A certain sunny day’s dusk.
Wearing my usual black metal armour, along with the clanking sound of the armor, I… Erza=Ractos returned back home after heavy unit practice was over. I see the people in the house were busily preparing something.
All of the servant were ran around changing the furniture’s position, moved the furniture as how mother had told them to, on the other side father and big brother were discussing about the plan and what cloth they should wore for tomorrow.
[[ Father. It seems that everyone is busy, is there something for tomorrow? Is there will be someone coming?]]
[ Hmm... Ooh, Erza, welcome back. That’s right, tomorrow Viscount Helix and his family will come. Tomorrow will be your marriage interview with his son, Zen=Helix, you know]- Grid
Father answered my question with a simple answer.
So that was it, so it would be my marriage interview.
Somehow, I felt that I had seen similar spectacle before, so it was the same as when they preparing for big brother marriage interview, yeah.
I understand part of it, but there still something that I could not understood.
[[ Father! I never heard any news that I will have marriage interview, though!?]]
[It’s because I’ve never told you, anything matter?]- Grid
He doesn’t show any feeling of guilt! Other than that, father... included, I felt that everyone’s att.i.tude toward me were bit weird recently, yeah!!
Especially since big brother had his engagement announcement party, it’s become more remarkable, yeah!!
[[Never said it, you say... I wish you said it to me priorly, yeah! Rather, I’ve never have any intention to do any marriage interview in the first place, though!?]]
[If I say it to you, you’ll thinking some plan to run away, so I didn’t tell you. That’s why, I tell you now. And you have no right to reject. Also, please be silent for a moment]- Grid
Sharp! Father’s word is sharp!!
Also, no matter how you think about it, this was tyranny, yeah!
Indeed, sometime I forget about it, but we were a duke household per se. I think I should had prepare myself for a political marriage that wouldn’t care about the person concerned feelings.
However, the matter this time was to tyrannical!
How this was tyrannical you ask? Because today was the day before the marriage interview day that will be held tomorrow, that how tyrannical this is!
Because tomorrow was a day off, I had planned to put my armour for polis.h.i.+ng!!
... rather, perhaps.
[[Father, don’t say that the tomorrow marriage interview, umm, will be another no armour day!? Did I have to wear another frilly dress that make me couldn’t calm down like before!?]]
That was right, it was the matter that happened in big brother’s engagement announcement party that I would never forget.
At that time... thought as an add ons, I became one of the center of the party, and so I had to greet his majesty while wore a dress.
Because of how unreliable the defense that that dress provide, it totally made my heart couldn’t calm down at all, yeah!
If I wore armour that night, I’m sure that I wouldn’t ended up being totally scolded by mother like that!!
That’s why, I will say “No thank you” to a dress!!
[No, it’s okay for you to wear your armour... actually it"s not good, but since you’re like that, we finally find someone who is fine even if you wear your armour]
[ Eh!? Is it really alright for me to wear armour!?]]
Hearing unexpected answer from father, I unconsciously peeked to look at mother’s expression, and at the end of my vision was mother sour expression that I had never seen even till this day, as she nodded reluctantly.
Hyohoo! She gave her permission!!
If I was permitted to wear my armour, I didn’t care even if it was marriage interview or anything like that, come at me!!
Really, you guys should told me that from the start!
[Aah, also, I said that this is marriage interview, but actually the result is already fixed. No matter what happen I’ll have you marry with Zen-kun, so I hope you know]
Eh... is that so? Well, I didn’t really understand about love, so I didn’t really mind about that, but marriage, huh. Hmm, I didn’t really had any good impression about marriage, though.
I heard a lot of story about female knight who retire after they marriage. So rather than the partner, I didn’t held a good impression to the term of marriage itself.
[[ Father, I’m fine about marriage interview... and the marriage that’ll follow in the future, but I wonder if the marriage will be held immediately? There still some matter with the chivalric order, if possible, umm, I want to see how the thing turn out first]]
The reason that I became a knight, was because that were the thing I worth doing the most, and also the thing that was fit with me the most.
If my life as a knight got obstructed because of the marriage, it’ll become quite trouble.
Thinking so I asked father for his opinion, but it was mother, who were ordering the servant, who answer my question.
[ You can’t, Erza! That’s no no! The most no!!]
With a loud voice that so unthinkable to came out from mother who usually gentle, she rejected my request.
Become surprised, I unconsciously took e a stance to defend.
... The serious scolding from that time become a slight trauma for me, this would make me remember that accident, so please don’t raise your voice like that, mother.
[[Wh, why? I don’t really understand, what’s not good with that]]
[Erza. It’s not like my big sister... Aunt Rinna, didn’t have any plan for marriage when she was around your age. Even big sister have a fiance when she was young, you know]
Mother suddenly started a talked about Aunt Rinna.
With a serious expression, as if she tried to look directly through my helmet.
[ But, big sister at that time, admire and looking up to Grid-sama’s father... Diebold-sama’s sorcery, and so she decided to postpone their marriage until she have a certain degree of accomplishment...]
From mother’s gaze, I could see a gaze that was seriously worried about me, a warn for me.
[ The result for that, the lonely future where she have no one on her side!!]
The moment mother said that in loud voice, I felt that the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.
Also, from father and brother’s position, I could hear a voice of someone gulping.
[ Aah... Mother? I think it’s better if we stop this conversation]- Jake
With a pale expression, big brother tried to interrupt mother’s word in humble manner, but it seems that his word were not even caught by her ears, still with serious expression mother continued his story.
[Hear me, Erza. A woman like you who already have a job, if they miss their chance to marry it’ll become fatal for their future. It’s me who already see someone like sister who missed her marriageable age from upclose who understood... If we let the chance this time lost, you will walking the same lonely path just like how your Aunt Rinna is!]
A lonely path. In other way, I couldn’t marry, right?
Indeed, even if I didn’t have any desire to marry right now, but as expected become alone when reaching the same age as Aunt Rinna was something that I hate, too, yeah.
However, if I married, my life as a knight will... uuh, I din’t know what should I choose anymore!
[[AaahUUh!... What should I do!? I don’t want to stopped become knight because of marriage, but I don’t want to become like aunt Rinna who can’t marry forever like that!! I don’t want such lonely life,yeah!!]]
[Oi, Erza!? You didn’t said that on purpose, right!? Please stop this conversation! If we make the room temperature more lower than this, Neko will fell into hibernation!!]-Jake
Big brother tried to say something with a pale face and body that slightly trembled with desperate expression, but right now was not the time for that!
This was an important talk about what will I do from now on!!
Also, there was no way a snake hibernate in a middle of summer like this!!
[Aah.. Erza, It seems that you forget, but I already said that I found a person that will not complain even if you wear your armour. In other word, you don’t have to stop being a knight even when you married. That’s why please stop this talk about Aunt Rin... Step sister]
Aah, so it’s like that.
Hmm? Then, it means that I didn’t had to stop being a knight even if I married, and I also didn’t had to walk the same lonely path like Aunt Rinna, was that true?
Somehow, there were no demerit in this! If that so, I didn’t have any problem with this!! I’m glad that I didn’t have to become like Aunt Rinna, yeah!
[ Erza!? You’ve thinking something rude about Au... Rinnsan, right!? Father already said to stop this topic! Please don’t make more trouble!!]-Jake
Nevertheless, big brother were quite noisy today.
It was improper if you make merry like that at your age, you know.
[ Eh? Our family who this far apart from her already become like this, wouldn’t father’s body will be in danger?]- Grid