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Chapter 18
“After the evening banquet, people will spend time in the hall or the tea room.”
“Yes.”
“During that time, act like a child and draw just enough attention, but if anyone asks, ‘Where is the Duke?’ tell them he went up to his room.”
You’re trying to secure an alibi, huh?
What the heck are you planning? No, I don’t want to know. Knowing would only shorten my lifespan.
Anyway…
“What should I do to act like a child?”
There are plenty of things to play with. But who knows if those games are considered normal here? What if I get accused of being a witch for playing cat’s cradle or hopscotch?
But His Grace the Villainous Duke didn’t bother with such details.
“You figure it out.”
“…What did your son play with when he was little?”
“No idea.”
No wonder your son abandoned you! Call it karma.
As I mentally mapped out an exploration of the marquis’ manor, my gaze fell on the objects the duke laid out on the table.
Leather half-gloves, a knife, thin rope…
…Suspicious. What kind of villainy are you planning at the marquis’ house?
Ugh, should I follow him and report him to the marquis if he does something bad? Maybe that’s safer than living in anxiety for the next six years. Catch him in the act and make a deal for my protection?
While I seriously considered it, the duke placed his pocket watch on the table—
“Ah!”
“Why are you surprised, Sol?”
“That… that thing attached to the watch…”
At the end of the pocket watch chain dangled the cuff button I had given him. The duke spoke with slight hesitation.
“Mm… It didn’t match any of my outfits.”
“Oh, I-I see! But it looks good on the watch, right?”
“No, not objectively speaking.”
Wow. What a charming way with words.
My face visibly twisted, but the duke didn’t take back what he said. Instead, he casually muttered something strange.
“But… I’ve realized some things don’t need to match to be okay. Like a youngest daughter whining to the Duke of Schlaeger.”
“…Huh?”
He offered no explanation. His voice remained cold.
“The banquet will begin soon. You know how to eat properly, right?”
“Oh, yes!”
“If you’re not sure, just eat the soup. I’ll make sure you get some bread later.”
With that, the duke abruptly turned and headed back to his bedroom. I sat on the couch, staring blankly after him.
He’s definitely a villain.
…But when he looked at the cuff button earlier, his eyes seemed oddly warm. Was that just my imagination?
I don’t know. Maybe I should help him out a little this time.
Not for his sake. Just because there’s no guarantee Marquis Godell is a good person…
That’s all.
The main banquet began.
While the marquis proudly flaunted his rare wine, the nobles only half-listened and instead chatted about the upcoming social season—when they would head to the capital, whether their children would debut this year, who would manage their estate, and so on.
The duke didn’t join the conversation. He just stared at me eating.
I’m going to get indigestion!
Well, I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. The other guests were nervously watching the duke too, gulping down dry saliva.
But since the duke’s attention was entirely on me, people gradually got used to chatting among themselves. Wine bottles emptied quickly, and the party began to pick up steam.
Maybe that was his plan. When the dance hall opened and the crowd stirred, the duke gently patted my shoulder and slipped away.
That must be my cue to move too.
I debated where to go and headed for the hall.
“Wow…”
I was awestruck by the scene—it was exactly like what I’d imagined from childhood fairy tales.
Dresses blossomed like flowers in every color, women subtly stepping on each other’s feet and winking, sharply dressed men…
The live music hit differently. And there was so much food nearby—maybe for people with a sweet tooth?
I decided to spend the rest of my time here.
I didn’t know what kids in this world did for fun, but surely no kid hated snacks?
But just as I’d emptied half a plate of meringue cookies, someone ruined my fun. A few adults approached and spoke to me.
“Hello, little lady.”
“…Hello.”
“Where’s His Grace? Are you here alone?”
“Father went up to his room for a bit.”
“Then shouldn’t you wait for him? You can’t just wander around alone.”
One woman scolded me in a fake concerned tone, while the man next to her smiled kindly.
“Shall we take you to His Grace? Before someone else scolds you for being on your own. What do you say?”
They were trying to probe me since I was alone. But I wasn’t about to obediently follow them.
“No, thank you. I wouldn’t want to take up your time.”
“Taking up time? Oh no, this is a good chance for us… I mean, looking after children is a duty of adults, after all.”
Wow, could you be any more obvious about trying to fish for information?
I should probably just say something like, “My dad told me not to talk to strangers.” Or maybe, “I’m meeting my father soon.”
But my mental rehearsal was interrupted. Suddenly, a boy came up to me and spoke.
“Hey, Sol! There you are!”
