The Provisional Sex Slave's Detective Game (1)
The day after meeting Purpur, Rozette received a harsh scolding from Orpen Viscount. And Rina, citing her injuries, was granted special leave for the duration until the coming-of-age ceremony.
According to Tsuna, Orpen Viscount was counting the days until Rina's ceremony.
'He wants to ravage me in my prime condition, something like that? Disgusting. Still, I should make good use of this vacation.'
Vacation or not, it just meant staying cooped up in the estate, but it was perfect for sorting out her thoughts.
The first day or two, she was on edge, anxiously waiting for Purpur to reappear, but fortunately, nothing like that happened.
Starting on the third day, just as she'd boldly declared to Purpur, Rina began investigating her own identity herself. More precisely, about the Flam family.
First, she wheedled permission to access the study from Orpen Viscount with some coquettish pleading. Then, she practically lived in the study, rummaging through mountains of books in search of information on the Flam Count family.
But finding what she wanted was no easy task. The viscount's private study wasn't a proper library to begin with, so the materials were limited, and detailed books on noble houses from the foreign kingdom of Valtera were rare.
Still, heaven must have been on her side—there was some payoff. She found a single book containing clues about the Flam Count family.
The title was Records of Fallen Houses.
Rina set up camp in a corner of the study and pored over the book meticulously, not missing a single detail. She carefully transcribed the key findings onto scraps of paper she'd brought along.
"Think I've got all the important stuff down?"
Rina scanned the memo she'd labored over.
[Flam Count Family]
Ancient frontier count house of the Valtera Kingdom. The outbreak of the Fourth Empire-Valtera War was triggered by the belligerent show of force from the last family head, Count Leonhart de Flam.
Following Valtera Kingdom's defeat in the war, territories north of the Hasidra Mountains—including Flam County—were ceded to the Empire.
Valtera Kingdom stripped the titles of the Flam Count family and certain other nobles, blaming them for the defeat. The direct bloodline of the Flam Count family, including the count of that era, is presumed extinct during the war.
As expected, in the world Rina lived in, the Flam family had already been destroyed.
'The fateful turning point Purpur mentioned is probably the Fourth Empire-Valtera War.'
Defeat in the war, followed by stripping of titles. The situation was the worst.
The Flam Count family had already vanished into history, so even if Rina proved her noble bloodline, escaping slavery seemed hopeless.
It would be great if she had some relatives left to turn to for help, but the direct line was already wiped out.
She'd thought she'd grasped a chance to overturn her fate, but the reality staring her in the face was brutally cruel. It was like dangling the bait of hope without letting her grab it.
"This is getting me down…."
Rina shook her head vigorously to shake off the surging helplessness.
"No, I can't give up like this. Let's set some concrete goals first."
Rina jotted down her objectives one by one on the back of the memo paper.
"1. Find my biological mother's family. That's the top priority."
The book noted that Rina's biological mother, the countess of Flam, was from an imperial noble family. That was Rina's maternal line.
Rina believed seeking help from her maternal family could be the key to escaping slavery.
But the book didn't specify the family name. The author had probably omitted names of surviving houses to avoid offending current nobles.
"Damn it! That petty little author. What's so hard about writing down one family name?!"
Rina vented by tossing the book to the floor.
"Haa… Still, it says her beauty was renowned in the imperial south, so asking around might turn up something quick."
The Orpen Viscount family was also in the imperial south. Surely someone in the estate remembered the Flam countess.
"Next… Uncover why Mom Rebecca hid my birth."
Rina had initially thought Rebecca became a changno just to support her. But on second thought, choosing the lowest rung as a prostitute while hiding her origins was suspicious.
Even in the slave world, bloodline mattered. Rina was despised by Rozette as a changno's spawn, but noble-born slaves fetched sky-high prices and better treatment. Slave society had its own strict hierarchy.
Pricier for purer blood, better perks too. All palace slaves were noble-born, for example.
Yet Rebecca took the most reviled path as a changno. Even as a noble bastard, her role as a vassal in another fate showed she'd had proper education. Revealing her status could've landed her a prime gano spot in a noble house.
But Rebecca chose silence, raising Rina while hiding her identity. There had to be a fatal reason forcing her to conceal it.
"Noble-born slave… Wait! Didn't Mina-unnie say she was from Valtera Kingdom nobility?"
The orange-haired fellow gano popped into Rina's mind.
Mina. With her orange locks and green eyes, she was one of the gano who shared Orpen Viscount's favor alongside Tsuna and Rina.
Her noble arrogance kept her distant from Tsuna's warmth, but their shared lot meant frequent chats.
"Ugh… you idiot! Why'd it take me this long to remember? Yeah, she definitely said she was Valtera nobility."
Rina clawed at her hair in self-reproach.
As Valtera nobility, Mina might know something about the Flam family.
"Gotta ask her right now."
Rina burst out of the study door.
