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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Wrench in the Works
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“I'm off now~!”
As Andrea gave a cheerful farewell, all the siblings smiled and replied.
“Okay. Have a good day.”
“Bye, Lev!”
-You tiny human! Do not touch this great one!
“Lev says have a good day too!”
Without a change in expression, I twisted Lev's words. What a relief that I'm the only one who can hear this insolent cat's voice!
Andrea giggled, took the butler's hand, and climbed into the carriage.
It was his first day at the academy, and he was visibly excited.
With Andrea gone, the breakfast table fell quiet. Once Edmond dismissed all the servants, the zombies, who must have spent the long night alone, were the first to speak.
“Alright, I'll start.”
Isaac tapped his glass with his silverware, clinking to get everyone's attention.
“You all know by now about not being able to sleep and how easily our bodies break. And I'm sure you figured out we can't feel hot or cold during breakfast this morning, right?”
Edmond and Yulia nodded. They added that even with the steaming soup, all they could feel on their tongues was a mushy texture.
Yulia chimed in.
“I can't taste anything sweet, salty, or sour. The only thing I can sort of make out is spiciness.”
Edmond also shared what he had discovered.
“It seems my sense of smell is completely gone as well.”
These were the changes they had noticed in just a short time. Less than twenty-four hours into their lives as zombies, they were already facing numerous inconveniences.
Chewing on food that only tasted faintly spicy must not be a very pleasant sensation.
“Isaac. Did you submit your request for a leave of absence?”
“Sent it first thing this morning. It should be sitting nicely on the commander's desk by now.”
“Yulia, what about you?”
“I sent mine too. If I tried to brew potions with these hands, there'd definitely be an accident.”
Alchemy was such a delicate process that a single milliliter could change the outcome. Of course, for Yulia, whose senses were now worse than an average person's, it was an impossible dream.
“Is there any chance the requests will be denied?”
“I heard it's customary for the Imperial Family not to reject leaves of absence, so it should be fine~.”
Isaac added with a bright smile.
“They wouldn't suddenly break that custom today, would they?”
*That sounds like you're tempting fate,* I thought, just as Edmond's gaze fell on me.
Edmond, who had become the Duke at eighteen and had held the title for eleven years, was already adept at making decisions for the family, big or small.
“Emily. What are your plans?”
“...I was planning to bring it up when I go to work today. I thought it would be better to speak to him face-to-face.”
“There's nothing wrong with your body, so it's fine for you to go to work. However, if something happens to one of us, we'll need your help. It would be best if you could arrange to stay home.”
I agreed with him. When I nodded obediently, Edmond let the matter drop for now.
“We don't intend to live as recluses for the next seven years. We can't.”
When you were in a position like that of a ducal house, others would try to stir things up even if you wanted to stay still. It wasn't a quagmire you could escape just by declaring forfeiture.
“This is just to buy time. We need to stay out of the public eye until we get used to these bodies.”
“I agree for now~. If I tried to swing a sword with this body, my whole wrist might fly off.”
“And I can't very well blow up the Reagent Office.”
Isaac and Yulia also nodded in agreement.
“Considering all the possibilities, it would be best for Emily to train in warlock arts. In the meantime, the rest of us will have to be careful.”
“...Will that be okay? What if we get caught?”
“If a higher level of warlock arts can perfectly restore our original bodies, then it's a necessary step.”
Edmond said firmly.
“It will be dangerous, but... books on warlock arts aren't only in the imperial library. I'll find a suitable book somehow, so, Emily, you will practice with that.”
“Okay. I will!”
I clenched my fists and declared resolutely. The thought that everyone's lives were in my hands made my shoulders feel heavy.
Edmond laid out several other rules of conduct, such as minimizing social appearances and refraining from private meetings.
His points were concise and clear, so everyone accepted them calmly.
“Al~right. So we have a rough plan for what to do now, right?”
“Even if it is a plan made overnight.”
Yulia grumbled but didn't vote against Edmond's plan.
He had already proven his capabilities by leading House Walker for over a decade.
Just as faith began to well up that they could somehow endure for seven years as long as they followed Edmond's words...
*Knock, knock.*
The head butler knocked on the door.
“Pardon the intrusion, Your Grace. I have something urgent to report.”
“Enter.”
After Edmond gave his permission, the head butler bowed to the others before approaching Edmond's side.
“What is it?”
“It's about...”
The head butler glanced at Isaac before quickly averting his eyes.
“The young master's request for a leave of absence has been denied.”
“...?!”
The unexpected news silenced the table as if cold water had been thrown over it.
The head butler didn't know it, but he had just announced that Edmond's plan had gone awry from the very beginning.
“For what reason? The Knights' Order usually accepts leaves of absence unless there are special circumstances.”
“Well...”
When the head butler hesitated, Edmond pressed him again.
“Speak. It's fine for them to hear.”
