Ch.101I Have a Girlfriend #4

“…Escape? How could you say such a thing.”

“I see. So you’re saying you have no intention of escaping.”

Though it seemed to hit the mark, it didn’t quite match his true intentions.

If it had, he would have shown more confusion, but that wasn’t the case.

Even while shaken, he displayed a look of bewilderment.

“I apologize. The elves’ attack has made me overly sensitive… I’ve been terribly rude.”

“Ah… it’s fine. Physical wounds may heal, but wounds of the heart don’t mend so easily.”

After I bowed my head appropriately, Brown responded as if it were nothing.

He seemed relieved that I was backing down from my aggressive stance.

Judging by his increasingly relaxed expression, that’s what I gathered.

“Well then, I’d like to attend to the other guests now… would you kindly permit me? Though serving the Grand Duke and Duchess is most important…”

“I understand. It’s only natural for a host to attend to his invited guests.”

“Thank you. Then if you’ll excuse me…”

Brown gave a slight bow and immediately walked toward where most people were gathered.

At that, the nobles who had been watching us began to approach as if they’d been waiting.

It was like a grand, majestic wave.

Because of this, fatigue accumulated as I dealt with them, but perhaps due to all the commotion,

Helena emerged from her own world and appropriately helped reduce my burden.

In a sense, she drew attention and dispersed the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Let’s conclude today’s banquet here and rest from your travel fatigue. There’s still plenty of time left, so there’s no need to exhaust yourselves completely today. To truly enjoy ourselves, some restraint is necessary. Don’t you agree?”

As the atmosphere peaked and began to cool, Brown ended the banquet with perfect timing.

As he said, with two or three days remaining, there was plenty of time to enjoy.

The other nobles seemed to know him well, laughing uproariously before departing one by one.

“Have you sorted everything out?”

“I’m almost done… but I feel like I can’t tie up the final loose ends no matter how much I think about it. So I’m taking a breather for now.”

On our way back to our assigned room, Helena answered my question as we walked down the corridor where excitement still lingered.

“I’m sorry. You must be tired from having to take over so much.”

Helena asked with an extremely apologetic expression.

Her wavering eyes and restless demeanor suggested she was worried about having burdened me too much.

“It’s fine. If anything, I’ve been much more of a burden to you all this time, which must have tired you out.”

“Jion can do that as much as he wants. But if it flows the other way…”

“I don’t mind at all.”

When people live together, they sometimes clash, and like today, one person may shoulder the burden.

Thinking this way, I put my arm around Helena’s waist and replied as if it were no big deal.

“You’ve worked hard.”

As we reached the corner room on the third floor, Ellen, who was guarding the door, greeted us with a bow.

Since guards weren’t allowed in the banquet hall, she must have waited here in front of the room.

“Have you been waiting outside the room the whole time? You could have gone inside and rested comfortably.”

“No. Since neither the Grand Duke nor the Duchess was resting, I couldn’t stretch out and relax first. It wouldn’t be proper.”

Her words sounded plausible and showed overflowing loyalty, almost making me nod unconsciously.

Only her envious gaze at my hand around Helena’s waist diminished the persuasiveness.

Ah. Is this the power of jealousy and obsession? As I always feel, it’s truly remarkable.

“Alright. Then…”

Creeak. As soon as I opened the door and entered the room, I caught Ellen’s waist as she followed and pulled her into my arms.

I had already locked the door long ago, so there was no worry about anyone coming in.

There was no one to call at this late hour anyway, but just in case.

“Ah…!”

White and black. The feel of their waists, identical except for their contrasting colors, was pleasant.

Their elasticity, circumference, and appearance were all perfect.

Each time I embraced or touched them, it felt new.

Listening to Ellen and Helena’s moans, I slowly approached the bed to relieve my fatigue.

The servants who come to clean tomorrow morning will probably be shocked… but that can’t be helped.

.

“That young upstart…”

In the dead silence of night, Brown lay in his bedroom bed, lost in thought.

Beside him, a noble woman slightly younger than his wife slept with a happy smile.

She was the wife of some baron who belonged to the same noble faction but was of lower status.

One might ask if this was tribute, but it was not.

Their act was purely consensual. There was nothing unusual about it.

After all, Brown Hound’s own wife was likely shaking her hips in another man’s bedroom, tasting another man’s passion.

That’s what noble banquets were like, and that’s what socializing in the dark of night entailed.

Surely there were also those hiding in the shadows of the garden, mingling bodies in the pitch darkness.

Because that too was a form of exchange.

It wasn’t simply about the immoral pleasure of tasting another’s woman or man.

Though that was the main purpose, it also provided an opportunity to exchange unknown information and broaden one’s perspective.

It was incidental, but it served as both practical benefit and justification.

The extent of information leaked varied according to each person’s capacity…

Young upstart.

Brown pressed his lips tightly, recalling Jion’s sharp gaze and voice.

His mouth felt unpleasantly dry, and he was thoroughly unsettled in many ways.

From his perspective, or from the average noble’s viewpoint, Jion Krauser was merely a lucky young upstart.

