Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Proxy's Awkward First Day
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Early that morning, Eve pushed open the door to the lord's office and stepped inside. Sieri had already prepared the documents. The dress she was required to wear as the lord's wife felt incredibly uncomfortable. It was nice that it covered her feet, allowing her to go barefoot, but the billowing fabric demanded constant caution in so many ways.
"Good morning."
Sieri greeted Eve with a blank expression. There was no displeasure on her face, but the air was thick with awkwardness. Eve waved her hand and flashed a grin.
"Morning."
Sieri shuddered slightly at the smile but didn't let it show. She nodded and averted her eyes from Eve's gaze. Eve settled into the office chair, while Sieri placed the documents nearby and took a step back.
Today marked the start of Eve's duties as the lord's proxy. Peta Lucius had handed over the reins, but for someone who had spent her life as a pirate and a slave, this position felt far too grand. On top of that, Sieri—the one assigned to assist her today—was treating her with obvious unease.
Awkward.
The air in the room felt stifling and strained. Eve could fully empathize with Sieri's feelings right now. The lord, whom she'd assumed would always be hers alone, had suddenly brought in an outsider. And now that outsider was her superior. Eve thought it over and concluded that Sieri was a truly kind woman.
If it had been her, she would've cursed up a storm in this situation. She probably would've grabbed Sieri by the collar or thrown a full-on tantrum on the floor.
"Uh... s-so, what do we have to do today?"
But Sieri didn't. With Sieri acting so polite and composed, even Eve felt hesitant to push too hard. As she sorted through the papers, Eve asked her. Aira and Sieri handled the lord's basic schedule, but Aira had other business today, so Sieri was in charge of it. Sieri flipped open her notebook and replied.
"Today, there's a territory inspection and paperwork approvals."
"Territory inspection?"
"Yes. The lord insisted this be included."
"Wait, hold on. You're telling me to do a territory inspection? You sure that's okay?"
Eve narrowed her eyes. Even as the officially recognized proxy, the people's stares wouldn't be welcoming. In these parts, merfolk weren't just discriminated against—they weren't treated as people at all. A half-merfolk like her would be seen the same as the beastkin from the western or eastern forests.
Perfect for enslavement. Or for eating, cooking with, or using as a punching bag in magic experiments.
And yet Lucius had ordered her to conduct a territory inspection. Eve felt a strange resistance to the idea. Was this really okay? Could she really do this? The emotions stirring in her now were akin to what she'd feel if her parents suddenly handed over their entire wallet. Could she really spend it freely? Was it truly fine?
Sieri blinked at Eve, who was fidgeting anxiously. There was a world of difference between rampaging at sea and handling a role burdened with power and responsibility.
"Seriously, is it really okay? Fuck, I can't take responsibility if shit hits the fan."
So Eve double-checked with Sieri once more. Truth be told, Sieri was worried too about whether she should really send Eve out on patrol. Peta Lucius was a good lord, so people didn't meddle in his marriage, but that didn't mean they held a favorable view of merfolk.
Especially a criminal merfolk. The prejudice against Eve was as foul as a sewer, and the rumors surrounding her were all too true—brutally so, in ways people didn't want to believe. But in the end, Sieri was just someone who followed the lord's orders. If Lucius had commanded the inspection, it had to be done.
"...Still... I think... we should... do it, right?"
"Ha... fuck."
Eve scratched her head and shook it. She couldn't fathom what Lucius was thinking by issuing this order. It couldn't be some prank at this point, so what was it? On the surface, it seemed like a suggestion to get friendly with the territory folk, but all she could picture was disaster.
Like some provocative resident pissing her off enough to draw a blade, or a spat escalating until she beat the crap out of a local.
In the end, Eve went ahead with the inspection despite her unease, while Sieri followed through. Robin offered to assign knights for escort, but Eve refused. She was stronger than any knights around here anyway.
In truth, Eve secretly hoped someone would come at her. A show of force would shut down any backtalk effectively. She had a history of silencing mutinous crew members by ripping out one of their throats.
