Volume 3 - CH 9

The impactful phrase ‘Capturing Lady Sophia.’ 

If this was a game, I would have happily captured her but since this was reality, it became an entirely different story. It definitely wasn’t something which should be done just for fun, like when capturing someone in a game, to say the least. But, more importantly, I couldn’t ignore what Young Master Ernest said next.

“Cyril, have you thought about studying abroad in the Flamefield Empire?”

“…Studying abroad in the Flamefield Empire?”

I was Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler. But, Young Master Ernest had just told me to protect Lady Sophia. Thinking of the suggestion he followed up with just after, it was probably somehow related to Lady Sophia.

“I told you the other day that Her Highness, the Imperial Princess, Charlotte took an interest in you, didn’t I?”

Crack! 

I wanted to believe that the sound of something being crushed coming from Lady Sophia’s direction was just a figment of my imagination. Indifferent to my attempts at escaping reality, Young Master Ernest continued to talk.

“I already told you before but the Imperial Prince, Harold and the Imperial Princess, Charlotte are planning to study abroad at the Londobell Academy. If possible, I want to prevent that from happening.”

“I see. That’s why you tested my resolve.”

Given that he was the capture target of ‘The Eve of the Festival,’ the Imperial Prince, Harold didn’t have an established partner. On the contrary, it could be assumed that his objective in studying abroad was to search for someone to marry. It was not uncommon for the lowest-ranked Royalty to study abroad for the sake of a political marriage.

At this point, it was crystal clear what Young Master Ernest was concerned about. Lady Sophia’s name was probably going to be brought up as one of the possible marriage candidates. In order to prevent that from happening, he was telling me to cooperate with him.

But…

“Even if I were to study abroad at the Flamefield Empire, that wouldn’t stop the Imperial Prince from going abroad as well, would it?”

It was possible that the Imperial Princess, Charlotte wouldn’t leave to study abroad because she was interested in me but… or, he couldn’t mean that it was the Imperial Princess, Charlotte who was after Lady Sophia, right?

“No, if we prevented the Imperial Princess from studying abroad, it is very likely that the Imperial Prince would decide to cancel his own studies as well. Even if that weren’t the case, it would make it easier for us to take action.”

At the last moment, I swallowed down the words ‘siscon’ that rose up my throat. Since Prince Lancelot and Young Master Ernest were siscons, I thought that maybe the Imperial Prince, Harold was one too but it seemed that the situation was a bit different between these two.

The Flamefield Empire was very meritocratic so if a person produced good results, they would be exposed to all sorts of favourable treatment. Therefore, even the members of the Royal family worked very hard. While doing so, these two had apparently formed a strong bond.

“I have met them many times at the Academy and whenever one of them did something, it was almost certain that the other was already prepared to provide backup. They are quite bothersome when they’re together.”

“Therefore, you want to stop the Imperial Princess, Charlotte from studying abroad…?”

From what I heard, it seemed that the Imperial Prince and Princess also had the right to decide whether they wanted to study abroad or not. In this aspect as well, demonstrating one’s competency and acquiring favorable treatment was effective. The fact that an Imperial Prince of a neighboring country was allowed to get married to Pamela, a mere daughter of a Count, was likely influenced by this as well. Those who achieved good results would even be allowed to have partners of unsuited social standing.

“Since that is the case, would you study abroad?”

“No can do, big brother. Cyril is my butler. I won’t just allow you to wilfully force Cyril to go study abroad, even if you’re my elder brother.”

“Of course I wouldn’t force him. But–”

Young Master Ernest pierced me with a gaze. I guess he was telling me, ‘This is something that needs to be done in order to protect Sophia, so persuade her’. Lady Sophia noticed this and clenched both of her hands tightly into fists and placed them in front of her chest. In response, I smiled at her reassuringly.

“I am Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler and my duty is to grant Lady Sophia’s wishes. Therefore, I don’t plan on doing anything that Lady Sophia doesn’t wish for me to do.”

“Even if you endanger Sophia as a result?”

