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CSWH Chapter 68: My Meeting with My Personal AttendantMy lessons at the Armelia House ended and I boarded the carriage.
I waited for our arrival home as I gazed at the familiar scenery.
The Anderson Marquis House and the Armelia Ducal House were close.
Although the mansions of nobles were concentrated near the palace in the Capital, so that may also just be a matter of course.
The journey ended in no time at all and we arrived at the mansion. Around that time, I noticed a disturbance in front of it.
"……stop the carriage."
When I opened the window and gave the coachman my instructions, the carriage came to a stop without much jolting at all.
The cause of the uproar……were two women that appeared older than me and the gatekeepers, who were looking up at the carriage that had stopped next to them with surprise.
"Good work."
When I called out to the gatekeeper from the window, he hastily straightened up.
"Mellice-ojou-sama……! Welcome back!"
"Yes, I'm home……it seems quite noisy, but appears to be going on?"
When I turned to the gatekeeper and greeted him, he appeared troubled as his words faltered.
"That's, umm……"
"……are you, the Anderson Marquis House's young miss!?"
Interrupting the gatekeeper, one of the young girls raised her voice.
Looking carefully, both the girls had a completely identical height and facial structure.
While my attention was caught by that surprise, the gatekeeper hastily tried to cover the girl's mouth.
……probably because normally, a noble would find fault with her actions.
"Yes, that is so, but……what exactly is the problem?"
However, I do not have a nature that pays much heed to impoliteness, so I simply continued the conversation.
"Please allow us to meet General Gazelle!"
"……Father, is it?"
I was wondering what sort of wish they had…….but to think they would desire to meet Father.
Though, I have heard that due to Father's title of hero and his achievements, the citizens have a heavy sense of trust towards him.
Amongst them are some crazy fans……is what I've heard from Kuroitsu-san.
However, when I examined them carefully, their spirit wasn't that dreadful.
"Why do you want to do that?"
"We admire General Gazelle and aspire to enlist the Army's 1st Division. However, we heard that women cannot enter the Army…….we wanted to know if there was some way, some way at all that we could enlist in the Army, and came here to inquire about that."
I ended up seeing their imploring appearances overlapping with the past me.
Because I had once had the same desire, it was only natural.
I closed my eyes for a short while and hesitated.
And the decision I made was rather indulgent, if I may say so myself……as I sighed and opened the carriage door.
"……please enter. I am not sure if Father will be returning home today, but……I shall directly report that request to Father."
" "Th-Thank you so much……!" "
At my words, the two of them vigorously lowered their heads.
As they stayed like that and did not move for a long time, I urged them to board the carriage, and it once again began to move.
When we returned to the mansion, I had the servants guide the two and ordered the Guard Corps to observe them while I returned to my room.
It was at that time that Granny entered my room.
"I heard about it, Ojou-sama. It seems that you invited some suspicious people into the mansion?"
"Oh, I left their observation to the Guard Corps to ensure that they do not inflict any harm upon the people of the mansion. I am sure that they will be able to take control if needed…….although I am sure it will end with that being a needless precaution."
Their actions were filled with far too much spirit for it to all be a lie.
That is why I judged that their request was the real thing and invited them into the mansion.
"I am not asking about something like that. Why did Ojou-sama do something like……"
"……oh, did you think that I could reject them? I, who once aspired to enlist in the Army myself?"
When I made a small giggle and looked at Granny, she was making a fed up smile.
"Yes, yes. I know. Ojou-sama will not go back so easily on something that she said she'd do, even once."
"Fufufu, as expected of Granny. So, will Father be returning to the mansion today?"
"…….those girls are quiet lucky. Just earlier, a notice that Master will be returning soon came."
"Ara, their luck really is good. Then, Granny. I will be standing witness to the meeting between Father and those two girls, so could you help me change?"
"Understood. Well then, please excuse me."
I then changed into the clothes that Granny helped me to pick out and headed over to the parlour.
"Oh, Father……"
On my way there, I luckily bumped into Father.
"You shouldn't just be saying, 'Oh, Father', you know? Geez, you did such an unnecessary thing……"
"Yes, that is true. That is why I have come like this to hear their story together with you."
"It's not something that can be solved like that! Are you planning on helping every single person that wants to have a direct talk with me from here on out?"
"No, I have no plans of doing that."
"Then why have you helped those people……"
"Intuition."
The word that I plainly shot out caused Father to stiffen momentarily.
"I-I-Intuition……"
"Yes, that's right. It is something that you will understand just by meeting them, but they have some sort of fierce vigour. And, have I ever done this for the other people who came to meet you?"
"That's……but they are women, right? You know that even if they come to me, it would be impossible for them to enlist in the Army."
When Father said that, it sounded like he was actually saying, "Nobody should know that better than yourself"…….and it was true.
And, that was precisely why I had invited the two of them.
To learn why they persisted in that dream despite knowing that, as well as the journey they have undergone to reach that point.
"Indeed. For now, please see and hear their wish with those eyes and ears of yours."
