Volume 3, Act 29: Before Things Settle Down
When they arrived at the castle, Christina and Ted were called on by separate people first. Are we doing the interviews individually? Cordelia thought, but she was guided to the parlour with Emina. They were treated to tea and sweets.
(This looks delicious This isnt the time to say that, right?)
Cordelia was puzzled because she didnt know what was going on and Clarice smiled gently.
Im sorry, but its okay.
Mm?
You dont have to talk if you dont want to.
Cordelia finally realised her situation when she saw Clarices expression and heard what shed said. Shes considerate towards a child who probably experienced something scary.
(You dont have to be that considerate though)
She was definitely nervous when she had confronted him, but she had already calmed down. Her fear might have flown off somewhere when the young man had thoroughly angered her at the end. But even so, that didnt mean she wanted to meet him again.
In any case, she was sorry for wasting time.
( Honestly, this wont be settled with the word irritating.)
She got more irritated the more she thought of it. What play? Stop messing around.
But, on the other hand, she was also concerned.
(I dont know how much I should tell her.)
She questioned how much she could say when she thought about Christina. Of course, she had to give Clarice information about the young man, but if the conversation were to change to the silk, then she didnt know how much she should say.
In the first place, she didnt know how true a childs words would sound.
(I want to talk to Cyrus-oniisama Should I say that?)
The conversation wouldnt change even if she spoke to Cyrus. However, she could probably deduce what information was necessary and which wasnt if she spoke with him. It shouldnt be weird for a scared child to rely on her older brother.
Keighley-sama Mm, can I talk to my Onii-sama? I dont mind if he cant talk to me until later.
Of course. The Deputy Commander has also ordered me to let you talk to him.
Th-thank you very much.
Cyrus had already taken care of Cordelias concern. Onii-sama is so impressive. She thought as she drank her tea.
At any rate.. The Deputy Commanders intuition is excellent.
Claire looked relieved when she saw Cordelia drink the tea. Cordelia tilted her head in confusion.
Onii-samas intuition?
Yes. He said he had a bad feeling and the man really showed up! Im happy that no one got injured.
From what Clarice was saying, Cordelia concluded that they guessed the young man would be there. Its not surprising for the knights to have information on the Dark Guilds, she thought, but she still couldnt ask about it further. If she asked about it now, then she would have to talk.
Ill be leaving now. If you need anything, please ring the bell.
I will. Thank you.
Cordelia watched Clarice leave the room and confirmed that the door had closed, then she let out a short sigh. She couldnt relax, but she felt calmer when there werent people around.
(But his intuition is spot on?)
How far did his intuition go? How much did he predict? She thought as she looked at Emina who was sitting across from her.
Then she suddenly remembered something shed forgot to ask Emina.
Say, Emina are you good at magic?
Cordelia thought that was one of the reasons why Cyrus had chosen Emina as an attendant. But she didnt know that Emina was so good at magic.
Emina shook her head a little.
I can use it to defend to a certain extent, but its not good enough for an escort.
But, youre the one who called Onii-sama, right?
I did.
Emina answered yes to the second question.
Cyrus-sama asked me yesterday to contact him if anything happens. I can tamper with earth, so I could easily send signals if I know the place in advance.
Thats a handy skill.
Its called signalfor convenience, but unfortunately, its just vibrations. Theres also the risk of the message not being transmitted because of wrong predictions, and it could also be drowned out by other sounds.
I take that back. It seems very hard to control. You know a lot about earth magic.
For a moment, she thought, Ill be happy if I can copy it, but delicate control was necessary and would be hard with her attributes. But Emina negated Cordelias words again.
I dont. I studied magic when I became an adult. Actually, I wouldnt have had to learn magic if I hadnt eloped.
Excuse me?
Eloped?
Cordelia blinked at the surprising confession. She knew that Emina had a reason for leaving home, but she never expected that was the reason. And, she had confessed it so suddenly.
However, in contrast to Cordelia who was surprised, Emina calmly continued.
I was born to a noble house.
Yes, I know.
But I wanted to marry a commoner, who Id met by chance. My family opposed it and strictly prohibited me from going out. So, I learnt magic to sneak out. Fortunately, I was compatible with earth magic, so it was easy to make an escape route.
Later, I could easily lose the pursers my parents sent after me My family eventually gave up, and let me leave under the condition that I never return.
( She actually eloped.)
I worked at the market for a while. I was close to your sister before, and she eventually invited me to work for your family.
She spoke blandly, but her actions were very bold for a lady. I cant imagine her behaving like that since shes so modest now. And I didnt know she was married
No, more importantly
(The power of love is so magnificent Isnt it?)
When she thought back on Marquis Flantheims love story and the confession between Aisha and Warren, then it must be so. However, unfortunately, it was something that she couldnt vision right now.
(I wonder if its difficult to understand this without experiencing love.)
I dont know if Ill ever meet that person, but I have to become a beautiful lady with good manners, Cordelia decided. Ill do my best.
Although she had made this decision, something that Emina said had bothered her.
But, isnt it hard for you to work for us Emina? You dont get to meet your husband often because you live in our mansion, right?
Isnt it hard to live away from the person shed eloped with?
