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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Cellar
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***
“Hello, Marquis! Do you really have here?”
“Indeed, my lady. It’s the masterpiece of Lindel Böhre. It’s quite remarkable for one so young to have such a deep appreciation for art.”
Marquis Onyx, who had come out to the main gate to greet us personally with his wife, son, and servants in tow, couldn’t hide his smile.
Dad, holding my hand, spoke.
“Thank you for so readily inviting us despite the sudden request. My daughter was very eager to see the piece.”
“Not at all, Duke. You have no idea how delighted I was to hear from you. To think my small hobby of collecting art has led to this connection with you…”
The Marquis’s smile stretched from ear to ear at Dad’s words.
*Of course he’s happy. It’s a chance to build a connection with my dad.*
A return after seven years.
The most influential figure, watched by every noble in the capital.
Nobles would be lining up for a chance to get in early with Enoch Rubinstein, who had yet to make any political moves.
“This is my wife and my son, Jonathan. Please, introduce yourselves.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace.”
“A pleasure to meet you for the first time, Your Grace, Duke Rubinstein. I am Jonathan Onyx.”
The well-dressed Marchioness greeted him first, and her son, Jonathan, followed with a polite smile and a bow.
*So it’s you, huh? Jonathan Onyx.*
He resembled both the Marquis and Chessier.
Black hair and red eyes.
Maybe because he shared blood with the male lead, his appearance was quite polished.
*Even though he’s a total jerk.*
I remembered the Jonathan from the original novel, who had jealously mocked Chessier with harsh words at a society party after he became Dad’s adopted son and began his rise to success.
Why on earth would a passing extra dare to pick a fight with the main character? I had wondered.
The following flashback to Chessier’s past revealed their relationship.
Half-brothers.
And a past where he was beaten by that brother every single day.
“And a pleasure to meet you as well, my adorable lady. If I may be so bold, would you allow me to show you the art pieces in the annex?”
Jonathan offered me his hand with a bright smile.
*Ugh, you rotten bastard.*
“Yes, thank you!”
I took Jonathan’s hand, careful not to confuse the speech bubble in my head with the words actually coming out of my mouth.
The Marquis, his wife, and Jonathan all burst into laughter at my shy expression.
“…It seems my daughter has taken a liking to the young lord.”
Dad muttered in a disgruntled voice.
Oh no. That’s not it, Dad…
“Haha, I’m honored.”
“The two of them look so good together.”
Seizing the opportunity, the Marchioness chimed in with a giggle, causing Dad’s face to stiffen.
“Mother, what are you saying? It’s embarrassing.”
“Why not? Be good to the young lady. You’ll be seeing each other often from now on. You never know how things will turn out, do you?”
“Hehe, honestly, dear.”
Never mind that we hadn’t given it a thought; the three of them started beating the drums and playing the gongs right in front of Dad and me.
“Let’s not stand here. Please, come inside so we can talk more.”
The Marquis smiled and led us into the house.
I tactfully squeezed Jonathan’s hand, which I was still holding, and muttered.
“The Gates of Heaven. Quickly…”
“Ah, it seems the young lady is eager to see it. Shall we head to the exhibition room first?”
“Yes, Jonathan. That sounds good. We’ve trained some people to assist with the viewing, so take them with you.”
Finally!
All eyes turned to the four servants who had been standing with their heads bowed like part of the scenery.
“I want to say hello!”
I smiled and scurried over to them.
One butler and three maids.
Jonathan was flustered when I grabbed the hand of the male butler on the far left.
“M-My lady? There’s no need to greet the lower staff so formally…”
Then I saw the Marquis and his wife subtly stop Jonathan.
Having lived her whole life as a commoner, baby Lilis’s actions—not yet knowing how to discriminate between people—wouldn’t seem strange at all.
“Please take good care of me!”
“Ah, yes. My lady.”
The butler and maids looked bewildered as I firmly shook each of their hands.
And then…
The maid standing at the very end.
Brown hair cascading down to her waist, upturned eyes, and a mole by her lips.
*This is Rico’s guild member, Richel.*
I knew it the moment I saw her. I was just waiting for the right time to approach.
If she’d been contacted by Rico beforehand, she would surely give me some kind of signal at this point.
“I came to see the Gates of Heaven. Please take good care of me, big sis!”
“Yes, my lady.”
Richel’s eyes crinkled as she smiled and squeezed my hand back.
*Just as I thought.*
In that brief moment, something was secretly pressed into my palm.
The cold touch of metal and a small, rustling piece of paper.
I had a good idea of what they were.
The key to the room where Chessier was locked up.
And the note…
*It probably has the room’s location written on it.*
We exchanged a look no one else would notice and smiled.
