Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Translator: XZY
Chapter 49: Value (3)
***
Although the mansions of the children of prestigious families were scattered so thickly in the noble district that one could trip over them, it was not easy to properly enter even one of them.
The paradoxical point of this district was that even though it was the most famous place in Ebelstein and an object of envy among the people, it was a place permitted only to a special, select few.
In that sense, Derek, who had been inside all the mansions where the young ladies of the Duplein, Belmeade, and Beltus families resided, was in a truly unique position.
To top it off, he had become a person who could freely come and go from the mansion of the youngest daughter of the Duplein family, who was newly debuting in the social circle, so for a person from the slums, he was enjoying a status that could be considered not just unique, but practically unrivaled.
‘Though it doesn’t really mean much.’
Derek, sitting in the carriage prepared separately by the Beltus family and resting his chin on his hand, was quietly narrowing his eyes as he looked at Diella’s mansion visible from the window.
No matter how magnificent all the mansions of prestigious families were, there was bound to be a difference between a brand-new mansion and one that had weathered the storms of time.
The mansions of those who were making a name for themselves in the social circle, no matter how well-maintained, were bound to show traces of time here and there, but Diella’s mansion possessed a grandeur, a mystique, and a cleanliness all at once.
He could understand why the countless noble young ladies were all tapping their feet, wanting to debut in the social circle.
In the commercial district and the slums, there were countless people who would lick the soles of their shoes if they could be guaranteed even half of that status.
“You came to persuade Lady Diella...?”
“Yes. The Rosea Salon is earnestly hoping for Lady Diella’s admission. Although I belong to the Beltus family for now, it seems they think there will be results if I, who am an old acquaintance of Lady Diella, step forward to persuade her myself.”
Head Butler Delon was also in charge of managing the Duplein main house, but it seemed he thought Diella’s stable social debut was more important right now, as he had come all the way to Ebelstein on a business trip.
Although he sometimes showed an arrogant side, he was fundamentally a loyal and diligent type, so it seemed the Duplein family treated him quite well.
However, his expression did not look very good as he came out to the mansion's main gate to greet me.
“It is true that Lady Diella holds a decent impression of you, but you should be careful about expressing your opinion regarding social circle matters.”
“Is that so? I hadn’t thought it would be a matter to be considered that sensitively.”
Derek got out of the carriage and handed his miscellaneous luggage to a nearby servant.
Most of the servants in Diella’s mansion were those who had been in the annex of the Duplein main house. Since they also knew a certain amount about Derek, they took his luggage without a fuss and quickly carried it inside.
On the Duplein family’s side, Derek received treatment equivalent to that of a distinguished guest. It seemed that the family’s servants were all well aware of that much by now.
“Recently, she has done many things that have drawn quite a bit of attention in the social circle, and she has also made enemies with a few young ladies. As you know, she has a temperament to act rather emotionally, so it is a difficult situation for the vassals to offer their counsel.”
“What kind of counsel, specifically?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? A young lady of the Duplein family is fundamentally expected to know how to mingle smoothly with the people of the social circle. However, she is a person with such a clear sense of self, so it is a difficult time to offer an opinion.”
Derek listened to Delon’s words as they entered the front of the mansion together.
It seemed that although Diella had acquired a minimum of social skills as time passed, she had not completely abandoned her high-nosed temperament.
The servants he encountered as he entered the mansion all showed worried expressions.
It seemed that many people who had tried to persuade Diella or offer their counsel had met with failure. He could get a rough idea just from the servants’ reactions.
“To be honest, I don't think that even you can change Lady Diella's mind. Lady Aiseline, who initiated this, must have been in a state of grasping at straws.”
“Still, it is an unusual event. For the Beltus family to permit a business trip all the way to the Duplein family, it is not a common occurrence, is it?”
“Indeed. It seems Lady Denise is generous in these matters.”
In truth, Denise was already prepared to grant whatever the Duplein family requested.
Having no way of knowing such details, Head Butler Delon expressed his genuine wonder as it was.
After following him for a while, he could see the entrance to a reception room guarded by numerous maids. It was obvious that Diella would be inside.
Derek brushed off the dust from various parts of his mercenary attire and readjusted his cloak. No matter how much she was a former disciple, he had to show a minimum of courtesy when meeting a noble young lady alone.
“Please conduct yourself well so as not to be greatly harmed. Just do what you can.”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you for your consideration.”
Derek respectfully showed his courtesy to Delon and knocked on the large wooden door.
— Knock, knock.
“C-Come in!”
A reply came back, with a strange emphasis in the middle.
When Derek opened the door and entered confidently, Diella was sitting on the other side of the reception room sofa, beautifully dressed in a black and white monotone dress.
<><><>
“You’ve grown a bit taller. And you’ve become more beautiful.”
“R-Really? Derek, you’ve learned to say such flattering words. I guess it’s true what they say about you frequenting the noble circles.”
“It’s not particularly a flattering remark. It’s good to see you again in Ebelstein.”
