Chapter 50: Invitation – 4

Chapter 50: Invitation – 4

……And so, after the Duke’s confession, time passed to the present.

It seemed the Duke hadn’t been able to properly say anything to the young lady.

Because of this, the butler and the Head Maid, who had given him various pieces of advice, were utterly exasperated.

…Of course, there was also no small shock from the sudden guest invitation.

“…But, Head Butler-nim. Do you really think the young lady will react positively just because the Duke-nim says something like that?”

“No way. Still, it’s much better than him never speaking his mind his whole life and then suddenly confessing it like a dying wish.”

“That’s true. …Given the Duke-nim, there’s a high possibility he wouldn’t be able to speak properly during his lifetime.”

As the Head Maid and the butler said, if they hadn’t advised the Duke to tell the young lady his feelings as soon as possible…

The Duke might have truly confessed his feelings as a dying wish.

……One unfortunate point was that even at this very moment, there were nobles who wished for the Duke’s death…

And now that he had left the castle in his territory, which boasted the best defenses, and was within their sphere of influence, this was the best opportunity for them.

Especially so…… because the Duke’s mansion was in a frenzy for the first time in over a decade due to guest reception.

***

“Haa…… I never thought I’d actually come here….”

A massive mansion, flaunting the dignity and grandeur of ‘the Duke’s residence.’

The sheer size and majesty of the mansion itself seemed enough to easily overwhelm a person.

…Especially, for some unknown reason, a subtly felt pressure added to the mansion’s grandeur, truly making me feel that way.

Even just glancing at it from afar, if it’s like this… what would the inside be like?

“…The only problem is that such a mansion isn’t properly used.”

After the invitation, I wracked my brain for memories, and there was one thing I could figure out about the Duke.

That if you took away the cute and slightly human aspects of Christie’s personality, you’d get the Duke.

Especially so, even more so after his wife’s death.

Lastly… that he left Christie a dying wish, saying ‘I love you,’ something he had never said in his life.

In other words, he was a terribly stiff human being who was terribly bad at expressing his emotions, typically the kind of person who would be exhausting to be around.

“……This just sounds like Christie’s despair arc.”

*It could be interpreted that way.*

Furthermore, I remembered Christie had quite complex feelings towards the Duke.

The fear that the Duke, her only family, would be disappointed in her actions and ignore or abandon her like the incompetent servants of the Duke’s family.

Yet, the dependence and love stemming from him being the only true ‘family’ left in the world.

Those two combined… a burning desire to be acknowledged by her father no matter what, and resignation towards a father who never said he acknowledged or loved her.

“Inviting me specifically in front of the Duke… it must be because of that, right?”

*You mean the adoption proposal.*

I thought she had forgotten about it after I refused then… but seeing her suddenly invite me like this, it seemed Christie hadn’t given up on her intentions yet.

She said it was because of my significant contribution to this operation, a reward for that… but I wonder.

If that were the case, there would be no reason to specifically invite me to the Duke’s residence, and at this particular time when the Duke was present.

“Ah… seriously, what a headache.”

If I met the Duke, what should I do?

Should I tell him he might be assassinated soon and needs to prepare?

Or should I subtly tell Christie to say ‘I love you’ and apologize to her for having to hide her true personality because of him?

Or should I just avoid a proper conversation and leave?

……The problem is that no matter how I think about it, all three options seem either rude or a bit presumptuous.

*Unfortunately, it seems your thinking time is over?*

“…What, we’re already here?”

Christie’s carriage was certainly fast.

Perhaps because it was used by nobles when going to the Imperial Palace, conversations inside were completely blocked from the outside.

Well, thanks to that, I could chat comfortably with the System on the way.

“We have arrived. May your journey have been comfortable.”

“Ah… thank you.”

“It is only natural.”

…It was unavoidable to feel incredibly burdened by the coachman’s precise movements and greetings.

No matter what, I wasn’t a noble, so this kind of treatment was truly difficult.

It was even more so because I had lived a life quite far removed from the excessive etiquette of the upper class.

Honestly, what kind of noble life does a guy who was holed up in a hospital have?

As I grumbled and headed inside the mansion… a familiar face appeared before me.

