Episode 08
The future ahead, where I’d have to get used to word choices in which “human rights” couldn’t be found no matter how hard you looked, was crystal clear.
“But is it really okay for just the two of you to come like this? Even if this ‘negotiation’ is just for show…”
I trailed off. Isaac and Retilia exchanged glances.
“Out of the three down there right now, two of them are total idiots—no, I mean, there’s nothing in their heads. You saw them earlier, right?”
“They’re the most suitable counterparts for the duke.”
I immediately understood. In short, it was a recipe for disaster.
The three currently meeting with the duke were Nobel, Ethan, and Hazen.
Nobel and Ethan needed no explanation, and Hazen was the type who would make the duke clutch the back of his neck for entirely different reasons.
*Of all people, those three ended up representing them at the negotiation table…*
Just imagining the duke floundering, unable to do anything, put me in a good mood.
“That works out nicely.”
“Right?”
Retilia smiled, as beautifully composed as a painting.
“Oh, and Schennen. There’s one thing I should tell you.”
As if he’d almost forgotten, Isaac explained briefly. On the first day they arrived here, Retilia had suggested to the duke that she wanted to “take his daughter into Hadenberg,” and the duke had misunderstood that to mean Saren…
*So that’s why he said that earlier.*
Remembering Saren shouting that she’d soon become part of Hadenberg, I let out a snort.
“Then the duke must be pretty excited, huh?”
“It’s almost funny just watching him.”
“Sounds good. You did that on purpose—keeping it vague, didn’t you?”
There was no way they hadn’t corrected the misunderstanding on purpose, just to build up his expectations.
Retilia smiled softly.
“Hehe, I won’t deny it.”
Of course.
“So when should we make our appearance?”
Unable to hide my anticipation, I smiled meaningfully.
The two of them exchanged glances again, smiling much like I was.
“Wouldn’t it be fine to show up a little later?”
“He’s been dying to see us, after all. Granting him one last wish isn’t such a bad thing.”
“Then let’s head down slowly.”
Even if a rabbit was rampaging around with a tiger on its back, it’d still be above ground rather than beneath it.
A locked door was no obstacle to us.
Retilia smiled leisurely and pointed at the door with her hand. And then—*bang!*
We calmly walked out into the corridor, stepping past what had become a ragged ruin of a door.
“W-what is this…?”
“They’ve escaped! Inform the duke at once—gah!”
“Y-you are…!”
Maids passing through the corridor, along with others who came running at the noise, quickly gathered around us.
When they spotted the two standing neatly at my sides, they froze in shock.
“How could you be here…?”
Mary, at the front, muttered in a trembling voice.
“Oh. Perfect timing—you guys.”
I chuckled. We met sooner than I expected, didn’t we?
Unable to believe what she was seeing, her eyes darted frantically between me and the two beside me.
She seemed utterly incapable of accepting why they would be with me of all people.
“I was just thinking I wanted to say goodbye anyway. The timing’s great.”
“W-what?”
“I’m saying goodbye to this shitty house today. And as a bonus, to you too.”
The others were bad enough, but you were something else entirely.
Even now, thinking about how you laughed when I was thrown into the stables twisted my stomach.
Mary, who had been standing there blankly, seemed to arrive at her own conclusion and hurriedly spoke up.
“P-please listen for a moment! I apologize for saying this, but there seems to be a misunderstanding!”
“…A misunderstanding.”
“Yes! The one with these two is not Lady Saren, the duke’s daughter!”
Watching Mary bow so deeply it looked like she’d bury her head in the floor, Isaac muttered,
*That’s the best she could come up with?*
I looked down at her coolly.
It seemed the perfect combo of tension and panic had resulted in outright denial of reality.
“If what you say is true,”
I spoke up. All eyes turned to me at once.
“Then what am I supposed to be, exactly?”
“…What…?”
“If you’re right, then what am I?”
Go on. Try using that brain of yours.
“You’ve always had something you called me, haven’t you? Why don’t you introduce me that way?”
Honestly, no matter what answer she chose, it was already over. I smiled faintly.
Mary lifted her head and screamed toward Isaac and Retilia.
“T-this woman is a bastard! The duke’s daughter you are referring to is Lady Saren, is she not?! Obviously this one is impersonating Lady Saren—!”
“Why would I bother?”
My resolve to stay quiet evaporated in sheer disbelief. Impersonating her, my ass.
“I told you. Even if I were a bastard, I’m not someone who deserves to hear that from you.”
“……”
“And do you really think these people would mistake someone’s identity?”
I pointed to Isaac and Retilia. They had been watching me fondly in silence, but the moment their eyes met Mary’s, their expressions turned icy.
“Listen carefully. The person they came to find is me.”
Not Saren. They came to take me with them.
I added that much.
Gasps rippled through the area.
When I turned demonstratively toward Isaac and Retilia, the two smiled gently and chimed in.
“Of course. Schennen, we never imagined anyone but you.”
“How could we even compare you to some nameless noble girl? We let them wallow in that misunderstanding for your sake.”
Their smiles—smiles no one else would ever see—and their warm words. Mary, who knew exactly what those meant, went deathly pale.
Isaac spoke coldly.
