A Rather Peculiar Life
Something about her life was strange. I walked behind Franche Decartes. It was still the dead of night, yet she seemed entirely at ease, as if she hadn't a single worry in the world.
"Aren't you curious about what orders I will give you?" Franche suddenly asked.
Even with my knowledge of the original story, I had no idea what she wanted from me. The relationship between Jin and Franche was riddled with questions and contradictions. They were master and slave, so why did Jin fly into a rage after Franche died? Shouldn't he have rejoiced at finally gaining his freedom...?
Jin was the prince of the fallen Barenberg Kingdom. Normally, wouldn't a prince seize an opportunity like this to rebuild his kingdom...?
"I judged it best to remain quiet until you spoke, Master." There was a mountain of things I didn't understand, and since I couldn't predict what lay ahead, I decided to play along for now. I needed to observe and assess the situation slowly.
"Yes, I like that attitude." Franche continued to pepper me with questions as we walked toward the Decartes mansion.
"Do you dream of rebuilding the Barenberg Kingdom?"
"What would be the point of reclaiming a kingdom that has no people?"
"You certainly have a way with words."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't exactly a compliment..." She murmured, before asking another question. "What can you do for me?"
What can I do? What were Jin's strengths again? I had already checked his traits. Racking my brain to recall everything I could, I answered.
"When it comes to combat, I am capable of anything. I am also highly skilled in protection. My primary weapon is the sword, though I am proficient with other weapons as well."
"Pfft." Franche couldn't hold back a chuckle, a small smile breaking across her face. "You certainly don't lack confidence."
"A man without confidence is no different from a corpse."
"Yes, I like that." It seemed I had earned her favor right from the start. A promising beginning. I would leverage her goodwill to escape this slavery and reclaim my freedom. I also needed to start thinking of a way to return home.
It was just as we reached the main gates of the estate.
"Franche Decartes. What are you doing out here?"
Franche flinched, instinctively taking a step back as she shrank into herself. "How... how are you here...?"
That face was familiar. It was Eden Descartes, the Young Duke of the Descartes family. He hadn't played much of a role in the original story. He never appeared when Franche Decartes turned into a villainess, and he hadn't even shown his face when she died.
Is there something I don't know about? I couldn't be sure. Eden Descartes spoke.
"Your sudden disappearance caused quite an uproar. Where on earth have you been?"
"...I visited the auction house for a moment."
"The auction house...? What in the..." Eden Descartes furrowed his brow and glanced at me. "This man's appearance is highly suspicious. Don't tell me he is a slave?"
"...Yes, he is."
"...You bought a male slave? You must have completely lost your mind."
As his voice dropped and his gaze turned icy, Franche Decartes hurriedly tried to explain. "Wait! I will explain the details to Father myself! So—"
"I have no desire to hear any more. We are returning to the mansion immediately."
What was this? It felt like Franche Decartes was in trouble because of me. Well, it's not my fault. I was grateful she had saved me from that toad-like woman, but her current predicament was simply the consequence of her own choices. It wasn't hard to understand why Eden Descartes was reacting this way, either. A duke's daughter buying a male slave—no matter how she intended to use him, it was an act that dragged the Decartes family's reputation through the mud.
We followed behind Eden Descartes in heavy silence. The suffocating atmosphere made even me feel a bit self-conscious. I looked ahead. Eden's steps were rigid and tense. Meanwhile, Franche, who had looked so haughty and noble just moments ago, was now completely shrunk into herself.
There seems to be something going on in this mansion that I don't know about. Well, I would find out soon enough. After all, I was destined to become Franche Decartes' personal knight.
Clank! The massive arched gates swung open. To the left and right, knights stood in a long, disciplined line like a wave of steel.
"You have returned, Young Master." The speaker was a middle-aged man with white hair, dressed in a sophisticated suit. He appeared to be the Head Butler.
"I must see the Duke immediately."
"His Grace is still attending to his duties."
"Go ahead and announce our arrival."
"As you command." The Head Butler bowed politely and hurried inside the mansion.
"The rest of you are dismissed. Thank you for your hard work at this late hour."
"Understood!" At Eden's command, the knights saluted and dispersed with razor-sharp precision.
Oh, that's actually pretty cool. Would I become one of them? No, probably not. Since Franche had bought me without permission, I would likely be assigned directly to her.
"Follow me."
"Yes..." Franche's voice was barely a whisper. See, you should have gotten permission before buying a slave. Good luck dealing with this.
I turned to Franche and asked, "What should I do?"
"Wait outside for a moment. It won't take long."
"No," Eden Descartes interjected, cutting her off. "You come as well. This entire mess is because of you."
Excuse me?
"Franche Decartes. You will have to explain yourself properly before Father."
"Yes..."
What was going on? How did I get dragged into this...? With heavy steps, we entered the mansion and soon stood before the Duke's study.