“If it brings my Lady danger, then I will protect her after granting her wish.”

I was sure that Young Master Ernest intended on protecting Lady Sophia even if it meant turning her into a caged bird. I didn’t think that it was wrong of him to do so. For example, the duty of a guard starts with keeping the person they’re protecting away from danger to begin with. When one thought of it that way, it could be said that trying to turn her into a caged bird was a natural conclusion.          

However, I was Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler. I wasn’t only protecting Lady Sophia’s life but how she lived her life as well. Thus, I had to wholly protect the environment my Lady wished to live in. 

“It would be another story if Lady Sophia wanted me to study abroad, but…”

“No, I don’t want anything of that sort. Of course, if you want to go study abroad, Cyril, I want to grant you that wish, but…”

“My wish is to attend to you, Lady Sophia.”

“In that case, there’s no need for you to study abroad, is there?”

Lady Sophia smiled broadly and then faced Young Master Ernest again.

“I understand that you’re simply worried about me, big brother. But if you really want to do something for my sake, don’t steal Cyril from me, please.”

“Even if you might get pushed into a marriage you do not want as a result?”

“That won’t happen.”

For a mere moment, Lady Sophia looked at me, smiling proudly.

“…I see. If you’ve made your decision after understanding all of the circumstances, then I won’t say any more. Let me see you struggle to escape your own fate with all your might then,” Young Master Ernest declared and took his leave. 

Although his words were curt, his plan of action had Lady Sophia’s best interests in mind. 

As you’d expect of a capture target, he isn’t just a mere siscon, I thought as I watched him leave. Lady Sophia then looked at me, smiling broadly.

“By the way, Cyril, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“What’s this about the Imperial Princess Charlotte being interested in you?”

“Yeah, I wonder what that’s about?”

“…Cyril?”

She questioned me relentlessly after this exchange.

About ten days had passed. Pamela’s humble party was taking place at the Academy grounds belonging to Lady Sophia’s faction.

Attending the party were just a few of Pamela’s friends. Even though influential commoners in the Commoners’ faction like Libert were also attending, it was largely the members of Lady Sophia’s faction that drew the most attention. Apart from Fol, who attended as a commoner, even Prince Alforth was at the party.

In general, it was the high-ranked nobles who invited the low-ranked nobles to parties so it was a fairly odd sight that a future Marquess and even a member of the Royalty were attending the party of a Count’s daughter. Since high-ranked nobility usually only interacted with each other, it was difficult to get in any contact with them. I was glancing around this party with such people present hoping that I wouldn’t spot anyone acting inappropriately when Libert approached me.

“Cyril, long time no see.”

“Yes, it has been a while.”

I entrusted the negotiations with Libert to Raymond in order to bring him in as the indirect sponsor of the party. Therefore, I hadn’t talked to Libert like this since the previous party. Although we hadn’t spoken in a while, Libert was giving me his usual, piercing, searching look.

“Cyril, what are you scheming this time?”

“You’re saying it like I’m always scheming something.”

“Cut the crap, was there ever a time when you weren’t scheming something?”

“…Let me see… Wasn’t there at least one time I didn’t?”

Libert glared at me with narrowed eyes as I tried to play dumb. As a matter of fact, thinking of the worst case scenarios and preparing countermeasures against them was my daily routine. Therefore, it was unlikely for me to not have a plan but… the fact that this was considered disreputable by others was also true.

“While I certainly have laid down some groundwork, I don’t have any intentions on becoming your enemy, you know?”

“Of course, it’s not like I am worried about something like that. But, whenever you’re involved, things tend to become a big deal. So, how could I not worry?”

“I see…”

I tried to recall all the times we had worked together up till then. As a result of interacting with Libert, a member of the Commoners’ faction, the Elitist family of Count Ares along with his sons and their whole household were driven to ruin. We also brought Royalty over to the training camp that he had organized for us.

“I apologize. It appears that I may have to trouble you from now on as well.”

“…Yeah, I’d really like you to not to involve me if possible.” 

