Chapter 29
Episode 29
"What is this?" A bead…?”
“Mary, move your hair. I can’t see properly.”
“Look at the way you talk! Where did you learn that tone?”
“……You did.”
Aristelle and Mary seemed to be growing more similar in personality and speech with each passing day.
The Young Duke, as if accustomed to this situation, spoke to me as if they weren’t there.
“Bestia, do you feel it?”
In the Young Duke’s hand was a bead emitting a red aura.
“…This was the cause, wasn’t it? That the kidnapped people were brainwashed.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
The two, who had been arguing moments ago, asked me questions as if nothing had happened.
“Do you feel anything? To me, it just looks like a bead.”
“Right. An ordinary person would have no choice but to be fooled.”
I didn’t know exactly what that red aura was either.
But I could at least feel that the bead was having a negative effect on people.
Was it because I said nothing?
The Young Duke, who rarely explained things to anyone other than me, opened his mouth.
“Based on the circumstances, this bead, which was inside the plaster statue, seems to be an important clue to this kidnapping incident.”
“Oh, Master, explaining things for once.”
“And Bestia found this bead.”
…You found it, and all I remember is breaking it.
“It’s thanks to Beth’s good control that the bead wasn’t broken.”
No, I didn’t even know a bead like that was inside the plaster statue.
Mary, who believed the Young Duke’s words without question, looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
“Our Bestia-nim had it all planned, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
I looked at Aristelle, who was the most normal person among them.
Aristelle, please stop Mary! This isn’t going to end with just one round!
But Aristelle gave a very unsatisfactory answer.
“To possess such humility, you are indeed a worthy candidate to become the mistress of the Duke’s Mansion.”
At this point, I wondered if even the servants of the Duke’s Mansion had been brainwashed by the Young Duke.
“No, all I remember is causing trouble.”
At my firm answer, the Young Duke stared blankly at me and asked,
“Isn’t it Bestia who found the lead to the rampant kidnapping incidents in this vicinity?”
I did find the lead, but I let all the priests escape…
“Furthermore, who is it that healed the kidnapped people?”
That was me too, I suppose.
Under the guise of healing, quite a powerful touch was applied.
In fact, it was an act closer to violence!
“Consequently, this incident could not have been resolved without Bestia.”
Was that really the case?
Without waiting for an answer, the Young Duke smiled faintly at me and said,
“I mean it.”
Could it be that I was genuinely helpful, even if just a little, this time?
Just as I was feeling a bit elated, Aristelle’s awkward voice was heard from behind.
“I apologize for ruining the good atmosphere, but… we’re out of time and must leave immediately.”
“Ah, I see.”
The Young Duke disliked Aristelle’s interruptions.
For him to readily agree with Aristelle’s words… what was going on?
It seemed there was indeed a pressing matter, as he quickly prepared to leave.
“Young Duke, were you very busy with work?”
“That’s part of it, but there’s an annual event coming up at the Duke’s Mansion soon.”
An annual event.
To me, who lived no differently from a commoner, it was a very unfamiliar concept.
“That’s fascinating! May I ask what kind of event it is?”
“Well… if I had to say, you could think of it as a birthday party.”
Commoners also celebrate birthdays, but a birthday party as an annual event.
“…As expected, the Duke’s family is different.”
My adoptive parents had never celebrated my birthday, of course.
It was even doubtful if my biological parents remembered the day they gave birth to me.
That’s why I don’t know my birthday.
In this life or the previous one, having been born an orphan, I’ve never had my birthday celebrated.
Yet, the Duke’s family holds birthday parties as an annual event…
What would it feel like to have one’s birthday celebrated by so many people?
I had been denied from the moment I was born.
In that sense, I felt a bit envious of the Young Duke.
“Beth, what are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Ah! Whose birthday is it, by any chance?”
Given that it’s an annual event, it must be the Duke’s or the Young Duke’s birthday.
If I go, he might be busy, so I should prepare a gift in advance.
“That is……”
Why is he hesitating so frighteningly?
Whenever the Young Duke hesitated to answer, a bizarre incident occurred.
Out of concern, I asked him again.
“Is it something I shouldn’t know?”
“It’s not that.”
The Young Duke stood there blankly, watching my reaction.
Why is this person suddenly malfunctioning?
Is he sick again somewhere?
I moved closer to him to check his temperature.
The Young Duke seemed to flinch slightly, but I didn’t hesitate to place the back of my hand on his cheek.
Normally, one should place it on the forehead, but the Young Duke was so tall.
“Beth……”
The Young Duke’s cheeks were tinged with a faint pink.
“Yes?”
“Beth, you are truly cruel.”
As I looked at him with wide eyes, the Young Duke added,
“Me? Please don’t make that ‘Me?’ face.”
“Me?”
