ORCA 105

‘If you become the greatest merchant in the Empire, I will shipwreck every single one of your trading vessels the moment I see them.’

‘Go ahead and try, fish head. You’ll be lucky if you don’t get struck by my merchant ship and drop dead.’

‘You slow-witted grizzly bear. The moment you head out to sea, you’ll be the very first to become whale food.’

‘Hmph, fins are useless on a mountain, you know?’

‘If you keep making me angry, I’m going to drown you in this mansion’s lake, so shut up.’

‘Oh, just try it! If you do, I’ll break every single tree at my house and pile them up on top of you.’

‘The only thing you know how to do is use brute strength, isn’t it? How ignorant.’

‘Fuck, what did you say?’

Around the age of eight or nine, they didn’t hold anything back. On days when the Grey family visited the mansion for some reason or when social gatherings were held, Hilda and he would sit in a corner and engage in useless bickering. While the other children of their age behaved like ‘nobles,’ Hilda always chuckled heartily and never hesitated to swear.

Her curses were mostly directed at criticizing him, but it wasn’t as if he countered because he was truly offended. Even if he spoke and acted carelessly, Hilda’s personality was such that she would match him further, never less. Those boisterous arguments that occurred once in a while used to open up his airway when he was on the verge of suffocating from the stifling pressure of his family.

Regardless of those circumstances, their dislike for each other was entirely genuine. They had almost never exchanged normal conversation. It had always been that way until Hilda suddenly declared around the age of fifteen that she had to set out on a journey to become a merchant.

Following that declaration, Hilda truly seemed to have left, as she never appeared before him again. He only came to realize she had departed whenever he spotted only the master and mistress of the Grey family at the mansion or the Imperial Palace. He never bothered to ask when or where she had gone. They were hardly close enough to be curious about such things.

He had merely felt a fleeting envy toward Hilda, who had left so freely. A sentiment akin to an inferiority complex had crept up on him back then. However, thanks to entering the military academy the following year, he had lived forgetting that low-grade emotion, which was the first and last of its kind he had ever felt. Therefore, he wasn’t particularly glad to see her.

There was no way he could be pleased when a person who knew all of his childhood flaws showed up and started wagging her tongue the moment they met. He couldn’t predict what would burst out of that mouth. If possible, he wanted to tear her tongue out before she could cause an incident.

“Hilda. Why don’t you shut up and go get some rest?”

“Look at this scoundrel acting like a proper human. Ah, wait, no. Are you telling me to shut up and get the—mmph!”

Every eye in the central hall turned toward Hilda. Having her mouth clamped shut by her father, she shrieked in muffled pronunciations. Her mother, who approached right after, dragged her along and vanished upstairs. Her mouth remained firmly covered.

The small shouts directed at Orca gradually grew distant and soon fell quiet. As a silence settled over the central hall, Hilda’s father looked embarrassed, muttering that his daughter was originally a bit boisterous. A few light jokes followed, and the excited atmosphere of the first day of the party quickly returned, blanketing the silence.

Orca had to pray that these ten days would pass safely. He found himself pathetic for trying to escape a situation by wishing upon something else, but this time, he couldn’t help it. Now that he had confirmed nothing had changed from when they were fifteen, Hilda Grey was merely an existence whose mouth he wanted to gag, even if it meant stealing a pom-pom crab’s sea anemone. There was no way he could trade blows in a useless argument like the old days now.

☀️🌊

Lunch was served buffet-style in the garden, where arrangements had been made in advance. Main dishes such as roasted leg of lamb marinated in wine and baked in a fire pot, chilled roast beef, veal steak, beef stew, steamed herring made with sorrel juice, and grilled trout filled the long tables, along with side dishes like green pasta, mashed potatoes, bread rolls, and omelets. The wine prepared consisted of sherry to match the fish dishes and hock to match the meat dishes. On one side, musicians adorned the party with light, warm melodies fitting for late spring.

