-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: An Uninvited Guest and an Unexpected Bang
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tristan ran his fingertips over the candlestick.
As a member of the royal family, he knew quite a bit about the safe houses that most historic noble families possessed.
And that this tilted candlestick might just be the key.
*…Can I open it?*
In most cases, such safe houses were equipped with magical devices that recognized their users.
The most classic method was to prove one's lineage with a drop of blood.
*The ancestor of House Walker was Samuel. If I use Samuel's sword…?*
He debated whether to try it or not before finally making up his mind.
*Tap.*
Tristan gripped the body of the candlestick firmly.
*Even if I fail, it can't be helped. An opportunity like this might not come again. For now…*
Mrow.
“!”
Just then, he heard a cat's cry from behind him.
Startled, Tristan spun around. The office door was wide open, and the light from the hallway was spilling inside.
In the middle of it all, the cat's shadow stretched long, reaching the tips of Tristan's feet.
*Since when? I didn't sense its presence at all.*
It was strange.
Tristan was a skilled swordsman who even held the title of knight. Yet he hadn't sensed the approach of a mere cat?
Meeeow~.
He had seen this black cat before. It was House Walker's only pet, and its name was, if he recalled…
"Lev?"
Mrrr.
Was that a yes or a no? Unable to interpret the cat's cry, he simply tilted his head.
The black cat showed off its elegant form with a long stretch before striding into the room.
He briefly considered what to do. Should he just ignore the cat and continue with his task? Or should he stop, suspicious of this strange feline?
“……”
“……”
It somehow felt like he was in a staring contest with the cat.
It was ridiculous. A staring contest with a cat.
But a long moment passed with neither of them saying or doing anything.
"Lev? Lev, where are you~?"
The silence between them was broken when the sound of a maid, Riley, calling for Lev echoed down the hall.
*Damn.*
Tristan scanned his surroundings. There was only one way out of the office and into the hallway.
But if he went that way, he would run right into Riley. Being seen coming out of someone else's office wouldn't look good.
Tristan quickly did the math. He headed straight for the terrace.
Throwing open the window, he found the height was quite dizzying. A cold wind rushed in, whipping his hair about.
"Lev~?"
Riley's voice echoed again from a distance. Before leaping, Tristan glanced over his shoulder.
The black cat was staring intently at him.
"Kitty. You have to keep what you saw here a secret."
Meow.
"Good boy."
*Thump!*
With that, Tristan leaped down.
"Lev!"
Riley walked into the office right after. Her face lit up when she saw Lev sitting there all alone.
"Where have you been? I was looking all over for you."
Mrow.
"Oh, but why is the door open? That's strange. The window, too."
Riley tilted her head. She was puzzled for a moment but soon concluded that someone must have made a mistake.
Muttering that it couldn't be helped, she closed the window and straightened the curtains herself before scooping up Lev and leaving the office.
Mreow, meow.
-See, I told you he was a black-hearted bastard. Tsk, tsk.
Lev clicked his tongue.
***
"What? The Crown Prince?"
-Yes! Didn't I tell you? He may seem one way on the outside, but you can't know what's in his heart. I saw right through him.
Lev huffed, practically wailing about how he'd been right. *Sigh.* I didn't have the energy to deal with his tantrum, so I just let out a deep sigh.
"This is driving me crazy. Sir Werner seemed to suspect me, and now the Crown Prince is snooping around the office while the manor is empty..."
-Your little secret room or whatever was almost discovered. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have definitely opened the door. He has Samuel's sword, doesn't he?
"I know. Of all the luck."
My luck is just rotten. It seems especially so when it comes to Tristan.
-Hmph. Don't you worry. I'll keep my eyes peeled and watch his every move!
Hmm. I felt bad for Lev, who was offering to help, but I didn't find it reassuring at all.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to have a lookout. At least if I know what Tristan is up to, it'll be easier to prepare.
"I'm counting on you, Lev."
-You got it!
Lev snorted. He must have been sulking because I hadn't played with him much lately.
"Oh, and the enhancement went as planned, but is there any way to stop my eye color from changing when I get excited?"
-Hoh. You've already enhanced yourself that far? Just as I'd expect from the contractor I chose.
Lev nodded to himself, then continued with a grin.
-That's not a problem that can be solved right away. As you enhance yourself, your physical body is bound to become closer to that of a magical beast than a human.
"Closer to a magical beast?"
-To be precise, your familiar. But if you absorb more humans, you won't be fazed by trivial things then.
Wait a minute. I've never heard this before.
"It's not just about strengthening my self-awareness?"
-It is about strengthening your self-awareness. As a familiar.
“……”
-Hmph. You seem to think you've resurrected your siblings exactly as they were in life. That's the domain of divine power, not warlockry! I've told you time and again that what you've done is merely subjugate your siblings' souls to serve you as attendants!
"...But I don't want my siblings to change. I want to preserve them just as they are."
-If you wanted that, you should have had them taxidermied, not resurrected as zombies!
Lev said something so grisly without a second thought.
-If you want, it's not too late. Just accept my conditions, use my power to conquer the world, and then taxidermy your siblings to play house forever. How about it? You could play that little family game you want to your heart's content.
"That's not the same."
-You wouldn't even notice anything was wrong. I promise it would be perfectly seamless. I swear on my true name!
I shook my head. He just doesn't get it. His constant, terrifying suggestions were getting on my nerves.
