Being a ducal family, there was a lot to prepare for a birthday celebration befitting their status. Garden maintenance, food preparation, internal cleaning and decoration, weapon maintenance, checking the guest list…. From the crack of dawn, the servants were busy with their respective duties. For these commoners, it was a day when high nobles, seemingly unreachable, gathered like clouds. It was natural to be doubly careful than usual. And I, supervising them, was also twice as busy.
“Hurry up! Clean thoroughly so there’s not a speck of dust!”
“Are the vegetables prepared? We need to prepare them in advance so we can cook and serve immediately! Aren’t you doing it fast enough?!”
“The hunting equipment repair is perfect. Just in case, let’s stock up on some more arrows.”
The roles of footman and maid are truly tough. As the person in charge of managing the servants, every little flaw of theirs directly reflects on us. Of course, they must be more physically tired. But I’m not someone with multiple bodies, controlling several people is killing me.
Of course, there were some who did their jobs well, but most of them were not satisfying to my eyes.
“Phew, this work never ends.”
“Come on. It’s okay to do just enough. You’re too meticulous.”
I shrugged off my colleague’s comment with a response. There is no room for compromise. It’s Luciana’s birthday, at least the parts I’m responsible for must be perfect.
“Let’s see. Most of it is done now, I just need to check the garden and Friede’s condition.”
Friede will bite my hem if it’s hungry, it will let me know.
“Now that I think about it, it’s unfair. While someone is busy working.”
Moreover, that guy will be eating luxurious food prepared for Luciana’s birthday. And not only that, but the noble children guests will find him cute and give him lots of snacks.
“The life of a dog is better than mine, seriously.”
Grumbling, I headed towards the garden, and a familiar face caught my eye. A girl, gracefully strolling in the garden, holding an umbrella of the same pink as her hair.
It was Elizabeth.
“It’s still quite early compared to the official invitation time. Why have you come so early?”
“Is it strange to come early to see one’s fiancé?”
…What? That reaction. When I showed a lukewarm expression, she too, with a smile on her face, just pursed her lips.
– L u c y
Only after using lip-reading skills did I realize her intention, and then I could see Luciana, who was tending to flowers beyond the bushes.
…She’s doing it herself? Normally, as it is the ducal family’s garden, there would be someone in charge of managing it. It was unexpected, especially because I had never seen her like this before.
“Countess Frontal visiting so early because of me! I’m so embarrassed I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“It seems you were also waiting, somewhat. I’m glad.”
I’m someone who lies as easily as breathing, and she, being a born noble, there was no awkwardness in our conversation. However, both of us were not looking at each other. Both Elizabeth’s and my gaze were fixed on the silver-haired girl far away, deeply engrossed in a rose.
“…Ah, how beautiful. Indeed, Lucy.”
“Haha, the roses of the west are as beautiful as rubies.”
I nudged her to caution her. But, even disregarding Elizabeth’s recklessness, I couldn’t help but agree. Her, with her eyes closed, enjoying the scent of the flower, contrasted so much with her usual cold image, making her seem even more beautiful.
-Thud.
Suddenly, I felt a pressure on my side. Elizabeth, she nudged me with her elbow. By then, Luciana had turned our way.
“Oh, Liza. It seems your fiancé is distracted.”
“……Haha.” Just as she failed to keep her mouth shut, I also failed to cut off the conversation appropriately. Luciana, with a faint smile, left the flowers behind and walked towards us.
“I would also warmly welcome Hans.”
“Lucy, stop with the bad jokes. What about your engagement to the crown prince?”
“Hmm. As I thought, you’re no fun to tease. If it were Hans, he would’ve retorted in a fuss.”
Certainly, the usual me would have made a fuss, asking if you’d be satisfied only if I were sent to the gallows. However, in a situation like a moment ago… honestly, I’m not sure. I might have hesitated. “Because it’s my favorite, right? Because it’s my favorite?”
