Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: An Eye for an Eye, a Drug for a Drug (9)
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Indeed, Abera de Menesil's response was both skillful and swift.
She had managed to soothe the hot-tempered inquisitor and usher her straight into the drawing room.
After that, the Menesil Family had been in a brief uproar due to the servants' agitation, but even that had been quickly quelled before Abera headed to the drawing room.
The problem was Abera's declaration that she would take me along.
Before, she had seen me as a toy she wanted to completely possess, but now it seemed she viewed me as some kind of attachment doll she had to carry around everywhere.
On the way there, I ran into Dia once, and her expression was profoundly meaningful. It wasn't good. There would definitely be times ahead when I needed Dia's protection.
Lost in such thoughts, I soon found myself in front of the drawing room.
"The eldest lady of the Menesil Family, Young Lady Abera, enters!"
Two maids spotted Abera and opened the doors from either side, announcing her loudly.
Naturally, my name wasn't called.
Uncomfortable, but a position I can't avoid either.
Yeah, that was exactly right.
If the inquisitor ended up talking alone with Abera and decided to run a drug test first, I'd be in real trouble.
The goal was for everyone in the Menesil Family to come out safe. How on earth had things gotten this tangled...? I regretted not making Sao suffer a bit more while Dia's protection still held.
"Aberaaaaa!!!!!"
The moment the doors closed, something dove straight into Abera's arms with a soft pof.
At the same time, my face drained of color.
Buried in the young lady's arms was the owner of pink twintails, overly vibrant blue eyes that were almost burdensome, and a petite frame.
This was definitely the girl I'd bumped into in front of the bathroom earlier.
But the problem was, the one supposed to be waiting in the drawing room was the inquisitor.
What kind of messed-up game was this? Putting someone with that appearance forward as an inquisitor—I instinctively turned my head slightly, trying to avoid showing my face as much as possible.
"Abera! I missed you!"
Abera carefully pried the little girl—no, the inquisitor—from her arms and smiled with a soft chuckle.
"Lady Perno. Such an overly gracious greeting for someone like me. It's been so long. Have you been well?"
"I haven't! Earlier, while I was waiting for you, all the servants were looking down at me!"
...Was I looking at someone with a split personality right now?
Where had that rude girl gone who had screamed at the top of her lungs and yanked at people's collars without a care? In her place stood an innocent little girl.
"I'm an inquisitor and an adult, you know! I almost burned them all at the stake! It pissed me off!"
"Calm down. Calm down. Please calm down, Lady Perno."
Abera smiled warmly and good-naturedly.
Slowly, without using much force, she gently pressed Perno's shoulders to guide her to a seat and continued.
"Lady Perno does have a slightly selfish side, after all."
"Selfish?! Me?"
The inquisitor called Perno bristled immediately from her seat.
If anyone else had said that, she might have thrown a punch right away, but since it came from Abera, she just looked flustered.
"Of course. Who could be as selfish as Lady Perno?"
"Why, exactly...?!"
"It would have been fine if you'd been either short or elegant, but you're short and elegant and so beautiful—how could my servants not stare? They're used to seeing the same old scenery around the annex. They couldn't help but look at you."
"Abera..."
Perno finally caught on to Abera's meaning, her mouth falling open in delight.
Abera really was no joke when it came to handling people—I was impressed all over again, clicking my tongue inwardly.
"That's why I like you, Abera! We get along great, and when I'm dispatched, there's no hassle!"
"Oh, you're too kind."
Perno shook her head vigorously.
"Too kind? Honestly, I basically came here thinking of this as a vacation again~ The drug components the palace is worried about won't show up anyway, and pregnancy tests take three days. I'll rest here for three days~ Let's do the drug test last, roughly. It doesn't take long, and no one's gonna have anything."
"Understood. But our humble annex might not meet Lady Perno's standards."
"As long as Abera's here, I'm fine. You're not too busy, right? What was it I wanted to talk about... Oh, right! Yeah, your little sister?"
Bam. Perno slammed the desk.
She really had this pure, girlish side to her. No—immature girl fit better.
"I was so shocked at first! Abera getting a pregnancy test? Who the hell did it? I freaked out and read it again, and it said your sister was the one getting tested!"
"Ahaha... It just sort of happened that way."
"It was wild. I'd never seen the kid before. I thought she was always holed up in her room because she was sick."
Drugs were a serious matter, and moreover, Abera was the one with the drug offense record for Dia.
Externally, Dia was known as a sickly troublemaker who never left the annex due to illness.
Honestly, what caught my attention more was Perno calling Dia a 'kid.'
...Older than Dia?
Anyway, the two continued their conversation.
"She must have gotten interested in romance too easily from being cooped up in her room. It's my fault for not supervising her properly. What can you do."
The moment Abera made a sullen face, Perno waved her hands frantically. It was clear the inquisitor held Abera in high regard.
