Master 90

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A few days had passed since the series of events in Lumen Ordo had come to an end. 

The Duke’s office at the Embergreen mansion. 

“Haa.” 

The current owner of the mansion, Meredia Embergreen, finished her work by stamping the last page of the mountain of documents. 

She sighed as she pushed the completed papers aside. 

“…Already morning?” 

Before she knew it, the morning sunlight was streaming through the window, wrapping around her, and the sound of birds chirping reached her ears. 

For Meredia, who often had her day and night reversed due to chronic insomnia, this was not a very familiar situation. 

However, she didn’t feel particularly tired. 

Because, a few days ago, after resting her head on Whitney’s shoulder, she had unknowingly dozed off, and since then, she had been able to sleep without nightmares. 

“How strange.” 

Meredia, who never expected that her insomnia, which had not been resolved despite numerous attempts, would suddenly disappear, thought to herself. 

“Indeed, it’s because of him…” 

As she muttered to herself, remembering the man she suspected was the cause, Meredia suddenly blushed and lowered her head. 

“…Ugh.” 

It had already been several days since the explosive declaration in the carriage, but when she recalled that day, Meredia’s face turned as red as it had been then. 

“Damn…” 

For a while, she buried her face in her hands, trying to cool her heated face. 

As her face cooled, however, embarrassment and shame slowly began to rise within her.  

Thump, thump, thump… 

A few seconds later, the sound of Meredia banging her head on the desk echoed through the office. 

The servants passing by the corridor thought someone was being punished due to the loud thuds, and it took quite some time before the sound finally quieted down.  

Ding~ 

Then, at that moment, a clear bell rang through the office. 

“Did you call for me?” 

Clara, the head maid, who had been anxiously waiting outside, rushed in as soon as she heard the sound. 

“What tea would you like today? If you’re looking for something to relieve fatigue, I would recommend chamomile or peppermint.” 

“….” 

“Or how about lavender? It’s a new tea we just got, and its scent is wonderful…” 

While the Embergreen mansion was a place where most servants were constantly on edge, and many of them were quickly dismissed, Clara was an exception. 

Having endured Meredia’s hysterics since childhood, Clara had acquired a remarkable intuition, and one of Meredia’s few hobbies, hosting tea parties, had trained her in the art of tea knowledge. 

This knowledge had earned Clara a position as one of the few people close to Meredia. 

“Is none of it to your liking? If not, how about starting your morning with a warm cocoa instead?” 

For example, the fact that Clara didn’t mention Meredia’s red-tinged forehead was proof of her excellent skills in handling her duties. 

“Enough. I didn’t call you for tea.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I need your advice on something.” 

Recently, Clara had begun to realize that her previously standardized duties had suddenly gained a new task. 

“Just say it.” 

“…How do romantic relationships usually unfold?” 

However, no one would have believed that offering relationship advice to Meredia was Clara’s newly added task, except for Clara herself. 

“Well, um… how should I put it…” 

The issue was that Clara, like most in her family, already had an arranged fiancé, and she had never even held a man’s hand. 

“What… what do you think, Lady?” 

“…Are you answering a question with a question?” 

“Well, I need to understand your perspective first. That way, I can give you the right advice. Hehe…” 

After hesitating for a moment, Clara asked a question in return, only to quickly murmur awkwardly and force a smile when she saw Meredia’s cold reaction. 

“Hmm…” 

Meredia, eyeing Clara with a slightly distrustful gaze, lazily opened her eyes, reached out, and opened the window. 

“Why are you suddenly opening the window?” 

“I need to try something.” 

“…Huh?” 

Clara, who had been tilting her head in confusion, suddenly shrank back when something flew in through the window. 

“Lady! It’s dangerous…” 

“Stop being so dramatic. It’s just a crow.” 

“…Oh.” 

Having witnessed Meredia being threatened on multiple occasions, Clara had been extremely tense. But when she saw the crow perched on Meredia’s shoulder, she let out a sigh of relief and spoke. 

“Isn’t that the raven from the Lingard mansion?” 

“…It used to be. But recently, Whitney transferred it to me.” 

“Really…” 

In reality, it was rare for a family’s raven to be transferred carelessly, so Clara wondered if Meredia had kidnapped the bird from the Lingard mansion. However, she soon set aside her doubts.  

Caw? 

At first, it seemed impossible to say the crow had been kidnapped, as it perched calmly on Meredia’s shoulder, acting entirely at ease. 

“And… surprisingly, their relationship is not ordinary, so that’s possible.” 

Clara concluded that if a man could bring down someone like Meredia, he could likely afford to gift a family raven. 

“So, what exactly are you experimenting with by calling this crow?” 

“…Since ancient times, humans have gained wisdom by observing other living creatures.” 

