Episode 85 – Busily

*

In the room where only Lara’s rhythmic breathing could be heard, I waited with wide-open eyes for dawn to break.

Last night, the emotion Lara showed me, so affectionate yet so sharp, tore my heart to shreds, and I had to suffer from a dull ache all night long.

Lara’s love was too heavy and intense.

At the same time, I reproached myself, saying that I was just as terrible for rejecting Lara, who was courting me by throwing her whole body and soul into it.

Even as the sky outside the window gradually turned blue, my still-dizzy head couldn’t sort things out.

Was it around five or six o’clock?

After wiping away the tear stains on Lara’s cheek as she slept, I got up from the bed where I had been sitting and opened the door to go out into the hallway.

The unnecessarily wide hallway was frighteningly dark and silent.

The mansion isn’t bad as it is now, but if it’s going to be a mansion synonymous with parties someday, then this dark interior is something that needs to be improved.

Okay, I’ve got something to do.

Having escaped from my worries and found something to turn my attention to, I thought about what I needed in my head.

,I should prepare several lights for the hallway, and since it’s too empty, it would be better to decorate it with flowerpots or sculptures rather than paintings. Ask Mena… no, Mena is going to be busy anyway. The mansion is so big, but Mena is the only maid.”

Am I going to have to hire other maids or servants soon?

I fell into thought.

In order to maintain the mansion, several maids were needed, but currently, Mena was forced to do everything from cleaning, laundry, cooking, and even building management.

Lili and Banata are actively helping Mena, and Nana and Lara are also helping with simple tasks whenever they have time, but even with the difference in skill, there are still not enough hands.

No matter how much everyone helps, the size of the mansion makes the limitations clear.

It was a problem I had never anticipated, having never lived in a mansion before.

In order to eliminate the problems with holding a party, at least three or four more people would be needed to even make progress.

The problem was whether I could find someone trustworthy enough to bring into this house, where Lara and even the succubus Banata walked around with their bare faces.

“I should discuss it with Ellie.”

I muttered and slowly walked down the hallway.

I don’t know how many ‘trustworthy people’ Ellie has gathered, but there may be someone among them who can work in my mansion, and if it’s an order from the Princess, I might be able to hire someone who can keep their mouth shut no matter what they see.

As I was thinking about that, I suddenly remembered one thing.

“Ah, I have no way to contact Ellie.”

Until now, Ellie would either send a letter anonymously when she had something to say, or come to me directly.

I realized anew that I had no way to approach Ellie from my side.

If I sent a letter to the Imperial Palace, there might be someone who would review the contents, and I couldn’t just go to the Imperial Palace as Salvie, the mysterious foreigner and Baron.

I hadn’t paid attention to it because I didn’t really have anything to say to Ellie.

I nodded.

“Okay, this is another problem I need to solve, there’s a mountain of things to solve.”

Problems that I hadn’t paid attention to until now were popping up one by one.

No, it might be closer to me finding things to do that I didn’t need until now.

With at least a month left until the next revenge, I had to find something to immerse myself in to forget the bitterness I had tasted last night.

Once it gets light today, I should go out and buy lights and decorations. I felt like I should go out and buy lights and decorations, and fancy tailcoats, etc.

*

The sunlight shining on her face was so hot that Lili ruffled her messy hair and slowly opened her eyes.

Sitting up on the cloud-like fluffy bed, Lili suddenly slowly ran her hand over the mattress.

A smooth and fluffy high-class bed.

It was a very fluffy bed for Lili, who had lived most of her life in a small cabin in the Vortex Forest, but thanks to her life in Flavis’s luxury hotel and the White Glass Tower in Sioland, she had become accustomed to it.

If she were to return to the hard bed in that cabin again, she would definitely have a hard time sleeping comfortably for a while.

At that moment, Lili thought of Robin and was lost in thought.

“Did Father do those bad things because of this?”

Even Lili, who had the memories of Robin, a poor country bumpkin, could not grasp his emotions or motives.

She was just speculating based on the memories she had seen and the experiences she had had while living.

Maybe Robin didn’t want to go back to the hard bed.

Wealth and power.

Aren’t people who are addicted to the comfortable and cozy life that money can buy unable to live without it?

Lili rubbed her eyes, thinking such nonsense as soon as she woke up.

It was then.

Knock knock.

At the sound of someone knocking on the door, Lili blankly replied, ‘Yes-‘

“Lili-nim, are you awake?”

The person who knocked on the door was Mena.

Mena continued to speak without opening the door.

“Lunch is ready. Everyone else has come down, would you like to join them?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll get dressed and come down. Go down first.”

“Yes, then.”

Lili used her five fingers as a comb to brush her hair and got up, putting on a cardigan over her pajamas.

“We had meals on the first floor. It feels a little strange to have to go down the stairs to eat.”

Ed wasn’t the only one who wasn’t used to living in a large mansion.

Ironically, it was Mena, the maid, who became accustomed to life in the mansion first.

Lili smiled at that fact and opened the door, walking down the hallway and down the stairs.

Passing through the large arched entrance at the end of the first-floor hallway, she saw the family of the mansion huddled around a large table that could seat up to twenty people.

Lili greeted them with a smile.

“Good morning.”

“Lili, it’s already noon. It’s lunchtime.”

“Then it’s morning for me. Hehe.”

Lili exchanged a few words with Ed and sat next to Lara.

Lara had her arms on the table and her chin propped up.

Her face looked uncomfortable and dark.

“Mom?”

“… Hmm? Did you call me?”

