding my sanity did not vanish, at least no one was clamoring that I should be seized immediately.
"However, the matter of the marriage is on hold. I have not withdrawn it."
As I expected, that last sentence was entirely unnecessary.
Before I could open my mouth, Clarice gave the hem of my clothes a sharp tug from behind. When I looked back, she was shaking her head, her face pale. It seemed she was telling me not to say another word.
The ceremony continued, but no one was focused on the Old Prime Minister’s words anymore. Every time a date for a banquet or a new appointment was read aloud, glances flew toward me from every direction. Keeping my eyes fixed forward, I prayed for the ordeal to end quickly.
◇
I intended to leave the great hall the moment the ritual concluded, but I was surrounded by nobles before I could even reach the doors.
"Duke Razgrim, my heartiest congratulations on your promotion. Furthermore, to hear that you shall eventually become Her Majesty’s royal consort—"
"I won't! I refused!"
"But since Her Majesty said the matter was on hold, my house would be honored if we could request your acquaintance for the future..."
Alecia was the one who put the marriage on hold; my answer hadn't changed. Even when I told them that, the other party wouldn't back down, keeping a forced, polite smile plastered on their face.
As soon as I fended one off, the next arrived. People congratulating my promotion, people hoping for a connection to the royal family, people wanting to pitch products from their domains. Even the lot who had kept their distance until now after hearing my bad reputation approached me as if we had been close friends for years.
Clarice’s face was still pale, but she wore a professional smile, taking down the names and business of each house. Looking only at her work performance, one would never guess she was the same person who had fainted twice just a short while ago. However, every time I looked like I was about to say something unnecessary, she stopped me by grinding her heel into my foot.
When I finally broke through the circle of people, a large hand slapped me on the back.
"I like you more and more, youngster! There are plenty who bow their heads to a monarch, but you're likely the only one to throw a marriage proposal from the Queen back in her face!"
"This is no laughing matter...! Consider the debt I owe you for taking in your daughter for half a year repaid with that."
"Why would it work like that? If anything, I feel like giving you a reward for showing me something so entertaining!"
Duke Eldran apparently hadn't laughed his fill yet, as he showed his teeth from beneath his mustache. Beside him, Lydia looked down, appearing thoroughly embarrassed.
"Let me tell you one thing... You were rejoicing that there are fewer people you have to bow to now that you're a duke, but from now on, the number of people coming to bow to you will increase. Including those who will try to get you to pass on requests they can't say to Her Majesty directly."
I looked back at the nobles who had been swarming me just a moment ago.
"...I want to return my ducal rank right now."
"You were just rejected by Her Majesty earlier, were you not? Give up and get to work, Lord Duke."
He slapped my shoulder cheerfully. As I thought, this old man enjoys the misfortunes of others.
◇
By the carriage in front of the royal palace, Serena stood waiting by the door.
"Return confirmed. Any anomalies?"
"There was nothing but anomalies..." Clarice summarized in a flat voice. "Vain was desired as a husband by Her Majesty the Queen, he tried to return his ducal rank, he shouted in front of every noble in the kingdom that he wanted to play around with women, and in the end, he refused the proposal..."
Serena looked at me just once. "Understood. Typical of Master."
"Your reaction is far too light!?"
Clarice had apparently been enduring desperately while at the royal palace. The moment the carriage door closed, her angry voice echoed through the narrow interior.
"Do you have any idea what you've done!? Saying you'd return your title the very day you were promoted to duke, pleading to Her Majesty that you want to play around with women, and even going so far as to say you prefer her because her chest is large! What do you think I was feeling, standing behind you!?"
"Quiet... I only said what was necessary to refuse. In fact, if I became the royal consort, playing around would likely become grounds for punishment."
"Don't start talking about that seriously again! Halfway through, the nobles were looking at me instead of Her Majesty! With looks that said 'You're his aide, stop him!'"
"She did try to stop you, but Clarice lost consciousness partway through..."
When Lydia chimed in hesitantly, Clarice’s eyebrows shot up.
"Whose fault do you think it was that I collapsed!? You saw it too, Lydia! This man tried to throw away his ducal rank without consulting anyone!"
"Regarding that statement, I cannot comprehend it in the slightest either..." Lydia said, her voice full of exasperation. "To try and return a title granted by Her Majesty on the spot—I couldn't believe he was sane."
"Don't both of you gang up on me. As a result, I'm still a duke, so nothing was lost, was it?"
"We are not talking about the result!"
Clarice's shout echoed in the carriage.
