Chapter 8. Temptation

It was a day no different from any other.

After breakfast, she strolled briefly through the garden, and upon returning to the mansion, Yulvi approached and pointed to the guest reception room.

“Flora, someone’s here to see you.”

“……Me? Who?”

Flora’s eyes widened slightly at the news that someone was looking for her, not the master.

It was the first time in her life she’d heard that someone was looking for her. But what followed was even more unexpected.

“Well…… it’s Young Lord Sternbrow.”

“Young Lord Sternbrow means……”

Flora slowly traced her memory at the unfamiliar name and remembered he was the man she had met at the tea party not long ago.

“Why would he want to see me?”

“I don’t know. He said he came to see you since the master is away, so I showed him in.”

With final words that she had served him tea so there was nothing to worry about, Yulvi disappeared into the kitchen.

Flora walked down the corridor, lost in thought.

Is he here because of the duel with the Sternbrow family knight?

She recalled the gentle impression of the man who had seemed quite affectionate toward Rosaline, suggesting they were close siblings. Perhaps he had come as a brother to avenge the humiliation his sister had suffered.

As soon as she opened the door, the man sitting at the center table raised his head at the sound. Rising from his seat, he bowed politely in greeting.

“Good afternoon. I’m Andrean Sternbrow whom you met yesterday.”

“Welcome.”

Flora greeted him and offered him a seat, surprised by his more courteous manner than expected. Andrean smiled awkwardly and began to speak.

“I apologize for the rudeness of visiting suddenly without notice.”

“It’s fine. But may I ask why you wanted to see me?”

“……Actually, I came despite the impropriety to apologize for my younger sister’s rudeness yesterday.”

He repeatedly expressed his sincere apologies with a genuinely sorry face.

“Rosaline also asked me to convey that she hopes you will understand her generously.”

“……Lady Sternbrow did?”

“Rosaline is still young and a bit immature, but she had no ill intentions.”

It was somewhat unexpected, but Flora had no particular resentment toward Rosaline. She had been thinking that even without those words, perhaps the situation would have unfolded similarly.

“Did you come all this way just for that?”

Flora found it difficult to understand why Andrean would visit for the sake of an apology. He hesitated, as if he had something else to say, then opened his mouth.

“Not just for that. Actually, I was deeply impressed by your swordsmanship yesterday. As a knight myself, I wanted to have a conversation with you.”

So that’s why he came.

Since other nobles had asked similar questions yesterday, Flora quickly understood.

“I was particularly impressed by the way your hands moved with the longsword.”

Andrean’s bright blonde hair fluttered in the soft sunlight as he smiled warmly. Since the questions weren’t particularly difficult, Flora answered everything he asked sincerely.

Surprisingly, Andrean was an easy person to talk to. He led the conversation in a very gentlemanly manner without making her uncomfortable. With his consistently warm impression and gentle tone, the atmosphere gradually softened.

Then, as Andrean savored the aroma of the tea, he hesitated slightly before carefully broaching a subject.

“If it’s not too impertinent, may I ask about your background?”

He touched his nape awkwardly and added.

“My skills might still be lacking, as I found it difficult to identify which region’s swordsmanship it was.”

It was a difficult question. Answering straightforwardly might affect the duke in ways she couldn’t predict.

Should she just leave out the fact that she was a soldier?

Seeing that Flora couldn’t immediately find an answer, an awkward light crossed Andrean’s face.

“I’ve asked an inappropriate question.”

“That’s not it…… I don’t have much to tell. I have no memories.”

“……What do you mean, no memories?”

Andrean asked with a slightly surprised face. He seemed quite shocked, as his green eyes filled with verdure trembled slightly.

“Just what I said. Before my master took me in…… I lived as a wanderer, and I have no memories from childhood.”

“Ah……”

Andrean exhaled a long breath tinged with lamentation. Then he quietly apologized.

“I asked something unnecessary. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It’s an old story.”

Flora quietly answered and moistened her lips with a sip of tea. Having happened ten years ago, it was now something she could speak about calmly without particular heartache.

