Chapter 17
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Steal the Grand Duke's True Feelings
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I left the room, leaving Ruena behind, and stepped into the corridor.
Concealing my presence as much as possible, I headed toward where the Grand Duke was.
I needed to find a way to avoid a dog's death.
"...A compromise. Easier said than done."
I let out a long sigh while hiding behind a marble statue.
To find a compromise, I needed a tempting bait.
Something so delicious that it would make the other side drool.
What the Grand Duke wanted was for me to stay away from Ruena.
But I couldn't accept his proposal, so I needed different bait.
"Figuring that out is a specialty of House Noir, though..."
House Noir could steal anything.
Not just tangible objects, but even intangible thoughts and emotions.
Based on that, it wasn't hard to discern what the other side desired most right now.
Provided there was a price to pay for the theft, of course.
Another long sigh escaped my lips.
My mana was so pitiful that comparing it to a rat's tail would be an insult.
I'd long since given up on using mana,
so I had to peek into the Grand Duke's true feelings by offering something material or immaterial as payment.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
The Grand Duke hated me.
There was no way he'd accept anything I offered.
So, I had to slip it in without him noticing.
"...Seriously, how?"
My target was none other than Grand Duke Eliad.
The steel monster boasting the kingdom's greatest martial prowess.
Laying a hand on him was as good as offering up my life.
"It'd probably be easier to pluck a scale off a dragon."
No matter how good I was at hiding my presence,
the odds of slipping something into the Grand Duke's pocket without detection were zero.
I couldn't erase the weight or foreign sensation of an object, after all.
To begin with—
the moment I touched him, I'd be caught.
People trained to his level could sense even the slightest shift in the air.
So, the only option left was...
"Eclipse, I guess."
I could only use Eclipse on nights of the full moon.
And only once per target.
Eclipse would let me uncover the Grand Duke's true feelings, but honestly, it felt wasteful.
Using my trump card just to peek into his heart.
The Grand Duke held the kingdom's highest authority.
It wasn't worth the cost for mere inner thoughts.
Eclipse was a once-a-month opportunity.
My greatest asset and strongest weapon.
I needed to steal something far more useful at a more critical moment.
Ideally, something that would pave a smooth path for my future.
"I'm starting to think just like my sister."
An unpleasant thought crossed my mind, making me grimace as I moved forward.
For now, I had to meet the Grand Duke and pry something out of him.
Maybe I'd pick up even a speck of info.
Against the Grand Duke, even a crumb would be a blessing.
I stood before Grand Duke Eliad's office.
The sheer overwhelming pressure.
Just the aura leaking through the door crack made my heart pound.
"...Wow, it's suffocating even before facing him."
Could I even get a word out like this?
My mouth was already parched before the confrontation began.
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and reached out to knock.
At that moment—
the office door burst open.
"Holy shit."
I clutched my heart, which was thundering as if hanging from the ceiling.
Without even breathing, I rolled my eyes and looked down.
Grand Duke Kasian Eliad stepped out.
One step, another.
With each step he took, my heart seemed to shrink.
Fortunately—
the Grand Duke passed by without noticing me.
He paused briefly as if scanning the surroundings, but soon continued on indifferently.
Only after he was gone did I exhale the breath I'd been holding.
"......Wait. Didn't I come here to talk to the Grand Duke? Why am I hanging from the ceiling?"
This feeling of surviving at the cost of my dignity.
A self-deprecating sigh escaped as my face burned with shame at my own patheticness.
"For now... maybe I should tail him."
I dropped down silently and followed the Grand Duke.
Judging by the direction, toward the second-floor stairs.
Ruena's room was on the second floor.
What an odd situation.
In the past three years, the Grand Duke hadn't visited Ruena's room all that often.
Yet today, it was already his second time.
Was he going to check if I'd been there or not?
"Ruena's acting weird today, and so is the Grand Duke..."
If only I could steal his true feelings right now.
Out of regret, I mimed stealing the Grand Duke's inner thoughts while staring at his back.
