Chapter 108 - Aiseline and Elente (4)
Aiseline and Elente (4)
Translator: XZY
Chapter 108: Aiseline and Elente (4)
***
Elente knew instinctively.
That woman named Aiseline Eleanor Duplein, who was shooting a sparkling gaze with a bright smile while her hands were on her hips, was a vessel who would swallow Derek whole and command the world if left unchecked.
In truth, she couldn't explain to herself what connection there was between getting a little close to Derek and commanding the world, but in any case, the fact that she was a tiger wearing a rabbit's mask was certain.
For him to have left the mansion for a while, and for her to come and get him in person… it was already an extraordinary state of affairs.
Therefore, Elente’s response could be said to be truly appropriate.
“Derek is scheduled to stay at the Belmeade mansion for a while. There is something we at the Belmeade mansion would like to ask of him…”
“Oh dear… is that so… however, Derek-ssi is also strictly the master of a territory, and the final decision-maker of the mansion. The affairs of the Belmeade family, which deals with great undertakings, are of course important, but to neglect and fail to manage one’s own territory is a great shame for a noble.”
Elente guided her to a secluded reception room, brought out expensive tea and refreshments, and then decided to talk things over slowly.
“For now, I think I need to meet Derek-ssi and inform him of the mansion’s situation.”
However, the sound arguments that Aiseline poured out were, from Elente’s perspective, things that were impossible to refute.
It was a question as to why on earth the young lady of the Duplein family was doing something akin to a strategist’s job at the Ravencrow Barony, but if Derek had acknowledged it, there was nothing more to say.
Elente was pressing down on her knees and glancing sideways.
Seeing Elente, who was breaking out in a cold sweat and avoiding eye contact, Aiseline tilted her head.
‘Lady Elente, whom I saw at the Rosea Salon, always seemed confident and noble, but at the main house, she seems more timid than I thought.’
Looking at Elente, Aiseline thought with a bright smile.
‘That gap is truly charming! People who have various facets that are not shown to others are the ones with a mysterious charm!’
To be precise, Elente was intimidated by Aiseline.
Elente had always lived in a subordinate position to Aiseline since the days when Duplein’s power was still intact.
Now, the authority of the family had been greatly surpassed by the Belmeade family, but Aiseline was a girl who had a quality of shining on her own, regardless of her family’s background.
If the world were a story, this girl would surely play the role of the protagonist.
Aiseline was a person who knew how to shine the brightest in any place, to the point where such a thought would unconsciously come to mind.
Looking at Aiseline’s vibrant smile, Elente suddenly cast her gaze down and her expression darkened.
‘Whenever I stand in front of this girl, I feel like a withered rose.’
Elente had always been sitting in the audience, and Aiseline had always been on the stage.
Aiseline Eleanor Duplein was like a lead on the stage, and she had the power to make everyone she met a minor character who only assisted her from the side.
She had tried to overcome her for half her life. The years that had passed had once again stimulated the emotion of inferiority that was coiled in a corner of Elente’s heart.
The quality that Aiseline was born with was a natural gift, so people like Elente, who were heavily stained by the ways of the world, could not easily imitate her, nor could they simply admire her.
Geniuses born with natural talent thus often become the disaster of those who have crawled up from the bottom.
If they were arrogant people who didn't know the sky was the limit, or people full of vanity, she could at least find fault with their character. However, usually, these kinds of people were equipped with a perfect character as well… Elente finally closed and opened her eyes gently.
Since she had everything, it was only natural that she sparkled and shone.
However, if she had so much of everything, wasn't it alright to yield just one thing?
Because it was Elente who had always lived in a subordinate position to Aiseline, this time, a competitive spirit close to obstinacy began to burn again.
Now that she was cornered like this, Elente’s head, on the contrary, began to get hotter.
“Unfortunately, Derek cannot return to the Ravencrow Barony right away, Lady Aiseline.”
“Pardon?”
“Because I intend to propose to him.”
And so the world ended.
<><><>
“The young lady of the Duplein Ducal House has visited the Belmeade mansion. It seems she wishes to meet Sir Derek, would you be able to spare some time?”
“The young lady of the Duplein Ducal House… do you mean Lady Aiseline?”
Briana, a high-ranking retainer of the Belmeade mansion, nodded her head.
