Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Reborn as the Plum Blossom Sword Guard in a Count's Family
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"Eugene Prucus. Is it true that you tried to rape your exclusive maid?"
A woman with reddish-brown hair sat behind the desk in the study, staring straight at me as I stood there motionless.
Elaine Kasirot.
She was a beautiful woman. Her glossy reddish-brown hair was elegantly pinned up, exposing her graceful neckline. It went perfectly with the blue dress she wore, and her breasts were a generous D-cup. But above all, her flawless, translucent skin was captivating.
'As expected from a fantasy novel. A beauty like this is hard to find in real life.'
With Count Prucus away, she held the highest authority in the mansion.
She was the mother of the protagonist, Kyle Prucus, and my second stepmother.
"Don't just stand there silent. Speak."
Her cold reddish-brown eyes and voice snapped me back to reality. I'd been lost in her beauty.
"...It's true."
I admitted it readily. I had no choice—Lexi had screamed and run through the mansion, and plenty of servants had witnessed it.
Lying would be pointless; an investigation would uncover the truth immediately.
'This is less of a big deal than I thought.'
Of course, it was wrong. My reputation would take a hit. But I was young, and it was an attempted crime that ended prematurely. It wasn't a major scandal yet.
'Whether in Korea or here, being young is its own privilege. Privilege. Heh.'
And I knew Elaine's personality. Despite her icy appearance, she was rational and warm-hearted. In the original story, the protagonist Kyle deeply respected his mother for that.
"That exclusive maid is Sir Emvis's only daughter."
"Yes. I'm aware."
"...Then why did you do such a thing?"
I couldn't exactly say, 'I was horny as hell.'
"I wanted to try sex. I read in books that it's supposed to feel amazing, so I got curious."
"..."
Elaine fell silent and stared at me. Her perfect poker face gave no hint of her thoughts.
'She must be in her mid-thirties now, right? Maybe it's because she's a mid-level mage, but she looks like she's in her mid-to-late twenties.'
As my mind wandered, Elaine spoke up.
"...I see. You're at that age. You had your coming-of-age ceremony last year and were recognized as a man, so it's natural to be curious about sex. But the books you read are wrong."
"Pardon?"
"Sex does bring pleasure when desire is satisfied. However, it's not the overwhelming ecstasy described in books. Don't put too much faith in them."
"...Yes, ma'am."
As I replied, I thought to myself. What did she mean by that? No woman who's experienced proper sex would say something like that. At least, the women I'd been with had passed out from how good it felt.
'Ah, right. Elaine had a political marriage with Count Prucus.'
The original story mentioned that the count didn't love her deeply.
'She doesn't have much experience with sex. Heh heh.'
How could I bed Elaine?
Forcing myself on her was out of the question. She was a mid-level mage—I'd be subdued in an instant.
"I've apologized to Sir Emvis and his daughter on your behalf. Sir Emvis was quite disappointed in you."
"...I showed my shameful side. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
"Good. You're a direct descendant of the Prucus family. Always consider your position and be mindful of those around you before acting. Your disgrace becomes the family's disgrace."
"I'll keep that in mind."
How could I seduce Elaine? She was rational and logical. Building an emotional bond to lead to something physical seemed impossible.
Using an aphrodisiac at the right moment was one option.
'But that's too wasteful for her.'
I trusted my own abilities. It might take time, but I'd bed her using only my skills, no drugs. I definitely would.
"I've given his daughter some time off. She'll be stepping down as your exclusive maid. For the time being, a new butler will attend to you."
"...A new butler?"
My face twisted in displeasure.
My body, Eugene Prucus, had a congenital heart condition in the setting. Because of that, I received various accommodations in the mansion.
One was having an exclusive servant live in the room next door for emergencies. There was a door in one corner of my room directly connected to the servant's quarters.
This door was never locked. In case I collapsed from illness or some emergency, they could enter immediately.
'A guy in the room next to mine? Hell no!'
I had zero interest in being attended by a man. Even if he couldn't touch me, I wanted a pretty girl taking care of me.
"I'm fine. I'd like to live alone for a while."
Better alone than served by a man. The thought of a guy adjusting my clothes made me want to puke.
"I can't allow that. For your health, a servant isn't optional—it's essential."
"Mother. I'm really okay. Look at my face. Hasn't my complexion improved lately?"
I appealed to my apparent health.
I didn't say the heart condition was cured. No need to discard such a convenient excuse now.
"...True. I haven't heard reports of any seizures in the past month. Come here and extend your hand."
I approached Elaine and held out my hand. As her delicate fingers touched mine, a small blue magic circle appeared beneath my palm, and a cool energy swept through my body.
'Magic. What kind?'
It didn't feel dangerous.
"...Your body has become healthy. But heart conditions can flare up unpredictably."
She'd examined me with magic. Since she wasn't certain it was fully cured, it probably wasn't a precise diagnostic spell. Lucky.
"Mother. I'm really fine."
"It might just be a temporary improvement."