— Let’s meet again in Ebelstein.
After parting so cleanly with the childhood Diella, both Derek and Diella had gone through many experiences.
In particular, Derek had become much more knowledgeable about the culture of the noble circles compared to when he had first entered the Duplein family as a teacher.
It was something he had embodied by clashing with nobles several times in person.
In Diella’s eyes, that appearance seemed even more mature, making the fact that she was seeing him after a long time feel all the more real.
Derek, guided by the servants, handed over the cloak he wore as an outer garment and sat down on the opposite side of Diella, dressed in his mercenary attire of a leather vest and cotton tunic.
The scent of high-quality tea spread on the low tea table was filling the reception room.
‘Why, why is he so tall...?’
Diella had trained in magic by herself for several years, but she had never forgotten Derek even once.
That connection, which had come suddenly one day like a bolt of lightning, had changed Diella’s life from the ground up.
Now, Diella was spoken of as a figure as influential as Aiseline within the Duplein family. At the very beginning of all that was this magic teacher named Derek.
Having achieved this much, one would expect him to puff out his chest or show some sign of arrogance before the Duplein family, but this magic teacher named Derek was, as always, just calm with an indifferent expression.
That was the strange thing about this mercenary-turned-magic-teacher. He was only faithful to his duties; the greedy gaze or the overflowing ambition for success, characteristic of commoners dealing with nobles, could not be felt from him.
Because that appearance of his was so impressive, Diella had always stored away the times she had spent with Derek in a corner of her memory.
However, even that was, in fact, just an old memory.
‘B-Before, I think the difference was about half a handspan... I guess since he’s a man, he shoots up every year? A-At this rate, I look too much like a kid, don’t I?’
When Diella learned magic from Derek, his age was a mere sixteen.
His growth rate, now finishing his boyhood and entering his youth, could not be the same as Diella’s, who had just finished her childhood.
The height difference was already well over a handspan, so at the sight of Derek looking more dependable than she had thought, Diella couldn’t help but be flustered at first.
However, in his characteristic red eyes, which she had seen in his boyhood, Derek’s impression still remained.
No matter what anyone said, this man was indeed the magic teacher who had taken in the Diella whom everyone had given up on back then.
“I am also truly happy to hear that you have become the mistress of such a splendid mansion. All I did was teach you a bit of 1-Star magic, so it’s not like I can say I contributed much.”
“N-No... it was quite helpful. But I heard you’re teaching magic at the Beltus family now...”
“Yes. For the time being, I plan to help Lady Denise with her magical achievements.”
“Did you go because you wanted to, Derek?”
“The Beltus family did make the request first, but the conditions were not bad, so I accepted.”
To be precise, the bigger reason he accepted was because the Beltus family was the only one he had no connection with.
However, there was no reason to explain all of that to Diella. There was no need to reveal the fact that Derek was trying to walk a line between the three great families.
“I-I see...”
The servants, who were already standing with their heads bowed demurely on the outskirts of the room, were dumbfounded.
The teacher who had taught magic at the Duplein family had moved over to the Beltus family to play the role of a teacher, looking only at the conditions.
They thought that Diella, with her personality, would not stay still if she found out that fact. This was because she held great pride in the fact that she was a young lady of the Duplein family.
However, Diella was only looking down awkwardly.
At that sight, the maids had to bite their lips hard to somehow endure the urge to have their eyeballs pop out.
Who in the world was that demure and gentle girl sitting over there?
The maids who had assisted her for the past few years could only blink their eyes. Only the maids who had served her for a long time since her time at the Duplein main house were nodding their heads as if they understood.
“T-The Duplein family has good conditions too.”
“Yes. They offered conditions that were too generous for me, but as you well know, Lady Diella, Lady Aiseline is not someone who needs teaching, is she?”
“T-That’s true. My sister is a bit too perfect.”
“Just in time, I heard that Lady Denise was sluggish in her magic mastery, so I decided to lend her a hand for now. No matter who I teach, I must teach someone for whom my lessons are of value, mustn't I?”
“Then what about me?”
“...Pardon?”
At the words that suddenly cut in, Derek asked back for a moment.
“No, I’m debuting in the social circle soon too... After the debutante, I’ll need a personal tutor, so I’m asking if you have any intention of teaching me.”
“If it’s you, Lady Diella, I would be the one to feel apologetic. I am grateful that you have made the offer.”
“Really?!”
Diella, whose face instantly brightened as she shot up from her seat, suddenly realized she had raised her voice without any dignity, and quickly caught her breath and sat back down.
And after clearing her throat a few times, Diella spoke hesitantly.
“N-No... know that it’s an honor. It just so happens that Derek has been proven as a teacher, and we’re also old acquaintances... In fact, magic teachers who want to teach me are lined up.”
“Of course, there must be plenty of people who are desperate for a position as a teacher of the Duplein family. However, as you know, my contract with the Beltus family has not ended yet.”
“...”
