Chapter 6 - The Provisional Sex Slave's Detective Game (Part 2)
Rina hurried toward the eastern pond, just as Nana had instructed. The pond, nestled before the orchard forest, boasted breathtaking scenery. But it lay quite far from the main mansion, a secluded spot rarely visited by anyone.
"Hah... hah... Why is it so far? Mina unnie... Ah, there she is."
Upon reaching the pond, Rina spotted Mina sitting alone on a rock. Dressed in casual clothes, Mina stared blankly at the bracelet on her wrist, lost in deep thought. Her complexion looked poor, as if she were in pain somewhere.
"Mina unnie!"
Rina waved joyfully and rushed over. Mina slowly turned her head at the sound.
"Rina?"
"Hah... hah... Mina unnie, I looked everywhere for you."
"Me? What brings you all the way out here?"
Mina rose from her seat, tilting her head with a haughty expression. She seemed indifferent, but there was a sharp edge to her voice.
"Unnie, you're nobility from the Valtera Kingdom, right?!"
Gasping for breath as she approached, Rina fired off the question with sparkling eyes. Mina looked taken aback by Rina's unusually bold demeanor.
"Wha? Y-Yes... that's true."
"Then do you know about the Flam County?"
"—!"
The moment the name "Flam County" left her lips, Mina's face twisted. She quickly scanned the surroundings, then grabbed Rina's shoulders firmly and whispered harshly.
"Who... who told you that story?"
"Huh? Why, what's wrong, Mina unnie?"
Rina looked flustered by Mina's sharp reaction.
"You're asking because you know you're of Flam County blood, aren't you?"
"Ah, you knew? How did you know, unnie?!"
"...The master told me himself."
Rina's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait, so the master knew all along that I was a lady of Flam County?"
"Why else would he bring a mere prostitute slave's daughter into the house as a gano? Anyway, that's not the point right now. So, who told you?"
Mina glared down at Rina, lowering her voice even further.
"The master issued a strict gag order not to breathe a word of this to you. Don't tell me it was Tsuna?"
"Tsuna unnie knew about my birth too?"
Seeing Rina's innocent reaction, Mina let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, from that response, it wasn't Tsuna. Then who the hell told you?"
The real culprit was the demon Purpur, but Rina could hardly say that out loud.
'I can't just say a demon taught me!'
"The only ones who know are me, Tsuna, the master, the butler, and the eldest young master. So it's down to the butler or Kyle young master—which one?"
"The b-butler and Kyle young master knew too?"
"Yes. So spit it out, Rina."
"I... I can't say!"
As Rina clamped her mouth shut, a tense, complicated silence stretched between them. Mina broke it first, surrendering.
"...Fine. I won't pry anymore about who told you."
"Th-thank you, unnie."
"But you must not let the master find out you know your origins."
Mina's eyes turned icy as she warned her again, sternly.
"But why did the master hide my birth from me?"
"I have no idea what he's thinking."
Faced with Mina's firm attitude, Rina shifted her line of questioning.
"Then why can't he find out I know?"
"Because then he'd suspect either me or Tsuna leaked it to you. Especially Tsuna, with her loose lips—she'd be the prime target."
"And if you're wrongly suspected, what happens to you two?"
"...Who knows, but it won't be pretty. You know the master's vile tastes. Those horrific sex tools."
Rina recalled the bizarre instruments displayed in the viscount's room. Thorny dildos, sharp hooks, grotesque metal rods whose purposes were unimaginable. The terror of being ravaged by them made her hug herself without realizing it.
Watching her, Mina smirked bitterly.
"Looks like even you're scared of them. And the master's got that madness on top of it. If you cross him wrong, you might not survive."
Orpen Viscount's madness. Rina had witnessed an episode herself. Rumor had it that before she became a gano, there was an assassination attempt on the viscount. He survived by the skin of his teeth, but the poison's aftereffects left him mad.
"But hasn't his condition improved lately?"
"That's just an act around you. The way he treats me and Tsuna at night... you can feel it's getting worse."
Mina let out a short sigh, as if reliving last night's horrors.
"Anyway, pretend you don't know until the master tells you himself. Got it, Rina?"
"...Yes, unnie."
