[V3C15] Petal Shower of Blessings, Fluttering in the Northern Wind

“My goodness… those kids are causing such a ruckus in my backyard.”

The Starseer Witch, Mary Harvey, peered down at her backyard from a window. She sighed, causing her floor-length silver hair to sway.

“Sorry for my grandson’s misbehavior, Mary.”

The one offering an apology was the elderly woman seated on the sofa, sipping wine——the former Abyss Shaman Adeline Albright, Ray’s grandmother.

Without taking much offense at the unapologetic old lady, Mary smiled placidly.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. Anyway, the loud explosions are probably courtesy of Bradford-chan, right? With Louis-chan around, my mansion shouldn’t suffer any damage.”

Despite the explosions echoing near the party venue, the guests were mostly unfazed, albeit a few were a little surprised.

Everyone knew that the Artillery Mage and the Barrier Mage were present at the party. The attendees’ reactions ranged from “Oh, that was a loud noise” to “Artillery Mage-dono must be setting off fireworks again” and “With Barrier Mage-dono here today, the building should be perfectly fine. Hahaha.”

Adeline snorted sarcastically.

“Hmph! This country has become far too peaceful.”

“Hehe, that’s certainly true. After all, back in our younger days, we couldn’t even think of a romance with someone from the Empire.”

Adeline fell silent at Mary’s words. Then, as if to cover the silence, she raised her wine glass with a hearty swig.

Without addressing Adeline’s attitude, Mary murmured while twirling the silver hair that framed her cheeks.

“I hope Ray-chan’s engagement goes well… especially given the situation with his parents.”

Mary Harvey knew the details of the incident that occurred in House Albright years ago.

——A love-stricken shaman, unable to control her emotions, cursed the man she loved, turning him into her puppet.

That’s the rumor circulating in noble society. However, the truth was different.

The one who the shaman actually cursed was herself.

——”No one will love me. I am not deserving of love.”

Due to repeatedly cursing herself like that, the shaman failed to realize that the man genuinely loved her.

The man had “a woman he loved”, but the true identity of that woman was the shaman herself. Unaware of this, she grieved and lamented, claiming that she had turned him into a puppet.

Ray’s mother remained unresponsive to anything Adeline and the others said.

——”He loves me? No, no, that’s impossible. No one would ever love me. His love must be due to my curse.”

She eventually succumbed to mental distress, delving into dangerous rituals to lift her husband’s supposed curse, which backfired, resulting in both of them dying.

Her husband’s body was found covering hers at the end, likely in order to protect her from the curse. Even in his final moments, his love for the shaman did not waver.

“That foolish daughter of mine. A shaman cursing herself? Such a joke that I can’t even laugh.”

Muttering curses while doing so, Adeline roughly grabbed the wine bottle with her thick ring-adorned fingers. She poured the wine haphazardly into her glass.

Mary casually took a sip of her wine while observing this.

“Oh, but I’m so surprised, Adeline-sama… I never expected you of all people to arrange an engagement for Ray-chan. And the partner is the granddaughter of your first love! Ah, how romantic!”

“Hah! What a joke. I’m a shaman! A shaman’s duty is to bring misfortune to others! This engagement is meant to harass both my grandson and that man at the same time! As if there’s any greater meaning to it!”

Adeline spat out her words in disdain and gulped down her wine. In response, Mary chuckled with a voice that sounded like rolling bells.

＊　＊　＊

Ray stared at Frieda, who held him as he sniffled.

Though not exactly wearing the smile of a saintess, Frieda didn’t look at Ray with disdain or contempt. That alone made Ray elated.

“Ah, ah… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, i-it’s all my fault…”

“Don’t worry about it. If anyone is to blame for this situation, that would be my brother.”

Behind Frieda, Henrik groaned and clutched his chest.

Paying him no mind, Frieda continued.

“I’m glad you’re not injured, Lord Albright.”

“S-So kind… to a guy like me who can’t say ‘I love you,’ you’re like a goddess…”

“No, I’m your fiancé.”

While Frieda slashed through Ray’s words with emotional indifference, her attitude was sincere.

Frieda wasn’t particularly friendly, and her gaze might be a bit sharp, but she was honest, if nothing else.

“It seems you consider it a terrible thing that you can’t say ‘I love you,’ but even without saying ‘I love you,’ there are other ways to convey your feelings to someone.”

“O-Other ways…?”

“Yes, for example…”

Frieda took Ray’s right hand and gave a simple kiss to the back of his hand.

“Like this.”

Ray’s face turned bright red, all the way to his ears.

The hand that had been touched by her lips felt as if it had caught fire.

“Ah, umm, wow, um, uhh…”

While making strange noises, Ray covered the back of his hand with the other.

His heart seemed to be pounding so fiercely that it might burst through his skin. He was that excited.

“Alright, everyone! Now!”

Raul, who had been observing this exchange, began tossing the rose petals clenched in his hand.

Encouraged by Raul, Monica and the others also threw rose petals.

Monica looked troubled, Cyril remained expressionless, Isaac had a pasted smile, and Glenn, though thoroughly confused, seemed to be enjoying himself.

In the midst of swirling rose petals, the man and woman gazed right into each other’s eyes——a situation straight out of a novel. The heavily breathing Ray savored the moment.

“W-Whoa, I’m being loved… I’m being blessed! …I’ve never been loved this much before…!”

Ray shouted in his excitement, to which Frieda replied with complete seriousness.

“No, I don’t particularly love you.”

A rather awkward silence dominated the surroundings.

Raul and the others remained frozen in the posture of throwing rose petals, while Louis and Bradford quivered with suppressed laughter.

Frieda’s brother, Henrik Blanquet, shouted in anguish.

“Can’t you read the mood!? It wasn’t the atmosphere for saying things like that, was it!?”

“Honesty is a virtue.”

“Even I thought that was a bit pitiful!”

Even Henrik, who had opposed the engagement, sympathized with Ray. Despite this, Frieda wore a face that suggested she didn’t understand why she was being criticized.

To the pitiful, statue-like Ray, Frieda spoke with an almost indifferent expression.

“In the first place, I’ve only properly met Lord Albright today. How can I talk about love, considering we’ve just met?”

A perfectly reasonable argument.

Ray, who had turned back from statue to human, convulsed with a face that was a mix of laughter and tears.

“H-Haha, yeah, hahaha, that’s right. Haha, I never expected to be loved so easily… haha, hahaha…”

Ray continued to laugh spasmodically while tearing up at the corners of his eyes.

The northern wind blowing with a faint whistle was unusually cold.

(…I kind of want to quit being human… be reborn as a beautiful flower. Maybe then I can finally get a girl to love me…)

While Ray was bowing his head with such dark thoughts, Frieda reached out both hands and lifted Ray’s face.

Her wolf-like gray eyes gazed straight at Ray.

“But I believe I can come to love you.”

“…Eh?”

“Even without becoming a jewel, your eyes are more beautiful than any gem.”

What crossed Ray’s mind was a poem he had written when he was still a teenager.

Ah, if only this body were a jewel, would she have loved me with those fingers…

Ray blushed, turned blue, blushed again, and then his entire body started shaking violently.

“N-No way, you read that…?”

“I thought your choice of words was lovely.”

“Kyaaaaa!!”

As Ray screamed and rolled on the ground, Raul said, “I don’t really get it, but it seems like a happy ending!” and continued showering Ray with rose petals.

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