“First, let’s take a seat. I didn’t prepare the place since there are no women staying long.”
“Oh my. How kind of you.”
The woman smiled brightly as she lightly sat on the small sofa I had pulled for her.
At first glance, she appeared to be a naive young noblewoman raised in a bright and harmonious family.
However, in my eyes, the calculating nature hidden behind that facade was evident.
I needed to be on guard.
“Now that we’ve dispensed with the pleasantries, shall we start discussing what’s necessary?”
“What do you mean by ‘necessary’?”
“It’s about how this marriage would benefit you, Count.”
“Is that the sort of thing you usually bring up? It seems like a conversation that should be held by the elders of the family.”
“I apologize for taking up your precious time. I thought you would prefer to get straight to the point rather than engage in empty chatter, but… was I wrong?”
“No, you’re correct.”
It seems she has perfectly finished analyzing me.
Certainly, light conversation about flower arrangements, string games, or doll collecting, which are common topics for ladies of her age, is akin to torture for me.
To create common interests with a nearly grown lady to lead a conversation…
If I had nurtured her myself since childhood, common interests would have arisen naturally, and there wouldn’t be a need for this.
“How does this marriage benefit me? I’m curious about that.”
“I understand that you must be cautious about marriage, especially being in a position favored by Her Majesty. It would be difficult to rashly ally with another family. Just yesterday, someone in a high position in the palace was dismissed without warning; the political situation is ever-changing. However, our Tales family holds a barony on a small island, which means we don’t wield significant political or military influence. No one is eyeing us, and we have no intention of getting involved with anyone.”
“What advantage would there be for me in allying with such a family?”
“As I mentioned, Tales is based on a small, remote island. It’s perfect for quietly conducting discreet experiments or research. I noticed your name on the list for the academic conference being held at the Imperial Magic Academy, and I thought you might be interested in research.”
“…”
The woman lowered her head slightly.
Quietly and discreetly.
Her words are quite clear and straightforward.
‘This means she can provide a location where I can conduct black magic research without the academic community or the imperial family finding out.’
I have not yet lost my will to pursue black magic research.
It seems she is betting on that possibility.
Since Irene also does not know how actively I am pursuing black magic, this is a risky gamble she’s taken.
But her prediction has hit the mark perfectly.
However, that ambitious gamble failed.
Because I have no intention of conducting black magic research in secret.
Having confidently demanded the location of Neomium from Empress Sister, how could I hide anything now?
‘Irene has completely misjudged.’
I have confirmed the limits of Irene’s information network.
At the very least, it’s clear she has no access to information within the palace.
Although I still fear confronting Irene directly, dealing with a spy like this is much more manageable than I expected.
“I understand how this marriage would benefit me. Now, I’d like to hear how it would benefit you and what your demands are.”
“For a humble family like ours, simply being connected to you, Count, is a great honor and an opportunity for advancement. I do not expect more than that.”
“Really? Nothing at all?”
“Yes. If I could become the wife of someone as wonderful as you, I wouldn’t wish for anything more.”
“That sounds nice, but this really is the last opportunity. Once this moment passes, I will consider that you have no demands at all.”
“If you say so, I have one request…”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Actually… I want to take revenge on Irene Vermont, the Count’s sister.”
“…”
The woman gazed at me with intense eyes, flames of vengeance burning in them.
Her eyes looked like those of a demon sharpening a blade for revenge. If I hadn’t played Chapter 1, I might have genuinely mistaken her for someone who truly wanted revenge.
But this must also be a part of the script set up by Irene.
I couldn’t be fooled.
“You may not know this, but the trading company operated by my family lost all its shares and was taken away due to Irene Vermont’s schemes. As a result, my father passed away from a stroke, and our family fell from being world-renowned traders to a small farming family growing grapes on a remote island. Since then, I have never forgotten my resolve to take revenge on that cruel woman. I know that you also harbor negative feelings towards your sister…”
“What kind of revenge are you hoping to achieve?”
“I want to take everything she has away from her. Wealth, honor, foundation… everything!”
“…”
The woman, consumed by her ambitions, spoke passionately. Her voice, sometimes cracking with emotion, was quite impressive.
A woman who has been cruelly wronged by Irene Vermont and has dreamed of revenge since childhood.
And the count, who has been relentlessly bullied by his sister over the inheritance issue.
With these two meeting, what other topics of conversation would arise?
It’s natural that talk of wanting to deal with Irene Vermont would come up.
It seemed she was trying to lure me into planning a scheme to attack Irene.
But I know that everything that happens here will reach Irene’s ears.
So, I decided to turn this deception against her.
“While that’s how I feel… I will defer to your wishes, Count. What do you wish to do?”
