Shadowless Night

Calyx escorted Dimla out of the banquet hall.

They only stayed at the venue for a short time, about thirty minutes, but everyone understood what Dimla was trying to say. 

‘The civil war in Lagos is over, and I am behind the young queen.’

The banquet, where the Lagos delegation and the successor of Radwiell County had left, became even noisier.

***

Inside the carriage, Baiferm Guandite let out a light sigh of relief.

“I was a little overwhelmed because there were so many people.”

“As far as I know, it’s your first time coming to a banquet in Illavenia. You must have felt a lot of pressure because it was a gathering of major figures from each country. But you were very determined.”

“Well, I didn’t expect the day to come when I’d know how the bait on the fishing rod feels. I thought they were going to eat me.”

Guandite smiled and glanced at Calyx.

“Still, I could meet a Zertaye’s descendant and put my mind at ease.”

“That’s more than I deserve.”

Dimla watched the conversation between her two great-grandchildren with delight, then took Calyx’s hand and gently stroked it. Her wrinkled face was full of love.

“I see Sabek in your face, Cal.”

Sabek was Countess Radwiell’s, Edelweiss’, real name. Her Lagossian name, Sabek, meant ‘Edelweiss’, a flower that blooms in high places. When she married into Illavenian nobility, she changed the name Sabek into a form more familiar to the Illavenians. Occasionally, Count Radwiell called Edelweiss, “Sabek, you-” in a honey-dripping voice. That’s why Calyx knew it well.

“…Yes!”

Everyone in the Empire recognized the fact that Calyx resembled Count Radwiell. He didn’t know where she found traces of his mother, but he couldn’t say no because his great-grandmother said they looked alike.

“Especially here.”

The place Dimla pointed to his eyes.

Hmm… Calyx groaned inwardly. One of the things I inherited from Father was his eyes. Dimla’s eyesight seems very bad. As he thought about whether he should find foods good for her eyes, Dimla laughed out loud.

“Is your inability to lie a trait from your Radwiell side? Your exterior looks like a Radwiell, but your eyes look like Sabek’s. It’s a gaze that holds much kindness. I’m glad she passed on the most important thing that makes us human.”

Calyx had heard a lot about Dimla from Edelweiss. Others found her difficult or frightening, but even as a child, Edelweiss hadn’t been scared.

She said she used to visit Dimla’s villa, which was a little older than the beautiful and extraordinary royal palace. But Sabek preferred Dimla’s quiet manor and made sure to stop by at least once a year because Dimla always laughed loudly at the sight of her young granddaughter rolling around at her feet.

“But, where did Radwiell go…? I didn’t see him in the banquet hall.”

Dimla’s eyes cooled. To put it bluntly, Calyx was also a Radwiell, but the Radwiell she was looking for referred to Count Fertan Radwiell. Calyx spoke as he looked at the distant landscape outside the window.

“That… He’s very busy with the… defense of the border…”

“How unfortunate.”

Dimla clicked her tongue, and Calyx heard the unspoken ‘I couldn’t kill him’.

Lagos differed from Balta, but both had a closed temperament. They were extremely wary of outsiders and stuck with people from their own country. So, as in other countries, it was rare to marry a man from the Illavenian Empire.

However, Edelweiss, raised beautifully by Dimla, fell in love with Count Radwiell, who stopped by Lagos for a while. Calyx didn’t understand how his mother fell in love with his father, but they both fell in love with each other. Dimla was said to have nearly collapsed several times due to high blood pressure.

His face is stiff and fierce, and his personality is blunt. Even though they say that such a man would ruin a woman’s fortune, Edelweiss had become lovesick. She was so stubborn that Dimla, who had never lost, had to give up.

So the two got married, and Dimla gave Fertan warnings and threats under the guise of goodwill.

Whether the warnings and threats worked or the relationship was always meant to be, Edelweiss had a successful marriage.

Her letters to Dimla repeatedly said she was happy, but she couldn’t help but feel lonely with her husband staying in another area for more than half the year every year. Dimla’s heart broke.

Dimla granted herself one day to kill Fertan, and this visit to Illavenia would have been a good opportunity. But he’d just left to protect the border a few days ago.

