“Apparently the marriage wasn’t enough to break the curse, Your Grace.”

“… I never expected it would be broken so easily.”

Edgar reached the door and got in the wheelchair with Carl’s help.

The servant, who had been guarding the door, was now on the floor, drooling.

Normally, such a thing would have never happened.

“I added sleeping drought to the water given out at the feast, so everyone is sleeping soundly. You don’t have to worry.”

“You always handle things perfectly.”

Carl tidied where Edgar had been lying on and closed the door. Edgar bitterly watched Rubica as the door was closed.

How would she react if she found out her husband was a cursed monster?

“Then we should go, Your Grace. I’ve checked already, no one is awake.”

Edgar nodded, and Carl started to pull the wheelchair. From the duke’s chamber to his office where no one could get in while he was working. He smiled bitterly as he looked at the faint lights of the early morning coming through the windows of the corridor.

How long had it been since he had passed through that corridor in bright daylight…

He enjoyed the fresh air of dusk and closed his eyes. Then, he could hear the curse that had made him what he was now. It was so clear as if it had happened only yesterday.

-You will never walk again under the sunlight.

The nymph whom he used to call mother had cursed him so.

“Your Grace, I’ve given out strict orders not to come in here while you are working, as usual.”

“And don’t forget you should bring my meal yourself.”

“Okay, as the dinner is after the sunset, it would be better to go to the dining hall. Or Her Grace will think it is strange.”

“Yes. They will all start doubting if I avoid her too much.”

“Please don’t worry, I will take care of it.”

There were only two people who knew his secret. The emperor and Edgar’s butler Carl. The two tried their best to help Edgar meet people only after sunset.

“What about the documents I have to take care of today?”

“They are all on the desk.”

“Good. Carl, then tell the other servants I came to the office early because I had lots to do.”

“Yes, I will bring your breakfast.”

Carl bowed and left the room. Soon Edgar could hear him locking the door with the key from outside. It was to prevent others from coming in.

Edgar scolded himself who looked so perfect in every way but was so miserable. He went to the large desk in the middle of the room that let out the light smell of rose. It was fortunate for him that the Claymore Family wasn’t either a knight family nor a ruling family. All he had to do was to stay in his office and do research.

Edgar looked at the documents he had to read for some time and shook his head. Then he opened the first drawer of the desk and took out a small jewelry box. He felt its edge with his long, white fingers.

He had opened it and touched it so many times that its edges were so smooth.

He thought about it for a moment and flipped the lid open. Inside was a piece of paper with a woman’s name on it.

It had been a week ago. The blue ring suddenly vanished and was replaced by that piece of paper… he had wondered if it had been robbed for a short time, but it couldn’t have been what had happened as he had kept it by his side all the time.

And the note’s handwriting… surprisingly, it was his own.

“Rubica Berner.”

Edgar called the name on that piece of paper and recalled the past.

It had been three years and three days ago when he had been 22 years old.

***

Perfect, could there be a better adjective to describe Edgar Taylor Clayd Windmore?

He had been born perfect.

Perfect looks, perfect brain, and perfect parents. The only thing he lacked was lacking in something. Abundance was full around him, and it was as if brilliant sunlight was always on him.

Moreover, Edgar loved and looked up to his parents the most. He left the Kingdom of Seritos at the age of 12 and studied hard at Aron’s Academy to live up to his father’s reputation.

“You are a Claymore indeed.”

Professors would say that when they got his flawless answer sheets.

He never failed to be the top of his class and kept skipping grades. He graduated from the Academy in his late teenage years. By the age of 20, he became the Academy’s official member and was preparing his thesis. He accomplished what others accomplished at around 30 the fastest when he was only 20.

“Eddie.”

A few days before the examination of his last thesis, Duchess Claymore came from the far-away Seritos Kingdom.

Her blond hair and jewel-like blue eyes were beautiful enough to draw everyone’s attention.

Moreover, her skin was so smooth in spite of her age.

