8 白髪令嬢の正体
ルクレツィアはまっすぐフードの奥を覗き込むようにして、ラミリオを見た。
不安そうに視線から逃れようとする彼をあえて見つめながら、ルクレツィアは問う。
「どうして療養などと、お話が行き違ってしまったのでしょうか。それはわたくしどもセラヴァッレ公爵家の本意ではありませんわ。どうか説明をお願いします」
「あーいや、そのことなんだが......」
ラミリオは神経質にフードを引っ張り下げながら、あくまで和やかな口調を保とうとしていた。
「なにしろ急だったからね。君も婚約破棄をされたばかりで、少し気が動転しているだろう? ゆっくり養生して、それから考えても遅くはないと思ったんだ」
「わたくしは動転などしておりませんわ」
「しかし、何もわざわざ俺なんかのところに嫁ぐことはない。少し羽を休めたら、王都に返り咲くのもいいんじゃないか?」
ルクレツィアは意外な展開に、黙って聞き入った。
「俺はもう六度も婚約破棄されてるから、七度目の君が『醜悪公とは何もなかった』といえば、おそらくすんなり通るだろう。自慢じゃないが、俺の身は潔白だからな......って、何をする!」
いきなり横合いから張り手が飛んできて、ラミリオの頭を打った。打った男はひそひそと耳打ち。「下品です、閣下」ばっちりと聞こえてしまったルクレツィアは少し気まずくなった。
ラミリオは気を取り直して、こほんと咳払い。
「まあ、とにかく、君はいくらこの領地にいても、経歴に汚点となることはないわけだ。安心して休んでいってくれ。俺も......まあ、なんだ。少し疲れているんだ。しばらく君が婚約者だということにして、休みたい......」
言いながらラミリオがうっかり自分の言葉に傷ついたらしく、語尾が泣きそうに揺れる。
――感受性豊かな方なのね。
ルクレツィアはなんとなく、ラミリオのことが好きになり始めていた。
「戻りません」
ルクレツィアははっきりと言う。ラミリオと視線を合わせたかったが、フードと黒眼鏡に阻まれてできない。早く彼の素顔が見てみたいものだ。
「わたくしはこの地にあなたの妻として参りました。素敵な方なのだろうとも感じております」
言いながらルクレツィアは自身もヴェールを身に着け、素顔を半分隠していることに気づいた。
こんなものをつけていては誠意が伝わらないだろうと思い、がばっとめくりあげて素顔を晒す。
「お気に召していただけなかったのなら戻りますわ。でも、わたくしに不満がないのであれば、どうか婚約を執り行ってくださいませ」
――あなたの素顔も見せて。
ルクレツィアはその思いで身を乗り出し、じっとラミリオを見つめたが、彼は最後までフードを外そうとはしなかった。
「......わ、分かった。この件は、もう一度話し合おう。今日のところは、他の予定も押しているから、これで。しばらく君の世話係にうちの執事をつけておくから、ゆっくり部屋でくつろいで、何でも申しつけてくれ」
ラミリオはそっけなく言うと、側近と一緒に出ていった。
ラミリオとの初対面は、それで終わりだった。
***
ラミリオは側近・ボスコを連れて足早に自身の書斎に戻った。
盗聴防止の重厚なウォルナットのドアを締め、あたりの気配を探ってから、ひそひそと自身の側近に言う。
「......結婚詐欺じゃないか?」
側近はほとんどパニック状態の自身の主人を見て、またたきし、控えめに「なぜ、そう思われたのです」と逆に聞き返した。
ラミリオは感情的に声を荒げる。
「だって都合がよすぎるだろう!? 見たか、彼女の素顔を!? 妖精どころじゃなかったぞ!?」
「お美しいお嬢様でしたね」
「びっっっっくりしたじゃないか! 肖像画より本人の方が美人だなんて誰が想像する!?」
色素の薄い少女で、髪が白銀色なら、瞳も月のような薄い金色。肌は抜けるように白い。感情の読めないまなざしは、無垢な人形を思わせる。
少女は目立つ姿を覆い隠すように、地味で目立たない服を身にまとい、顔にはヴェールをつけていた。
美しい白銀の髪も、きっちりと結い上げ、ヴェールで覆い隠していては、老婆の白髪のように見えるもの。きっとそのせいでルクレツィアは、『白髪令嬢』などという不名誉なあだ名をつけられてしまったのだろう。
「ははあ。ラミリオ様のお眼鏡に適う方で何よりでございますね」
「よくない、問題大ありだ!」
ラミリオはすっかり興奮していた。
どんな容姿の娘が来ても受け入れる心積もりではあったが、これは予想外だ。美少女すぎるときの対策なんて、何も考えていなかった。
「非の打ちどころのない美少女が、こともあろうに素敵な方だと言って俺に結婚を迫ってくるんだぞ!? 醜悪公と呼ばれたこの俺にだ!