Andrean put down his teacup and gazed quietly at her face. His eyes rippled gradually, then settled calmly.

Similar conversation continued afterward.

“Next time, I’ll send word before visiting.”

“……You’re coming again?”

“It seems you don’t want me to.”

Andrean tossed out the light joke as if slightly hurt. For a noble of high standing, he gave off a comfortable feeling.

“It’s not that…… But would there be any reason for us to meet again?”

“I’d like to have conversations like this occasionally.”

“……”

“Ah….. I didn’t mean to pressure you. I simply wish to have more conversations with you, Miss Flora, who has such deep knowledge of swordsmanship, so please think of it lightly.”

Andrean smiled refreshingly and rose from his seat, promising a next time.

* * *

As soon as Andrean boarded his carriage after being seen off by a servant from the duke’s mansion, his expression turned serious.

Though he had come using his sister as an excuse, in truth, there was no apology Rosaline had asked him to convey. As soon as they returned from the tea party, Rosaline had turned the mansion upside down with all sorts of irritation.

Last night, as soon as he opened the door to Rosaline’s room, a vase flew past and shattered against the adjacent wall.

Just looking at the state of the disheveled room and the trembling maids’ faces, one could easily guess how much of a tantrum she had thrown.

He said one thing to his sister who was throwing all kinds of fits.

‘Take it easy.’

‘Do I look like I can take it easy? After the humiliation I suffered today because of that woman……!’

Since becoming a marquis’s lady at around ten years of age, Rosaline had frequently gotten angry over small matters. But even setting that aside, his sister’s reaction was particularly excessive.

‘I’ve called back Sir Garret whom you chased away.’

Adrian sat on the sofa after dismissing all the servants who had endured Rosaline’s irritability. Rosaline sat down opposite him and fiercely demanded.

‘What right do you have to interfere, brother?’

‘That knight is an exceptional one. It’s just that the woman was stronger.’

Andrean recited the facts without so much as blinking at the sight of Rosaline shouting angrily.

‘Why are you so angry? That woman was introduced as the duke’s escort from the beginning.’

‘That’s a lie.’

‘……What?’

‘That woman is just a lowly maid working at Duke Heinst’s household!’

‘Even if what you say is true, there’s no need to be this sensitive about a single maid.’

‘It bothers me that a commoner doesn’t know her place and acts out of line. ……The duke also brought that woman as his partner last time.’

Only then did Adrian realize why Rosaline was so sensitive about that woman. He had long noticed whom his sister had taken a fancy to.

However, it seemed somewhat excessive to attribute her behavior solely to jealousy.

‘If that’s the reason, instead of taking out your anger on that woman, shouldn’t you directly ask the duke?’

‘Don’t you understand what it means when a man brings a maid to a banquet? I checked everything. Because I……’

Having said that much, Rosaline suddenly shut her mouth tightly.

Seeing her expression that suggested she had made a mistake, it seemed there was something more. Afterward, he pressed her about whether there was another reason, but Rosaline wouldn’t open her mouth.

Despite her late entry into high society, which tended to look down on people, Rosaline was cunning enough to quickly bring other noble ladies under her thumb. She was definitely hiding something from him.

But regardless of that, the reason he visited this place was because there was something he wanted to confirm.

The moment he saw Flora wielding a sword under the midday sun, she overlapped with a scene in his mind.

He recognized her at a glance. If she resembled the man he so revered and wanted to emulate, wouldn’t she be the only one in this world?

“No memories……”

However, his visit yielded absolutely nothing in the end.

* * *

Several days passed.

The Empire was already reaching the end of summer. Though the heat had subsided somewhat, the wind was still muggy.

The duke increasingly spent longer periods away, and even when he returned, he was buried in his office, busy with something. Since he postponed sleep to focus on state affairs, Flora only saw Claude’s face occasionally when bringing refreshments.

Even then, she only briefly saw him conversing with his adjutant or the knight commander. By the next day, he would be gone again.

Since that day, days passed relentlessly without Flora having a single conversation with Claude.