6 醜悪公との出会い
ラミリオは手紙を片手に、ぽつりとデスクで呟く。
「確かに俺は、持参金など必要ないから、身一つで来てくれればいいとは言った」
「おっしゃってましたね。閣下は駆け引きベタですね」
「い、いや、だって、六度も婚約破棄された『醜悪公』だぞ?」
不安にとりつかれ、ラミリオは自身の顔を覆い隠すフードに手をやった。
普段はこうして隠すことでなんとか人並みの生活を送れてはいるが、妻になる人間には素顔を見せないわけにはいかないだろう。
すでに六人もの女が、領地や資産目当てにやってきては、この姿に恐れをなして逃げていった。『白髪令嬢』はどうだろう。婚約破棄のゴタゴタで神経衰弱気味の不幸な身空で、ラミリオに耐えられるのだろうか?
「今度はどのぐらい保つだろうなぁ......」
「せめてフードを外すまではがんばってほしいところですね」
ラミリオはしばらく思案して、まあいいか、と考えた。
「療養が必要そうな娘だというのは理解した。しばらく滞在させて、具合がよくなったら王国に戻してやるか」
「婚約破棄を前提に療養させてあげるのですか? なんとお優しい......」
「お前の褒め言葉ってどうしてそう心がこもってないんだろうな」
ウソ泣きでハンカチを当てている側近にイラッとしつつ、ラミリオは、ひとまず白髪令嬢のことを横に置いておくことにした。
が、直後に新たな悩みが降ってわく。
「......なあ。うちの国は、イルミナティの若いお嬢さんが楽しめるような場所だろうか」
「どうでしょうか。景色がいいことは間違いないと思いますが」
イルミナティには最先端の流行が集まっており、楽しい場所がたくさんある。
翻ってラミリオの公国はというと、かろうじてご先祖様が建ててくれた壮大な城や宮殿などがあるものの、それ以外の見どころは皆無に等しかった。
ラミリオが暮らしている宮殿も、古いばかりで、住み心地がいいとはお世辞にも言えない。
ラミリオは椅子を蹴って立ち上がった。
「まずい。せっかくのお客様だぞ。楽しんでいただかねば沽券にかかわる。せめて泊まってもらう部屋だけでもなんとかせねば」
ラミリオは大急ぎで、商人を大量に呼び寄せた。
「女性が暮らすのに必要なアメニティ一式すべてそろえてくれ」
「ご予算のほどは」
「いくらかかっても構わん、三日以内にだ。それと婚約関係の書類を早く作らねば......ああ、さすがに七度目ともなると簡単だな。何を盛り込めばいいのかすぐ見当がつく」
てきぱきと準備を進めるラミリオを見て、側近がぽつりと言う。
ラミリオは気まずいのと図星なのとで、顔を赤らめながら「うるさい」と言った。
顔のせいで断られ続けて六度。
諦め気味だったところに降って湧いた可哀想な美少女である。少しくらい親切にしたって気味悪がられはしないだろう。それで、あわよくば、感謝のひとつもされてみたい。
色んな女性に逃げられてきた彼がそう思ってしまうのは、それほど歪んだことではないだろう。
ラミリオ自身もこの奇妙な縁談に、癒しのようなものを求めていた。
数日後、本当に遠方からの馬車が領内に到着したという報せを受け取った。
「ど......どうだった?」
白髪令嬢を馬車の窓越しに見たと言う伝令に、ラミリオがドキドキしながら尋ねると、伝令は首を振った。
「顔などはヴェールに隠されていてよく見えませんでしたが、非常に落ち着いた装いの方でした」
ラミリオの不安と緊張は最高潮に達した。
「顔を隠しているのか......俺と同じだな」
「閣下、あまり想像だけで早まりませんように。こと結婚と恋愛において、急ぎすぎる男は嫌われますよ」
「言われんでも分かってる。俺が何度婚約を破棄されてきたと思ってるんだ」
言いつつ、少し鏡を見ながらフードの被り具合を正してしまったりなどするラミリオだった。
パストーレ公領は大きな国の間に挟まれた緩衝地帯にある。交通の要所としても栄えているため、道が整備されており、馬車での移動は快適だった。
のどかな田園風景を抜け、馬車が往来する都市部を進む。
――こんなに人が行きかっているのね。
イルミナティのように娯楽施設はそろっていないが、活気のあるところのようだ。
やがてルクレツィアが乗ってきた小さな二人乗りの馬車は、醜悪公の住まう宮殿の前で停車した。
先方がドアを開けてくれ、ルクレツィアをエスコートしてくれる。
まるで隠者のようにフードをかぶったその人が『醜悪公』なのだと、ルクレツィアはすぐに理解した。手を貸してもらうときに、ごく間近から顔を覗き見る。
――あら? この方、どこもお悪くないのでは?
