Ch.72Again, you? #3

Is it really okay for me to be this relaxed…? I wondered, as I found myself with absolutely nothing to do.

My morning duties had long since ended, and I was lying on a mat at the training ground behind the mansion, trying to pass the time until lunch. Hiding in the shade of the mansion was incredibly refreshing.

“What a shame. Since I’m on guard duty, I can’t lie down beside you.”

Helena, the woman lying next to me while nestled in my arms, smirked and glanced toward the corner of the mat. It was the dark elf Ellen, my bodyguard and unofficial concubine.

“That’s… right. As your guard, I cannot lie down.”

“…Indeed. It can’t be helped.”

Helena’s voice sank with feigned disappointment, but seeing her snickering while in my arms made me want to sigh. Ellen, who was biting her lip slightly as if annoyed at the sight, was no better.

I closed my eyes, thinking that I’d just let the subtle tension flowing between the two women resolve itself. In the past, I would have felt compelled to fix the situation somehow, but it seems I’ve grown more thick-skinned.

“…Would you like me to stroke your belly?”

I asked, conscious of my right arm wrapped around Helena’s waist. I still had my left arm free, so I could at least embrace someone else. The position might be a bit unstable while lying down, but there was no helping it.

To this, Ellen’s eyes sparkled as she casually asked if I would please do that for her. I remember hearing somewhere that women generally feel uncomfortable having their bellies touched, but these two women showed no such reservations. They enjoyed being touched anywhere, just like puppies that adored their master.

“Then, I’ll ask you to…”

As Ellen spoke in a shy, hushed voice, Helena shot her a displeased glance. It might have been an awkward situation, but all I needed to do was apply a little pressure with the arm around Helena’s waist.

“Mmm…”

Then, just like now, she would let out a sweet moan that tickled my ears and bury her face in my chest.

“Ah! It’s so warm…”

Ellen placed her hand over mine as I caressed her belly, smiling as if in ecstasy. The way I was stroking her belly made it look like she was pregnant. Perhaps she was imagining a child between us.

For a moment, I felt like I had become some kind of playboy, but I quickly accepted that this wasn’t just a feeling—it was reality. Lying here from morning with two women by my side, what else could I be? Moreover, one of them was the duchess of this country, and the other was a fierce mercenary and now an even stronger dark elf.

“I feel sleepy even though I’ve already slept…”

The weather was pleasantly warm yet cool, making my eyes close involuntarily. It was strange that I felt this way despite having gotten adequate sleep. This was exactly the situation where the saying “when standing, you want to sit; when sitting, you want to lie down; when lying down, you want to sleep” applied perfectly.

“After exerting yourself so much last night… it’s only natural that you’re sleepy.”

As Ellen glanced sideways with a broad smile, Helena, who had her face buried in my chest, flinched. She had been the main culprit who started competing with Ellen to extract passion from me, so she seemed to feel guilty in many ways.

If it had ended there, things would have remained peaceful, but Ellen began to carefully stroke my thigh with a subtle look in her eyes. Her fingertips teased me, as if trying to provoke desire. If I hadn’t been tired, I might not have stopped at merely finding her touch gentle.

Helena, seeming to know this, revealed one eye and showed signs of dissatisfaction before quickly straightening her posture, apparently sensing someone approaching. She sat up properly and smoothed her disheveled hair, trying to calm herself.

“Who is it?”

I too sensed the presence and sat up, fixing my clothes. I had a feeling that whoever was coming would bring some matter requiring attention, despite having informed everyone I was taking a break.

And indeed, the butler Andy approached us, bowed, and held out a letter, confirming my suspicion.

“My Lord. A letter has arrived from the Killinear Duchy.”

“What…?”

In that moment, Helena’s eyes flashed with fierce killing intent. Given that her relationship with that family had started badly and ended worse, news from them could hardly be welcome.

However, since they had formally sent a message, we couldn’t simply ignore it. I had heard that Luke, whom Helena had appointed, had suppressed internal opposition and stabilized things, so I wondered what this could be about.

“I suppose we can’t avoid opening it. Thank you, Andy.”

“Not at all. I apologize for disturbing your rest. Then, I shall take my leave…”

After Helena took the letter, Andy gave a brief bow and left. The seal on the letter in Helena’s hand was unmistakably that of the Killinear family.

“Annoying pests. I’m sick of them.”

Helena grumbled as she tore open the letter. Given that we were bound by unpleasant connections related to me, her reaction was understandable. Ellen, knowing this, remained quiet and simply watched Helena’s hands.

Helena tore the envelope open—roughly yet cleanly—and extracted the contents, her brow furrowing elegantly. The envelope was quite thick, so I wasn’t surprised when several pages of letter paper emerged, but judging from Helena’s reaction, the contents were far from ordinary.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s too long to explain. You’d better read it yourself first.”

When I asked what it was about, Helena handed me several sheets of paper instead of answering. Naturally curious, I took the papers and immediately began reading the densely written text.

The content was as follows:

Rock Killinear, the eldest son of Killinear, had placed a request with an assassin’s guild to assassinate the current Duke of Killinear, himself—Luke Killinear. The guild, which normally maintained client confidentiality, had intended to refuse the unlikely-to-succeed request, but instead approached him seeking to build a friendly relationship with the duke by using this information.

