Chapter 6
Episode 6
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"Are you not hungry, my dear new daughter-in-law?"”
“Ah, no. It’s not that……”
It’s already the second day since I arrived at the Duke’s Mansion.
Hunger?
Without a single lie, the Duke’s family’s meals were by far the best I’d ever eaten.
The problem was…….
“Oh my, my dear new daughter-in-law. Drink some water, water!”
Anyone would think they were my parents. The Duke…….
The Duke’s treatment, which was overflowing and even excessive, was a little burdensome.
“Honey, ah.”
Yes, compared to this man’s acting, the Duke is just child’s play. Child’s play!
I looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief, but…….
“What, you don’t like this? Hmph, you still shouldn’t be a picky eater.”
Perhaps the Young Duke dreamed of being an actor?
But unfortunately, even if his status were commoner, he wouldn’t have become an actor.
Why?
Because his acting is terribly bad.
Look at those eyes and lips that are stiff and unyielding from beginning to end!
It was more surprising that anyone would fall for this act.
He seemed engrossed in his own performance, treating me as if I were his first love, met after a thousand years.
Of course, when it’s just the two of us, he returns to his usual self.
“Sigh, my fate.”
Ah, I thought that but it slipped out of my mouth.
“What? Did our new daughter-in-law just sigh…? Who dared to bother our new daughter-in-law? Who on earth!!”
The Duke exclaimed in anger, kicking his chair back and standing up.
“Who was it?”
Why are you standing up too?
If we have to find the cause, it’s because of you.
I unconsciously glanced at the Young Duke.
“Oh, so it was my son? How dare he trouble our precious new daughter-in-law?”
“……Was it me?”
Uh… I can’t say that’s entirely untrue.
“It seems I was too thoughtless. I’ll postpone my work for a while and stay by Beth’s side.”
“M-Master. You already have a lot of work piled up from going to the temple……”
The aide standing behind him, Aristelle, looked so pale it was as if he were turning blue.
He looked like he was about to suffocate from exhaustion.
“The Duke’s Mansion won’t collapse if I don’t do some work.”
“That’s right, that’s right! We have to give our new daughter-in-law and son time to date! Isn’t that too much, Aristelle!”
Good heavens, he’ll collapse from overwork at this rate. I should help.
“……Still, if it’s urgent, shouldn’t you do it now?”
“How wonderful! Our new daughter-in-law is like an angel! That guy is making such a fuss over a little extra work, while she…”
“A little? I’ve been working for days and days…”
Poor Aristelle’s tired eyes began to glisten.
The Young Duke, who had been silently watching this chaos, placed his cutlery down neatly without a flicker of emotion and spoke with utmost politeness.
“Father.”
“Yes.”
“Please do my work for me.”
“Uh, uh…?”
To pass off his work onto his ailing father.
Surprisingly, the Young Duke teetered precariously between being a filial son and a parricide.
No, even so. Isn’t that too contradictory…?
“Hoho… Fitz. What are you saying? You must do your own work.”
“D-Duke! You just told me to work. But now you’re saying you won’t do it yourself…”
Aristelle protested indignantly, having been told to work himself but then refusing to do it himself. However, his protest was soon cut short by the Young Duke’s next words.
“Is that so? Then I agree with Father’s opinion.”
“Th-then, why don’t you do that?”
“Yes, I will do my own work. But what a shame. If so, I won’t have time to be by Bestia’s side, so let’s call off the marriage…”
“I will.”
No, is there really that much reason for me to marry the Young Duke?
He pushes his work off onto me, and then someone else takes it on.
Moreover, to call off a marriage just because of a name.
If the servants knew, they’d grab their necks and collapse.
It seemed they had managed to keep the people at the temple quiet, but…
There were several people who openly showed their displeasure.
For example, the one opposite me.
That black-haired maid standing behind the Duke.
She kept scanning me up and down with a glare, and whenever our eyes met, I broke out in a cold sweat.
Ugh, Young Duke, your refusal to work is only making me look worse!
“Young Duke.”
“Yes, honey.”
Where on earth did he learn such a term of endearment?
“……Let’s stop this and go to work.”
“……Yes.”
“Wow, I really hope Bestia-nim marries the Master.”
Aristelle grumbled in a low voice.
Judging by his flustered expression, it was clear that what he thought had slipped out of his mouth.
“What did you just say?”
The Young Duke’s expression contorted sharply.
After all, no matter how casually he thought of him, he was a high-ranking noble. To call him Master.
“I apologize.”
“No, say it again.”
“Master…”
“Not that.”
“I hope you get married…?”
The Young Duke seemed satisfied, his lips curling upwards.
“Yes.”
“……You’re letting it slide?”
To let that slide, they must be close, no matter what he says.
“Of course. And I plan to work towards fulfilling that wish of yours.”
“……Yes?”
“Then today, to fulfill your wish, I suppose I can entrust my work to you.”
Wow, he just doesn’t want to work, and he’s dragging me into it!
As I glared at him, the Young Duke calmly turned his head towards the Duke.
“Speaking of which, Father. What happened to the book you were looking for the other day?”
Ah, could he be referring to Titonos’s Diary?
“Tsk, you mean going to the Imperial Palace? They were so bothersome over something trivial.”
The Duke, his irritation rising, took a breath and continued.
“That wicked fellow asked if I wouldn’t consider marrying his daughter to you! How audacious! Where is my son’s opinion in all this!”
……Excuse me? When did you ever ask for my opinion?
And that ‘wicked fellow’ isn’t the ‘Emperor,’ is he?
“Hmph, our new daughter-in-law is a hundred times? No, ten thousand times better. Yes, indeed.”
