"This mansion... it's been a long ti."
"......"
"It's just the way I liked it. Exquisite."
The Duke, having just stepped foot into the Embergreen estate, glanced around with a satisfied smile.
"Though it's a sha the people I cherished have changed."
Then, with a subtle frown, he turned and asked the young lady a question.
"How many did you kill?"
"...Ha."
"Looks like only a third of the faces I rember are still around."
At those words, the faces of the servants gathered in the lobby to greet the forr master of the estate turned noticeably grim.
It wasn’t just because of the chilling tone in the conversation between the Duke and redia.
They, too, vividly rembered the “Day of Purge” that redia had orchestrated.
"This place reeks of bloodshed."
"...Enough nonsense. Go to the guest room and get out of my sight."
"My, such manners."
As redia spoke with a twisted expression, the Duke's smile vanished just as sharply.
"I’d like to use the lord's quarters."
"Don't even dream about it."
"...Why not? I’m still the official head of the family. There's no reason I can't."
"If you were invited as a guest, then act like one."
Technically, the Duke was still the official head of House Embergreen.
But in a mansion now fully staffed with redia’s loyalists, his authority had no weight.
"...I’ll escort you to the guest parlor, Your Grace."
"No need. I’ll find my way."
A few perceptive maids, reading redia’s eyes, tried to escort the Duke, but he brushed them off with distaste and began walking on his own.
"You. Co with ."
"..., sir?"
"Yes, you alone."
The Duke suddenly turned and addressed , and I couldn’t help but stiffen in surprise, having remained quietly on guard until then.
"What’s the ga here?"
"Did you forget why I ca? I’m here to deliver a letter."
"That doesn’t justify a private audience."
redia imdiately snapped at him, but the Duke smiled calmly.
"Can a father not have a word alone with his future son-in-law?"
"......"
"Unless you’ve got a reason to stop us?"
His gaze, despite the upturned corners of his mouth, carried a chilling murderous edge.
"Like, say... sothing you’re trying to hide?"
— Grit...
"Ha! You still grind your teeth unconsciously when you’re angry. Haven’t grown out of that."
Any further provocation, and redia looked like she might actually kill soone right in the middle of the mansion, so I sighed and stepped forward.
"Lady redia, I’ll be back shortly."
"...Wait."
"It’ll be quick. It’s not like anything dangerous will happen."
There weren’t any known records of the Duke’s combat abilities, but I doubted I’d lose to a half-blind old man well past his pri.
Besides, a scher like him wouldn't gain anything from attacking here.
"Yes, a wise choice. You’re more perceptive than I expected."
Still, the way the Duke kept smiling at made it clear I couldn’t let my guard down.
He definitely had an agenda in wanting a private audience.
And knowing that, I’d have to be very cautious around him.
"...Whitney."
"You don’t need to worry, Lady redia."
As her hand gripped my arm to stop , I smiled gently and reassured her.
"I’ll handle this easily."
"But..."
"By the way, it’s my first ti inside the mansion."
I’d visited the Embergreen estate a few tis before, but this was the first ti stepping inside fully.
And unlike those visits, this ti I entered as her fiancé.
"Once we’re done, maybe you could give a tour?"
"...Our garden is especially beautiful."
"Haha, I know. I almost died there once—ouch."
Feeling a bit sentintal, I tried to lighten the mood with a joke and imdiately got my foot stomped by her.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"...Yes, ma'am."
Was it just , or did the servants all flinch when she stepped on ?
"So that’s the one... the man Lady redia brought back..."
"...He’s not what the rumors said."
"Right? He actually seems kind of... gentle."
Glancing around, I noticed the servants were all whispering and eyeing curiously.
"They say he’s a dark mastermind, second only to the lady herself..."
"...That's just gossip."
"Yeah, kind of hard to believe..."
Well, it made sense. They were seeing —the newly arrived son-in-law of the Duke—for the first ti.
"I heard the Holy Theocracy acknowledged him as a hero. But he looks kind of frail..."
"...Feels like one poke and he'd drop dead."
"Girl, there’s no one who’d survive one of your pokes."
Wait. Why did the maids’ conversations sound a little... off?
Were they secretly so kind of elite combat maids redia had been training?
"Anyway, I’ll be going now."
"...Okay."
Sticking around any longer and Lady redia might activate her jewel eyes again, so I decided to head to the guest room.
"Oh, almost forgot."
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten the serious tip given to by redia’s personal maid.
"...!"
As I suddenly hugged the visibly sullen redia tightly, her eyes widened.
"...There are eyes watching."