“Ah, you’ve arrived, Lucia.”

“…This is the first time I’ve seen you dressed like that, Christie.”

Perhaps because it was the first time I saw Christie in a dress instead of her Defense Force uniform, it felt quite awkward.

How to put it…… she was beautiful, but it felt awkward.

Both Christie and the dress were very beautiful, so I didn’t feel like anything looked bad……

But it felt like I wasn’t seeing the Christie I always knew, but truly the young lady Christie, so it created a psychological distance, if that makes sense?

…For a moment, I glanced at the clothes I was wearing.

…A black skirt, white shirt, and mint ribbon that I bought after falling for the System’s flashy sales pitch.

……Honestly, I don’t know why I bought the ribbon, but it didn’t look bad when I put it on my clothes, so I just wore it.

However, the important point was that… compared to Christie, who was so overtly flaunting her nobility and high-class status, I was dressed quite plainly.

‘As expected, a young lady is a young lady……’

…In modern terms, it would be like a chaebol and a regular self-employed person, perhaps.

Anyway, as I looked at Christie with a subtly growing psychological distance, Christie smiled and spoke to me.

“What’s with that expression? You look a bit… sulky, but also not really.”

“…I just realized anew that you’re the young lady. From your clothes to your face.”

“……You don’t like it?”

At the same time, Christie looked subtly downcast.

It was obvious that she had put effort into her appearance because I was coming, and she was disappointed that I didn’t like it.

…Or she actually mumbled it so softly that I heard it.

Anyway, I had to quickly open my mouth.

“Ah, no, it’s not like that…. It’s just, it feels like I’m meeting ‘the young lady’ Christie, not the Christie I knew.”

“Well… perhaps you will truly see ‘the young lady’ when you’re in front of my father?”

“……Are you two not on good terms?”

Honestly, I knew asking that was a landmine.

However…… looking at how the Duke was described through Christie’s words after his death, at least Christie loved the Duke as a father and considered him family.

…Considering the Duke’s dying wish to Christie, the Duke would likely feel the same.

It was just that those two hadn’t expressed themselves to each other, and then the Duke said those words right before he was assassinated and died.

Therefore…… even if I couldn’t prevent the Duke’s death, I wondered if I could improve their relationship even a little during his lifetime.

“Something like that. He’s become very cold since my mother died. Just think of how I was when you first met me, that’ll make it easier. 

 ……He’s worse than that, but it’ll be similar. He’s also the kind of person who really likes that sort of thing.”

“…So Christie also acts so stiff and businesslike to other people, truly like a perfect ‘Defense Commander’?”

“……Perhaps. At least I agree with my father’s idea that it’s correct. If you get swept away by personal emotions, you’re bound to mess things up.”

Christie, who said that and smiled, looked very bitter.

As if she wanted someone to deny it.

“…I have a lot I want to say, but…… we can’t keep standing here, can we? Let’s go in.”

“Okay. I also have a lot I want to talk about with Christie.”

…I had somewhat decided how much to tell her, and how to improve the relationship between this Duke and young lady.

Of course, to be honest, it was an unnecessary act.

The Duke would be assassinated soon anyway, and Christie would eventually live well even without the Duke, even if she struggled for a while.

And getting involved in the main characters’ affairs… always made my own situation harder.

However…… this was my first friend since coming to this world, and I didn’t want to keep silent knowing this.

At least, if it’s about telling the Duke to strengthen security because he might be in danger, or about their relationship…

If it’s just that much, wouldn’t it be okay for me to intervene a little and get involved?

Even if the ‘peaceful healing daily life’ I wished for was disrupted for a while… she’s someone I’m close to, someone precious.

…Of course, Christie seemed to interpret my words a little differently.

“…If it’s another strange potion story, I’ll refuse. Oh, and if it’s about your house exploding again, I’ll refuse even more.”

“Do you think I only make dangerous and strange potions all the time?!”

“At least when you talk to me for a long time, it always seems to be the case?”

For a moment, memories with Christie, along with the recent incident where I passed out after running out of mana while making potions, flashed through my mind.

Along with the effects of those potions.

Hmm…… maybe I really do only make dangerous potions.