Let's Woo the Mother and Daughter of the Duke's Family
Let's Woo the Mother and Daughter of the Duke's Family
Four days have passed since I started staying at the Denius Duchy.
And I had been wandering around the ducal castle without much purpose other than reciting love poems and expressing affection whenever I met the Duchess and the Young Lady.
Well, to be honest, it's not like I had no purpose at all...
Actually, if I just keep the three villainesses in check, it was safe to say that the original heroine, Sereniel, wouldn't face any hardships that could be called such.
No, rather, if I handle the villainesses well, the Northern Grand Duke or the Magic Tower Master, who usually end up in the sub-male lead position supporting the heroine only to be dumped, could live their own happy lives.
'...Wait, really? Wow, damn, now that I think about it, I'm doing such a good deed... No, wait, that's not it.'
The conversation went off-track, but anyway, for that reason, if possible, I wanted to learn magic directly from Mirea Denius, one of only three 6th-circle Archmages on the continent, including the Magic Tower Master.
If I'm going to live a second life in a fantasy world, huh? I should learn at least one thing—magic, spirit arts, aura, alchemy, whatever.
Of course, compared to a life of being pushed around at work and at home, playing the role of a kept man in a medieval ducal family?
That alone was more than enough, but...
"Still, I can't give up on magic."
Anyway, for that reason, I was prowling around the ducal library today, thinking I might try self-study even if I couldn't learn directly from the Duchess.
"...Huh?"
I spotted Rihel Denius in the corner, reading a grimoire under the warm afternoon sunlight.
"...Hick!!"
The Young Lady, who made eye contact with me at the same time, gave a big jolt and let out a wheezing sound.
Then, she hurriedly clutched the pile of parchment she had spread out on the table to her chest.
Like a fawn encountering a hunter, she jumped up from her chair and turned toward the exit.
But unfortunately for her, my footsteps—honed by desperately sharpening my wits and agility to survive in the cutthroat competitive world of the modern era—were a little faster.
Tap—!
"Even the dazzling afternoon sunlight seems to lose its way and wander before your brilliant beauty, Young Lady. May I ask what you were doing all alone in this quiet library?"
I instantly blocked her path as she tried to run away, flashing the most gentle and sweet smile in the world.
"Ugh..."
Seeing me right in front of her, Rihel-yang instinctively stepped back, slowly increasing the distance between us.
An overt look of disgust, as if she had seen the most terrible filth in the world.
However, I didn't miss the faint peach-colored blush slowly blooming on her snow-white cheeks.
"It seems you intend to push me away no matter what... but even if you can control your gaze and gestures, you can't help it when shyness colors your cheeks, which are like blank canvases."
"What the hell... Haa."
She rolled her eyes as if calculating the timing to shake me off and run away, but soon, realizing she couldn't escape, she let out a sigh from the depths of her soul and trudged back to her original seat, plopping down.
"...My four circles have entered a stable phase. I was just reading through the old records my mother left behind to aim for the 5th circle."
With a blunt reply, she carefully spread the old diary-style grimoire back on the table.
Then, she began to manifest magic while stroking the surface of the book very slowly.
"Oh..."
I stared blankly at what was real magic, admiring it, then quickly racked my brain.
If I could just pour out honey-coated words into the ears of this thorny cotton-candy-like villainess right now, wouldn't I be able to at least lick the edges of the real magic I'd always admired whenever I read fantasy novels?
'Wow, I think I'm a genius.'
I cheered inwardly, quietly pulled out the chair opposite Rihel, and sat down as naturally as if it had been my seat all along.
"...Ahem, as expected of the talented Young Lady who carries the best bloodline in the Empire. This humble man dares to send praise for your great and noble achievement."
"That's enough, if you have no business here, why don't you leave? You're interrupting my mana training."
"But I am merely lamenting my weak position, having to look up at your dazzling flight from the very bottom."
"Ah, damn it, what are you even saying—!!"
I lightly covered her mouth as she was about to shout something, and squeezed out a voice that sounded like I was about to shed sorrowful tears.
"Shh!"
"What kind of bullshit are you trying to say again..."
"I, too, wish to share even a tiny bit of the knowledge of the great Duchess and you, Young Lady. Because I do not want to remain a weak man who hides behind your pitiful backs and begs for his life when disrespectful people who dare to threaten the glory of Denius appear in the future."
"What, what kind of crazy bastard is this...!!"
Seeing Rihel's eyes shaking wildly in shock, I began to pour out lines I'd learned from reading extra romance novels over the past four days—lines that made me cringe just hearing them.
"With my two arms, with the beating of my heart, I want to become a powerful man who can protect the Duchess and you, Young Lady, most safely. So that I may fully shoulder the heavy threats that weigh down your slender shoulders, won't you please make me your first disciple and eternal shield?"
A passionate courtship perfectly blended with sincerity, ulterior motives, a desperate will to survive, and a bit of shamelessness.