Libert said this with sincerity but since this was the guy who had made the decision to sell crêpes with the support of the Royal family, getting involved in the future was just him getting his just desserts.

“Ah, well, let’s not talk about that anymore. I was just complaining a little. More importantly, there was talk of Lady Sophia ordering something, how’s that panning out?”

“Yes. Actually, there are several pieces my Lady would like to order based on the displayed furnishings.”

“…Meaning that the displayed pieces aren’t to her liking?”

Libert looked puzzled. 

No wonder. 

According to Libert, all the exhibited pieces were the pride of the LaCour Company and 

they were catered to Lady Sophia’s taste.

“Your research was perfect. Except for one thing.”

“Oh, and what’s this one thing?”

“The size.”

“…What do you mean?”

Libert’s puzzled expression was perfectly justifiable. When I said ‘size,’ I used both of my hands to indicate the desired size which was the span of my palm.

“By the way, have you heard of the Dollmaker of Frau?”

“…I see.”

It seemed that he had guessed what Lady Sophia was looking for just from this one sentence I uttered. He certainly was the LaCour Company’s president’s son as he already knew about the information I had worked so hard to obtain.

“Here is the list of the furniture that Lady Sophia wants—or, to be more precise, the list of the miniatures.”

There was a miniature set of ‘The Espressivo of Light and Darkness’ and even a set of the mansion written down on the list. Considering this was a special order to a business that only dealt with highest quality goods, it would become quite pricey.

Although Lady Sophia was in a position that allowed her to indulge in luxury, she normally didn’t do anything that squandered money so there was no issue with her occasionally being a little self-indulgent. Or perhaps, I should say the head of the Marquis household simply surrendered to Lady Sophia saying ‘Please?’

“The order was received. I’ll have someone send samples to Lady Sophia in a few days.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

With this, the debt with Libert was settled. Later, he would probably advertise these as the furniture that was favoured by the young Lady of the Rosenberg Marquis household. They would be actually miniatures of the displayed pieces but… he needn’t mention that.

I expressed my gratitude to Libert once more and returned to Lady Sophia. Since my Lady was talking to Pamela at the time, I silently stood behind her. However, Pamela noticed me and turned her gaze towards me.

“Cyril, is there something you need to discuss with Lady Sophia?”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Servants weren’t allowed to interrupt their masters’ conversations. So if you were to ask me what I thought of my master’s conversation partner being tactful, it certainly wasn’t a bad thing but at the same time, it could also be considered as her showcasing excessive concern. I thought that the young ladies of Lady Sophia’s faction treated me too much as a friend. Nonetheless, since Pamela had already made this considerate gesture, I whispered to Lady Sophia that I gave her order to the LaCour Company.

“I see, thank you. Then, our debt to the LaCour Company has been settled, yes?”

“Yes. Libert seemed satisfied.” 

It was a very short conversation but Pamela probably heard the name of the LaCour Company being mentioned.

“Lady Sophia, thank you for your help with this,” she broached the subject with Lady Sophia.

“You needn’t worry about it at all,as it also came as a godsend to me. Please, do not hesitate to talk to me if you’re ever in trouble as you are a dear friend of mine.”

“Lady Sophia…”

I didn’t fail to notice Pamela’s eyes wobbling. There was probably something else that was worrying her. However, Pamela seemed hesitant, concerned that it would be discourteous to ask for Lady Sophia’s help with this matter as well.

I was sure that this was the reason she couldn’t bring herself to talk about her troubles.

Of course, Lady Sophia noticed this without me having to point it out. So I would let Lady Sophia show me what she got.

“…Come to think of it, Miss Ferris has spoken to me about being pressured by a high-ranking noble, hasn’t she? Miss Pamela, you’re from a Count household. Have you faced any problems like that recently?”

“That…is…”

Pamela’s eyes shook. The problem Ferris had was her making a new ’friend’ after she joined Sophia’s faction. This self-proclaimed friend wanted to get close to Lady Sophia and relied on Ferris to make it happen. Guessing from Pamela’s reaction, she also had someone like that come to mind.

