Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 81
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 81
“Ah, no…!”
It happened before the head butler could stop it.
“Eek!”
Andrie, who had been carrying the clothes, flinched and ducked his head as well, and Elvia, as if even she had never encountered such a situation, hastily covered Lion’s eyes.
Lion, for his part…
‘Ah, so that was the problem?’
He was a little startled, but it was fine.
Of course, he would have been shocked if bare skin had suddenly appeared, no matter how unflappable Lion was—but she had merely removed an outer garment.
The climate here was extremely cold.
Even for training clothes, a single layer was nowhere near enough.
And being training wear, they couldn’t be paper-thin anyway.
He didn’t know for sure, but surely the inside was packed with things like training weights.
“You have many garments to try on; how about changing privately in the dressing room?”
Lion gently pushed Elvia’s hand aside with his index finger as he spoke.
“…”
Clarentia stared at Lion without a single change in her expression.
“The training clothes may be easy to slip on and off, but Andrie has also prepared a great many other items. You would do well to accept the help of an attendant.”
A moment of silence.
Andrie and the head butler broke out in a cold sweat.
Then, a moment later.
“Very well. Then I shall excuse myself for a moment.”
“Of course. We’ll be waiting here.”
Fortunately, Clarentia did not dig in her heels.
No, if anything, she seemed the type to go along with a suggestion once she found it reasonable.
After Clarentia was escorted into the dressing room by her maids,
“…Truly, thank you. And I must apologize on her behalf for the discourtesy, Lord Lion.”
Jasper, the head butler, bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude to Lion.
And wasn’t there a slight catch of emotion that made his voice quaver?
“Our young l— …I mean, Her Ladyship was never such a person before, but… things have… Kh-hm!”
“It’s quite all right. Take your time.”
“Thank you. You are truly kind.”
The head butler dabbed at his eyes and nose with a handkerchief, then spoke as if making an excuse.
Her Ladyship was not an odd person.
She had simply grown a little singular since a painful incident.
“She neglects even her own well-being to toil for the territory! Poor Her Ladyship… how lonely she must be!”
“Indeed.”
Lion sympathized with part of the butler’s words.
Hadn’t Rickshel also been living a lonely life as heir, without a single friend?
In fact, until he began spending time with Lion, Rickshel had done nothing but study without a moment’s rest.
How much worse must it be for Clarentia, who had assumed responsibility for Bydantis?
‘At least Rickshel has a safety net in Grandfather.’
When a person is endlessly busy, the first thing they let go of is self-care.
Because, at the very least, their ability to eat and survive isn’t affected.
‘Though, of course, Lady Bydantis seems to have taken that neglect in a rather unusual direction.’
In any case, that was how it started.
Clarentia was a highly skilled swordswoman, so she could probably endure longer than most.
But what would come next?
‘Even Grandfather was worn down to the point of needing a Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion.’
Exhaustion sets in.
People are bound to grow exhausted.
Lion glanced sidelong at Elvia.
Elvia wore an expression that revealed nothing of what she was thinking.
He suspected she sympathized to some degree.
She, too, would be familiar with that feeling over her long years.
“In that case, what would you have me do?”
“Th-that is…”
The head butler stammered for a moment, as though he had not expected Lion to ask the question so directly.
He was embarrassed, as if his true motives had been seen through.
But what wouldn’t he do for Her Ladyship?
The head butler looked at Lion with a beseeching gaze and spoke.
“Would it be possible for you to have a conversation with Her Ladyship, even just for a few days?”
“Conversation.”
“Yes! For a few days—no, even just two days. If you could remain together with her for that time, might she not… change in some way?”
The head butler himself seemed far from confident, but still.
‘…This head butler has good instincts.’
Why else would the Marquess of Bydantis commission clothes from him and even accompany him to the dwarf village?
It was precisely because she wanted to foster good relations with House Asteri.
“I realize this is asking a great deal… but perhaps you might see your way…”
In truth, it was no great task at all.
To those close to her, and in Lion’s eyes as well, Clarentia plainly needed a friend.
Specifically, a friend named Rickshel.
But would the two of them meeting in their current states result in friendship?
‘Absolutely not.’
Lion knew the personalities of both Rickshel and Clarentia.
‘They’d obviously do nothing but talk shop all day long.’
It would backfire.
And that left aside a number of practical issues.
“Shouldn’t we first hear Her Ladyship’s opinion on the matter?”
Clarentia’s own feelings were the most crucial element.
No matter what dazzling skills Lion possessed, if she refused, there would be nothing more to be done, would there?
Indeed, even the head butler could offer no clear answer on that point.
At that very moment—
“What is this matter that requires my opinion?”
Clarentia emerged, having changed her attire.
She had shed the old training clothes from earlier and now wore her formal uniform, looking decidedly crisp.
Only now did she exude the full air of a high-ranking noble.
“Well, that is…”
The head butler seemed to be struggling with where to begin.
No matter how deeply he cared for the Marquess of Bydantis, an instinctive fear of her was unavoidable.
“I said that I wished to tour your marquisate.”
“You wish to tour it?”
“Yes.”
“For what reason?”
“The terrain here is quite different from the Asteri territory, so I was curious to see what sorts of plants grow here.”
“I see.”
“If you are available, might it be possible for you to guide us, my lady?”
“Yes. You are the eldest son of House Asteri, after all. It would never do if an a-accident were to befall you.”
