ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT ⑤

“…Umm, who are you?”

Standing at the door was a blonde girl who seemed slightly younger than me.
She was wearing a dress which was the formal uniform of this country, and stood with her back straight.
A girl who’s noble appearance did not suit this shabby inn.

However, despite her looks, she had a slightly plain atmosphere overall.
She might not be from such a high-ranking house.

“Do you, not remember me? Aria onee-sama. I am Leesha Flemia.”
“…Fle…mia.”

Flemia house.
My birthplace.

What business would a person from that house have with me?

“Please, don’t be alarmed. I have come here to bring back onee-sama on behalf of my father.”
“Father?”

I almost let my guard down, hearing the name of the person whom I was thinking of just now.
But she might be a fraudster assuming the name of the Flemia family.

There’s no way father would have any interest in me after all.

“But, I, don’t know who you are. Are you really from Flemia house?”

“Fu fu. I have only met onee-sama 2-3 times after all. Onee-sama was the daughter of the lawful wife, while I of a concubine. Our standings were different.”

Now that I think about it, among father’s children through his concubines, there may have been a child named Leesha.
I wasn’t acquainted with her though, so I didn’t know whether the person in front of me truly was Leesha.

“More importantly, onee-sama! Your match today was splendid.”
“Eh? R-, really?”

Leesha looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“Yes. After all you defeated Dale-sama of the Rolle family, who are said to be virtuosos of magic. Father was ecstatic.
“Father was!?”

My voice shoots up hearing how my father was happy.

The smiling face of my father, from a long time ago during my childhood, flashes in my mind.
Was he watching me with that same smile?

“…Did father see my match?”
“Yes.”
“Did father praise me?”
“He was ecstatic.”
“Oh.”

He saw me.
Father approved of me.

That alone was enough to wash over all my bitter feelings till now.

“That’s why, father said he wanted to meet and talk with onee-sama. I was sent to pick onee-sama up.”
“Father did! For me!?”

I hadn’t seen father for years.
Even at home, he only looked at me as if looking at a dirt-stain, and refused to talk to me.

That father was now calling for me.

Maybe, he might even smile at me again.

Thinking so, I couldn’t bare to stay still.

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“Our horse-carriage is waiting outside, so let’s go together.”
“R-, right. Let’s go.”

I followed Leesha to the carriage with steps that could break into a dance at any moment.
In my excitement, I failed to notice Leesha’s eerily distorted lips.

***

“We have arrived.”
“Thanks.”

Flemia house’s residence, where I spent my entire childhood…

…Was not where Leesha guided me to.

In fact there weren’t any mansions nearby.

It was like a circular plaza which was neatly paved with cobblestones.
A large hole on the ground was open in the middle.

It was my first time here.

The sun had set so it had gotten a bit dim, but torches were lit around the plaza surrounding it, so I could see my feet clearly.
However, there was an eeriness that just wouldn’t go away.

When I looked at Leesha with uneasiness, she smiles back.

“Um, where is this?”
“…Your return to the house can only formally be acknowledged once the tournament ends. Officially, onee-sama was exiled from the house, so meeting at the mansion would create bad rumors. Despite so, father wanted to praise onee-sama no matter what, hence why this place.”
“Really?”
“…Yes. That’s why please wait for a bit.”

I wonder what he’ll say to me.
We hadn’t exchanged words for a few years now.
Maybe not only father, but mother would come out as well.

(Oh no. If I started getting nervous, father and mother would scold me)

I looked around to deceive my nervousness.
As expected, the big hole in the center makes me curious.

It seemed too big for a well.
Apparently not many people came around here, so it might be a dry reservoir or something?

“Hey, what’s that hole?”
“Fu fu. That hole is really interesting. why don’t you take a peek inside?”
“??”

I tried peeking from nearby, but it seemed quite deep and I couldn’t see the bottom because of how dark it was.
Since it couldn’t be helped, I took one of the lit torches from nearby.

I stood near the mouth of the hole while holding it, thus lighting up the insides.

Inside the hole was a large void.
The torch’s light didn’t illuminate the entire place, but there was nothing interesting inside like Leesha said.

“Hey, Leesha? There’s nothing in-“

*Don*!

“Wha?”

As I turned around to talk to Leesha, something pushed me.
I fell head over heels into the hole as a result.

My falling eyes caught sight of Leesha standing at the edge of the hole.
She looked down on me as she laughed.

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