Chapter 4
“Come in.”
At Sir Chent’s permission, the door opened, and in came a familiar curly-haired blonde who reminded me of a golden retriever.
“Rayon?”
“Sera. I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch together.”
“Lunch? Isn’t it a bit early?”
“Oh, well, I got a meal voucher for Marignon Restaurant on Precia Street.”
“What?”
At Rayon’s words, I stared at him with wide eyes, surprised. Sir Chent, who was drinking tea in front of me, also looked surprised and asked Rayon.
“Oh, Marignon Restaurant? Isn’t it hard to get a reservation there? Did you get one?”
“Yes. They offered me a spot for lunch today.”
Marignon Restaurant.The most famous place in the Precia Empire. The cheapest course meal was eight gold, so the prices were outrageous, but the food was so amazing that even high-ranking nobles had to book two weeks in advance.
It was a place where you absolutely couldn’t eat whenever you wanted unless you were the Emperor. A meal voucher and a reservation? What kind of unexpected luck was this?
When I looked at Rayon with a “how…?” expression, my old friend understood my intentions just from my gaze and spoke.
“Oh, today, the Commander-in-Chief told me that I made a great contribution during the monster subjugation, and since you, Sera, made the most significant contribution among those dispatched excluding the knights, he gave us a meal voucher and even made a reservation for us to have a meal together. He even called a carriage from the ducal house, so we should leave now to make it on time.”
The Grand Duke?
Of course, I had made significant contributions in the monster subjugation. To be precise, it was Ignis, not me. But we’re a team, so close enough.
I felt a bit uneasy, as if I had received a lot from the Grand Duke today, but I quietly got up from my seat.
That’s because Marignon Restaurant’s steak had a tenderness and heavenly taste that could instantly melt away my uneasiness with its sweetness.
Wow. What a luck.
“Eat and then take the rest of the day off.”
“Excuse me?”
“Orders came down from above saying you only have to work this morning. They’re giving you a reward vacation for your hard work in the subjugation.”
“Seriously, why is this happening? Last time, when I went to Santa Mine for two months, you made me come to work right away and write a report.”
“I don’t know, how would I know? It’s all up to His Majesty the Emperor. Don’t you want to go home?”
“No! I’ll go home. My whole body is already sore.”
“Alright, alright, go and rest. The one and only high-ranking spirit mage.”
Sir Chent waved his hand as if annoyed, but I knew he always looked out for me, treating me like a daughter. So I smiled brightly and greeted him.
“Then work hard!”
* * *
“Haa, I think I ate too much.”
As I lounged in the carriage, stroking my stomach, Rayon, sitting opposite me, made a displeased “hmm” sound.
“Sera, even if we’re close, I’m still a man, you know. Don’t you think you’re a bit too relaxed?”
“Man, my foot. You’re just a person to me. And you can’t beat me. What do I have to worry about?”
Although Rayon was a skilled knight, he couldn’t defeat me, a high-ranking spirit mage.
I flashed a triumphant smile at Rayon, whose lips were pouting, and his expression turned grumpy.
Ignoring Rayon, I pressed firmly on the soft carriage wall and then spoke to him.
“Oh, right. Rayon, I decided to buy a carriage.”
“Oh, you finally made up your mind? That’s a good idea. I was always worried about you taking the public carriage every day.”
“But, I ended up buying the Grand Duke’s carriage.”
“What?”
Rayon tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand what I had said.
Well, I didn’t understand it either. How did I end up buying the Grand Duke’s carriage?
“Today, His Highness the Grand Duke suddenly appeared and told me to buy his carriage. So I decided to buy it.”
“Wait, is that even allowed? Selling a ducal carriage?”
Exactly, that’s what I mean. Isn’t the Grand Duke’s carriage imperial property?
If this comes back to bite me, I swear I’ll—well, I’d better not. I’d probably die before I even laid a finger on that silver-haired Grand Duke.
I let out a big “haaa” sigh.
