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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Supervisor
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A moment later.
Dietrich stepped into the library.
“Lady Ansi?”
But even as he listened, no reply from Lalitt came.
The spacious library was utterly silent.
There was no sign of anyone.
“Are you here?”
As Dietrich walked, surveying his surroundings, he suddenly stopped.
Through a large, wide-open window, the sunset light poured in like a waterfall.
A brilliant hue, as if spun from molten gold and rubies.
And in that overflowing sunlight,
Lalitt was leaning back in a library chair, her eyes peacefully closed.
It seemed she had dozed off while reading books and documents.
An open book rested on her lap, and a few documents were scattered on the desk.
“…”
For a moment, Dietrich was at a loss for words.
For some reason,
he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sleeping Lalitt.
Just then,
*Swoosh—*
A breeze swept in through the window.
*Flutter, flutter—*
The gust of wind sent the documents on the desk scattering one by one.
“Mmm…”
At the same time, Lalitt’s brow furrowed slightly.
Seeing her shoulders twitch lightly, it seemed…
‘She must be cold.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Dietrich took off the outer coat he was wearing.
He carefully draped it over Lalitt’s shoulders, then closed the window as quietly as he could.
When he glanced back, Lalitt’s furrowed brow had smoothed out.
A small smile playing on his lips, Dietrich bent down to pick up the fallen documents.
At the same time, his eyes widened slightly.
“This is…”
***
The reason I found myself unexpectedly assisting with the Duchy of Claudius’s vassal meeting stemmed from a single, earnest plea from the Duchess.
“I’m so sorry, Lady Ansi.”
It was not long after the vassal meeting had begun.
The Duchess clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes shining pitifully.
“I just received word that a new variety of rose has arrived at the florist… I only just heard about it myself.”
The Duchess continued, stealthily gauging my reaction.
“This rose is incredibly, incredibly rare. It’s a variety that’s entirely imported, and the florist said they barely managed to secure just the seedlings.”
Well, if it has to be entirely imported from overseas, it must be quite rare indeed.
And from what I’d observed of her so far,
the Duchess was truly passionate about roses…
“Normally, I would send a servant, but for a rose this rare, there are tons of other people after it. I have to go myself to ensure I can secure it.”
Her blue eyes were already shimmering with a covetous desire for the rose seedlings.
“I’ve waited so long for this rose to arrive. If I miss it, I’ll be too upset to even sleep…”
She muttered darkly for a moment before,
“Ah.”
coming to her senses, the Duchess blinked her eyes charmingly.
“So, what I’m saying is, um…”
But she only fiddled with her fingers, unable to bring herself to say more.
‘Sigh.’
I sighed inwardly and nodded agreeably.
“I suppose it can’t be helped. You should go.”
“R-Really?”
The Duchess stared at me, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit’s.
I gave a slight shrug.
“Well, all I have to do is make sure the vassal meeting runs smoothly.”
Honestly, it wouldn’t be a problem even if the Duchess were to step out.
The meeting hall was already set up, and the documents, as well as the refreshments in the break room, were all prepared.
Even the Duke and his vassals had already entered and begun the meeting.
In other words, there was nothing major I needed to take care of.
“I think I can manage to check if the meeting is proceeding without any issues, even if we aren’t both here.”
“Thank you so much, Lady Ansi!”
The Duchess threw her arms around me, her face alight with joy.
“If it weren’t for you, Lady Ansi, I wouldn’t have gotten that rose, and I would have cried myself to sleep every night pining for it, and I might have even died of a broken heart!”
…Just how far is her imagination running?
My expression turned aghast.
Ignoring my reaction, the Duchess asked in a bright voice,
“Is there anything you want, or anything I can do for you? I’m so grateful, I want to repay you!”
“It’s quite all right. If you really wish to repay me, just raise the new rose beautifully.”
I replied with a gentle smile.
“And when it blooms, please let me be the first to see it. How about that?”
For a moment, the Duchess’s eyes shimmered with emotion.
“A-Are you sure that’s all?”
“Of course. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of rose it is, too.”
At my answer, the Duchess clutched her hands to her chest.
“Lady Ansi, you should check your back. You might have wings hidden there.”
“W-Wings?”
“Of course. You might actually be an angel who fell from the heavens!”
It seemed the Duchess was now prepared to worship me as an angel…
But helping her was one thing.
“Oh, right, you did finish the homework I gave you, didn’t you? Please leave it with the butler before you go. I’ll be checking it.”
“Ugh.”
The Duchess flinched, her shoulders tensing.
So, for one reason or another,
I ended up taking on the duty of assisting with the vassal meeting…
Still, it wasn’t a particularly difficult task.
“Ah, Lady Ansi. I heard the Duchess asked you to oversee the meeting this time?”
Perhaps because the Duchess had informed them beforehand, the ducal household’s servants were very friendly to me.
After that, time passed peacefully.
The meeting, which had started around noon, continued into the evening.
‘There’s nothing to do.’
Overcome with boredom, I found myself stifling one yawn after another…
‘Should I check the Duchess’s homework?’
The homework I had given the Duchess was a mock personnel document.
She had recently mentioned wanting to hire a gardener who would be solely responsible for her roses.
I called for the butler.
“Excuse me, are there any documents the Duchess left for me?”
“Ah, you mean the homework?”
The butler smiled good-naturedly and handed me the papers.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you. Please call for me if anything happens in the meeting.”
With the documents in hand, I headed for the library.
I had to be on standby until the vassal meeting ended anyway.
Since things had turned out this way, I figured I might as well take my time and look up some materials related to personnel management.
Stepping into the library, I was a little awestruck.
‘Wow, this is the Duchy of Claudius, all right.’
The collection of books was vast.
And that wasn't all.
Rare books, long out of print, were practically lying around everywhere!
I greedily pulled out several books.
I piled the books on the desk like a mountain and spread the Duchess’s homework out beside them.
Even though I hadn’t eaten yet, I felt a sense of satisfaction, as if I were full.
‘Alright.’
I cheerfully opened a book.
But for some reason, the letters on the page seemed to be drifting away…?
I tried to focus harder on the book, then squeezed my eyes shut.
And then.
‘Huh?’
When I suddenly lifted my eyelids, my surroundings were completely dark.
An ominous feeling washed over me.
It felt as if I had merely blinked, yet a great deal of time had passed…
‘Did I… fall asleep?’
Dazed for a moment, I shot up from my seat.
“Th-The vassal meeting!”
Oh my gosh, I was supposed to be watching over it until it ended!
But what horrified me even more was…
“It’s over.”
that infuriatingly calm voice!
I turned around stiffly, as if my joints were creaking.
“Y-Your Grace?”
Wait, why is the Duke of Claudius here?
