Chapter 182 - A Father's Choice
(This is a wrap-up chapter, covering Ivano and Ozwald, followed by Marcella in the latter half. This chapter also marks Tobias's departure, so please be advised if this is a difficult subject for you.)
"Thank you so much for everything you've done for us!"
"I'm delighted to hear that your wife has recovered. You must be looking forward to next year."
A week had passed since the bracelet was completed.
In the drawing room of Ozwald's residence, Marcella bowed deeply.
Ozwald and Elmelinda, seated before him, returned his greeting with warm smiles.
Beside Marcella, Ivano also expressed his gratitude politely before glancing at the gifts they had brought.
"It's only a small token of our appreciation, but please accept it."
Marcella had brought two cases of scorpion liquor, twenty-four bottles in all.
Ozwald had requested twelve bottles, but Marcella had insisted on bringing an additional case.
Ivano had brought three medium-sized metal canisters.
They were packed to the brim with dried Forest Serpent meat, a delicacy that had recently become popular in the royal capital.
It was said to promote vitality, relieve fatigue, and even improve women's skin, so he'd chosen it without hesitation.
"Thank you very much. I'll have the maids carry everything in later."
"They may be a little heavy for the ladies. If you wish, I can carry them wherever you'd like."
"Would that be all right, dear?"
"Of course. I'd appreciate that."
The man effortlessly picked up both cases of liquor and all three metal canisters, then followed Elmelinda out.
After seeing the two of them out of the drawing room, Ivano turned to Ozwald.
"I heard that you've given Tobias permission to visit your residence. Is that true?"
"Your ears have become remarkably sharp, Ivano."
"I still have a long way to go. Even so, I'm surprised by how generous you've been, Professor. Whether he might be useful to us or not is one thing, but I didn't think he was worth going out of our way to save."
"Oh? Is that how it looked to you?"
Ozwald spoke as though he were looking at a small child.
The theatrical sigh that followed irritated Ivano somewhat.
"He's Carlo's apprentice, after all, and quite skilled in his own right. His approach differs from Dahlia's, and don't you think it's good to have another person to consult when difficulties arise during work?"
"In that case, our company could simply commission Orlando & Co."
His irritation threatened to make him speak too quickly. To rein himself in, Ivano gave a light cough.
"Ivano, you wanted to make those two—no, the entire Orlando family—bow at Dahlia's feet and force them to witness the prosperity of the Rossetti Company, didn't you?"
"Even if I did, would that be so wrong? Considering what they did to the Rossetti family, I'd say that would be getting off lightly."
"There's nothing wrong with that. You're a capable and exceedingly kind man, after all. I'm sure you've been holding back."
The silver-haired man had neatly thrown Ivano's own words about being "exceedingly kind" back at him. Without changing his expression, he continued.
"If you'd truly wanted to, you could have asked Lord Guido to arrange things so that you'd never have to lay eyes on any of them again."
"I never considered going that far...!"
"It was only a little joke."
Ozwald replied in a perfectly even tone to Ivano, who had protested rather emphatically.
"Even if you force someone to submit, it can become troublesome if they nurse their resentment and eventually turn against you. Things may seem fine at first, only for that resentment to smolder over time. Wouldn't it be safer to bring them into your fold sooner rather than later?"
"Can you really feel safe bringing someone into your fold after they've betrayed you once?"
"When someone is utterly vulnerable and has no allies, they'll feel deeply indebted to anyone who reaches out a helping hand. While they're still young and receptive, they'll also be more willing to listen. What happens after that depends on what their teacher instills in them. My Elmelinda had much the same thoughts on the matter, though..."
It felt as though Ozwald were asking him, You're older than my wife. How could you not have understood that?
Unable to come up with a counterargument, Ivano asked his next question as a student would.
"Professor Ozwald, do you think I'm being too emotional?"
"That's not what I said. Even I wouldn't have reached out to him if he weren't Carlo's apprentice, or if he lacked both talent as a magical toolmaker and the determination to persevere. But Tobias is young and gifted. If he applies himself to his studies in earnest, he may eventually become skilled enough to stand alongside me."
"You certainly have a high opinion of him."
"What happened this time made me feel that Carlo's spirit lives on in him, too. If possible, I'd like to help him grow as Carlo's apprentice and carry on his teachings."
"That's unexpected. So even you have let your emotions get the better of you, Professor?"
"Yes, I suppose you could say that. I am an emotional man, after all. If I'd truly thought him beyond saving, I might have lamented his condition and complained to someone about it."
A shiver ran through Ivano. Was it Ozwald's eyes or his voice that had unsettled him?
He sensed the distinctive chill of the nobility, the same coldness he'd felt from Guido, and found it difficult to speak.
"I'm not asking you to forget the past, and you're free to think whatever you like in private. But while earning a man's resentment over a woman may be a badge of honor, earning your subordinates' resentment in business is a poor strategy."
"A poor strategy, is it? That's hard to hear."
"It hurts quite a bit when someone beneath you bites you while your guard is down. Isn't it a merchant's job to nurture their people carefully, manage them properly, and ensure they remain motivated to do their work so that such things don't happen?"
"...Thank you for that valuable lesson."
Faced with Ozwald's usual immaculate smile, Ivano conceded defeat.
"I'd like Dahlia to learn these things as part of her knowledge as the head of a company too, but it's probably still too early for her."
"Indeed. In her place, I'll make sure to learn them myself—and thoroughly."
"Then I'll leave that responsibility to you, Ivano. I'd rather avoid having her dislike me, too."
What an utterly inscrutable silver fox.
Even if he threw the fox into a pot and boiled it into a stew, all he'd find at the bottom would be a lump of silver meat, impossible to chew.
