Legion of Honor

(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo

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07. Silver and Gold

The wind is different here.

Here, along the main road between Ostia and Aquleia, the wind carried the sounds of people. Lyn remembered the migration trail her tribe would take to avoid the worst of the rains and to find the ancestral hunting grounds, everyone on horses as they herded the goats and carried the gers. Day in and day out it was a well-ordered march, as if the memories of their ancestors who had first walked those same trails were imprinted on their souls, their identity as the Lorca. How well she remembered those days, when she could look back on her mama's horse and see the great dust clouds rising behind them, so many and so thick that they seemed to challenge the sun itself!

Here, now, it was far different. There were many peddlers along the road, their covered wagons often tied down with thick cords of rope so as to not end up with their merchandise flying across the road in case of an accident. She had heard a few merchants mutter a single phrase, 'time is money', and by the way they rushed on both sides of the road it seemed to her that they kept that idea close to their hearts. Because of their often reckless speed, though, it was becoming a common sight to see wagons pulled over onto the sides of the road, peddlers yelling at apprentices to fix a broken spoke or axle or else they'd lose large amounts of gold.

The wind carried gifts as well as curses, such as the scent of freshly blooming flowers or the sound of news from further ahead on the road. She accepted all that the wind offered, allowing her senses to fly as if they possessed the wings of the falcon, one of Father Sky's many emissaries, and puzzled over the bits and pieces they brought back. There was a little she could not understand, such as Elimine's prayers or records of shipments, a little that seemed strange, like the places one should visit in Aquleia, and many that just was, including the songs of the minstrels or the odor of the many beasts of burden and their offal. It somehow reminded her of Bulgar, Sacae's center of trade, and so she imagined that Aquleia had the same yellow clay walls and dirt streets.

As the sun reached the apex of its journey on their third day on the road, Lyn saw just how wrong she was.

If Bulgar and Ostia were lakes, then Aquleia was an ocean. Beyond the white stone walls of the Etrurian capital it seemed as if the town itself was climbing towards the sun, shops and houses and elaborate buildings that she couldn't place all lacking in comparison to the immense castle that stood tall, absolute and utterly unrepentant of its existence above everything else. People of all styles of dress walked on a ground that was not made out of dirt, but instead rounded gray stones. There seemed to be no end to the strange new sights; everywhere she turned, there were flags the colors of blue, white and yellow fluttering just under an open window of a building seemingly made entirely of brown stones, girls cajoling all those who came near to buy their basketfuls of flowers, and the large fountain just across from the town entrance which gushed streams of water that gracefully arched downward into a large stone basin of gleaming white-blue.

To Lyn, it made no sense. There were pieces she recognized from her experiences in other towns, but in Aquleia they were mashed together with so many other elements she didn't know until it made this place. It was all so unnatural, and yet...

"It's amazing," she murmured, her eyes darting one way, then another, as she tried in vain to see it all. "It's...I can't believe something like this exists..."

There was a tug on her sleeve. "Lyn, do you think...maybe it's all right to explore?" Florina asked, her cheeks pink and her eyes impossibly wide as she kept glancing from Lyn's face to the scenery before them. Lyn laughed.

"Of course! Let's look around together. Say..." Looking around, the words died in Lyn's throat as she noticed a dismounted Sain talking to a couple of giggling girls. Kent looked ready to intervene, but she could tell that he was reluctant to leave her. "Hm. Well, that's expected."

"True enough," Kent agreed.

"Yeah," added Wil. Florina only nodded.

Shrugging, Lyn pulled out some coins from her money pouch and handed them to Kent. "Kent, I hate to ask this of you..."

He shook his head after he took the money. "Think nothing of it, milady. As always, I am at your command."

Lyn smiled, touched more by Kent's warm tone than his words. His recovery from his recent illness seemed to have improved his mood, which she thought was only natural; she believed, as all Sacaeans did, that all illnesses began in the body and worsened in those whose mood was not properly balanced between that which Father Sky and Mother Earth ruled within the body. Treatment, then, had to be aimed at both the body and the spirit. Since accepting his vow--though it made her feel weird--Lyn noticed how much more at ease he seemed to be, and she welcomed it. "I hope that's enough for the stable. How about we meet at that fountain when the sun reaches..." Glancing at the sky, she noticed all the spires and such rising from the castle in the distance. "When it reaches that far tower, on the west part of that castle."

