Encouragement and Persuasion
“Are you talking about Miss Ariel?”
Gelwood asked with a puzzled look.
No, to be precise, dubious situations had been unfolding ever since the final four candidates were selected.
The quartet, infamous for not being the most reputable candidates for the ducal family, ironically all shared the commonality of graduating top of their class from the Royal Academy in the same year.
The Duchess of Lemian was someone who always made the right decisions based on her innate observational skills.
Gelwood was concerned about whether there was a problem with her decisiveness.
However, the decisions of the duchess were beyond the jurisdiction of a mere aide, and all he could do was hope she would sift through the worst to find the lesser evils.
Then came the announcement of the final candidate’s abstention.
Following the incomprehensible decision of the lady he served, came the equally incomprehensible decision of one of the selected candidates.
That’s when questions started breeding more questions.
Moreover,
“Please assign a watcher to Sir Elden.”
Another question began.
Elden was a forfeiter who had declared abstention.
Since there was no provision regarding abstention in the participation rules, there was no way to enforce or prevent it.
Above all, there was no reason to accept or refuse the declaration.
There was no need to forcibly seat someone who had lost the will to participate.
Therefore, it was incomprehensible why the duchess would want to hold onto someone who had declared abstention, and even more so to assign a ‘watcher’ to monitor every move of such an abstainer.
Curious about any possible incidents involving Erensia Belroc during their academy days, an investigation was conducted, but nothing that could resolve the question was found.
Without asking about the other three candidates, the duchess only showed questions and interest regarding Elden.
It was suspected that the abstention might be a sophisticated strategy to induce the current situation, but Elden’s eyes seemed truthful, and his subsequent actions strongly asserted his abstention.
It seemed he had completely lost interest in the Engagement Battle.
He was neither preparing for the official schedule nor showing any extraordinary behavior, simply cooped up in the library or venturing into the city to eat commoner’s food.
Even after reporting to the duke, no satisfactory answer was received.
Only the response that all decision-making powers were delegated to the Duchess of Lemian was heard.
What could be the reason for such fixation on an abstainer?
Showing immense interest in someone who has ceased to show any seems to signify something.
Even if making an abstainer the winner, there was no legal basis or regulation to enforce the trophy’s surrender if the abstainer had declared before the final evaluation battle started.
After all, it was not during the competition but before it had even started.
Of course, surrendering the trophy might attract the duke’s scorn and dampen the grand finale of the northern command festival. However, that does not justify criticism, dismissal, or forced engagement.
Even the ducal family could not decree a forced marriage on someone unwilling, especially to avoid becoming a public mockery.
At least, not while the final candidate still remained.
With not a single question resolved, more and more doubts accumulated.
Eventually, he had no choice but to ask directly.
“If I may be so bold… May I inquire about the reason for monitoring Sir Elden, the abstainer? I wonder if I might have missed something.”
Lemian asked in response to Gelwood’s question.
“How do you perceive Sir Elden’s abstention, Advisor?”
The overseer of the Engagement Battle.
A genius of insight.
Wondering if he might have caught something about Elden’s behavior, Lemian asked.
“Well… If it was a strategy exploiting a loophole in the participation rules, I would consider it a successful one, but it doesn’t quite seem like a strategy.”
“Do you believe it to be sincere?”
“Yes. For now, that is my belief.”
“And what about the changes he’s showing?”
Hmm.
Gelwood swallowed and took a moment to think.
A definite change, a strange change.
It was something even a genius of insight found difficult to define.
“I’m not sure. It seems like preparation for using abstention as a strategy, but… even that change appears ‘sincere,’ making it hard to define.”
Abstention is sincere.
Change is sincere.
Elden Rapellion, who only reluctantly engaged with books, appeared genuinely moved while reading them, laughing, and being touched.
Especially when discussing topics earnestly and passionately while sitting across from Miss Ariel.
The reports from the watcher were unbelievably contradicting to the face of Elden they directly observed.
It might be thought that he has recently discovered a new interest, but it was too vague to conclude without any lingering doubts.
“Right?”
Lemian asked, as if expecting that answer.
“What do you mean?”
“We know nothing about Sir Elden. Despite having a watcher, we’re clueless about his intentions, motives, reasons, truths, everything.”