I thought I had built up quite an immunity over time, but Luciana, buried in the flower garden……… was quite strong. Strong enough to break me down.
“Isn’t that right? If not, I’m also willing to accept it. Were you serious, my dear?”
Fortunately, she threw that joke after I barely managed to compose myself. I snapped back to reality at the hint of playfulness at the corner of her mouth.
“What are you saying? I’m such a coward that I’m even scared of the thorns on roses.”
“For a man who constantly takes reckless challenges to say that… I find it hard to believe.”
Luciana smiled slyly and turned her back. “Then, I shall step back and not be a disturbance. Have a good time, both of you.”
It was a storm-like entrance and exit. Elizabeth covered her mouth and mumbled in a daze. “She had that side to her too. To playfully tease me so openly.”
She looked pathetic. With a face so enchanted and foolishly happy. She seemed immensely moved as a devout follower.
“Get a grip. The lady has already left.”
“Hmph. That’s my line. Where did you put your mind? You almost got us both caught!”
I can’t argue with that. It’s entirely my fault for being so captivated and lost in thought.
“I admit it. It was my greed. It was too delicious to resist.”
When I brought up a story only she would understand, Elizabeth’s face hardened instantly. “…Demons are really incomprehensible.”
Afraid of being overheard, she lowered her voice as much as she could and grumbled. “At this rate, won’t I get caught before fulfilling the promise I made to you?”
“Rest assured, my lady. I have lived in the human world longer than you think. I have never been caught once.”
It was a secret that I was originally human and thus couldn’t be apprehended as a demon.
“Besides, hasn’t Lady Frontal already obtained half of what she desired?”
“…What?”
“If she’s asking favors from other noble, I presume you’ve moved beyond the position you originally held.”
It didn’t take long for her face to turn pale.
“How did you…?”
How would I know. The last time with the Bathory case, and now with the Yeti case, it was clear. Even if Luciana is a genius, there are times when she can’t defy the irrational. Besides, she is… ‘like a magnet for trouble.’
She never just avoids trouble; she seems restless if she’s not confronting it head-on. For someone like me who wants to live a long and slender life, such a risk factor should be kept at a distance. But her life is my life. That’s a fact stated in the status window. Who knows if she might encounter a high-ranking demon like Bathory if I’m not there. That’s why, right after that fight, I took at least the minimum measures to be able to help her immediately.
“There’s always a way to know everything. The world is full of useful magical tools.”
“You! Did you put a listening device on her?”
Precisely, along with a listening device, I also attached a return stone to her cloak. So she could be transported immediately if she was in danger.
“Are you crazy! What if you get caught?”
“If you don’t get caught, that’s the end of it. No problem.”
As long as the retrieval is done perfectly, it will remain a perfect crime, but now I have to stay by her side for a while, so I should start detaching it soon.
“Let’s put aside minor problems. The important thing is that you just need to trust and follow my words.”
I looked at Elizabeth and curled the corners of my mouth.
Regardless, it would be troublesome if emotions ahead of the plan ruined it.
After all, we are in a cooperative and allied relationship. A little tit for tat is fine, but I can’t indulge in a power struggle. So, now might be the right time to bend her will a little.
“Then you won’t need to be impatient, and you’ll get closer and closer to Lady Luciana, moving beyond a relationship of follower and idol to an equal footing.”
“Tch.”
Elizabeth clicked her tongue and was the first to walk away.
“It’s not that I trust you. I’m just satisfied with the results achieved so far.”
“Of course.”
I stared blankly at her umbrella. The faintly visible coral. If she went to the extent of modifying her staff into an umbrella to bring it here, she must have really liked it.
“…Did you notice?”
“I have emotions, and you have your relationship with the lady. Even just watching will seal the deal.”
The coral staff.
That’s the sign of our complicity.
***
Luciana recalled the incident a little earlier. For her, public attention was a given. Being the foremost noble in the north, the envious looks she received had become so familiar that they no longer affected her. But this time was different. The dazed look in the servant boy’s eyes.