Briana, who was said to be a longtime loyal retainer of Lady Elente, was still staring silently at Derek with a blank expression.
Her manner of showing courtesy was strangely more polite than before.
‘Come to think of it, I feel like the servants and retainers of the Belmeade mansion have become more polite to me these past few days…’
Derek rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head for a moment.
The servants or squires who had previously just bowed their heads comfortably to greet him had recently started to bend their waists 90 degrees and offer a deep bow as soon as they saw Derek.
Since Derek was a nominal noble with no power, he could understand that high-ranking retainers of the Belmeade mansion would treat him somewhat comfortably.
Especially, those who were close aides to the Margrave of Belmeade were often old enough to be wrinkled, and the number of people they commanded and their authority were on a level that could not be compared to a nominal baron of the countryside… so they often only showed formal courtesy.
However, these days, even high-ranking retainers at the level of executives or legal officers would bow their heads deeply upon seeing Derek, so Derek, on the contrary, was feeling a sense of incongruity.
Although he had made a contribution of his own to the recent commotion at the Belmeade mansion, he didn't think it was something to be treated to this extent.
“Come to think of it, I have hardly been able to review the work that has been laid out at the Ravencrow Barony. That must be the reason Lady Aiseline came in person. She must have had a hard time coming this long distance.”
“She is waiting in the reception room, so I think you can go now. I will assist you.”
“No. Assistance is… not necessary. I know you are the chief scribe, Briana-ssi, don’t you have a lot of work to do?”
“Wouldn’t it be against reason to let Sir Derek move alone? Please do not feel too burdened.”
As expected, the protocol he was receiving was too excessive for a nominal noble.
Derek caught the atmosphere that seemed to be flowing unusually and thought that he should ask Elente separately.
It was the moment Derek stood up from his seat.
Creek—
The door to Derek’s private room flew open, and Aiseline, her face pale, revealed herself.
He had been told that she was waiting in the reception room, but she had come in person. If he had waited just a little, Derek would have gone to the reception room on his own, so it was to the point of being questionable what was so urgent.
Aiseline, who was making an expression as if she had seen a ghost, saw Derek’s face and swallowed dryly.
“Lady Aiseline. It’s been a while.”
“D-Derek-ssi…”
Aiseline glanced towards the corridor, and then spoke to Briana in a trembling voice.
“I’m sorry. I plan to talk about a top-secret matter of the Ravencrow Barony, so could you please leave us for a moment?”
“Yes? Ah, yes… I understand.”
Since both Aiseline and Derek were people of reliable identity, nothing major would happen if they were left alone.
Briana bowed her head deeply, closed the door, and quickly excused herself.
Aiseline, with her face pale again, opened the window and stuck her head out, then looked around quickly.
And after drawing the curtains, she once again secured the main door, and quietly came and sat opposite Derek.
“D-Derek-ssi. I’m sorry. It’s been a while, but I’m a bit flustered…”
“N-no… what… did you see something you shouldn’t have?”
“No, it’s not that. Derek-ssi. You’ve been at the Belmeade mansion for quite a long time. I came to tell you that it’s about time you returned.”
“Is that so? You could have told me that in a letter, but I’ve made you take a precious step.”
Derek observed Aiseline out of the corner of his eye.
Aiseline, sitting opposite him at the tea table, was fidgeting as if she had ants in her pants, and she really did seem a bit strange.
While he was momentarily contemplating whether it was right to pretend not to notice, or whether it was right to offer a word of concern, Aiseline spoke first.
“If you have no more business at the Belmeade mansion, I-I think it would be better to leave quickly.”
“I haven’t been able to look after the affairs of the Ravencrow territory for a long time. Lady Aiseline must have had a hard time.”
“N-no… that is of course an important matter, but…”
Aiseline, still with a pale complexion, looked around again and whispered.
“Derek-ssi… just… I’ll just say it as it is… if I try to lie clumsily, you’ll see through it right away, Derek-ssi…”
“Is something the matter?”
“C-could you please return to the Ravencrow Barony with me right now? Without asking any questions… just for my sake… I-I didn’t want to be stubborn like this, but…”
Derek felt a great sense of incongruity at the sight of Aiseline speaking while dripping with cold sweat.
To ask him to accompany her without asking any questions. It was the first time that Aiseline, who always considered Derek’s feelings and acted selflessly, had tried to be stubborn like this.