"There, the palace? Understood. We'll meet you then." With a nod, Kent left. Lyn turned to face Florina and Wil.

"Let's get your pegasus settled before we start looking around," Lyn said to Florina as she gave her best friend a couple coins. Her money pouch felt far too light afterwards; their extended stay at the last village hadn't helped their money situation, even after they sold the wagon and worked for funds. As Florina headed towards the nearest stable, Lyn lingered behind with Wil. "Are you sure you don't want to go with Sain and Kent?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Wil chuckled. "Watching Sain try to talk to every girl in the town isn't what I'd call exploring. And I really want to see everything I can, since I've never been here before."

"Right, me too." Glancing at Florina as she entered the stable with her pegasus in tow, Lyn smiled in an apologetic manner. "I know we've been traveling for a while and you already know this, but Florina might feel shy around you still. It's not as noticeable when we're all together, but since it's just the three of us, just please understand that."

"Oh, it's not a problem! I've already talked to her about it and let her know that it's perfectly fine for her to talk when she wants," Wil said. "Besides, I think she's working really hard on that. She wouldn't have asked to help watch over Kent if she wasn't."

You talked to her about it...? Lyn thought with some confusion. Out loud though, she said, "Good, I'm glad to hear it." Feeling as if she might be too overprotective, she smiled sheepishly. "You must think I'm overbearing, saying all this all of a sudden."

A look of surprise crossed Wil's face. "What? No, not at all! I can understand--you're always watching over her, right? Since she's your closest friend?" He laughed. "Besides, that's like you, Lyndis. You're always watching over everyone."

Embarrassed now, Lyn tried to laugh away his words. "I can't help it. I just want to make sure everybody's all right. Anyway, I'm not sure if I've said this before, but call me Lyn."

"You're changing the subject," Wil chided, his laughter like a stream. In mock frustration Lyn swatted at him, but he stepped out of the way of her blow before stumbling over an upraised stone. His shoulder bumped against a passing woman's arm as he fought to regain his balance, and the woman dropped her basket of vegetables onto the street, with a few of them tumbling out over the stones.

"Ah! Look at what you did! If you must play around, do it elsewhere!" the woman shouted. Very embarrassed now, Lyn helped Wil pick up the scattered goods and put them back into the basket. Afterwards, Wil picked it up and handed it to the woman.

"We're really sorry about this," he said. "This is fine, right?"

The woman huffed as she grabbed the basket. "Well enough, I suppose. Though if you're going to act like children, go do it at the academies like all the rest of them."

"I'm so sorry..." Lyn said, her words trailing off as she realized she was speaking to the woman's departing back. "...Ah. That's too bad. What did she mean about 'academies', though?"

Wil's eyes seemed to light up after a moment of looking as clueless as she felt. "Oh, I've heard about this. Etruria has schools for studying magic and other subjects."

"Oh?" She nodded, more to herself than anything else. "That's interesting. Have you ever been here before?"

"No, I once traveled around for a bit with a wandering scholar when I was first traveling around Lycia. He was from Etruria or passed through Etruria or something like that, I don't remember. He didn't really look Etrurian, though." Suddenly he looked past Lyn before smiling. "Hi, Florina!"

Lyn turned around, smiling at her blushing friend. "There you are. You weren't standing here long, were you?"

"N-no, not really," Florina said, her puffy hair flying about as she shook her head.

"Oh." Studying her friend, Lyn came to a decision. "Well, I want to see one of these academies that lady mentioned, unless there's something you want to do?"

"I, um, still need to register, but I don't know where the pegasus knight brigade office is here..."

" 'Cause this town's so big, right?" Wil commented. "Why don't we head towards the academies, and if we see the office we'll go there first?"

Florina said nothing, only hiding her face when she nodded. But, Lyn realized, she seemed to be happy when she did raise her head, smiling in that shy way that showed her agreement more than any amount of gestures did. That made Lyn feel relieved; Wil was right after all. Instead of delaying any further and potentially embarrassing her friend, Lyn pointed at one of the strange-looking buildings further up the road. "Could that be one of them?"