"At this point, what does it matter?"
"Haah..."
The whispering stopped all at once, followed by a chorus of hurried bows. Oddly satisfying.
"T-They’re really dating...!"
"S-So Lady redia didn’t just pressure so random noble son?"
"...Shhh! Not so loud!"
Though their shock was... a bit misdirected. I decided to ignore it for their sake.
***
"You’re late."
"..."
"What kept you?"
Arriving a bit late after my embrace with redia, I was greeted in the guest room by a clearly irritated voice.
"My apologies, Your Grace."
"...I dislike people who can’t keep ti."
Though it was a guest room, the Duke sat as if he were the lord returning to his castle, sipping tea the maids had served him.
"...Tea, huh. You’ve gone to great lengths to erase my presence."
"Not a fan of tea?"
"Whichever house that maid is from, rember her face."
At the sight of the herbal tea being poured into his cup, the Duke scowled and snapped at the maid.
"Pour whiskey in my cup instead. Bring so pepper too. And don’t put away the sugar."
The maid, slightly disturbed by his bizarre tastes, simply nodded silently and headed to the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) liquor cabinet.
"You enjoy drinking, I see?"
"...Always have."
"But at your age, maybe it's ti to cut back a little?"
I asked with a wry smile, and the Duke responded with undisguised disdain.
"Do white mages hold dical licenses these days?"
"..."
"I know my body better than anyone. Don't ddle."
No sooner had he said that than the maid returned, pouring whiskey into his cup, then adding pepper grains and sugar cubes.
‘...Is he eccentric or just insane?’
At least he hadn’t asked for it to be heated—
"Warm up the remaining whiskey. Around 60 degrees."
"...Yes, sir."
Yeah, never mind. I gave up trying to understand this man's tastes.
"So, when will you give the letter?"
"...Ah, this one?"
The Duke, having drunk half the awful concoction, pulled the letter from his coat and laid it on the table.
"...It’s not a fake."
"Watch your tongue. If I were still the master of this estate, I’d have thrown you out for that."
"Haha, is that so?"
I checked the seal carefully again, but there were no signs of tampering.
Then this really was a letter from my father—who had been completely out of contact for a while.
What could it possibly say?
"Now, now, I never said you could read it now."
Just as I reached for it, the Duke snatched it back with a sneer.
"What are you doing?"
"Did you really think I asked for a private talk just to hand over a letter?"
"...I figured as much."
"Then don’t be in such a hurry. Young people today are always so impatient."
Facing the Duke’s calm but piercing gaze, I began to understand why redia despised this man.
"My lighter still has enough fuel to burn this letter to ash, you know."
‘This guy's a master of being insufferable.’
Whether it was his personality or the position of Duke that shaped him, the man was truly exhausting.
"What do you want?"
"Hmm, now that’s the question."
"You should tell that first so I know what tune to dance to."
He held all the cards with the letter in hand, so I forced myself to stay calm and asked. At last, with a faint smile, he began.
"All I want is for you to answer a few questions."
"...Questions?"
"Just a few personal curiosities."
"That’s really all?"
Expecting sothing more troubleso, I was taken aback by the leniency and grew more cautious.
"Co now, I’m not the sort to speak out of both sides of my mouth."
"..."
"And whether you answer or not is up to you. Of course, whether I give you the letter will depend on your answers."
His tone left no room for argunt, so I decided to just listen for now.
"Let’s begin then."
The Duke's questioning started.
"Do you intend to marry redia within the year?"
"...Yes."
"You know she’s terminal, don’t you?"
"...I do."
Hearing my imdiate answers, he narrowed his eyes and asked again.
"Do you know how to save her?"
"...Yes."
"I see."
Then, with a suddenly amused expression, he leaned forward slightly.
"Then, my final question."
And what ca next was a question that made absolutely no sense to .
"Do you know why your mother died?"
I imdiately sensed a sharp malice in his eyes.
"...No."
I couldn’t ignore the question altogether, so after a pause, I answered.
"Heh."
"...?"
"Hehehehehe..."
His reaction left utterly bewildered.
"Wahahahahahaha!!!"
"..."
"Gah, ha ha...!”
With tears in his eyes, the Duke laughed uproariously. I stared at him with an expression of growing irritation, unable to hold back any longer.
"...What’s so funny?"
At last, wiping his eyes and smiling wickedly, the Duke stood.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
And then—sothing completely unexpected happened.
"Wait—!"
Before I could grasp what was happening—
"See you in hell."
—he pulled an old pistol from his pocket, loaded with a mana cartridge, and pulled the trigger.
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