[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 42 – Return
“Young Master! I heard a rumor that you had been separately invited to the Imperial Palace for the Founding Ceremony? It’s said that His Majesty the Emperor values you so much…”
Inside the carriage returning to the Winfred estate, a familiar face of the old butler was shaking with excitent.
“What about Luna?”
“The Young Miss has arrived first and is currently preparing the mansion.”
Preparing the mansion?
What could there be to prepare in that mansion?
“Tell more.”
“After you left the mansion, a few days later, Miss Luna dismissed all the servants of the mansion.”
“What? She dismissed all the servants?”
“Yes, Young Master. Consequently, the managent of the mansion was neglected for a while. It took ti to hire reliable servants, so now we are renovating the mansion along with various repairs.”
The butler nodded with a knowing smile.
Seeing him praise the efficiency of the newly hired servants, I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
‘So they really did turn the mansion upside down.’
Luna had definitely told .
She had cleared away all potential threats to and asked to return to Winfred.
At first, I thought it was nonsense.
But it seems it wasn’t just empty boasting.
‘Well, it’s laughable.’
Making a fuss over just replacing the servants.
There are real threats out there.
‘The Duke never cared about Kyle anyway.’
The Duchess.
And Ian Winfred.
Even without Luna, the Winfred estate is like a minefield to .
My head is already throbbing.
The only hopeful fact is that my return is imminent.
[ Scenario Progress: 60% ]
I didn’t wish for it, but anyway, reaching over half completion is quite satisfying after all the hardships.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but just reaching this point is motivation enough.
Obtain the Holy Blood, complete the scenario, neutralize the system with the Dagger of Tranquility.
And then secretly revive, kidnap Rudine, and steal the Relic. Once that’s done, all preparations will be complete.
At that mont, the butler’s voice broke through.
“Oh! I almost forgot to ntion. The Duchess and the Little Duke have also vacated the mansion.”
“Why did they leave?”
“Both of them suddenly went on vacation as guests of Viscount Drietta.”
“On vacation to the in-laws? So suddenly?”
“I’m not sure of the exact reason myself.”
The butler blinked dumbly.
He truly didn’t know anything.
The Duchess, Winfred’s confidant, has left for her ho?
And with Ian Winfred?
There are only two possible scenarios.
Either my constant ddling has changed the future.
Or Luna took action before my arrival.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
Either way, the fact that those damned people aren’t in the mansion is good news to .
Lost in thought, I felt the carriage slow down gradually.
With a grating sound, the carriage ca to a complete stop, and the butler opened the door and got out first.
“Young Master, we have arrived.”
Diana and I took the butler’s offered hands and got off the carriage one by one.
Raising my head, I took in the familiar scenery.
“Welco back.”
Duke Winfred.
Returning to this damned place again.
I barely managed to swallow the sigh that rose to my throat, and as the luggage carriage arrived shortly after, servants who seed to be welcoming us rushed forward to start moving the luggage.
As the butler had ntioned, except for a few, all of them were unfamiliar faces due to the recent turnover.
“The mansion… has changed a bit.”
“Of course. You’ll be even more surprised when you see the interior.”
It’s all useless.
I barely managed to swallow my retort.
That’s when it happened.
“Kyle.”
Luna’s voice softly drifted.
Turning my head in the direction of her voice, I t Luna’s eyes as she erged from the front door.
“You’ve arrived.”
Luna slowly began to approach.
The butler confird Luna’s approach, bowed, and quickly stepped aside.
I looked at Luna with a grimace on my face.
Luna looked back at with a smile.
“Welco, my little brother.”
****
“Young Master, what about the woman who ca with us…?”
“She’s a personal guard, so take good care of her. Give her a suitable room and make sure she’s well-fed.”
I entrusted Diana, who had co with , to the butler.
Diana looked at with round eyes, then bowed her head and followed the butler.
‘To co back here again…’
Although I was feeling dizzy from the mounting frustration, the fact that I wouldn’t have to see the detested Duchess and Little Duke in the mansion was sowhat comforting.
The newly hired servants moved silently without any fuss.
Having given all the instructions for the mansion life for the ti being, I went up to my room.
“What the hell?”
My room had expanded.
It wasn’t just an illusion, but the room had actually expanded.
Without any exaggeration, it was spacious enough for five people to live comfortably.
I looked around and burst into a bitter laugh.
Then I realized.
“Did they rge two rooms?”
They had demolished the walls and connected two rooms.
