Chapter 22: The Merdellia Ducal House

“‘Wow…’

When I first encountered the mansion of the Merdellia Ducal House where Viviana resides, my first thought was,

‘There’s no way someone with no sense of direction could live in a place like this.’

The mansion was so enormous that it was hard to tell if it was a mansion or a castle. Even from a distance, just looking at it from outside the front gate, I could feel the duchy’s overwhelming presence deep in my bones.

“Aren’t you coming in, Lady Blanc?”

Viviana looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I couldn’t just stand there in a daze forever. Shaking off the dazed feeling, I approached Viviana with a bright smile on my face.

“The mansion is huge, Lady Viviana.”

“Most ducal houses are this big.”

Although there are only four ducal houses in the empire,

It was a deep night with dense darkness, and I visited Viviana’s mansion. She had suggested that we go to her mansion after I requested to hear the piano. I had asked to be invited to the mansion, but I didn’t expect her to invite me over so late at night.

Having arrived here after the last night of the ball, I had already sent a letter to my mother saying I had been invited by Lady Viviana, so it should be fine. Besides, I had sent a letter with Viviana’s personal seal, so my mother shouldn’t worry too much.

Though I felt a bit regretful about not being able to rest in my mother’s warm embrace tonight, I gave Viviana a big smile.

“Your mansion seems ten times bigger than ours… You really are amazing, Lady Viviana.”

“This is all the accomplishment of the previous Duke, not mine.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re amazing. And you’re humble too.”

I naturally clung to Viviana’s side and gently linked arms with her. She looked at me quietly but didn’t pull away.

“That’s a relief. Viviana is no different from the others.”

In the country where I used to live, South Korea, linking arms among women was a sign of friendship. I was curious if it would work in this medieval world, so I tried it a few times.

As it turned out, the range of permissible physical contact between women was quite broad, even more so than in Korea. Whether in Korea or here, there seems to be a unique atmosphere among women.

I’ve tried various forms of skinship, like linking arms, holding hands, hugging tightly, giving lap pillows, patting heads, rubbing cheeks, and even licking fingers. Thankfully, there hasn’t been a single lady who disliked my affectionate gestures.

Now that I’ve realized Viviana is no different from the other ladies, I believe she will also like it.

“Do you usually cling to others like this?”

“Oh, did it make you uncomfortable? I couldn’t help but be drawn to your scent, Lady Viviana.”

“… Just don’t overdo it. I generally don’t like physical contact with others.”

See?

Even the seemingly cold-hearted Viviana from the original work is reluctantly allowing it. In the end, her essential desires are no different from those of ordinary people.

“Yes! If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop right away.”

As I linked arms with Viviana and walked through the mansion’s main gate, the many servants waiting bowed their heads before us.

“Welcome, my lady.”

A man, seemingly the representative of the servants, approached Viviana with a kindly smile. The white hair on his head indicated he was quite advanced in age, but his dignity was undeniable.

“You’ve worked hard. Attending three balls must have surprised the Duke quite a bit.”

“Nothing unusual happened, right?”

“No. However, it seems something unusual happened to you, my lady.”

The old man’s sharp black eyes stared at me. His piercing gaze, filled with experience, made me feel as if I were completely exposed. However, I smiled warmly at him and initiated the conversation.

“Hello. My name is Tina Blanc.”

“….”

“Oh… I see. Nice to meet you. I am Alphonse Fredo, the head butler in charge.”

As the head butler of a duchy, he was undoubtedly an important figure. He likely came from a family with even more power than mine. I gracefully lowered one knee and offered him a polite and courteous greeting.

“It’s an honor to meet you. May the goddess’s blessings bring you peace.”

“Peace be with you. Lady Blanc, being a distinguished guest personally brought by the duchess, you need not lower yourself to me.”

That statement seemed to imply that if I weren’t Viviana’s guest, I should have bowed immediately. Though, of course, he might not have meant it that way.

“No, I couldn’t possibly raise my head high in the presence of someone dedicated to the Merdellia Duchy.”

“Hoho… Your heart is as beautiful as your appearance. Please, come inside.”

“Yes! Thank you.”

Following Alphonse’s guidance, we walked further into the mansion. I had thought it looked enormous from the outside, but stepping inside made me realize that its exterior size was nothing compared to the interior.

The grand hallway was adorned with lavish decorations and intricate interior designs. The scale of the duke’s mansion was incomparable, even to the halls where royal banquets were held.

“Wow…”

“You might get lost if you’re not careful.”

At Viviana’s words, I quickly followed behind her. We climbed a staircase that was almost too steep, passed through a vast hallway, and arrived at an office that, while lacking in extravagant decoration, exuded an aura of nobility.

“What would you like for dinner?”

“Prepare it.”

When Alphonse politely inquired, Viviana handed him her coat and responded curtly. As Alphonse retreated, it naturally left only Viviana and me in the office.

Viviana sat down and casually pulled out a cigarette from her desk, lighting it. The sight of her smoking, with her long eyelashes lowered, was a scene I had seen often in the game.

Viviana and cigarettes were inseparable. In her life, where playing the piano was her only joy, she never let go of cigarettes.

But… I don’t particularly like smokers, yet seeing Viviana smoke seemed somewhat sexy—

“Cough, cough.”

The acrid cigarette smoke entered my nose, causing a sharp, stinging pain in my throat and making me cough. I tried to cover my mouth and suppress the cough, but it didn’t stop at just one.

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

The cough showed no signs of stopping. As my breathing became increasingly restricted, tears welled up in my eyes. How frail my body was, unable to handle even a bit of cigarette smoke.

Viviana, looking flustered, quickly put out the cigarette, hurriedly opened the window, and handed me a glass of water from the desk.

“Drink this.”

“Cough… Hah…”

“I did it out of habit without realizing… I’m sorry, Lady.”

The cool water flowed down my throat, soothing it. As I started to feel better, I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes with the handkerchief Viviana handed me and smiled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, my lady…”

“It was my mistake, so there’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

Now that I think about it…

She threw away the cigarette.

While playing the game, there was never a moment when Viviana threw away her cigarette halfway. However, seeing my condition, she discarded the cigarette without hesitation, which felt quite unfamiliar.

“Oh… I’m okay now. You can smoke if you want.”

I spoke with my usual smile, after a few brief coughs. Despite my words, Viviana put the cigarette back under the desk.

“No, I’m not so addicted that I would smoke in front of a lady with a weak constitution.”

“Hmm…”

I felt a bit sorry, thinking she might be holding back because of me. But the fact that Viviana was considerate enough to give up smoking for my sake made me feel strangely good.

Before the atmosphere could become awkward, I looked around to find something to talk about and noticed the piles of documents stacked on Viviana’s desk.

“You seem very busy… Are all these your tasks, Viviana?”

“Yes, most of them. But they don’t take long, as they mostly just require my signature.”

“I’d love to see you at work! I’m sure you’d look really impressive.”

Viviana, seemingly flustered by my words, stared at me silently for a while before sighing briefly and running her hand through her hair.

“Aren’t there other things you should be paying attention to, young lady?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head in confusion, not quite understanding her words. As I struggled to respond, Viviana, perhaps feeling frustrated, turned her head and spoke briefly.

“The piano performance. You said you wanted to hear it.”

“…Oh!”

With a shyly turned head.

Viviana’s earlobes flushed a soft red.

And in her shy voice.

A wide smile spread across my lips.