Chapter 11: The Port City of Quaran
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: The Port City of Quaran
Aenya didn't join me for my meal today, either. She said her jaw was sore from a night of strenuous labor with her mouth. It was my fault.
“Make some porridge and take it to Aenya’s room in a little while.”
A servant bowed his head and entered the kitchen. As I ate, I was lost in thought. Last night, Aenya would rather pleasure herself than cross that line. It didn't seem like she would allow it.
An instinctual revulsion must have stopped her.
Should I just get it over with when the mood is right? The problem was what would come after. Aenya would resent me, and with her holding that weakness over me, I’d be at her beck and call.
For me, who had no intention of being satisfied with Aenya alone, that would be a worse outcome than doing nothing at all.
I shook my head.
The best course of action was to stick to the original plan: make Aenya be the one to ask for it first. From the looks of it, it would take some time, but eventually, she wouldn't be able to hold out any longer and would beg for it, just as I intended.
After all, it is human nature to never be satisfied. I decided to enjoy the beauty of waiting.
“Lord Allen. Lady Sophia has returned.”
The news of Sophia’s return came just as I was finishing my meal. I put down the bread I was holding.
“Already? It’s only been three days since she left. The original plan was for a week, wasn’t it?”
“We are not sure of the circumstances…”
The servant who brought the news bowed his head. I left him behind and went out to the entrance hall. Sophia was taking off a hooded cloak. The oiled fabric gleamed, and the water droplets beaded on its surface slid down like they were on a slide as she moved, wetting the floor.
Swoosh—
Through the still-open main door, rain was pouring down relentlessly.
An autumn rain.
The real cold would soon begin.
“Where’s Neri?” Sophia asked, handing her cloak to a servant. By then, the servant had spotted me. He glanced my way, then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Well…”
“That wench. Is she having the time of her life just because I’m gone? Good. Don’t tell her I’ve returned. I’ll go find her myself and give her a surprise. Heh heh.”
Sophia misinterpreted the servant’s hesitation. The servant’s face turned deathly pale. He was worried that if he told her of Neri’s death, the blame would fall on him.
“Mother. You’ve returned early.”
As I stepped forward, the servant held his breath, his eyes darting between Sophia and me. Then, as if realizing this was no time to linger, he bowed his head and silently retreated.
“Hah…”
A sigh of relief was left in his place.
Meanwhile, Sophia’s face was contorted. It was likely because of the title, “Mother.” A stepmother and son only five years apart? The relationship was just as uncomfortable for her as it was for me.
That’s why I used to deliberately avoid her. But things were different now. Seeing Sophia unable to control her expression every time I called her Mother gave me a strange sense of pleasure.
“Ah, isn’t it Allen? What are you doing at home?”
Sophia regained her composure and smiled at me.
“With the rain pouring like this, what choice do I have? But wasn’t the original plan for a week?”
“Tsk. The party schedule was cut short due to unavoidable circumstances.”
“Wasn’t it a party hosted by the Baroness?”
The breed known as nobles valued their reputation more than their own lives. To shorten a party’s schedule on the day of was not only rude to the guests but also a blow to the Baroness’s pride.
“Tell me about it. Goodness, you should have heard everyone grumbling. I was so embarrassed my face turned red. The Baroness must have been in quite a predicament. Really, the Baron was being too much.”
Though she said that, Sophia’s eyes were smiling. It seemed her relationship with the Baroness wasn't very good.
“So it was the Baron who cut the party short.”
“…Yes.”
Sophia’s reply was a beat late. Her mouth, which had been chattering nonstop, was now pressed into a firm line. She was hiding something. I knew what it was. It had to be news of the war.
That was the only reason to shorten the party at the cost of the Baroness’s reputation. Just as in the game’s story, the war seemed to be turning very unfavorable. I glanced out the window.
Winter was coming.
The time to settle things with Sophia was not far off.
Her intention was likely to keep me from guessing when Father would return, giving me no time to prepare.
“The war… must have gotten quite difficult.”
Sophia flinched. She spoke, feigning indifference.
“It’s about time it ended. Winter is almost here, isn’t it?”
“Father will be returning soon, then.”
“That goes without saying.”
Sophia seemed to genuinely believe that Father would return. It appeared he was still safe for now. In that case, Sophia would likely wait for Father’s return rather than making any rash moves.
That was good for me.
“By the way, has something happened at the mansion?”
Tilting her head, Sophia turned her back to me and looked around. While we were talking, every single servant working in the mansion had gathered in the entrance hall.
