“...I’m exhausted.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Hm?”
While buried in paperwork in the office, I accidentally mumbled out loud—only to flinch as soone tapped my shoulder from behind.
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“......?”
Ferris, who had been glancing my way with her hands behind her back for a while now, was suddenly patting my shoulders with sparkling eyes.
What the hell is she doing? Is this so ancient pressure-point assassination technique passed down by beastkin?
...Although, it actually does feel kind of good.
She was a spy who tried to kill not long ago, so I was naturally suspicious. But since my stiff shoulders were slowly easing, it didn’t really seem like she was trying to kill .
Well, considering she’d already sworn the knight’s vow, it’s not like she could harm anymore anyway.
But just a few hours ago, she had trembled and freaked out anyti I so much as smiled. Why this complete 180?
...Could it be that thing she said about honor was real?
Reaching a high position, sure. But falling for a handso man and marrying him?
If that’s her definition of knightly honor, Lunelle would literally foam at the mouth.
Still, her desire for status seed genuine. That probably explained why she was buttering up now.
After all, I was her master now, and if she wanted to climb, she’d have to stay in my good graces.
“That’s enough shoulder rubbing.”
“...Yes, sir!”
“By the way, I’ve got a question.”
“Ask anything!”
Alright. Ti to test her a bit.
“Your specialty is assassination, right?”
“...Do you have soone in mind you’d like dead?”
Ferris imdiately narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice as she bowed her head toward .
“Can you kill your forr master?”
It was a cruel question, but considering she was Maier’s spy just a few hours ago, I had to test her resolve.
“Shall I depart now?”
“...Hmm.”
“If I co up with a good excuse, setting up contact shouldn’t be hard. Success rate’s about twenty percent, though. Assassination’s always a gamble.”
With her eyes already darkened, Ferris began speaking far too earnestly.
“If I pull it off, I’ll lay low for a few years and resurface discreetly. As long as you promise to cover for afterward, I could even get support arranged...”
“Did Maier abuse you or sothing?”
I couldn’t help but ask, seeing how serious she looked—and how bloodthirsty she sounded.
“...No, he was good to .”
“Really?”
“Haha... So good, in fact, I didn’t even realize it was all a lie.”
Her voice was drenched in bitterness.
“...That bastard told I was the only one.”
Her killing intent was so intense that even Lunelle, who had silently been standing guard nearby, visibly flinched.
...Master, you really shouldn’t betray won.
......
Especially not Lady redia. I won’t be able to help you if you do.
Parsha’s whisper from the basent suddenly echoed in my mind.
Yeah. If this were redia instead of Ferris... everyone in the mansion would be passed out cold by now.
Not that I’d ever betray redia, of course.
—Knock, knock, knock...
Just as I rubbed my tired eyes and tried to return my focus to the paperwork, a knock from the front door snapped my attention away.
“Sasha?”
“......”
“...If you’re trembling again, just know the thing about assassinating Maier was a joke.”
With most senior staff already in the room, the only one likely to knock would be Sasha.
So I tried my best to reassure the poor girl, assuming she was nervously standing outside.
“I don’t know, coming from your mouth it’s hard to tell.”
“...Lady redia?”
But instead of Sasha’s usual pale face, it was redia who stepped through the door.
“Well, if you kill that bastard for , I’ll give you a kiss.”
“......”
“...Just kidding. Doesn’t sound like a fair trade now that I think about it.”
Frozen by her unexpected entrance, I could only sit there in stunned silence after hearing her comnt.
“What? Why the look?”
“...How did you get in here?”
A few seconds later, after recovering from the initial shock and noticing her slightly flushed cheeks, I managed to ask.
“Am I not allowed in my fiancé’s room?”
“Well... there’s usually a procedure...”
“And yet, when you entered the ducal estate, no such procedure was needed.”
Can’t argue with that logic.
“Didn’t the knights try to stop you?”
“I disabled them with a warning. I’m on good enough terms with the staff now, too.”
“Ahaha...”
I’d poured a lot into building up my knight corps, but of course even they were no match for soone like redia. (If it weren’t for her battle with the imperial princess, she probably wouldn’t have had a free pass.)
“What, you don’t want here?”
“No, that’s not it...”
“Though, from the looks of things, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Just as I began to deflate, redia’s eyes lit up with sharp intent, and she walked over with a frosty tone.
