Chapter 6: Imperial Princess Mercedes (1)

Simon remembered with perfect clarity the first time he met Lua.

It had been when the family went on a trip to the Family villa built in Minor Village.

He had no interest in rest or leisure, so he had been bored. And so, after disguising himself rather convincingly as an adventurer, he had wandered through the village.

Fresh bread just out of the oven~ Come and try some!

Even by the time he died, he had never heard a voice so clear and pure.

His gaze had turned there of its own accord, and that was when he beheld the person fate had chosen for him.

- The young woman working at the Minor Bakery.

He learned later that she was the bakery owner’s only daughter. The love she had received from her parents showed plainly in her lovely eyes and smile.

As if bewitched, he found himself walking into the bakery, and that was how he first spoke to her.

― Welcome! You look like an adventurer, don’t you? I haven’t seen your face around before.

― Ah, yes.

― We have so much delicious bread here. Would you like to take a look?

― …….

He should have been looking at the bread and choosing something, but Simon at that time could not do that. Instead, he had been staring at Lua in a daze.

― Sir?

― Ah, my apologies. I was terribly rude.

― Not at all. But is there something on my face?

Lua asked cautiously, and Simon shook his head.

― No. Not at all. I will take this….

― An excellent choice! It is the signature bread of our bakery. How many would you like?

― All of them.

― A-all of them?

It was not as though he lacked money. He had more than enough on hand. Perhaps he had wanted to win her favor. Or perhaps, caught completely off guard, he had simply blurted it out without thinking.

― Thank you very much! Please come again~!

That day, Simon returned to the villa carrying an armful of bread.

After that, he continued to stop by Minor Village from time to time, pretending to be an adventurer. As time passed, memories accumulated. Sometimes, after she finished work, they even met separately.

Just when he thought he had succeeded in winning her heart, his father and mother found out.

The Arcturus Family was thrown into uproar.

To sum up that chaotic situation in a single sentence, Simon was banned from going to Minor Village.

It would have been a relief if it had ended there.

The meticulous Marquis Deneuve sent overseers to Minor Village to keep watch over Lua and her family.

When Simon learned of it, he was consumed with guilt and fury, but there was nothing more he could do. The head of the Family’s command stood above the law.

Thus, that tender first love gradually faded into oblivion.

But not this time.

He had entrusted the investigation to Ranieri, so good news should come soon. If the past had not changed despite his regression, Lua was surely still there.

“Young Master?”

Debianne’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts for a moment.

“You are still here?”

“I still haven’t heard your answer.”

“That is suspicious.”

“What is?”

“You were never this persistent. It is not as though you have any romantic interest in me, either.”

“That fever really must have been frightening. Do I look like I would fall for you, Young Master?”

“Exactly. Which means there must be some other reason you are lingering here like this. Did Mother send you?”

Debianne could not continue.

She had an honest nature. To put it bluntly, she was terrible at lying.

“So I was right.”

“Please keep it a secret from Her Ladyship. In any case, I need to return with an answer that will satisfy her.”

“I cannot tell you who it is yet.”

“What do you mean? His Excellency the Marquis clearly said it seemed you already had someone in mind.”

With an easy smile, Simon shook his head.

“To be precise, I mean that I intend to find someone I like.”

“There cannot possibly be anyone more splendid than Imperial Princess Mercedes.”

“One must never judge a person by looks alone.”

As though she found that unexpected, Debianne blinked several times.

“Hearing words like that come from your mouth feels very strange, Young Master.”

“Even so, would it not still sound more realistic coming from me than from Ranieri?”

“That is true enough. He is a bit… excessive, in a way.”

Letting out a small sigh, Debianne finally took a step back.

“Then I shall relay that to Her Ladyship exactly as it is. That is all right, yes?”

“I do not mind.”

It was not a lie. He still did not know for certain whether Lua was there.

More than anything, the timeline was not exact.

The discrepancy might be a few months, or it might be several years. If so, then her residence or even her occupation could be different.

“Then I will take my leave now. My apologies for the disturbance, Young Master.”

“Wait.”

After putting his thoughts in order for a moment, Simon asked her carefully,

“If a woman were indulging in sordid pleasures at a highly secret gathering, and someone were to point out that behavior to her, what do you think she would feel?”

“All of a sudden?”

“I was just curious.”

But Debianne quickly realized there was some deeper meaning in the question, and her face went pale with shock.

“Young Master… are you serious? Surely you have not been digging into the Imperial Princess’s private affairs?”

“I never said who it was. I was only asking in general.”

“…….”

“Well, if that burdens you, then you need not answer.”

“I think she would feel humiliated. She would never show her face there again. If she were someone honest about her desires, she would probably rationalize it to herself as something perfectly natural.”

“I see.”

Simon nodded, smiling in satisfaction.

“Haa, I have a feeling I came here for no reason at all.”

“You had no choice, did you? Mother sent you, after all.”

“Even so.”

“Do not worry about it. I will handle everything myself.”

“I will trust you, Young Master.”

Once Debianne withdrew, Simon climbed back into bed.

A warm, comfortable softness wrapped itself around his body.

I have no choice. I will have to take the direct approach. I will expose the Imperial Princess’s shameful secret and render this marriage null and void.