She was dressed as plainly as possible to not disturb the studying mood of the academy, but her beauty was enough to make it look like a party dress.

“Mother, why have you come?”

Edgar, who had been nervous about the examination, was happy to see his mother but tried his best not to show it. The duchess knew her own son and smiled warmly.

“I couldn’t wait anymore when thinking you were coming home soon.”

“But mother, my thesis hasn’t been approved yet.”

“But, of course, it will get approved, it is your thesis! Right, Caren?”

“Yes, Your Grace. I will rather get disappointed if they don’t give him the New Perspective Award given to the best of the new thesis writers.”

Nurse Caren, who had served Edgar at the Academy, even took a step farther. The duchess trusted Caren more than any other servant in the family. Caren was the only servant she had brought from her homeland far away across the ocean to the Claymore Family.

“Please, do not celebrate too early.”

However, even Edgar was smiling as he said that. It was a warm smile that was nothing like the cold smile he wore now. Even then, there had been a swarm of bees who were after him. Girls of the society he sometimes saw during vacations, professors who wanted him to stay at the Academy forever, and job-hunters who wanted to work as Claymore Family’s scholars.

Edgar had not lost his mind only thanks to his parents. This beautiful Duchess Claymore always calmly dealt with her own swarm of bees that was even worse than Edgar’s.

“But what about father? Is he busy again?”

“Oh, Eddie. You did wait for us, even though you pretended you didn’t.”

“No, no.”

Duchess Claymore poked Edgar’s red cheek. He was already 20cm taller than her, but still, she treated him like a baby.

“Your father is working hard at the mansion on the last check of the cannon the king asked him to make.”

“I see.”

Edgar was a little disappointed, and the duchess smiled brightly. Although her son was trying to look cold and hiding his feelings because of the Academy and its scholars, he was actually a warm young man.

“But instead, he said we should visit the Kingdom of Sharman on our way back. You will work hard next to your father starting next year, right? This will be the last time, so let us have fun. We should watch Sharman’s famous play and go shopping… I heard they recently got some marvelous things there. There is even a thing that let out a mysterious scent when put in warm water.”

“I heard the desert trading route that was blocked for some time is open again now, so the merchants are busily trading.”

“Yes. It was because of that dragon…”

A trace of a shadow passed on the duchess’ face, but she soon came back to her normal lively self.

“If we don’t go shopping to our heart’s content now, when will we get to do that? I can’t do that in Seritos, its people hate extravagance too much.”

“So that is what you are really after, mother.”

“Oh, but you are going to spend more money than anyone else at the stores! Who bought another drawing ruler when he already had a hundred at home?”

“But that ruler was a new product! Its gradations are more accurate than any other ruler’s!”

“Well, well. Look at you!”

In the end, Edgar laughed like a child in front of his mother. Duchess Claymore had that strange power. Everyone got to love her after talking with her for only ten minutes. Her warm eyes were like spring sunshine, and her smile was like a drop of dew on a fresh leaf of the summer day.

From time to time, Edgar couldn’t believe he resembled his beautiful mother.

Was it because he was with her? During the examination, Edgar didn’t get nervous at the professor’s additional questions and replied clearly.

He used all the knowledge he had learned during the last decade or so.

When it was all over, he was chosen as the winner of the New Perspective Award and his thesis was selected to be the candidate of This Year’s Thesis.

“Oh!”

Duchess Claymore rejoiced more than anyone else at hearing the news.

“Even your father hasn’t won This Year’s Thesis yet. He always said that he would win that award one day, but you will win it before him.”

“Wouldn’t he be sad about it?”

“Of course not. He takes pride in having a son better than himself, you know it.”

The Duchess couldn’t restrain her overflowing joy. She went around in Edgar’s small room. Of course, it was small only for a Claymore. It was the biggest student’s room in the Academy’s dorm.

“We must cancel our trip to Sharman. I want to deliver this news to your father before anyone else does.”

When she finally said that, Edgar nodded as if he had seen it coming. His mother always shared the joy with her husband.

They were literally the ideal couple.

***