86 – Grand Duke Aka – 86
Having obtained the ‘Enchanted Rose’, we left the maze and returned to the original flower bed.
“Ugh, something embarrassing to walk around with a rose in your ear.”
The ‘Roses of Enchantment’ in Rosé’s right ear.
Rosé said, ‘If I put it in my pocket, won’t the flowers get damaged?’, so I said, ‘Then, why don’t you put it in your ear?’
“It suits you well enough, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Gee, really?”
Rosé rubs her hair while blushing.
In fact, the sight of a mysterious elf wearing a rose in his ear was like looking at a painting.
No, is this the effect of the charm correction that ‘Rose of Enchantment’ has?
If it was enough to affect me, I had no idea how much power it had.
“uh? Gregory. Could that be your aunt?”
While we were walking around the flower bed and talking, Rose pointed to a woman who was crouching in the flower bed and was hoeing.
“Certainly, the hair color is very familiar.”
It seemed that Rosé was right, so I slowly approached the woman and looked at it.
“mmm”
A woman hums while digging up the grass planted in the flower bed with a hoe.
“Pie von Euglia?”
“Ah! sorry! The herbs planted in the flower beds are so coveted——— Mr. Gregory? Rosé?”
Also, she was right.
“Aunt, what the hell are you doing here?”
“… … It looks like they were secretly digging up medicinal herbs and alchemy materials planted in the imperial flower bed.”
“… … wake up I’m done.”
Ha ha ha, Pi scratches his head with a shy smile. With all the flowers and herbs she had gathered so far in her pocket, Pie stood up.
“Actually, His Majesty’s energy seems to have declined a little, so I tried to make a nutritional tonic… … . But if you carelessly collect plants from the flower bed, the flower manager will get angry… … I was secretly prying.”
“… … Garden manager? Originally, isn’t the royal flower bed managed by the Naemyeongbu (內命婦), which is managed by the empress?”
Originally, it was known that the landscaping, interior, and cleaning of the imperial family were managed by the Internal Affairs Department.
A moment to appreciate the guy who uploaded the [Summoner Academia] royal family organization chart to the community in the past.
I never imagined that the information posted by the guy who teased me for being a fan of the imperial family would be helpful.
“yes? uh… … Did you do that in the past?”
“Is it different now?”
“Yes, after the previous Empress 1 passed away, the new Empress 3 became the general manager of the internal affairs. At that time, it was decided to entrust the imperial garden to a gardener with the title of ‘garden manager’.”
“… … 3 Empress?”
You got a new keyword.
The third empress is managing the internal affairs.
I’ll have to ask Priscilla separately later.
“pie. Since we’ve already met, would it be okay if I ask you a few more questions?”
“yes? what… … It doesn’t matter to me… … . Can’t we do it somewhere other than here? If you get caught by a gardener for real, you’ll be really in trouble.”
A garden manager who makes even the Dukes of the Empire tremble. What kind of person are you?
“Is there anywhere nearby? It must be quite a distance to get to our room.”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s near here where I’m staying.”
“Then I’m glad.”
“and! Auntie’s house!”
Pie looked at Rose as if she were cute.
“Then, shall we leave first?”
Having said that, she stood in front of us and started walking towards the road we had never seen before.
“… … Are you leaving the bag of herbs behind?”
“Oh right!”
… … After all, are they Rosé’s relatives?
* * *
“braided! This is the mansion where I live!”
Pai confidently shouts with arms wide open.
Behind her, a two-story detached house stood there.
“… … What do you mean here?”
“yes! This is my lovely home!”
The vines that completely cover the walls, the small vegetable garden in the yard, and even the door to the basement that we often see in American movies.
Certainly, it was a house that could be called a good house if it was a good house… … If you asked if it was a duke’s house, it was a house you would want to ask if you were kidding.
“For a duke to live in a house like this, who on earth would live in a house like this——
“oh! Did you build it the Delinian style?”
“That’s right, even though I left my hometown, the longing doesn’t go away.”
“—I don’t know if it was built, but it’s a very beautiful house, so I want to praise it.”
… … It was dangerous.
I almost said I was going to build a Delinian house.
“Yes? Now, I’ll take you inside.”
Pie, who doesn’t usually lock the door separately, opens the door casually and throws his pocket in a corner of the house.
“You don’t usually lock the door?”
“Yes, I usually go out with magic on. It is designed to make a loud noise when an outsider enters without sticking within a two-meter radius of me.”
… … It seems that there was a defense of its own.
“What would you like for tea? coffee? Hongja?”
“I’ll ask for black tea.”
