Chapter 160: (Self Edited) At the Villa

“I want you to remake this guy. In about fifteen minutes.” (Yuri)When I called the chief maid of the older generation at the secondary residence and said so while pointing at Dolla who was standing to me, she gave me a ‘Seriously?’ look. I looked at the corner of her eyes that twitched in exasperation, I guessed her senses had become quite numbed due to daily habituation.

“No matter how much the Young Master orders, it’s impossible to do it in fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, we have no one with hairdressing skills. If we’re going to summon one…” (??)

‘As I expected, the obstacle is the hair. Anyhow, I want you to stop calling me Young Master.’

“My female friend, who told me to do something about his hair, said it would look better if he put it with some oil.” (Yuri)

“Aah, I see.” (??)

The chief maid nodded her head and clapped her hands as if convinced.

“I don’t mind if you shave his head.” (Yuri)

“Shave?” (Dolla)

Dolla had shaved his beard.

“There’s no way to cover the sideburns with oil. Besides, the chin is shaved, but the area around the cheeks is full of hair.” (??)

I looked at Dolla beside me, and sure enough, there was a lot of thick hair around his cheeks and chin.

“Then, I leave it to you.  Ooh, do you have clothes? One that fit his physique.” (Yuri)

“Don’t worry about that. Since there are clothes from the previous head, Gouk-sama, I think it will suit him.” (??)

“I see. That’s good.” (Yuri)

“Well then, please come here.” (??)

“O-ouh…” (Dolla)

Dolla looked puzzled and was led to the inner part of the secondary residence.

“Thanks to you, I have a feeling that the Young Master will see nobles. Please fix his hair.” (??)

“Yes.” (??)

When she left, she ordered another maid to do the same. The maid, who just agreed, walked to me.

—

“What do you think?” (Dolla)

Fifteen minutes later, the chief maid opened the door and pointed to Dolla with her hand.

“…It’s good, isn’t it?” (Yuri)

“I think you’re laughing at me…” (Dolla)

“…No, no, uhmm, you look good.” (Yuri)

‘If I can get through the first wave of laughter and look at him from a flat perspective excluding the fact it’s Dolla, the result is good. His hair, which had been unkempt, was boldly cut, and the hair above is put on hair oil to give a wet look. Once this happens, I don’t remember what his original hair looked like anymore. He has a good physique, and if he wears glasses, he looks like an intelligent yakuza.’

‘I laughed because it was so different from Dolla’s usual image, and there’s nothing strange about it. The haircut… well, it’s a bit of novelty. Yes, it gives a feeling of a fashion leader. This kind of thing looks weird because it looks suspicious and embarrassing, but since Dolla has an imposing air, there shouldn’t be any problem.’

“Well done. As expected of the chief maid.” (Yuri)

“Thank you for your compliment.” (??)

The chief maid bowed while liftin the edge of the skirt a little with both hands.

“Is this really fine?” (Dolla)

“Yes, it’s really good. The clothes are perfect.” (Yuri)

I said with my thumbs up sticking out.

“Don’t you think your smile is suspicious?” (Dolla)

‘This guy is really skeptical huh…’

“Please rest assured. With the pride of Hou Household, you are dressed so that you won’t feel embarrassed wherever you go.” (??)

The chief maid said.

“Is that so? Then, I’m relieved.” (Dolla)

‘Was my remark suspicious?’

“We have a carriage ready.” (??)

“Eh, it would be faster if we got on birds.” (Yuri)

“I’m afraid your hair will mess up.” (??)

“Aah… shall we use the carriage then?” (Yuri)

‘I don’t care about Dolla’s hair, but now, I have been exposed to the enthusiasm of many people including Myaro, I’m reluctant to ruin it.’

“Well then, let’s go.” (Yuri)

“Aah, yes. Young Master.” (Dolla)

I kicked Dolla’s shin with my toe.

“Ouch!” (Dolla)

“Don’t say it again.” (Yuri)

‘It considerably makes me irritated.’

The chief maid leaned toward Dolla, squatted down a bit, and struck the dusty part of my kick. When she stood up…

“Well then, Young Master, have a safe trip.” (??)

She said it without hesitation at all.

—

The destination we reached was a coastline with a view of the sea, a bit downstream from Sibyaku. The land in this area was cut off by a network of rivers, and the land was isolated and difficult to manage.

In other words, it was a beautiful riverside location when viewed from the sky, but when it was on the ground, the scenery wasn’t so good because there were no undulations. The people here lived mainly by fishing, and thanks to the proximity of a major consumer area, they seemed to be reasonably well off.