At that instant—
"Has the Noir young master gone back? I can't tell if he's still in the mansion or not. He hides his presence perfectly."
Truly, the Grand Duke's true feelings flowed into my mind.
I was so startled that my heart plummeted.
What? How?
My mana couldn't have suddenly increased.
And I hadn't provided any payment— we'd had no contact in three years besides me running away?
I didn't know the reason, but this wasn't the time for analysis.
Just in case, I tried stealing the Grand Duke's true feelings once more.
Again—
His inner thoughts flowed in once more.
"This time, Bella was wrong. Ruena's unique ability hasn't manifested because of the Noir young master."
...Wait. What did he say?
Ruena's unique ability hadn't manifested?
And because of me?
The unbelievable words—
made my head go blank, as if struck from behind.
"...What is this? Not true feelings, but hallucinations?"
But—
this was neither a hallucination nor my imagination.
The sensation of peeking into true feelings was far too vivid to deny.
I decided to listen more.
There weren't enough clues for speculation yet.
"No idea how much longer I can do this."
I focused my senses again.
"I was glad to see Ruena so bright... but that child is Eliad's heir. For the family's future, she needs her unique ability."
From the Grand Duke's true feelings just now,
I realized what payment I'd unknowingly provided him.
The three years I'd spent by Ruena's side.
Ruena gradually brightening up had become the value itself.
To confirm, I released my pitifully small mana to check how much payment had accumulated.
"No way."
Surprisingly, a fair amount had built up.
Enough to steal his true feelings for at least a few days.
"Cold rationality is essential for Eliad. If swayed by emotions, the unique ability can't be used. As expected, friends are just poison to Ruena..."
I stopped peeking into his true feelings after hearing his ongoing worries about Ruena.
"What the hell. He's just a doting father."
Listening further would be a waste of resources.
Even thieves consider cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
To think the ever-cold and impassive Grand Duke had such inner thoughts.
People really can't be judged by appearances.
I stopped tailing the Grand Duke.
Hiding in a corner,
I began sorting through the briefly gathered info in my mind.
The reason was clear now.
Why Ruena had grown increasingly anxious lately.
Why the dormant Grand Duke had suddenly tried to drive me away.
"...I was the obstacle?"
I cradled my throbbing head and sighed.
Ruena's anxiety,
the Grand Duke's hardline attitude.
All because of me, apparently.
"Probably... the condition for the Eliad family to gain unique abilities is cold rationality? Emotionlessness? Something like that?"
Suddenly, this bizarre household's ways made sense.
The harsh discipline bordering on austerity was all to acquire unique abilities.
Having just one friend like me,
never having a birthday party,
owning only a worn-out bear doll,
rarely getting sweets at home.
"It was all for that..."
Like finding a missing puzzle piece,
all the incomprehensible events clicked together in my mind at once.
The reason Ruena was so emotionless.
The reason she lived without even simple joys.
It was all conditions to gain her unique ability as heir.
"Cold rationality, emotionlessness... If that's the requirement, then yeah, I'm definitely an obstacle."
Objectively, the Grand Duke's assessment was spot on.
Friends are poison.
Over the past three years—
I'd restored Ruena's emotions.
I had to, to gain her favor and avoid a future stabbed by a sword.
Of course, I was curious about what "final boss" meant too.
But I hadn't known it would prevent her unique ability from manifesting.
"So that's why he sees me as a thorn in his side."
However—
I had no intention of distancing myself from Ruena.
I'd just vividly seen what happened if I did.
I'd stick by Ruena's side no matter what.
Without being an obstacle to her.
By helping her gain her ability.
"To do that, first..."
Two days until the full moon.
Before executing the plan, I thoroughly scouted the mansion's interior one last time.
Infiltration and escape routes.
Guard patrols and blind spots.
Places to hide if spotted.
I finished the calculations in my head.
And decided.
What to steal from the Grand Duke.
It would undoubtedly be the most useful key to changing Ruena's and my future.