Eve crammed her feet into her shoes, changed into her formal going-out uniform, and headed out with Sieri. She’d considered ditching the dress, but decided to wear the work uniform instead since it had been provided for the job. The territory was buzzing with activity from early morning. The tenant farmers, having been given a thorough beating once before, were working diligently and earnestly, while children played in the streets.
Eve and Sieri slowly made their way around the village.
"Oh, good morning, Sister."
"Yes... Ah, you should greet Lady Peta Eve, the lord's wife, first."
"Oh, is that so... H-Hello, milady."
Was this what it meant to bow and scrape? Eve felt a twinge of irritation toward the residents who only greeted her reluctantly after Sieri's insistence. The blatant wariness and discrimination hit her skin like the prejudice she'd witnessed consistently over the past few years.
In the old days, she'd have beaten them all down, but causing chaos in the well-managed territory Lucius had built felt a bit off.
"Fuck."
"Mind your language, Lady Eve."
"Just call me Eve. We're both the lord's wives, you and me."
"Th-That... I mean..."
Sieri stammered, her face flushing red. Eve grinned at the sight and pressed on.
"What? Embarrassed? Huh? So, how was sex with our hubby? He's fucking amazing, right?"
"Ah, ah... P-Please stop. Th-That's such vulgar talk..."
"So, did you like it?"
"...Yes."
Sieri nodded reluctantly. Seeing her face flushed with shame improved Eve's mood a bit. She'd wondered why Lucius teased Sieri sometimes, but trying it herself, she got the appeal. Eve chuckled happily and kept walking. The sudden shift in her demeanor made onlookers flinch in fear.
Eve patted Sieri's back and pressed on. After laughing once, she barely cared what the residents muttered. She turned to Sieri again.
"So, what made you fall for our hubby?"
"W-Well... When I was young, I trained at the Great Heavenly God Church's monastery, and that's where I first met him."
"Oh? That's ancient history."
"Yes. We had so much fun there. He was... handsome and kind."
"You've liked him since then, huh. Our hubby's been a player since he was a kid, fucking hell."
"I-I'm sure he wasn't playing around with me like that."
Sieri defended Lucius's reputation. Of course, to Eve—who knew him down to his core—it rang hollow. Given Lucius's character, he'd probably already bedded at least one girl at the monastery.
"He was truly a good man. And... recently, he saved me too."
"Saved you? From what?"
"I was originally handling accounting at a monastery in the neighboring territory. The lord there was... overly persistent, so your husband transferred me here."
"What? Our hubby had the hots for you."
"R-Really?"
Sieri blushed and giggled. But then she remembered he'd ultimately chosen Eve as the principal wife, and her expression hardened. Eve could guess what she was thinking.
"I was supposed to die, but our hubby saved me. Funny, right? I was a murdering slut who raped women left and right. And he makes that kind of person his wife. Isn't it weird?"
Sieri said nothing. Agreeing would be odd; disagreeing would be too.
"So, what I'm saying is... If you're wondering who's the principal wife or whatever, I'm fine yielding to you. Got it? We're gonna see each other's faces all the time anyway. No point fighting over bullshit like that, right?"
"Y-Yes."
Sieri nodded, having secretly envied Eve. Seeing her hesitant, shamefaced mumbling, Eve added,
"And if we get along, our hubby will be thrilled. Huh? Imagine us both climbing into bed together—how happy would he be?"
"Th-The lord isn't that lecherous."
"Bullshit."
Eve shook her head, dismissing Sieri's defense.
"Hey. The moment he fucks a mermaid, it's over. You know that?"
"Th-That's why such lewd talk..."
A soldier was rushing toward them from afar. Eve, about to continue, shut her mouth and looked over. The atmosphere felt off. The soldier arrived panting, saluted with a desperate expression, and Eve roughly acknowledged him before asking in a stern tone,
"Wh-What's going on?"
"R-Reporting to the lady lord's wife. At the territory border, an advisor from Amur territory arrived claiming to be the 'territory proxy' and demanding immediate entry. We've heard nothing about this, so... what should we do?"
"What the fuck? I'm the territory proxy. No one said shit before—why the hell now?"
"I-I don't know either. They're yelling for the person in charge right away, so... please come quickly!"
Trouble on her first day as proxy. Eve and Sieri exchanged glances and frowned. What now?