Ch.9292. Then I’ll go along with you as well.

“So it was about a private audience with the Emperor, not a marriage arrangement!? I thought there was something strange going on between you and Seri Familia.”

I was in an extremely hazy state of mind.

Leonard was rambling about something, but I couldn’t understand a word of it.

Surely, that must have been the case…

“It is true that I was summoned because of the Emperor, but since I’ve already informed Father about your feelings, now that things have come to this, wouldn’t it be better to make it official?”

Strangely, my mouth moved as if reciting a prepared answer, and wasn’t that my voice coming out?

Wondering if I was dreaming, I blinked my eyes wide open several times.

Yet Leonard’s words showed no sign of stopping.

“That’s right, did you see Seri Familia’s expression when I gave her the flower?”

“She was quite bashful.”

My mouth moved again.

There was something oddly familiar about this feeling.

Goosebumps rose on my forearms for no apparent reason.

And the moment Leonard spoke once more, I reflexively sat up as if suddenly understanding everything.

“Father said he would speak to Baron Rene, so it’s practically confirmed already. Oh wait, this isn’t the time for this!?”

“…You were going out to buy clothes!?”

“Huh, how did you know?”

“I’m back!!”

“What do you mean ‘back’?”

Given that I had actually fainted earlier, I was prepared to use up all my hourglass turns if necessary.

But I hadn’t even gone up to the second floor yet.

This was truly a moment where making quick decisions without overthinking paid off.

Some might think I wasted a skill that can only be used three times.

However, I don’t regret it at all.

Knowing Seri Familia, she would never let go once she had her teeth in something.

If I hadn’t used the hourglass skill, I would have had only one option:

To confess everything that happened to Baron Byron and Baron Rene.

But.

Would Seri Familia, who had concocted such an absurd plan, fail to anticipate my next move?

She might have another scheme prepared, or at worst, she could spread rumors.

She was the type of woman who would readily sacrifice herself to bring me down.

That was the Seri Familia from “The Youngest Son of the Brilliant Family.”

Overjoyed, I pulled Leonard into a tight embrace.

“B-Brother!!”

“W-What are you doing?! That’s disgusting!!”

“I’m just happy to see you!”

“We see each other every day, what’s there to be happy about?! Let go! I need to go buy clothes right now!!”

I grabbed Leonard by both shoulders as he struggled, and put on a serious expression.

“Actually, I had a conversation with Lady Seri Familia, and it seems she really is interested in you.”

“R-Really? See! I told you I wasn’t wrong?”

“But she’s quite shy, so she asked for my help.”

“What kind of help?”

I pointed at the door and continued.

“In a little while, Lady Seri Familia will be coming to my room.”

“Why would Seri Familia come to your room?”

“She wants to have a private conversation with you in her bedroom, but there are too many eyes watching, so she asked for my assistance.”

“…Bedroom?”

Leonard’s eyes widened at the word ‘bedroom.’

It seemed he had already forgotten about buying clothes.

“Yes, Lady Seri Familia and I have already worked out a plan, so you just need to do as I say.”

“What do I need to do?”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Leonard’s eyes grew round, and I put a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet.

I pushed Leonard into a blind spot where he couldn’t be seen from the doorway and whispered:

“First, you need to stay quiet.”

“Why?”

“There might be maids or knights outside, right? I have a plan with Lady Seri Familia, so please stay still if you want it to succeed.”

“O-Okay. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

After calming Leonard down, I took a deep breath and opened the door.

As expected, Seri Familia stood there with an urgent expression.

I calmly recalled our previous conversation before I had turned back the hourglass.

“Oh? Lady Seri Familia, hello.”

“Um, I’m sorry, but could you come to my bedroom in about ten minutes?”

“Your bedroom?”

I tilted my head, and just as in my previous memory, she pointed to the right side of the corridor.

“There’s a staircase at the end there, and my room is the first one as soon as you go up.”

“If I may ask, what’s the matter?”

“There’s a bug in my room, and I was hoping you could catch it for me.”

“Ah, a bug, you say?”

“Yes, my bedroom is a bit messy, so I’ll tidy up quickly. Could you please come up in about ten minutes?”

Now that I knew everything, I could see several flaws in her seemingly perfect act.

Her shifting pupils throughout the conversation and the slight trembling of her finger as she pointed to the right corridor.

I forced the most artificial smile I could manage.

“Yes, I’ll come up in ten minutes.”

Creeeeak-! Thud-!

As soon as the door closed, I rushed to the blind spot where Leonard was hiding and curled up the corners of my mouth.

“You heard the conversation with Lady Seri Familia just now, right?”

Leonard nodded with a very skeptical expression.

“I heard it, but why make things so complicated? She could have just quietly given me a hint directly.”

“If Father has already spoken with Baron Rene, then by now, rumors about your marriage to Lady Seri Familia must be spreading throughout the mansion. Don’t you think?”

“They’re spreading already?”