“Father, you speak too harshly.”
Yes, if you don’t want to be arrested for treason against the throne, you should just be quiet for now…
“You don’t even realize that it’s an insult to even consider them as a comparison, let alone being better?”
Ah, even the Duke looked slightly disgusted just now.
“……Ahem, anyway, we can’t keep our new daughter-in-law hidden away forever.”
“I’m fine with it.”
I came here with this much resolve.
If I were summoned here and there as the Young Duke’s fiancée, or if we went out, it would be quite bothersome for a while.
I plan to leave on my own accord in a year. However, I’m receiving support for food, lodging, and many other things, so I can’t just take it all and leave.
Even if it’s the Empire’s only ducal family, hiding a fiancée for a year would be impossible.
I straightened my shoulders with a determined expression and put on a confident gaze.
But then.
“Pfft.”
You’re laughing now…?
I glared towards the source of the laughter.
However, the Young Duke quickly composed himself and changed the subject.
“Father, was there anything else said at the Imperial Palace?”
“That…”
The Duke paused for a moment, seeming to glance at me.
“They say unexplainable disasters are occurring throughout the Empire.”
Come to think of it, when I came up to the capital, there was a large hole in the middle of the road, wasn’t there?
The Empire’s lands had always been fertile, and there were no external enemies to consider.
All of this was merely thanks to being born into a peaceful era. Not because the Emperor possessed outstanding abilities or was a benevolent ruler.
In fact, the current Emperor was more interested in women than in state affairs.
The Emperor’s philandering was well-known, and there were even rumors that he had hundreds of children.
However, luck is also a skill, and since the country was peaceful, the citizens considered the Emperor a relatively good ruler.
“……The problem is that these incidents don’t seem like ordinary natural disasters. Some artificial elements have been detected.”
With those words, a peculiar glance was exchanged between the Young Duke and the Duke.
What is this, is this something I shouldn’t hear?
“……Recently, there have been many missing person reports, so something must be happening.”
After a long silence, the Duke spoke again, seeming to watch the Young Duke.
“So… it seems they need someone to travel around the Empire for a while to investigate the cause.”
“Are we taking on that task? This has become troublesome.”
I understood that something significant was happening for the future of the Empire.
But is there a reason why the Empire’s only Young Duke must be dispatched?
“Um… but is there a reason why the Young Duke absolutely has to go?”
“Those who were sent to investigate first have either gone missing or been found dead.”
“Then shouldn’t you be even more reluctant to send the Young Duke?”
“Fitz… that is, my son knows how to use magic for investigation, no, almost all kinds of magic. Except for healing magic.”
“……”
So, he’s saying that he, who is already blessed with honor, wealth, and good looks, is also exceptionally talented?
“It’s probably also because if a large group moves together, they are more likely to attract attention.”
“Yes, the Emperor’s side made the conditions first.”
For some reason, the Duke’s expression turned cold.
“……If you finish this task, I will designate a new national religion.”
The Duke’s expression was calm and serious, but conversely, the Young Duke’s expression showed no particular emotion.
“Fitz, this is for the sake of the family and the citizens of the Empire as well.”
The Young Duke’s eyes flickered for a moment.
Perhaps it was because I didn’t realize the Young Duke cared so much about the family and the citizens? His wavering gaze was somewhat surprising.
“……Understood. I will return as quickly as possible.”
Despite his words, he seemed reluctant, openly frowning and unable to relax his expression.
While his words were quite resolute, his tone carried a strange sense of defiance.
After all, who would be happy to be asked to solve a case with no clues whatsoever, without any prior warning?
As a heavy silence fell once more, I spoke first.
“Duke.”
“Yes? Did you call me, my dear new daughter-in-law?”
“I will investigate together with the Young Duke.”
No matter how skilled he was in magic, if he were to suffer a serious injury midway, he would not escape my wrath.
This is a chance to repay his kindness and my debt.
“My dear new daughter-in-law… you speak truly welcome words.”
The Duke looked at me with a warm expression, as if genuinely moved.
However.
“Bestia, no.”
The Young Duke sighed softly and rejected my proposal.
“No one knows what might happen. Moreover…”
“Young Duke, I can take care of myself!”
“…I understand your feelings, but no. Who would go to a dangerous place with their fiancée?”
The Young Duke’s uncharacteristically emotional tone sparked my defiance.
Alright, this time you’ll get a taste of your own medicine!
“Don’t you… think about my feelings at all? My loving fiancée is going alone! To that dangerous place alone!! What can I possibly do sitting here at the Duke’s Mansion!”
Heh heh, at this point, even the Young Duke must be flustered, right?
I looked up at him with expectant eyes. The Young Duke quickly averted his gaze.
What is that reaction? Is it a success?
“Young Duke, please reconsider…”
As I leaned in towards him, I saw the Young Duke’s face turn bright red from his neck to his ears.
He called me ‘fiancée’ so casually before, but is he embarrassed by this situation?
Seeing the heat rise on his marble-like pale skin, a mischievous feeling welled up within me.
Should I tease him a little more?
“Honey.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering, hmm?”
“……I.”
“Yes?”
“I apologize, Beth. Let’s go together.”
With those words, he abruptly stood up and walked towards the door.
But then…
CRASH
“Young Master!”
The servants standing behind him looked at his retreating back in surprise.
He seemed to have forgotten to open the door, and ran straight into it.
He fumbled for the doorknob and managed to escape outside in a hurry.
The Duke, who had been watching this scene silently, murmured with a faint smile on his lips.
“…That kid, he’s completely lost it.”
To be continued in the next episode ▶