“…But is it necessary to find out? If it’s a strategy to win favor, not getting involved would suffice, and if it’s sincere, then letting it be would be the right thing to do, wouldn’t it?”
“No. We cannot tolerate even a single abstainer.”
Lemian replied firmly.
The tone was slightly tinged with anger, and Gelwood sensed the reason for her obsession within it.
Anger.
The anger towards the abstainer seemed to harbor twisted love or boiling sorrow.
What kind of ill fate was tangled between them, and what past was the duchess bound to?
Gelwood cautiously began to speak.
“However… Even if we were to force participation on someone who has abstained, I do not believe the situation would change….”
To his concern, Lemian smiled for the first time.
A smile filled with the relentless determination of an explorer.
“I have no intention to force.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll make him burn with the will to participate through encouragement and persuasion.”
“How would that…”
Perhaps through the thread of [love], an impregnable fortress of problems could find a breakthrough.
At its end, the hidden treasures could be reclaimed.
For there’s no such thing as an unsolvable problem.
With a triumphant smile, Lemian handed Gelwood a note.
“Please deliver this to Sir Elden.”
“What is this?”
The secret of tomorrow’s evaluation game, [Hide and Seek], was contained within, aiming to provide biased support and encouragement for him, along with an irresistible temptation.
Tap~ Tap~
‘Hmmm-hmm~’
Joyful steps.
Lively steps.
Humming a tune.
Sensing a difference from the usual, the escort knight asked Ariel, who was following behind.
He had been waiting outside the library.
“Is there something making you happy?”
“Eh?”
“You seem particularly cheerful today.”
Ariel, who usually left the library at closing time, appeared drained.
Her face was
downcast, and her steps were heavy.
Knowing it was due to hunger from prolonged reading, the knight’s question was justified by today’s unusually cheerful demeanor.
Stopping in her tracks, Ariel turned and pointed at herself with her index finger.
“Me? I look happy?”
…What’s the point in asking.
As the knight nodded, Ariel tilted her head.
“Hmm. Really? I thought it was always the same?”
“It seems your spirit was always high, but physical exhaustion due to low stamina made your body sag.”
“Is that so?”
Perhaps it was the meal that prevented the decline in physical energy.
Although it was a late lunch, the meal at the Great Hall was truly excellent.
Even though for a countess like her, it was a usual meal, the exchange of reading experiences during the meal might have made it feel extraordinary.
Anyway, she no longer had to listen to her stomach growl, her concentration didn’t waver due to hunger until closing time, and she even exceeded her planned reading amount.
Despite wasting time on a meal, the reading volume slightly increased compared to the previous day.
An ironic situation, but Ariel couldn’t help but feel good.
An increase in reading volume meant she could finish her planned journey faster, offering the warmth of the south sooner to those bound by the harsh land for her reading trip.
‘I wonder if Elden practiced well?’
Ariel suddenly thought of Elden.
Becoming her conversation and meal partner, Elden had undeniably improved the quality of her reading time, making it natural for her to think of him.
Moreover, the memory of seeing Elden’s back as he headed to the training ground with Rachel brought a sense of longing.
And his escort knight was an object of admiration, stirring the hearts of many as the great protagonist.
Meeting Elden was joyful, but encountering the protagonist of a novel in reality was an immense pleasure for a book enthusiast.
‘Since he said it wouldn’t be possible tomorrow because of the evaluation, maybe I’ll watch him practice the day after tomorrow?’
Yes.
That sounds good.
You’re curious, right?
How majestic the sight of the violet knight wielding her sword would be.
An opportunity to witness it from the front row shouldn’t be missed. And after witnessing it, she had to share how magnificent it was with the maids.
They’d be absolutely astonished.
With that resolution, Ariel resumed her steps and soon reached her quarters.
She immediately entered her quarters, finished bathing, and was about to enjoy a late snack.
If someone hadn’t come to visit.
“My lady?”
“Yes?”
“There’s a visitor for you?”
“At this hour? For me? Who is it?”
Who could it be?
She knew no one in the northern command who would visit at such a late hour.
“The person wore a deep hood, so I couldn’t see, but they said they were a classmate from the Royal Academy?”
Ah.
“Elden?”
Thump.
Ariel, who had just put down her spoon, brightened up and began to greet her night visitor.
My guess is… No?