He had no physical proof, but he possessed knowledge of the future. At the very least, he still remembered the name of the man she had been involved with.

If he named that fact outright, the Imperial Princess would surely be shaken. Even if she insisted it was false, she would not be able to overcome the humiliation.

This has to go well.

And then, two days later, the resounding blare of trumpets announced the arrival of the carriage bearing the Imperial Princess.

***

Simon made a bold choice.

Even after the Imperial Princess’s carriage arrived, he did not leave his room. Marquis Deneuve, unable to watch it any longer, had no choice but to go out himself to greet her.

“Boundless glory to the Empire. Welcome, Your Imperial Highness. It has been a very long time indeed.”

“Oh my, Lord Deneuve. I am honored that you came out personally to receive me.”

Her luxurious golden hair and garments were adorned with countless jewels. Her proud gaze and the shape of her lips were beautiful enough to capture the hearts of all men.

In fact, the lined-up knights had to make a concerted effort to wrench their eyes away from her.

“And yet I do not see Sir Simon anywhere. I heard on my way here that he had almost fully recovered.”

“There are still some lingering aftereffects. Mm… I am ashamed to say it, but he seems to be suffering somewhat on a psychological level.”

“Psychological?”

The princess tilted her head.

“It seems that coming so close to death left him rather weakened.”

“That is understandable. I heard the fever was truly severe….”

The Imperial Princess displayed astonishing acting skill.

If Simon had been present, he would have known that pitiable expression was nothing but affectation, but everyone in the Arcturus Family believed it to be sincere.

Marquis Deneuve gestured inward.

“Please, come inside first. Simon has no doubt been waiting eagerly for Your Highness.”

“Very well.”

Before long, the Imperial Princess met with Simon in private.

Simon had received a little help from Debianne. A light dusting of powder had been applied to make his face look pale.

Moreover, because he had truly been ill, he looked somewhat different from the last image Princess Mercedes had in her memory.

He had lost a great deal of weight and become markedly gaunter.

“Ah, Sir Simon. You really must have suffered terribly. Your face has grown half its size.”

“I beg your pardon for not going out to greet you personally.”

Simon made as though to rise from the bed. But Mercedes pressed down on his shoulder and told him it was all right.

“Do not get up. Such formalities are unnecessary between us.”

“I am grateful for Your Highness’s grace.”

“My beloved Simon. How is your body? I heard there were lingering aftereffects….”

That trailing tone stirred complicated emotions within him.

If this had been his previous life, he would have thought it merely a remark tinged with sympathy.

But the reality had been otherwise. It was a question born of utterly personal desire—if some part of him had been damaged, that would be inconvenient for her.

Mercedes was insatiably fond of men. If Simon’s illness had left him unable to perform as a man, it would have been disastrous for her.

“My body has now recovered. I have regained enough strength to resume training.”

“Oh my, what wonderful news! As expected, you are a strong man.”

“But I find myself somewhat confused.”

“And what is it that confuses you so?”

“Perhaps because I came so near the threshold of death, life itself now feels strangely hollow.”

“Such weak words do not suit you. Simon Arcturus. You are the legitimate eldest son of a great Family. And you are also my lover.”

“And yet, once a man dies, does any of it matter at all?”

Simon smiled bitterly.

Of course, it was an act. If Ranieri had been there beside him, Simon fancied he would have applauded in admiration.

“Simon, you feel almost like a different person. I find it frightening.”

“Perhaps that feeling is only natural. Ever since I awoke again, the world has looked different to me.”

“Nothing has changed. Not the world. And not our hearts.”

Imperial Princess Mercedes laid her hand over his.

To her astonishment, Simon pulled his hand away.

It was at that very moment that her expression turned cold.

“Your Imperial Highness. Do you know why I fell ill with that fever?”

“I have heard there are rumors that the Aldebaran Family attempted to poison you. I am fully prepared to investigate the truth of that rumor.”

She meant that even the Imperial House would step in. But it would be of no use. They bore no guilt in the matter.

“The Aldebaran Family had absolutely nothing to do with this.”

“Then what did?”

Simon struck his own chest lightly with the palm of his hand.

“Because I suffered a very great wound of the heart.”

“A wound of the heart?”

“Because of you.”

It was as though ripples had suddenly spread across the surface of a still lake. Startled by so unexpected a turn, Mercedes’s eyes trembled.

“Because of me… you fell ill with fever?”

“El Luna.”

“……!”

A word that should never have come from another person’s lips had suddenly emerged.

No matter how proud and composed Mercedes was, she could not help but part her lips in shock.

“So you do know of the secret gathering called El Luna.”

“N-no. I merely mistook it for something else for a moment….”

The Imperial Princess played innocent.

But that held little meaning for Simon. What mattered was making the princess herself feel shame.

“I have heard it is a thoroughly licentious social gathering. A secret gathering known to only a very few… and by chance, I learned that your name was being spoken there. The shock of it left me bedridden.”

“T-that is a lie! I have never heard of such a gathering in my life! Who dares spread such slander? This is an insult to the Imperial House! I will never forgive it!”

“I, too, thought it was slander. But another name came attached to yours. Baron Iroste… I heard that you shared a rather special relationship with him.”

The moment that final nail was driven in, every trace of color vanished from Imperial Princess Mercedes’s face.