Let's Play at the Ducal Estate (3)
Weekend morning dawned.
Today was the day Aileen would come play at the ducal estate. For better or worse, the young lady had gone out with the Duke.
I'd heard there was some business at the Imperial Palace. Apparently they wouldn't be back until around tomorrow evening.
"Frey, you must obey the Princess's every word without question. Do you understand?"
"…Yes, sir."
That was the Duke's solemn warning. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. As if I had any idea what Aileen was going to do. But the Duke had no way of knowing whether Aileen would try to seduce me or not.
Everything else was ready. The ingredients for the food to serve Aileen were all prepared, and the entertainment around the mansion was fully stocked! My goal was to play with Aileen endlessly so she wouldn't get any funny ideas.
I'd also thoroughly drilled the butlers and maids of the estate. For as long as Aileen was here, I was not the head butler — I was a collateral member of the Katram Ducal House.
With every preparation complete, I went out to meet Aileen. I considered taking a carriage, but Aileen seemed like the type who'd enjoy walking, so I set out on foot.
The capital's shopping district lay between the Academy and the Katram Ducal Estate, so we could enjoy all sorts of things along the way.
It wasn't that I wanted to play with Aileen — it was a scheme to keep her from pulling any nonsense at the estate. If she tired herself out outside first, she'd behave quietly at the mansion. Probably.
After about thirty minutes of walking, I entered the capital district. As expected of a weekend, it was packed. Come to think of it, aside from the times I'd gone out with Aileen, I'd only ever just passed through these streets. After becoming head butler, I no longer even needed to go out for groceries.
I looked around for something Aileen might enjoy. Ah — that one. If I let the young lady experience it through illusion magic, she'd love it.
"Ah!"
"Oh."
I'd been lost in thought for just a moment and collided with the person walking ahead of me, tumbling straight over. It felt like I'd run into a giant boulder.
I looked up at whoever I'd hit. They were standing perfectly upright.
"I'm sor— Young Lady Varian?"
"Frey?"
The person standing like a rock was none other than Irina. No wonder she'd felt more like a boulder than a human being.
I dusted off my legs as I stood and apologized again.
"I'm sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Are you alright yourself, Frey? That was quite the spectacular fall."
"I'm fine. I'm glad you're unharmed, Young Lady. Well then, I'll be on my way."
Wanting to leave with some dignity intact, I tried to slip past quickly. But Irina grabbed my arm.
"Hold on a moment."
"Yes?"
"I never said I was fine."
"Pardon?"
"Here. I think it's bruised."
Irina tapped her cheek. Her snow-white skin looked perfectly clean.
Hmm. But given how short she is, I suppose her face could hurt from a standing collision.
"You're thinking something rude right now, aren't you?"
"Not at all."
"And you're calling me Young Lady Varian?"
"That's…"
"Well, I don't want to bring up the Princess, so I'll let that slide. Could you just call me Irina for now?"
"Haa, fine. Irina. So you say you're hurt?"
"Bruises don't show up right away, you know? Hmm. My cheek does feel a bit sore right now."
"Then later, for the medical expenses…"
"I'd prefer compensation now."
Irina grinned, her brown twintails swaying. Ah. No matter how I looked at this, I'd walked straight into a trap.
"In what way?"
"Hmm. It's the weekend, after all. And seeing as you're strolling through the capital district, you seem free."
"Are you free, Irina?"
"Yes. The knight class only has physical training for assignments, more or less."
That made sense. Even counting the third-years, there was probably no human with higher physical strength than Irina, so she must have had quite a bit of free time.
"Since we're both free, I'd like us to hang out together for a bit."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not free."
"What? Do you have somewhere to be?"
"I have plans with Ai… the Third Princess right now."
"The Third Princess?"
That should get rid of her. Inside the Academy was one thing, but this was outside. Dropping Aileen's name ought to make her back off.
"What kind of plans do you have with the Princess?"
Unexpectedly, Irina pressed for details.
"Just, well. We planned to hang out."
"Hmm. So you're the type who hangs out with the Princess on weekends? Frey, you must be in love with her."
"That's not it. Don't say such dangerous things."
"Is that so? Then how about this?"
What was she about to say? Then Irina uttered something that made my skull ache.
"I'll join in too. Just Academy classmates hanging out together. Doesn't that sound fine?"
Under normal circumstances, it would be fine.
But the problem was that the person we were supposed to hang out with was Aileen. Hadn't Irina been insulted by Aileen last time?
What would happen when those two met was as clear as day.
