Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Living as the Duke
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Merina gazed down at me with a somewhat dazed expression.
"Is this really right?"
"Of course it is. To figure out what that person truly loves, someone has to become him since he's unconscious."
"Really? Why not just ask the people around him?"
"That's all just other people's perspectives. It could even get in the way of the investigation. Only the duke's own gaze is accurate."
"So..."
Merina ran her index finger up and down over me.
"Lying in bed like this is accurate?"
That's right.
I was currently lying in Duke Christopher's bed.
"From now on, I am the duke."
"..."
Merina's expression was priceless.
That was definitely the look you give a madman, wasn't it?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound of someone knocking on the door to the chamber.
I responded to it as if I were the duke himself.
"Come in."
The man who entered after opening the door was a stern-faced middle-aged individual.
It was Evan, the head butler of the duke's household.
At Vericht's request, he had agreed to recreate Duke Christopher's exact schedule for me.
Even a seasoned butler who served the duke must have never done something like this before.
He seemed a bit awkward as he reported to me.
"Master Deyan, according to the duke's schedule, it's time for you to rise."
"Ah, I see."
I got out from under the covers.
I tidied my tousled hair while looking in the mirror. In the meantime, Evan prepared an outer coat.
"How about this coat for today?"
"An excellent choice."
I draped the outer coat over myself just like the duke would.
The size didn't quite fit, giving it an awkward feel. Whatever.
As long as it was similar enough.
I asked Evan about the first item on today's agenda.
"What should I do now?"
"It's time to enjoy tea in the garden."
"Tea time... Sounds good. Shall we go?"
From now on, I would spend the day through the duke's eyes.
Merina followed us, her form hidden beneath a red robe. She kept shooting me incredulous glances.
Ignoring her, I arrived at the garden under Evan's guidance and settled in the center to leisurely begin tea time.
"Are we really okay doing this?"
Merina, still uneasy, kept glancing around the duke's garden.
I ignored her.
"What's next on the schedule?"
I asked Evan about the following item.
Evan replied politely.
"You have a hunting appointment with the nobles. The duke planned to use this hunt to unite the nobles under his domain and naturally win them over."
"A wise man indeed. Then let's go."
I finished my tea and moved to the next location.
"Wait, are you going too...!"
Merina had no choice but to follow.
The hunting grounds of the dukedom.
Swoosh...!
The arrow I shot struck the deer. Viscount Polmot, a middle-aged man with a goatee who had come hunting with me, clapped in satisfaction.
"Hahaha, that's some fine marksmanship!"
"You think so?"
"Indeed! As expected of the son of the Sword Saint, a true Pador."
He praised me excessively.
"Isn't it?"
"Yes!"
"They say the three Pador brothers are all blessed with exceptional talent and looks, and it seems that's true."
Viscount Polmot and the other nobles all joined in praising me without reservation.
The three brothers' talent and looks are all exceptional...?
First I'd heard of it.
To be precise, only the fame of my eldest brother Ras Pador and second brother Mihail Pador rang high.
As for me, I was more like the family disgrace—far from famous, my very existence was faint.
Still, the reason they were elevating me like this was obvious.
They wanted to build a bridge to our family through me, that's all.
Since they were treating me well, it wasn't bad for me either.
"Thank you."
I played along with their tune just enough before wrapping up the hunt.
Merina watched from a distance, her face drained of color.
"Where to next?"
"Apparently, the studio this time."
"Fine. Let's go."
Merina seemed to have given up, heading to the studio first.
There, an artist with kelp-like hair and a beret was waiting for us.
"Welcome. I'll teach you all about what art truly is. Now... shall we get started?"
We followed the artist, painting and learning the basics of art from him.
Then he asked us to draw an imaginary landscape.
"Oh...! This is a high-level piece. The fundamentals are solid, the color mixing and composition are ideal."
The artist showered praise on Merina's painting without holding back.
And rightly so—Merina's work was a flawless landscape.
Merina, finding the artist's reaction a bit burdensome, replied humbly.
"I learned it at home..."
"What an exceptional family!"
Exceptional indeed.
She was a woman taught by the imperial family, the greatest household in the empire.
Having finished admiring her painting, the artist turned his gaze to mine.
But then.
He stared holes into the picture I'd drawn.
"To think something like this is possible..."
