Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Listening Device
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‘I wonder what he wants to say to me~.’
The conductor had felt like he was floating on air throughout the entire performance.
Not only had he been invited into the Rudelriz estate, but he was even granted a private audience with the Count. If not for the secrecy oath, he would have bragged about it to the whole world. What a shame.
‘Hmm, perhaps he heard that I’ve always felt infinite gratitude and admiration for the Count?’
But the moment he stepped into the study, the conductor sensed something was off as the Rudelriz family butler approached him with a grave expression.
The butler retrieved something from the spot the Count had pointed to.
It was an incredibly thin chain, so fine that one wouldn’t notice it without close inspection—and it had just been plucked from the collar at the nape of his neck.
“You must have been quite curious about how I’ve been doing.”
The conductor stared blankly at the object in the Count’s hand.
At first, he had no idea what it was, but when the Rudelriz butler asked, “Is this a listening device?” and the Count nodded, his vision went white.
Yet the Count, showing no surprise, spoke directly to the chain, addressing whoever might be listening.
“I figured you might try something like this. Consider it a good opportunity.”
The voice slipping from his lips, though not directed at him, made the conductor’s legs give out.
The conductor collapsed to his knees with a thud.
Without even glancing at him, the Count said firmly,
“You’ll meet soon enough anyway. Find them. On the day we meet again… I’ll make you pay for today’s rudeness in full. Wait for it.”
The Count crushed the listening device in his hand.
Crack—
That tiny sound rang in the conductor’s ears like thunder.
“…….”
After handing the broken chain back to the butler, the Count stared into empty space with an astonishingly emotionless face, restraining his feelings.
Once his thoughts seemed sorted, he ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze to the conductor slumped on the floor, moving to the next step.
“Grenji, the conductor…….”
But Mayches couldn’t continue.
The conductor had thrown himself prostrate before him, sobbing loudly.
“H-H-H-Heeeek! Count! I-I-I-I don’t know anything!”
Startled by the conductor’s booming voice, Mayches flinched. He hurriedly checked the closed study door.
The sobbing conductor reached out with both hands, trying to grab Mayches’ pant leg. Naturally, Mayches stepped back to evade.
“H-H-Huuuuh!”
“No…….”
But when another loud cry erupted from the conductor’s mouth, Mayches quickly stepped forward and offered his leg without resistance.
Unaware of Mayches’ expression—that he was growing numb in real time—the conductor clung to his leg like a lifeline.
The conductor knew.
In this situation, there was almost no way to prove his innocence, most nobles wouldn’t bother with such a hassle, and just being implicated would cost him his head.
Still, he couldn’t do nothing, so he clung desperately.
“Count, I really don’t know anything! Please… please show mercy……!”
“Ah, I get it, so be quiet and stand up.”
“I was just used……! How could I ever betray you, my lifesaver……!”
“I said be quiet and stand up. Hurry…….”
“H-H-Huuuh… I’m truly completely uninvolved in this…….”
At that moment, a rough noise came from the study door behind the conductor, where his back was turned.
It sounded as if someone had pressed down on the doorknob with their full weight.
Click!
In a flash, Mayches grabbed the conductor’s collar from behind and yanked him up.
“Smile.”
Mayches whispered urgently.
“Y-Yes?”
“Smile, now!”
A trembling voice came from behind them.
“…Oppa?”
“Yeah, Aiel!”
Pretending to pat the conductor’s shoulder, Mayches steadied the staggering man.
Grenji hurried over and supported the conductor’s other shoulder.
Arm-in-arm with the conductor in a friendly manner, Grenji pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.
The conductor stood there holding it, and Grenji pointed first to the handkerchief, then to the conductor’s face with his index finger. Poke, poke.
The conductor wiped his face as instructed.
From behind them came the trembling voice again.
“I… I just heard something, Oppa.”
Only after cleaning his face could the conductor turn to see the voice’s owner.
A pale-faced young lady stood before them, wearing a simple white dress with a loose fit and minimal decoration.
The conductor easily recalled her name—she looked just like the Count.