“I believe you have misunderstood something.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any idea how much I love my sister? Although we argued over inheritance matters in the past, that’s the same in any family, isn’t it? I have no intention of harming her in any way. Therefore, I cannot accept that proposal.”
“Ah!? Excuse me! I’m so sorry! Please forget that! I shouldn’t have spoken such words!”
“It’s alright. It’s a common misunderstanding. I’ll forget everything I just heard, so don’t worry too much.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is deeply moved by your merciful nature.]
The woman stood up abruptly in surprise, bowing repeatedly.
I tried my best to maintain a gentle smile and waved my hand dismissively.
In this moment, I was a true younger brother who dearly loves his sister.
And I was a magnanimous person who could forget and forgive trivial childhood disputes.
‘I hope this makes them let their guard down…’
For now, Kali has been deceived.
Will Irene be deceived as well?
…I really hope she is.
“Well then, shall we change the subject slowly? It seems we have ears listening.”
“…?”
Clearing her throat, the woman began to whisper quietly.
I immediately checked the door.
Sure enough, it was slightly ajar, revealing the glimmer of four small eyes peering through the gap.
As soon as she noticed that, the woman started acting as if we were having a frivolous conversation.
“…Is that so? How impressive! How did you come up with such an idea?”
“…”
“Count?”
“Oh, sorry. Please continue.”
These kids…
I’m pretty sure I told them to stop peeking through the door.
Should I scold them again?
Just as I was about to steel myself for that moment.
“Excuse me!”
“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some snacks…”
“…!”
Squeak.
The door opened wide, revealing a mobile tray laden with snacks and teacups.
Behind it, Charlotte and Julia peeked in, lifting their heads.
As for their clothes…
Are they dressed in maid outfits?
It seems they put on the clothes I had tailored for the Empress’s visit. Could it be that they wore them to sneak in disguised as maids?
“Oh my! What cute maids! How old are you?”
“I’m fourteen.”
“I’m thirteen, but actually, I’m not a maid. I’m Mister’s slave!”
“Ch-Charlotte…!”
“It’s not like it’s a secret or anything.”
The maid disguise concept was shattered in an instant.
It seems the two came in to eavesdrop as the conversation was getting lengthy.
Both of them were rather clumsy.
The woman also seemed to catch onto their intentions and covered her mouth, giggling.
“Snacks, huh? I’m not particularly hungry, though. You two, or rather… eh… eh…”
“It’s Emilia.”
“How’s Miss Emersy?”
“I’m not really hungry either.”
“Well then, you can have this.”
“W-We’re fine! We just came to bring them!”
“I’m actually hungry, though…”
(TLN: This is them not remembering her name…)
Grrr.
At that moment, a cute sound echoed from Charlotte’s stomach, and Julia squinted her eyes and scolded softly.
“Charlotte! You really…!”
“Just eat together. Freshly baked cookies should be devoured quickly. Rather than leaving them and letting them get soggy, someone has to eat them.”
“Now that you mention it, I suppose we have to eat them! Julia, you’re not eating, right?”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat…”
Charlotte, filled with joy, set down a plate full of cookies.
Julia also came closer, looking anxious, and began to pick up the cookies one by one.
Two maids who had come in to offer snacks were now sitting together happily, crunching on cookies in a rather amusing scene.
Emersy also covered her mouth and laughed at the sight.
“They’re such cute kids. You can feel the love and care you’ve put into raising them, Count.”
Ah, you can feel that? Really?
Others always wonder how these cute kids could end up being trained into a necromancer and a dark knight.
Since no one has ever acknowledged that, my mood suddenly brightened.
“Yes, well. My goal is to make them grow into wonderful, independent women. I guess having them study on their own to develop their abilities and use those abilities to make money is also part of that.”
“Yes, well. My goal is to raise them into excellent, independent women. Having them study on their own to develop their abilities and earn money with those abilities is part of that goal.”
“Hahaha. You really treat them like your own daughters. That’s admirable.”
“I wouldn’t say they’re like my daughters, but I do think of them as worthy brides. As they grow under me, their speech changes, and their clumsy manners and etiquette become more refined. The fact that I am at the center of all those changes gives me great satisfaction. In every aspect of the children’s growth, one can find traces of me. Just as it takes a long time to train a shoe to fit perfectly, I believe it’s a man’s essential and basic quality to cultivate brides that suit my taste…”
“…”
Noticing the strange atmosphere, I quickly shut my mouth.
Emersy’s expression looked quite uneasy, as if she had forgotten what to comment on in her flustered state.
At that moment, I realized something.
Damn!
This woman was trying to get me to spill information by getting me excited like this!
I’ve been had!