"Let's go find out!" Wil announced, drawing a weird look or two from the passerby. With Florina on one side of Lyn and Wil on the other, they began to walk. Lyn thought it was kind of funny; though Florina tended to walk a step or two behind others and both Lyn and Wil had longer strides--though both very different in movement--they somehow managed to find a pace where everyone could walk side-by-side. Up the hilly street they went, the soles of Lyn's boots scrabbling along the smooth stones and making her fear that she'd have to grab her friends if she made a misstep or else she'd slide down the bottom of the hill in a very humiliating way.

Along the road on this side of the town there were no vegetable or fruit sellers, only shops that sold a very different fare than what Lyn was used to seeing. The signs that hung outside their doors had nothing to do with weapons or curatives, but through some of the large windows she could guess at their type of business. A few windows here and there revealed lots of bookcases. Another had dolls on display with tiny but elaborate dresses, skin made out of something white and glossy, and colored glass eyes with long eyelashes. They also had hair, usually in taut curls and spirals tied with ribbons that matched their dresses. "Is that a doll?" Lyn asked, tilting her head one way and another. She didn't know why, but it seemed as if the doll's eyes were following her.

"It looks almost real," Florina mumbled, "but also not."

"Look at that price tag on that one with pink hair," Wil said, pointing at the one he described. They looked, and then gasped.

"It can't be! That's almost as much as...you could buy two--no, three Killer-type weapons for that much!" Lyn cried out. Backing away from the window (and the eyes), she shook her head. "Let's keep going." Her friends followed her just as quickly.

As they continued up the road, it suddenly widened into a large area littered with shops where the smell of food escaped whenever one of their doors was open, another fountain in the center, and a great building where people their age seemed to be constantly going in and out of without hesitation. Having never seen a building of either that scale or intricate detail before, Lyn stopped. She couldn't begin to describe it, not when she had such a lack of words to do it in; Sacaeans had about twenty words to describe wind, but only a couple to comment on any building that was not a ger. It made her feel a little inadequate, seeing such a sight but unable to go into more depth than 'it was large' and 'it was crafted out of some sort of brown rock.' The bottom part of the building seemed to be held up by pillars of that same brown rock, so it was easy to see even more students milling about within it. The students themselves were all wearing long red robes trimmed with many different colors; it was obviously some sort of code, as not everyone wore the same colors, but for the life of her Lyn couldn't figure it out.

" 'Edounis Magic Academy,'" Wil said, reading off of the metal plaque in front of the fountain. " 'Donated by the Count of Aldebry, 764 AS. For She the Voice of God said, 'Let the Keys of Heaven rest in the hands of Humanity,' so we shall let the Keys of Knowledge rest in the hands of our Youth.'"

"Voice of God?" Lyn wondered out loud. "What is that?"

Wil looked up from the plaque. "Saint Elimine, I think."

"Oh, right." The Elimineans believe there is only one god, she had to remind herself. She turned to see that Florina was looking at the students with a look of concentration on her face. "What is it?"

"Their robes...I think they're marked by their year. In Ilia, we have something like that for the pegasus knights." There was a small smile on Florina's face as she continued with, "And look, some of them are our age but don't wear those robes. They might be, um, visitors. Or maybe they don't live at the school."

"Hm...I think you're right." Looking around, Lyn started to smile. "That's why I keep putting you at point. You're much better at observing and coming up with answers than I am."

Florina's eyes widened. "Really?" Lyn laughed as she patted down a flyaway lock of her friend's hair.

"Of course. A Sacaean never lies, right?"

Lyn happened to look up from Florina's very happy face just in time to see a student with no uniform robes walk past, longish locks of dark purple hair obscuring his profile. She had an idea who it could be, though, and she called out, "Erk? Erk, is that you?"

The student turned, surprise touching his fine, delicate features. "Lady Lyndis?"

"It is you!" In pure joy and relief, Lyn jogged up to him. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Likewise," Erk replied. He looked past her shoulder as she heard Wil approach behind her, then back to her. "Where are the others?"

"Kent's making sure Sain doesn't get into too much trouble with his flirting," Lyn answered with a smile and a feeling of dread. She was waiting for him to ask about Mark, but after a moment of staring at her with his sharp gaze, his mouth formed a thin line and he only nodded in response. "So, what are you doing here? Do you go to that academy?"

Erk shook his head. "I was intending to go home, but when I learned that my teacher's predecessor was giving a series of lectures on recent advances in the analysis of sigil structures and how combining what we now know with the invocation-evocation theory will shape magic usage in the coming generation, I decided to delay my arrival."

