Chapter 43
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Problems of the Grand Duke's Heir
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Our relationship continued in that same way.
Like the strawberry jam cookies Ruena loved most.
The rigid framework created by our lord and aide dynamic.
And the childhood friend bond that only we two knew about, sweet and tangy like strawberry jam.
As lord and aide—
She had to be the ruthless heir of Eliad,
and I had to maintain a flawless image to keep my lord's dignity intact.
But...
It wasn't like that in our childhood friend relationship, built over more than ten years.
Not as Grand Duke and aide,
but as Ruena and Celen—
I was the childhood friend handling the clumsier one's messes,
and Ruena did nothing but fumble around, to the point where you had to question if she was really an Eliad.
Not politics,
but chatting about everyday trivialities,
not holding a seal,
but holding strawberry jam cookies I'd baked myself—
not cold eyes, but an ordinary girl clumsily dropping crumbs everywhere.
That was—
my childhood friend, Ruena Eliad, as I knew her.
I chuckled and brushed the crumbs from the corner of Ruena's mouth.
"Tasty?"
"Yeah!"
"Eat without getting it everywhere. What if someone opens the office door?"
"Psh, don't worry. No one would dare open a door in the Eliad mansion carelessly."
I tacitly agreed with that.
To begin with, no one bold enough would set foot in the Eliad mansion without permission.
As she said, this place was our space alone.
So we continued our time together without a care.
In a way, it was fortunate.
The girl who had to wear stiff armor every day could at least act a little childish within our childhood friend bond.
'Not a little, but a lot... though...'
If comparing how much care she needed,
it rivaled Trisha, who was two years younger.
No, on second thought, she might require even more attention than that gorilla.
Trisha would explode big once in a while,
but Ruena constantly demanded small fixes, endlessly.
Spilling something,
dropping something,
breaking something.
Whenever you thought she was fine, she reliably stirred up trouble.
"Huh? Where's my hair tie?"
"...It's on your wrist."
"Ah—?!"
She revealed her carelessness like this all the time.
So looking away from Ruena was impossible from the start.
I always had to find what she'd lost, wipe up what she'd spilled, fix what she'd broken.
Before heading to a meeting—
while repairing the heel of her shoe, broken from tripping in her rush again, I thought.
'Is it right to use a thief's handiwork on this...'
Was it fortunate or unfortunate that her childhood friend and aide was a thief whose specialties were sleight of hand and agility.
And...
What reaction would Ruena have upon learning our family's true nature.
'For now, the Grand Duke... seems to accept it as per protocol.'
Our family's origins and identity were top secret.
Only the heads of the Founding Houses and the Emperor knew.
House Noir, whose founder was the phantom thief who shook the world.
To bury that secret from others,
the Emperor and heads of the Founding Houses kept their mouths shut and presented a glamorous fabrication to the world.
A very plausible packaging as those who glimpse foresight and handle secrets.
'Not entirely wrong, but...'
House Noir could indeed glimpse others' secrets, thoughts, and futures.
However—
the problem was that it used magic and a price to temporarily steal and peek at them.
Ultimately, just dressed-up thievery.
Not some mystical power, merely peeking by theft.
When Ruena, who would one day become head of the family, learned that fact—
what reaction would she have.
Contempt,
betrayal,
disappointment or disgust.
Of course, even if she felt such emotions, there was nothing to be done.
She wouldn't display those negative feelings openly either.
She would conceal House Noir's identity.
That even included judgment on the truth.
Even knowing Noir came from a phantom thief lineage,
the Emperor and family heads had to treat Noir as a sacred prophetic house.
Like Grand Duke Kasian Eliad reluctantly taking me on as his daughter's aide despite his misgivings.
So... Ruena would deal with me forever burying those feelings too.
But—
just the thought of her harboring such emotions toward me made my insides ache.
'...Wait. Is that why she tried to kill me in that future?'
Fortunately, lately no futures appeared where Ruena killed me.
Perhaps because the countless small moments we'd shared had piled up,
making it so she couldn't choose to kill me.
'But if she learns our family's truth, who knows...'
Too soon to sigh in relief.
The fabrication House Noir harbored could widen the gap between us at any moment.
I glanced at her.
Then, after a very long time, I paid the price.
Moments later, Ruena's inner thoughts flowed in completely.
「Good, good, good. So good. Celen by my side is too good. Happy. Ecstatic. Please, just like this, stay by my side for a long, long time.」 As always, the same inner thoughts.
Even in our lord and aide relationship, Ruena remained unchanged.
'Wasted effort.'
