Chapter 29
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Hoping to Get Closer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm... at an age where anyone would call me a kid.
Sure, I haven't lived a long life,
but thanks to stealthily stealing other people's life experiences bit by bit, mine was fairly shallow but broad.
And that makes sense—
I've spent three years glued to the chair behind my father.
During those three years, every day I eavesdropped on at least five guests' stories while peeking into their futures.
Guests who smiled and greeted warmly,
guests who maintained a high-and-mighty attitude,
guests who seemed friendly but harbored chilling futures.
Everyone had their own futures.
Some laughed,
some cried,
and some didn't survive.
I watched betrayals, salvations, destructions,
and pathetic downfalls that made me click my tongue in disdain.
Among the countless negative futures I've seen,
a significant number stemmed from family discord.
Maybe that's why future Ruena ended up like that—because of discord with the Grand Duke.
Resentment,
need for recognition,
petty misunderstandings and grudges.
When those pile up from the closest people,
they leave deep wounds that become lifelong shackles.
So this was for my sake too.
It could be the way to avoid that horrific future I saw.
'Besides... if I get on better terms with the Grand Duke, she'll cling to me less than she does now.'
I couldn't keep living like this forever.
Soon, both Ruena and I
would reach a time when we couldn't hang out together every day like now.
Ruena would go her way,
I'd go mine,
and eventually, we'd each have to head toward our own paths.
'I'll be busy finding a way to make a living. Not as much as Ruena, but still.'
The awkward position of being the third son of a count's family.
Too inadequate to just play and eat, too middling to become great—just that kind of life.
Of course, I have no desire to become great.
A slacker life doing the bare minimum and sucking honey.
That's the ideal future I've dreamed of for a long time.
Anyway, to pave the way for that ideal future, it's time to start putting in some legwork.
Our family is House Noir.
'Handle your own business yourself' is our family motto.
'To do that...'
I recalled the future with Ruena I'd seen before.
"Celen...?"
"Why did you abandon me back then?"
"Why? How could you? You were all I had!"
"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to abandon me again?"
"No. Never."
I think I understand the reason for that future a bit.
With only me left by her side, she had no choice but to cling desperately.
To prevent such a tragedy, I had to fix her relationship with the Grand Duke.
From viewing thousands of future fragments, I learned one thing.
If you don't move, the future doesn't change at all.
'Alright. I've got the whole plan laid out.'
I'd somehow get them talking,
clear up even one small misunderstanding,
and force a conversation if needed.
If I weren't a Noir, it'd be impossible...
Who in this country would dare
try to break the Grand Duke's stubborn resolve?
'Thank goodness I stole the Grand Duke's judgment!'
Otherwise, I wouldn't even dream of it.
I couldn't move the ironclad Grand Duke Eliad at all.
The Eliad mansion came into view beyond the carriage.
Tall, thick walls, an imposing main gate,
an exterior brimming with authority and intimidation at a glance.
And—
the even thicker walls of stubbornness those inside lived behind.
I'd tear down those walls somehow.
Even if they built firm ones,
I'd slip in like moonlight, subtle and insidious, targeting the cracks.
I'm a Noir, variability incarnate.
Our kind seizes what we want no matter what.
I grinned, recalling the trump card I'd prepared for today.
I stepped down from the carriage and stood before the Eliad mansion's main gate.
As expected, Ruena was out there today too.
I waved cheerfully at the girl scurrying over.
"Hi, Ruena."
"Hi, Celen."
"I told you not to come out in the cold."
"I didn't wait long."
A lie. Her nose was bright red; she'd been standing there a while.
I pulled a warming magic tool from my bag.
When I pressed it to Ruena's cheek, her shoulders twitched slightly.
"Warm, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Hold it. Warm up your hands."
Ruena took the warming tool in both hands.
She stared at it blankly for a moment, then gripped it tightly in one hand and reached out the other to me.
'Stubborn as ever...'
Good thing my hand was warm.
As always, I clasped Ruena's hand and entered the mansion.
The same direction.
The same tea time.
The same time just for us two.