“ah! Me too! With 2 sticks of sugar!”
A pie that takes our order and brings tea in no time.
Naturally, Pie, who sat in front of us, drank coffee and looked at me.
“So, what were you curious about?”
“Nothing. Because I know very little about the members of the royal family currently residing in the imperial family.”
“yes? Information from the royal family?”
Pie looks surprised at my words.
“No matter how much I do, it might be dangerous if I go around recklessly talking about information about the imperial family… … .”
“yes… … . what… … . It’s Gregory-sama and Rose, not anyone else. There are a total of 5 members of the imperial family living in the imperial family, excluding the princess and her majesty.
Chaheli Ann Heinbern, younger than Priscilla, but the eldest of her siblings. His younger siblings, Zell and Heinbern. Rosette and Heinbern and Seirin and Heinbern, called the jewels of society. Finally, there is the 3rd Empress, Charlotte von Heinbern.”
In other words, there are a total of four competitors in the same line in the imperial family right now.
“Then there must be someone among them who sent an assassin to Priscilla.”
“yes? An assassin to the princess? An assassin as soon as he came to the imperial family, what the hell happened?”
Pi, startled by the word ‘assassination’, asks. Rosé answered as if it was nothing special.
“Ah~ Priscilla’s enemy said they sent an assassin. So I and other people scolded me. Ahahahaha!”
“okay? It seems that the princess’s situation is more serious than what I heard on the flying boat.”
“right. I heard that he has lost contact with his own people.”
“is it so? How amazing. I haven’t seen any children from the imperial family who are greedy for the imperial power yet.”
“Because it can be hidden, it must be called the royal family.”
“… … It certainly could be. Is it time for me to step in?”
I shook my head at her question.
“You are the most powerful of our cards. You’d better keep them hidden for now.”
“……I see. Then, first of all, I’ll be quiet and live as usual.”
Horok. Pie, who drank to the last drop, looked at Rosé, who was touching her hair, and made a surprised expression.
“There… that flower…!”
“Yes? Oh, this flower? It’s pretty, right?”
“… ‘Rose of Enchantment’. How about you, Rose?”
Does she, too, know the enchanted rose?
“Because I know the location. I got it while taking a walk.”
“…I think Gregory-sama is the only one who says that he brought a legendary plant for a walk.”
No, this isn’t even a really valuable item… … .
“Anyway, I think there’s something I can do to help Rosé right now.”
“Yes? To me?”
Rosé tilts her head at Pi’s words. In response, Pi naturally stood up and walked toward a room that looked like a basement.
“That rose, it’s pretty to wear that way, but doesn’t it bother you a bit?”
“Yes! That’s right! It was embarrassing that people seemed to keep staring at me.”
After hearing Rose’s answer, Pie nodded once and looked at me.
“It’s probably going to get a lot of attention if you carry it around like that. Can I help you a little?”
“you?”
“Yes, all the equipment is inside. Oh, would you like to come inside?”
After hearing Pi’s words, Rosé and I go down to the basement where Pi went down.
After passing through the creaky stairs, the basement of the Pie House is finally revealed.
“Ugh, the smell of grass!”
“It’s definitely… a terrible smell.”
The smell spreads as soon as you open the door.
Inside, there were all sorts of tools reminiscent of a laboratory, unidentified grass, and by-products of monsters.
Everyone covered their noses at such a shocking sight, but Pie sat down at a table placed on one side of the room as if he was used to it, and seated Rosé in front of him.
“First of all, I’m thinking of making jewelry with the effect of this rose as it is. If it’s a jewelry, it goes well with any accessory. So… is there anything else Rose wants?”
“Yes? Me?”
Hearing Pi’s words, Rose frowned.
“Piercing? No, the piercing was pretty without any decorations. Cane? No, it was too good a car to damage the cane. Then… well…”
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Rose took out a pipe tobacco from the pouch hanging from her thigh.
“Could it be possible here?”
“……cigarette?”
“yes!”
“Well, it’s possible, but… … . Unless you’re carrying it around or holding it in your mouth, it’s going to be hard to be effective.”
“are you okay! You look prettier with a cigarette! Probably every smoker’s dream!”
Rosé stood up from her seat and shouted confidently.
“Yes, yes? Then I understand. Why don’t you give me a pipe first?”
“Yes! Here!”
Rosé smiles and puts a rose and pipe tobacco in Pie’s outstretched hand.
And a pie that goes straight to work.
No, a half elf with a charming appearance while smoking.
for a moment.
… … Something. I thought it would fit surprisingly well.