~Chapter 11~
Fourth: Contractual Romance with a Superior
Me… like the young duke?
Like my boss?
Even the one who piles extra work on me?
Am I insane?
Why did such a thought even cross my mind?
“This is… not the case.”
I quickly denied it, fearing I might get myself into real trouble if I lingered on the idea.
The princess let out a scoffing laugh.
“Mm. Fine. Let’s go with that, then.”
It’s not “going with that”—it’s exactly that.
I hoped she wouldn’t dismiss it lightly, as if she were just humoring me.
“Let’s finish up the matter of the young duke… the rest can be coordinated with your head later.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be off…”
The rest would be handled by Mephisto.
I felt mentally exhausted as the conversation ended.
Hang in there, Mephisto.
“I’ve obtained her promise that she won’t obsess over the young duke any further.”
“What?”
Pierre de Edenrosa was utterly shocked at the words of his knight.
Even though he had assigned him the task of detaching the princess, he hadn’t really expected results so quickly.
“…No wonder she left so quickly, unlike usual.”
“She seemed serious about keeping the promise.”
Sonnet Eduque, tired but composed, reported the outcome, and Pierre nodded.
“The princess is thorough when it comes to contracts. That much is beyond doubt.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If she promised you, she won’t bother you again.”
‘To think she solved this in just a day.’
Even if Pierre tried to intervene, the princess had been immovable. Given the stakes involved, it was hardly a matter anyone could easily touch.
‘Do women just… communicate on some special wavelength?’
Whether that was true or not, it was clear Sonnet had done an excellent job. Pierre acknowledged her contribution.
“Well done. Do you want any reward?”
“…Not really. I simply did my duty as a knight of the Edenrosa family.”
‘So unselfish.’
“Is that so? Then I’ll just increase your salary.”
“Thank you.”
Even now, alone in his presence, she showed absolutely no personal attachment or ulterior motives. It was surprising.
“Go ahead and leave, then. You may finish for today.”
“Yes.”
She left his room without a trace of hesitation, and Pierre thought deeply.
‘I thought she might want to create more opportunities to interact with me…’
So she clearly separates work and personal life.
She may have come here liking him, but it seemed safe enough to trust her to some degree. Being a duke’s knight made her easy to handle, too.
‘Hmm… maybe this is something to consider for now.’
At least, things should be easier for the time being. That is, until an overwhelming number of invitations start arriving.
The moment I stepped out of the young duke’s office, the fatigue I had been suppressing hit me in full force.
I let out a long sigh from deep within.
“Of course I end up tangled with these people again.”
At least he had let me leave early. I was about to head home when a system window suddenly appeared before my eyes.
[All schedules for the month have been completed.]
[Monthly settlement system is now open.]
“Oh, finally.”
I brightened at the sight of the window.
The monthly settlement system was essential in Lady Maker. It showed how much Mabel had grown, her condition, and more.
[Settling this month’s results…]
[Settlement complete.]
[Results will now be shared.]
A results window appeared, reminiscent of a game.
“Huh? What’s this?”
But unlike the game, there were two result windows this time.
[Mabel Eduque]
[Sonnet Eduque (Player)]
“…It wasn’t like this in the game.”
Normally, only Mabel’s results would appear.
The fact that Sonnet’s window appeared meant…
“Does this mean I can train Sonnet here too?”
Now that I think of it, I had given him magic and sword training permissions before.
This system must have recognized Sonnet as a growth candidate as well. The results window confirmed it.
If so…
“This will make things a lot easier.”
It would be simpler to act directly than to indirectly control Mabel. It would also allow me to manage variables and even relieve Mabel of hardships.
If needed, it might even be possible to reach an early ending with Sonnet’s character.
I refocused and began reading the results.
[Mabel Eduque]
Age: 13
Stamina: 10
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 15
Grace: 25
Morality: 15
Fatigue: 2
Skills: Basic Etiquette, Beginner Oratory
Traits: Overflowing Talent
Title: Blueua Social Club’s Young Lady
Mabel’s grace, intelligence, and morality had been steadily increasing as expected. Perhaps because I was handling finances for her, progress felt faster. Other stats remained at the base 10.