Pointlessly burned a precious price.
It's what I heard every time I peeked her thoughts.
Moreover... just seeing her smiling face right in front of me was enough.
Ruena always showed especially relaxed expressions in front of me.
After fixing the heel—
I knelt before Ruena.
"Give me your foot."
"Huh? Already fixed?"
"Someone keeps smashing them so the glue ran out."
"Ehehe, so embarrassing—"
"Not a compliment."
I let out an incredulous laugh and slipped the shoe on for her.
A familiar laugh rang in my ears.
That laugh was the reason she was bothersome yet somehow kept me by her side.
Yes.
I had to admit it.
Sometime ago, it was no longer some unknown 'final boss' future pulling my steps,
but the memories and daily life with Ruena, and her smile.
That's why I hadn't peeked into her future for quite a while.
'Ah, right. Speaking of which...'
A long-buried memory suddenly surfaced.
After fully putting on her shoes, I paused as I started to stand.
Among the futures I'd seen in the past—
some had attacked her precisely because of that 'final boss' reason.
And... that situation had unfolded at the academy too.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Futures weren't linear or fixed.
Countless possibilities intertwined like spiderwebs in complex forms,
and those possibilities could shift endlessly through various interactions.
Just like how no future of Ruena standing beside my corpse appeared anymore.
Without a doubt—
Ruena had changed greatly from before.
Perhaps even that inexplicable 'final boss' future had changed.
Those targeting Ruena,
and the threats stemming from it, might all have vanished.
'Still... can't let my guard down...'
As various thoughts swirled in my head, a familiar voice called.
"Celen."
"...Huh? What."
"You'll keep staying by my side from now on too... right?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected words, I looked at Ruena.
Somehow... different from usual,
an expression brimming with shyness.
That unfamiliar look made me feel strangely off-kilter too.
Donning my iron mask again, I calmly pressed down on her head.
"Eek—?!"
"...Who else is going to handle your messes if not me."
"Yeah! That's why—! I only need Celen—!"
Ruena smiled radiantly.
Her eyes crinkled completely, a sunshine-like smile filling the office.
Suddenly, a long-ago future flashed by.
Her coldly gazing down at my corpse.
But the Ruena before me now resembled that future not at all.
'Yeah... for now, let's focus on the present.'
Whether someone targeting her appeared at the academy,
or she learned House Noir's truth and distanced herself from me—
those were problems for later.
For now,
I just needed to stick by her side as she wished.
'And incidentally secure my cut.'
Recalling the generous salary padding my wallet, I lifted the corner of my mouth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The sun had set, and night had darkened.
Celen tidied the office neatly before gathering his things.
Ruena rose from her seat, following him.
"Heading out."
"Ah, yeah. Be careful going. Tomorrow—"
"I'll come early. There's an important event."
Ruena smiled brightly.
It was for work, but it felt like he was hurrying back just for her.
To Ruena's smile—
Celen, wearing his usual curt expression, poked her forehead.
"So ple—ase, go to bed early and wake up early. If you can't get up alone, at least get right up when I wake you."
"Ehehe—."
"Don't brush it off with a smile."
"Uh, I'll try—!"
Celen chuckled and left the office.
Back when we were just childhood friends,
Ruena would naturally follow him out to the carriage.
But—
she couldn't do that now.
A lord following her aide out wouldn't suit Eliad's dignity.
Instead, she gently opened the door to watch his retreating figure.
Impeccable posture,
a neat gait even with no one watching.
Even that seemed done for her sake, making her heart feel fluffy.
Did he know.
Her long-held affection.
The mornings she prepared in bed, waiting for him to arrive.
No, he surely didn't.
Celen was quick on the uptake,
but unusually dense when it came to anything involving himself.
'Idiot...'
Before long, Celen's figure vanished from sight.
She turned her head toward the window, where his carriage would be visible.
At that moment—
her eyes met the maid's.
An expressionless face typical of Eliad household staff, hard to read her inner thoughts.
The maid, after their brief eye contact,
hid her face just like Celen had done in the conference hall.
"It's lifted."
Short and precise words.
But she understood the meaning behind that one phrase.
Ruena closed the office door hurriedly, yet without drawing attention.
The empty office without Celen.
Ruena leaned against the door and murmured lowly.
"...Big trouble."
She vaguely understood now.
The reason her father, Grand Duke Kasian Eliad, had warned her.
"Ruena."
"Yes."
"Don't forget that you are Eliad's heir."
Ruena schooled her expression, turning back with an Eliad-appropriate face that hid her emotions.