Chapter 43 - The Gift of Countess Beatrice
Count Nord, Ludovico Foscar, let out a deep sigh.
The drawing room of Count Nord's royal capital residence. Ludovico sank his body into the sofa and gazed at the ceiling.
Everything had happened so suddenly that he felt he couldn't possibly keep up. The talk of his daughter Claudia's engagement to the Crown Prince, which he had been told a while ago, and the exile of the former fiancée, the daughter of Marquess Mares, were both far too abrupt. And today, with the engagement announcement banquet scheduled for tomorrow, Ludovico felt like holding his head in his hands.
Even if it was an informal banquet intended only to privately introduce his daughter as the new fiancée, those gathering were all influential figures of the kingdom. It certainly wasn't an era where one would lose everything with a single gesture or a single word. Even so, when he thought about the possibility of making some mistake and being glared at by the dignitaries in attendance, his mind was far from at ease.
Promotion to Marquess for life, and appointment as Lord Privy Seal.
Both of those were more ceremonial than actual changes, and they didn't mean something about him would change significantly. Even though he understood that, or rather, even as he told himself so, Ludovico's heart was far from calm.
Just as Ludovico let out another sigh, he heard the sound of a knock.
"Sir, I have brought some herbal tea."
The voice calling from outside the door belonged to the butler of this mansion.
"No, I'm going to rest soon—"
"It is by my lady's orders."
"—Enter."
If it was his wife's arrangement, he had no reason to refuse. Or rather, he couldn't refuse.
It was true that he had been thinking he might as well go to sleep today since thinking about it wouldn't help. Though, he had also been thinking of having a strong drink before that. If he drank herbal tea and rested, his awakening tomorrow should be at least somewhat better than if he had slept after drinking strong liquor.
Ludovico cherished his wife for considering such things.
That wife entered the drawing room along with the butler and a servant.
"Beatrice? I thought for sure you had already gone to rest."
"Because you would not go to rest, sir."
Answering with a composed face, Beatrice sat down on the adjacent sofa.
Herbal tea was poured from the pot into a cup and placed on the table. Beside it, two small wooden boxes were placed. When Beatrice gave a light nod, the butler and the servant bowed and withdrew. It must have been arranged that way from the start.
"I had this prepared so that you might sleep well."
"...Is it chamomile?"
"Yes."
Beatrice gave a gentle smile.
A pale hue close to gold, and a unique fragrance. Chamomile was said to have sedative medicinal properties and aid in peaceful sleep. It was a herbal tea well-suited to the situation Ludovico was in.
To be honest, Ludovico didn't much care for herbal teas. He even disliked them. But that aside, Ludovico had no intention of disregarding his beloved wife's thoughtfulness.
He picked up the cup and took a sip. Although the taste had been made somewhat milder, for Ludovico, it was a flavor he couldn't quite explain how it differed from medicinal broth.
"Sir."
"Yes?"
"When does your service begin?"
There was a slight pause before he replied. He realized she was talking about his appointment as Lord Privy Seal.
"I'm not sure yet. I thought it was just in name, but it seems His Highness is going to prepare a room for me. I was told that the preparations for that aren't ready yet."
"And the preparations for your work tools, sir?"
At his wife's question, Ludovico's hand stopped. Still holding the cup of herbal tea, Ludovico blinked his eyes. He hadn't thought about work tools at all.
"—Well, I suppose I can just bring the ones we use here. I'll have to get a set eventually."
"That will not do, sir. You are receiving a new appointment. You must not bring worn-out things with you."
"You say that, Beatrice, but—"
"—And that is why."
His wife's hand pointed to the two boxes placed on the table.
"I have prepared them."
"—You did? Er, may I open them?"
Of course, Beatrice nodded.
Inside the boxes were a small ceramic inkwell and a ceramic paperweight.
On a white background, an ivy pattern was drawn with light purple glaze. Both the craftsmanship of the inkwell's lid and the delicacy of the pattern matched Ludovico's tastes perfectly.
"I thought it would be best if the things you see all the time were to your liking, sir."
"Yes, ah—this is, certainly, to my liking. Very much so. Thank you, Beatrice. Since I'll be using them on my desk all the time—yes, indeed."
—Every time I see them, I'll think of you and Claudia.
That line vanished into his muffled words. Ludovico found it, as expected, too embarrassing to say.
This is the first part of the short story collection commemorating the release of the middle volume of 'The Exile of Lady Ariarein.'
Once again, the lead-off hitter is the unfortunate middle-aged man, Ludovico-san.
The content might be more easily understood if you have read the first volume.