Calyx remembered what Fertan had said the other day.

[I don’t have a good feeling.]

Was it because Balta’s movements were unusual? Did he leave because he didn’t want to hear Dimla’s nagging? Even the Imperial court didn’t know the information about the Lagossian delegation. And yet he avoided it simply with a hunch? How amazing.

Even though Dimla was angry, Guandite had dozed off. Calyx thought she must have cursed a lot in Lagos as he responded eagerly to Dimla’s swearing at his father. 

‘You’re right. My father’s a little— He tends to do that. Yes. I don’t know why.’ He was so sincere that words just flowed out. Dimla seemed relieved by his response, and her anger softened.

“Cal.”

“Yes, Great-grandmother?”

“When can I see Rosaline? It is my only pleasure in Illavenia to see you.”

Calyx, who was about to say, ‘I’ll get Rosaline’, shut his mouth. Ever since he met her at the banquet hall, he’d treated Dimla like an elder in the family, but she was no mere great-grandmother. She’d been the great Baiferm who received the loyalty of the large, cold land, revived the flames of the Zertaye, and broke off the alliance with Balta.

Like it or not, everyone would see her that way. Dimla held the attention of a lot of people with power. 

It might be… It might be an opportunity. 

Some would say that they don’t care. They would start thinking of using a relative they’d never met as soon as they saw them. Honestly, he felt ashamed, but Calyx couldn’t afford to savor every emotion on the board as he gambled with his future and comforts.

So, I’m ashamed of myself.

Calyx closed his eyes and smiled softly.

“Sister is an escort of His Highness Ricardis, so she can’t leave her station recklessly. Great-grandmother, if it’s okay with you, may I take you to Moonstone Castle? Sister is also looking forward to meeting you.”

There was no need for Dimla to support Ricardis or Rosaline. The news that she had entered the Moonstone Castle was enough. No matter what conversations they shared or what deals came and went, it didn’t matter. Everyone would judge by what they saw.

Dimla’s expression changed. Suddenly, her eyes that looked at her cute grandchildren reflected the dignity of a Baiferm, who previously commanded Lagos.

“I can see the Radwiell, but…”

Dimla painlessly pinched Calyx’s cheek.

“…As expected, you look more like Sabek, seeing that you have the cheekiness to insist on doing things your way.”

Calyx smiled shyly and acted coyly.

“It’s been her lifelong dream to get a birthday present from Great-grandmother.”

“The day she was born-”

“It’s been a while.”

Dimla closed her eyes and shook her head with a hint of laughter. After a while, she patted Calyx on the cheek and looked straight into his eyes.

“The great thing about Sabek is that she always influenced me despite her obvious tricks.”

“I resemble my mother a lot,” Calyx lied without blinking.

***

Moonstone Castle turned upside down because of the letter Calyx had sent. It stated that he would visit the castle with Baiferm Guandite and Regent Dimla. Isserion and Ricardis re-read Calyx’s letter with serious expressions.

“I wonder who would dare say they are not siblings. Young Lord Calyx resembles Sir Rosaline.”

“Do you mean the fact that they trail in incidents and accidents?”

“In addition to their characteristic of moving quickly when no one is watching.”

It was a great opportunity, but the feeling of embarrassment came first. 

Calyx had left on a carriage with Dimla. What on earth happened there that caused THAT Dimla to take action? Who will not feel the wind and the waves caused when she moves? Still, the story of her coming to the Moonstone Castle…

“What the hell have you done, Young Lord Calyx?” Isserion moaned.

“Maybe he revealed his true face as Cute Cal, who has a great reputation in Vista. I think he’s good at pretending to be a puppy in front of someone he likes.”

“I wonder if he moved the Regent’s heart with that.”

“Wouldn’t it be creepier to say, ‘he made a certain transaction’? What did you think she asked?”

“No, Your Highness. I’m more appalled by Sir Calyx’s coyness.”

“…I fully understand if it’s a matter of the heart. Anyway… Hmm. I’m going to become busy.”

He said he would accept the help of the Radwiell successor, and well, it came sooner than expected.