The Count’s younger sister, Lady Aiel Rudelriz.
The Rudelriz family’s blemish, the one remaining family member that the Count—who had lost everyone else—was grudgingly trying to fix amid his tears……
Separate from the Count’s fame in Ilenaias, mentions of his sister were scarce.
To be precise, they were hushed up.
‘That obsession and hatred for that vegetable is something else! Even if he doesn’t like it, it’s all he has left, so he can’t throw it away, and the weird resentment just keeps piling up.’
‘Who knows, if that lady ever wakes up again… blood winds will blow through the estate.’
There had been terrifying testimonies from servants who fled the Count’s household like refugees during the time he was infamous as a wastrel.
Later, when the Count’s honor was restored and rumors about him resurfaced—from his personality, his attitude, to tales of tormenting the servants—everything was clarified.
Strangely, though, no new stories about his sister emerged.
Well, one thing did.
At an imperial banquet, when someone praised the tale of Panraia and mentioned his sister in connection with it, the Count—who had been wearing a bored, expressionless face—grew terrifyingly icy in an instant.
With that gossip, high society’s guideline was set.
Family can be a stranger thing than strangers for some people, so best not to get involved.
And now, that ghostly figure—the Count’s sister—was shuffling toward them hesitantly.
“Oppa… I took a short nap just now and had a nightmare?”
The conductor’s face drained of color at this terrible timing. Fresh tears welled up.
‘Why now of all times! Even if the Count’s in a good mood, it’s touch-and-go whether he’ll spare me, and now this mood-ruiner shows up! I’m really done for—’
“Our Aiel had a nightmare?! You must be even more tired. Why not sleep a bit more…….”
“Oppa, I’m not done…….”
“…Yeah!”
Done for?
The conductor looked at Mayches with wide eyes full of question marks.
Hiding that something had gone seriously wrong, Mayches plastered on an exaggeratedly gentle smile.
“I can’t say what the dream was, but it was really scary. The kind where something bad happens while I’m asleep…….”
“Yeah. I see…….”
The conductor rubbed his eyes and cautiously shifted his gaze to Lady Rudelriz, standing opposite the Count.
“When I woke up, I felt so relieved. Like, that couldn’t possibly happen, thank goodness… But then, suddenly, I heard weird noises from the next room.”
The lady took one step, then another, trudging toward the Count.
“I wondered what it was, so I opened the door and came in, and oh, someone’s sobbing? …And in front of him is my oppa? Am I… still not fully awake from the dream? Oppa, did you… bully this person?”
That’s exactly what he was doing now. In his mind, Mayches was shaking the conductor—who had blown everything up—by the collar.
But outwardly, he smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“What are you talking about, Aiel? Bully him? You know I’m not that scary.”
“Explain it more specifically…….”
Aiel said without even blinking her wide eyes.
“Don’t worry, Aiel. It’s nothing! Just…….”
Naturally, Mayches had no intention of telling Aiel about listening devices or anything to worry her.
Mayches hemmed and hawed as much as he could.
“I… said I liked the performance… and he got… emotional?”
“…….”
Aiel drew in a breath to bounce in disbelief at the absurd lie, but Grenji immediately bowed toward her.
Grenji whispered into Aiel’s ear.
“The Imperial Orchestra’s conductor is a man of tremendous pride. He’s so delicate, so sensitive, treating music and himself as one—a splendid artist. It seems that’s the sensibility needed to lead the Imperial Orchestra, milady.”
‘Huh, is that so……?’
Mayches didn’t hear Grenji’s whisper, but when Aiel’s eyes wavered, he seized the moment.
“Isn’t that right, Conductor? I said I liked the performance.”
The conductor, still clueless and rolling his eyes, had the wits to chime in.
“Hearing it again brings tears to my eyes…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Aiel’s facial muscles relaxed, and she beamed.
“Oh, I see! And here I was thinking what it could be!”
‘Well, it was such a ridiculous lie, no wonder. Mayches is so smart. Truth is often stranger than fiction like this!’
Aiel still hadn’t realized that Mayches occasionally glitched when she gave him that strange look.