“Yes. Well, it was originally going to be approved as you said... but it was denied by order of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
It was the worst-case scenario.
***
“Oh, Emily. You're a little later than usual today, aren't you?”
My fellow scribe, Jamie, greeted me cheerfully.
“Good morning, Jamie. I'm late because something came up this morning.”
“What happened?”
*My brothers all died in a carriage accident yesterday, so I brought them back as zombies. To keep it a secret, my second brother, who works for the Knights' Order, requested a leave of absence, but guess what? It was denied, and now our whole plan is a mess!*
...is not something I could say out loud.
I had no choice but to smile awkwardly and reply.
“Andrea was throwing a tantrum about not wanting to go to the academy. Ah, but more importantly, where is His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“In a meeting. It should be over soon.”
The moment Jamie finished speaking, the door burst open.
“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
As we hastily paid our respects, the Crown Prince, Tristan, waved his hand dismissively. It was a gesture for us to mind him no heed and carry on with our work.
He walked past the scribes and sat at his desk.
The Crown Prince of the Empire was always busy with matters public and private, and a mountain of documents was piled before him.
*Which also means the scribes have a lot of work to do.*
After all, those numerous documents had already been filtered by the scribes a couple of times.
Pretending to focus back on my work, I studied Tristan's expression. The sunlight streaming through the window behind him illuminated him brilliantly.
His black hair, which looked like a midsummer night's sky even in broad daylight, and his bewitchingly bright red eyes were the Crown Prince's trademarks. He was also a skilled knight, and the finely toned muscles of his forearm were visible beneath his slightly rolled-up sleeve.
His face was cold and expressionless, but that was nothing new. Despite looking like he wouldn't bleed a drop if you pricked him, the Crown Prince was a surprisingly reasonable boss.
Thanks to the morning meeting, it seemed I hadn't been caught being late.
I gathered a few documents that needed his approval and cautiously approached him.
“Leave them.”
He said without looking at my face. He was so busy that his head was buried in his paperwork.
“Your Highness. I have something to report.”
At my words, Tristan's eyebrow twitched, and he finally looked up.
“What is it?”
“It's just that... I'd like to take some time off work.”
No matter how lenient a boss he was, it wasn't easy to ask for a break. Tristan fell silent for a moment, processing what I had said.
“......Is the workload too heavy?”
“What? Ah, no. It's not that.”
“You rarely even take vacation days, yet now you're talking about a leave of absence. It makes me wonder if something is wrong.”
Of course, working as the Crown Prince's scribe wasn't easy. There was frequent overtime, and I had to be thoroughly familiar with the contents of a mountain of documents.
But that wasn't the problem. Of course, it would have been easier if I had the ability to remember everything after seeing it once, like my eldest brother.
“Come to think of it, Sir Isaac also requested a leave of absence.”
He put down his pen completely and folded his hands. He studied my face as if trying to gauge something.
His ruby-like eyes were impassive.
“Is there some trouble at home?”
“No, not at all.”
I answered immediately.
“It's just that we've felt a bit distant as a family lately, so we were thinking of taking a vacation to our villa together.”
This was the official reason. It would be too unnatural for the entire Walker family to suddenly cease all activities.
“Is that so.”
“Yes. If a leave of absence is difficult because of work, I have accumulated vacation days I could use instead.”
I continued as naturally as possible, careful that this sharp-witted Crown Prince wouldn't notice anything.
“Hmm...”
Tristan leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms, tapping his forearm with his fingertips, and then finally spoke.
“I'm afraid that will be difficult.”
“Pardon?”
“I'm talking about Sir Isaac Walker. We may need to deploy the Knights' Order soon, so I've ordered them to be on high alert.”
So that was why Isaac's request was denied. But a question still remained.
There wasn't any particular reason for the Knights' Order to be on high alert. The Tahil Kingdom hadn't made any military provocations, nor had the Ortor Kingdom brought up any territorial disputes.
As if sensing my confusion, Tristan continued.
“I can't disclose the official reason yet, but it's a precaution, just in case. Since Sir Isaac's leave is out of the question, it seems a family vacation will be difficult.”
“I... see...”
*What should I do?*
I kept a smile on my face while my mind raced. I didn't know whether I should ask for a vacation anyway, saying the rest of us would go without Isaac, or if I should just back down cleanly.
*If Isaac has to go to work at the Knights' Order, maybe it's better for me to be at the palace too.*
Yulia and Edmond will still be inside the Walker estate, so if something happens, they can manage it somehow.
Right now, Isaac, who would be at the palace with so many eyes on him, was in the most danger.
“Yes. I understand. Then I'll save the vacation for another time...”
*Slam.*
“Your Highness!”
Just then, someone burst into the office without warning.
“You must come quickly! At the Knights' Order, Sir Isaac is...!”
My heart sank.