There was one of the detached palaces. It was called Totsunen Detached Palace. When I actually arrived there, it wasn’t as big as a detached palace. (TLN: 離宮 – detached palace)

Katsura Detached Palace (桂離宮, Katsura Rikyū – Wiki Link)

‘Should it be called a imperial villa or maybe a vacation villa?’ (TLN: 御用邸 – royal villa; 別荘 – vacation villa)

Hayama Imperial Villa (葉山御用邸, Hayama Goyōtei, Wiki Link)

Yamada Vacation Villa/Bessou

Except for a small shed used by the gardeners and the stables for horses and birds, there was only one building, which was about the same size as my secondary residence in the royal capital. It was unfortunate that there weren’t any barracks used by the escorts, but since this was just a place for the royal family to enjoy their vacation, it might be kept it away from the nearby forest.

“Welcome.” (??)

When I got off the carriage, a girl came trotting over and greeted me with a bow.

“My name is Hinami Weltz, the lady-in-waiting.” (Hinami)

‘I don’t think the position of lady-in-waiting is usually in an out-of-town villa, so this must be a position that Her Highness Telor personally assigns. At first glance, she looks like a younger girl than me, so the position of lady-in-waiting doesn’t ring a bell.’

“Thank you. My name is Yuri Hou. I came by the Queen’s order.” (Yuri)

“We have been waiting for you. This way, please.” (Hinami)

‘It seems she’s going to guide us.’

As we walked toward the place, we saw the surroundings. As I expected, the garden was in good condition, and beyond that, there was a pier protruding into the river. There was a small boat with a capacity of about five people on the pier.

The surrounding trees blocked the sun moderately, and the atmosphere was quite nice.

‘I would like to spend my holidays at the pier.’

‘When I first saw it, I thought it was a small villa for the royal family, but maybe, it is easier to enjoy like this. The elegant mansion and grand garden are good, but if they are too large in size, it will be a hassle to do anything. If I just want to have a cup of tea while looking at the river, it would be a bummer if I have to talk twenty minutes to go there.’

“Please come in.” (Hinami)

The lady-in-waiting, Hinami, opened the front door of the building and invited us inside.

“Please excuse me.” (Yuri)

“Sorry for barging in.” (Dolla)

‘The inside of the mansion, if I may say so, isn’t that expensive. I think it’s about the same as the Hou Household’s main residence. I’ve been in contact with a lot of people. There are two kinds of nobles in this world. First are those people who are uncomfortable unless the building is luxurious and costly. Second is those who think that such decorations are for socializing and not for private use. They don’t want to see gold plates in private. The Queen is probably the latter when she developed this place.’

After passing the entrance, we went up the stairs and was ushered into a room on the second floor.

“Please wait here.” (Hinami)

In the room where we ushered in, there was a relatively large round table and four chairs. Beyond that, there seemed to be a balcony.

When Dolla and I walked into the room…

“Now, please excuse me.” (Hinami)

…with that, the door was closed, and I heard the sound of Hinami tattling and running.

‘I suppose she went to call in a hurry. Is she managing this mansion all by herself? In a villa like this, there would normally be a full-time housekeeper and maid. Otherwise, you’ll have to do a lot of cleaning when you suddenly decide to use it.’

‘Of course, if you don’t use the place anymore and leave it alone, you may be wasting your paycheck. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to give Telor such a mansion, but in that case, it would be unrealistic for a child to do everything from cleaning the rag of the mansion to taking care of the garden. It may not be possible to have a relationship of being a reliable worker. She probably has that kind of personality.’

“Should we sit down?” (Dolla)

Dolla asked.

“It doesn’t matter. If you want to see the outside, you can go ahead.” (Yuri)

I answered him.

‘You don’t have to sit and wait since there’s no rigid procedure for this event.’

I said that because I want to look outside. I moved to the balcony and looked down at the garden from the second floor.

As expected, it seemed that the balcony was made on the premise of a certain view, and when viewed from the second floor, a scenic landscape spread out. It wasn’t a spectacular view because it wasn’t high enough, but when I saw the island over there, it gave a feeling of freedom that made one feel refreshed.

Or rather, the height of the trees had been adjusted so that it didn’t interfere with the view. It seemed that this place was carefully arranged.

Dolla didn’t seem to be very interested and was sitting in a chair.

