Chapter 30
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Gotta Find a Way to Survive
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I left the room and came down the stairs with Ruena.
Ruena's footsteps were slowing down little by little,
though noticeably so.
But her steps slowed without stopping.
A trembling body,
sweaty hands,
tightly pressed lips.
Everything screamed fear,
yet Ruena was mustering courage for my sake.
Honestly, that meant a lot to me.
A ton.
'I'll do my best to help too. So you can feel at ease at home, even just a little.'
I knew.
Ruena felt more comfortable outside than in her own home.
Every time we went out together,
I'd see expressions she never showed at the mansion.
A childlike innocence shining through,
and smiles that were rare to spot back home.
'That's secretly why I squeezed every last coin out of the Grand Duke...'
A sudden rush of heat to my head caught me off guard.
I quickly shoved the stray thoughts aside and looked down at Ruena.
Her face,
unlike the bright smiles she showed outside, was stiff with tension.
A natural reaction, of course—
but even her tense expression differed starkly from home and away.
Outside, she didn't hide it.
Tense if tense,
surprised if surprised.
At least when we were alone, she showed it honestly like a kid.
But not now.
Unless I watched closely, she seemed utterly composed.
How tense she was—
only her breathing, the faint furrow in her brow,
and the sweat on her hands gave it away.
'...She must have been taught to hide these things. In this house, that's probably the rule.'
I knew.
Every family has its own rules.
Even House Noir had plenty that came to mind.
But—
Maybe it's overstepping,
but I don't think you need to keep up the facade at home too.
House Noir demanded iron masks too.
'No matter what, maintain composure with an iron mask.'
That was the iron rule passed down through House Noir's line of scoundrels.
But—
Our House Noir doesn't wear masks at home.
The sister who pretends to be a dignified lady outside
turns into a mischievous prankster teasing her little brother the moment she's home,
and the ever-composed, unflappable little brother
becomes a useless trash or annoying wimp once inside.
That's how home should be.
In a world where others own more than you do,
your home should be where you can be yourself.
'But Ruena...'
Even inside the mansion, she always had to stay tense.
Even her own father treated her with cold composure.
The Grand Duchess... well,
she paid more mind than the Grand Duke, but by my standards, still fell short.
I understood, but couldn't easily accept it.
Living like that your whole life seemed too harsh.
And honestly, it felt like a waste.
This girl’s smile was secretly adorable.
'...Cancel that last thought.'
We'd reached the first-floor corridor.
The Grand Duke's office came into view.
I glanced down at Ruena and gently hooked my pinky with hers.
"Ruena."
"...Y-yeah?"
"Like I said earlier, thanks for helping."
"......Yeah."
Ruena nodded slowly.
I grinned and gripped her hand tighter.
"I'm glad you're here."
"...Me too. I'm glad you're here, Celen."
For a moment, my iron mask slipped.
I thought I'd adapted over the past six months.
'Smiling while saying that... isn't that cheating—!'
I hastily readjusted my mask and cleared my throat.
"Let's go in."
"...Yeah."
I took a breath in front of the door and knocked on the Grand Duke's office.
"What is it?"
"It's Celen Noir, Your Grace. I have something to discuss. Could you spare a moment?"
"Come in."
At that instant, Ruena's hand twitched slightly.
I bowed my head to meet her eyes and smiled gently.
"It'll be fine. I'm right here."
"Yeah...."
Holding Ruena's hand, I opened the door.
We stepped carefully into the office.
Not a word spoken, but his presence alone was intimidating.
"......"
The Grand Duke of Eliad's brow furrowed ever so slightly at the sight of us.
'Oh, right. He hates us holding hands.'
His gaze fixed on our joined hands.
Starting off on the wrong foot, but it was too late now.
More importantly—
Avoiding the Grand Duke's ire,
or supporting Ruena.
If I had to choose, obviously the latter.
'Just... think of it as a natural consequence of irking the Grand Duke....'