He was simply born into a family with easy access to the Krauser duchy.

Somehow, he happened to have a fairly handsome face.

Because of that, he easily caught Helena’s eye and ultimately achieved the rare success of becoming a Grand Duke.

So one could only say he was incredibly lucky. At least, Baron Brown was convinced of this.

“Hmm…”

He let out a low groan, sinking into contemplation.

To uncover what was happening in the Krauser duchy, it would be best to manipulate the actual mastermind behind it.

Luke Killinear, head of the Killinear duchy, had given such orders.

At first, one might wonder whether to listen to a young upstart like Luke, but that wasn’t the case at all.

It was impossible not to acknowledge his skill in quelling the turmoil within Killinear and solidifying his position.

Brown sincerely believed this.

So he should follow those orders, but how to extract the information Luke wanted?

Especially from a haughty, arrogant young upstart.

While Brown was willing to humor him to some extent, he didn’t want to bow excessively.

It hurt his pride too much to do so for a lucky young marquis without even a territory.

“Young?”

Brown’s eyes flew open as he slowly mulled over the word he had unconsciously uttered.

Young. And overnight, he obtained the excessive status of Grand Duke. Also, arrogant.

Mixing these elements that flashed through his mind, he reached what he considered a brilliant conclusion.

The act that anyone would think of, and that Brown himself committed nonchalantly and as a matter of course:

The idea of manipulating the man through a woman.

Though Jion luckily gained the Krauser duke’s love and became a Grand Duke, he was still in a subordinate position.

In the end, he was merely a son-in-law, a puppet who could only wield power as long as Helena loved him.

Surely he must have feelings of inferiority or insecurity because of this, and if one could exploit that psychological gap, one might achieve what was desired.

Brown thought this as he smiled comfortably and slowly closed his eyes.

However, he failed to realize that this too was merely an unverified thought.

.

Second day of the banquet.

I was keeping pace with the nobles while guarding Helena, who was much more active than yesterday.

Most of the talk was about their businesses or how beautiful items from certain regions were.

Luxury and art.

Having little interest in such things, I was busy responding with knowledge picked up by ear, but thanks to Helena’s adept handling, time was passing smoothly.

“…Oh my, what a waste! Someone as beautiful as the Duchess absolutely needs dresses and accessories!”

Amidst this, a chaotic situation arose, starting with one noblewoman’s meddling.

Beginning with flattery about Helena’s excellent foundation, she mentioned lacking elements and subtly began drawing her to another location.

“Ah, well…”

Helena trailed off awkwardly, looking to me for help, but I could only shake my head helplessly.

I couldn’t get entangled in that dizzying chatter.

Just as men have their own understanding, women have theirs too.

In other words, I couldn’t carelessly step into their world.

This is why I decided to just observe for now.

It’s a noble’s banquet hall with security, so nothing too troublesome should happen.

I watched Helena being swept away by the crowd with sympathetic eyes as I sipped wine from the table.

Still, I didn’t think she’d be subjected to the needless whims typical of noblewomen’s vanity.

It’s not like she completely abstained from beauty care, and I often attended to her myself.

“Excuse me…”

While I was savoring my solitude, an unfamiliar voice reached me.

Moreover, it was a woman I’d never seen before.

She still had some youthful features, but she appeared older than me.

“Who… are you?”

“Oh. I couldn’t greet you yesterday due to the commotion? Pleased to meet you. I’m Holly Hound.”

The woman in the yellow dress, Holly Hound, greeted me very politely with a bow.

Hearing her name, I thought she might be the baron’s daughter or someone of similar lineage.

“Hound… perhaps the Baron’s?”

“Yes. His daughter. I deeply apologize for not even greeting you yesterday as I was mingling with other noble ladies.”

Her apology was as proper as her first impression suggested.

I evaluated Holly Hound’s first impression as such while gesturing for her to raise her head.

It was a perfectly understandable situation, and I had no intention of being difficult.

However, for that very reason, I couldn’t let my guard down.

Especially since she was the baron’s daughter, not just any noble.

“Think nothing of it. I know how overwhelming the ladies’ energy can be. I just experienced it myself… it really gives you that feeling of being completely deflated.”

“My goodness. And you’re someone who contributes so much to the duchy at such a young age?”

This woman covered her mouth when she laughed and listened attentively to my every word, responding with sincere agreement.

It wasn’t exaggerated; it felt genuine.

No. How can I possibly know it’s genuine?

While I couldn’t shake my suspicions, Holly Hound suddenly blushed and carefully parted her lips.

“Um… Grand Duke. If you don’t mind… would you take a walk in the garden with me? The garden under moonlight is a very charming place.”

After exchanging words for quite some time and thinking we’d become acquainted, she suddenly suggested walking in the garden.

Her shyness and all too obvious intentions…

She probably thinks it’s cute because it’s so clumsy.

Should I take the bait? Or not?

I pretended to hesitate briefly as if trying to maintain decorum, then deliberately curved my lips into a smile and said:

“Very well. I’ll tidy myself up and come down, so please go to the garden first. I’ll follow shortly.”