Chapter 11

"Yes, it’s been a while. Thank you for inviting me tonight, Lord Thor."

We exchanged informal bows.
Then, I received a sword from Delawear.
A heavy jeweled ceremonial blade.

I held it out to Thor without ceremony.

"I leave this in your care."

"I shall take it with the utmost responsibility."

Thor took the sword from me and immediately handed it off to a knight in his service.

Walking around unarmed in the middle of the night would make anyone look recklessly naïve, but one can’t attend a banquet while still wearing a sword.
Thus, this was a kind of ritual compromise.

Besides, all of us nobles—myself included—wore magical amplifiers, and our attendants, including Delawear, were armed with concealed weapons.

So it’s not like we were actually defenseless.

Then again, that went both ways.

With the formalities complete, Thor gestured for me to take the seat beside him.
The nobles from the Budoudarl faction also handed over their weapons in turn and sat where they were shown.

When I turned my eyes toward the campfire, I saw something—meat and fish, it seemed—being grilled.
The savory smell wafting through the air was utterly mouthwatering.

"What are you cooking?"

"Deer, boar, and carp."

Apparently, Thor and his party had arrived this morning.
Around midday, they’d been guided into the hunting grounds by royal knights for a preliminary survey.
These were the animals they’d caught then.

The deeper you go into the hunting grounds, the more frequent the magical beasts become, but ordinary animals still live around the outer edges.

While we talked, a servant brought me a wooden bowl.
It was filled with something like soup.

"This is whale stew."

"Oh… whale, is it?"

As the servant explained, I brought a spoonful to my lips.
A rich saltiness and the deep savoriness of animal fat spread across my tongue.
The flavor was quite intense—almost wild—but it suited the outdoor setting perfectly.

"This is my first time trying it, but it’s delicious. …Does the Duchy of Larknoll eat whale often?"

I asked Thor, and he gave a big nod.

"Yes. Or rather, it’s a part of Garzaarth culture more broadly…"

Apparently, it’s mainly harvested for its oil, but they eat the meat as well.
Since whales yield a large amount of meat that can’t be eaten all at once, most of it gets salted.
That salted meat is often turned into soups like this.

"Sometimes whales undergo magical transformations too…"

There are times when enormous man-eating whales over a hundred meters long appear.
They don’t just ruin fishing grounds—they’ll attack fishing boats and trade vessels outright, and even eat people.

That's way too terrifying...

"Protecting the northern seas is our solemn duty."

Thor spoke with pride, though there was a subtle stiffness to his expression.
Perhaps because we were sitting close, I could feel his quiet tension.

I had suspected as much—and now I was certain. Time to get to the point.

"…Come to think of it, you mentioned something about that in your letter as well."

Thor flinched slightly, his cheek twitching.
Then he awkwardly averted his blue eyes.

"So… the letter reached you."

"It arrived a week before I departed."

"I-I see…"

This is just a guess on my part, but I think Thor regretted sending that letter after he wrote it.
Maybe he thought: I said too much.

What if she hates me now because of that letter…? I hope it didn’t arrive after all. But if it didn’t, then how do I even explain myself now…?

He must’ve gone in circles thinking like that.

Honestly, it’s kind of cute.
Youthful, even. I’m a little jealous.

"I’ll send a proper reply later. …Once I’m back home, I’ll write it while thinking fondly of tonight’s banquet. So let’s make some good memories."

It was my way of saying: I’m not upset at all. I’m sorry too.
Next time, I’ll write you a letter that’s just about you.
Let’s leave that behind and enjoy the moment.

When I said that, Thor nodded deeply.

"Yes. …By the way, how is the fur cloak I sent you? Comfortable?"

Finally, he asked.

I picked up the hem of the cloak I was wearing, deliberately drawing attention to it.
The surrounding nobles all turned their eyes toward me.

"Yes. It’s very light and warm. Thank you for sending me such a lovely gift. …From your perspective, Lord Thor, how does it look? Does it suit me?"

"It suits you beautifully. Seeing how stunning you look in it makes me feel it was worth the gift."

"My, how flattering you are."

The nobles listening in let out a quiet, "Ooooh."

Though, they weren’t impressed by Thor’s smooth talk.

He was clearly responding to the fact that I was wearing the fur gifted by the House of Larknoll—and had just brought it up myself.

"And what about you, Lord Thor? The Budoudarl silk I sent you…?"

At my question, Thor nodded deeply.
He ran a hand lightly over the garment he wore and replied.

"It’s a wonderful piece. I’ve never touched silk of such fine quality before. Um… how does it look, from your perspective, Princess Roselia?"

"It suits you very well. …You appear even more gallant than before. I’m glad I gave it to you."

"I-I’m glad to hear that."

With that, Thor turned his face away in a huff.
He was likely trying to hide his flushed cheeks, but with his ears also turning red, he wasn’t succeeding.

At any rate, we’d now made it clear that we had exchanged fur and silk gifts.
That was the goal—and it had been achieved.
Now, I could enjoy the food and head home.

After that, we chatted as we ate and gazed up at the night sky, exchanging tales of constellations.
How that constellation was interpreted in Garzaarth mythology, or how it was known among Budoudarl sailors…

I had to admit, the atmosphere was quite romantic.
But I’m a politician.

"Stories and meanings may differ, but whether in the North or the South, people still gaze at the stars with longing in their hearts."

In other words—language and culture may be different, but peace is best! Long live peace!!

I made sure to say it loud enough for both the Larknoll and Budoudarl nobles to hear.

"Y-Yes, you’re right…"

Thor, however, had seemed distracted for a while now.
Ever since we started talking about the stars, he’d looked a bit restless.
Like he had something he wanted to say.

