Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Lady Who Wants to Make a Baby (13)
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“Ganeghan.”
“Ganeghan. Are you listening?”
Lost deep in thoughts about Dia, I only snapped out of it after hearing Abera call out to me two or three times.
“Ah, yes. Sorry about that.”
“Is the garden… not to your liking?”
Come to think of it, that was right. We were walking through the garden, talking.
There was no way she’d brought me here for no reason, and seeing how she kept pausing while strolling the garden, it seemed she had something important to say in her own way.
It was a shame I couldn’t focus on it because my mind was occupied with Dia.
“No, quite the opposite. It’s so beautiful that I got lost in it without thinking.”
“Uh… ah?”
This time, to really show I was paying attention, I spoke while meeting her eyes.
Abera’s face flushed red. Her movements grew flustered in an instant. She must have thought I was talking about her, not the garden.
“Let’s… walk a little more together.”
The Lady still couldn’t muster the courage to speak.
Thanks to that, I could dive back into my thoughts about Dia. More precisely, about the maid called Sua.
‘She’s got every reason to be scared…’
I’d slapped her cheeks twice and injected her with a highly addictive drug.
She should be avoiding me or clinging to me for more drugs. But nothing like that at all.
‘Huh?’
Yeah. Now that I thought about it.
Why hasn’t Sua come looking for me? The dependency stat doesn’t lie.
I immediately turned to Abera and asked.
“Young Lady Abera.”
“Eek, yes?”
“Have you been thinking about me a lot?”
“Uh… huh? Yes?”
“You’ve missed me, right?”
“Ah…. Yes…”
She looked terribly flustered, but the Lady still managed to answer.
Even her hands were trembling faintly if you looked closely. Right, the dependency stat doesn’t lie.
So why Sua then?
The creator of Sao. Maybe she can handle that level of dependency on her own?
It didn’t take long to realize she was waging some kind of psychological battle in her own way.
I wasn’t any different—I’d left the room so readily, confident I could treat whatever I did to Dia with my drugs.
But what nagged at me was that creepy smile I’d seen on her face at the end.
Everyone has their trump card, after all. Had I been too careless?
I started to reflect, wondering if I’d grown too complacent now that the bad ending felt farther away.
It was around then that Abera finally mustered the courage to speak.
She came to an abrupt halt and carefully parted her lips. We were now in the deepest part of the garden.
“Um, Ganeghan.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“You know this is the annex, right?”
“I do. And that you don’t stay here in the annex for long, Young Lady Abera.”
“….Yes. That’s right. I’ll have to return to the main house eventually.”
A small sigh escaped from the Lady’s cherry-like lips.
Whatever she was about to say, it was clearly not good news for her. She continued.
“And I think it’ll be today. Father’s condition has worsened greatly.”
Reminding myself not to let my guard down against a Lady skilled in acting, Abera’s worried expression still looked utterly serious.
So I decided to at least focus on the conversation for now.
I answered with as much courtesy as possible.
“That’s awful… It must be so hard for you.”
“Yes. He’s such a good man.”
“Seeing you, Young Lady Abera, will surely give him strength. Please take care on your trip. I’m in charge of Dia here, and I’ll do my utmost. By the time you return, Dia’s condition will surely have improved…”
“…About that.”
She suddenly cut me off.
It was rare. Even more so since she’d started taking my injections. What could this be about? I naturally tensed up a bit.
“Would it… be okay if you came with me, Ganeghan?”
I pondered for a moment, then realized it wasn’t even worth considering. It was absurd.
“Me?”
“Yes. The main house is much larger than the annex, with better facilities. And more servants.”
“That doesn’t matter. The problem is Dia staying in the annex. I’m her personal physician.”
“…Dia’s fine now. No matter what happens.”
Abera said that, then flinched as if surprised by her own words.
She must have realized how dangerous what she’d let slip unintentionally was.
She waved her hands frantically to explain.
“No, I mean. From her current state, she really seems like she’ll be okay from now on. And what I’m proposing is, since Father’s condition is critical and you’re so capable, I’d like you to take a look at him!”
“Really?”
“Yes, really!”