フードの隙間に覗く頬や口元に、傷らしいものは見当たらない。ごく平均的な肌質の男性だ。鼻は高くも低くもなく、すっと鼻梁が通っている。歯並びがいいのだろうなと思わせるすっきりした口元や男性らしさのある顎のライン、どれひとつ取ってみても『醜悪』などとは程遠い。
ルクレツィアは目を奪われたまま、醜悪公の真横に降り立った。
まっすぐに目が合い、ルクレツィアはあっと息を呑む。
――この方、色付きの眼鏡をしていらっしゃるのね。
かなり濃い煙水晶でできた眼鏡で、その奥がまったく窺えない。
おそらく目に何か異常があって隠したいのだろうということは、すぐに察せられた。そしてこれが、『醜悪公』と仇名された理由なのだろう、とも。
『醜悪公』はぱっとルクレツィアから視線を外し、両手でフードを深くかぶり直した。神経質に、ぐいぐいと布を引っ張る仕草から、彼が相当に気に病んでいることが窺える。
「こんな格好で申し訳ない。本来ならすべて脱いでご挨拶をするべきなんだが、事情がありこのまま失礼する。ラミリオ・パストーレだ」
敬礼で迎えてくれた彼に、ルクレツィアも膝を折った。
「ルクレツィア・セラヴァッレでございます」
手の甲にくちづける段になって、ラミリオはかなり遠い位置からキスのふりをし、少しも触れずに済ませた。
その仕草だけで、ルクレツィアはなんとなく察する。きっと彼はこれまでに何度も手の甲のキスを嫌がられてきたのだろう。
ルクレツィアは、ズキリと胸が痛むのを感じた。人から拒絶される痛みは、他人のものであっても刺さることがある。きっと辛かっただろうと思えて仕方なかった。
「俺のあだ名は知っているだろうか」
「はい......でも」
ルクレツィアはさっさとラミリオのそばに寄った。
ルクレツィアは、近くでもう一度ラミリオのフードの中を覗き込んで、確信した。
「やっぱり、新聞記事はでたらめでしたのね」
「当たり前だろう。あれじゃ化け物じゃないか」
呆れたように言うラミリオだったが、やはり警戒気味にフードを深くかぶっている。どうあってもルクレツィアに覗き見られたくないようだ。
じれったくなって、ルクレツィアは直接お願いすることにした。
「失礼ですが、フードの下を拝見しても?」
Meeting the Ugly Duke
Ramilio, with a letter in his hand, muttered to himself.
"I did tell him that because I didn't need a dowry, she could come here with only herself."
"You did say so. Your Excellency is a bargaining chip."
"N-no, it's because I'm the "Ugly Duke" who's had six broken engagements, okay?"
Distracted by his anxiety, Ramilio put his hand on the hood that covered his face.
Although he usually managed to lead an ordinary life by hiding himself like this, he couldn't avoid showing his true face to the woman who will become his wife.
Already, six women had come to him for his lands and wealth, but they had fled in fear of his appearance. What about "The White-Haired Lady"? Would she be able to withstand Ramilio in her unfortunate state due to the messy breakup of her engagement?
"I wonder how long it will last this time."
"I'm hoping she will stay at least until I take off the hood."
Ramilio pondered for a while.
"I understand that she is a girl who needs to recuperate. Let her stay for a while, and when she feels better, we will return her to the kingdom."
"You're going to let her recuperate on the premise of breaking off the engagement? How kind of you....."
"I wonder why your compliments sound so insincere."
Irritated by his aide, Ramilio decided to put the thought of the white-haired lady to the side for the time being.
But soon after, a new problem came up.
".....You know, I've been thinking about this. Is our country a place where young ladies of the Illuminati Kingdom can have fun?"
"I don't know. I'm sure the scenery would be lovely."
The Illuminati is home to the latest trends, and there are many fun places to visit.
Ramilio's territory, on the other hand, barely had anything to offer except for the magnificent castles and palaces built by their ancestors.
The palace where Ramilio lives is also old and uncomfortable to live in.
Ramilio suddenly stood up.
"This is bad. She's a precious guest. If she doesn't enjoy her stay, our reputation will be at stake. We must at least do something about the room she will be staying in."
Ramilio hurriedly called in a large number of merchants.
"I want you to provide all the amenities a woman needs to live here."
"How much is your budget, sir?"
"I don't care how much it costs, as long as it is done within three days. Also, I need to get the engagement papers done as soon as possible.... As expected, it's easy when it's your seventh time. I can easily figure out what to include."
