Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

190 – He Who Dwells Above

Time drifted momentarily to the past,

To a rare moment when Duchess Charlotte

was briefly staying at the manor.

It was at that hour that someone had the audacity

to knock on the door of the Duke as he rested.

“Hoo… is this the right thing to do… yes, it is.”

It was Aria Reinhardt, a woman with hair

the color of night itself, a shade impossible to

be found in the Charlotte lineage.

After Jenison’s arrival here some time ago,

she had, for reasons unknown, rarely shown her face outside her room.

Today marked the first time

she had revealed herself.

And not just anywhere, but at the head of the family’s chambers.

The first time she appeared

to seek out the head of the household, the

surrounding servants, even the

head butler, were visibly flustered.

Even if she was a guest of the manor,

they couldn’t simply

send her in to see their master

without knowing her purpose.

‘W-well… the head of the family is currently

resting, so if you have any

business, we can relay it…’

‘No, I must tell him directly.’

‘U-uh, well, that…’

‘Just tell me his location, and

I won’t breathe a word of

you having told me.’

If Aria’s status was

Had she been anyone of lesser station, they would have

thrown themselves bodily in her path, but

outwardly, at least for now, her title was that of a Duchess.

Of the House Charlotte, no less,

one of the four great families.

Even if, at present, she was but

a guest,

she was not one a mere servant could impede.

Faced with her insistence that

she must speak with him, they

had no choice but to reveal his location, and

“Are…are we sure it’s alright to

send her to the Lord?”

“T-That’s right, even if the

Lord himself welcomed her as

a guest in his manor…”

“He detests being disturbed

during his rest, above all else…”

“Then what are we to do? We

dare not try to stop her…”

And so, they could only stand watch from afar.

Like parents watching their five-year-old

run an errand, fraught with worry

lest they come to harm.

‘…Why are they staring so?’

Of course, in their minds, they were only

standing guard in case Duke Charlotte, his rest disturbed,

erupted in a volcanic rage,

but Aria, having already perceived their gazes,

could only feel

a certain pressure.

Even though she was merely on her way

to answer a question

the Duke had posed.

Huu…haaa…

Still, the nervousness was unavoidable.

Because her counterpart was

a Duke of one of the four families.

What words, what demeanor, should she

One risked pressing down too hard upon oneself.

A deep breath drawn in,

and as she reached to knock,

it struck her that just a moment before,

the servants who had been watching her

were behaving strangely.

Making such a fuss as if

something grave had occurred,

it felt like witnessing the outbreak of war,

and for a fleeting moment,

she harbored a question about it,

but then regained her composure, approaching the door slowly.

Tap, tap.

Precisely two times, and no more.

Neither more nor less than two knocks,

and at that very instant, the door, untouched,

creaked open of its own accord.

“…!”

“Enter.”

Along with the Duke’s voice, tinged with what sounded like deep anger,

what stood before the door was a collection of

small, adorable, black dolls.

Aria doubted that

these dolls could have opened the door,

and scanned her surroundings,

but nowhere could she find a trace of

the Duke,

and his voice continued to emanate from further within.

“Not so long, it seems,

considering you reside in my house.”

“Ah… greetings, Duke.”

Following the sound of his voice, she ventured further

inside,

where the Duke sat in a chair, receiving her,

and beside him, strangely,

stood a melancholy-looking

old man, diligently sorting through papers.

‘…A proxy for his paperwork…?’

“Miss Aria?”

“Ah, yes…!”

Though she couldn’t guess why,

the Duke’s voice, barely concealing a considerable ire,

in itself brought Aria once again

a surge of apprehension.

Seeing her thus, the Duke

made a sound, a suppressed, “Huum…”

temporarily shedding the anger

that had colored his voice, and propped his chin on his hand.

Sssh, thunk.

Just as before,

a chair from across the room

moved on its own, despite no one touching it, and

the chair settled precisely behind Aria’s

knees, as if imploring her to sit.

“Before I ask what brings you here… one question.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you have the answer… with you?”

“….”

“Because if you don’t,

I’m rather busy at the moment,

and perhaps this could wait for later…”

“The answer…!”

“…?”

“I have brought it.”

“…Indeed?”

Accompanied by the Duke’s pleased smile,

screech,

the door closed once more.