Lyn wasn't sure what to say, and Florina said nothing at all. Wil wasn't much better. "Wow, I...don't even know what you just said," he commented, laughter punctuating his statement. Erk's expression, neutral as it was, didn't change.

"Yes, it's complicated. I hope my teacher will help clarify some points for me." After staring at them a little longer, Erk frowned. "The series of lectures ended today, so I was planning to get some rest and head home tomorrow. I would like to invite you to come with me."

"Is it all right?" asked Lyn, surprised by the offer. "Wouldn't your parents mind?"

"My...oh, no, I live with my teacher and his wife." There was an odd expression that flickered across Erk's face, but Lyn wasn't sure what it meant. "They surely won't mind in the least, but if it'll put you more at ease I'll send a letter ahead. They live only a few hours away by carriage."

It seems fate is giving us the reprieve we need, Lyn thought as she glanced at Florina and Wil's faces. Their happiness was her own as well, and she smiled widely at Erk. "I don't know how to repay you for this."

Erk smiled, a slight upturn of the lips that made her wish he smiled more often; he was usually dour and solitary when they had all traveled together not so long ago. "Lady Lyndis, after you willingly let yourself face certain danger in order to allow us to escape, this is hardly anything in comparison."

-0-

As Lyn came to find out, carriages were boxes on wheels with small windows and stale air that seemed to run over everything that would cause it to bounce, wobble, and otherwise ruin what would be a smooth ride. The fact that it was so small made her feel cramped, though she was able to control how she felt by staring out of the window at the overcast sky and remembering the night before. Sain had decided they needed to have both a reunion party as well as an early celebration for his upcoming affinity cycle renewal, despite the fact that they had no money. This point had failed to matter.

"We don't need gold to have a good time at a tavern, milady!" Sain had said. Lyn had frowned.

"How do you figure that?"

"Easy! Observe a master at work!" And Sain, with help from Wil, had proceeded to shamelessly charm other groups into letting them join and share in their drink at three different places. At the third place someone had recognized them as people who didn't pay their own way, and the ensuing fight had effectively ended the night as they fled under the cover of darkness.

And in the end, she still thought that chigee, horse milk wine, had a far better flavor. The brews Sain had complimented were like bad-tasting water to her tongue.

Throughout the ride to the Reglay region, which Erk had said was just north of Aquleia and surrounded by many rivers, Wil slept beside her and Erk sat across from them and read a book. The day was overcast and the scenery more of the same, grassy hills and the occasional village. It was strange to be in Aquleia one day and out into the country the next; the two were almost complete opposites. It was fascinating, in a sense, to be able to travel like the birds did; with the exception of Rath, she couldn't think of many other Sacaeans who had left the plains, much less did so out of a sense of exploration. And the more she saw of the world outside of her home, the more she compared the two.

It made her want to return.

Returning, though, had its own problems. Once she returned to Sacae, the only way she could move forward in her life would be to destroy the Taliver, and after her failure in Caelin she knew that she wasn't strong enough yet. It was her hope that the travels she had now would grant her the strength to crush those who had brutally slain her tribe, but she wondered how she could find that strength in a land like Etruria. There had to be a way, but she couldn't see it just yet.

She had to find it, and soon. How many others would have to suffer the Taliver bandits' wrath before she avenged her family? How much longer could she bear the burdens thrust upon her by the remnants of her people, who had abandoned their pride as Lorca to seek a meager living in Bulgar?

Soon. It had to be soon for everyone's sake.

It had to be soon for her sake.

She was dozing when she felt the carriage jerk to a stop, and she wasn't quite awake until they had left the carriage and were all standing before the biggest house she had ever seen. She was sure it wasn't a castle because it didn't resemble one, but it was easily as large as a castle. The grounds were filled with yellow flowers as bright as the sun. They were only standing before the house for a moment before men came to take the horses and Florina's pegasus, and it was only after the steeds were being led away--Huey somewhat reluctantly from an even more reluctant Florina--when Erk put his book into his satchel and nodded. "If you'll follow me."

"This is where your teacher lives?" Lyn couldn't help but ask. She couldn't imagine why two or three people needed such a huge house.

"Yes," Erk said, not turning around to face any of them. "My teacher is Lord Pent, Etruria's mage general."