Seeing Ramilio making preparations so quickly, one of his aides remarked, ".....Your Excellency, aren't you actually looking forward to it?"
Ramilio blushed awkwardly, and said, "Shut up."
He kept getting turned down six times because of his face.
He was just about to give up when this poor beautiful girl showed up. He was sure she wouldn't be creeped out if he was at least a little nice to her. And, if things go well, she would be grateful to him too.
It wouldn't be so twisted to think so, having been run off by so many women.
Ramilio himself was looking for some kind of solace in this peculiar marriage.
A few days later, he received word that a carriage had arrived in the territory.
"H-how was she?"
Ramilio nervously asked the messenger who claimed to have seen the white-haired lady through the carriage window, but he shook his head.
"I couldn't see her face well because it was hidden by a veil, but she was dressed in a low-key manner."
Ramilio's anxiety and tension culminated.
"You're hiding your face..... just like me."
"Your Excellency, don't be too hasty with your imagination. In marriage and love, a man who rushes into things too quickly will not be well-liked."
"I know even if you don't tell me. How many times do you think I've had my engagement broken?"
He was saying that, but he also looked in the mirror and adjusted his hood a little bit.
The Duchy of Pastore is located in a buffer zone between two large countries. As it is a prosperous transportation hub, the roads are well-maintained and carriage rides were comfortable.
Passing through the peaceful countryside, we proceeded through the urban area where horse-drawn carriages were coming and going.
'I was surprised to see so many people coming and going.'
It doesn't have all the entertainment facilities of the Illuminati Kingdom, but it seems to be a lively place.
Eventually, the small two-seater carriage in which Lucrezia was riding came to a stop in front of the palace where the Ugly Duke resided.
The person ahead of us opened the door and escorted Lucrezia out.
Lucrezia immediately understood that the hooded man, who looked like a hermit, was the "Ugly Duke". When he asked for her hand, she looked at his face from a very close distance.
"--Oh? Is there anything wrong with this person?"
There're no apparent scars on his cheeks or mouth peeking through the hood. He is a man of average skin tone. His nose is neither high nor low, and the bridge of his nose is straight. The clean mouth and the masculine jawline, which suggests that he has a good set of teeth, are far from "ugly" in any way.
Lucrezia's eyes were still transfixed on him as she stepped down from the carriage.
Lucrezia gasped as their eyes met.
'This person.... he's wearing tinted glasses, isn't he?'
The glasses were made of a very dark crystal, she couldn't see beyond them at all.
It was apparent that he probably had something wrong with his eyes and wanted to hide it. This was probably the reason why he was named "Ugly Duke".
The "Ugly Duke" quickly took his eyes off Lucrezia and pulled his hood back on deeply with both hands. The way he nervously tugged at the cloth, you could tell that he was quite concerned about it.
"I apologize for dressing like this. Normally, I should take it off to greet you, but circumstances have forced me to leave it like this. My name is Ramilio Pastore."
He greeted her with a bow, and Lucrezia also bowed.
"My name is Lucrezia Serravalle."
When it came time to kiss the back of her hand, Ramiro pretended to kiss her from a considerable distance and didn't touch her in the slightest.
Lucrezia could tell by that gesture alone that he had been hated because of those back hand kisses.
Lucrezia felt a throbbing pain in her heart. The pain of being rejected by others can sting, even if it is someone else's. She couldn't help but think that it must have been painful.
"Do you know what my nickname is?"
"Yes..... but..."
Lucrezia quickly approached Ramilio.
Lucrezia took another peek inside Ramilio's hood and was convinced.
"I knew it. The newspaper articles were lying."
"Of course they're lying. I'm not a monster."
Although Ramilio said it as if he was disgusted, he was still cautiously wearing the hood. It seemed that he didn't want Lucrezia to peek at him no matter what.
Lucrezia was impatient and decided to ask him directly.
"Excuse me, may I see what's under your hood?"
My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I’m Forced to Marry the Ugly Duke
書籍・漫画化／妹に婚約者を取られてこのたび醜悪公と押しつけられ婚する運びとなりました～楽しそうなので張り切っていましたが噂が大げさだっただけで全然苦境になりませんし、旦那様も真実の姿を取り戻してしまい
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/my-sister-took-my-fiance-and-now-im-forced-to-marry-the-ugly-duke/
Action Adventure Romance
Aristocracy Arranged Marriage Broken Engagement Calm Protagonist European Ambience Family Conflict Female Protagonist Hard-Working Protagonist Hated Protagonist Multiple POV Nobles Sharp-tongued Characters Underestimated Protagonist Wealthy Characters
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3436hc/
くまだ乙夜