Its enough for me if I get to go home on holidays. Its easier to work than living in the environment I was in. My husbands legs arent great, so its difficult for him to work outside. My wages are also excellent, so Im extremely thankful for this job.
Onii-sama, where you perhaps investigating the silk-
Investigating silk?
Seeing Cyrus frown, Cordelia was convinced that she had misunderstood.
(The warning, dont pursue it too far, was about Ghost!)
If so, then you should have told me more. But she could guess why he hadnt been clear. He probably didnt want her to get too worried with vague information. Even so, he had warned her.
The only thing that had happened was that she had mistaken his warning.
I should have accompanied you both.
Huh?
She reflexively asked at his unexpected words.
But I couldnt prioritise my personal feelings since the citizens might be in danger.
He might not have been answering her question, but he continued speaking. His voice was emotionless, and Cordelia couldnt infer what he really meant.
But, she understood one thing.
Onii-sama, you saved us.
Under normal conditions, she should have cleaned up the mess shed made, but Cyrus had helped her. Emina also helped her. To Cordelia, that was all that mattered. Surely, Christina felt the same.
Cyrus didnt confirm Cordelias words, but he didnt deny them either. He just quietly stared out the window.
Anyway, can I ask you something else?
What?
We have spies at our house?
You didnt know?
Cyrus said as if it was obvious, but this was the first time Cordelia had heard about it. And, even if he said they had spies, she couldnt imagine what they were like at all. What kind of people are spies?
The image that Cordelia had of a spy was her previous worlds ninjas, but the spies of this world arent ninjas.
No, but, possibly
Surely they dont lurk above the ceilings?
What will they do with the information on our house? They look out for any changes in town. As for our foreign enemies, the magicians are more than enough.
The spies are only hired by contract. Usually, they live out their own lives.
While reflecting on how wild her imagination was, Cordelia understood what spies were from Cyruss answer. I see. So were borrowing the eyes of people in town?
She kept in mind that she would have to stay out of the public gaze if she went incognito in town again.
If you understand, then I have a question for you now. What was Ghosts aim?
Cordelia has stopped asking questions, and this time it was Cyruss turn.
As you said, he just wanted to have fun. I thought he was the one who instructed my enemies from last time, but I couldnt confirm this.
Youve been singled out by an extremely annoying rascal.
Yes. However, I dont know how long he will remain interested in me.
Cyrus put his hand on his chin and looked as if he was thinking, then he frowned.
For the time being, stay by Ronnies side as much as possible. Ghost is quick at escaping, and he tends not to fight against those who he deems to be stronger than him.
Okay.
When Cyrus had confronted him, Ghost had indeed determined that Cyrus was stronger than him in a short time. Ill be troubling Ronnie with this, but if I think about it, we spend half our days together anyway, so this doesnt really change anything.
If anything, he would need to learn some noble mannerisms since he would have to stay by my side when Vernoux-sama visits.
She thought about Ghost again.
(He wasnt involved in Cordeliasdeath flag right?)
The cause of Cordeliasin-game death was her magic had run wild because of jealousy. The Prince didnt return her feelings, and she was jealous of the Heroine. So, she had caused an uproar with her magic, but she couldnt control it and destroyed herself. If so, then Ghost shouldnt be involved.
But, it bothered her. Arent I forgetting something?
(Cordeliawas an incredibly selfish lady, but I wonder if she was calculating enough to cause a riot.)
The death of Cordeliahad been a turning point in the game, but it wasnt the end of the story. The game shouldnt have ended with The Villainess has died, so the Prince and Heroine married peacefully.
If Im not mistaken, the two who had overcome the incident .
.. lia. Cordelia.
YES?!
Why are you spacing out?
From Cyruss attitude, it seemed that he called her name several times. After a moments hesitation, Im tired, she said something that wasnt a complete lie. But judging from Cyruss sigh, she hadnt been able to deceive him.
Dont go out of the mansion for about a month. Ill inform father.
Yes.
You dont have to write reflections.
Ok.. ay
She had many things to write in her reflection, and it was natural for him to give her a light penalty. However, instead of a penalty, he had been cautious and told her not to go out of the mansion because of Ghost.
A month is a little long, she thought, but it couldnt be helped.
Whats wrong?
Cordelia tilted her head in curiosity because Cyrus looked like he wanted to say something else.
Have you heard anything from Christina?
Sister-in-law? No, nothing.
While thinking that the conversation was strange, she remembered that she had been given Cyruss diary this morning. Perhaps, he was asking if shed replied to the diary. Or he might be confirming something else.
Onii-sama, wont you practice smiling?
Even Cordelia knew that she had said something crazy. Cyrus also didnt seem to be caught off guard. But, Cordelia maintained her smile.
She thought that he was fine as he is now, but if he changed his attitude and showed his feelings, then it would be better. Christina might feel relieved if he did this instead of showing her his usual stiff expression.
However, Cyrus started to distort his expression. Hes not practising how to smile, he looks like hes disgusted Cordelia laughed a little. She felt bad, but she felt that his expression was friendlier than usual.
References
1. Or child?
Translator: Blushy
Editor: SenjiQ