[Sonnet Eduque]
Age: 17
Stamina: 210
Strength: 210
Intelligence: 10
Grace: 10
Morality: 5
Fatigue: 20
Skills: Intermediate Magic (3rd Circle), Intermediate Swordsmanship (Auror User)
Traits: Game System, Adaptability
Title: Guardian, Knight of the Edenrosa Ducal Family
Wait… why is my morality 5?
Base stats should be standard. Morality decreases only with evil actions, but all I did this month was…
‘Ahhh! Enough already!’
‘Get up, you fools! Time for training!’
I had only beaten up training dummies, joined the knight corps…
‘Am I going to die of overwork? Any complaints?’
‘Nope. Work.’
Apparently, Sonnet was naturally low in morality. His stamina and strength were high, thanks to sword training. The minimum to learn intermediate swordsmanship was 200 in both, after all.
More importantly, his title caught my eye.
“Knight…”
Achieving this title unlocked the knight route.
If certain conditions were met, the “Greatest Knight” ending could be reached. This was considered the happy ending route in Lady Maker.
“I’ll have to be proactive.”
To achieve the Greatest Knight ending, advanced swordsmanship and reputation were essential.
Advanced swordsmanship could be obtained through knight corps activities. Completing missions would build trust and stats for advanced swordsmanship.
Reputation was the tricky part.
“Reputation isn’t active yet, so it’s still a long way off.”
Reputation was earned through events like monster hunts or tournament victories. Only after reaching a certain threshold would it be visible in the results window.
To achieve the Greatest Knight ending, at least 500 points in reputation would be needed.
This meant careful, steady training.
“Small tasks won’t be enough.”
Defeating a dark mage, getting involved in scandals with famous characters… many ways existed, but doing it alone was difficult.
“Should I… cause an incident myself?”
Self-sabotage or self-resolution… but getting caught would be bad. I pushed that thought aside.
“…For now, I’ll just wait.”
Step by step through the knight corps, slowly building toward the goal. Quick routes weren’t possible.
I exhaled deeply and reviewed my plan in my mind. Perhaps some lucky event would just drop from the sky.
It had been one month and three weeks since arriving in this world.
By the time the second monthly results window appeared, life was mostly uneventful.
The only change: carriages from other noble families had started arriving in a frenzy about three weeks ago.
“There are a lot of carriages.”
“And letters. If a young lady is of marriageable age, all noble houses send proposals to this family.”
“Really? Huh… makes sense.”
With the princess’s influence gone, more suitors came directly to the ducal estate.
“Which means I can’t even go to the main house. The annex has gotten tricky, too. So many people are curious…”
“From their perspective, they have to keep an eye on you. You’re the closest unmarried woman to the young duke right now.”
I muttered with exasperation.
I didn’t even have feelings for the young duke. Dating a boss? Absolutely not.
To achieve the Greatest Knight ending, I had to stay here for a long time. Getting involved in something like that would be disastrous.
“Maybe I should just pretend to date anyone else?”
“You really don’t want any misunderstandings, huh?”
That would be fine. I hated being caught up in something like that.
While practicing with a wooden sword for training and stress relief, the vice-captain summoned me.
“Sonnet! The young duke is calling for you.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. He says it’s urgent, so come to the office.”
Me? Strange, but I nodded.
As a subordinate, I had no choice but to obey.
I arrived at the office without much thought.
“Are you here? Sonnet.”
“Enter.”
The young duke’s calm tone belied the urgency he mentioned. I opened the door and stepped in, noticing the office in disarray.
Stacks of thick documents and luxurious letters covered his desk. Some opened letters were burning in the fireplace, and with so many, it would take a while to finish.
“Sit down. I’ll have tea served.”
“Yes.”
Despite the apparent urgency, he greeted me calmly. I sat on the sofa and accepted the teacup he offered.
Then came a sudden question.
“Sonnet… do you have a lover?”
“…Excuse me?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