"……only 5 minutes."
"I do believe that should be sufficient to listen to their story."
And then, the two of us entered the parlour that they were waiting in.
When we entered the room, the two of them who had been sitting while casting their eyes downwards suddenly raised their heads and looked this way.
"……are you two the ones who came to visit me?"
Father and I sat across from the two of them.
In exchange, upon hearing Father's voice, one of the women suddenly stood up.
Following her, the other woman also stood up.
"Please forgive us for our sudden visit on this occasion!"
"Please forgive us."
"……it is fine, so sit down and start talking."
Receiving Father's pardon, the two women sat down once more.
"My name is Anna. This is my younger twin sister……"
"I am Enaline."
"We came here from Ferrotta Village."
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar village name as I turned my gaze questioningly towards Father.
Next to me, Father momentarily appeared an interestingly agitated expression.
Of course, it was only for such a short amount of time that the girls across from us did not notice.
"As you know, our village was one of the places that was turned into a battlefield due to the war with Towair. Our Father and Mother died during the war."
"That is unfortunate…….are you saying that you want to enlist in the Army in order to avenge them?"
"No, that is not the case. Of course, I cannot say that the resentment and grief from losing Father and Mother has disappeared, but……more than that, we are thankful towards General Gazelle. Because we were supposed to die at that time. If General Gazelle had not been at the village."
"……I see. If you were at that village then……"
"Yes. As you are aware, at that time the Towair army was pillaging goods from the village."
"Those who opposed them were all annihilated. The remaining survivors at that time had all of their goods stolen and had no way to continue living. On top of that, the Towair Army continued to occupy the village in order to make their base……"
For a moment, Anna's words faltered.
Enaline stroked Anna's back to pacify her.
As they went silent, I thought about a map of the Tasmeria Kingdom in my head.
If it was a place that Father went to, then Ferrotta Village was likely to be in either the former Sezun territory or Count Monroe's territory.
At any rate, the more remote the region you went to, the more frequent that the distances between villages was large.
If they were surrounded by the army on top of that, then they probably could not have called for aid on their own.
And the enemy army also would not have allowed that either.
Because allowing the inhabitants to run away was the same as giving away their position to the enemy.
"We were very young at the time, and thus cried and screamed when our parents were killed but……that crying irritated the Towair soldiers and we were about to be killed……it was at that time that General Gazelle saved us."
"General Gazelle's strength was overwhelming. We were in wonder and found ourselves enchanted by that strength which allowed you to crush that hopeless, closed off situation. And we held a deep respect for General Gazelle who saved our lives."
"Since then, we wanted to be of use to General Gazelle……is what we thought. Under General Gazelle, we wanted to help and protect someone like him. That is what we've always desired. That is why, please! Please allow us to enlist in General Gazelle's division!"
……ahh, it's this.
I murmured in my heart.
The words that Father once told me.
[Before I knew it, a path was made behind me. And on that path, there were people who began slowly, but surely, following after me. They were none other than the people.]
The lives that Father saved followed after Father.
And then, that circle was spreading out……that is what I felt.
"I understand your intentions……however, as you know, the Army only enlists men. I cannot bend that rule arbitrarily. It's unfortunate but……"
"Why is it no good for women?! We will not lose to any man! And……if you are going to say that it is no good because we are women, then we will cast away that womanhood!"
"If it is a matter of ability, then we can accept it. But for it to be due to gender…..if we are not being recognizes merely due to how we were born, rather than our ability itself, then we will not give up."
The two of them bit down desperately onto Father's words.
That desperateness reminded me of how I once was.
"……have the two of you been tempering yourselves for that purpose?"
"O-Oi……" - not paying any heed to Father as he tried to stop me, I continued.
"The desire to protect someone is a splendid intention. However, unless one trains properly for that purpose, then it is simply an empty dream."
At those words, the twin sisters turned sharp gazes towards me.
"Of course, we have trained ourselves. It is all self-taught but……we have not failed to do so."
"……is that so? Then, would the two of you like to try working at this mansion for a while?"
" "Eh?" "
"Yes, that would be good. We were just about looking for someone to be Melly's personal attendant. And if you are to work here, then it will be possible for you to participate in the Guard Corp's training……even if you enlist in the Army, it will take time for that to be approved. That being the case, it would be better to temper yourselves here while waiting. However, if I see that you are being slack in your training, then I will immediately throw you out. Would that be okay, Melly?"
"Yes, Father. I have no objections."
"So how is that for the two of you?"
"We are……!"
Holding back Anna who even now seemed like she did not want to compromise, Enaline stood in front of her and put out her hand.
"……let's accept, Anna."
"But, Enaline!"
"……..if we train here, the chances of our dream being fulfilled will increase. I've heard that even amongst those in the Army, it is not easy to be able to undertake General Gazelle's training. That being the case, we should stay here and temper ourselves while continuing to petition the country."
"……understood. Then by all means, please take care of us."
And then the two of them were led away by the Guard Corps and left the room.