“Dolla, don’t sit there.” (Yuri)

When I said that, Dolla stood up, looking surprised.

“Why?” (Dolla)

“It’s probably the chief seat. That’s where Her Highness Telor will seat when she comes in.” (Yuri)

“Aah, I feel like I learned that in class.” (Dolla)

‘You’re not paying attention.’

“You must have learned. Did you forget it?” (Yuri)

At the school of Knights, we didn’t learn etiquettes in detail, but we did have something like Etiquette I as a required subject. It was pitiful for the teacher who thought him diligently as the knowledge seemed to disappear into oblivions so quickly.

“Then, should I sit on the other side?” (Dolla)

“Yes.” (Yuri)

‘Well, in terms of position, it’s normal to sit at the lowest seat.’

Dolla moved from one seat to another and sat down in the seat closest to the door. When I looked at him, he was looking at the desk with his fingers crossed without doing anything.

‘What’s that? I wonder what you are thinking about.’

I wanted to go to the balcony railing and looked out, but I thought I might get in trouble if Telor came over, so I stood around the door separating the balcony from the room. Due to the inclination of the sun, it shone from the chest down. It was warm and I felt good.

I had nothing to do, so I looked outside.

‘I see. This isn’t bad. When I think about it, the lakeside may be better. It’s important to row out on the river because of the current, but on the lakeside, you can easily go out to sea by boat on a calm day. It seems to be more fun to go fishing by boat because you can aim for a wide variety of spots. However, I have never fished, so I’m not sure if fishing is something I’m comfortable with. I guess I should try it, but I don’t think I’ll have time to start such a hobby.’

There was a rattling noise.

“Her Highness Telor has arrived.” (Hinami)

I turned around and looked at Telor. She wasn’t dressed in royal family attire.

The long blonde hair was braided on both sides, and she wore a dress with a single layer of clothing.

‘Is she a fashionable person? Is this a good way for a royal family to dress for a reception? It shouldn’t be good.’

I bowed while standing.

“It’s been a long time, Your Highness.” (Yuri)

When I raised my face, Telor and Dolla were staring at each other.

‘Hmm? Dolla has a somewhat confused look on his face. And Telor… seems to be a bit surprised at Dolla’s head and appearance, but it feels like she’s blushing. Whatever it is, it’s far from a bad atmosphere.’

‘…Hmmmm??’

“Uhm… Your Highness, it’s been a long time.” (Dolla)

Dolla asked.

“Yes. It seems you’re in good health, Dolla-dono.” (Telor)

‘Um… I’m here too. What’s with them? Even so… aah, I see. That’s the feeling. It makes a lot of sense. I got it. I really, really get it. Sure.’

“Dolla, go out for a moment.” (Yuri)

“Haa?” (Dolla)

“It’s fine. Just wait in the hallway.” (Yuri)

“Eh…?” (Telor)

Telor murmured with a slight look of despair on her face.

‘Aah. It almost sounds like a horse running to kick me to death.’

“I’ll call you out soon, so just leave us for a moment.” (Yuri)

“G-got it.” (Dolla)

When I said it for the third time, Dolla obediently opened the door and walked out of the room. The door closed, and there were three people in the room at the moment.

I took the liberty of sitting down in a chair.

“Hey… aren’t you a bit rude…” (Hinami)

The lady-in-waiting, Hinami, was about to lose her temper with my excessive behavior.

“Aah, if possible, you can stay and listen. Come, have a seat.” (Yuri)

I said, while offering Telor the chief seat.

“Y-yes…” (Telor)

Telor meekly sat down in her chair. The complexion was a bit pale, and I could sense that she was somewhat scared.

‘Anyhow, it’s far from a good feeling.’

“Phew… don’t worry, I’ve got the gist of what’s going on. You will have plenty of time to talk to Dolla later. However, I want to finish my business first. Please let me finish it.” (Yuri)

‘I’m sorry. I can’t explain while you’re paying attention to where Dolla is. It’s just too deplorable.’

“Yes…” (Telor)

“Lady-in-waiting, Hinami, your anger is justified, but you used me as an excuse, didn’t you? And it would be better for both of you to deal with this matter quickly. That way, you can have more time.” (Yuri)

“Uhh… i-if that’s the case…” (Hinami)

“If you’re satisfied, you may sit down. It won’t take long, and you should also listen. You’re the one who’s in charge of the actual work.” (Yuri)

“U-understood.” (Hinami)

Hinami meekly sat down in the lowest chair.

