2 (Toko’s point of view)
Just a few days ago, I started frequenting the Duke’s house.
While Toko had known the Duke as a noble when she was a princess, their relationship was only limited to brief conversations at noble parties.
But now, they were in the midst of secret discussions in the Duke’s study until late at night.
On that day, when Toko, who had come in secret, was welcomed in the study by the Duke,
he brewed tea himself, making a point to show that it was safe to drink.
“Oh, is Yuzuriha not here today?”
Toko tilted her head in confusion at the absence of Yuzuriha, who was always by the Duke’s side. The Duke responded with a bitter tone.
“That foolish girl is under suspension.”
“Suspension? Why?”
“She went into a rage after her skin scars were successfully removed. She went on a rampage throughout the mansion, completely naked.”
“Eh…?”
Toko couldn’t imagine what could have caused such a reaction.
Regardless, whether it was due to some side effect of the healing magic or not, if Suzuha’s brother managed to restrain her, it made sense.
“When she was rampaging, Suzuha-kun brother happened to be there and managed to subdue her with ease.”
“Ah, I see.”
It seemed that Suzuha’s brother was the one who restrained her. That explained things.
I’m sure Yuzuriha must have turned blue when she came to his senses.
Shee might have cried out in public.
“But Suzuha’s brother is quite amazing, isn’t he? He can go toe-to-toe with a wandering white-haired vampire, give a powerful massage, and on top of that, easily tame a rampaging Yuzuriha. Seriously, what a guy?”
“That’s not all. He’s also sharp-witted.”
“Is he? Suzuha’s brother’s a good guy, but he doesn’t look like a smart guy to me. ”
“When asked what reward he wanted for saving Yuzuriha, he said that being under our family’s protection would be enough.”
“Wow… for a commoner, that’s quite the response.”
After all, Yuzuriha, the jewel in the hands of the Sakuragi Duke, is the price of his life.
It shouldn’t be something trivial.
If, in the future, the Duke’s is even slightly hesitant to assist Suzuha’s brother, they would undoubtedly criticize, saying something like, “Is that the value of a duke’s daughter’s life?”
As a result, Suzuha’s brother now essentially holds the right to extract anything he desires from the duke’s household for decades to come—
be it money, power, or anything else.
“So, Suzuha’s brother might seem laid-back, but he’s definitely someone to watch out for.”
“He’s a man who has crossed the line of death multiple times. He likely possesses some negotiating skills.”
“Oh? Did you hear about Suzuha’s brother’s past?”
“I didn’t hear it directly, but as the head of the duke household, I can understand that much through experience.”
“That’s too bad. I would have loved to hear about Suzuha’s brother’s past.”
“You could ask him yourself.”
“It seems incredibly heavy, so I can’t ask out of mere curiosity. Well, enough about that.”
Toko clapped her hands.
In reality, every minute and second was precious.
Toko had found a card absolutely necessary for her to become the next queen.
However, that card was not something she could control as she pleased.
So she needed to carefully discuss with the head of the duke’s household how to guide things moving forward.
And besides that, there were just too many things to think about.
“Still, to think the day would actually come when I would have a secret meeting with the duke to become queen. I surprise myself.”
“The appearance of just one man can change the times. That’s the way of the world.”
“This time, I really feel that. It’s truly troublesome.”
“Aren’t you the one benefiting from it? If the people being pushed out of power heard that, they’d be furious.”
“It’s not my fault! It’s those incompetent nobles’ fault.”
“Enough chatter. Let’s get started.”
In a certain Duke’s study, the secret meeting continued late into the night.
3
A month had passed since returning from the mid-term journey at the Royal Strongest Knight Girls’ Academy.
Suzuha and I had been spending a lot of time at the Duke’s residence.
“Training using the resurrection magic circle in my house, and having Suzuha’s brother massage afterwards is the most efficient, don’t you think?”
Prompted by Yuzuriha’s words, Suzuha and I had been going straight to the Duke’s mansion after finishing school at the Knight Girls’ Academy recently. It coincided with a carriage sent for me.
The two of them would then engage in intense training until the evening, and I assisted in that.
After finishing the training, we would use the Duke’s residence bath for a bath, and after the massage, they would prepare dinner until evening. Truly, they were pampering us.