"U-Um, Princess Roselia—"
"Oh, a shooting star!"

I accidentally cut him off, having caught sight of a meteor streaking through the sky.

Oops. That was a misstep.

Just as I opened my mouth to apologize—

"Do you see that red star, in the same direction the meteor just fell?"

Thor started speaking again, launching into what sounded like a rehearsed monologue, full of unusual confidence.
Sensing something was about to happen, I gave a deep nod.

"Yes. I see it."

"From that red star, if you look slightly to the right, there are three bright stars in a line…"

He pointed to a few stars, using the red one as the center.
Some I could recognize, others I wasn’t quite sure about—but rather than interrupt him, I nodded along as if I understood.

"If you connect those stars, it forms the image of a man and a woman dancing around the red star. Among the Garzaarth people, it’s said the pair are lovers gathered around a fire."

I could already tell where this was going.
A cold sweat trailed down my back.

"What do you think? …Shall we follow the stars’ example and join hands?"

Thor rose to his feet, dropped to one knee, and extended his hand toward me.

A moment later, the nobles around us cried out in surprise, "Ooooh!?"

This was just short of a marriage proposal—no, it was a proposal.

I’d been caught off guard.
I never expected him to have this kind of hidden card.

Completely outside the scope of my expectations!

"My… I had no idea that star held such meaning…"

I couldn’t very well stay silent, so I gave a response.
As I wove together some vague words, my brain spun furiously.

Should I take his hand? Or not?

If I did, it would be taken as accepting his proposal.
Of course, this was an unofficial setting, so no one would claim it constituted an official engagement—but it could still have repercussions for future diplomatic marriages.

But refusing outright would be far worse.
It would be no different from rejecting him publicly before all these nobles, humiliating him.

That would ruin the whole friendly atmosphere we’d built tonight.

I had to take his hand.

But I needed a clever way to do it—something that wouldn’t make it look like I’d accepted his proposal…

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!?

Ah, it’s no use… I can’t organize my thoughts!

"Um…"

Even the words I’d been using to buy time were starting to run dry.

And the fact that I was stalling so obviously made it clear I had no intention of taking his hand—oh no, this is bad!!

"Haha… please, there’s no need to look so troubled."

Thor gave a strained smile as he spoke.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Tonight’s banquet lasts only as long as the bonfire burns. And by morning, that fire will burn out and vanish. My invitation is the same—fleeting."

It was such a smooth, polished line that I could only assume he’d practiced it over and over.

He must’ve anticipated that I wouldn’t take his hand right away.

"Until the fire fades. Until the stars cease to twinkle. Will you not take my hand?"

His second invitation.

By the time he said it, I had already regained my composure.

"…Then, as the stars guide us. Until the red star falls."

I took Thor’s hand.

And just like that, a troupe of musicians—clearly prepared in advance—began to play.

They really were ready for everything.

With nobles from both the Budoudarl and Larknoll factions watching, we began to dance.

"Even you get flustered sometimes, Princess Roselia."

Thor spoke in a low voice.

He’d already grown confident enough to make small talk in the middle of the dance, even in the dark.

Somehow, that annoyed me.

"…Please don’t ever pull a stunt like that again. My heart nearly stopped."

I raised my voice enough for those around us to hear, voicing a clear protest.

This is just a joke. I’m not taking it seriously.
That’s what I was signaling.

…I really felt like some tsundere heroine or something.

"M-My apologies. I was merely swept away by the heat of the bonfire tonight… It won’t happen again."

There won’t be a next time.

Thor said it loud and clear, declaring it for all to hear.

…That should be enough to neutralize his proposal.
In a way, I managed to end this in a draw.

"However… Princess Roselia."

Thor leaned in closer.

He pulled me in firmly by the hand, holding me tight, and whispered by my ear—

"Even when the sun rises, the flame in my heart will never go out."
—I will never give up.

“…!?”

My heart leapt again.

For some reason, my body froze up against my will.

Because of that, I reacted a beat too late.

I hurried to move my feet to catch up.

“Ah—”

“Whoa—”

As a result, I tripped over my own feet and nearly fell—only to be caught and supported by Thor.

I messed up.

…That was completely my mistake.

A string of blunders left my face burning with embarrassment.

So humiliating…

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes… My apologies. Shall we continue?”

I never imagined Thor would become someone who could escort me properly on the dance floor.

There’s a saying: If you haven’t seen a man in three days, look at him with fresh eyes.
This must be what it meant.

“You’ve truly improved. It’s much easier to dance with you than before.”

“You make it sound like I was difficult to dance with before.”

“To be perfectly honest… yes. That’s why I’m surprised.”

I smiled as I said it, and Thor smiled too.

“Then allow me to surprise you even more.”

“My, what a charming proposal.”

I wasn’t going to let him have the last word.

Thinking that, I gently pulled Thor a little closer.
He gave me a puzzled look as I leaned in toward his ear.

“Kitar esh novaa.”

I whispered in Garzaarth language—I’m looking forward to it.

It seemed he hadn’t expected me to speak his native tongue.
Thor stiffened in surprise.

Though he recovered quickly.

Tch… I hate that.

“I’m still not very good at it, so let’s keep it a secret. …Look forward to what’s coming.”

“…Yes! I’ll be looking forward to it!!”

With that, our dance came to an end.
The sound of applause echoed through the dark night.

Slowly, I let go of Thor’s hand.

It was soaked in sweat.

My heart was pounding wildly with tension, and my body felt hot, as though it were burning up.

My head spun.

…Caught up in the moment, I’d gone and done it—but was this really okay?

That worry crept up on me, just a little too late.