Chapter 40
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Did I Land the Job?
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It was a complete disaster.
A study that looked less like the next Grand Duke's office and more like a back alley in the slums or a muddy marketplace floor.
"Ah, aaaaah—! Those are important documents...!"
"...Ruena."
It was a truly heartbreaking moment that made me genuinely worry about Eliad's future.
'Is this really okay...?'
I let out a long sigh as I watched Ruena frantically trying to sort the papers.
Whether House Eliad thrived or fell into ruin,
in the old days, I would have dismissed it as none of my business without a second thought.
But... .
I walked over to Ruena's side and picked up a crumpled sheet of paper.
Some documents were completely soaked in ink, but I had to salvage whatever I could.
So Ruena, whose hands were already a mess from the ink, was just getting in the way.
As I wiped up the scattered ink, I said to her,
"Ruena, I'll clean this up, so go wash up and change your clothes."
"Huh...?"
"You're a mess. Get cleaned up properly. Hurry."
"Ah, okay—!"
Ruena nodded obediently and rushed out of the study.
The sound of her hurried footsteps.
Followed by a dull thud of something colliding and a short scream.
"Ow ow...!"
Even then, another loud crash came from outside the door, as if she'd tripped again, making my forehead throb.
'This is seriously worrying.'
I sighed deeply, as if the ground might cave in, and began tidying the disastrous study.
Yeah.
In the past, I wouldn't have cared at all.
Whether Eliad rose or fell.
My own nose was three inches long, after all,
and it was absurd for the third son of a mere earl's family like me to worry about a grand ducal house.
But... .
It's been over ten years since I first met Ruena.
In that time, the Eliad mansion had become as familiar as my own home—it didn't feel like someone else's place anymore.
If I exaggerated a bit—
I knew it inside and out, just like the Noir estate.
How many pieces of tableware they had,
how many rooms there were, how many servants they employed,
who had been there the longest, who was newly hired—I had it all figured out.
Besides, Ruena and Eliad were a key part of my important future plans.
Of course—
as a fallback option via process of elimination,
they were useful for now,
but as the saying goes, you never know what life might throw at you.
My sister or little brother suddenly coming to their senses... was unlikely,
but who knew what other variables might cut off my lifeline.
Insurance and safety nets are always better the more you have.
I could say without a doubt—
there was no safety net as reliable as Eliad, the pinnacle of my connections.
Even if I got kicked out of my house,
even if House Noir collapsed overnight,
as long as I had Eliad, I wouldn't starve or lose my place in the world in a single day.
'Plus... there might be even better opportunities... .'
Honestly—
for someone like me whose life goal was to live off playing,
all the miscellaneous tasks my father assigned were just exhausting.
With my mediocre mana,
and no talents worth living off of,
I followed his orders like a good boy—
but if I had the ability,
I would have found my own path and left, just like my sister or little brother.
'Maybe I should have learned to paint.'
I sighed while gathering the papers strewn across the floor.
In any case, for my safe future—
Eliad needed to be at least as prosperous as it was now, if not much more so.
But... .
"Haaaah... ."
I shook my head looking at the study door Ruena had dashed out of.
Seeing my scatterbrained childhood friend like that,
I couldn't shake the feeling that Eliad's future was growing darker by the day.
'She was definitely sharp as a kid... .'
Now, that image felt like a distant mirage.
Quiet,
stoic,
the very picture of Eliad in her calm demeanor.
That the girl from back then was the same as the current Ruena.
Even though I'd watched the change firsthand, right by her side for over ten years—
alternating between memories of then and now sometimes made me wonder if I'd imagined it.
'Of course, she's way cuter now... .'
The thought flashed through my mind, and heat suddenly rushed through my body.
To keep the papers from flying away,
I opened a window far from the desk to cool off the sudden flush.
"Get it together, get it together... ."
For Eliad's future and mine,
I decided to focus on what I could help with right now.
I closed the window and surveyed the study.
"What a mess."
The scene was still pathetic no matter how many times I looked.
It wasn't just from Ruena's door-opening accident, surely.
I could confidently say this level of filth couldn't accumulate in a short time.
Books occupying the floor instead of shelves,
countless teacups with dried, stuck-on tea leaves,
piles of papers stacked haphazardly without any order.
Working here would eat away not just at efficiency but health too.
"What the heck are the maids doing... ."
I tidied the study before Ruena returned.
I roughly skimmed the papers, sorting similar items into categories,
and roughly separated the urgent ones from those that could wait.
"This one... might be needed for reference... ."
Then, I separated books needed for processing the documents from those that weren't.
The necessary ones went near the sorted papers by category,
the unnecessary ones neatly back on the shelves.
Finally, after clearing the desk and surroundings—
I handed the teacups to a maid outside and requested tea that would help relieve fatigue and improve focus.
"This should do it... ."
As I pondered if there was anything else, I heard frantic footsteps thudding from outside.
Rushing sounds,
precariously close to tripping.