They all kept a certain distance from Sophia, not daring to approach. None of them wanted to be the one to bell the cat.
But one saw this moment as an opportunity.
A servant scurried over, using Sophia as a shield to block my line of sight, and told her the truth.
“My lady… the head maid is dead…”
Sophia’s expression immediately soured.
“What kind of nonsense is that? Neri is dead? There are things to joke about, and things not to. How dare you tease me?”
The servant hastily bowed his head.
“Never, my lady! How could I? What I say is the absolute truth. Please, ask the others.”
Sophia’s head snapped around. The other servants couldn't meet her eyes and quickly lowered their heads—a gesture confirming the servant’s words. In that moment, Sophia staggered.
“My lady…!”
The servant quickly grabbed Sophia’s arm to support her.
“Neri… is dead? Why?”
“Well…”
“Why can’t you speak? It’s only been three days. What could have possibly happened in three days for a healthy girl like Neri to die so suddenly?”
The servant’s gaze turned to me. The insolent bitch. She was clearly trying to curry favor, aiming for the now-vacant head maid position.
Following that gaze, Sophia’s face, which had been filled with confusion, quickly turned to horror.
“Don’t tell me.”
I offered a gentle smile.
“Yes. I killed her, Mother.”
“What… what did you say?”
I memorized the face of the servant who didn't know her place. She flinched and hid behind Sophia. I wonder how long she can protect you. I chuckled and continued.
“It’s a trivial matter that Mother need not worry about.”
“Is that all you have to say? Neri was like family to me, we grew up like sisters! And yet, you killed her and what? A trivial matter? Are you going to start your hooliganism inside the mansion now too?”
“Why are you making such a fuss over the death of a single serf?”
Sophia’s face turned beet red. It looked like it might burst if pricked with a needle. My brutish act seemed to be quite convincing.
“Even as the heir, you have no right to harm people as you please! You have just carelessly destroyed your father’s property! And Neri was like a sister to me!”
“We can just get more serfs. If you’d like, I can find one for you. A smarter one, who knows her place.”
I was deliberately treating the deceased Neri as an object. Did Sophia really think of Neri as a sister? If so, she would have shown a raw, unfiltered reaction. She might have even revealed her true intentions.
“That won’t erase your crime! When my husband returns, I will tell him everything about this!”
Unfortunately, Sophia took a step back. The glint in her eyes was like that of a gambler who had just drawn a good hand. She was probably thinking of using this incident as a weapon to oust me from my position as heir.
I recalled Neri’s eyes as they slowly faded. Until the moment she died, she believed Sophia would avenge her. Yet Sophia saw Neri’s death as an opportunity.
Foolish woman.
Nobles never saw serfs as people like themselves in the first place. “Like a sister” was just a pretty phrase. If she had truly meant it, she would have attacked me without a second thought for the consequences.
In any case, this was one of the reactions I had anticipated. I already had a response prepared.
“Hmm, in that case, I’ll have to say something as well.”
“…About what?”
“Did you know that the head maid, ignorant of her station, was tormenting Aenya? Goodness, a mere serf bullying the master’s daughter? Where in the world could such a thing happen?”
“That was my…”
I didn’t yet have the strength to confront Sophia head-on. I cut her off and continued speaking.
“What’s even funnier is that the wench claimed all her evil deeds were done on your orders, Mother. Ha, how shameless must one be to think of pinning the blame on her own mistress?”
Sophia flinched. I took another step closer, placed a hand on her shoulder, and whispered.
“Just imagine if Father were to find out about this. Do you think he, who adores Aenya so, would stand idly by? Ah, of course, it’s a ridiculous false accusation, but once suspicion takes root, doesn’t it just grow larger and larger, no matter how much you ignore or suppress it? Considering that, you should be praising me for a job well done.”
Father was a typical knight who hated using his head. When a problem arose, he was a man of action, not words. Just as I said, if he learned that Aenya had been mistreated, Sophia would be in deep trouble.
Even if it were a false accusation, as the mistress of the house, wasn't it Sophia’s responsibility to manage the mansion’s servants?
Even Baron Rasino wouldn't be able to interfere in household matters. Women were little more than a man’s property, and it was commonplace for a husband to discipline his wife with a rod.
No, he wouldn't even recognize it as a problem.
Sophia knew that, too. That must be why she wasn't resisting, even as I kneaded her shoulder like dough. Her moderately fleshy body was definitely my type.
“…I really, truly knew nothing about it.”