“Yeah… is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

“…Really?”

Lara didn’t say anything more and just nodded.

A moment later, after Mena and Banata brought out the plates, everyone began to eat together.

Not only Lili, but everyone was subtly concerned about Lara’s complexion, so the meal was quiet.

Lara kept glancing at Ed during the meal, and Ed seemed preoccupied with avoiding Lara’s eyes.

It was easy to infer that something had happened between the two of them last night.

Lili, who knew the complicated relationship between the two of them, was wondering whether she should ask about it or pretend not to know.

In the meantime, it was Banata who spoke first.

“Ah, I don’t know, I’m not going to go seduce that idiot Duke today. I’m going to take a day off.”

At Banata’s words, Ed quietly asked.

“Why, did Piadu do something weird?”

“No, that’s why it’s even more annoying. He keeps pretending to be polite. It’s disgusting.”

“Really?”

“Don’t even mention it. Pretending to be polite, pretending to be gentlemanly, pretending to be a nice guy. I don’t know how much he pretends. Doesn’t he know that just going to a place like that is an automatic disqualification? Ugh, and…”

“And?”

“I heard he was the one who kidnapped me.”

Mena flinched at Banata’s words.

Banata started talking about her memories of being kidnapped without noticing, and Mena’s expression rapidly darkened.

It was only natural.

The fact that her kidnapped daughter had disappeared without a trace and then reappeared as a demon must still be a traumatic memory for her mother, Mena.

Ed glanced at Mena and skillfully deflected the conversation with a joke.

“He must have fallen for you.”

“It must be Rose, not me. Wow, if everyone had seen it, they would have been amazed. Rose was really foxy… Ah, I get it. I’m sorry.”

“Hahahaha, what did Rose say?”

“She told me to shut up.”

Ed tried to change the atmosphere with an exaggerated laugh.

Banata pouted and said.

“Do men really like that kind of style?”

“What kind of style is that?”

“Someone who listens well and laughs at silly jokes.”

“Wouldn’t that be the same for women?”

“Is that so- Ed, what kind of woman do you like?”

Clatter.

Lili stopped moving without realizing it and looked at Ed.

That was the same for Lara and Banata.

Ed pretended not to notice the sudden attention and said.

“Well, I haven’t thought about it.”

“Hey, don’t say that.”

Lara, who had been quiet until now, slowly added.

“Yeah, Ed, I’m curious too. What kind of woman do you like?”

“…Lara.”

“You can ask that much.”

“Hmm… I really haven’t thought about it.”

Ed tried to move on with the conversation by continuing to eat as if he wasn’t interested.

It seemed like a topic he didn’t really want to talk about.

However, Lili was also curious about what kind of woman Ed liked.

“Ed, I’m curious too.”

“…Ha, well.”

Ed slowly put down his fork and closed his eyes.

After thinking for a moment, Ed slowly opened his mouth.

Lara, Lili, and Banata stared intently at Ed’s mouth.

“A kind person.”

Lili felt deflated by Ed’s all-too-obvious and common answer after much deliberation.

Banata seemed to feel the same way, puffing out her cheeks and starting to whine.

“What’s that? It’s boring. That’s not what I wanted to hear.”

“It’s surprisingly hard to find. A truly good person.”

“Is that so… I guess? Well… I guess so…”

“…”

Lara closed her mouth again.

A kind person. A good character.

In Lara’s mind, and in Lili’s mind, who had Lara’s memories, the image of a woman with orange hair and a sun-like smile flashed by.

Mela.

Mela’s actions, who couldn’t pass by someone in need and didn’t hesitate to help others even if it harmed herself, were truly the image of a saint.

Ed didn’t seem to have Mela in mind when he said that, but to Lara and Lili, it felt like he had said Mela’s name directly.

Lara squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, then started eating again without saying a word.

Lili watched Lara and slowly continued her meal.

Before getting up from his seat after finishing his meal, Ed clapped his knee as if he had remembered something and said.

“I’m going shopping today, anyone want to come with me?”

“Me” “Me” “I’ll go!”

Everyone except Mena opened their mouths at the same time at Ed’s sudden suggestion.

“Oh, we don’t need that many people to go,”

“What are you planning to buy?”

Mena, who had not applied for the shopping date candidate, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and asked Ed.

Ed counted on his fingers and replied.

“Lights, decorations. I’ll have the decorations delivered so I don’t have to carry them, and tailcoats or party outfits. Is there anything else I need?”

“Clothes! It’s clothes shopping!”

“Banata, be quiet… Ed-nim. We’re out of a few ingredients. I’ll write down the ingredients I need before you go.”

“Thank you, Mena, you must be busy… I’ll try to get some help as soon as possible.”

“You can take your time and choose carefully.”

“Ed, I need new clothes too.”

“I’ll help you pick out clothes! Can I buy my own clothes too?”

“Shopping! Shopping date!”

Ed covered his ears with his index fingers and said.

“I’ll just go alone. Just write down everything you need.”

“Ooh- let’s go together!”

“…”

“I want to go too.”

“Ha…”

After much deliberation, Ed nodded.

All the women except Mena went back to their rooms to prepare for going out.

Mena looked at Ed, who was pressing his temples, and said.

“… Take care.”

“Mena…”

Ed, Lili, Lara, and Banata went out wearing clothes to hide their identities.

It wasn’t until sunset that they returned from shopping with so many things in their hands that they could barely carry them, and Ed bought a suspiciously large number of bottles of alcohol and went back to his room as soon as he returned and locked himself in.

.