“There are two important matters that brought me here today. The first is that we have completed the liquidation of the Kilghina royal family, and the remaining properties of Her Highness Telor have been confirmed. I’ve brought the list of inventories here. Here it is.” (Yuri)

Then, I put the tube with the documents on the desk.

“Since we cashed in from high liquidity assets, the furniture with artistic value remained as it was. You can either dispose of it or take it back if you want to own it. If you leave it in the Tenpa Household guarded warehouse, you will be charged a storage fee of 100000 Ruga per month. Please be aware of that.” (Yuri)

“Y-yes…” (Telor)

‘I hope you understand the meaning of what I’ve just said.’

“The second requirement is that there was an answer from the Holy Mountain, and permission was given.  Well, if you want to be a shrine maiden, I guess going there is one way to go.” (Yuri)

‘The Holy Mountain is a prayer place in the mountains near the mountains in the royal family’s territory. A royal family who has lost their country and went into exile like Telor often chooses to go into the mountains and become a religious person because it is humiliating to work with commoners if they don’t have a way to stand up with them. However, in the case of Telor, she wasn’t fortunate enough to have come alone, and he was left with enough wealth to play and live for the rest of her life if she didn’t spend too much on luxuries.’

“Well, that’s all the important matters. There’s no need to answer here. Well…” (Yuri)

I took my pocket watch out of my pocket and checked the time.

“One hour thirty minutes. Please have an intimate conversation. I’ll take the liberty of looking at the garden, if you don’t mind.” (Yuri)

I stood up on my chair and opened the door to leave. Dolla was leaning back against the wall in the hallway, waiting there.

I closed the door behind me.

“Hey, get in. The place inside is getting cold but deal with it properly.” (Yuri)

I called him out so that the two people inside couldn’t hear us.

“Just so you know, I’m not in love with her. Don’t get me wrong.” (Dolla)

‘Is that so? Well, it’s hard to imagine that this guy, who was so single-minded, would easily switch sides and fall in love with Telor.’

“Then, why did you care so much about your clothes?” (Yuri)

As a result, it was totally not good, but he was trying to keep up appearances in his own way.

“…It’s just that I don’t want to be disrespectful to her.” (Dolla)

‘Aah, that’s right. I remember it. The reason why it’s true is that there is a comparison target of reaction to Carol. Apparently, he is not in love with her. I’m not sure, but there seems to be a complicated situation.’

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me, so… if you don’t like her, can we leave now?” (Yuri)

“Hmm… but…” (Dolla)

‘He doesn’t seem to be reluctant, but he doesn’t seem to want to go home.’

“If that’s the case, talk to her.” (Yuri)

When I tapped Dolla’s shoulder, I went down the stairs on my own.

—

After a quick look around the garden, I had nothing to do, so I sat down at the pier.

‘I have nothing to do, so I’m in a daze. One hour and half, is it… That’s long.’

“Excuse me…” (Hinami) sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ N0ᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

I heard a voice from my back. When I turned around with only my upper body, there was Hinami.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” (Hinami)

“Is there a fishing rod?” (Yuri)

I said one-sidedly something that had been bothering me for a while.

“Fishing road?” (Hinami)

“Yes. I’ve got some free time and I want to do a bit of fishing.” (Yuri)

“It’s in the shed… I think.” (Hinami)

“Can I look for it?” (Yuri)

“Yes…” (Telor)

I got up and headed for a nearby shed. Hinami was somewhat restless.

Inside the shed, there were many ropes and other items shoved to hold the boat in place. In the middle of it, I discovered a fishing road.

Since the hook was already attached, I rolled a nearby rock, caught an insect, and put it on the hook nicely.

‘I don’t know about it, but I think it’s a good bait. I think it’s fine.’

I returned to the pier, sat down, and casted the line.

“Excuse me…” (Hinami)

Hinami was still behind me.

“What is it?” (Yuri)

“I need to talk to you about something.” (Hinami)

“Alright. Why don’t you sit down if it takes a long time? Your clothes may get a bit dirty though.” (Yuri)

When I said that, she excused herself. She laid something like a handkerchief next to me and sat there.

“I would like to ask you something.” (Hinami)

“Sure.” (Yuri)

“Can Her Highness Telor live here forever?” (Hinami)

‘Aah, is that it? Telor was in the royal palace three weeks ago, but when the news of the fall of Reform came, she moved from the Royal palace to this place. It’s more like being kicked out that moving.’