Meredia, replying casually to Clara’s question, quietly glinted her eyes.  

Tweet? 

A short time later, a small platinum-colored canary, one of the birds Meredia cherished most, flew in through the window. 

Meredia, placing it gently on her hand, placed it on the table. 

As she lowered the crow from her shoulder next to the canary, Clara, who had been watching the scene in confusion, suddenly flushed bright red.  

Flap…!  

Tweet!  

In the blink of an eye, the crow pounced on the platinum-colored canary, starting a display of affection with its usual movements.  

“….”  

One notable thing was that, despite the rough nature of the crow’s affection, the canary, while frowning slightly, accepted it without hesitation.  

“…Is this how affection between males and females proceeds?”  

“Lady!”  

Meredia, who had been observing the scene intently for a while, muttered with a slightly dazed expression.  

Clara, unable to watch any longer, finally raised her voice.  

“You can’t just allow affection like that so easily!”  

“…Why not?”  

“Well… usually, it’s the man who wants affection first, right? If the woman accepts it too easily, even when she feels burdened…”  

But at Meredia’s question, Clara quickly closed her mouth.  

“…I don’t mind.”  

“Huh?”  

“I want affection.”  

And thus began the silence.  

“…Oh dear.”  

Realizing what she had just said, Meredia once again lowered her head, her face completely flushed.  

Clara, staring at her, sighed, pressing her forehead.  

“What’s so great about Whitney that you’re this deeply in love?”  

“Well…”  

“If this goes on, you’re going to give him everything. You should exercise a little more restraint…”  

As Clara started offering advice with a hint of reproach, Meredia’s cold voice came from the bowed head.  

“That’s not something you should meddle with.”  

“…Ah, yes.”  

Normally, Clara would have stiffened and shaken with fear at the tone, but this time, she lazily responded with a grumpy tone.  

“She can make that face too…”  

Meredia, her face flushed and looking sideways with her head lowered, seemed so cute that all the usual charisma she exuded vanished.  

“Lady, I told you before, right? Playing hard to get is important.”  

“…Playing hard to get.”  

“Yes, exactly. It applies to romantic relationships too.”  

With that, Clara took a stern look, and Meredia, slightly flinching, began listening seriously.  

“You need to play hard to get to take control of affection, so your relationship will be smoother in the future.”  

“…But what if the other person doesn’t respond to affection?”  

Again, neither Meredia nor Clara had experience with romance.  

However, at least Clara had read many romance novels, which were considered basic education for maids and attendants.  

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t have affection at all.”  

“Then?”  

“You should deliberately reject affection sometimes, then occasionally return it. That way, you can take control.”  

Thus, Clara successfully gave Meredia what turned out to be surprisingly valid advice.  

“Okay, I get it. But I have one question.”  

However, her advice was about to collapse when Meredia asked her fundamental question.  

“…What do you do once you take control?”  

“Well…”  

Clara, who had only learned about romance through books, began to show her fatal weakness—lack of practical experience.  

“You… won’t be looked down on by your partner… you could make them cling to you more… and also…”  

But now, realizing her lack of actual knowledge, Clara struggled to force out her words.  

“For example, in the bedroom, you take the lead…”  

“…!”  

“…Ah, never mind. Nothing.”  

Clara, who had inadvertently mentioned something too advanced, quickly realized her mistake and closed her mouth.  

And the awkward silence began to fill the office.  

“…Okay, thanks for the advice.”  

Breaking the silence, Meredia, who had been swallowing dryly with a serious expression, finally spoke and changed the topic.  

“I’ll try to use this advice at the Lingard mansion today.”  

“Ah… today?”  

Clara, who had just relaxed and nodded with a relieved expression, widened her eyes in surprise at Meredia’s next words.  

“They said they’re establishing a new order at the Lingard mansion today. I was invited as an advisor.”  

“Ah…”  

“That’s today. So I’m leaving now to head to the Lingard mansion.”  

Meredia, now standing up and preparing to leave, had already begun her preparations, and Clara, silently glancing at her, gave her a thumbs-up.  

“I wish you good luck, Lady…”  

“…It’s not like I’m going on a foreign expedition or anything.”  

“Hehe…”  

“Also, before I leave, there’s something I’d like to let the council know.”  

Meredia, who had been heading for the door, suddenly spoke as if she had just remembered.  

“Yes, please tell me, and I’ll pass it on.”  

Clara, thinking that her trustworthiness had increased, suppressed the smile that wanted to rise and answered while lowering her head.  

“I’ll probably marry Whitney Lingard sometime soon, within the year.”  

“Huh?”  

“So, you should make sure the servants are prepared.”  

At Meredia’s words, Clara blinked in shock and stared blankly for a moment before suddenly letting out a strange gasp.  

“…Huh?”  

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