"No way. Abera, what could you have done wrong? Even the palace folks... know to some extent. That your sister's a real handful. Anyway, I bumped into her earlier. She was super pretty? Must be because she takes after you."
"Hmm... Really? Does she? Nah."
Abera smiled broadly without her eyes changing.
That expression clearly held 'displeasure' and 'anger,' but fortunately, Perno didn't seem to notice. She kept chattering excitedly.
"Yeah. So honestly, I got curious. I was gonna ask anyway, but the one who knocked up your sister—no, pregnancy's not confirmed yet. Who the hell slept with your sister?"
"Ah... Well."
Abera slowly turned her head to look at me.
Naturally, Perno's head followed toward me.
As expected, the inquisitor's eyes gradually widened. Her ocean-like blue eyes narrowed into dead-fish eyes in an instant.
"......What? When did this get here?"
"Not this, he's Dia's personal physician. Name's Young Ganeghan."
"Personal physician? Like the attending doctor? He looks extremely uncultured, extremely rude, and extremely... punchable."
Endure it.
Just endure until the inspection's over. Don't piss her off until then. Endure three times and avoid the bad end. With that thought, I stayed silent.
"Send him out. This isn't a place for a personal physician."
Perno jerked her chin, gesturing for me to leave.
"No. It's that..."
Abera soothed Perno and continued.
"It's Ganeghan. The one who slept with Dia..."
"What?"
The already uncomfortable seat grew even more uncomfortable.
"Aha... So that's why you brought him here. Easy to understand."
Perno snapped her fingers with a tick, and flames ignited in her palm. The heat wasn't weak at all—my face toward her started to feel warm.
"Just torture him, right? To find out how he seduced your little sister."
"No, no! It's the opposite! She said my sister was the one who seduced him..."
"Isn't that just this guy's lie too?"
"It's certain. My sister said it herself."
"Hmm..."
With a fizz, the flames died out.
Perno crossed her arms, her eyes still full of distrust—beyond distrust, the look of someone who wanted to rough up someone she just didn't like.
"I see so many people in my line of work, so I get a feel for them. Phrenology? No, different—it's just a vibe from their face."
She pointed at me sharply with her index finger and continued.
"You can tell at a glance he looks like the type to mess around with women. Probably thinks he's hot stuff? That's why he's so cocky. So damn punchable."
"Now, now, I only called you to the drawing room to treat you to some coffee first, Lady Perno. The most important thing is Dia's pregnancy status. Let's start with that."
"Hmph... Fine. For you, Abera. This pregnancy test is super accurate. If she's pregnant, I'll make that guy take full responsibility—and torture him thoroughly."
The coffee Abera mentioned was the key.
Yeah, that's what I was waiting for too. I'd told Sao to spike that coffee with hallucinogens and bring it—what was taking so damn long? My stomach was churning.
Meanwhile, Abera seemed interested in a different part: how accurate the pregnancy test was.
"...Lady Perno. Is that pregnancy test really that precise?"
"Yeah, obviously. To the point where you could test right after sex and it tells if you'll get pregnant or not~ Impressive, right?"
"Wow... If it's that good, no worries then."
Abera made an admiring yet strange expression. She clearly had other intentions.
Then, suddenly, Perno rubbed her chin and brought up something meaningful.
"But Abera, I'm saying this because we're close."
"Yes. I'd be grateful for anything you say freely."
"I mentioned earlier I get a vibe from faces, right?"
"Yes, you did."
"When I saw your sister..."
Perno sneezed, rubbed her nose, and finished.
"...She had quite the pregnant woman face. Made me think she might really be pregnant."
Abera's face went blank in an instant.
But Perno, engrossed in her story, didn't notice.
"So keep that rude-ass personal physician from running off anywhere. No, I should assign Helia to him. Gotta torture him for sure."
"Dia... really pregnant..."
Abera muttered lowly.
Perno probably brought it up because she hated my guts, but it seemed to trigger Abera differently.
"...That won't do. If so, she needs to be on the same level at least..."
She murmured quietly, then suddenly grabbed Perno's hand.
"Um, do you happen to have any pregnancy test papers on you right now?"
"I do. Why?"
"Could you give me just one...? I'm curious!"
"I can, but... suddenly?"
"W-Well, I've actually been seeing someone lately!"
"What?! You? Abera, you?!"
Perno shot up from her seat.
"Someone worthy of dating you must be one hell of a guy! No, no, not the time. If you've slept together, test right now! You're the eldest lady of the Menesil Family! You have to be super careful about this!"
Perno rummaged in her pocket and quickly shoved not one, but three test papers into Abera's hand.
"Do the test for real! Got it? Tell me who later, slowly!"
"Uh... Yes."
"Ah, quick! Test first! I'll handle your sister's!"
But Abera, taking the test paper, asked with a meaningful expression.
"This... works right after sex, right?"
"Exactly! So go do it now! I'll wait without coffee!"
"Got it. Then I'll have to step out for a bit..."
Abera's gaze turned toward me, sly and mischievous.