Moreover, being a Duke’s house, all the food that came out was high-class and incredibly delicious.
…Of course, the Duke Arthur, who came to the dining table, made me nervous, though.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
One day,
as usual, during dinner, the usually silent Duke opened his mouth.
“In three days, there will be an outdoor party hosted by our Duke’s family. Naturally, both of you will attend. Is that convenient?”
“Oh, yes. It’s fine.”
It was just like usual, with training scheduled at the Duke’s house.
We could simply cancel that.
“I’ve been greatly indebted to Duke-sama, so I’ll help with anything. Whether it’s carrying luggage, security, or any other menial tasks.”
“Are you saying that… I wonder if there’s no mistake in those words?”
“Of course!”
I asserted firmly.
At that moment, for some reason, the Duke’s eyes seemed to gleam.
“All right. Then, I hereby order you to be Yuzuriha’s escort at the upcoming party.”
” “Eeeehhhhh!?” ”
Suzuha and I involuntarily raised our voices in surprise.
Upon closer examination, I learned that the outdoor party in three days was, in fact, Yuzuriha’s victory celebration.
And the triumph, of course, comes from the victorious return against the wandering white-haired vampire.
Facing the formidable enemy nicknamed the “Devil who destroyed a country” and surviving without a single casualty is, in itself, an overwhelming triumph ── the Duke’s words are convincing enough.
But, that might be considered a made-up story.
“What are you talking about? Don’t you have the devil’s arm that you cut off?”
“Oh, is that still around?”
It’s the right arm that pierced Yuzuriha’s torso, the one I slashed from the devil’s shoulder.
In the case of that devil, the right arm should have regenerated long ago.
In that sense, it’s like picking up a lizard’s tail.
“…I don’t know what you’re thinking, but records of cutting off any part of that wandering white-haired vampire’s body don’t exist until thirteen hundred years ago, the one who accomplished that became the conqueror who unified the continent afterward.”
“Oh, really?”
“The only thing cut off at that time was just a single finger, and the man who achieved that went on to become the overlord who later unified the continent.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Well, you… Anyway, as the young hero who saved my daughter’s life and cut off the devil’s arm, you will be introduced prominently. Be prepared for it.”
This Duke, the head of the Duke’s family, is saying something outrageous.
“Wait a minute! ”
If that happens, it’s going to be a big problem.
After all, I’m just a commoner that acquaintanced with the Duke’s daughter by chance.”
If I’m introduced as the Duke says, not only will the nobles be unnecessarily interested, but I’ll also inevitably attract envy and trouble.
There might even be some stupid aristocrats who will think that I have power and try to take me in.
I don’t want that kind of trouble.
“I don’t know what you’re in a hurry about. You’re just presenting the facts.”
“No, no, no, there’s a way of saying things in situations like this!”
The Duke-sama in front of me probably doesn’t understand what the problem is at all.
It’s natural for a noble to gain influence and draw benefits by standing out as much as possible, but he might not understand what kind of trouble it will bring.
“Well, um… That’s it! This time’s subjugation is not just my achievement!”
“What are you talking about? But according to the stories of my daughter and Lady Toko, the other three withdrew during the battle with the devil so as not to get in your way.”
“That’s true. But cutting off the arm there is undoubtedly Yuzuriha-san’s achievement.”
“I think that’s an exaggeration…?”
“No, it’s not. At that time, Yuzuriha-san shielded her companions—me, risking her life. Her courageous act caught the devil off guard, and that’s how we managed to repel it. That’s right, isn’t it, Yuzuriha-san?”
“Eh!?”
Yuzuriha-san freezes, suddenly asked to speak.
We’re currently in the middle of a dinner at the Duke’s residence, and naturally, Yuzuriha-san is sitting next to the Duke.
After desperately making eye contact with Yuzuriha-san for a while, she seems to have finally realized my intention.
(H-Hey, Suzuha Onii-sama… Is that true? Is it really true?)
(Of course! So puff out your chest and assert yourself! Right now!)
(Alright! If you say so, Suzuha Onii-sama…)
After clearing her throat, Yuzuriha-san corrects her posture, turns to the Duke, and declares confidently.
“What Suzuha-kun’s big brother says is true.”
“What do you mean by true?”
“That was a joint effort between me and my reliable partner whom I would gladly owe my life.—the first collaboration.”
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