“The Menesil family is no minor house. You’re saying you’d entrust the highest figure in that family—your father—to a doctor like me?”
“It’s fine! I trust you, Ganeghan. You’re capable, right?”
The good atmosphere was crumbling under Abera’s urgency.
The more I hinted at refusal, the more her tone wavered and her speech sped up.
‘Dia and Sua are already on my mind too much.’
With those two weighing on me, now I had to soothe Abera too.
Send Abera off alone, keep Dia and Sua apart. Those thoughts swirled separately in my head.
They wouldn’t come together. Just as I was agonizing over what to tackle first.
‘Send Abera and Sua together…?’
It struck like lightning—dangerous, yet intensely compelling.
But I couldn’t keep hesitating. I spoke up immediately.
“Young Lady Abera.”
“Yes. Please don’t say you won’t go…”
“Do you like me, by any chance?”
“Yes? What?”
Abera’s head jerked up in shock. Our eyes met in midair, her golden irises trembling.
I spoke again, to press her further.
“You’re trying to take me along for no good reason, so I can’t help but think that. Otherwise, you must hate me enough to want me dead. There’ll be far higher figures there, and they could dispose of me without a trace.”
“N-No, it’s not hate…”
“Then what’s the reason? Don’t say it’s to check Father’s condition. You know better than anyone I’m not that capable.”
“Uh…”
The Lady’s gaze dropped to her feet after hearing me.
After a long pause, she finally answered.
“…I guess so. You keep popping into my thoughts, and leaving you in the annex makes me anxious…”
“Anxious about what?”
“You’re so popular, and if we’re apart, our relationship might naturally grow distant.”
“That’s all you’re worried about?”
I took a step closer to her.
“Young Lady Abera. I’m only refusing your request because I think now’s the time to focus on work. If I’d refuse even yours, do you think I’d listen to anyone else? Besides, one thing’s for sure…”
I gently placed my hands on her shoulders. Then, looking straight into her eyes, I continued.
“I don’t know about clear feelings, but I’m not displeased with you either. Work’s too pressing right now for me to dwell on it all day. So, Young Lady. This is actually good. Go take care of your father with peace of mind. I’ll focus solely on treating Dia quickly.”
“Ganeghan…?”
“By the time you return to the annex, you’ll have a clear answer. Still feel distant? Even after I refused your proposal?”
“Ah… No. You’re different from other doctors—your thoughts run so deep…”
Abera nodded with a satisfied look, as if she’d struck a pleasing deal.
“Then I’ll just quickly go to the main house alone…”
“Ah, but about that.”
I deliberately cut her off. This was the real start.
“You said I’m popular… More like, there’s just one person who’s a bit uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable person?”
The Lady’s head tilted.
“Yes. Someone who seems a little obsessed with me.”
“Obsessed…? With you? Who?”
Abera leaned right in toward me. Her eyes widened with intense interest.
“That… the maid Sua you brought this time.”
“Sua? Sua? Tell me exactly. What’s she doing?”
“She keeps giving me strange looks, and earlier she even winked at me. She’s your maid, so there must be a reason, but it makes me uneasy… If there were no such people, treatment would progress faster, and I’d have more time to think about you, Young Lady Abera. Hmm…”
“…I see. I’ll handle it right away.”
She grabbed my hand tightly.
“I’ll take care of that somehow. Ganeghan. You said you’d sort out your thoughts and give me an answer when I return. You have to keep that promise, okay?”
“Of course.”
And with that, our garden conversation came to an end.
It was nighttime, just after dinner ended, when Sua emerged from Dia’s room and ran straight into Abera.
Sua held infant toys like a mobile and rattle in her hands.
“Oh? Young Lady. What’s up?”
Abera just stared at Sua silently. At the items in her hands too.
Sua took the initiative to explain.
“Ah~ this? Dia wanted stuff like this, like she’s regressing to infancy or something, so I decorated her room a bit. Heh. Heehee. Yeah… something like that. I’ve got it all under control, so don’t worry too much. Keeheehee. Oh, but shouldn’t you have left during the day?”
“Sua.”
“Heh. I’m listening, Young Lady.”
“Pack up. You’re coming with me to the main house.”
“Huh?”