“It might be better to move to another place. Well, if you get in the way, the royal family will implicitly tell you to leave. Until then, I think you can stay here. But you’re supposed to pay the upkeep.” (Yuri)

‘You have money anyway.’

“Is that so…? Does the royal family shun Her Highness Telor?” (Hinami)

‘What an unnecessary question.’

“I don’t know if you can understand it, and I myself isn’t sure because I’m not a royal family, but… perhaps, the royal family here doesn’t want Her Highness Telor to do anything. If politics were a theater play, they would want her to leave the stage. This doesn’t mean that they want her to die.” (Yuri)

“…I can understand a bit.” (Hinami)

“If Her Royal Highess is on the stage, the people of Kilghina will look at her all the time, and will never try to assimilate into Shaalta. It doesn’t feel good to have another country within a country. That’s why she was moved here from the royal palace since it will be a hassle if she stays in the royal palace.” (Yuri)

“Ooh… I see. So, in other words, she should just stay here and be quiet.” (Hinami)

“Yes, I guess that’s what it comes down to.” (Yuri)

‘I mean, she is just an ordinary girl. She isn’t as clever as Myaro and she’s not stupid. I feel like Hinami is thinking what’s best for Telor. Did she pledge allegiance to Telor at this age?’

“So, how long have they been like that?” (Yuri)

“Eh?” (Hinami)

“It’s my turn to ask a question this time.” (Yuri)

I decided the rules on my own.

“They didn’t seem to get along so well along the way.” (Yuri)

‘I never imagined that girl and Dolla would get along with each other, so this situation is completely out of nowhere. I may have unknowingly thought of them as unfamiliar properties like water and oil. There’s no way that shy, timid girl would fall for Dolla. I don’t get it even now. It’s like a quiet girl, who reads books in the library all the time, dates a bad boy.’

“…Hmm, the trigger seems to be when they talked at the bridge. I don’t know well, but… from that time on, she suddenly started to care about Dolla-sama after the battle was over. She went back while wearing night clothes.” (Hinami)

“Hah? Went back?” (Yuri)

‘Eh, did she come back to the bridge after that?’

“Yes. I think she was worried about Dolla-sama’s safety. So, she met him again and talked to him.” (Hinami)

“Is that so…” (Yuri)

‘I had no idea. Or maybe Myaro knew about it. I don’t know if she was listening to the content of the conversation, but she must have guessed a lot of things.’

“The other day at the award ceremony, they were talking together.

“Aah… hmm.” (Yuri)

‘Hmm… Is that so… Well, it’s fine, but for some reason, I feel that he left me and went ahead. He has grown up. There is a strange sense of loneliness. That Dolla, huh…’

“I see… I got it.” (Yuri)

“I have one more question to ask.” (Hinami)

“Sure, go ahead.” (Yuri)

“What should I do with assets? I don’t know much…” (Hinami)

‘Aah, is that it?’

“I think it’s fine to dispose of everything except the items you really have to keep or the heirlooms that don’t make money.” (Yuri)

“Heirloom that doesn’t make money?” (Hinami)

“It’s like a family tree written on parchment, or something that’s of little value to others.” (Yuri)

“Aah, I see.” (??)

“If you can trust a Witch, you can leave the money in a safe deposit box. It will be a lot cheaper than the Tenpa Household’s guarded warehouse.” (Yuri)

‘The Tenpa Household’s warehouse is famous for being a safe place to store things that can’t be robbed, but 100000 Ruga a month is outrageous. Even though it includes a hush money to keep it secret, it is a very legitimate contract.’

“If you can’t trust anyone, you can turn it into gold and bury it in a place where people are unlikely to come. I would prefer that.” (Yuri)

“Understood.” (Hinami)

“That’s about it. I hope that was helpful.” (Yuri)

“Thank you very much. I will use it as a reference.” (Hinami)

‘I guess it’s my turn now. However, I don’t have any more questions.’

“I don’t have any questions.” (Yuri)

“Well then, will you excuse me? I have to serve them some more tea…” (Hinami)

“It’s fine. I’m fishing anyway.” (Yuri)

‘Even so, I may catch nothing. Somehow, I had a longing for fishing, but it might not be so good. Maybe it’s a hobby that requires the guidance of someone with experience.’

“I’ll be back with some drinks…” (Hinami)

When the lady-in-waiting, Hinami, stood up from the pier, she seemed to bow slightly, and then, she was gone.

—

TLN:

I’m not sure what’s the different between detached palace and imperial villa. Both kanji writings can be translated interchangeably.