"Well, the main reason I allowed him to visit was for my son's sake."
"Your son?"
Ozwald turned his gaze toward the neatly maintained garden outside the window.
Ivano followed his gaze and saw red salvias blooming in the garden, their season of peak bloom already past.
"Yes. When I'm no longer around, my son will need a magical toolmaker who can help him as he pursues the same profession. From that perspective, a skilled magical toolmaker who lives nearby and is close to his age is a valuable asset."
"Isn't that why you took Dahlia on as your student?"
"Yes, that's part of it. But relying on just one person would make me uneasy. Besides, after a woman gets married, depending on her partner, it can become difficult to maintain contact with her. For example, if her husband is excessively jealous, even keeping in touch might become impossible."
"...I see."
For some reason, he found himself convinced as an image of a black-haired young man flashed through his mind.
Though he suspected there were other, more fundamental issues at play, that was beyond his place to interfere.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask for some guidance as your unworthy student. If you were in my position right now, Professor, what would you do?"
"Let's see. First, I'd establish a cooperative relationship with Ireneo Orlando so that the company could operate efficiently. At the same time, I'd ask Gabriella and Lord Fortunato to arrange for two people to be assigned to Orlando & Co. Finally, I'd ask Lord Gildofan Diels to act as guarantor for the Rossetti Company. Something along those lines, I suppose."
"Thank you. I'll take your advice into consideration."
Ivano committed the advice, delivered so smoothly and matter-of-factly, to memory.
Just then, Marcella and Elmelinda returned.
"You've found a guard dog before finding a puppy. I'd assumed the puppy would have black fur."
Suppressing a laugh at his Professor's habit of always adding one unnecessary remark, Ivano bowed.
・・・・・・・
・・・・・・・
"Tobias!"
At dusk, Marcella hurried toward the man emerging from the trading company's building.
He had parted ways with Ivano a little earlier at the Merchant Guild's stable yard.
He wanted to thank Tobias in person, alone.
"Marcella..."
"Dahlia-chan told me everything. I wanted to thank you. Thank you so much! Irma's doing well again, too!"
Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other in so long, or perhaps because Marcella's voice had grown louder than he'd intended, Tobias looked thoroughly taken aback.
"No, I only helped a little. But congratulations, truly, about Irma-san."
Marcella had once told Tobias that he couldn't have children because of his own condition.
He'd even complained over drinks about how sorry he felt for Irma, who loved children.
Tobias had always listened without a word, simply patting Marcella on the right shoulder.
Dahlia had Volf now.
Volf was a good man, and he and Dahlia suited each other.
No matter the difference in their social standing, Marcella felt those two would remain together for life, just as he and Irma would.
That was why he'd kept telling himself he didn't need to hear Tobias's side of the story or meet with him.
And yet, the matter had continued to trouble him, like a thorn that occasionally pricked at him.
Marcella stopped pretending everything was fine and finally said what he'd wanted to say all along.
"Tobias... When Dahlia's engagement was broken off, I lost all respect for you."
"I don't blame you. I did enough to deserve that."
"I never understood why you'd changed so suddenly. Not then, and not even now."
"You don't have to understand. It was all my fault."
"Don't you have even one excuse to offer me, your friend?!"
He'd meant to thank Tobias, but before he knew it, he'd raised his voice.
If Tobias had come to him afterward to offer an excuse, Marcella probably would have punched him once. Even so, he would have listened.
He'd wanted to believe there was some reason behind it, that Tobias wasn't so rotten a person as to do something like that without cause.
"...I'm sorry."
"You secretly repaired the tower's stairs for Dahlia, sanded down the splinters on her desk, worried about her whenever it rained, and went to pick her up under the pretense of having business nearby. Wasn't that because you were in love with her?"
"That was... because Chairwoman Rossetti was my junior apprentice. I was ashamed of myself for being her senior apprentice and still being outdone by her, so I acted like an idiot. That's all. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you anything, Marcella."
Suddenly, Tobias's shadowed gaze shifted to a point behind Marcella.
Seeing Tobias glance around uneasily, Marcella wondered whether he had somewhere else to be.
"Sorry. I came here to thank you, but instead I ended up shouting at you. I'm sorry about that, too. Let me buy you a meal sometime to thank you for the bracelet. We can talk then—"
"I'm sorry, but from now on, please keep your distance from me, Marcella."
"Tobias?"
His friend, who looked a little thinner than before, lowered his eyes and spoke in a quiet voice.
"It's better if people don't see you associating with me. Our company is under scrutiny right now."
"Volf isn't that kind of person."
"I'm not talking about him. I mean other companies and nobles. If they start investigating you because of your connection to me and discover the truth about your magic, that could put you in danger, couldn't it? You have Irma and your child to think about, too. I heard you're joining the Rossetti Company. If you and I continue to associate privately, people might get the wrong idea. So please, keep your distance."
"Tobias..."
Ivano had warned him about this on the way over, too.
He'd said it was fine to go and thank Tobias alone, but that Marcella needed to think carefully about maintaining their friendship, especially now that he would be joining the Rossetti Company.
Only now did Marcella finally understand what Ivano had meant.
And he understood that he and the man standing before him had no choice but to go their separate ways.
"Marcella, I hope you, Irma, and your child will be happy."
His friend gave him a faint smile and tried to hurry past him.
"Wait!"
Without thinking, Marcella grabbed Tobias's arm so tightly that he grimaced.
He couldn't think of anything to say in the moment. When he finally managed to speak, the words were brief.
"...Let me buy you that meal someday."
"...Thank you, Marcella."
With trembling fingers, Marcella released his arm, and his friend quietly walked past him.
As the sound of Tobias's footsteps faded into the distance, Marcella couldn't bring himself to turn around.
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