The Fiancée You Don't Want to Lose

It was a warm, sunlit morning.

Havid, the chief chamberlain, had risen earlier than anyone else in the household and was making his rounds of the courtyard.

His immaculate tailcoat, neatly combed-back hair, elegant mustache, and gleaming shoes were both his pride and his trademarks. Polishing his shoes and grooming himself so carefully every morning was troublesome, of course, but he never considered neglecting it.

For the honor of this house, such small hardships are nothing.

Havid had served the viscounts of House Deharem since he was a boy. Now he held the post of chief chamberlain. The family's honor meant as much to him as his own.

He attended the present head of the family, Theorad, and oversaw the mansion's servants. His clothes, bearing, and conduct reflected upon House Deharem itself. A little inconvenience was no excuse to let his standards slip.

Nor could he imagine skipping his morning visit to the statue of the previous viscount.

Havid stopped before the stone figure, brought his hands together, and bowed his head.

“May you rest in peace in the heavens above. Please watch over this household and your son again today.”

As he raised his head from his prayer, he paused.

Something was different.

The grass at the foot of the statue is flattened.

Usually the blades stood upright. Why were they pressed down this morning? The mansion kept no animals, so a dog couldn't have been responsible.

Who would go so close to the statue of the former head of the family?

The current viscount? No. Theorad always paid his respects from a short distance away.

The servants? Most rarely paid the statue any attention. Even those who did had no reason to approach it so closely.

The slaves? Most worked on the estate's farms or in its workshops. They had no business entering the courtyard without special permission.

Then who?

Havid knelt beside the disturbed grass to look for a footprint or some other trace.

Nothing but the marks where it was pressed down… Hm?

A sharp odor reached his nose.

He leaned closer, trying to identify the faint but unmistakable smell.

…Urine?

There was no doubt about it.

Someone urinated here? Against the former viscount's statue?

What an outrageous insult!

Havid clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles strained. His cheeks trembled with anger as he sprang upright.

Who did this? Guram? Karashin? Maltao?

Those three servants had poor attitudes, and their names came to mind at once. But he had no evidence against any of them.

He wanted to gather every servant in the courtyard immediately and demand a confession. First, though, he had a duty to report this violation to the current head of the house.

Just you wait. Whoever you are, I will not let you get away with this.

The person who had defiled his master's memorial would pay for dishonoring House Deharem.

Still trembling with restrained fury, Havid strode out of the courtyard, his face red.

---

Sunlight streamed through an arched window into my office.

A black carpet embroidered with a cardinal, the emblem of our house, covered the floor. This room was reserved for the head of the family. When Father was alive, even I, his son, could not enter without his permission.

Now it was mine.

I sat at the desk, composing a letter with all the dignity befitting a viscount.

To the slave trader Jobila,

I am Theorad Deharem, who purchased an elven slave from you eleven days ago.

First, I apologize for my error. I was deceived by the elf's appearance and agreed to take her into my possession.

I do not dispute that our transaction was completed. I received the slave's certificate of ownership and entered into the engraving contract.

Nevertheless, Jobila, this was plainly an unfair bargain.

You told me the elf's age, yet failed to inform me of the danger posed by elves who have lived for two hundred and fifty years. This was a deception against me and an insult to the trust on which the entire slave trade depends.

When I learned what you had concealed, I wondered whether you had any parents or grandparents to teach you proper manners. Perhaps you never received the upbringing a respectable young man should. Even so, youth can excuse a mistake, and a young man may be allowed one.

I have therefore decided, in my generosity, to overlook the offense once.

I will not forgive it a second time.

Come at once to the Deharem estate in the County of Pelgaroin and take back the elven slave. If you refuse or fail to answer, then on the honor of Viscount Deharem, I will not forgive you.

We will settle the details face-to-face. Do not sever our correspondence.

Theorad Deharem Seventh Head of House Deharem, Viscount of Deharem, in service to His Excellency the Count of Pelgaroin

I set down my quill and waited for the ink to dry.

Perfect.

A little intimidation was a basic skill for a noble dealing with his inferiors. The moment Jobila received this letter, he would understand how serious the situation was and come running to apologize.

If he agreed to take the elf back, so much the better.

There could be no wiser way to remove the time bomb that had taken up residence in my home.

It would be good for the elf, too. If she ended up with a noble whose character was thoroughly rotten, instead of a man like me who had to force himself to insult her, she might finally enjoy the life she wanted.

Everyone benefits. Two birds with one stone.

Smiling to myself, I folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope. I poured sealing wax over the flap and pressed our family seal into it.

The authority of House Deharem was stamped upon this message. It was almost a pity I wouldn't get to see Jobila's expression contort when he opened it.

Knock, knock.

Someone interrupted my wicked little smile.

I cleared my throat, arranged my face into its customary composure, and spoke.

“Come in.”

The door opened, admitting a well-groomed elderly gentleman.

It was Havid, the chief chamberlain. He had served my father and now served me; I trusted him personally.

He smiled gently and bowed.

“You're up already, my lord? You seem to have risen earlier than usual.”