An invisible question mark floated over Sua’s head.
“Young Lady. What did you just…”
“I said pack up. You’re going to the main house with me.”
“Heehee. Heehehehe…”
Sua tossed the mobile and rattle to the floor, checked that the corridor was empty, then strode toward Abera.
The two stood nose-to-nose. Sua asked.
“…Young Lady Abera. Have you lost your mind?”
“You’re the crazy one. You… is that what you meant by Ganeghan being fun?”
“No idea what you’re talking about. Heehee. No, wait. Young Lady. Stop this before you get mad… Don’t glare like that. I haven’t had my shot yet. I’m not adjusting well right now… Heehee. Don’t interfere with my work. Don’t hold me back. I’m doing everything you want… Just keep paying me steadily.”
“Pack your things.”
Sua’s expression twisted. Her ever-upturned lips drooped in an instant.
“….You crazy bitch. Want to end up like Dia?”
“Eek!”
Sua grabbed Abera’s throat.
That was when it happened.
“Taking longer than expected. Still got unpacked luggage?”
Two figures emerged from the corridor shadows. The deep voice belonged to a massive blond knight.
Sua immediately released Abera’s throat.
“Abera. What’re you doing standing blankly in the hall? Everyone else is waiting.”
“Ah… Sir Rubid. This maid isn’t ready yet, it seems.”
The huge man called Rubid glared at Sua and spoke.
“Hurry and pack. Don’t dawdle.”
But Sua’s eyes were on something else.
‘Helia?’
Standing beside Rubid, dragged along, was Helia.
‘Sorry.’
Helia mouthed the words.
“Haa…”
Sua let out an involuntary sigh.
“By the way, I was surprised. You never even replied to my proposals, so I thought you had no interest in me at all.”
“How could that be? I was just putting effort into the prettiest response possible. Thank you for offering to escort me tonight—I accepted right away.”
Rubid, chatting with Abera like that, was the leader among knight captains. He held far more real authority than Helia, whom Sua had planted.
To go this far, pulling out all the stops.
With heavyweights like this attached to Abera, killing her outright would indeed be impossible. Sua hadn’t considered this. She couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
Pretending to straighten Abera’s clothes, Sua whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
“What the hell is this about?”
“If we’re in the same boat, this much is necessary. Our relationship’s been too weird until now. This is right, isn’t it? If I die, you die too.”
“…Using a suitor who shows interest like this? Like a whore.”
“Gotta do this much to handle whores. There’s more suitors than just Rubid. Look forward to it.”
“You must’ve heard some nonsense from that idiot doctor, but if I leave this mansion, your sister really will be alone with Ganeghan. You okay with that?”
“Yeah. Nothing in this world’s dumber than Dia.”
Haa, sighing deeply, Sua asked.
“Then let me at least grab the remaining luggage.”
“No, just go as you are. I’ll have that knight captain handle it.”
Abera pointed firmly at the red-haired Helia. Her refusal was resolute.
“God… this pisses me off. Knew it’d be like this~ Sisters both equally stupid. Heehee.”
Sua ended up following silently, muttering under her breath.
Helia, meeting Sua’s green eyes, nodded quietly.
Dia’s quiet room.
The changed state of the room felt so awkward that the Lady quietly took it in.
The bed had railings, a mobile hung from the ceiling, and it was filled with infant toys. What on earth was Sua thinking?
Then, the door opened politely.
“Hm?”
“Good evening. Sua left some luggage, so I brought it.”
Turning around, a red-haired knight stood there. Her face and body were filled with rigid conviction.
The notable thing was her extreme height—Dia had to crane her neck way up to look at her.
“Sua… left something? Who are you?”
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t remember.”
By then, Dia noticed the armor she wore.
“Knight…? What’s this about?”
“…I don’t know exactly. I just follow orders. What I do know is, it’s all for a greater purpose.”
“Follow orders? Eek!”
No sooner had she spoken than Dia’s legs were swept out from under her by the woman’s foot, sending her tumbling.
“U, Uwack?!”
The woman immediately pinned Dia down and jabbed a syringe into her.
“N-No… Wh-What are you…”
Sorry.
That was the last thing Dia heard.