Not stopping there, I leaned my body a little closer to the table and cast a passionate gaze toward her.
"Please, I beg you to understand this deep, deep desperation of mine."
"You, you are really... a-are you actually crazy!?"
"That is correct. I think I've gone crazy over your atmosphere, Young Lady."
"Huh... Haa."
Rihel's ruby-like red eyes lost their focus and shook violently.
I could feel the atmosphere of the library, which had been calm and quiet just a moment ago, heating up in an instant.
Of course, just me.
...Or not? Looking at Rihel Denius's snow-white neck and cheeks like white seashells, and finally her earlobes turning bright red, it seemed like the atmosphere had definitely heated up along with her...
Whatever the case, seeing her trembling with her red lips tightly shut, unable to even offer a proper rebuttal, she was truly a girl who couldn't keep her composure in the face of my blatant flirting.
And eventually, unable to endure it, Rihel pushed her chair back roughly and jumped up.
Then, with heavy footsteps, she approached a cabinet in the corner of the library that looked unusual, with all sorts of locks hanging from it.
"Um... what are you doing...?"
Before I could even ask.
Click. Clack-clack-clack.
Rihel pulled out a fairly thick, old book from a drawer that had been firmly locked with double and triple magic, and then threw it straight at me without even looking back.
I caught the book lightly with both hands.
"Ah, I don't know!"
Rihel, who shouted while still looking somewhere outside the library window, wiped her eyes, which were slightly teary from embarrassment, injustice, and a bit of frustration, and continued.
"The basics of mana breathing and the basics of control, all the achievements my mother realized in the past are written in there... so look at that and learn it yourself!!"
Shouting furiously, she quickly ran out of the library before I could block her escape route again.
Creak, thud—!
Soon, with the sound of the door closing, a heavy silence settled back into the empty library.
I instinctively stroked the worn-out cover of the old grimoire in my hand with my palm.
A massive opportunity of immense value, written by one of only three Archmages on the continent—something most people couldn't even see in their lifetime even if they saved money forever—had truly fallen into my hands thanks to my silver tongue.
"Kya-ha."
A satisfied smile spread across my lips.
"Well, the desired result came out perfectly, so I guess you could say, 'Nice!'?"
I hummed a tune in a good mood and sat back down in the chair.
And under the warm afternoon sunlight, I slowly turned the first page of the real magic I had so longed for, with a very reverent heart.
"Hoo... hoo..."
I ran for 5 minutes straight, looking only ahead in case that crazy bastard followed me, and I started to get out of breath.
Rihel lay down on the well-made bed in her room, gasping for air.
'...Tsk, so annoying.'
An unidentified man who suddenly sent love letters to both her mother and herself out of the blue.
It was annoying enough that he compared her, who was always mentioned alongside the Princess as the most beautiful woman in the Empire, to her mother, who used to be famous back in the day.
But even thinking about the face of that man, who seemed more interested in her mother than herself, made her resentment soar...
"That's not it, what am I thinking right now...!!"
Rihel Denius, who came to her senses late, covered her face in shame, wondering what on earth she had been thinking.
Covering herself completely with the blanket, she thrashed her legs and kicked at the air.
'No, now that I think about it, it's even more annoying!'
That I, right now, because of some lowly commoner bastard.
Because of the way he was weighing my mother and me, I was actually jealous?!
That I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm losing a little bit after just four days!?
You're crazy, Rihel Denius.
You've definitely gone completely insane!!
But apart from her wildly fluctuating inner feelings, that sly smile, which didn't even flinch in the face of her fatal charm and thorny sarcasm, and which naturally slipped away while teasing both her mother and herself, kept flickering before her eyes.
Eventually, after thrashing on the bed and tearing at her pillow for a while, Rihel stood up with a start, her messy black hair flying.
"...Yeah. There's no reason for me to be swept away by the pace of such a shameless, crazy bastard."
Rihel clenched her fists and recalled the promise she made to herself four days ago: to kick that man out before he could pull any tricks on the ducal family.
"I don't know what his real purpose is, but I will definitely kick him out with my own hands before he can pull any more disgusting tricks on our family."
Jumping off the bed, she stood in front of the full-length mirror.
In the mirror, there was a girl with both cheeks flushed like apples, panting. She looked strangely cute and young, far from the cold villainess she usually was.
"...Tsk! That damn information he brought to Mother. Just let it be proven that it's fake."
Feeling a strange emotion at her appearance, which was somehow awkward yet very fitting, Rihel shook her head vigorously and steeled her resolve.
"Then, without even needing to call the knights or guards, I'll grab him by the scruff of his neck myself and drag him all the way outside the front gate. And I'll kick his cheeky ass so hard with my shoe heel that I'll throw him out onto the street like a piece of luggage!"
Rihel, who even swung her fists vigorously at the air, puffed out her nose once more and burned with strong determination.