“Miss Pamela, please don’t hesitate to tell me if there’s any problem at all. You are an important friend of mine.”

“Lady Sophia…thank you.”

Pamela looked a little hesitant but she slowly began to talk. The matter she brought up to get Lady Sophia’s advice was more serious than I had thought. 

Since Pamela came from a powerless Count family, and considering that she wasn’t a direct successor either, there wasn’t any particular talk of marriage until that point. But, since she had joined Lady Sophia’s faction, the marriage interview proposals came pouring in. Among the proposals, one came from a contender who was hard to decline due to his social status and so, Pamela found herself in trouble.

It might seem that all of this happening just because of a school faction was too exaggerated. However, more often than not, a large number of noble children got married before they were adults—in other words, when they were students. Therefore, it wasn’t strange for a student faction to be considered one of the deciding factors in a political marriage. 

Not to mention that Lady Sophia’s faction already came with all sorts of benefits. It could be said that in a sense it was necessary to target the members of Lady Sophia’s faction to enjoy those same benefits.

“I would have no objections if he were a suitable candidate. But, it’s obvious that his intentions are to form a connection with you, Lady Sophia. So wouldn’t I be causing trouble, not only for my parents, but for you as well, Lady Sophia…”

“I understand. Is it perhaps difficult to refuse him because you owe him a debt of some kind?” Lady Sophia asked this in an indirect way, but to sum it up, she was asking whether they owed him money or anything of the sort for it was not uncommon for nobles to lend and borrow money from each other. However, Lady Sophia’s assumption was incorrect. From what I had gathered, Count Ford didn’t have any sort of debt that another family could pressure him with. My intel seemed to have been correct too since Pamela shook her head.

“There is no debt. But he is a Margrave so…”

Margraves were nobles that protected the country’s borders and they were as powerful as your average Marquis. In other words, the powerless household of Count Ford wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

“Cyril–”

Guessing everything she wanted to ask from that word alone, I recalled Count Ford’s financial situation and the like to mind. They had very little power as a Count household and their territory’s financial situation couldn’t be considered good either. But, since Count Ford wasn’t the type to waste money, they didn’t have any significant debt.

Moreover, taking into account the plans to cultivate potatoes on their territory, it certainly wasn’t a territory that we should let be seized by another faction.

“I think that if we were to consult Master Grave, there is a very good chance that he would intervene.”

“If you think so, then that puts my mind at ease. Let’s steer the conversation in that direction when we ask him for help.”

Pamela was bewildered by our conversation. Of course, it wasn’t like she didn’t understand what Lady Sophia was saying. But since Lady Sophia hadn’t proposed anything yet, she seemed to have been stumped on how to react.

“Um…are you perhaps planning to deal with this political marriage proposal somehow?”

“Yes. I promise to definitely deal with it one way or another.”

“I- that is… I am incredibly grateful to you, Lady Sophia, but I cannot rely on you to such an extent.”

Even though she was being forced into a marriage with someone she didn’t want to marry, she was still hesitant, telling Lady Sophia that couldn’t rely on her too much. She seemed to possess a noble spirit suitable for the heroine of ‘The Eve of the Festival.’ This admirable side of her was probably what aroused the capture targets’ urge to protect her.

“There’s no need for you to be so hesitant. This happened because of me. I simply cannot ignore that you were dragged into trouble by someone because they wanted to cozy up to me.”

It was just as Lady Sophia had said. If she were to ignore this, the other faction members would most likely get targeted as well, beginning with Lady Ferris, the Viscount’s daughter. This wasn’t something that she could just let go as the head of the faction. 

“So, you needn’t worry anymore.”

“Lady Sophia. Thank you…so much…hgk.”

Pamela hung her head down, large teardrops falling from her eyes. Seeing her cry, Lady Sophia’s eyes tinged red as well and she glanced at me.

“Cyril…Verify immediately if there is anyone else dealing with the same worries.”

“As you wish, Lady Sophia.”