Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Operation: Win the Young Lady’s Heart
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So, someone named Estella was the lady of the house.
I’d always thought Kaide was enough, so I never felt her absence.
Of course, this house must have had a lady.
I mean... Kaide’s wife, the mother who gave birth to Set and Arban.
No one ever mentioned her in front of me, so I just assumed there wasn't one.
I snapped my wide-open mouth shut.
“...So where is she now?”
“Ah.”
For a moment, Mesis’s expression darkened.
“The madam passed away.”
“...Why?”
“She passed away while giving birth to the young masters. It’s rare, but not unheard of.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sowwy.”
“There’s no need to be sorry. It’s something you should know, Young Lady.”
Mesis didn’t seem to mind, but I felt uneasy.
I decided not to ask any more about Estella.
But one question arose.
Why was the Roisar family’s visit permitted in connection with her?
What connection could there be between me and Estella, who died before I was even born?
I wanted to ask Kaide directly, but now that I knew who she was, I couldn’t muster the courage to ask so easily.
As I stood on the ground looking at the lawn, Mesis called out to me.
“Um, Young Lady.”
“Yeah?”
“...Now that you know who Lady Estella was... you haven’t become curious too, have you, Young Lady?”
“Huh?”
What was that about?
I blinked slowly.
I didn’t quite understand the intention behind his question.
Mesis waited for my answer, his face tense.
“I don’t know what you mean. What are you saying?”
“What I mean is... perhaps you, Young Lady, about your mother...”
Mesis, who had been stammering nervously, clamped his mouth shut as if he’d made a mistake.
I could feel him cautiously gauging my mood.
Why is he acting like this?
“Why did you stop? You have to finish what you were saying.”
“No. I misspoke. Let’s just drop it.”
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Mesis quickly waved both his hands.
Watching his back as he disappeared as if fleeing, I tilted my head.
What was he trying to say?
I couldn’t figure out the meaning of his question until Mesis had vanished completely in the distance.
* * *
In truth, there was a reason for Mesis’s question.
It stemmed from the Black Mambas’ overanxiousness, a fact only Aileen was unaware of.
Everyone was feeling anxious about the Roisar family’s visit.
It was because...
‘What if the Young Lady meets someone from the Roisar family and says she wants to go to the East?’
...It all began with such a baseless worry.
As a result, the Black Mambas were currently reacting very sensitively to anything related to the East.
“Who’s going to pick them up at Terra Forest?”
“Is that even on the schedule? Shouldn’t they be able to cross Terra Forest on their own?”
“It’s an order from above.”
“Haaah.”
It was unlikely to happen, but having to extend such courtesy to a band of villains trying to steal their young lady was incredibly frustrating.
Aria, who had become the mid-level manager for this task, stamped the documents with dissatisfaction.
“Tell them we’re short on manpower.”
“Like they’d believe that.”
A long silence followed.
Aria sighed, full of worry.
It’s only natural to be drawn to those who are similar to oneself.
That was why Aria and the other Black Mambas were worried sick day after day.
Aileen had never once met her own kind since she was born.
She might storm into the office right now and insist on not going, but who knew what would happen when the time actually came.
If she were to say she wanted to be with her own kind right away...
“I heard we’re supposed to prepare meals based on the Roisar family’s preferences this time.”
“How long are they staying?”
“I don’t know either.”
Shrugging, one of the Black Mambas dropped a document on the desk.
The East required far too much unnecessary attention.
Aria gripped her pen tightly.
*Snap.*
The pen in her hand broke cleanly in two.
But no one paid it any mind. This was a common occurrence.
‘I have no idea what the Gaju is thinking.’
Aria casually tossed the broken pen into the trash.
Then she took a new one from her drawer.
“Hoo. I want to go home.”
She hadn’t been home in days due to working overtime.
Aria glanced at Yudis, who was working beside her.
His complexion was pale and didn’t look good either.
“Um, Sir Yudis.”
“Yes.”
“...What should we do about reporting to Sir Durias today?”