Even after the carriage began to move, Clarice’s momentum didn't flag. The comment about returning the rank, the womanizing, Alecia’s chest, the tone he used with the Queen. Every time I tried to argue back, a new lecture was added to the list.
"Serena... I want to breathe some fresh air. Stop the carriage."
"Judged as an attempt to flee. Rejected."
"...Aren't you my bodyguard?"
"Master’s bodyguard. Preventing escape from a reprimand is also a target for intervention."
I had no allies.
However, Clarice’s voice, which had been shouting for a while, suddenly dropped low.
"...The moment you refused, I truly thought it was over, you know?"
Both of her clenched hands were trembling slightly on her lap.
"If Alecia-sama got angry, it might not have ended with just you... House Razgrim, the domain, and all of us working there would have been swept up in it... I thought I was going to lose the place where I finally belong again..."
It seemed she wasn't just angry. She was more afraid for the people left at the mansion and the domain than for her own neck.
"Alecia is not a monarch who would crush a domain just because a marriage proposal was refused. If she were that kind of person, then my choosing her during the Royal Selection was a mistake in the first place."
"I'm not doubting Alecia-sama! But there's no guarantee all the nobles around her feel the same way, is there?"
I couldn't answer that immediately. Even if the Queen forgave it, there might be those who would make a fuss about it being an insult to the royal family, or those who would use it as an excuse to target House Razgrim.
"...Even so, don't worry. No matter what I mess up, I will take that responsibility alone. The ducal rank, the achievements I made in the Royal Selection, the fact that Alecia wanted me as a husband—I'll use everything I have. I have no intention of letting anyone lay a hand on you or the people of the domain."
"If the opponent is the royal family, it's not something you can decide by yourself—"
"I will decide it."
When I said it firmly, Clarice fell silent.
I couldn't promise not to defy royalty. If someone tries to decide my life for me, I'll refuse next time too. But it's different if those who followed me lose their place because of it.
"No matter what happens to me, I will absolutely never let any harm come to you. That much I promise... I will protect the place where you belong."
Clarice stared at me for a while. Her anger didn't seem to have vanished, but some of the tension left her trembling fingers.
"...If something happens to you, that alone is enough of a loss for us. Don't go cutting yourself off and trying to act like a martyr."
Being met with words I hadn't expected, this time it was I who fell silent.
"I understand. I have no intention of giving myself up easily either. I'm not about to die before I use up those thousand gold coins."
"Using the gold coins as your reason is so very like you..."
Her voice was exasperated, but the trembling from before was gone.
"...Besides, I wanted you to think at least once before refusing something like that."
"I didn't have time to think... I was doing everything I could just to find an escape route."
"Don't say that so proudly!"
In the end, the scolding continued until we returned to the rented villa in the royal capital.
◇
Just as we had finished packing our bags and decided to leave the royal capital today, a royal official appeared at the villa.
The iron-clad box containing the thousand gold coins, the ducal certificate, and a new seal would be escorted to the Razgrim domain by royal soldiers. I tried to load at least the gold coins into my own carriage, but Clarice stopped me, saying it would be a hassle if we were targeted.
As the official was leaving, he handed me a small envelope.
Inside, a few short words were written in Alecia’s handwriting.
—This time, I was also at fault for not asking you first. I won't decide on my own next time. So this time, don't run away, and listen to what I have to say.
"Master. Should I destroy it?" Serena asked.
I refolded the paper and tucked it inside my coat.
"It's a letter from the Queen. If I throw it away, it'll just turn into another hassle."
"I'm sure you know this, but you are to write a proper reply, understood?" Clarice warned me from right beside me.
"I'll think about that after we get back to the domain."
"That's called running away!"
Before the sun began to sink, the carriage passed through the gates of the royal capital. Behind us followed a wagon loaded with a thousand gold coins and escort soldiers flying the royal flag.
Confirming that the city walls were receding into the distance, I finally leaned back deeply into my seat.
"With this, I won't have to see Alecia’s face for a while..."
Clarice didn't reply, looking out the window with an exasperated expression. She seemed to still be angry, but once we left the royal capital, I was in the clear. I could return to my domain and quietly drink my wine, all while thinking about how to spend those thousand gold coins.
With that thought, I pulled the letter I had tucked away out once more.
Beneath the folded paper was a single line I had overlooked earlier.
—P.S. I have decided on the Razgrim domain for my first provincial inspection after the coronation. I will inform you of the date later. I told you in advance this time, didn't I?
I silently closed the letter.
"Clarice... once we reach the domain, hurry up and close the gates."
"If there's a gate in existence that can shut out the Queen, I'd like to see it for myself."
I had only just left the royal capital, yet I already didn't want to go home.