However, Rock Killinear didn’t stop there and devised another plan. He intended to frame it as if he was sending assassins against Helena out of resentment and revenge—the very cause of the turmoil in the Killinear duchy.

Of course, Helena, being a Sword Master, couldn’t be assassinated by them. But I, her husband, presented a more feasible target, so Rock allegedly wanted to kill me as a way to vent his frustration.

“So, he’s suggesting we conspire together.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

In short, Luke intended to frame Rock, who had tried to kill him, with another false accusation and eliminate him in the process. The letter ended by asking for a simple answer to this proposal, but I couldn’t help finding it absurd.

“Attempting to assassinate another duke’s grand duke goes beyond family squabbles. It’s a serious issue, especially targeting another duke’s family member.”

“And that would create tension between the two houses again, which Killinear, having been burned once, would want to avoid at all costs.”

If he had tried to take a life rather than just wound pride as before, the matter would be even more serious. From my perspective, nothing was as serious as Helena’s impulsiveness, but if things proceeded this way, it would clearly become a major issue between the duchies—one that could justify a territorial war without question.

However, Luke was trying to use this to eliminate his troublesome brother, and with legitimate justification at that.

“Nobles are truly frightening.”

“I expected there would be discord when someone not in the primary line of succession inherited the title, but I didn’t think he would use that to mend the awkward relationship between us.”

“And he even says he’ll compensate us if we help…”

He could offer rights or money. By adding the pretext that he feels guilty for not stopping his brother’s rampage and wishes to apologize, he could present it without arousing suspicion. Even if the compensation seemed excessive.

“This Luke seems to care about his reputation, unlike that old man who was stuck in his corner.”

The old man Helena referred to, Albus, was indeed such a person. Arrogant as befitting a duke, he didn’t bat an eye at the reputation of those beneath him. He maintained a seemingly cultured demeanor, but that was all.

“He has no choice but to care about his reputation. He was the second son, and although he gained the title through a duel, he was somewhat removed from the original line of succession.”

A noble’s second son was like a spare battery, kept in reserve in case something happened to the eldest, and this tendency was more pronounced among arrogant nobles. The second sons themselves knew this, so they typically maintained a balance of arrogance and humility… Luke was probably that type.

“It’s so blatantly obvious that he wants to use us, it’s both ridiculous and kind of cute.”

“Cute? I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

I shook my head as I watched Helena slightly raise the corner of her mouth. While I could appreciate his determination to use the situation to his advantage, I didn’t find it cute at all.

Yet Ellen also nodded slightly, as if agreeing. It seemed both women didn’t entirely dislike Luke’s actions.

“Hmm. Anyway, what are you going to do? Accept it?”

“Even if it’s just a pretense for reconciliation, there’s no harm. Seeing how he’s reaching out while exposing a weakness, he must really want to deal with his brother. And all the people we had grudges against are already gone.”

“Besides, it seems he doesn’t want to get entangled with you again, Your Grace.”

He had revealed what could be considered a significant weakness, so that made sense. His brother Rock must be quite troublesome to him.

Helena, seeming to have made up her mind, got up and gave her answer, making it clear that her grudge was only against the father and daughter of the Killinear family, and she had no interest in the rest.

“Good. I’ll go back to my office right away and write a reply. Looking forward to whatever compensation he offers in the future.”

◎◎◎

“Hehe.”

The answer had arrived.

Luke held the reply that had arrived after several days and laughed.

“I accept.”

Though the answer was extremely brief, it was the response he had been eagerly awaiting.

“Yes. Thank you for deciding to accept.”

He couldn’t afford to create another reason for enmity with Duke Crauzer. That madwoman was obsessed with her man, so if she heard news of someone targeting him, she would surely fly into a rage and demand his brother’s death. Outwardly, at least.

And that outward display of rage was exactly what Luke had been hoping for.

“Is anyone there?”

He called for the family’s loyal butler, prepared to go out, and then headed to a remote warehouse in the Killinear duchy. He was going to meet someone who had agreed to stay there until a conclusion was reached.

That someone was the branch manager who had approached Luke.

“Coming here in the afternoon like this. You must have brought good news.”

The branch manager appeared impassive on the surface, but he could read relief in Luke’s expression—the look that only someone who had achieved their self-determined goal, big or small, could show.

“Yes. Duke Crauzer has agreed to my proposal.”

“I understand it was quite a difficult decision to make… yet you don’t seem worried at all.”

Indeed. If this news were to spread widely, who knows what kind of criticism would fly. In that case, Duke Crauzer’s side would also have to endure some criticism, but its intensity would be extremely mild.

But Helena was different. Luke believed that Helena, unlike Crauzer, was not the type to exploit weaknesses, and that belief was true. Helena Crauzer was a woman who didn’t care much about anything unless it involved Zion Altram.

Luke, or anyone who had witnessed the duel that day, had come to realize this through Helena’s madness.

“Worry? There’s no need. The current Duke Crauzer doesn’t have much loyalty to the royal family or desire for power, unlike the previous duke.”

“What? How do you know that?”

The branch manager was familiar with Helena’s duel as it was a famous incident. Nevertheless, he only knew her as someone with a strong obsession for a man, nothing more.

“…Hmm. Let’s just call it a duke’s judgment.”

However, there was no need to explain all the trivial reasons and bases for his judgment to the branch manager. Luke thought this and simply brushed it off.