"Mage general?" Kent said. When Lyn glanced at him, she noticed that there was a disquieting amount of surprise on his face. "Etruria's Duke Reglay?"

Lyn looked around. Kent, Sain, and Florina all had varying amounts of surprise as their expressions. Erk wasn't turning around, and Wil only looked confused. "Wait," she said, "what's all this about? Is he an important person?"

"He's one of the most important nobles in all of Etruria, as far as I know," Kent answered. "As a duke, it is assumed that he has been formally recognized by the king as an asset in the military. Among the titles that can be granted by the king, a duke is the most prominent in rank, and therefore the most rare."

"I think I get it," Wil commented, "but does that mean he's even more powerful than a Lycian marquess?"

Kent closed his eyes. "I don't believe Etruria has marquesses, so I can't say for certain. However, as Etruria is a far more powerful country than Lycia, I would say so, yes."

"Hmm, that's uncomfortable." Sain sighed, crossing his arms. "Even if I am a first-rank knight, I would never have expected to meet an actual duke in my life."

"Yeah. I don't even know what to say to a marquess, and now we're meeting someone even more powerful than someone like Marquess Pherae?" Wil added.

I don't know how to act like a lady, Lyn could only think. I was never able to learn how...so to hear this, all of a sudden...

"You don't need to worry," Erk's quiet voice drifted to them. He turned to face them, his expression as neutral as ever. "Once you meet my teacher and his wife, you'll see why there's no reason to be uncomfortable."

"If you say so, we'll believe you," said Lyn. "We're just surprised, that's all."

"Right, exactly," Sain agreed. "I would've expected to see a castle rather than a manor, for one."

Erk frowned at that. "This is the summer house, though more and more often they've taken to staying here year-round because it's closer to Aquleia." He began to walk again, and they followed him up to the front steps. Even the door was grand, a dark wood that contrasted with the cream color of the rest of the manor. The doors were opened as soon as Erk reached them and they all entered. Lyn hated her limited vocabulary, because the best she could come up with was that it was extremely bright and clean. What she noticed most was that there were double staircases a little ways before them which led to another floor, and that there was a woman in modest dress standing before them.

"Master Erk, welcome back." She held out her arms, and Erk unhooked his cloak and handed it to her.

"You received my letter?"

"Yes. All the rooms have been prepared at Milady's pleasure."

"Oh." Lyn, who was watching what she assumed was a servant and Erk interact, noticed the strange flicker of emotion on Erk's face. "Where is Lady Louise?"

"She returned some time before you yourself did, from midmorning tea with Countess Caerleon. I believe I last saw her with Catherine in the kitchen gardens."

"Hm. Then, what about--"

"Ah! Erk, is that you?"

Lyn turned--they all did. The voice that had just spoken had just sounded so...happy. The woman who was coming in from the right part of the manor seemed to all but float towards Erk in her layered dress. For his part, Erk looked distressed, especially when the woman reached out with her gloved hands and began straightening out his sleeves in a display that was surprisingly motherly for such a young-looking woman. "It's wonderful to see you again! I was beginning to worry when your mission seemed to take more time than expected, but Lord Pent was always quick to assure me that he had full confidence in your skills," she said, her voice very sweet and warm.

Erk looked away, his face tinged with red. "He--he said that?" he asked, which Lyn thought was weird; he seemed more focused on his teacher than he was in this very motherly woman.

"Of course he did. I know I should've had more faith, but I can't help but worry." She finished straightening his clothes and stepped back. "But once I heard that you were bringing friends over, you don't know how relieved I was! You've never brought friends over before." She glanced at them, and Lyn couldn't help but stand up a little straighter when the woman's eyes fell on her. "My," she started, her gaze lingering on Lyn, "and what interesting friends you've invited! My name is Louise, and I would be honored if you stayed a while. Oh, that reminds me. Abigail," she turned to look at the servant who had been standing there without comment, "where is my husband?"

"He left his study shortly after you left and seemed quite disappointed to hear that you were gone, milady. Currently he is looking over the reports from the palace in his office." Abigail paused. "Shall I let him know guests have arrived?"

"No, I'll do it. I haven't seen him in such a long time. Instead, please prepare tea for our guests."

"As you wish, milady."