The head butler did his utmost to frame Lion’s words.
In lieu of an answer, the Marquess of Bydantis fixed her gaze wordlessly on Elvia.
Then she tilted her head as if she did not understand.
‘She sensed Elvia’s strength.’
Lion was impressed inwardly.
The Marquess of Bydantis’s power seemed greater than he had assumed.
‘She really is a Sword Master.’
Even in the meantime, the head butler persisted in his persuasion without pause.
“Her Ladyship also knows these lands better than anyone, and as it happens her schedule is clear, so…”
“Very well. However.”
However?
“Only myself and young Lord Lion Asteri shall go.”
It appeared to be a gesture prompted by wariness of the powerful Elvia.
* * *
Unfortunately, they could not set out immediately.
Just as they were forming a plan of where to go, a knight came running breathlessly to make his report.
“Reporting! A large demon beast is said to have descended as far as the mountainside!”
“I will go.”
The moment the report ended, Clarentia vanished again through the window, and it was the following evening before she reappeared.
“…”
Well, that was to be expected.
A large demon beast was a dangerous beast; the Marquess had no choice but to handle it personally.
However.
“Forgive me, but a report!”
“Hm.”
“Forgive me, but another report!”
“Hm.”
Countless incidents and accidents erupted.
Each time, Clarentia dashed out.
And Lion realized one thing.
At this rate, a year could pass and they would never get outside.
No—forget getting outside; at this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to deliver the necklace.
‘I’ll have to revise the plan drastically.’
Going outside was impossible.
He never knew when Clarentia might bolt off somewhere midway.
In that case.
“Elvia.”
“Hoho. Yes, young master.”
Elvia looked at Lion with an expression that said she already knew precisely why she was being called.
“Could you manage to toil for half a day for me?”
“I shall make sure this pleasant time goes undisturbed.”
“Hm? Thank you.”
Elvia disappeared with a deeply satisfied smile.
‘…’
Why was she so tickled?
At any rate, on to the next step.
Lion went to find the head butler.
“Young master, I have no words to express my…!”
“It’s quite all right.”
Cutting off the butler’s apology the moment he saw him, Lion spoke briskly.
“Could you delay bringing her reports for half a day?”
“Pardon?”
“At this rate, I’m afraid I’ll simply have to return home.”
Without adding any extraneous words, Lion deliberately shook his head as though in a predicament.
“Ah!”
Realizing how much time had slipped away, the head butler, turning pale, insisted he would hold off the reports at any cost.
“Where is Her Ladyship?”
“She is likely asleep at this moment. When there is no official business, she does nothing but sleep as if dead.”
He added that even shaking her awake would do nothing if there was no pending business.
“So even if you go to her room, I suspect it will prove fruitless.”
“I see. Then, before I go to her room, might I stop by the kitchens?”
“Pardon…? The kitchens, you mean? Yes. Certainly.”
Good.
Having secured even this tacit permission from Jasper, there was now no one to obstruct the plan.
Lion stopped briefly by the kitchens to gather a few ingredients, then set off at once.
Before long, Lion and Jasper arrived before Clarentia’s room,
and Jasper cleared his throat and knocked.
“My lady, are you awake?”
Naturally, the door did not open.
Jasper nodded with a regretful expression, and Lion quietly opened the door and entered.
As expected, Clarentia lay supine on the bed, eyes closed, still as death.
The skin under her eyes seemed a shade darker than before.
It was only to be expected—she had been racing about day and night; however extraordinary a Sword Master’s stamina might be, she would surely be tired.
Under ordinary circumstances he would let her rest in peace, but Lion was in something of a hurry.
While the Marquess of Bydantis had been rushing around, he had re-examined the hidden quest.
-Though you can no longer return it to the one who seeks it, would it not be best to put it back where it once belonged?
Where it once belonged.
That meant a location, not a person.
Lion had naturally assumed that meant House Bydantis itself.
So while Clarentia was absent, Lion had diligently explored the marquess’s residence.
He had visited every spot permitted to a guest,
since in a pinch he could
simply leave the necklace and go.
Yet… The quest did not complete.
Which could only mean that the answer was a space Lion had not yet been authorized to enter.
And that place was right here:
the Marquess of Bydantis’s bedroom.
Even Lion had not dared to intrude upon this place recklessly.
But, by a stroke of luck, thanks to Jasper’s help, he had gained entry.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
“…”
Just as he’d thought.
‘She cannot sleep.’
The very idea that a Sword Master could be shaken without waking was absurd.
Clarentia was feigning sleep.
The reason… he could not be certain, not being in her place.
But it was most likely sheer hardship.
Which was why she kept her eyes closed, turning away even the cherished servants and the head butler, Jasper.
Lion gazed at Clarentia with her closed eyelids for a moment, then stepped over to the side table and began producing the ingredients he had prepared.
[Snow Cow Milk (★)]
-Milk from a snow cow that lives only on the white, snowy mountains. Rich and high in fat like fresh cream, but difficult to obtain.
[Melted Couverture Chocolate (★★)]
-Chocolate with almost no added sugar. It contains a full 45 percent cocoa butter!
-It has melted into a thick gloss!
He had no intention of waking her by force, but he suspected curiosity alone would be enough to rouse her.
After all, Lion was planning to enjoy a little picnic right here in the Marquess of Bydantis’s room!