Chapter 53: Branch – 2

Chapter 53: Branch – 2

As soon as the System’s time stop was released, gazes poured onto me.

…Honestly, even I would probably look at someone strangely if they suddenly stood up from the dining table like a crazy person.

……The problem was that among the owners of those gazes, there was the Duke, who looked like he could kill a person with just his eyes.

According to the novel’s setting, he was supposed to be as strong as a regular knight, but the aura he exuded made him seem like someone who could overwhelm even a Knight Commander.

“…Christie. You said that child’s status was commoner, didn’t you?”

“……Yes, Father.”

“Is that so. Then I should mention this now.”

Immediately after he said that, no one spoke until the Duke opened his mouth again.

No, not even a breath was taken.

…In such an atmosphere, thinking of a plausible excuse was impossible.

Honestly, it was difficult just to maintain my current expression.

So… I, too, could only wait for the Duke’s reprimand to fall, unable to take any other action.

……The same went for when something completely different from my expectation came out.

“…I don’t know if commoners’ dining etiquette is usually so boisterous, but at least in the Duke’s family, I hope such behavior is refrained from.

 I apologize if it was unpleasant. However, as the lives of nobles and commoners are vastly different, I hope you will adjust to us while you are in the Duke’s residence.”

“…Yes? Ah, yes. I apologize.”

“Not at all. And not all nobles properly observe etiquette either. …Like Cathy.”

‘…Ria? Am I perhaps experiencing mental delusion from excessive fear right now?’

*Not at all.*

……Indeed, judging by the reactions of the servants and Christie, who had expressions like ‘What did I just see?’, what I heard wasn’t a hallucination.

Especially Christie, her expression was very crumpled as if she had heard an unspeakable word.

Meanwhile, the Duke, without a single change in his expression, very calmly told them to bring the next dish.

…And the Duke’s interest in me didn’t end there, either.

“By the way, what is your name?”

“…It’s Lucia.”

“Lucia…. A rare name. It will certainly stick in my memory.”

……Normally, at a time when one would say it’s a pretty or nice name, I couldn’t understand why he specifically said it was rare, but I decided to just let it be.

Was the person himself twisted, or was he just unable to express his emotions properly?

However, before I could finish that thought, the Duke’s mouth opened again.

“Yes, I heard you did a great deed helping the young lady. That’s why the young lady invited you here.”

“…I merely received undeserved honor.”

“……Do you think so? The young lady’s thoughts seem quite different, though.”

At those words, I glanced at Christie, and though it wasn’t obvious, she seemed subtly disappointed.

…Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do for her right now.

“In any case, it is true that you greatly helped the Duke’s family’s honor, so tell me if you desire any reward.”

“…I didn’t do it for a reward.”

“Even so, it is proper to repay such help. …From the perspective of the Duke’s family’s honor, we cannot send a guest away empty-handed.”

“……Then, please allow me to stay at the Duke’s mansion tonight and speak with the young lady privately.”

At those words, it was Christie, not the Duke, who reacted.

Exactly, with a look that said, ‘You could get a reward for once, why would you ask for something like that…?’

But… I needed a reason to stay at the Duke’s mansion tonight.

There was the immediate problem of fixing the relationship between the Duke and Christie, but first, I needed to be inside the Duke’s mansion to protect the Duke or whatever.

“Hmm… You seem to have a special relationship with the young lady.”

“It’s undeserved, but I dare say… ‘friend.'”

“‘Friend,’ you say. You’ve certainly taken a position that no other noble lady or young master has.”

“……That’s enough, Father.”

The atmosphere instantly chilled.

……The saying ‘my mouth is my undoing’ seemed truly accurate.

I felt anew that a single word could utterly shatter an atmosphere like this.

“No matter what that child is like, continue to observe and suspect her, young lady. …I do not wish to repeat the incident with the Duke’s wife.”

“…Let’s leave first.”

……And at the same time, I also realized anew that the Duke had a knack for ruining the atmosphere.

It was one thing to bring in an outsider and then talk about his deceased wife in front of me, an outsider.

But…… if Christie just disappears like this, what about me…?

“Lucia, you get up too. There’s no need to stay in an uncomfortable place.”

“Oh, oh.”

“We two will go up first. Please, have a good afternoon.”

“…Do so.”

Fortunately, thanks to Christie not forgetting me, I was able to leave the table, but…… this brief exchange ended the banquet.

…Honestly, looking at the servants’ expressions, it seemed like this happened every time, with a feeling of ‘They’re doing this again.’

……Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be because of me. Probably.

‘But it seemed like the Duke was quite interested in me….’

His expression was like that, but he seemed to have some interest.

The way he kept staring at my face was also part of it.

I had a strong feeling that it was a confusing situation, mixed with some unknown goodwill and hostility.

For me, and also…… for the Duke himself.

At the same time, for Christie… I felt like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

*You understand quite well, don’t you? The character of the Duke should be completely unknown territory to you.*

‘…Even if I don’t know the Duke, I know the expression of a foolish person who can’t properly express their true feelings very well.’

All the countless unspoken thoughts I had in my hospital room before I died once.

…But those thoughts never left my lips.

Therefore, I knew instinctively and experientially.