側近は慇懃無礼な仕草で、天を仰いだ。
「すっかり人間不信に......おいたわしい」
「まったく思っていなさそうな同情はやめてくれ。とにかく、彼女はおかしい。絶対に何かを隠している。世の中がそんなに俺に都合よく回るものか! 騙されないぞ!」
色眼鏡の奥に隠された彼の目には、さんざん人の世で虐げられてきた者特有のひねこびた暗い色が宿っていた。
笑い話として出回っている『醜悪公』の六度の婚約破棄だが、当人は毎回しっかり傷ついている。さらに世間から笑いものにされることでもう一度ダメージを負っていたのである。自尊心はもうずたぼろだった。
「なんなんだ? セラヴァッレ公爵の家はそんなに金に困っているのか? だからぜひとも俺と縁を作れと厳命されてきたとか? そうでなきゃあんな美少女が俺なんか相手にするわけがない、そうだろうボスコ!」
ボスコという名の側近は、ハンドサインを祈りのときの手順で切った。
「末期症状ですね。お悔やみ申し上げます」
「うるさい! 見てろよ。絶対に正体を暴いてやる......」
ぶつぶつとつぶやくラミリオ。
「セラヴァッレ公爵の家をもっと洗え。金に困った様子はないか調べるんだ! それから彼女の身辺調査も! 金使いの荒い女かもしれん!」
側近・ボスコが「承知」と言い残し、出ていくのを目で追い、ラミリオはため息をつく。
「何を考えてるんだ。俺が素敵だなんて。そんな見え透いたお世辞で俺が騙されるとでも思っているのか......!」
しっかりと大打撃を受け、フードの下で耳まで顔を赤らめていることは、当人の関知するところではなかった。
The True Appearance of the White-Haired Lady
Lucrezia looked straight at Ramilio, who was peering at her from behind his hood.
Daring to look at him as he anxiously tried to escape her gaze, Lucrezia asked.
"How did you come to the conclusion that I am in need of medical treatment? It is not the intention of the Duke of Serravalle. Please explain."
"Ah, no, about that......."
Ramilio was nervously pulling down his hood, trying to maintain a gentle tone.
"After all, it was so sudden. You must be a little upset, too, having just had your engagement broken off. I thought it wouldn't be too late to take some time to recover and then think about it."
"I am not upset."
"But you don't have to go through all this trouble to marry me. After a little rest, why not return to the royal capital?"
Lucrezia quietly listened to this unexpected turn of events.
"I've had my engagement broken off six times already, so if for the seventh time you say, "I had nothing to do with the Ugly Duke", it will probably pass without any problem. I'm not proud of it, but I'm still innocent, so--What the hell!"
Suddenly, a hand flew out from the side and struck Ramilio on the head. The man who hit him whispered in his ear, "It's vulgar, my Lord". Lucrezia felt a little awkward because she heard it perfectly.
Ramiro regained his composure and coughed softly.
"Well, anyway, no matter how long you stay in this territory, it won't tarnish your reputation. You can rest assured and go take a rest. I'm also...... Never mind. I'm a little tired. For the time being, I acknowledge that you're my fiancee...... I want to take a rest."
As he said it, Ramilio seemed to be affected by his own careless words, and his voice at the end of the sentence shook as if he was about to cry.