"I'm going to bed. *Yawn.* I have less than three hours before I have to go to work tomorrow..."
And on my way to the bed, I deliberately stepped right on Lev's tail.
KYAOOO!
-How dare you touch my noble body! The impertinence!
A sharp cry echoed. Despite his words, he just looked like a little cat with its claws out, which wasn't scary at all.
"Oops, sorry! I didn't see your tail there. It's so black, it's hard to see anything."
I casually stepped on Lev's tail one more time as I slipped into bed. Lev leaped up, his voice rising.
-You fiend! That was clearly on purpose! You should be cutting off both your feet to repent for your mistake!
"I said I was sorry, didn't I?"
-How dare you! How dare you treat me this way! This is an unprecedented humiliation!
Lev shrieked and lunged at me. But since I was wrapped in my blanket, it felt like nothing more than a flurry of kitten punches.
Hmph.
Serves him right for talking so carelessly.
***
"My lady. I apologize for bothering you while you're busy, but please take a look at this."
"Hm?"
While fixing my hair, Riley took out a letter and set it down.
A bluebird crest was engraved on the pale blue envelope. The moment I saw the crest, I knew who the invitation was from.
Natalie Spencer. She was one of my few friends from the academy.
"Really?"
"Yes. It arrived today."
Unlike me, Natalie was a figure at the apex of high society. While I tediously shuttled between home and the imperial palace, she was a party animal who never missed a hot event.
Thanks to that, I often had to decline Natalie's kind invitations. After I'd turned down about 300 of them, she finally gave up on her obsession with dragging me along.
"She knows I'm busy. I wonder what this is about...?"
Unable to hide my curiosity, I opened the envelope. A faint scent of perfume wafted out.
*Rustle.* I unfolded the paper.
「To the precious Miss Emily Walker, who never shows her face.
I heard the news. You met up with Hazel without me? How could you two have fun and leave me out like that? So cruel! Of course, I did have a prior engagement that day, but if you had come to the party, Hazel would have followed you! *Sigh*, I'll be the bigger person and forgive you.
But I'm sending this invitation a whole month in advance because I absolutely need you to attend this tea party! I recently made a new friend, and when I told her about you, she said she was dying to meet you.
We'll all be attending the Crown Prince's birthday party anyway, so I'll introduce you then.
And since you hate crowded places, let's have a quiet meal and some tea later—just the three of us, you, me, and my friend. That's not too much to ask, is it?
Of course, I know this is a busy time for you, so I mean after the Crown Prince's birthday!
It makes me sad that I seem to lose you to the Crown Prince around this time every year.
See you at the palace.
With love, Natalie.
p.s. I hear you're the subject of some interesting rumors. You'll have to explain everything in detail!」
Just reading the letter was exhausting. As expected, she already seemed to know all about the rumors between me and the Crown Prince.
*But a new friend... She has someone she's close enough with to introduce to me?*
Natalie knew a lot of people and had a wide network, but she tended to be extremely picky when it came to actual friends.
Because of that, the only real friends of hers I knew were me and Hazel. But a new friend now…
*She must have found someone really special. A meeting with just the three of us... I suppose I can do that.*
It had been so long since I'd seen Natalie that I was starting to forget her face. It would be nice to catch up.
"Riley, please send a reply saying we can discuss a specific date after the Crown Prince's birthday. And add that I'm looking forward to seeing her soon, and that there's ab-solutely nothing going on with the Crown Prince, so there's nothing to ask about."
"Yes, my lady."
Riley replied with a bright smile. The thought of going back to work made my head throb.
There was Werner, and then Tristan. There were too many things to worry about.
*I've already told Ed about the Crown Prince sneaking into the office, so he'll take care of that.*
I couldn't say I'd heard it from Lev, so I was wondering what to say, but thankfully, Riley made things easy.
-My lady. Um, this might be nothing... but last night, while I was looking for Lev all over the house, I found the Duke's office door open. I went in just in case, and the window was open, too.
-The window?
-Yes. I didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back, it seems a bit strange.
After hearing Riley's story, I simply dropped a hint to Edmond.
-Oh, by the way, Ed. You should probably be more careful about locking your office.
-…? What are you talking about?
-Riley mentioned it. She said she saw your office door open yesterday. The window was open, too, so she closed it before she left.
-…….
Seeing Edmond's expression turn serious at my words, I smiled inwardly.
After considering several possibilities, Edmond seemed to have reached the conclusion that Tristan was the most likely culprit.
-Tsk. It seems our houseguest has been running wild while the master is away.
Edmond muttered that and thanked me for telling him, adding that he would need to strengthen the manor's security.
*And Isaac is probably busy practicing emotional control.*
Isaac was still having trouble reverting his eyes to their original state. Because of that, he had to skip breakfast this morning, feigning illness.
*As for Yulia, right about now…*
Just as my thoughts reached that point, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed in my ears.
BOOOOM!
It was the sound of something exploding.
My heart sank in an instant. The source of the sound wasn't far.
The end of the hallway on the same floor. It seemed to have come from around there.
And that was where Yulia's laboratory was.
I felt the blood drain from my body. Was it another assassination attempt? This time with a bomb?
"M-my lady. That sound just now..."
Riley mumbled in a trembling voice. I shot up from my seat.
"My lady! No, it's dangerous!"
I paid no heed to Riley's attempts to stop me. As I rushed out frantically, only one thought filled my mind.
*Please be safe, Yulia…!*