“You know what they say—daytime words are heard by birds, nighttime words by mice. A maid pouring tea might have heard, or a knight guarding the reception room door.”

“But does it matter if rumors spread?”

Leonard’s expression remained confused.

That was understandable.

I was making this up as I went along.

The problem was that it was almost time to go upstairs, and this guy was being unnecessarily perceptive.

“Lady Seri Familia seems to be quite cautious by nature. She really dislikes drawing attention to herself.”

“So she’s using you as a smokescreen because you’re not connected to the rumors?”

I clapped my hands at Leonard’s words and flashed an artificial smile.

“You understand so quickly—as expected, no one can match your intelligence, Brother.”

Leonard’s lips curled upward at the continuous praise.

“Haha, this is nothing.”

After explaining the plan to Leonard in more detail, it was time to go up to the second floor.

I swallowed dryly and spoke.

“Do you understand my instructions clearly?”

“I got it. Like you said, I just need to keep my mouth shut.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Let’s go already.”

I left the room with Leonard and slowly walked to the end of the right corridor.

As expected, my vision began to darken as we started climbing the stairs.

After reaching the second floor, I deliberately made some noise, and Seri Familia’s voice came through.

“S-Selden Alphonse?”

“Yes, it’s Selden.”

“Where are you right now?”

“I came up the stairs as you said, but I can’t see anything.”

“I’m in the bedroom, but I can’t see anything either. I think there’s a power outage.”

The plan I had explained to Leonard was simple.

The lights in the second-floor corridor and bedroom were turned off to fake a power outage.

Then, when I said I would go downstairs to resolve the power issue, Seri Familia would signal by saying, “Please take me with you.”

After noticing the signal, we would naturally enter the bedroom.

Though I had already experienced this situation, I smiled faintly as the scenario unfolded exactly as I had predicted.

“It’s so dark I can’t even find the door.”

“I’m inside the room right now, but I’m terrified because of the bug.”

“I’ll go downstairs and call for the butler.”

“W-Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t leave me here… I’m too scared.”

“…Alright.”

“I’m sorry for troubling you. If only that bug hadn’t suddenly appeared in my room…”

Following the original flow, I would have complained about why she called me instead of a servant, but that might confuse Leonard, so I quickly thought and continued:

“This seems like it might take a while. Maybe it would be faster if I went downstairs to get someone?”

“Then please take me with you! I’m too scared to stay alone!”

“I can’t find your door because I can’t see anything.”

“Can’t you come toward the sound of my voice?”

I grabbed Leonard’s collar and used my other hand to feel along the wall.

“Keep talking. I’ll try to find you.”

“Over here!! I’m over here, Selden!!”

Having experienced this once before, I found the bedroom door more quickly than the first time.

I made a fist and knocked on the door.

Knock knock-!

“Is this it?”

“I think so!! There should be a doorknob there, right?”

I positioned Leonard in front of the door and grasped the doorknob.

Creeeeak-!

As the door slowly opened, I immediately hid myself against the wall beside the door.

Fortunately, Leonard hadn’t forgotten the plan and fumbled his way slowly into the bedroom.

Whoosh-! BANG!

There was a sound like a rope snapping, followed by something like an explosion.

Wait, I thought it would be a “thud,” but it was a “bang”?

Just how big a trap had she set up?

With something that powerful, his face must be a complete mess. Was the purpose of disabling the bedroom lights to hide this from Baron Rene and Baron Byron?

Leonard seemed to have collapsed to the floor without even being able to let out a small scream.

I pressed myself against the wall, covering my mouth to prevent any sound of breathing.

Drag-!

Then came the sound of Seri Familia grunting as she grabbed Leonard and dragged him into the bedroom.

Though I couldn’t see anything in the darkness, all of this played out like a vivid imagination in my mind.

Creeeeak-! Clunk-!

As the door closed, I felt along the wall and tiptoed carefully toward the stairs.

It was so thrilling that every cell in my body was trembling uncontrollably.

I can’t just kill you.

I’ll place you next to Leonard and watch you bleed to death.

With this resolve, I immediately went downstairs and grabbed the first maid I saw.

“D-Do you know where Baron Rene is?”

“He’s in the reception room with Baron Byron right now.”

“Thank you.”

I ran so fast my feet were barely visible.

As I approached the reception room, the door suddenly opened, and Baron Byron and Baron Rene appeared.

“Why are you here?”

I caught my breath and maintained a calm expression as if nothing had happened.

“Oh… I was just passing by.”

“Is that so?”

“Where are you going?”

Baron Byron pointed behind him and explained:

“A maid came to us saying she heard strange noises from Seri Familia’s bedroom, so Baron Rene and I are hurrying to check.”

I stretched my neck to make eye contact with the maid behind them.

She avoided my gaze but showed no signs of surprise.

‘Ah, so she doesn’t know anything and is just playing the role of messenger?’

Inwardly sneering, I bowed respectfully to Baron Byron and Baron Rene.

“Then I’ll come along as well.”