The artist wore an entranced expression.
"What kind of imagination went into this? It's a landscape I've never seen before...! How did you even conceive of it?"
I'd just drawn the scenery from the Tang family estate in my previous life.
It must have been quite novel.
Well, it was a view that didn't exist in this world. It probably made my imagination seem peerless.
The artist's eyes sparkled as he looked at my painting.
"This could go straight into an exhibition! Debut in the art world! You could become a titan of art right away!"
This was getting burdensome.
I quickly set down my brush and replied as if fleeing.
"Haha, time's up. That's it."
I hurried away, leaving the raving artist behind.
Once in the corridor, Merina gave me a sidelong glance.
"I didn't know the Pador family taught painting too."
"Just luck."
"I've studied my whole life..."
She seemed oddly offended, her pride hurt.
"Let's try something else!"
Merina had unnecessarily developed a competitive streak. Still, it was better than her grumbling, so I let it be.
We went to find Evan for the next schedule item.
Like duke, like butler.
Evan was in the meantime directing the rearrangement of furniture in the duke's residence.
"Careful with the porcelain there! Isn't that carpet too dirty?"
The servants moved in perfect unison at his command.
We couldn't interrupt him, so we waited quietly.
He was speaking with a bespectacled man from the candle workshop when...
"Ah, you've arrived?"
He spotted us and started heading our way.
I didn't want to interrupt his work.
"Finish up and come over. He's waiting too."
"Understood."
Evan replied to me and wrapped up his talk with the candle workshop artisan.
"Nemeth, handle it as we discussed."
Then he snapped open his pocket watch and approached us.
"It's not quite time yet, but... alright. Let's go."
Merina replied with burning enthusiasm.
"Great!"
And so we followed every possible activity the duke might do: riding, sword training, and more.
Right after finishing lunch, Evan opened his pocket watch and informed us of the next item.
"That concludes the morning schedule. This afternoon, you'll patrol the dukedom. The duke always inspected during patrols to see what problems needed fixing and what would help the people."
It was a packed schedule with no time even to digest lunch.
Perfect for experiencing just how diligent and capable the duke was.
"Let's go."
I followed him on a full tour of the dukedom.
The forge, the walls, narrow alleys, flower shops—nothing was overlooked in this thorough course. Along the way, Merina hung her head low, muttering complaints.
"Lost again... Lost again!"
Not from fatigue, but from losing every challenge against me.
With her sighing lament, the carriage we rode traversed the duke's streets.
Finally, the course reached its end. The carriage stopped at a building shaped like a round tree.
Evan introduced it proudly.
"The duke truly loved the Griffo Library. He always said humans must pursue knowledge. He believed this knowledge would enrich the people's lives more than anything."
Proof that the duke genuinely loved the library?
The Griffo Library was vast, seemingly housing every book imaginable. Even at night, it bustled with people.
How much must he love books to make the library the final stop on his patrols?
I completed the duke's last schedule item—the library tour—and retired around the same time as him.
Then I woke and repeated the duke's day again.
A week passed like this.
While walking the streets with me, Merina suddenly shook her head.
"This isn't working. This method won't do."
She placed a hand on my shoulder.
"It's okay—no one's perfect, right? You can be wrong sometimes. From now on, let's investigate properly. Listen to me this time?"
For someone consoling me, her shoulders were shrugged up?
My failure felt oddly satisfying.
"Oh? So it's not it then. Got it."
"Huh...?"
Merina seemed puzzled by my quick surrender, despite it being her suggestion.
She looked flustered.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"N-no, you're giving up too fast..."
"You seem tired. Let's head home."
"No, my bad. Let's just go in!"
This time, Merina dragged me into the library.
"Sorry! You're petty deep down, aren't you?"
"Whatever."
"Huh?"
"Didn't you realize anything?"
"What?"
"I mean, from experiencing the duke's day."
Merina pondered the sudden question deeply, then sighed.
"You figured something out, huh. Just tell me. I feel like an idiot."
"Following his day isn't just about finding clues. You can grasp everyone close to him—who he meets, what relationships he has—all of it."
Living the duke's day.
To me, it was a form of investigation.
Merina furrowed her brow.
"True. But there's too many."
As Merina said, the duke's range of activities was vast, and the number of people he met exceeded three digits.