That’s the only explanation.
“……”
It wasn’t just about being spacious.
The shabby furniture had all been replaced with luxurious ones made of top-quality materials, and the bed, which used to barely fit one person, had been replaced with a large bed reminiscent of the Imperial Palace.
Was this Luna’s doing, too?
Unexpectedly, I found myself at a loss for words.
[Translator – Peptobismol]
I flopped onto the bed.
It was soft and fragrant, and above all, the sensation that enveloped my body was so soothing.
Indeed, luxury makes a difference.
Every ti I tossed and turned, a comforting comfort that made not want to get up perated my whole body.
Lying down, I once again recalled the purpose of returning here.
‘How am I going to raid the underground vault?’
To obtain the Holy Blood, I must deceive the Duke and breach the triple-layered security of the underground vault.
I heard that they reinforced the security of the underground vault even more after acquiring the genuine Holy Blood.
‘Should I just set the mansion on fire?’
I imdiately shook my head vigorously.
That wouldn’t work.
Even if a fire broke out, it would be quickly extinguished, and above all, the materials making up the mansion were not ordinary materials.
They were all specially processed, so they wouldn’t even budge in the face of considerable flas.
‘Patience is the key.’
I’ll wait until the Duke leaves.
There’s no other viable option at the mont.
Let’s think about it slowly.
There’s no hurry right now.
Then it happened.
Knock, knock—
The sound of a knock interrupted the serene silence.
“Co in.”
The one who opened the door and entered was the butler.
He entered the room with a kind smile, taking his ti.
“Do you like the changed room?”
“It’s fine.”
Even with my indifferent response, the butler maintained his smile.
He then proceeded to bring up the matter with a smiling face.
“The Duke is looking for you.”
“…Father is looking for ?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
I clicked my tongue irritably.
What could that detestable man possibly want from ?
“For what reason?”
“I didn’t hear the exact reason. He simply instructed to quietly bring you.”
Quietly bring ? To him?
At this ambitious hour?
It doesn’t seem friendly at all.
‘What should I do?’
I pondered briefly.
There is an option to ignore the Duke’s instructions, but knowing his stubborn nature, he would undoubtedly summon regardless.
Moreover, raising the Duke’s suspicions would only increase his guard until I obtain the Holy Blood.
It didn’t take long to organize my thoughts.
I got up with a furrowed brow.
“Lead the way.”
The butler bowed slightly and promptly led to the Duke’s study.
Descending the central staircase and turning the corridor, we arrived at the ornate door.
Knock, knock—
“The Duke, Young Master Kyle has arrived.”
“Co in.”
As the Duke’s permission was granted, the butler opened the door.
The cozy scent of paper wafted through the gap in the door.
As I entered slowly, my eyes t with the Duke sitting at his desk.
“You may leave now.”
Following the clear dismissal order, the butler withdrew with a light bow.
“……”
A chilly silence descended upon the room.
The Duke’s azure eyes shot a piercing glance.
I returned his gaze with an irritated expression.
After a mont, the tightly shut mouth of the Duke opened.
“I’ve heard the rumors. You were in the Imperial Palace while you were away from the mansion.”
“Well, I was.”
I nodded leisurely.
The Duke tapped his desk with his fingertips.
“The Princess, Rudine Eckhart.”
“…”
“They say you’re quite close with her. Close enough to be separately invited to the Foundation Festival due to personal friendship.”
“Is there a problem?”
“A problem? There is. And quite a lot of them.”
The Duke began to list off unknown grievances one after another.
The conversation was so disjointed that it didn’t make sense.
As I tried to swallow down the rising frustration, the Duke asked in a lowered voice.
“Why did you co back?”
Why did I co back?
To steal the Holy Blood, of course.
But admitting that outright was out of the question, so I chose silence.
“It was strange from the beginning.”
The Duke’s eyes narrowed.
His gaze seed to gauge my sincerity.
“You, who were just a half-hearted brat, suddenly changed your attitude. Not only did you know the exact location of the Holy Blood, which has never been discovered before, but one day you left the mansion and started visiting the Imperial Palace as if it were your own ho.”
His sharp gaze felt piercing.
The air in the study suddenly grew heavy.
“How long have you known?”
“What are you talking about?”
I couldn’t understand what he was rambling about all this ti.
Unable to bear it any longer, the Duke added further.
“Pretending not to know won’t work.”
“…?”
“Be honest.”
Damn it.
What’s with this now?
[Translator – Peptobismol]
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