Where had his usual mischievousness gone?
‘It was the same as other people’s eyes.’
As if looking up to her.
Whether it’s her appearance or her family. Those who adored her without really knowing her. The funny thing was, she felt quite pleased with that fact. Because she could expect greater loyalty from Hans for admiring her? No. It wasn’t just for such calculative reasons, she vaguely realized. The real reason she felt good was…
“Hey, Speda. Are you listening?”
“Sorry, Lady Roberk. I was distracted for a moment. Could you repeat that?”
The sharpness returned to her eyes, which had softened momentarily. It was time to set aside personal feelings. She couldn’t afford to be rude to a guest who had come from afar to deal with her.
“You getting distracted, that’s rare.”
Luciana’s deep-set eyes, reminiscent of the clear northern skies, captured her counterpart. With her green hair cascading down to her waist and those deep purple eyes that seemed to draw one in. Camilla Roberk, the young lady of the Roberk ducal family, representing the west and heavily inheriting its symbol, spoke. Every movement of her delicate fingers was quite enchanting.
“I want to change the terms of our deal.”
“Hmm? I thought it was a mutually beneficial condition. Surprising.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll still give you the information about the sand mole you want.”
How could she not be concerned? It meant changing the terms demanded by the Roberk ducal family. It might drag her into realms beyond her authority, so she was on guard.
“…Let’s hear it first before deciding. What do you want?”
“Nothing much. Rather, it might be easier than before.”
Roberk twisted a lock of her hair, resembling a palm leaf.
“Handing over the sand mole after capturing him? I don’t even expect that. We’ve been after him for decades but failed.”
So, the compensation Luciana offered was a far-fetched idea. Camilla Roberk was saying that.
“I’d rather make a different proposal.”
“Speak.”
“Isn’t there a famous thief recently in this area? His name was Frost Mane, wasn’t it?”
The moment she heard that name, Luciana felt her heart sink coldly.
“Public deeds must be covered with public actions. Although we missed the sand mole, capturing this new thief in the magic stone mine will help restore our diminished prestige.”
…This is a problem. That person’s custody belongs to her. After all, the reason she wanted the sand mole’s information was to deduce information about Frost Mane.
“I understand your intent. But let’s add one more condition.”
Luciana was tolerant about matters outside her interest.
“There’s no need to hand over the person. He’s mine.”
“What?”
“The thief from the north will be dealt with by the north. There’s no room for negotiation in this.”
But when it came to related matters, she could become extremely firm. She was a noble among nobles. Her possessiveness over her own things was second to none.
“Is that so typical of the north? Planning to execute him immediately?”
“You don’t need to know. He will just be dealt with according to the law. But in this process, I do expect… full cooperation from the west… publically.”
Camilla covered her mouth with her fan, watching Luciana.
A light probe to gauge the purpose, and a bit of an overreaction as a response.
‘I heard rumors about Frost Mane causing chaos in the north, seems like she got involved then?’
The famous ‘Treasure of the North’ being unexpectedly harsh piqued Camilla’s interest.
“Well, it’s a pity not to get a prisoner who could be sentenced to lifelong forced labor.”
Sparks flew between their eyes meeting each other. A brief, intense tension filled the private room. A nerve-wracking standoff over Frost Mane’s custody.
“Well, no need to obsess. As long as we publicly announce that we greatly helped in his capture, that’s all that matters. What we need right now is to restore our damaged prestige.”
But Camilla too was a blue-blooded noble. She didn’t push for more and was content with the pragmatic gain, backing down.
“Do check the gift box carefully, Lady Speda.”
There would be information about the sand mole in it.
Camilla smiled brightly as she folded her fan and extended her right hand. A noble smile that could be featured in an etiquette book.
“The deal is settled, then.”
“Let’s keep it friendly. Between fellow ducal families.”
With artificial smiles, they shook hands.
Determined to catch him and make him pay, Luciana’s eyes gleamed ominously.
Cliche Novel 