That the Duke’s expression right now…… seemed very similar to mine back then.

Perhaps, I thought, I could improve the relationship between Christie and the Duke more easily than expected.

*…That’s all good, but shouldn’t saving the Duke be the priority first?*

‘…That’s true. But couldn’t Christie just step up and wipe them all out?’

*Assassins aren’t fools either. In the first place, the elite assassins will stick to Christie and prevent her from reaching the Duke.

 Therefore, the assassins going after the Duke won’t be very strong; you can handle them sufficiently.*

‘…It seems the enemies I’ll be fighting are surprisingly weak?’

*Your invitation only spread this morning, to begin with. And they’re planning the assassination for tonight.

 There simply isn’t enough physical time to gather proper assassins or launch an attack.*

Fortunately, the enemies I would be fighting seemed to be somewhat balanced with me.

…Honestly, I wanted to tell Christie, who had the power to wipe out all the assassins by herself, about the attack.

Now, as Christie and I moved alone to Christie’s room, was the most opportune moment.

…No, I actually tried to tell her. 

Until I physically felt that my mouth wouldn’t move.

*Unfortunately, information sharing is impossible this time. If Christie knew everything and helped you… that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?*

‘…Damn System.’

*In the first place, didn’t you only know the exact fact that the Duke would be assassinated today because I told you?

 In other words, this is information owned by the ‘System,’ not information owned by you.*

……Simply put, it meant no freebies, so do it properly.

Honestly, as Ria said, the information that the assassins would attack exactly today was something I learned because Ria told me.

…Well, if you think about it, the fact that the Duke would be assassinated at this point was just my conjecture in the first place; it was the System that confirmed it.

‘Still, it’s okay to hint at it, right?’

*Well… probably? Christie will be a target of the attack anyway.

 Honestly, from the assassins’ perspective, the key will be to somehow tie Christie down and quickly assassinate the Duke.*

‘Indeed, Christie is quite strong.’

*She might seem reserved in front of you, but she’s one of the strongest in the future world. If… hmm, no. It’s a bit too early to say this yet.*

‘……It’s truly a shame that you’ve gone back to communicating via System messages.’

If she were next to me right now, I could have punched her in the head again, which was truly a shame.

Well, in any case, that wasn’t what was important right now.

“…Christie. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Actually, I deliberately asked to stay at the Duke’s mansion tonight.”

“Ah, that from earlier? …You should have just asked me. The Duke’s family has many good treasures, why didn’t you just ask for one?”

Immediately after she finished speaking, Christie smiled sweetly and was about to start explaining what treasures there were, but…

Perhaps seeing my serious expression for once, she stopped speaking.

“…It’s not that. It’s just… I have a bad feeling.”

“A bad feeling?”

“I have a feeling that both I and Christie will be in danger at the same time. So I just… wanted to be next to Christie.”

“Huh, huh…? Next to me?”

“Christie is strong, right? So if I’m in danger, Christie can help me, and if Christie is in danger… hmm… if I can help, I can help, right?”

Honestly, if Christie was in physical danger rather than someone’s scheme… I probably wouldn’t be much help.

……In any case, my words just now seemed to have worked quite well on Christie.

Because I found myself clinging to Christie again, being hugged.

…Due to the considerable height difference, the most uncomfortable part was that my feet didn’t touch the ground when hugged, a unique Christie hug.

“You’re just so cute. Did something scary happen to you? Or are you afraid of ‘the Organization’s’ retaliation?”

“N-no, it’s not that…”

“Oh, come on. Alright. If you’re afraid of ‘the Organization’s’ retaliation, just say so. This unnie will be by your side, so don’t worry. Who would dare touch someone protected by the Defense Commander and the Imperial Guard?”

……Unfortunately, there were people who would dare.

There were the Anti-Duke Faction nobles, who wanted to kill Christie and the Duke and drag them into ruin, no matter what.

And Christie seemed to have fallen into another strange misconception… but I didn’t bother correcting her.

“…Is that so? Then I can go to my room, right?”

“Huh? Not coming to my room?”

“……I have a private life too, you know? Besides, it’s late since I was invited to the dinner banquet.”

“…That’s true. I’ll personally guide you to your room. And just so you know, this is a service you can’t get anywhere else, okay?

 And actually, I had something I wanted to tell you too… Well, since Lucia said she’s leaving tomorrow, I’ll tell you as a surprise tomorrow.”

…For the young lady of the Duke’s family, who held authority as powerful as the Imperial Family, to personally guide me to my room, it was indeed a service I couldn’t get anywhere else.

Honestly, if there wasn’t an attack on the Duke’s family, I wouldn’t mind and would just want to chat with Christie.

She’s my favorite character in this novel, and there’s a lot I’m curious about.

However……

*Get ready soon. The attack… will happen in 3 hours.

 And be nervous. Even if they are hastily gathered individuals and their main forces are used to tie down Christie… they can still kill you easily.*

It seemed I wouldn’t have that luxury for now.

Neither Christie nor the Duke knew, but… a very big surprise was planned for the Duke’s family today.

“Okay, tell me tomorrow. Christie’s surprise… I’ll look forward to it.”

……If I’m still well enough to hear it by tomorrow.