"So, what was the original reason you came looking for me?"
Only then did Rina remember her initial purpose.
"Ah! Can I ask questions now? You said earlier I shouldn't."
"What's the point of zipping it now that you know everything? But one more time: keep your mouth shut in front of the master."
"Thank you, Mina unnie. So, can you tell me about Flam County?"
Rina's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"What exactly do you want to know?"
"Everything you know! As much as possible."
"Hmm, where to start..."
Mina began recounting what she knew of Flam County. It was one of the most historic houses in the Valtera Kingdom, granted strong autonomy by the royals for guarding the borders—a true frontier county. True to that, they revered martial prowess across generations, producing renowned knights known across the continent.
"They were especially famous for their secret swordsmanship wielding the power of flames."
"Flames?"
"I've seen it myself—truly beautiful. Like dancing flames trailing the blade."
"Wow...!"
"Well, now that your brother is dead, that glorious lineage is probably severed."
Rina blinked blankly, not grasping it at first.
"Brother?"
"You didn't even know you had one? Well, you were just a baby when the house fell."
"Wait, so I had a real brother?"
Her voice trembled at the sudden revelation.
'I... had a brother.'
Rina clung to Mina, barely containing her churning emotions.
"Do you know more about my brother?"
Mina's expression grew strangely clouded.
"...Damian de Flam. That's your brother's name. Born the heir, he was a sword prodigy from childhood."
For some reason, Mina's eyes grew moist as she spoke.
"I heard tales of him volunteering for the battlefield at just twelve and earning great merits."
"Th-then where is he now?"
"Sorry, but... he's probably dead by now."
The air grew heavy with Mina's calm words.
"Someone with innate talent for flame swordsmanship couldn't hide forever without rumors—if he survived."
"......"
In the solemn silence, Rina confronted her brother's existence and loss all at once, despairing anew. But she soon steeled herself, eyes shining as she looked at Mina.
"I'll keep my brother's story buried in my heart for now. What about my real mother? I'm dying to know her house."
"Lady Flam? Oh, are you thinking of seeking help from your maternal relatives?"
Rina's eyes widened as her thoughts were pierced.
"H-how did you know?"
"Pfft, noble-born slaves all think alike. But drop that plan early. Even if they knew you survived, they'd likely ignore you."
"What? Why?"
Rina's hopes crumbled again at Mina's cold words.
"Your maternal house is Bersian Viscountcy. But they're on the path of a typical fallen noble. And rumors say the house's ruin stems from your mother, Lady Flam."
"My real mother? What did she do...?"
"Who knows—I don't have the details of what happened inside the house."
With even her maternal side no refuge, Rina collapsed to her knees in defeat.
'Ah... nothing's going right. Of course— that's why a count's lady like me ended up a slave.'
Rina recalled Erina's glamorous life that Purpur had shown her. She'd believed she could escape slavery glimpsing that fate, but reality's walls were far sturdier and taller.
Mina looked down at her with complex eyes—pity, empathy, a touch of contempt. At last, she spoke.
"If you get the chance later, subtly ask the butler about Bersian Viscountcy."
"The butler?"
"I hear he's from there. He might offer unexpected help."
A faint spark returned to Rina's eyes at Mina's words—one hope shattered, another thread offered.
"Yes! Thank you, Mina unnie! I won't give up—I'll keep trying."
"But only ask after the master brings up your origins first. Unlike me, the butler will report to the master immediately if he learns you know the secret."
"Got it, unnie. Thank you so much. Um... what house were you from originally, Mina unnie?"
Regret shadowed Mina's face at the question.
"Cervan Barony."
"Such a pretty name."
"Yes... not grand or wealthy, but so peaceful."
Mina gazed into the distance with longing eyes.
"Rina."
"Yes?"
"Don't expect too much. The bigger the hope, the more it hurts when it crumbles."
"...Thanks for the advice, unnie."
Rina couldn't fully empathize with Mina's cynicism, but she etched the words in her heart, grateful for the kindness.
"By the way, tomorrow's the coming-of-age ceremony. Are you prepared to spend the night with the master?"
Rina jumped at Mina's blunt question.
"Ah, right!"
Tomorrow was already the fateful day of the ceremony.