I didn't get up early. I never managed to sleep.

“I had a nightmare last night. But why have you come to my office? Shouldn't you be attending to the household at this hour?”

Though Havid kept his courteous smile, something troubled his expression.

What's wrong?

I didn't like the feeling I was getting.

“The truth is, my lord… I discovered a dreadful incident early this morning. I came straight here after making arrangements for an honored guest who arrived at the mansion. I felt you ought to hear about it at once.”

“An honored guest? No, wait. What incident could be more urgent than receiving a guest?”

“I'm terribly sorry to report it. It appears someone has urinated against the statue of the former viscount.”

“…What?”

My eyes widened. My breath caught.

What? How do you know? Who told you? Did someone see us last night?

“Your surprise is only natural, my lord. Fortunately, I discovered the outrage early. Had I not noticed the grass at the statue's feet, the culprit might well have continued doing it.”

“…There were traces of urine at the foot of the statue?”

“Yes. I confirmed it myself.”

No witnesses to what happened at the statue, then. At least, none that Havid knew of.

Thank goodness.

I swallowed my panic and managed to recover my composure.

“And how do you propose to deal with this, Chief Chamberlain?”

“The culprit must be someone connected to this household. We should find the wretch and punish him so thoroughly that he regrets the day he was born.”

“Someone in the household? How can you be certain? Could an animal have done it?”

“My lord? You yourself forbade us to keep animals in the mansion because of the damage they could do to the courtyard. Since that order, we haven't kept so much as a common bird. There is no possibility of that.”

Fuck. Why did I ever give that order?!

My legs began to shake. Strength drained from my fingertips. Was this what it meant for one's mind to go completely blank?

It was an unpleasant sensation.

Still, I was the son of a distinguished noble family. I'd been trained to withstand adversity. I couldn't fall apart now.

“Quite right.”

Think.

Havid had discovered that someone had urinated at the statue, but he hadn't found a witness. In that case, openly forbidding an investigation would only make him suspicious.

He was conscientious, certainly. But no matter how thoroughly he searched the household, how could he possibly uncover what I'd done in the courtyard last night?

That's it. Behave as you normally would.

“I cannot allow the scoundrel who desecrated my father's statue to escape punishment. Chief Chamberlain, I am granting you authority to pursue the investigation. Devote your efforts to finding the culprit.”

“Yes, my lord. For the honor of the former and present heads of this house, I will catch him without fail.”

No, don't catch him! I'm the culprit! I ordered the elf to do it!

Calm down. There's nothing to be gained by panicking.

“I leave it in your hands. And another thing—”

I held out the sealed letter.

Havid approached and accepted it respectfully.

“Send this immediately. It's urgent, so use the witch's express delivery.”

“The witch's special courier service? Understood, my lord.”

He stepped back two paces and put the letter away. Then he opened his mouth as though he'd just remembered something.

“Ah, I almost neglected to tell you who our honored visitor is.”

That's right. He mentioned a guest.

“Who has come?”

“Lady Ashley, the second daughter of the Count of Pelgaroin.”

“Ashley?”

Ashley was precious to me. Her connection to our house had been arranged by His Excellency the Count himself, and she was the woman I expected to marry.

She was gentle by nature, lovely in appearance, and unfailingly kind. Some even called her a saint.

I was deeply fond of her. She was clever, too, and I often found myself imagining how well we might manage the family together after our marriage.

The news brought a smile to my face. I rose from my chair.

“I'm sorry she had to wait. Have you seen to her comfort?”

“Of course. I had the finest refreshments prepared and assigned servants to attend her. However, the young lady…”

“However?”

“She took such a liking to the elven slave that she requested the elf attend her instead of the servants.”

…What?

My thoughts stopped.

Why? Why, of all people, did she have to ask that elf to serve her?

Ashley's kindness deserved nothing but admiration under ordinary circumstances. But not when it came to that elf.

The wretched creature interpreted any kindness shown to her as an insult. What would happen if Ashley continued treating her kindly until the elf reached the end of her patience?

“She'll die.”

“My lord?”

“She's going to die…!”

Cold sweat ran down my body. Havid offered an uneasy smile.

“You do make the strangest jokes, my lord. You know Lady Ashley would never mistreat a slave. Shall we leave this nonsense aside? You ought to join her for refreshments.”

Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!

Get this wrong and it won't be a tea party. It'll be a party of corpses! Corpses everywhere, you innocent old fool!

“Ahem.”

I desperately wanted to shout, but Havid would never believe me.

Even I could scarcely believe my own circumstances. An elven slave I'd purchased had turned out to be a monster with powers rivaling those of an archmage. Who would accept such a ridiculous claim?

And I was the only one in this mansion who knew she was two hundred and fifty years old.

The truth rose in my throat, begging to be spoken. But telling the household would only throw everyone into confusion. Worse, I doubted the elf would let me get away with it.

“Let's go to the drawing room.”

There was no other way. If I wanted to prevent the worst from happening, I would have to face the elf myself.

Is this how a gladiator feels before entering the arena?

I screamed inwardly and headed for the door.