No matter how much she bit her lip and swallowed her anger, there was only one thing she could say. I touched the hollow of her collarbone with my thumb.
“Of course. Mother would never do such a thing.”
“…I’m tired, so I’ll be heading up now.”
I shrugged and stepped aside to let her pass. Trembling, Sophia turned her back to me, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor.
Watching her retreating back, I wondered what Sophia would do next. Knowing her temperament, she would never let this go.
And that was exactly what I wanted.
Now that I had provoked her, there would be some kind of reaction. And through it, I would be able to more clearly distinguish friend from foe.
“Wait. You and I have some business to discuss, don’t we?”
I stopped the tattletale who was trying to sneak away behind Sophia. The servant looked at Sophia with trembling eyes.
“My lady…!”
Sophia’s steps paused for a moment. It wasn't for long. As if nothing had happened, she started walking again.
I blocked the servant’s view of Sophia with my own body. Then, I smiled brightly.
“Ah…”
The servant’s face turned ashen.
#
Meanwhile, Sophia, having returned to her room.
Crash!
She was wrecking her own room. Expensive Eastern porcelain lay shattered, rolling across the floor.
“How dare he! How dare he insult me!?”
Still unable to quell her rage, she lashed out at the servants who had entered upon hearing the commotion.
“What in the world were you all doing, letting Neri die like that? Neri cared for you all so much!”
“We are deeply sorry…”
The servants felt it was unfair. How were they supposed to stop the legitimate lord’s proxy, a brute with a notorious reputation? Even Sophia herself had just returned without being able to say a word.
‘At least the brute had a proper justification…!’
The brute seemed more just and fair than Sophia, who was picking a fight and taking her anger out on them for no reason. It was a thought they would never have had before.
Neither the servants nor Sophia realized it, but a change was beginning to take root in the depths of their perception.
“Lady Sophia. Please, calm yourself.”
A man dressed in a navy-blue surcoat over his chainmail, stylishly accented with a belt and cloak, entered the room late and spoke. He was a knight with a neat appearance that gave him the air of a noble crane.
“The rest of you may leave.”
The servants turned away with expressions of relief. As they were passing the knight, his hand casually brushed against their buttocks.
The startled servants looked back, and the knight gave them a gentle smile. The servants’ faces flushed.
Meanwhile, once the servants had left, Sophia raised her voice.
“Roland! What were you doing while I was being insulted? Hmph! It’s obvious. You were probably engaged in some lewd games with the servants, casting aside your vow to protect me like a worn-out shoe!”
“Sophie. You know I would never do that.”
Though her tantrum could have been unpleasant, Roland smiled a smile that would make any woman swoon and embraced Sophia from behind. Pretending to push him away, Sophia then burrowed into his arms as if she couldn't help it.
“Liar.”
“My feelings for you are always true.”
Roland took her chin and lifted her head. Meeting the handsome knight’s firm brown eyes, with his sweet whispers entering her ears, Sophia’s face flushed bright red.
“This is actually for the best. He may be the lord’s proxy, but he killed a servant and used property as he pleased. What do you think Sir Maxim will say when he finds out?”
Sophia shook her head.
“Roland, it’s not that simple. Allen, who used to restrain his brutish ways in the mansion out of deference to me, is suddenly crossing the line. I think he’s up to something.”
First, he snatched away the fabric she had her eye on, claiming he would gift it to a prostitute, only to change his mind and toss it to Aenya. The moment Sophia saw the newly beautiful Aenya, she had taken matters into her own hands for the first time.
This time, he had gone a step further and even killed Neri, the head maid she used as her right hand.
This was no coincidence.
“Up to something…”
“That’s the problem, I don’t know what it is.”
A woman’s intuition was sounding alarms nonstop. If she simply dismissed this as his usual brutish behavior, she would regret it later.
Roland gently held Sophia in his arms.
“If you’re truly worried, I will try to sound him out and see what he was thinking. I am his teacher, after all.”
“Hmph, his teacher in womanizing, you mean?”
“That was to turn him into a brute.”
“Really, if you couldn’t even talk your way out of things…”
A short while later, a warm breeze blew through Sophia’s room.
The next morning.
“Lord Allen. It’s been a while. Shall we go to Quaran together? I hear a new girl with a pretty face has arrived at the red-light district.”
I provoked Sophia, and in response, my Salary Lupin of a swordsmanship teacher appeared. He was the person I had considered closest to me in the mansion, aside from blood relatives. How was I to interpret this?