"Irina. How about we don't do that, and I'll make sure to compensate you next time—"
"If you abandon me like this, I'll file an official complaint with the Katram Ducal House. Ow ow. My cheek…"
This was pure coercion. There was no way Irina's cheek would bruise from colliding with the likes of me. Hell, Irina Varian could crush steel with her bare hands!
But as long as she claimed to be hurt, I had no way to refute it. Not looking where I was going because I was distracted was my fault, after all.
"Well, Frey?"
"Haaa, are you sure about this? We're going to meet the Princess."
"We're Academy friends — what's the big deal!"
"Weren't you two on bad terms?"
"Working through that is also a form of friendship."
And so I had no choice but to come to the Academy with Irina. Now I had to explain this carefully to Aileen.
Otherwise, there was no telling how the cold mana currently seeping out in every direction might transform.
"Um, Aileen."
"Your Highness. I'm so happy we get to hang out together."
"?!"
Irina spoke first. She continued with a smile toward Aileen, who looked visibly displeased.
"You look curious about why I came with Frey?"
"Yeah. Why are you together?"
"It's a long story, but to put it simply — Frey jumped me, so I told him to take responsibility."
"…"
Aileen looked at me with ice-cold eyes. No, Aileen. You believe that? I was about to protest immediately. However—
Squeeze.
"…………!!!!!!"
Irina crushed my arm with a terrifying grip strength. Pain I'd never experienced in my life flashed white before my eyes, and I couldn't even scream.
Meanwhile, Irina continued smiling as she spoke.
"So I came along."
"Is that sooo?"
Aileen smiled coldly. Then she approached Irina. Irina flinched — she trembled. Because the cold mana Aileen was radiating was freezing the ground solid.
"…Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?"
"Irina Varian. You have a real talent for making people angry in creative ways. Frey jumped you?"
"Th-that's right. Very savagely, even!"
"Haa. Irina Varian."
Aileen closed the distance with a whoosh. She was so fast that even though we were watching with our own eyes, both Irina and I only realized she'd closed the gap after the fact.
Aileen bent at the waist until her nose nearly touched Irina's and spoke in a voice that sent chills down the spine.
"My Frey would never do something like that. Don't spout nonsense."
"Ugh!"
"Shall I freeze that babbling mouth of yours and shatter it? What do you think?"
"D-do you think you'll be f-fine after doing something like this?"
"Something like this? I'm simply…"
Aileen raised her hand. Surprisingly, there was no mana in it at all. And yet somehow—
I had a premonition that nothing would survive being caught in that hand. Just then, Irina's grip weakened.
"Aileen!"
I hurriedly pushed Irina back and stepped between her and Aileen. Aileen's eyebrows twitched.
"Frey. Are you protecting Irina Varian right now?"
"It's not exactly that. If I had to say, it's the same reason as with the fake fortune-teller."
"You don't seriously think I'd kill Irina, do you?"
"How about putting down that terrifying hand first before we talk?"
"Are you really going to protect her?"
"I said it's not like that."
Aileen glared at me. I simply met her eyes calmly. After staring daggers at me for a long while, Aileen sighed and lowered her hand…
BOOM!
…or rather, she didn't, and instead smashed the Academy's outer wall.
A crack rang out as the Academy's outer wall was deeply gouged.
…Gouged?
Irina's mouth fell open. I simply blinked.
Part of the illusion magic cast on the Academy building came undone. And the wall made of solid adamantium had been deeply carved out.
That wasn't illusion magic. Real adamantium had been gouged open.
The adamantium building that hadn't been damaged at all even when hundreds of golems ran amok last time had been carved open by a single punch from Aileen! And that punch hadn't even had a handful of mana in it!
Having smashed the wall, Aileen trudged past me toward Irina. Then she smiled sweetly.
"Fine. Let's hang out together. Irina. While we're at it, I should establish the hierarchy clearly."
"Hic!"
"Frey?"
"Y-yes!"
I flinched hard without meaning to.
"Let's go. My legs hurt."
"Sh-shall I find a carriage?"
"No. I can still walk. You'll escort me, won't you?"
Aileen held out her hand. I trembled as I barely managed to take it.
From now on, I should never mess around when she looks to be in a bad mood.
"Hic!"
Aylin, who had been inside, also hiccuped.
Carving out adamantium with bare hands? Is that a person? No — is that me?
"C-can I do that too?"
Aylin had never done anything like that. And she didn't think a frail body afflicted with Mana Crystallization Disease could manage such a thing.
She thought it over repeatedly, then nodded to herself.
"I must never make her angry."
It was the pure resolution of a young personality.