“I don’t know. If they’re selling it, it must be something that can be sold.”
“Hmm… Is that so…?”
Rayon narrowed his brows as if deep in thought, then parted his lips as he looked at me.
Why is he acting like a dog who needs to poop?
“What, do you have something to say?”
“That’s… no. It’s ridiculous. I had a crazy thought for a moment.”
Rayon laughed to himself, dumbfounded by whatever crazy thought he had.
“Now I’m curious. Don’t just leave me hanging like that.”
“It’s nothing.”
I was about to press further because of my uneasiness, but the coachman’s announcement that we had arrived made me decide to just let it go.
* * *
“Haa… this is nice.”
I got off work early and even had the full course at Marignon, which I had wanted to eat so badly.
Flopping onto my bed, I felt content with the happiness I had enjoyed throughout the day and closed my eyes.
“My lady, no matter how tired you are, you should wash up before lying down.”
Liche, who had come in to attend to me, scolded me as I lay on the bed in my outdoor clothes.
“Mmm, just for a moment, I’ll just lie down for a very short while and then wash up.”
“Oh my, my lady. You’re impossible.”
Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard a knock on the door from outside.
Knock, knock.
“Miss, it’s the butler.”
“Yes. Come in.”
Reluctantly getting out of bed, I yawned as I saw the butler who opened the door and entered. But at the butler’s next words, my jaw dropped.
“Miss, His Highness the Grand Duke has come to visit.”
The Grand Duke is here? At this hour?
Startled by the Grand Duke’s sudden visit, I collected myself and got out of bed.
“Liche, is the back of my dress very wrinkled?”
“No. You look fine.”
“Butler, where is His Highness the Grand Duke now?”
“He’s in the reception room, Miss.”
“No, suddenly at this hour, why… Let’s just go for now.”
Rushing into the reception room, a broad back wrapped in a black uniform was the first thing that caught my eye.
Why is he standing when he could sit?
His aide noticed me first and informed the Grand Duke of my arrival.
Seeing the tall man with his back to me turn towards me, I gripped the hem of my dress and curtsied slightly.
“I greet His Highness the Grand Duke.”
“Lady Ventus.”
“Yes. But for what reason have you visited the mansion at this hour, Your Highness?”
The Grand Duke, who had been staring at me with his characteristic bland, expressionless face, remained silent for a moment.
Why is he like that?
“…You’ve tied your hair.”
Ah, I had tied my hair.
Most young ladies here did not tie their hair. They were brainwashed by the ridiculous notion that exposing one’s neckline was sexually appealing, so most young ladies were ashamed to show their necklines.
But I didn’t care about such things.
Sexual appeal, my foot. I tie it because I want to, and I put it up when it’s inconvenient to do something.
When hunting monsters or excavating mines, there were many times when I had to climb mountains, and I would sweat a lot then, so I habitually tied my hair often.
But the Grand Duke was dispatched to the same places as me so many times, had he never seen me with my hair tied?
Just as a feeling of discomfort was about to settle on my face, wondering if he was going to scold me because I had tied my hair, the Grand Duke suddenly turned his head towards his aide.
They exchanged glances as if having a silent conversation. Then, it was the aide, not the Grand Duke, who turned his gaze to me.
“Lady, His Highness the Grand Duke has come here today to fulfill his promise to sell the ducal carriage to you.”
Right now? His decisiveness is truly incredible.
I hid my surprised expression and said,
“Ah… Yes. You didn’t have to come in person. Thank you, Your Highness.”
It was surprising that he came right away today, but I couldn’t understand why he came in person. He could have just given the carriage to his butler or aide. Ah, perhaps the Grand Duke’s carriage cannot be sold by just anyone?
The aide pulled out a document that looked like a contract, and the butler received it.
I watched them and then called out to the Grand Duke, who was looking at the garden from the window.
“Your Highness, wouldn’t it be more comfortable to sit down and finalize the contract?”
“…Indeed.”
