Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Welcoming (3)
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"Have you eaten?"
"I heard you'd set out, Your Excellency, so I waited."
Rose's meek response pleased him quite a bit. She was dutifully complying with his not-quite-a-demand insistence that they share at least one meal a day.
Was this because of the contract too? It was a relief to see her softening her guard compared to before.
"Then let's eat together."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Wait for me in the dining room. I'll change into something simple and join you."
"Yes, see you soon."
Rose nodded shyly and hurried off with quick steps. She looked perfectly matched with Head Maid Selma trailing behind her, along with the other maids—like a picture-perfect pair.
He gave the sight a quick glance.
"Fabry prepared everything properly, right?"
This time, he double-checked with Bill without letting his guard down.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Bill answered immediately, as if he'd been waiting.
"As you instructed, we didn't allow any monster dishes to even be prepared. Just standard Schmichael fare."
"Standard Schmichael fare?"
Terms like "Schmichael-style," "befitting the Schmichaels," or "worthy of the Schmichael family" only brought back bad memories for him. From now on, he'd stick to precise phrasing to avoid any confusion.
"What exactly is 'standard Schmichael fare'?"
When he pressed, Bill hesitated and looked at him.
'Is this a loyalty test?'
His expression was one of extreme tension, as if asking that very question.
"......No, that's not it."
He swallowed a sigh and waved it off.
"Just list the menu for me."
"Yes. For appetizers, bread before the meal and cold soup..."
Sensing his steady gaze, Bill offered an excuse.
"Fabry prepared it because Madam enjoyed it so much."
"......Continue."
"Next is crepes stacked high with generous fillings of meat in between..."
Bill rattled off the explanations one after another. None of the worrisome dishes were on the list. Reassured, he headed to the dining room.
"Your Excellency, you've arrived!"
Fabry lit up at the sight of him, acting like an eager puppy desperate for a walk, but he ignored it thoroughly. Show even a hint of weakness here, and the chef would gleefully trot out some experimental monster dish.
"Serve the food."
"Yessir..."
He kept ignoring Fabry's pitiful, rain-soaked-puppy act.
"Madam, you have to try this too."
Fabry outright ignored him and began attending to Rose.
"Oh my, this is delicious. What's the ingredient in this batter?"
And every time Rose exclaimed in delight, Fabry shot him a triumphant glance.
'Can't you see? She's loving it! She's practically a full-fledged Schmichael now!'
Clink.
Rose even held up her spotlessly cleaned plate toward him.
'Look at this plate. No washing needed!'
'Not quite.'
'......Yes, of course it still needs washing.'
While Rose happily polished off her meal, he and Fabry engaged in a silent battle. It wasn't spears and shields, but it rivaled any fierce skirmish in intensity.
His own eating slowed to a crawl as a result.
"Your Excellency?"
Noticing something off, Rose peered at his plate.
"Not feeling hungry? You're eating slower than usual today."
"(I'm) in the middle of a battle (with Fabry)."
He phrased it tactfully, but Rose startled and paused her fork mid-air.
"Did something happen on the road?"
With her past-life memories, she couldn't have missed it. The assassins who attacked the day he left to inspect the mine. And how he'd cut them down and returned unscathed.
But to hide her regression, she was pretending ignorance.
"There was an attack."
"Ah..."
"Nothing serious. As you can see, I came back in one piece."
"True. Your Excellency always triumphs. But..."
Rose's hand remained frozen, still gripping her fork. She gazed at him intently with deepened eyes.
"I was worried."
That explained it. Her face had brightened noticeably when he returned to the castle. That's why she'd been so glad to see him.
Gazing at the small, young squirrel who worried for him so purely made a warm spot bloom in his chest.
"......"
He froze, lips stiff as if glued shut. A simple "thank you" would have sufficed, but the words wouldn't come.
In the end, the path he chose was,
"Duchess, did you fare well while I was away?"
Changing the subject.
"Yes. Everyone was so kind."
"I could tell."
"The dresses were all gorgeous, and the bed was so soft. Nothing was uncomfortable at all."