"Meanwhile," Louise smiled at them, "Erk, please take your friends to the parlor. Lord Pent and I will be there presently." With that, she gracefully left.

The entire group was quiet even after Louise had left. Finally, Erk cleared his throat. "It's this way."

Lyn turned to face Sain, who was staring after the departed Louise with complex emotions playing over his face. "Sain," she started, patting him on the arm, "thank you for not confessing your undying love or praising her beauty. I've underestimated your willpower."

"Lady Lyndis," he said, a sense of mourning in his tone, "although your words of praise and the touch you've bestowed upon me are bounties I could only dream of before, now they only twist the dagger that has been thrust inside my heart, cruelly, without hesitation! Who would've ever known that I, a mere follower of the ways of love, could be struck so profoundly by a woman who has been promised to another!"

"Well, that's..." Sighing inwardly, Lyn patted him again. "Sain, at a time like this you can only keep being strong. I'm counting on you."

"Milady, you would only ask of me what I can give," he said, turning to face her as he took her hand in both of his. She gave him a look, but he had conveniently lowered his head. "Forgive me, for until now I have failed to see the overwhelming love you hold for someone as unworthy as myself. And--"

"Sain," said Kent, his voice very quiet.

He sighed. "Yes, yes, of course. Lady Lyndis, your humble servant now must depart." Letting go of her hand, he and Kent began to follow what looked like a very irritated Erk to the parlor room. After a moment, Lyn began to follow with Florina and Wil by her side.

"You know, I kind of envy Sain," Wil said. "It must be nice to live in a constant dream world."

Florina giggled, so quiet that there was no way Wil could've heard, but Lyn smiled to let Florina know and laughed inwardly as her friend hid her blushing face with her hair.

-0-

In comparison to his wife, Lord Pent (somehow, Lyn had the feeling that an honorific fit him more than Louise) was more quietly personable and friendly. He was also a perfect match for his wife's beauty, and she thought that she had heard Sain's heart crack in two at the shock when the husband and wife entered the room. With the both of them together, Lyn had a hard time figuring out how they were as separate people; Louise became calmer, but Lord Pent seemed to have a sort of...playfulness that she wasn't sure was a natural trait of his. All she knew was, as everyone sat in various seats placed around the room and she told her story--no, the story of all her companions--they wore twin expressions of compassion that she greatly appreciated.

"I see," Lord Pent said after she finished speaking. "You have faced many harrowing trials to reach this point. Have you given any further thought to where you will go now?"

Lyn hesitated; she hadn't talked about it with her friends yet and was unsure how they'd see her ultimate goal, never mind that Kent and Sain had already vowed to come with her at that time. "Eventually, I intend to return to Sacae. For now, though, I would like some time to rest and think." Her gaze flickered towards the faces of her friends before returning to Lord Pent's pleasantly neutral face. "I think we could all use that."

His expression softened as he turned towards his wife. "Louise, you've already had the rooms prepared while I was preparing my research, correct?"

"Of course," was her reply. "Because anyone Erk calls his friend is ours as well."

"Yes, that's true." Lord Pent turned to the rest of them. "If you desire a place to rest, we would be happy to have you stay here for as long as you like."

Sharing surprised glances with the others, Lyn sat up straighter in her chair. "Is it really all right?" she asked. "Won't we be in the way?"

"Not at all! It's always better to have more people around," Louise said. "After everything you've gone through, our offer may not be enough, but we'd like to help if we can."

After everything...it would be wrong not to accept hospitality when it's offered, right?

Lyn paused, then smiled. "Well, why not?"

-to be continued-

So, Fridays are even worse than Thursdays. Since the next chapter will be in a different format that should be easier for me to make time adjustments around, I'm going to try next Wednesday, the 5th, and see how that goes. I'm very sorry for all this jostling around...maybe this story is cursed?

I never got around to reaching any of the Etruria parts of FE6, so I'm just taking potshots with the description of Aquleia and such. Also, the title refers to the full titles of Pent and Louise from the artbook (and reduced in the ending probably for space constrictions), Mage General of Silver and Lady of Golden Violets. Finally, my pet peeve for FE7 is the amazing inability for the translation to get their noble title right; they are Duke and Duchess Reglay. Count is off, though at least the first kanji is the same, and marquess/marchioness is flat out wrong.

Thank you for putting up with all this, and see you next chapter!