After-Story Chapter 29: The Masked Couple

—A summer day, several years after the continental reorganization.

“Lady Elisha and Lord Albert. Welcome, welcome,” said Finance Minister Gatsby C. Colbert Carmine, who had married into the Carmine family some time ago, as he greeted the former King Albert and Elisha, who were visiting the Carmine family’s estate in the restored city of Randel.

Colbert had taken a long summer vacation, utilizing the paid leave system established after the world stabilized, and was home in Randel. He had received a message from Albert saying, “We’d like to visit you today,” and had rushed to greet them.

Colbert bowed to Albert. “I apologize. My wife is currently getting the children dressed…”

Just as Colbert said this, hurried footsteps could be heard from the upper floor of the mansion.

“Stop it! Corné! Pansy! Don’t run around naked!” [“Kyaa! Kyaa!”] “You’re going to get dressed and go to Grandpa’s house, aren’t you? If you don’t, I won’t take you!” [“Grandpa’s house?! Getting dressed! Getting dressed!”]

The sound of a woman scolding and children running around excitedly followed. The woman’s voice belonged to Mio, the current head of the Carmine family, and the children were Corné and Pansy, the sisters born to Mio and Colbert. Corné and Pansy, adorable with their mother’s cat ears, seemed to have also inherited Mio’s tomboyish nature. They were incredibly energetic, constantly running around the mansion and giving Mio and Colbert a run for their money.

Hearing the noisy exchange involving his wife and daughters, Colbert’s face flushed red, and he bowed repeatedly. Elisha smiled, saying, “Liscia was just like that when she was little,” but Albert, out of consideration for Colbert, paid no mind.

“Ahem… Not at all. We were the ones who suddenly expressed the desire to visit. Please don’t worry about it. We apologize for the inconvenience we’ve caused you all.”

“Oh, no…” Colbert became flustered as Albert apologized in turn.

Albert looked up and smiled kindly. “Your mother-in-law, the former Lady Carmine, was the wife of my unparalleled friend, Georg. When I heard she had remarried, I wanted to offer my congratulations. She is someone who suffered greatly alongside my friend. Isn’t that right, Elisha?”

“Yes. I also wanted to meet her. Since the Madam did not hold a ceremony for her remarriage, I wanted the opportunity to congratulate her directly, which is why we imposed upon you today,” Elisha said with a soft smile. Despite having grandchildren, she was as stunning a beauty as ever.

Colbert was deeply humbled by the polite attention from the former King and Queen. Patting Colbert’s shoulder, Albert smiled at him.

“So, we would like to meet her. Are the Madams at home?”

“Ah, yes. They should be at the annex. It’s a bit of a distance, but perhaps a carriage…”

“We have the one we rode from Randel Castle, so it’s quite alright.”

Randel Castle is currently used as a public facility, housing government offices, a Wyvern landing field, and storage facilities. In peaceful times, castles are difficult to live in, and the lords of many castle towns, not just Randel, live in the town below. Albert and Elisha had arrived at Randel Castle via Wyvern gondola and had a carriage take them from there to this estate.

Albert and Elisha bid farewell to Colbert, boarded the carriage, and were seen off toward the Carmine family’s annex. Since it wasn’t far, they arrived in less than five minutes. When they announced their arrival at the gate, the house butler came out to greet them.

“Lord Albert and Lady Elisha. Welcome. Please come this way.”

As the butler escorted them into the mansion, a large man appeared before them in the entrance hall. Though he was dressed in noble attire, his face was covered by a black mask of a saber-toothed tiger—he was Kagetora, the captain of the Kingdom’s renowned intelligence unit, the ‘Black Cats.’ The black tiger mask, which didn’t look out of place when he was in black armor, looked slightly odd paired with the noble jacket.

Kagetora saluted the two. “Former Majesties. Welcome.”

“It has been a long time. Err… ah, Lord Kagetora.”

“…Why the long pause just now?”

“Is it my age? I just couldn’t recall which name was yours immediately.” Albert laughed heartily.

Kagetora sighed with exasperation. “…I am Kagetora. I possess no other name.”

“Is that so? Oh, I apologize for being too busy to congratulate you earlier, but congratulations on your marriage to the former Lady Carmine.”

“Congratulations,” Elisha said, smiling and giving a slight bow.