“The rules of the noble circles are all set, are they not? At the very least, as a commoner, I am not permitted to cast aside something I have promised.”
At Derek’s words, Diella’s expression darkened a notch. Derek was indeed right.
Unlike Diella, who was a young lady of the Duplein family, Derek was thoroughly a commoner. If he had exchanged a contract directly with the Grand Duke of Beltus, he would never be permitted to break it and leave the family.
However, no one knew when that contract would end.
Diella felt her chest tighten. Even though Derek was right in front of her, he was caught in the grasp of that cunning Lady Denise, and she could not bring him into the fold of the Duplein family.
“Then, it means I just have to end the contract with the Beltus family in some way, right?”
“Pardon?”
“Anyway, since you said you have the intention of teaching me too, Derek, I’ll try to resolve it on my end.”
Derek observed Diella’s expression for a moment.
Although she was a person who acted like a gentle lamb in front of him, she had by no means abandoned that tyrannical temperament.
She was truly prepared to confront Denise once.
No matter how much she was a young lady of the Duplein family, it would not be an easy task to set up a confrontation with one of the three most influential young ladies of the Rosea Salon.
However, she was a person who would not shy away from that much for the sake of her goal.
“Would it be possible for you to maintain an amicable relationship with the Rosea Salon?”
At that moment, Derek cut in and spoke.
As soon as those words fell, the surrounding servants all swallowed dry gulps of saliva and tensed up.
It was a counsel that numerous vassals and lower-ranking nobles had come to offer, but most had been met with a scolding.
A follower of Lady Denise even had wine poured on her head. It was a statement that directly prodded Lady Diella’s reverse scale.
“The Rosea Salon?”
“Yes. To be honest, before considering the unwritten rules of the prestigious families, there is a personal request mixed in as well. I have personal ties with the people of the Rosea Salon, so if you, Lady Diella, were to set up a confrontation, I would be in a situation where I would have to take one side.”
“Y-You’re not going to take my side?”
“I will speak with conviction. If you were to ask me to weigh between a group where all the young ladies of the three great families are gathered and you alone, Lady Diella, how could I, a mere commoner, not be swayed by the greater cause? It is the way of the world that a weak commoner has no choice but to be scattered by a great wind.”
At this point, even Head Butler Delon could not help but swallow a dry gulp of saliva.
He knew that the man named Derek was a person who always spoke with conviction, but he had not thought he would pour out such a statement in front of the wild-animal-like Diella.
No matter how right the argument was, it is not easy to openly say that it would be difficult to take someone’s side.
Diella’s anger does not always follow reason and rationality. In fact, not just Diella, but the inherent emotions of humans were always like that.
No one knew what kind of harm one might suffer for making such a conviction-filled statement.
However, Derek spoke steadfastly without changing his expression.
And at Diella’s following reaction, the servants all had to struggle not to fall backward in disbelief.
“I-I see...?”
“...”
“B-But why is Derek making such a request?”
“Wouldn’t it be too unfortunate if a distance were to form between us over something like this, Lady Diella? In any case, you were the first person I taught, and I personally received a lot from you. Since I have received much grace, I would like to maintain an amicable relationship with you personally, Lady Diella.”
“It’s the same for me. Yes, if I bare my teeth at the Rosea Salon, you would be in a difficult position too, Derek. Hmm... Hmmm....”
Diella was crossing her arms and groaning.
Where in the world had that tyrant, who would dismiss and chase away anyone who spoke, gone?
Not only the servants but even Head Butler Delon seemed to have not expected this situation, as they could only look back and forth between the two faces.
“A-Alright. I’ll try.”
“Thank you very much for your consideration.”
Who in the world could put a leash around the neck of this lioness who tried to command the entire world?
In fact, that answer was not so far away.
<><><>
[ Admission Application ]
Diella Catherine Duplein
The three young ladies who came to the next meeting of the Rosea Salon were quietly looking at the document placed on the round table between them.
On it was the salon admission application from Diella, whom not only the young ladies of the three great families but even her own sister, Aiseline, had been unable to persuade.
It was something Derek, who had separately visited Diella’s mansion a few days ago, had received himself.
“...”
Elente was so dumbfounded that she had to check the authenticity of the document for a moment.
However, the seal of the Duplein family stamped on the application was not something that could be easily forged.
When she glanced at Aiseline out of the corner of her eye, Aiseline herself was wearing a somewhat dumbfounded expression, and as for Denise, she was swallowing a dry gulp of saliva.
“What in the world did he do for a document like this to even exist...?”
No one could offer a clear answer to Elente’s words.
Diella was a person who harbored a sky-piercing arrogance and a tyrant-like dogmatism, but she had a tendency to prostrate herself before Derek’s words alone.
Now that they knew that fact, they had no choice but to assign a new meaning to the value of that white-haired mercenary.
In fact, all the magic teachers circulating in the social circle were like that.
There was a reason why they were all desperate to have renowned figures as their disciples.