Chapter 1 – Letter

The daily routine of twenty-two-year-old Melian Raison was simple.

When he woke up in the morning, he first washed his face, changed his clothes, and then tidied the bedding. At such times, fetching the wash water, preparing the clothes to change into, and straightening the blankets were all things he handled himself.

After that, he went down to the kitchen and ate a simple breakfast there. Usually, it ended with stale bread left over from the day before, accompanied by milk or wine.

After filling his own stomach, he prepared his father’s breakfast and served it to him. His father, whose legs were not well, could not go very far, but he still rose early in the morning and would read books or write in his study.

When the younger son brought a tray with the meal, his father would lift his eyes from his book, smile, and thank him. Then the good son would smile back each time. It was a habit they had kept for a long time.

After taking care of his father’s meal as well, Melian began the household work in earnest. Before sweeping and cleaning the inside of the manor, there were things outside the house he had to deal with first.

For example, feeding the chickens, giving feed to the pigs, pulling weeds from the vegetable garden, catching insects, tending the farming tools, and checking whether there were any parts of the fence that needed repairing.

When he worked busily like that, the morning passed in a rush. Around the time the harsh summer sunlight poured down on the crown of his head, Melian took off his hat, wiped the sweat with a handkerchief, and sat down in the shade. Sitting on an old chair beneath the eaves, he stared blankly beyond the fence.

“……?”

At that moment, he saw a rider and horse coming across the field from far away. Melian frowned in puzzlement. Surely they were not coming here? Why? Today was not the day the postman came.

Melian stood stiffly in place and watched the approaching horse and man with growing unease. The man riding the horse eventually stopped in front of the fence and called out loudly.

“Is this Viscount Raison’s private residence?”

“Yes, it is.”

Though it was embarrassing to still be addressed as ‘Viscount,’ that was, in any case, still the official title.

Although the wealth and honor attached to that title had gradually disappeared over the past generations, the title itself had not been taken away. If one had to be exact, Melian’s family still belonged to the nobility.

“This is a registered letter. The sender requested that I receive a reply immediately.”

The postman dismounted and rummaged through his bag. Melian rose from his seat and stood facing him with the fence between them.

The postman pulled a brown envelope with a slightly crumpled corner from the large bag slung over his shoulder. When the postman held it out, Melian took it with an even more anxious feeling.

“You should read it first. If you can reply right away, I’ll wait here. If it seems it will take some time, I’ll stop by again this evening.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

After replying politely, Melian opened the envelope. There were only two sheets in it. The messy handwriting filling those two pages was strangely familiar.

Only after reading the first sentence with a frown did Melian realize that the person who had written the letter was his elder brother. It was so different from his usual neat handwriting that he had not recognized it at once.

To dear Lian,

Melian read the letter, which began by calling him by his nickname, all the way to the end. As he read, his complexion turned pale white, then bluish, then red, passing through all sorts of changing colors.

At last, after reading the final sentence, Melian clenched his teeth. The paper crumpled in his hand. The postman, who had been watching with an awkward expression, asked carefully,

“Shall I come back this evening?”

Melian could not answer at once.

* * *

The Raison family, based in the southern part of the continent, had once been a fairly wealthy house.

During the days of the Empire, when monsters still ran rampant across this land, an ancestor who had distinguished himself in subjugating monsters was granted a knightly title and awarded territory. That was the glorious beginning of the Raisons.

But times are bound to change. Now that the imperial system had collapsed and a new aristocratic order had taken its place, the honor and prestige the Raison family had enjoyed for hundreds of years had sunk to the very bottom.

Monsters had disappeared, and wars were gone as well, so there was no longer any chance to earn fresh privileges by gaining brave achievements on the battlefield.

It had been a long time since a knight had come from the Raison family, and even if one appeared now, there was no guarantee that he would rise to a high position.

In the new era, the surest way to rise high was to build a reputation through politics or to make money through business.

Melian’s brother aimed for business instead of politics. It was at the beginning of this year that he had run away from home, saying he would earn money for the family, and begun drifting from one foreign place to another. Since then, he had sent letters only from time to time, and the most recent news to arrive had thrown Melian into panic.

However, he could not remain blankly stunned in shock forever. Melian pulled himself together as quickly as possible. Since his brother was not by his side, the only son left to protect his father was himself. As always, collapsing in despair was a luxury.

He wrote a reply to his brother. It said that he would somehow find a solution, so his brother should hold on until then. And now he was on his way somewhere to keep that promise. His body swayed this way and that inside the stagecoach.

“Millium Manor!”

At the coachman’s shout, the carriage stopped. Melian hurriedly got down. As soon as he set foot on the dirt road, the stagecoach rattled away carrying the remaining passengers.

Melian looked around. The station was called ‘Millium Manor,’ but the manor itself was nowhere to be seen. All that spread around him was empty open land. Melian let out a sigh.

‘There is no helping it.’

He had never expected that a stagecoach would take him straight to the front gate of the historic ducal house. He would probably have to walk quite a while.

Though he was acquainted with a member of the Dukedom, he had never once visited the house, so the road there was unknown territory. From here on, he would have to find the way himself.

Fortunately, he knew the general direction. He was not so unprepared that he would go to seek out an old acquaintance with a humble request to make without first checking where the destination was.

Recalling the manor’s location from the map, Melian moved forward relying on his memory. The sturdy boots he had worn in preparation for the long journey sank deep into the muddy ground. Because it had rained recently, the earth was fairly soft.

After walking like that for about ten minutes, the manor appeared. It was a beautiful building surrounded by forest and fields. Swallowing a bitter smile, Melian looked at its magnificent appearance, incomparable to the Raison family’s manor.

Melian stopped in front of the tall gate. When he pulled the cord attached to it, the faint sound of a bell rang from somewhere. Melian waited anxiously. After a moment, someone came walking over.

“Who are you?”

A young man dressed as a servant stopped on the other side and, looking Melian over beyond the gate, asked in a guarded tone.

Melian was not offended by that attitude, which could not be called kind even as empty courtesy. It was he who had come in urgent haste without sending word in advance, so it was only right that he humble himself completely.

“My name is Melian Raison. I was Lady Helena’s classmate at the academy.”

“Lady Helena’s classmate?”

“Yes. I came because I have something I wish to say to her. Might she be inside at the moment?”

“Did you make an appointment beforehand?”

“……No. Something urgent happened, so I was unable to inform her in advance. Please forgive the discourtesy.”

Melian spoke in the most respectful tone he could manage. The servant looked him up and down once more with a distinctly displeased gaze.