“Now you finally realize who you were running your mouth at.”
Mary flinched.
“I’d like nothing more than to make you part ways with that tongue forever… but for Schennen’s sake, I’ll let it slide.”
Tears welled in Mary’s brown eyes.
I turned away from her without hesitation.
Then, as if nothing had happened, I brushed past her and walked down the corridor, scoffing as all the servants hurriedly bowed their heads.
“I think we can leave now.”
I was satisfied enough with this.
Honestly, no one was seriously trying to kill anyone, and besides, the real goal lay elsewhere.
This little preview was more than enough.
❖ ❖ ❖
The duke and Saren were on the verge of madness.
“…Hadenberg, I’ll say this again, that is—”
“Again? Are you a broken record? All you do is repeat yourself.”
“Is it leaking out one ear? Should I just leave you with only one?”
“Where’s Schennen…? Nobel, can’t we just blow this place up and leave?”
The three in front of them had no understanding of the word *negotiation* whatsoever.
Nobel looked ready to blow the duke’s head off at any moment, while Ethan stood beside him with arms crossed, repeating nothing but murderous threats.
The only non-aggressive one, Hazen, was utterly useless (he was lying behind the other two, half-asleep).
It was a truly insane lineup.
*No matter how powerful Hadenberg is, how dare they be this rude to me, a duke!*
When the duke vaguely suggested a reasonable payment for the job, Nobel and Ethan did nothing but repeat a single phrase, endlessly.
—Five times. Five times, no exceptions.
—That’s absurd! Five times the price?!
—You don’t get to decide. Five times.
—If you don’t have the money, sell something. You’ve got plenty of antiques—throw them on the black market.
—Such insolence! I am the head of this house, and there are limits to my patience—
—Shut up. Want to sleep on the streets starting tonight?
Nobel raised his hand, and the duke had no choice but to close his mouth.
The amount he’d offered wasn’t low by any means. Even a ducal house couldn’t afford to look down on Hadenberg.
The problem was the outrageous demand.
*Five times…!*
It felt like they were trying to rip out the very foundation of the ducal house.
Worse still, they didn’t spare Saren, who they’d supposedly shown great interest in earlier, even a glance.
Watching his daughter, who had tried to speak up several times only to be ignored, silently hold back tears was humiliating and heartbreaking for the duke.
*Where on earth did those two go?!*
He bitterly and desperately resented the absence of Isaac and Retilia.
And just as his despair reached its peak—
*Bang!*
A door flew across the room like a sheet of paper, announcing a new arrival.
The duke and Saren stared in shock at the smoking door before turning around.
And standing where the elegant door once had been were Isaac, Retilia, and—
“Damn, look at the door smoking.”
—Scheneria, someone who absolutely should not have been there.
❖ ❖ ❖
“How did you get here—!”
The duke’s face, unable to finish the sentence, twisted in rage.
“Get out this instant! How dare you crawl into this place!”
“You!”
Saren joined in as well, finally noticing that I was with Isaac and Retilia.
“Why are you with those people?! They came to take *me*! Get out right now—”
“Schennen…!”
“…Schennen.”
“It’s Schennen… it’s really Schennen…”
Saren’s shrill scream was buried beneath the voices pouring out.
Nobel stood up. Ethan sucked in a breath, and Hazen lifted his head from the sofa, muttering in disbelief.
*Seriously, how do they all know?*
I’d already given up on understanding it, but it still felt unsettling.
I was wondering whether I should greet them when Nobel strode over.
“Schennen!”
“Ugh—!”
Before I could dodge, he pulled me into a crushing hug. With the pressure on my upper body, I had only one thought.
*Damn it, my ribs aren’t broken, are they?*
Emotion, my ass. Sorry, but my physical safety mattered more.
Thankfully, with a light gesture from Retilia, Nobel was promptly dragged off and slammed next to the door.
“Don’t touch Schennen’s body so carelessly.”
“Reti’s right… Nobel’s just stupid…”
Hazen chimed in, and Ethan and Isaac added comments of their own. What a sight. Serves you right.
The reception room was already a disaster.
Saren, who had been standing there speechless, finally screamed as if she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Scheneria!”
The piercing voice made me frown automatically. Damn, my ears hurt.
“What are you doing here?! Who do you think you are, coming down to a place like this?!”
“It’s not exactly a sacred place, is it.”
“This is the reception room! The place where Father and I welcome honored guests!”
“So what? It’s a total mess right now.”
I replied flatly. Saren tried to retort, but even she couldn’t sugarcoat this scene and fell silent.
Her face flushed red with humiliation.
“That’s not the issue right now! Didn’t you hear earlier? These people came to take *me*!”
“Oh—yeah. But you’re not Schennen, are you?”
“You’re even less so! Do you really think they’d come looking for someone as lowly as you?! Just now was merely… a momentary misunderstanding!”
Her word choice, which had been teetering on the edge for a while now, finally crossed the line. Oh. That was dangerous.
As expected, the expressions of all five of them hardened terrifyingly.
“Hey.”
Even I felt chills run down my spine. It was Nobel’s voice.
“What the hell are you doing.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Why are you talking to Schennen like that? Both of you.”