He was the ruler of this expansive dukedom and a powerhouse in the empire.
Narrowing down those connected to him would take time, but...
"Giving up too easily. What did I say? Poison spreads from what's most familiar to the person."
I'd already sifted the answer.
"...?"
"There's something the duke does every single day without fail. Out of all the schedules so far, something done most often away from people's eyes."
Merina turned around.
Behind her stood the Griffo Library.
Merina wagged her finger at me.
"It was books. What the duke truly loves is books."
"Yes, exactly—books."
A modest hobby unique to the duke, not shared with other nobles. Yet one he was fanatically devoted to.
The bookworm Duke Christopher.
This would lead me to the poisoner.
He visited the library daily. He even kept books in the drawer next to his bed in the bedroom.
Wasn't it the perfect medium for poisoning?
But one issue: no anomalies found in the bedroom.
For a bookworm, that was too sparse.
Not the library either. It was a public space used by unspecified crowds.
There had to be somewhere else.
"Follow me. People indulge in what they truly love regardless of day or night. Especially a hobby like reading that ignores time and environment."
I headed toward the duke's residence.
"His home must have a study, of course."
We returned to the duke's residence and immediately asked Evan about the study.
"Is there a specific place where the duke read his books?"
"Naturally. It's also his favorite spot."
"May we visit it then?"
Evan looked troubled.
Because it was private?
Even Vericht's authority couldn't grant entry without the duke's permission.
Then Merina approached and removed her hat.
"Take us there."
Evan stared at Merina blankly for a moment, then his face lit up like fireworks.
"P-Princess...!"
As the head butler of the duke's house, Evan recognized her face.
As he moved to bow properly.
Merina raised her hand to stop him.
"I don't like a fuss. More importantly, can you take us to the study? Surely even the princess isn't barred from there?"
"O-Of course not. This way..."
Her face was as good as a magical identification seal verifying identity.
Merina glanced at me mischievously while Evan led the way.
"How's that?"
"Thank you, Princess."
"No big deal for this!"
Her mouth corners kept twitching upward—she couldn't hide her delight.
I followed Evan with the elated Merina.
Evan guided us to the top of the castle. He opened the door, revealing a study rivaling a library.
And by the window, a reading desk and candelabra.
With a perfect view of the dukedom below, the lighting was ideal for reading.
Evan bowed and gestured to the study.
"This is the duke's study."
I knew the moment the door opened.
This was it...
"I'll wait outside the door. Please look around as you wish."
Evan stepped out and closed the door.
Now, only we remained in the study.
Alright... so how was the duke poisoned here?
What would the duke do first upon entering?
Obviously, pick a book.
I selected one from the countless volumes and sat at the reading desk.
What next?
This was a newly chosen book.
A fresh one, piping hot with new worlds to explore. I gazed out the window at the castle grounds and opened the book.
A book already flipped through many times, bearing traces.
I turned the pages as he would, page after page.
At some point, I became immersed.
The scenery outside, the study, the desk—all vanished, leaving only the book and me.
Lost in the book, reading feverishly, I suddenly... lifted my head to the window. Night had fallen outside before I knew it.
Yet the duke still craved more reading. Pages remained to turn.
...This was it.
The duke's gaze toward the night and his subsequent action.
The answer lay there.
"Found it."
"Really? For real?"
Merina thrust her face forward with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Yes."
"Who is it? What's the poison? Come on!"
A barrage of questions.
The shadow reflected in the window flickered.
The process had even revealed the culprit.
The perpetrator was...
"A secret."
Merina, who had been hyped up, staggered.
"You're kidding, right now?!"
"It's your homework. Figure it out yourself."
I climbed onto the window sill. Seeing this, Merina asked incredulously.
"W-wait, are you going to the culprit? Alone?!"
That's right. I planned to confront the culprit now.
"Exactly. Huddling together out of fear of a mere viper—how pathetic would that look?"
The culprit was a poison master.
Going to a poison master's lair relying on numbers alone invites massive losses.
History—both of the martial world and the Tang Clan—proved it.
A poison master was no ordinary foe.
So, I'd go alone.
"You're insane! Do you even know who it is?!"
Merina reached to grab me urgently, but I smiled at her.
I leaned backward.
As I hurled myself out the window, I murmured.
"They don't know who I am either."