As the Grand Duke and I sat opposite each other, the contract was placed on the table.
I examined the contract and then exclaimed in surprise when I saw the price of the carriage written at the end.
“3 gold?!”
My voice was so undignified that I heard the butler, who was standing behind me, clear his throat. However, I was too shocked by the carriage’s price of 3 gold to do anything but stare at the Grand Duke with wide eyes.
“Your Highness, 3 gold for the ducal carriage? This is practically giving it away!”
“Ahem, it’s a carriage we don’t use anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“No, even if it’s a carriage you don’t use, this is too… I was prepared for around 70 gold. Please charge me a fair price, Your Highness.”
“That carriage isn’t worth 70 gold.”
At those words, the aide’s head snapped around, and he stared at the Grand Duke with wide eyes. But when the Grand Duke stared back, he obediently turned his gaze back to me.
“Lady… that carriage… as His Highness said… is not worth… 70 gold…”
“…Is that so?”
Could it be that it wasn’t a carriage bestowed by the imperial family? My curiosity piqued, but the contract, already signed by the Grand Duke, was pushed towards me.
Honestly, I felt uneasy, but I wasn’t confident enough to change the Grand Duke’s resolute mind. If I had that confidence, I wouldn’t have agreed to buy the carriage in the first place.
I picked up the pen and signed the contract.
I thought I heard a faint cough from somewhere, so I looked up, but the Grand Duke and his aide were looking at me with indifferent expressions.
The aide, whose eyes met mine, curved his lips into a smile, so much so that his mouth trembled slightly.
“Lady, please cherish the carriage and ride it for a long time.”
“Excuse me? Oh, yes, I will.”
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
Watching the Grand Duke stand, I offered a customary remark.
“It’s almost dinner time. Would you like to stay for dinner? Of course, the food won’t be as excellent as your chef.”
“Do you need a chef?”
“Pardon?”
No, why did the conversation suddenly shift there?
I looked at the Grand Duke with a bewildered expression, and his aide spoke to me.
“Lady, your offer is very kind, but His Highness the Grand Duke has another engagement this evening, so we must be going. We will invite you to the ducal estate next time, my lady.”
“Yes. Then, please travel safely, Your Highness.”
I bid farewell to the Grand Duke with a brief bow. The aide bowed deeply to me, showing impeccable manners. Since the Grand Duke’s aide was a noble, not a commoner, his bow surprised me, but he merely offered me a faint smile.
“Then, Lady Ventus. I will see you at the party.”
“Yes.”
It was only after the Grand Duke left the reception room that I recalled a single word contained in his last remark.
…Party? What party?
“Butler, have any party invitations arrived?”
“Yes. There is one. A party invitation arrived from the Imperial Palace this morning, my lady.”
An Imperial Palace party, could it be…?
I opened the party invitation the butler brought, and sure enough, it was an invitation to a party celebrating the monster subjugation. As the main figure in the monster subjugation, I couldn’t possibly be absent.
Parties are a bother. I’d rather have another day off.
“Miss, more importantly, perhaps you should look at the carriage…”
“Huh, is there a problem?”
The butler, who had gone out and returned while I was looking at the invitation, looked at me with an extremely fidgety expression.
Did he sell me a terrible carriage? With a feeling of unease, I went outside and gasped in surprise.
“Wow, this looks too expensive!”
The dazzling, luxurious carriage with gold engravings looked worth more than 100 gold, even from afar.
No, why is the Grand Duke doing this to me? Does he want something from me? Or does he need my spirit powers?
As I was trying to figure out the intention behind his favor, Hilda’s voice came from behind me.
“Oh my! Is that a new carriage, my lady? Isn’t it a bit extravagant?”
“I paid 3 gold for that.”
“What? What crazy carriage seller sells a carriage like that for 3 gold?”
I replied to Hilda, who was looking at the shimmering carriage with a bewildered expression.
“This country’s one and only Grand Duke is that crazy carriage seller.”