***
Enoch Rubinstein.
The news of his return with the daughter he had vanished with sent ripples through high society.
Even during his absence, the Rubinstein family’s power had remained undiminished, and now that he was back, he was sure to monopolize the Emperor’s favor.
It went without saying that the nobles of the capital were all scrambling to form a connection with Enoch.
And then, in the midst of it all.
The great Enoch Rubinstein himself had reached out to them first.
*Just as Father said, this is a heaven-sent opportunity. I have to make a good impression on the Duke, no matter what.*
Jonathan steeled his resolve.
Unlike his father, a 2nd-grade Quarto, Jonathan was merely a 4th-grade Octava.
In a reality where class was valued more than status, he knew full well that if he didn’t build connections and secure his position…
Even if he inherited the title, he would be looked down upon in high society.
“Kya-hahaha!! What’s this?”
And then there was the daughter Enoch doted on.
“Where are we? What’s over there? This house is so big! Wooow!”
If he could just get close to her and play his cards right, maybe even secure a marriage alliance later on, it would be the perfect…
“So coooool!!”
…Dammit.
He felt like his ears were bleeding.
Jonathan secretly rubbed his ear and let out a laugh.
“My lady? So, this piece is by Verdan, a contemporary of Lindel who left behind numerous masterpieces…”
“Kya-hahaha!!”
*Throb.* A vein pulsed on Jonathan’s forehead.
He thought a seven-year-old could at least hold a conversation, but a kid was a kid.
As soon as they entered the annex, she started shrieking at the top of her lungs, running amok through the lobby and up the stairs, and pawing at the art in the exhibition rooms.
She didn’t even seem that impressed when he showed her , the very thing she had been so desperate to see.
*Damn it. If I’d known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have dismissed the servants.*
His father, lacking faith in Jonathan, had assigned servants to help explain the artworks, but…
Having prepared meticulously to impress Enoch and his daughter, he had confidently sent them away.
*How was I supposed to know I’d be babysitting instead of appreciating art?!*
Jonathan screamed internally and squeezed his eyes shut.
*No. Be patient. Stay calm. This little brat could change my life.*
*Whoosh.* Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Jonathan opened his eyes and beamed.
“My lady, shall we move on to the next exhibition room…”
…Huh. She’s gone?
In the instant he had blinked, the little pipsqueak who had been running around the second-floor exhibition room had vanished.
The wide-open door suggested she had already slipped away somewhere else.
“Agh, damn it. The little brat is so damn disobedient.”
Clenching his teeth, Jonathan trembled with rage as he went to find Lilis.
***
*There’s a small door at the end of the 3rd-floor exhibition hall corridor.*
*That door is the entrance to a secret passage leading to the basement.*
Having given Jonathan Onyx the slip, I hurriedly followed the directions on Richel’s note.
*The boy is in the last room of the 2nd basement floor.*
“Huff. Phew, this is tiring…”
I scurried down the stairs, my short legs working hard.
*Only four servants know of the child’s existence, and they are forbidden from entering the exhibition rooms.*
*There are no guards stationed inside, so escape should be easy.*
The annex was completely empty, which was fortunate for me.
“Huff, huff. I’m out of breath…”
I finally reached the second basement floor.
Orange lamps hung along the damp, gloomy corridor.
*They really wouldn’t be able to find him if he was locked up in a place like this. It would have been hard for Dad to come alone.*
With that thought, I made a small, nonchalant noise.
“Woooow! So many rooms!”
This was the door. Chessier would be inside.
Was it from running so much, or from the anticipation of finally meeting him?
I clutched my chest to calm my pounding heart and, without further delay, inserted the key into the lock.
*Click.*
The door opened.
“……”
The room was pitch black.
Someone was buried in the darkness, a darkness so complete I couldn’t see an inch in front of me.
I threw the door wide open.
In the room, which was only barely illuminated when the door was pushed all the way back, a child who had been lying as still as death slowly sat up.
“……”
“……”
The moment our eyes met.
My mind went completely blank, and I couldn’t say a word.
“Ah…”
His face was covered in the marks of abuse.
His right eye was bruised and so swollen he couldn’t open it properly, and a dark scab had formed over his lip.
A wretched sight, clear even in the darkness…
*This can’t be real.*
“Uh… I, uh.”
“……”
“I…”
“……”
“I, I. I should have… come sooner…”
*…I should have come sooner.*
It was my fault.
I was so stupid.
I should have just begged Dad to come here the day we first met.
Every minute, every second must have been hell for you.
The week in the capital that was so happy for me must have been a living hell for Chessier, day after day.
“Ah…”
Tears began to fall reflexively, drop by drop.
I clenched my jaw and roughly wiped away the streaming tears with my sleeve.