“J-just… don’t ask for the reason…! Please pack your things now and return to the Ravencrow Barony with me… please…?”
Derek swallowed dryly, looking at Aiseline who looked strange at a glance.
It was the first time he had seen Aiseline act so urgently. Since Derek, for his part, was quick-witted, he asked Aiseline with a serious expression.
“Are you perhaps… being threatened by someone, or are you in a situation where an unspeakable secret is being held hostage?”
“Uut…”
At those words, Aiseline shook her head, but her expression was as if she was about to cry at any moment.
It seemed to be an expression that was pleading for him not to probe any further, so Derek did not ask any more.
In fact, there was nothing more for him to do even if he stayed at the Belmeade mansion, and he was about to return even if Aiseline hadn't come.
Since this was the first time Aiseline had been so stubborn since he had gotten to know her, it was not a very difficult thing to go along with her stubbornness for once.
In fact, the expression ‘going along with her stubbornness’ was also subtle. It was because he was going to return from the beginning.
As Derek nodded his head like that, Aiseline shot up from her seat.
“Th-then… shall we pack our things right now?”
“Right now? It would be proper etiquette to at least offer a farewell to the Margrave.”
“Th-that, I’ll leave a letter. I’ll say that a group of monsters has appeared at the Ravencrow Barony, and that we need help right now. I’ll convey it as an important matter where there could be casualties.”
“Is that true?”
“No, it’s not true. Anyway, let’s head to the Ravencrow Barony for now. Please?”
Looking at Aiseline, who was nagging him as if her feet were on fire, she looked as if there was someone chasing her to take away a treasure she was holding in her arms.
Just like that, Aiseline was the first to roll up her sleeves and start packing Derek’s mercenary items into a leather backpack.
Where on earth would a young lady of a ducal house be personally packing and packing such rough items?
However, Aiseline was not the type to care about such things.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lady Aiseline’s expression harden so quickly before…?’
Elente, who had returned to her room after finishing her conversation with Aiseline, felt an unknown thrill welling up in her chest.
It was the sight of the girl named Aiseline, who had not let go of her grace even in the situation where her family was collapsing, had contemptuously had black tea poured on her, and had even been slapped, trembling her pupils with a face completely drained of color.
She had repeatedly asked Elente for the true meaning of the words she had just said, and then, the sight of her hand holding the teacup trembling was truly a spectacle.
“…”
As soon as Elente returned to her room, she had her ladies-in-waiting help her wipe away her sweat, and had her slightly disheveled hair neatly arranged again.
And after throwing a few magic books onto her bed, she sat down next to her resting table and let out a deep sigh.
And then she replayed Aiseline’s expression from the conversation just now.
When Elente said she would take Derek, the sight of that girl, her whole body trembling and suddenly even stuttering.
Wasn’t she a young lady nobler and more brilliant than any other noble young lady Elente had seen… who had never shown a trembling appearance in any discussion of philosophical theses, or in any tea party where political discourse was exchanged?
Looking at that side of Aiseline… she feels as if the disease of inferiority that had been eating away at Elente’s heart for so many years is slowly being erased.
That’s right. If she could hold onto Derek, even that Aiseline would be shaken.
The value of the man named Derek, as defined in Elente’s heart, was becoming more and more bloated.
That, in turn, was the story that the master of Belmeade wanted him.
“Heup.”
Elente sat in a shaded corner of the room and for no particular reason, imagined herself strolling through the Belmeade garden with Derek, then let out an unpleasant laugh before quickly coming to her senses.
It was not right for the young lady of Belmeade, who should always be graceful, to make such a sinister laugh.
However, the wings of imagination had no intention of folding.
The girl was so busy thinking about how to get a grip on Derek with the Margrave of Belmeade that she couldn't even sleep at night.
The Belmeade mansion was entirely Elente’s domain. While he was staying here, she could devise any number of ways to get a grip on him.
“…”
Chirp, chirp, chirp—
And the next morning, Derek was not in the mansion.
He had too much to do to be held down. He was a man like the wandering wind.
There was no way to lock a wind that couldn't even be caught in a cage.
However, he was not the type of person to just disappear without a word. There must have been a tip-off from someone.
‘Aiseline…!’
In front of the empty guest room, Elente had a blazing fire in her eyes.