*

Even still, each time she saw it,

it was more than simply luxurious;

it verged on the dazzlingly opulent.

A door that seemed to declare,

‘Only one of *my* calibre can claim to be a ducal estate’s entrance.’

Within, Charlotte, the Duke, awaited, having summoned her.

“Well, this is me!”

“…You won’t come in?”

“…Will I?”

“…Is it?”

“I can’t, Father only

permitted you!”

Before I could even retort,

she let out a saccharine giggle, a final farewell

before vanishing somewhere.

Likely disappeared with that peculiar

magic of hers, so I wasn’t particularly worried…

‘Why is speaking informally so awkward…’

Even though my physical age now matched hers,

I’d received a remarkably strict education in etiquette from before,

so speaking so casually

didn’t feel natural in the slightest.

And besides, I had lived

decades more than she,

so speaking informally felt like

a significant challenge.

No matter if, to outsiders,

this felt like the normal thing to do,

the words just wouldn’t come easy…

‘Ha… Maybe I should practice in secret?’

Come to think of it, Ella

was around the same age as me too, if I remember correctly…

‘…When I return, should I try speaking informally?’

From the start, we had a master-servant relationship,

so changing to more casual speech

wouldn’t feel out of place in the slightest.

Of course, I would have to

endure some degree of discomfort

in the process of speaking more casually,

but I needed to start getting used to it sometime.

‘Even if it’s no one else,

I’d at least like to speak

more comfortably to Albert.’

Thinking of Albert’s ever-

kind face, a face that was always so good to me.

Whether he had grown tired of waiting,

the door creaked open first.

“…!”

“..Ah, she’s saying to come in?”

“…!!”

Hastening me along, it seems,

With the doll as an added prodding.

The moment I stepped inside,

I could feel the space was considerable,

At least three times the size of

The academy dorm I presently resided in.

What one would do in such a

vast room stirred my curiosity.

‘..Even Duke Reinhardt’s

chamber wasn’t this grand, perhaps?’

Lost in slight admiration as I

surveyed my surroundings,

The doll that had opened the door

now seized my pant leg and tugged.

“…!!”

“..I’m coming, I’m coming.”

For a small, adorable,

pink rabbit doll, its temper was rather foul.

Even now, it was striking my legs,

urging me to hurry.

Following the doll’s guidance further into the room,

I finally began to sense another

presence, a human one.

There it is…the moment the

thought formed, the presence was

immediately behind me.

And as suspected, the person standing

before me as I swiftly turned,

Was none other than Duchess Charlotte,

still exhibiting that chillingly

pleasant smile of hers.

“I…heard you summoned me.”

“Indeed, I did summon you.”

“..Would it be permissible to inquire as to the reason?”

Though no explanation readily surfaced,

I had, from the beginning,

felt ill at ease around him and her.

Those of the same ilk always felt so…prickly.

Like they were harboring over a hundred snakes in their gut,

and no matter what you said,

they’d just slither away with a sly grin.

Those were the ones I

found the most difficult to deal with.

Impossible to truly read their heart.

I’d rather face someone whose body

moved before their tongue. Easier by far.

Because either way, they were the ones who

threw the first punch, so

no one would really complain if I put them down a peg or two.

“Hmm…Why don’t you take a seat.

This feels like it might take a while.”

*Click*. A finger snap echoed, and at the sound

a chair that was across the room

moved on its own accord right behind me,

and suddenly weak-kneed,

I had no choice but to slump down onto it.

“Ah, perhaps a little refreshment?”

“…If offered, I won’t refuse.”

“Of course, at your age, you

need to eat a lot…Gustang?”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

“Go, bring something a lad of this age would enjoy.”

“…Yes, sir, I will obey.”

“Ah, and when you are done with that, you are welcome to take a mo—”

“I’ll be right back!!!!”

Before the Duke could even finish his sentence,

the old man shot out of the room with a speed

that simply defied his apparent age.

It was clear to me that his intention

wasn’t really about getting me snacks, but more

to clear out any listening ears.

Which meant, of course,

that the real conversation was about to begin.

That meant it was a secretive tale, one not easily shared with just anyone.

“Hmm… to be precise…

It wasn’t *I* who summoned you.”

“…?”

“Someone higher up.”