The time had finally come for the carriage carrying the Duke’s daughter to arrive at the estate.
As her social inferior, it was my duty to be out front to receive her.
If she started whining about this being a "hovel" or asking why a high-and-mighty ducal daughter like herself was being banished to the frontier, I planned to deliver a swift physical correction the moment the words left her mouth.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do—and House Brave had its own set of rules.
"Young master, you mustn't let your bloodlust show. The same will apply at the Academy."
"……I know."
I obediently suppressed my irritation as Sebas warned me.
Strictly speaking, there wasn't an official code that mandated violence, but that was the mindset I lived by. The closest thing we had to family maxims were things like, "Show no mercy to the people from the neighboring country," I suppose?
Or perhaps, "If you spot one goblin, you'd better find the rest of the nest."
Those things breed and establish colonies as fast as cockroaches. If you don't crush them before they multiply, you're in for a nightmare.
"Look, she's arriving. Stand tall, please."
"Right!"
I straightened my back.
The carriage carrying the Duke’s daughter was smaller than I had imagined. Even if she had fallen from grace, she was still a high-ranking lady; I had expected her to bring a small army of servants. I’d worked myself to the bone cleaning the guest quarters for a staff that, apparently, didn't exist.
Don't let the size of the place fool you; our own staff had been decimated during the war, leaving the manor a ghost town. Even my mother had taken my younger sister and fled back to her family home after the shock of it all. Maybe she felt a sense of liberation, finally free from the Brave family curse, but I tried not to dwell on that……
"My Lady, we have arrived."
The carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion. The man who climbed down from the driver's seat opened the passenger door.
The person who stepped out was, predictably, a beautiful woman with shimmering silver hair tied back in a neat bun.
Alicia Gran Oldwood, daughter of the Duke.
"Whoa."
the moment I saw her, the sound escaped my lips involuntarily.
Immediately, Sebas struck me across the back of the head.
"Young Master! ……Ahem. Welcome, Lady Alicia. I am Sebas, the butler of this estate. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
"……So you have that reaction too."
Alicia muttered those words while glaring at me.
Coming face-to-face with her properly, I saw a massive burn scar near her left eye. It was prominent, covering nearly a quarter of her face.
"That burn…… how did that happen?"
"……"
When I ventured to ask, Alicia lowered her eyes, her face tight with pain.
As expected of a Duke’s daughter, even with the injury, she was a striking beauty. She had that sort of tragic, fragile air about her that made a man want to protect her.
"No, if you don't want to talk about it, that’s fine."
I didn't want to trigger some hidden trauma by prying, so I backed off immediately. Alicia had arrived here after a duel and a public engagement annulment; it stood to reason she'd have some scars from the fallout.
Besides.
"In the Brave Territory, that sort of thing is perfectly normal," I added, offering a practiced smile.
And it was the truth. Adventurers returning from the front lines are always a mess of scars, and the women are no exception. It was common to see retired soldiers or laborers missing fingers, or even an arm or a leg. Why should I care about a burn on a quarter of someone's face?
For that matter, if I stripped off my clothes, I was covered in scars myself. I even had a large one on my forehead, though I kept it hidden behind my bangs. If Sebas ever took his shirt off, he’d look like a roadmap of past violence.
But that wasn't the point.
"Well then, I shall be on my way."
"Oh, right. Safe travels."
The driver placed a single suitcase by the gate and left without another word. It happened so fast I didn't even have time to offer a tip.
Seriously? Not even a single maid? Is it sane to send your daughter away with nothing but the clothes on her back? She was a girl in her prime, for goodness' sake. At the very least, they should have sent one familiar face to attend to her.
I realized with a sinking feeling that if I had to assign our own limited manpower to look after a Duke’s daughter, it was going to play havoc with the daily chores.
"Now, Lady Alicia, this way please."
"Yes."
While I watched the carriage depart with a dazed expression, Sebas guided Alicia into the mansion with his professional "guest-service" smile.
Alicia didn't even look back at the carriage. I had expected her to watch it go with a resentful glare, but instead, she remained eerily quiet, as if she had solemnly accepted her fate.
The Brave Territory was nicknamed "The Abandoned Land" and feared by the nobility. I had assumed a sheltered girl would be in total despair. Even my deceased brothers' wives had always worn faces twisted by that fear.