But the end would be a little different today.
I cleared the table earlier than usual.
As I moved quickly, Ruena, who was eating cookies, widened her eyes.
"Celen."
"Yeah?"
"...Busy?"
"Oh, yeah. Got some stuff to do."
Ruena looked up at me with eyes dripping with disappointment.
I ignored the gaze and kept clearing the table.
Until Ruena hesitantly tugged at my clothes.
"Celen...."
"Yeah?"
"...Can't you stay a little longer?"
So far, everything was going according to plan.
The rest depended on how well I could talk my way through it.
I quickly donned my thick-skinned mask and feigned deep regret.
"Sorry. I'd love to, but I've got something today."
"...What?"
"I keep coming over and freeloading at the mansion. Maybe that's why, but Father insisted I thank the Grand Duke properly today."
Of course, it's a lie.
He's said something like it before, but not exactly...
"The Grand Duke doesn't talk to me."
"I see."
And that was it.
Father knew about the Grand Duke's stubbornness too, so he hadn't said much since then.
Just occasional check-ins: everything okay? No troubles? Not imposing?
I glanced at Ruena.
She flinched the moment Father was mentioned—clearly anxious.
But...
I was determined to create an opportunity somehow.
While packing my bag, I spoke in a slightly forlorn tone.
"Honestly... I'm a bit worried."
"...Worried?"
"Yeah. The Grand Duke doesn't like me much. He's kindly given invitations and allowed visits, but still."
I hung my head, showing a bitter expression.
While doing so, I sidelong-glanced at Ruena's reaction.
Ruena fidgeted restlessly with her fingers, looking distressed.
Clearly—
she wanted to help me,
but wasn't sure how, or if she could.
Yet she also seemed scared to face her father.
With a small chuckle, I pulled out the invitation from the Grand Duke.
"Ruena."
"...Yeah?"
"Look at this. It says here, 'Ruena awaits your visit.'"
She'd seen it before.
But she'd probably ignored its meaning.
When your heart is closed off, even plain facts right in front of you go unseen.
Ruena looked up at me with anxious eyes.
I gently took her hand and continued softly.
"Ruena, have you ever told the Grand Duke you wanted to see me?"
"...No."
"Yet he noticed your state and sent me that letter on purpose. That means he cares about you that much."
Ruena stared up at me blankly and slowly shook her head.
"Maybe Mother... told him."
"Hmm, would the Grand Duke go this far just for that? Sending an invitation personally to me, the third son of some count."
"......"
"Besides, how much hassle is it with a guest coming every day? Yet he's let it go on for years. Because you like it."
Ruena hung her head, unable to reply.
Deep disbelief that it could be true,
yet my words sounding plausible, leaving her confused.
'Good. Halfway there.'
I put on the most troubled face I could and squeezed her hand.
"Listen, Ruena. Of course, my guess might not be right."
"Probably not...."
"But one thing's for sure... if you're by my side, I'll feel a bit braver. ...Would you, if it's okay?"
Ruena hesitated, then murmured a quiet "Yeah."
At that moment, I genuinely sighed in relief that my acting worked.
If making a living gets tough, maybe I should try theater.
I never knew I had a knack for such pitiful acting.
Who'd have thought the experience of whimpering under my siblings' beatings would help here.
Ruena was still anxious,
but at least she'd agreed to meet the Grand Duke with me.
That was enough.
I smiled brightly and placed something in her hand.
"What's this...?"
"Strawberry jam cookies."
"...Why these?"
"Felt bad going empty-handed to greet him, so I baked them. If it's okay, could you give them to him? Better than from me."
Ruena stared down at the cookies.
Her eyes mixed with unconcealed anxiety and hesitation.
"...Will he accept them? Father hates sweets."
"Oh, really? He'll take them anyway. It's rude not to accept a gift right in front of you."
"......Yeah."
In truth...
your father loves strawberry jam cookies, just like you.
But I couldn't say I'd found out secretly.
"Thanks so much for helping, Ruena. Let's go."
"......Yeah."
I tightly held Ruena's hand and headed for the study.