*Flinch.*
Yudis’s shoulders shrank pitifully. *Things aren’t going well for him either.*
“...Let’s postpone the report.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
*It seems Durias is still smiling.*
Aria made a ‘no report today’ gesture to her colleagues.
“We can’t be late with this report, what do we do?”
“I don’t know. If we’re going to get scolded, it’s better when he’s in a good mood. Just put it away.”
“...I’m seriously scared to death.”
That was a sentiment shared by all the Black Mambas working under Durias lately.
Durias smiling was an ominous sign.
Therefore, everyone prayed fervently for him to wear his usual expressionless face.
But their prayers must not have reached the heavens, as Durias had been seen smiling frequently of late.
Aria felt her eyes growing moist.
And that anger was directed squarely at the East.
*Slam!*
*Let them try any wicked tricks to take the Young Lady to the East.*
*If they do...*
“I won’t let them get away with it. Hoo. First, we need to secure the Young Lady’s heart. Everyone, gather ‘round.”
Aria decided to formulate a small plan.
Operation name: Operation Win the Young Lady’s Heart.
* * *
“Lady Aileen! Hello, my name is Aria!”
“...Huh?”
...Who is she?
I stopped dead in my tracks and looked up at her.
I was walking back to my room alone.
The woman who suddenly appeared approached me with a slightly frightening gleam in her eyes.
The woman, who introduced herself as Aria, took a slight breath and then smiled brightly.
“It looks like you’re heading somewhere.”
“I was going to my woom.”
“I see! Shall I escort you?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll go by myself.”
Why would she suddenly offer to take me? Very suspicious.
I watched Aria suspiciously, not letting my guard down.
In fact, strange things had been happening around me for the past few days.
Namely, more and more Black Mambas I’d never seen before were approaching and talking to me, just like now.
Despite my firm refusal, Aria just kept smiling cheerfully, showing no signs of backing down.
“The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?”
...This one’s a bit of a tough cookie.
For now, I decided to answer Aria’s question.
“Yeah. The weather is super nice today.”
And I kept racking my brain.
I came to the conclusion that while Aria was a bit suspicious, she probably wasn’t a weirdo.
*Since she’s in the mansion, she must work here, right?*
“So why did you call me?”
“I was just passing by and was so happy to see you, Young Lady, that I just had to call out!”
“Weally?”
*I checked the hallway on my way here and there was no one.*
My suspicion of Aria went up by one point.
Unaware of this, Aria continued speaking with a beaming smile.
“Did you know? The South is famous for its very distinct seasons.”
There it was again. The random listing of the South’s merits. I flinched slightly before nodding.
“I see.”
“You won’t find a region with such distinct seasons anywhere else. The South even has festivals for every season!”
“I see.”
I already knew that, so it wasn’t very surprising.
I’d heard it several times from the Black Mambas I’d passed by.
My nonchalant response was so underwhelming that Aria’s expression faltered.
She looked as if she were thinking, ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.’
I stared up at Aria sullenly.
“Is that all?”
I had to get back to my room quickly, so I didn’t have any more time to stay here.
“I have a lesson now, so I have to go.”
“W-wait... Not only that, but the South also has the best security in all regions. Did you know that?”
“Yeah. Is that all?”
At my second question, Aria bit her lip.
She seemed to want to hold onto me and say something more, but couldn’t think of anything.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Ah, Lady Aileen!”
“...Yeah?”
I’m really out of time now. Why is she calling me again?
Feeling impatient, I stomped my foot and turned around to see a tearful Aria desperately grabbing my hand.
“You still like the South more, right, Young Lady?”
“...Huh?”
“The South is much more beautiful than the East, isn’t it? There are lots of tourist spots, it’s peaceful...!”
For some reason, the atmosphere made it feel like I had to nod.
To top it off, people who had appeared from nowhere were peeking out and seemingly cheering Aria on from behind, adding to the atmosphere.
What is this?
It feels like everyone is on the same team except for me