Chapter 159
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Rumble, rumble.
Inside the rattling carriage rolling through town, Frederica sat beside me, clutching my arm tightly against her chest.
”Heh-heh.”
Squeeze.
”Hey…”
”It’s fine, isn’t it? Just a little.”
”No, it’s not. If your perfume rubs off on me and someone notices, it’ll raise questions I don’t want to deal with.”
”If we’re riding the same carriage, it’s only natural that a little of the scent transfers.”
”Not the same. When it clings directly, the smell’s much stronger.”
”Then you can just say I sprayed you with my perfume as a courtesy before entering the estate. In fact—why not actually do it?”
She pulled out a small vial, soaked her handkerchief, and rubbed it against my neck.
There was nowhere to escape in the cramped carriage, and if I made too much of a fuss, the coachman might report back that something indecent had happened. Since Frederica had already told him before we departed not to “disturb us until arrival,” it felt too late to undo it anyway.
And so, I sat there quietly, letting her perfume me. When she was done, Frederica pressed even closer than before.
”Now we can snuggle as much as we want, right?”
”Not a chance. We still have to think about what happens once we arrive.”
”Oh, you’re no fun. Then… just this much. *Chu*♡”
”Mmph… come on, let’s move the conversation along.”
”Fine, fine. We’ll save the rest for later.”
I sighed.
This whole situation was the result of me agreeing to Frederica’s idea.
I had wanted to find out what Tina and the others planned to discuss with the lord without tipping them off. At the same time, I worried that my own methods of travel might be mentioned, so I left the dismantling area early with Frederica and rode with her to her family’s estate, the Vermillion House.
For cover, we used the “Gem Snake” incident. I’d been heavily involved in that affair as “Mose,” and I was due to receive a reward from the royal family. Since the Vermillion House ruled this town, they couldn’t claim to be uninvolved, and Frederica—having heard of “Mose” from Silver Orchid—used the excuse of interrogating me about him to bring me in.
The truth was, even the Vermillion House was curious about who “Mose” really was.
As for how to learn Tina’s purpose—
”If I can get permission to attend her audience,” Frederica suggested, “then you could sneak in disguised as a guard.”
”You can really pull off a disguise like that?”
”I’ve got spare equipment. Sure, someone might notice I took it, but you’ve been working for the sake of this town. If I explain, it’ll be fine.”
She had a point. As “Koji,” I had acted as liaison to Mose and worked with Silver Orchid, and Ferris could vouch for me if needed. If I was exposed, I could claim it was for the good of the town; my record would back me up.
”If I had more time, it’d be better to just go as ‘Mose’…”
”Then they’ll demand you show your face. If you refuse, they’ll suspect an imposter and you’ll end up thrown out or arrested.”
”Yeah… so in this case, the guard disguise is safer.”
”Exactly. There’s not much time, and if you pose as one of my guards, it won’t raise suspicion. But if you can’t get into the audience…”
”And then?”
”If my father is willing to share what he hears, I’ll just tell you myself.”
”And if not?”
”If it’s truly important, there’s no way he won’t act on it. Whether right after, or within a couple of days, he’ll issue some order. Even if I can’t hear it directly, we can still predict the gist.”
”That’s… reasonable. Wait a sec.”
Something occurred to me.
”Hmm? What is it?”
”From the way you put it, does that mean I’ll be staying at your house tonight?”
”What’s the problem? I’ll treat you as a guest.”
”And if I’m not treated as a guest?”
”Then we’ll say I had to keep you at the estate to question you about Mose.”
”…Either way, I won’t be free to move about, so I won’t be able to observe the lord myself.”
”If Father takes action over this, I might be forbidden from going out as well. That would make it harder to pass information on to you.”
”What about through a go-between?”
”If it’s that important, only a handful of people would be trusted. If I secretly got word to you, Father would find out. And what would he think about our relationship then?”
”Yeah… he’d definitely suspect something improper between us.”
”Exactly. Well, he wouldn’t be wrong, would he?♪”
She rubbed against me, her hand sliding to my lap, then guiding mine lower.
”Hey, cut it out. Not now.”
”Fiiine.”
She pulled back, though her mischievous smile said she wasn’t finished.
”So in the end,” I asked, “you’re saying I should stay over if I want to know what’s going on?”
”That’s right. After all, even if Father meets with them, it doesn’t mean they’ll tell us directly.”
”…Fair point.”
If Tina and the others were plotting against the lord, then as the one who brought them here, it was my duty to stop them. Either way, I needed to be at that audience.
So, I gave in to Frederica’s plan.