I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
Sure enough, the study door flew open, and a familiar voice rang in my ears.
"Celen! I'm back!"
"You'v—"
Ruena burst in with a bright face, having changed into fresh clothes
and neatly combed her hair... .
only to slip and slam her shin into the tea table.
"Ow ow ow ow—!"
"......"
I clutched my throbbing forehead and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Haa... ."
"N-no, I'm fine! Really fine! It didn't hit that hard... Ow... ."
Despite her words, Ruena was groaning while clutching her leg.
With a sigh, I pulled ointment from my pocket.
I always carried it because of her clumsiness.
I knelt on one knee beside her.
"Let me see. Does it hurt bad?"
"...Dunno. It stings."
"Hold still, let me check. Lift your skirt a bit."
At my words, Ruena casually hiked up her skirt.
Eliad through and through.
Despite the crash loud enough to shatter the tea table,
her skin was just flushed red, without a single scratch.
'Still, it must hurt... .'
I applied the ointment carefully to the reddened area.
A soft giggle escaped her, as if it tickled.
I ignored it and kept applying, when a small gasp came with Ruena's voice.
"Whoa, what's this? The study's all clean... ."
"If you know what clean looks like, why'd you let the study get like that?"
"Ehehe—."
I glanced up at Ruena.
She had her eyes wide open, looking around the study.
Sparkling eyes.
An expression like she'd never seen it before.
Seeing her so innocently cheerful made my head throb automatically.
'Aigoo, my head... .'
At that moment, someone knocked on the study door.
A familiar voice.
It was one of Eliad's maids.
The maid I'd requested tea from entered calmly,
set the tea set on the desk as if nothing had happened, and left the study.
Professional ignorance of her master's antics.
The perfect example of an Eliad mansion servant.
'Why don't they apply that professionalism to cleaning the study?'
Of course, I understood.
Depending on the employer, there are boundaries to what you can touch.
Especially in a study handling family affairs.
To reorganize documents and books as you please,
you'd need a reasonable justification and the knowledge to back it up.
Even accounting for all that...,
the scene earlier was a serious pigsty.
In any case, with the tea ready
and the ointment applied, I guided Ruena to a chair.
Then I poured the tea with practiced ease.
It was second nature after doing it so often.
I knew her preferred tea temperature,
her habits and tastes when drinking.
As expected—
Ruena smiled brightly after sipping the tea I handed her.
"Wow, rosemary."
"You always go for rosemary when you're tired."
"Yeah. Thanks, Celen."
I nodded and glanced at the papers on the desk.
Just skimming the dates,
that volume meant today's lesson was probably off.
'Time to head home?'
No lesson meant no real reason to stay,
and more importantly, me lingering in the study would just get in the way.
I glanced down at Ruena.
She was sipping tea while scanning the papers with her eyes.
Her serious gaze made me feel a bit relieved—she was the heir, after all.
'I'll have the maid pass on my regards.'
...I thought, turning to leave—
when I saw Ruena reaching for a paper with her snack-crumbed hand and grabbed it in a hurry.
"Hey, hey, hey—!"
"Uh, yeah?"
"What are you doing touching documents with crumb-covered hands! No wonder some were smudged—!"
"...Oh? Oh no—!"
I sighed and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hand.
"Use tongs for snacks. Be careful not to drop crumbs."
"...Ah, okay!"
"And that paper has a bit more time left. You should handle the others first."
My meddling started with snack crumbs.
Like watching a kid by the water's edge,
I observed Ruena fumbling through her duties.
Fortunately, she handled them pretty well.
Seemed the title of Eliad heir wasn't just for show.
Separate from her klutzy side,
she was diligent at work and handled things sharply.
As I relaxed and stepped back, Ruena's thoughtful voice came.
"...Hmm, should I approve this as is...?"
"Ah, for that, Silverred or Griffin Merchant House might be better than Bellang. Bellang is the most famous, sure."
"...Huh?"
"If you want volume, Silverred. If quality over price, Griffin. Or... Lunet is good too, though pricier. They have top-tier quality and fast supply. Or even the newcomer Caldwell, or... ."
Ruena stared at me with wide eyes.
"...Ce-Celen."
"Yeah?"
Ruena flapped her mouth, then shook her head vigorously.
Then she looked at me again with shining eyes.
Her gaze, like beholding a mystical fortune teller, made my eyes narrow instinctively.
"How do you know all that?"
"What? Everyone knows that much."
"...I don't know that much. Caldwell? First time hearing it."
"......Huh?"
A family more sensitive to profits than anyone.
For House Noir, it was basic common sense.
Merchant house info,
flow of goods,
prices and quality of items.
Knowledge absorbed as naturally as breathing.
After all, in House Noir, we grew up reading ledgers instead of fairy tales.
'No way... other nobles don't know this level of detail?'
I worried she might realize our family operated on a different level.
As I desperately maintained a poker face and fidgeted—
"Celen—! Will you be my aide?!"
"......Huh?"
I heard something completely unexpected.