Rose reminisced dreamily, like a well-fed squirrel rolling contentedly in its burrow. He nearly snorted with laughter without realizing it.
'She's definitely different from the start.'
Her girlish cheeks were rosy, and her green eyes sparkled vividly beneath fluttering long lashes.
'Not a bad-looking face at all, is it?'
The current Rose was quite appealing. To the point where he couldn't fathom why she thought herself plain.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Hearing gratitude from such a Rose felt pretty good. No one turns down praise for their own efforts.
"No need for such words."
He felt an urge to scratch the back of his head. Suppressing it, he suddenly noticed Bill standing nearby.
"......"
A faint smile softened Bill's usually rigid, stubborn face.
Selma's mental re-education had gently thawed Bill's rigid convictions, allowing him to see Rose's genuine demeanor with open eyes.
And so,
"Your Excellency."
As they headed to the study after the meal, Bill spoke up.
"How was she while I was gone?"
"A true pleasure to serve. She seemed eager to fit into the Schmichael family order as quickly as possible."
His attitude was calm, as if he'd already given it much thought.
"She has a habit of overly minding those around her. Completely unlike the rumors."
"Is that so."
"Even when doing something, she'd always check with us first, careful not to overstep my authority or Selma's."
Bill stopped before the study door and smiled faintly.
"A... rare good addition to the Schmichael family."
In Bill's eyes too, Rose's ingrained demeanor and speech weren't something she could fake with a bit of practice.
"Good that you came around eventually."
"It's my failing for not trusting Your Excellency's judgment sooner."
He entered the study and sat in his chair. Stacks of papers Bill had organized lay on the desk.
"I'll escort Madam inside when she arrives."
"Do that."
As he replied, he immediately opened the documents and began reading. Bill retreated quietly and left the room.
Flip, flip.
A missive from the palace required careful attention.
'Regarding mana stone distribution rights......'
There was also one from the territory's magic studies lab.
'Progress on this research...... hasn't met expectations, apologies...... I'm trash...... At it again.'
How much time passed as he focused on the papers?
Knock knock.
"Your Excellency, Madam has arrived."
A servant announced from outside.
Rose entered soon after, looking a touch tense.
"This way."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
He gestured to the sofa in the center of the study, and Rose approached demurely. She sat without a sound—clearly, her etiquette training had taken hold.
Rose spoke, hands neatly folded in her lap.
"I heard you called for me."
"We agreed to draw up the contract."
"I figured as much."
Rose wore a resolute expression, as if prepared. But seeing it only made him worry.
'She's not steeling herself for something weird again, is she?'
He recalled the misunderstanding-not-misunderstanding from when they'd shared the bedroom. Deciding to gently correct whatever she might be imagining,
"It's not a contract written in blood."
"......I know that much, Your Excellency."
"Good."
Rustle.
He pulled an envelope from the drawer and placed it on the table before her. It contained the contract he'd drafted piecemeal at the Calmar Mine barracks.
"Read it first. Then we'll talk."
"Yes, understood."
Rose calmly extracted the contract from the envelope and began reading.
Thud.
Soon, she set it down on the table. Her keen eyes fixed on him steadily.
"Your Excellency, may I ask a few questions about the contract?"
"As many as you like."
"This clause: Party A and Party B shall not disclose this contract to outsiders. And below it: In case of disclosure or discovery, both shall do their utmost to contain it."
Rose pointed to the contract bit by bit, methodically raising her questions. He'd expected a quick skim, but she'd clearly read it thoroughly.
"What does 'do their utmost to contain' mean exactly?"
"Just what it says. Murder and silence them."
"......Pardon?"
Rose's mouth fell open in shock at the scale of it—killing to seal lips.
"How could I ever kill someone..."
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
He replied flatly, then added,
"Not even considering the possibility I'd get caught?"
"Your Excellency is perfect, after all."
Her answer pleased him, but he had to address the point.
"Regardless, if you get caught, well... Could you really contain the fallout and keep it from spreading?"