Kagetora scratched his cheek beneath his mask, looking a little embarrassed. “I am humbled to receive congratulations from the Former Majesties.”

“Don’t be so stiff. I’m retired, so I wish you would treat me as casually as my late friend Georg. Remember, we spent a night drinking together before Liscia’s engagement party.”

“…Hmph. I shall endeavor to do so.”

Albert grinned widely at Kagetora’s response. The old Kagetora would have refused Albert’s suggestion, probably saying, “It is unacceptable to treat the former King as a mere friend.” If one didn’t maintain authority, one risked showing weakness to unruly individuals. However, those times were over.

Souma commanded massive support from the citizens as King, and the country, both domestically and internationally, was perfectly tranquil. No one cared who the former King chose to befriend. That was a truly fortunate state of affairs.

Elisha then approached Kagetora. “And your wife? I would like to offer my greetings.”

“She will be here momentarily, as soon as she is ready.”

Just as Kagetora answered, a gentle voice was heard.

“Lord Albert. Lady Elisha. Welcome.”

They saw a noblewoman slowly descending the stairs from the balcony, her hand gliding along the railing. The woman wore typical noble clothing, but she had the cat ears and tail characteristic of the feline Beastman race. She was likely the former Lady Carmine—Georg’s wife, Mio’s mother, and now Kagetora’s wife.

Albert and Elisha looked at her, but then, “Huh?” “Oh dear?”

Their eyes widened as they tried to look at the Madam’s face. They saw her face, yet they couldn’t see her face. That was because the Madam was wearing a mask. However, unlike Kagetora’s mask, which covered his entire face, hers was a type that only concealed her eyes, like the Phantom of the Opera or a certain Red Comet.

It was a stylish mask decorated with small jewels and gold, perfectly suitable for a masquerade ball. As Albert and Elisha stood stunned, the Madam stood next to Kagetora. Noticing the reason for their surprise, the Madam chuckled like a child whose prank had succeeded.

“Fufufu, I apologize for this face. It is a rule in our house to wear a mask indoors.”

“…There is no such rule. You are doing that on your own accord,” Kagetora said with a slight frown.

It seemed his wife was wearing the mask of her own volition, and Kagetora was not only uninvolved but slightly displeased. However, the Madam simply smiled, ignoring him.

“Oh, but since I remarried, and my new husband insists on wearing his mask even inside the house. If only you wear a mask, it makes you stand out awkwardly, doesn’t it? So I’m wearing one for you.”

“…I did not ask you to.”

“Don’t you think Corné and Pansy might find it strange if you are the only one wearing a mask?”

“…” Kagetora was silenced by the mention of his grandchildren. He was completely outmaneuvered.

Observing their exchange, Albert recalled his late friend.

(Now that I think about it, Georg was often manipulated by his wife, too. Georg, who was renowned for his fierce attacks in battle, was awkward in romance, even asking me to write love letters for him. The hierarchy in their family must have been set then. It seems Lord Kagetora, like Georg, is also submissive to his wife.)

Albert smiled wryly, and Kagetora caught his eye. “What is it?”

“Hohoho. Oh, nothing. I was just remembering a man very much like you. A fierce-looking man who was devoted to his wife and was completely led by the leash.”

“…” Kagetora looked a little irritated by the smirking Albert.

However, Kagetora then softened his expression under the mask. “I see… But is that not also true of you, Former Majesty?”

“W-What is this, all of a sudden?” Albert stiffened at Kagetora’s sudden change of tone.

Kagetora, with a natural upward curve of his lips, informed Albert, “No, it’s just that your wife is smiling behind you.”

“Elisha!?”

Albert spun around, and Elisha stood there with a formidable smile. “My dear. It is indelicate to say unnecessary things to a newly married couple, isn’t it? Bad boy.”

“Y-Yes, dear!” Albert replied, instinctively standing straighter.

It seemed the situation of being on a leash was the same everywhere.

Later, the party moved to the parlor and chatted for a while.

“Grandpa came~” “Grandma, you’re here~”

Corné and Pansy, led by Mio and Colbert, trotted over and plopped themselves onto Kagetora and the Madam’s laps. The sight of the sisters looking proud, as if this was their designated spot, warmed everyone’s faces. Despite being a strange couple who constantly wore masks, this scene was the epitome of family togetherness.