With my iron mask on, I bowed politely to the Grand Duke with a smile.
"Thank you for making time, Your Grace."
"What's this about?"
"My father asked me to pass on his thanks for all the hospitality I've received visiting the Eliad mansion. I felt it was only right to come express my gratitude in person."
"I see."
A faint question flickered across the Grand Duke's face.
He seemed puzzled why I'd brought Ruena along.
'Because I'm sick of getting caught in the crossfire between you two.'
Of course, I couldn't say that.
Instead, I bowed courteously and glanced sideways at Ruena.
"......"
"......"
A silent signal with my eyes.
Finally, I squeezed her hand one last time and let go.
Ruena hesitated briefly before approaching the Grand Duke.
"Father."
"...What?"
"This.... It's a gift from Celen for you."
The strawberry jam cookies I'd baked were carefully placed on the office desk.
The Grand Duke stared silently at the bag of cookies.
A brief silence fell, then he opened the bag with an expressionless face.
A sweet aroma, out of place in the cold, solemn space, wafted gently.
The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes at me.
"Why give something like this to me, young Noir?"
"Ah, I wanted to express my thanks directly, Your Grace, but baking's the only skill I've got."
I glanced at Ruena, then continued with a bright smile.
"Ruena loves strawberry jam cookies, so I thought you might like them too and gave it a try."
"...Th-they're delicious. Cookies made by Celen."
A voice even smaller than a whisper, but Ruena had backed me up.
It reached the Grand Duke's ears too.
A faint ripple passed over his impassive face for a split second.
"......"
The Grand Duke popped the smallest cookie into his mouth.
While it was in his mouth, the office fell into suffocating silence.
'Whoa... this is tense.'
My iron mask held,
but I couldn't stop my heart pounding.
A moment later—
In the endless-seeming quiet, a small swallow sounded.
"......Not bad."
The Grand Duke's curt approval.
Ruena's eyes widened at that.
I let out a breath mixed with surprise and relief.
Manipulating the Grand Duke's judgment this time was simple.
When Ruena approached—
Just a tiny bit more honesty than usual.
I hadn't used much cost.
So even he hoped to act honestly before his daughter.
'Geez, then why act so cold all the time?'
I clicked my tongue inwardly and checked on Ruena.
Her body was still rigid, but her expression had softened a bit.
'Good. This is enough for a start.'
Now, just say our thanks—
and take Ruena outside to call it a successful day.
As I moved to do so—
"Ruena."
The Grand Duke called her in a low voice.
Caught off guard, Ruena cautiously spoke.
"...Yes, Father?"
"You like these."
"......Yes. They're delicious."
"......Want one?"
Silence blanketed the room for an instant.
Ruena....
Froze, eyes wide.
Her face showed utter confusion, like witnessing the impossible.
I was baffled too,
but kept my smile steady and nudged Ruena.
"Take it, Ruena. Father's offering."
"......Ah."
Cold and gruff tone, but clearly kindness toward Ruena.
And—
Ruena gathered her courage to accept it.
"......Delicious."
"...Good."
This was a really solid start.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Three years passed since then.
I still came and went from the Eliad mansion.
House Noir, me included, hadn't changed.
Still noisy,
still selfish,
and still treating me as the lowest in the pecking order.
'Natural phenomenon. Yeah.'
But—
The Eliad mansion had changed quite a bit over those three years.
The thick wall between the Grand Duke and Ruena
had crumbled enough for them to see each other, if not completely.
Ruena could now talk to her father naturally.
Conversations were still short.
But—
the atmosphere those few words created was entirely different from before.
Truly a relief.
The Grand Duke still looked at me with displeasure.
That was fine.
Ruena smiled much more often now.
She was starting to feel at ease in her own home.
The mansion itself felt a little warmer.
So, this should be enough.
"Ruena."
"Yeah?"
"I won't be able to come as often starting next month."
At that moment, the air in the Eliad mansion turned chilly for the first time in ages.