”Then… just a little more. *Chuuuu*…”
”Mmph…”
And we kept kissing until the carriage arrived.
Knock, knock.
”My lady, we’ve arrived at the estate.”
”Understood. Open the door.”
Frederica stepped out behind me, cheeks faintly flushed from the kisses she’d stolen until the very last moment.
The coachman and the waiting maids noticed, but said nothing.
”Welcome home, my lady.”
”I’m back.”
”And the gentleman with you is…?”
”This is Koji, an adventurer and a member of Hooters. He’s also connected to *that* Mose. Treat him with respect.”
The maids stiffened at the name. Clearly, the Gem Snake incident had left its mark. Between my connection to Mose and my ties to the merchant guild Hooters, they treated me as far more than an ordinary adventurer.
”Understood. Where shall I escort him?”
”To my room. Oh, and prepare a guest room for him to stay in.”
”As you wish.”
With that, we entered the manor, heading toward Frederica’s chambers. On the way, she inquired after Tina’s group.
”The guests who applied for an audience with Father through Silver Orchid—where are they?”
”They arrived earlier. I believe they’re undergoing inspections at the moment.”
They were already here? Well, considering weapon checks could take time, arriving early made sense. Frederica, unfazed, simply asked, “And Father?”
”In his office.”
”Then I’ll go there. Take Koji to my quarters.”
”Yes, my lady.”
She left for her father’s side while I was led to the destination.
Clatter, creak.
”Please, go in.”
The door opened onto a spacious room, roughly twenty tatami in size, furnished with tasteful but clearly expensive pieces. Most striking of all was the canopied bed, something I wasn’t used to seeing.
As I stared at it, the maid glanced at me cautiously.
”Will you… be using that bed with the young lady?”
”…What?”
Apparently she thought my gaze meant I was eager to test it out. Just staying over was suspicious enough—being suspected of aiming for Frederica herself would be a disaster.
”Of course not. Considering her position, it wouldn’t be proper.”
”….”
But the maid only frowned harder, eyes narrowing in doubt.
Didn’t that clear things up? No… maybe she thought I meant that if not for Frederica’s position, I would go after her.
I should have denied any interest in her at all. But to make that convincing, I needed to bring up another woman entirely—someone the maid would know.
”In fact,” I said quickly, “the truth is, I’m more interested in Ms. Monoka, the one Mrs. Frederica often visits at the orphanage.”
Yes. That was the name I chose.
I’d avoided saying Ms. Wendy, since as the daughter of a powerful guild leader, her standing made her a poor example.
But the maid’s frown only deepened.
”…Ah. So it’s the chest, then.”
Fortunately, she did know Ms. Monoka. But the look on her face was a mixture of anger and sadness.
One glance told me why—her chest was rather flat. She must have taken my comment as an insult, thinking I was comparing her to Monoka in that regard.
So Monoka had been the wrong example to bring up after all. I needed to fix this.
”No, really—you’re more than beautiful enough. You don’t need to worry about things like that.”
That much was true. She was striking in her own right, a woman in her twenties with the refined air of a secretary. A small chest hardly detracted from her charm.
But instead of easing her mind, my words only darkened her expression.
”How old do you think I am?” she asked flatly.
”Early twenties, I’d say…”
”Yes. Exactly. And normally by now I’d have had one, two… no, three or four marriage proposals lined up at once.”
So, she was confident in her looks.
But—
”…The way you say that… you haven’t received any, have you?”
”Correct. I may be of noble blood, however minor, so it’s not as if I can accept just anyone. Families carefully consider whether the match is appropriate before making their approach. And yet…”
Ah. In other words, the men she had chosen weren’t compatible, at least in her eyes. It wasn’t that she wasn’t sought after—if anything, her confidence proved the opposite.
”Well… surely the right one will come along eventually.”
”I’ve been told that for five years now.”
”…Ugh.”
What was I supposed to say to that?
From experience, I knew any answer risked being taken the wrong way. I hesitated, fumbling for words—
And then salvation arrived.
Clack.
”Sorry I kept you waiting, I needed a little time—hm? What’s with you two?”
Frederica stepped through the door, tilting her head at the strange atmosphere hanging in the room.
Notes:
• Frederica – The receptionist. The daughter of powerful figure in the town.
• Tina – Female. A magician. She has a slender build, and her chest is described as soft. She is initially rescued by the protagonist and expresses a desire to accompany him. Her relationship with the protagonist develops quickly, and she seems to be attracted to him.
• Ferris – The representative of Silver Orchid
• Wendy – The daughter of merchant guild Hooters
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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