Elaine showed no sign of budging. After some thought, I decided to deceive her outright.
"Mother. Actually... I found an ancient artifact in the study."
"An ancient artifact?"
Elaine sounded genuinely surprised.
In this world, ancient artifacts were items containing the power and knowledge of ancient civilizations. Not just any old object qualified—only those with true ancient power.
"Yes. I found an old tome in the corner of the study. When I opened it to read, light poured out from one section... and the tome vanished, replaced by the ancient artifact."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Ancient artifacts often held power beyond magic. They were priceless treasures in this world.
"I wanted to investigate it personally. If I told anyone I had it... you'd take it away."
"..."
Elaine fell silent. Silence meant agreement.
"Some ancient artifacts hold dangerous powers. You've heard the story of Viscount Peril, haven't you?"
Viscount Peril.
I knew it from the original story.
Viscount Peril obtained an ancient artifact from a labyrinth but mishandled it, cursing his body to rot. The curse slowly decayed him over a week. Despite magic, potions, and blessings, it persisted until he died.
It was a tale warning of the risks of untamable treasures.
"It's not dangerous like Viscount Peril's. It's been a month, and as you can see, my health has improved instead."
"I've heard you've been making strange and wondrous items lately. Was that the artifact's power too?"
"Yes, exactly."
She seemed to believe me.
The Prucus Count family was an old noble house dating back to the kingdom's founding. The study was library-sized, full of ancient tomes.
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment lie. I'd planned it with the future in mind and verified its plausibility.
"May I see this ancient artifact?"
"Of course. Ah, but only I can use it. I had other servants touch it, and there was no reaction."
"You had servants handle something potentially dangerous?"
"...I'm sorry. There were no issues. Really."
I pulled my smartphone from my pocket and handed it to Elaine. She took it, examining it closely and even using magic to inspect it.
No problem if she accidentally turned it on.
[You can hack Sung Eugene's smartphone for 28 minutes.]
Thanks to my Hacking skill, full control remained mine.
"It's oddly shaped. No reaction to mana or magic... Is this really an ancient artifact?"
"Yes."
"How do you use it?"
"Here, let me show you. As I said, it only responds to my hand."
I took the smartphone and swiped my finger across the screen. It lit up and turned on.
"This is the ancient artifact—smartphone—activated."
"Smartphone?"
"See? There's writing on the screen."
I used Hacking to display text.
-Elaine, you fucking hot piece. I wanna fuck you so bad!
Something along those lines.
"It says the name of this ancient artifact is 'smartphone'."
"...I've never seen that script before. It's completely different from any known ancient writing."
I lied shamelessly. Confidence breeds trust.
"It provides knowledge of items from the ancient civilization... If true, it's incredible."
"Ah. But it's limited knowledge. Nothing about magic that existed in the ancient world."
"Is that the smartphone's ability?"
"It can store items and produce ancient objects at regular intervals."
"...What?"
"'Ancient objects' doesn't mean powerful items. They're just trinkets. Let me show you."
I opened the Playful Life app and pulled an item from my inventory. By the way, others couldn't see the app. Once, in reality, Oh Jun-hyuk caught me fiddling with it without turning on the phone and just called me a drunk.
Thud.
An air conditioner remote fell out of the inventory.
"...What is this?"
"I'm not sure. We'd have to investigate."
Elaine fiddled with the remote and examined it before handing it back.
"Keep this ancient artifact a secret. I'll forget what I saw today. You must be careful too."
Elaine was trustworthy, even if not related by blood. She wasn't the stereotypical wicked stepmother favoring her own children.
In the original, when the eldest and second sons vied for succession, she stayed neutral without favoring Kyle. No wonder the protagonist respected her.
"Yes. Ah, Mother! I have a gift for you."
"A gift?"
"Yes."
It was sooner than planned, but I didn't see an issue. In fact, now felt perfect.
I returned to reality briefly, loaded prepared items into my inventory, then pulled one out onto her desk.
Elaine recognized it immediately.
"A wristwatch?"
A vintage-style women's watch. Cheap market buy, no brand.
But it looked decent.
"Yes. Not a magic clock, though."
"The ancient civilization advanced not just in magic but in engineering, now lost to us. This must be an engineered clock. A precious gift. Thank you."
She didn't seem thrilled.
No surprise—Elaine wouldn't gush over a pretty trinket.
I pulled another item from my inventory.
"...A pretty glass ornament. What's the liquid inside?"
"It's not an ornament. It's perfume."
A sky-blue glass bottle, round-shaped.
Glass was common here, but such artisanal pieces were expensive.
"Perfume from the ancient civilization. I wanted to give it to you, Mother."
"Thank you. How do you use it?"
Now she was intrigued. Born a noble like me, she surely cared about grooming.
"Ah."
She sniffed the jasmine perfume and let out a soft exclamation. Modern perfume at perfect ratios—irresistible.
'Sell outstanding modern goods to make money. That's my brilliant plan!'
With the earnings, I'd buy every mana awakening potion available.
A perfect 120/100 plan.