Guessing where Mina might be as she hurried along. Judging by the sun, it was just past noon. Non-duty seongnoye were usually napping in their quarters.
Rina headed to the women's gano dorm and knocked urgently on Mina's door.
Knock knock.
"Mina-unnie, it's Rina! I have something important to tell you!"
But no response from inside.
Rina knocked again, still silence.
Then the neighboring door flew open roughly, revealing a black-haired, red-eyed woman.
"Who the hell is making this racket during my precious morning nap? What? You again, you red-haired little brat?"
Sina. Exclusive gano to the second son, Edwin.
Evidently roughed up by Edwin last night, bruises dotted her body. Half-asleep in her underwear, she crossed her arms and glared daggers at Rina.
"Why're you looking for Mina-unnie? Master call her or something?"
"Nah, just personal business."
"Then come back later. She's not in her room. Don't wake the dead."
Sina snapped curtly, annoyed.
But Rina stood firm.
"You're close with Mina-unnie, right? Know where she is now?"
Sina, also noble-born slave, hung out with Mina often.
"I know, but why tell you? You look like the type to bother someone resting."
"I won't bother her!"
"…Then spill what it's about first. You two aren't even that close."
"…We are! And I can't go into details, but it's nothing bad, so please tell me!"
Sina's brows twisted viciously.
"Hey, you red-haired brat! Is that how you beg? Think you're some noble? Acting all high and mighty when you're just a changno brat?!"
Rina, already sensitive about her origins, hit her limit.
"No, why do you always talk like that?! What'd I even do?!"
"That shitty attitude and mouth of yours, that's what!"
"Then what's your mouth, full of manners? You started picking on me!"
"Keep pushing it and… you need a good spanking today, huh?"
"Hmph, go ahead if you dare!"
As Sina's hand swung down through the air, the door opposite burst open.
"Ow, so noisy nyaang. Trying to sleep my sweet nap, why all the commotion nyaang?"
Out stepped a blue-haired beastkin in just panties. The cat beastkin gano with her signature speech.
Rubbing sleepy eyes, she limped over.
"Black cat, mind your own and go back to bed."
"Sina, how'm I s'posed to sleep with you yelling like that nyaang?!"
"Nana-unnie?"
"Huh? Fighting with Rina nyaang? But why are you two fighting nyaang?"
Nana. Exclusive cat beastkin gano to the eldest son, Kyle.
His annex was away from the main house, so Rina only exchanged greetings in passing—acquaintances at best.
"This bitch begs like a total jerk."
"When did I?! If anything, your attitude's the problem!"
"Enough, enough nyaang. Explain slowly what happened nyaang."
Rina detailed the clash to Nana: looking for Mina, Sina hiding her location and hurling insults.
Sina bristled before Rina even finished, spewing more filth.
Nana calmly soothed Sina and spoke to Rina.
"Sina, calm down nyaang. Rina, if it's Mina, she's probably by the east pond nyaang. She goes there a lot lately—nice and quiet nyaang."
"Really? Thanks, Nana-unnie!"
Rina bowed brightly, earning a betrayed glare from Sina at Nana.
"Hey, traitor black cat! Why tell her? Never trust beasts, like I say."
"She'd just keep bugging if I didn't, better tell and shoo nyaang. You need sleep before Edwin-young master's evening anyway, right nyaang?"
"It's not getting hit, it's getting loved!"
Nana mischievously pressed the bruise on Sina's belly.
"Aack♡! Hurts! What the hell?!"
"Nyahaha~ Screaming like that, what kinda love is it nyaang? How twisted do you gotta be to enjoy whippings nyaang?"
"Shut up! Don't wanna hear it from you, getting stuffed by pig dick every night."
"Try it sometime nyaang. Tough at first, but that pressure's art later nyaang. I'll pick a gentle one special nyaang."
Rina's face burned beet red at their explicit banter.
"A-anyway, thanks Nana-unnie. I'll head to Mina-unnie now."
"Bye nyaang. Bring tasty fish when you come back nyaang~"
"Hey, red-haired brat! Don't bother Mina-unnie. And watch your manners."
At Sina's jab, Rina paused mid-stride, something clicking. She turned back, eyes sparkling innocently—no trace of earlier anger.
"Wait, Sina-unnie, you're noble-born too, right?"
"Uh, wha? Y-yeah?"
"Then were you Valtera nobility?"
"No, I'm from Rev Kingdom?"
"Oh, useless then. Thanks for answering anyway. Bye."
Sina blinked blankly, processing Rina's words long after she left.
"Useless? That, that insolent bitch!"
"Sina, hold it nyaang. Rina's always like that nyaang. Sleep for tomorrow's duties nyaang!"
Nana desperately restrained Sina as she lunged in excitement.
Today, too, the seongnoye of Orpen Viscount's estate spent a relatively peaceful, harmonious day in their own way.