Her expression, which looked as though she had given up on everything, reminded me of enemy soldiers we had taken prisoner. I found it hard to believe that this hollowed-out girl would eventually interfere with the protagonists and strike a deal with a demon. It felt like a bit of an anticlimax.
She was white as a sheet, like a pile of spent ash. To be tempted by a demon, one needs darkness in their heart, but she currently lacked even the wicked resentment I had seen in the game. She was just…… empty.
"Ah, wait a second."
I called out to Alicia and Sebas as they headed for the door and reached out to brush her shoulder.
"……What? Was there dust on me? I apologize. These are old clothes."
"No, my house is even dustier. Compared to this place, your clothes are pristine."
"……"
Alicia looked slightly displeased at my remark, but that flicker of annoyance felt more human.
Strange. We could actually communicate. Even though my house was of lower rank, she was listening to reason. Was this humility only because she’d lost to a commoner and been dumped by the Prince? Was her pride currently in shreds? Or was there a development later where her desire for revenge would be reignited?
To avoid my own destruction, I’d prefer her to stay depressed forever. However, if her resentment flared up again when we got to the Academy, I wouldn't be able to handle the fallout. I had to win her over while I still had the chance.
I’d figure out the details later. For now, there was something I had to do.
"Lady Alicia, welcome to House Brave. You must be exhausted. Please make yourself at home in your room, though I'm afraid it's quite small."
"……"
She ignored me and entered the mansion.
Watching her go with a smile, I looked down at what I was clutching in my right hand.
"Skree, skree……"
In my palm was a small, black insect writhing in agony.
This was the reason I had blurted out "Whoa" the second I saw her. In the Brave household, we call these tiny, demonic entities "Magic Insects."
Magic Insects carry curses. They latch onto people and cause all sorts of misery—poison, paralysis, mental pollution. They're the true cause behind most "incurable" diseases. A person infested with them is doomed to a miserable life.
And Alicia was absolutely crawling with them. There had to be at least a hundred.
"Sigh…… Good grief. Someone really hated her, didn't they?"
Given what she’d supposedly done, it might have been inevitable. However, if an ordinary person were infested with this many Magic Insects, they wouldn't even be able to think straight. Yet, she remained eerily calm.
Was she only being quiet because of the insects? No, I shook my head. That was impossible. People possessed by Magic Insects become pathologically obsessed with something. They start acting and speaking like the possessed villains at the end of a story……
"Ah—I might need to rethink this."
A realization struck me. Would a Duke’s daughter, someone groomed from birth to be the future Queen, really get into a duel with a commoner? Our parents' generation, obsessed as they were with tradition, would never have allowed it. They would have backed the lady by default.
I’d lived in this world for fifteen years, and I wasn't so stupid that I couldn't see the holes in that logic—which was exactly why I hadn't wanted to inherit the title. The "plot convenience" of it all was staggering.
"……I suppose an otome game world is just like that."
These developments were carefully constructed by developers to entertain players. But dealing with it in the real world was a different story. It was warped. And it was infuriating that my life was on the line because of it.
"What am I going to do…… I have to marry her and then head to the Academy next month?"
A school life shared with a woman who was a magnet for that much malice and ill-will. It was pure despair. I might as well be walking to the gallows. How did she manage to keep bothering the protagonist in the game without dying?
Then again, someone had intended for it to be that way. As a nuisance character, I’d probably be killed off at the appropriate time.
"This is way too dangerous."
To prevent that, I had to help her turn over a new leaf. The only way forward was to help her get over her ex-fiancé and stand on her own two feet.
In that case, I guess she was my "capture target."
"Yeah, that’s it! Since we're officially engaged, I’ve got to make her fall for me."
At first, I’d thought it would be easier if she just disappeared, but seeing her as a victim of fate like this changed my mind.
"No matter the situation, look forward and keep walking. That’s what you told me, right?"
I was talking to my late father.
I had planned to leave the family behind and live my own life, but I didn't actually hate House Brave. Since I was the one who survived, it was my duty to succeed the family members who had died so gallantly in battle. Carrying on the Brave bloodline was the best tribute I could offer them.
"I’ll give it my all……"
I firmly crushed the Magic Insect in my fist, sealing my resolve.
Wait, why could I crush a Magic Insect?
Because I’m a Brave, obviously. Sebas noticed, too.