The seneschal, who had selected the tall and well-built ones among the available servants, bustled between the guests alongside them to pour wine into glass goblets, while footmen and several other servants stood before the long tables to carve and serve the meat roasted on the bone or transfer food onto plates.

With dishes that rivaled an Imperial Palace banquet, some people were already looking forward to the evening dinner. As if to amplify their anticipation, the piping hot, steaming dishes were swiftly replaced with fresh food the moment a platter grew empty.

Naturally ending up seated together at a six-person table set apart at a distance, Orca and Hilda continued their meal calmly, as if they had never caused a commotion. Of course, the situation underneath the table was a bit different. This was because the lingering resentment from being told to shut up and get out still remained with Hilda.

Stretching her leg out, she repeatedly stomped hard on Orca’s foot opposite her. Orca didn’t want to humor such a childish trick, but because Hilda persisted so relentlessly, he ended up kicking her away with a thud. Beneath the tablecloth that concealed their legs, it was practically a battlefield. It was a petty fight so childish that one couldn’t bear to look at it with open eyes. Yet, both moved their forks with ordinary expressions, pretending as if nothing was happening.

Fortunately, their parents didn’t notice and only shared warm conversations. Devouring the succulent roasted duck as if he were chewing ‘Hilda’ to pieces, Orca kicked away the shoe resting on top of his foot. Hilda opened her mouth slightly and mouthed words.

‘You crazy fish head.’

‘Shut up.’

Orca countered without realizing it and immediately regretted it. Vowing to avoid humoring her as much as possible, he shifted his intersecting gaze elsewhere. The only time she was of any help was when Hilda blocked the talk of engagement.

Thanks to her swiftly launching into bizarre adventure stories whenever the word engagement was about to surface, his parents ultimately had to push the topic aside. Boisterous voices and elegant laughter lingered alternately over the table.

While Hilda took it upon herself to swat away the conversation he didn’t want to hear, Orca rolled his eyes to look for Niah. The peaceful garden had become distorted with bustling crowds and noise, making him feel displeased just by looking at it. Before his expression could warp, he applied force to his brow to smooth it out. Straightening his already erect spine even further and craning his neck, he swept his gaze across the vast garden here and there. It was a sharp look, like a hawk waiting for prey hidden beneath the ground to surface.

Having finished the dishes and turned into a cleaner, Niah followed Harriet around like a shadow, organizing used tableware into a basket or wiping areas with a wet cloth. Occasionally, he would be called upon by one of the guests to attend to them. Whenever that happened, he would grow incredibly tense, his fingertips trembling faintly. Fortunately, attending to them amounted to nothing more than running simple errands, so he gradually grew accustomed to it.

However, standing before strangers still made him inherently nervous, so he roamed here and there, thoroughly shrunk back. He walked with brisk paces, hoping that no one would strike up a conversation with him. When he returned after moving a basket full of dishes to the kitchen, he habitually buried his nose in his forearm and sniffed. Only when Harriet, who was walking to and fro with him, asked what was wrong did he abruptly lower his arm and shake his head.

“Niah. Over there.”

“Yes? Where?”

“Why don’t you go over there and check it out? I’ll go put this away.”

Harriet, who had gathered a basket of soiled linen at her feet, pointed toward the opposite side using only her eyes. Asking back with a tilted head, Niah understood a beat late and responded with repeated nods. Harriet moved away, saying she would return shortly.

Staring glumly at her departing back for a moment, Niah quickly pulled himself together and gathered a clean wet cloth, napkins, and a palm-sized bucket. Walking while scanning the grass floor between the sparsely scattered tables, he occasionally squatted down to pick up dropped food or trash.

Because there were so many guests as well as servants attending to them, he didn’t draw much attention no matter how much he roamed around. Furthermore, since most of the servants wore the same attire, his presence would have been even fainter if not for his orange hair.