'He's a very sensitive person.'
Lucrezia was somehow beginning to like Ramilio.
"I won't go back."
Lucrezia said clearly. She wanted to make eye contact with Ramilio, but the hood and dark glasses prevented her from doing so. She couldn't wait to see his true face.
"I have come here to be your wife. I also feel that you're a wonderful person."
As she said this, Lucrezia noticed that she was also wearing a veil, half concealing her true face.
She thought that wearing such a thing wouldn't convey her sincerity, so she quickly lifted it to reveal her true face.
"If you don't like it, I'll go back. But if you're not dissatisfied with me, please go through with the engagement."
'Show me your face too.'
Lucrezia leaned forward with this thought and stared at Ramilio, but he made no move to remove his hood until the end.
"...... O-Okay, okay. Let's discuss this matter again later. I have other plans for today, so I'll leave you alone for now. I'll assign one of our butlers to take care of you for the time being, so you can rest in your room and let me know what you need."
Ramilio said curtly and left with his entourage.
That was the end of her first meeting with Ramilio.
***
Ramilio quickly returned to his study with his aide, Bosco.
He closed the heavy, wiretap-proof walnut door, looked around for any signs of life, and then whispered to his aide.
"...... It's a marriage scam, isn't it?"
The aide looked at his own master who was practically in a panicked state, and discreetly asked back with a twinkle in his eyes, "Why do you think so?"
Ramilio's voice was emotionally strained.
"Because it's too convenient, isn't it?! Did you see what she looked like? She was more beautiful than a fairy!"
"She was a beautiful young lady, wasn't she?"
"I was so surprised! Who would have thought that she was more beautiful in person than in her portrait?"
She is a pale girl, with silvery-white hair and pale golden eyes like the moon. Her skin is as white as the moon. Her emotionless gaze reminded him of an innocent doll.
The girl wore plain, inconspicuous clothing and a veil over her face to cover her prominent figure.
Even beautiful silvery-white hair looked like an old woman's gray hair when it was tightly tied up and covered with a veil. This was probably why Lucrezia was given the dishonorable nickname of "The White-Haired Lady".
"Hahaha, I'm glad to see that she's a person who suits Ramiro-sama's judgment."
"No, I have a problem!"
Ramilio was completely stirred up.
He was prepared to accept any girl, no matter what she looked like, but this was unexpected. He hadn't thought about what to do if the girl was too beautiful.
"A beautiful girl with no faults is asking me to marry her, saying that I'm a wonderful person. I, the so-called "Ugly Duke"! I've never seen such wishful thinking, not even in a three-sentence vaudeville[1] play!"
The aide looked up to the sky with a condescending gesture.
"You're completely distrustful of human beings..... It's so heart-breaking."
"Don't give me that condescending pity. Anyway, she's crazy. She's definitely hiding something. Society hadn't been kind to me that much! I won't be fooled!"
His eyes, hidden behind a pair of tinted glasses, were filled with the dark, twisted color of those who have suffered in the world.
Although the Ugly Duke's six broken engagements had been circulating as a funny story, the person in question had been hurt each time. Moreover, being made a laughingstock by the public had damaged him once more. His self-esteem was in tatters.
"What is it? Is the Duke of Serravalle in such financial trouble? That's why she has been ordered to make a connection with me? Otherwise, there's no way that such a beautiful girl would be interested in me, right, Bosco?"
The aide named Bosco held up his hands to pray.
"He's terminally ill. My condolences."
"Shut up! Watch me. I'll definitely expose your true intentions....."
Ramilio mumbled to himself.
"I want you to reassess the Duke of Serravalle's household some more. See if there are any signs of money problems! And also do a background check on her! She could be a money-grubbing woman!"
Ramilio sighed as he watched Bosco, his aide, said, "Yes, sir," and then left.
"What are you thinking..... Saying that I'm a nice guy. Do you think you can fool me with such obvious flattery....?!"
It was no concern to him that his defense had been dealt a heavy blow and his face was flushed up all the way to his ears under the 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