He looked around ten. His green eyes shimmered like a symbol of early summer, shining between his golden hair. I couldn’t help but stare—his eyes were that beautiful.
“Uh… Hi.”
I reflexively greeted him, and that alone seemed to make him happy. He immediately beamed and started chatting away.
“Nice to meet you! It must’ve been tough coming all the way from Flogel. Did your clothes get wrinkled? Did you change? I almost ripped mine rolling around on the way here!”
Who is this kid acting all chummy? Could it be someone the body I’m possessing knew?
Well, thanks to this boy’s sudden appearance, the adults were caught off guard, their mouths opening and closing soundlessly. The boy gave them no chance to speak further and tugged at my sleeve.
“You were bored with all those adults, right? Now come play with me, okay?”
“Ah, fine! Just don’t pull! You’ll rip my clothes!”
“Haha! Then hurry up and follow me!”
Are you trying to rip them?
I hurried after the boy, with no time to check whether those guests were still suspicious of me.
Once we reached a quiet corner of the hall, he let go of my sleeve and smiled sweetly.
“You don’t know those people, right? You looked uncomfortable.”
“What? How did you know?”
“They interrupted you while you were eating snacks. You kept glancing at your plate while talking.”
“….”
Ugh. I was annoyed they interrupted my snacking. Was it really that obvious?
My face turned bright red. Still, I had to thank him.
“Thanks for helping me. You’re…”
“My name’s Kai! I’m the heir of Lafrande. I came with my grandfather! I already knew your name since you were the talk of the banquet from the start. It’s a pretty name!”
His sparkling eyes never left me.
So this is the kid that overly friendly old man was talking about. No wonder he seemed so familiar right away—he’s just a cheerful, kind boy.
“Thanks, Kai. Well, have a good ti—”
“Sol, how much of the mansion have you seen?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t get to visit other estates often, right? Just look at these pillars—it feels like a circus! Have you seen the corridor? Do you like paintings? How about the training yard?”
“Ah, no. I just came straight down from my room.”
“Want to go out to the garden together? They made a little maze out of flowering trees! Let’s go! I know a foolproof way to never get lost!”
I take back what I said about him being just a kind and nosy kid. He’s basically a three-month-old Labrador puppy.
What is this kid? He’s too handsome to be a mere extra. But no matter how hard I searched my memory, I couldn’t recall any “Kai.”
Well, he’s probably not a villain. All the bad stuff in <Rank 99> was done by the Duke and Bennen anyway.
Even while I was debating, Kai kept talking.
“Your dress is so pretty! Did you wear it for dancing? And your hairpin is gorgeous too. It’s a shame you can’t see how the lily-of-the-valley ornament swings.”
“The maids at the marquis’ place dressed me up. They said I should look nice for the party.”
“Really? Wow, most maids wouldn’t go that far for a guest. They must all really like you!”
“I doubt it. They just used it as an excuse to peek at the du— I mean, my father.”
No way those maids were naive enough to dream of Cinderella. They were probably just hoping for tips and eye candy.
The duke was beautiful like a marble statue, regardless of age. If someone told me I could safely admire him from ten meters away without getting involved, I’d have agreed too.
That was my cynical adult take, but Kai replied with wide-eyed innocence.
“Really? I came to you because I like you.”
“…What? Like me? We just met!”
“I want to approach things I like—like a stream swollen with summer rain, a big sunflower, a fox in the backyard, or a bard in the town square. Isn’t that normal?”
At that, my cynical grown-up conscience collapsed like a demon doused in holy water.
I seriously thought he was confessing or something!
Kai still looked at me with shining eyes, expecting me to play.
Sorry, kid. I’m not the kind of friend you think I am inside!
Just as I was struggling to figure out how to respond, a laugh sounded behind us.
“Well, well, aren’t you two adorable?”
We turned around. A flushed middle-aged man, clearly tipsy, was towering over us.
“Young gentleman, are you escorting the lady? How’s it going?”
“We were just talking about what to do next!”
“Oh? At a banquet, you’re supposed to dance! Why waste a lady’s time if you’re not going to ask her to dance?”
The drunk man pretended to be angry, even lifting his chin. It was obviously a joke. But Kai fell right into it.
“Dance request?”
“Yeah! What else do you do with a lady at a party?”
“…My grandfather said I shouldn’t dance with just anyone.”
I’m “just anyone”? What, do I need a background check too?
But before I could finish the thought, Kai stammered on.
“He said I should only dance… with the person who’ll become my fiancée…”