“……”
He silently took my hand on his cheek and naturally intertwined our fingers.
“…If you dislike it, I will let go.”
The Young Duke quietly murmured, observing my reaction.
How small his voice was.
As he spoke, he seemed to wish his words wouldn’t be heard.
Strangely, I found that appearance quite cute.
“L-let’s go.”
As I pretended not to notice and held his hand back, I thought I heard a faint chuckle from above.
\ \ *
We arrived at the Duke’s Mansion faster than expected.
It took a little while to find Gilbert, as I had completely forgotten about him.
Anyway, the Duke’s Mansion, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was as warm as ever.
As always, the kind and gentle Duke welcomed me warmly…
Yes, everything was fine. But!
“Duke? I think I misheard something.”
“My heavens, our new daughter-in-law, how arduous your journey must have been… to the point where you can’t hear properly.”
Is he serious? I was dumbfounded by the Duke’s serious demeanor.
“What? No? I can hear perfectly fine, I just thought my ears were acting strange.”
“Our precious daughter-in-law’s ears are acting strange!! What kind of foolishness was our son up to while he was with you!”
I think I’m the one who usually gets into foolishness.
“No, it’s not that my ears are wrong…”
“What were you doing while our precious daughter-in-law became like this?”
As the Duke became indignant, the Young Duke bowed his head towards me.
“I apologize, Bestia.”
“What? You’re apologizing for this? Why? Why on earth?”
“Instead, I will take full responsibility for the rest of Bestia’s life.”
Was it because of that?
The Duke, surprisingly, seemed to have no intention of ending this strange scolding.
“Tsk, my son is so incompetent.”
“I will reflect on it, Bestia.”
No, seriously, why are you apologizing, Young Duke…
“New daughter-in-law, I’m sorry that my son, who only has a handsome face and money, is so pathetic.”
“What?”
A handsome and pathetic son.
It was the first time I had ever heard such a bizarre sentence in my life.
“Beth, please take this.”
“What is this?”
Amidst this chaos, the Young Duke wrote something on a piece of paper without hesitation and then handed it to me.
“If you are reluctant for me to take responsibility, there is another way.”
“……”
Yes, the Duke’s Mansion was originally this astonishing place.
“Since all I have is a rather good-looking face and wealth…”
I placed my hand on my chest and tried to ignore the Young Duke speaking so wistfully as I looked at the paper.
“You won’t take responsibility, but you’ll give me your assets?”
“Yes, you can see I’m included as well.”
The one included with the assets in the document was the Empire’s one and only Young Duke.
Giving himself as a bonus, like a free gift with assets.
Yes, in fact, all of this, the Young Duke’s confession and everything, must be a dream.
I barely managed to compose myself and said,
“Duke, so you’re holding a birthday party for me?”
“That’s right! New daughter-in-law! I will throw you a birthday party grander than any Royalty!”
Wow, just hearing it is overwhelming.
But this time, the Duke’s will would not prevail.
“Duke? I don’t have a birthday.”
“New daughter-in-law, it’s not that you don’t have a birthday, but that you don’t know it, isn’t it?”
“What? Ah, that’s right. But how can you… celebrate a birthday I don’t even know?”
“If you don’t know, you can just designate a day to celebrate, can’t you?”
No, what does that mean? Why is the Duke deciding the day I was born?
“Just a moment, you don’t need to go this far. I’ve only ever received things at the Duke’s Mansion until now!”
“What do you mean, Bestia?”
The Young Duke’s expression, as if he truly didn’t understand, made my head spin.
“No, Young Duke. Think objectively! I’ve only ever received things!”
“All Bestia has received is me, with my rather useful appearance, and the Duke’s family’s assets, but nothing else?”
“Is that something I’m destined to receive? Without my knowledge?”
My mouth was agape in disbelief, but the Young Duke looked at it as if it were cute.
“Yes, and if I inherit the Dukedom, all the assets will also be Bestia’s property…”
“Sigh, my son is so small-minded. Will our new daughter-in-law ever be satisfied with that?”
“No, it’s huge! It’s so big it’s overwhelming! How can there be such benefits?”
It was the absolute truth, without a shred of falsehood.
I felt full to the brim without having received anything.
However, Duke Russell was interpreting this completely differently.
“How can our new daughter-in-law be so kind?”
“No, from that answer just now, what part…?”
“Other people’s sons say they’ll pick the stars for their loved ones, yet you say just the family is too much?”
No, that was just flattery, and this is the truth!
“Beth, do you want the stars?”
“……”
These people were always like this. Yes, I had forgotten.
“Both of you, please calm down. I don’t want the handsome face or the assets.”
“……Bestia.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want them.”
“Are you saying I’m handsome right now?”
“……I’m going crazy.”
To be continued in the next episode ▶