Knock, knock. Eden Descartes knocked on the door. "Father, it is Eden. May we enter? It is an urgent matter."
"Come in."
The door swung open, and we stepped inside. The study was deathly quiet, save for the rhythmic scratching of a fountain pen against paper.
"What is the matter at this hour?" The scratching stopped. Duke Decartes looked up, his eyes sweeping over us. The moment his gaze landed on me, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Who is that man?"
"He is a slave that Franche Decartes purchased at the auction house."
"A slave...?" Duke Decartes' frown deepened. "A daughter of the Decartes family bought a slave? And a male slave, no less?"
Duke Decartes glared at Franche, his eyes narrowing sharply. "You had better explain yourself. If your answer is not satisfactory, you will not escape punishment."
Franche clenched her fists tightly. She was so tense that I could practically hear her heart hammering against her ribs. "It is..."
"Speak."
Franche choked on her words. A heavy silence stretched between them, causing the Duke's expression to twist with irritation. "Did you not hear me? I told you to speak!"
Franche finally spoke, her voice barely audible. "...The servants and knights of the Decartes family do not respect me. I needed someone who would belong solely to me, who would obey only my commands."
The people of the ducal house didn't respect her? Just what kind of past did she have?
"Where is the proof that they do not respect you? Is that not merely your own victim mentality?" At the Duke's cold dismissal, Franche bit her lower lip so hard it nearly bled. She quietly murmured, almost to herself, "You truly have never cared about me, Father. I foolishly thought you might have known at least a little."
Franche bowed her head deeply. "I apologize, Father. The reason I purchased this slave is exactly as I have stated."
Duke Decartes, his face set in a harsh scowl, sat up straight and tapped his index finger against the desk. He didn't seem to care in the slightest about his daughter's distress. "How much did you spend to purchase that slave?"
Uh-oh. This is going to blow up.
"...Fifty thousand gold."
"What...?!" Duke Decartes' eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What did you say...?!"
I knew he'd react like that.
"It was the allowance you permitted me, Father. I simply used what was mine."
Duke Decartes massaged his temples, temporarily speechless. Indeed, even if the slave in question was Jin Barenberg, fifty thousand gold was an astronomical sum to spend on a single slave. "...I cannot let this go unpunished. You are confined to your quarters for one week."
"Thank you for your leniency." As Franche bowed, Eden Descartes glared back and forth between her and me. What are you staring at?
"You are dismissed."
"Yes, Father."
Duke Decartes had handed down his judgment. Eden Descartes looked thoroughly displeased with the light sentence, but he didn't dare voice his complaints.
"...Let's go."
With that, we left the Duke's study, and I followed her to her bedchamber. Wait, is a slave even allowed to just walk in here like this?
"Jin Barenberg."
"Yes, Master."
"There is only one thing I want from you."
"What is it?"
I met Franche's emerald eyes.
"It is nothing difficult. Be solely on my side. No matter what happens, remain my ally. That is the only command I will ever give you."
It was an incredibly simple request. She had burned fifty thousand gold just for that? I couldn't help but ask, "...Is that really all you want?"
"What?" Franche narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Though my homeland is gone, I was once the prince of a nation. I was a thorn in the Empire's side because of my strength, and the greatest swordsman in the kingdom. I assumed you would have some special mission for someone like me, especially since you spent such an astronomical sum of fifty thousand gold."
Although the soul inside this body was different, there were things that only I, with my knowledge of the future, could do—things the real Jin Barenberg could never have accomplished. Yet she had taken a massive financial hit just to bind me with such a simple command. It made no sense. I waited for her to speak, but she remained silent, staring at me with a strangely sharp gaze.
"I apologize if I overstepped my bounds." At my belated apology, she let out a soft, dry laugh.
"Yes. You aren't wrong. Burning fifty thousand gold just to have someone on my side is absolute madness." Franche paused, her voice softening. "But... to me, that is worth far more than fifty thousand gold. Because right now, what I need more than anything else in this world... is someone on my side."
Why did she look so sorrowful? Her face looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment. Was Franche actually completely cast out by her family? Even I, who knew every single easter egg in this game, didn't know the reason. Franche's backstory had never been part of the main plot. Wait, could it be...?
Did I somehow trigger a hidden route? Should I have forced the computer to shut down by any means necessary? I had never agreed to enter a hidden route, yet here I was, dragged into a scenario I had never chosen.
Did someone forcibly summon me to this world? I couldn't be sure, but there had to be some secret hidden behind all of this. What is the reason? Just as various theories about my transmigration began to swirl in my head—slam! The bedroom door was violently thrown open.
"You finally went and did it, didn't you?!"
A man with the Decartes family's signature crimson hair and sharp eyes stormed into the room. He was someone I didn't recognize. Wondering who he could be, I glanced at Franche, only to find her face completely drained of color.