“You’ve already sworn knight’s vows with two won. How blatant.”
“...It was just coincidence.”
“The head butler is a girl. The head maid is a girl. All your closest knights are girls, girls, girls. Must be a fun ti every day, huh?”
I an... isn’t it normal for the head maid to be a girl?
And the butler and maid leaders are tiny little Sasha and Parsha!
The others are just elite picks from the ga and wildcards to counter Maier’s influence.
Besides, Bergen’s also one of my closest aides, and he’s in the shadows. This feels like a pretty unfair accusation.
“Everyone in the room—leave us.”
“...You really think I’ll just play along?”
“Lady redia, if you’ll allow to expla—”
But there was no way she’d listen now. Just as I tried to calm her and get Lunelle and Ferris out...
“Sir Whitney!!!”
“Ah.”
“What are you doing in your office all day!!!”
The one voice I really didn’t want to hear at that mont echoed through the hallway.
“You two, hold her back—”
“Co play with instead!!!”
“...Ugh.”
I’d hoped Lunelle and Ferris could hold her off, but before I even finished my order, Katarina had already burst through the door.
“......”
And so began a painfully awkward silence.
“Huh?”
Carrying a chessboard (how she even knows how to play is a mystery), she froze on the spot when she saw Lady redia.
“Your Highness, I believe I assigned exclusive maids to attend you.”
“...T-They were tired. A-And... this kind of thing is more fun with friends.”
Watching her squirm, I sighed and replied calmly.
Did she wear them all out again after yesterday’s chaos?
I inwardly clicked my tongue at her outrageous stamina—again.
Then redia, wearing a frosty smile, suddenly spoke.
“Missing for a week, and here you are. Your Highness.”
“...Hic.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m very good at keeping secrets.”
Hearing that, Katarina hiccupped again, her expression turning increasingly tense.
“Your Highness, forgive , but I’m having an important conversation with Lady redia right now.”
“O-Okay.”
“Would you mind waiting outside for a mont?”
To avoid any further disasters, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° I wore my most diplomatic smile and tried to usher her out.
“R-Right... Girlfriends are more important than friends, anyway...”
“......”
“T-Then... I’ll wait outside.”
Thankfully, she lowered her head and twisted awkwardly before stepping out.
“...Hmph.”
redia, who’d been watching that exchange closely, narrowed her eyes and looked at again with a chilling smile.
“So, does it feel good, being surrounded by won?”
“...Her Highness is technically a man.”
“And who’s arguing that?”
Feeling like I was completely under her control, I decided it was ti to gamble early.
“Does it really matter, though?”
“What are you getting at?”
“No matter how many won are around , I only love one person.”
My words were so transparent even Ferris and Lunelle, who were about to close the door, visibly flinched.
“......”
And as expected, redia’s cold gaze locked onto mine.
“You only love ?”
“...Of course.”
“Then prove it.”
Her icy demand made sweat bead on my forehead as my mind went blank.
“...That’s easy.”
But soon enough, a very simple idea popped into my head—and I decided to act on it imdiately.
“What is it?”
As I held out my palm and smiled, redia tilted her head, staring at my hand.
“One of the few forbidden white magic spells.”
“......?”
“All it takes is holding hands... No, you’ll feel it yourself when you touch .”
I gave her the most harmless smile I could muster, but she only looked more suspicious by the second.
“...Forget it. I’m not doing that.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Your face looks way too lecherous.”
When she flatly refused, I couldn’t help but grumble softly.
“You’re too cruel...”
“Well, it was just being petty anyway. You don’t need to do anything weird.”
Thankfully, it seed this mini-crisis had passed.
Still... I was hoping she’d take my hand. I’ll try again another ti.
“I know you haven’t touched a single woman yet. I’ve been keeping a close eye.”
Just as I scratched my head, she casually dropped a bombshell.
“...You’re joking, right?”
“Who knows?”
I had a sinking feeling I’d never sleep peacefully again.
“So, what brings you here today, Lady redia?”
Ti to change the subject. I gave her a friendly smile and asked.
“I ca to propose sothing.”
“Haha, anything—”
Her answer, however, left speechless.
“...Let’s go on a date.”
“...What?”
I an, any guy who hears that for the first ti from his new girlfriend would probably react like this, right?
“Right now.”
“...!?”
Yeah. Definitely the kind of proposal that makes your eyes pop out of your head.
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