Chapter 01: A Fateful Meeting
Part 1 — The Temporary Snow Country Life of the Northern n.o.bleman and the Raptor Wife
The ball in the foreign country that I’m invited to once a year.
It is also a place where men and women search for marriage candidates.
The hall’s atmosphere was somewhat buoyant. It couldn’t be helped. There are not many occasions where men and women can socialise.
Leaning my back on the wall with my friend, I made eye contact with the lady in front of me.
Her blonde hair was tied up properly and her skin that was showing between the rosy pink dress was shining brightly. I presumed as I please that she would be in her mid-teens because of her inept.i.tude at the ball.
She was still young, but her body was already rather voluptuous. I unconsciously set my eyes on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but when I turned my sight up looking at her face and smiled her cheeks quickly dyed deep red.
— I can do this!!
It’s a meaningless boast, but I have absolute confidence in my looks
My long silver-white hair, rare throughout the world, was braided and hanging down my left chest. The deep blue eyes only appear in our people, too, so although my personality may be questionable I often received praise that my eyes were the most beautiful even amongst our people.
Thus my looks were quite distinct at the ball, so just from my smile women are drawn. Next to me, I hear my friend telling me, “That’s enough,” but I could not care less.
It’s an opportunity that comes only once a year. I can’t afford let this just pa.s.s by.
But nothing in the world goes as one wants.
The lady-in-waiting behind her whispered something. Then the lady who was holding her cheeks in embarra.s.sment quickly left.
“Ah~”
“It’s not ‘Ah~’.”
“But her bust was large.”
“You idiot! If you are looking for a bride do it more sincerely!
“I am being sincere.”
“What part of you!?”
I stare dejectedly at the back of the leaving lady.
As to why this happened, it is because of the rumours that spread during the ten years I attended the ball.
I have become friendly with ladies here and sometimes even got engaged. However, when I take them back to my homeland, they refuse, saying, “let us pretend that this talk did not happen”.
“You, you should search for a shrewd wife.”
“I don’t like such women.”
While we were talking, suddenly some cries of women were heard.
When I turned my head toward the origin of the sound, there was one officer striding through the door.
Even without doing anything, that officer was soon surrounded by admiring women.
“Heh~ that’s rare.”
“Who’s that?”
“The [Crimson Eagle]”
According to my friend’s information, the person hogging the limelight was one of the more famous officers of this country. Since the war was over last year, the officer came to find a partner. Since the officer rarely appeared at b.a.l.l.s, the women were excited.
“What, a man? I’m not int……!”
While I was staring at the [Crimson Eagle], we accidentally made eye contact.
That sharp piercing gaze reminded me of raptors.
When I made eye contact, I was convinced. That that person is a woman.
“O, oi, Richard!?” (TN: Ritsuharudo in raw, I couldn’t really find a corresponding name. Something Germanic I guess.)
Ignoring my friend’s call, I manoeuvred through the ladies like an insect drunk on honey.
The crowd surrounding that one officer was heated up.
“Sieg-sama, is it true that you are marrying!?”
“No!! Please marry me!!”
“No, what are you saying!?”
“Hey, don’t push.”
“Out of the way! I can’t see Sieg-sama!”
About twenty women were pressing into each other trying to get closer to the [Crimson Eagle].
So much that they did not realise a man like myself waded through into the crowd.
More like, this country’s women are rather tall. Also because they were wearing high-heels, they were only slightly shorter than me.
Even amongst them, the officer was quite tall.
Cutting through the crowd, I calmly stared the [Crimson Eagle] to talk to her.
Even up close, her att.i.tude was impeccable.
Her vermilion hair was cut short and cleanly straightened up. Her dark grey eyes were looking at one uncommonly beautiful lady nearby. Military decorations adorned the uniform as proof of battles. That stature could only be described as gallant.
“Sieg-sama, please marry me!”
“You can’t do that! I’m going to be happy with Sieg-sama!”
“Sieg-sama, if you come to my place there won’t be any hardships.”
To the simultaneous outburst of proposals, I also joined in.
“Um, please marry me!!”
“What are you saying…… huh?”
The commotion quickly died down.
It must have been the voice of a man that put them off.
“——Ugh, it’s the Snowman of the borderlands (Lapland)!!”
With that as the signal, the surrounding ladies quickly scattered and took shelter behind the officer.
“Why is the Snowman of the borderlands (Lapland) here!?”
“……”
That’s a bit harsh, calling me the Snowman of the borderlands (Lapland).
Amidst the chaos, only the [Crimson Eagle] kept her cool.
“Hildegard, who is he?”
“He is a foreign count, milady.”
“Pleased to meet you!”
As I cheerfully greeted her, she narrowed her eyes at me. Of course, as a display of vigilance.
“……Well, pleased to meet you too, hm?”
“Indeed. Pleased to meet you, [Crimson Eagle]-sama!”
One of ladies hiding behind the officer screamed again. I also heard some one insult me that it was rude for the Snowman of the borderlands (Lapland).
‘The Snowman of the borderlands (Lapland)’ is a derogatory term pointing to my uncommon silver-white hair and my homeland.
My homeland, the County of Levantret (TN:レヴァントレット/revantoretto), is a barren land covered in snow half the year.
There weren’t any women who would move to such a territory. Already there are many cases where the fiancées I brought by saying that it is a good place ran away.
The sun never rises in winter, and it is still slightly cold in summer. There is no entertainment, and the population decreases every year.
It was not that there weren’t any young men in my city. There’s another reason for searching for brides in this foreign land.
Long time ago, our people were nomads leading reindeers around, marrying within the clan. However, because of that, the life expectancy shortened and there were more sickly children, that not many people could bear children.
Realising that, we recently started introducing foreign blood, half a century ago.
As the only child of the Count’s family, I too needed to make more children so I was searching for a bride here.
Then, as I brought ladies back home and showed them my homeland, I gained the nickname ‘the Snowman of the borderlands (Lapland)’.
“Was it Yukiotoko?” (TN: lit. snowman)
“N, no. My name is Richard Salonen Levantret.”
“Excuse me. My name is Sieglinde von Wattin.”
——N, no way, her name is so wonderful as well.
To her dazzling beauty, my eyes felt as if they were blinded.
Sieglinde was a woman full of vigour. I thought my heart was already hers from that sharp shine in her eyes that I did not have.
I don’t know how long we stared at each other, but I cam to from a nearby yell.
“Get away from Sieg-sama you pervert snowman!”
“!?”
Before I knew it, some lady was approaching me with her wine gla.s.s leaning as if to pour it on me.
“Kyaa!”
“……”
A shrill scream resounded from that lady.
A red stain seeped through her dress.
Because I had grabbed her wrist to stop her, the liquid spilled on to her instead of me.
Voices of denunciation came like a ferocious barrage. Of course, I was receiving all the criticism instead of that lady.
“Oh my!”
“How dare he soil a lady’s dress!?”
“Sieg-sama, get away from him!”
“He’s dangerous!”
“……”
The lady whose dress was stained was already wailing. I also wanted to cry.
To that teary-eyed lady, Sieg gently reached her hand out for her. After she whispered something to someone who looks like a servant, and soon a maid came and took the lady away.
While I was thinking how quick she was, she also reached her hand out to me!!
Sieg-sama, to be so kind to someone who soiled a lady’s dress, I am moved.
However, only icy cold words came from her mouth.
“—Shall we talk more in another room.”
“!”
……Uh oh, am I not being treated in a businesslike manner, or rather, isn’t it more like I’m being treated as a reserve solider who committed a crime!?
Glared at with the eyes of a raptor, I silently followed Sieglinde like a livestock about to be sold at a market.