47 – 47. A Small Crack
As a result of the correct follow-up development,
Flora, who came to find me, left without achieving her goal, and the crisis in the early stages of Episode V was easily overcome.
Afterward, I immediately sat at the table and picked up my pen.
The contact book was the problem.
“It’s not a big problem to move to the annex, but… if Harnier’s letter arrives in the meantime, it’ll be troublesome, won’t it?”
There shouldn’t be any problem with sending letters.
The maids will pay more attention to my belongings, especially since there was a problem caused by a letter just today.
However, if Harnier’s contact arrives while I’m in the study, it could be a bit difficult on this end.
“As soon as I step into the study, I have to be prepared for a dead trigger. If I handle it half-heartedly and leave… “
Of course, I will become the protagonist of a bad ending.
Just like how in Episode III, I didn’t participate in Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony and ended up with a bad ending, if I don’t step into Episode V, I’ll end up dead anyway.
The existence of a time limit is what it is.
However, there was a slight difference from Episode III.
▶Episode V. Trouble in the Training Grounds is in progress!◀
“Indeed, I couldn’t notice it in the game… but seeing that it doesn’t appear even after some time has passed, it seems certain.”
As I carefully examined my status window, I discovered something suspicious.
The most difficult aspect of this game is its mandatory nature.
When choices appear, you have to select one of them, and when it comes to branching episodes, you need to perform specific actions. The same goes for carrying out episodes.
The compulsory nature of any action taking place forces you to make dead trigger or dead flag choices, which is quite challenging.
A prominent example is Episode III: Claire’s Coming of Age Ceremony.
In the case of Episode III, there was a time limit from the beginning.
The choice to participate in Claire’s Coming of Age Ceremony was continuously displayed, along with a message telling you to go somewhere.
In the end, you had to attend Claire’s Coming of Age Ceremony.
You had to somehow attend the event, even if it meant using a trick to avoid it.
But what about the current situation?
There is none.
There is no immediate instruction on which action to perform.
There is no message telling me to head straight to the training grounds.
In other words, the episode is in progress, but there is no need to proceed immediately.
There is no need to head straight to the training grounds.
That means I have obtained a precious amount of free time.
“In that case…”
Can’t I make better use of this time for myself?
First, I twirled the pen.
“Well… I can tell Harnie that I have a schedule and won’t be able to meet during this period. As for the rest, maybe Camilla?”
It would be good to let Camilla, who was on vacation for a week, know about this news.
If she suddenly came back to work and saw that the master was suddenly missing, what would she think?
“He’s a meticulous guy, so there shouldn’t be any fuss, but you never know. It’s better if the mention of this matter doesn’t come from the Duke, who is avoiding talking about it.”
I nodded my head and continued to play with the pen.
I finished writing.
It would be difficult to attach the two letters to the maid right now, so I’ll just leave them with Heron.
“Hmm… I still have some free time…”
I still have some free time.
Even though it’s free time, I have to be careful not to meet the bad ending of health deterioration due to decreased stats, but judging by the rate of decrease, it seemed like I could spend today without any problems.
“Well, then the task is obvious.”
I dressed appropriately and went outside.
Then the maids started to flinch and glance at me.
“Claire really pushed hard.”
-Ding!
Seeing even the choices popping up, it seems like she didn’t just push, but completely changed everything.
“She doesn’t know what ‘moderate’ means.”
I bit my tongue inwardly and ignored it all, choosing silence as my response.
How would the maids react to that?
There was no need to take risks when unfamiliar developments arose.
Besides, it seemed that even a single sound would greatly diminish awareness.
Passing through the hallway with anxious gazes piercing me, I arrived at my destination.
▶This area is dangerous!◀
[Penalties may be imposed if you stay too long.]
[Will you proceed?]
It was a hazardous zone.
Just to be safe, I looked around. I wanted to make sure no one was watching nearby.
Fortunately, the servants seemed more intent on avoiding any sound that might come from Carsein’s mouth.
Once the confirmation was done, I immediately entered the danger zone.
▶Entering the holding cell!◀
[Time limit: 40 seconds]
A clock-shaped timer appeared, and time began to pass.
I didn’t plan on taking too long, so 40 seconds was more than enough time.
“Who…? Are you, by any chance, Miss Flora?”
As I approached the barred door, a woman in the solitary cell turned her gaze towards me.
“You were waiting for Flora, right? I apologize for the confusion.”
“…!”
As she realized that it wasn’t Flora who had come to see her, but Carsein, she suddenly stood up with eyes that seemed ready to burst out of the cell.
Yes. It was Emma that I had come to see.
“Why have you come?”
Emma, whose desire to speak was overflowing, suppressed it and clenched her fists.
Her mouth itched.
“You still can’t bend your back properly, Emma.”
As soon as she said a word, Emma snapped back.
“Do you expect me to greet you in this situation? Thanks to you, I’m trapped here for no reason.”
Was it appropriate to expect greetings in such an unfair situation?
Well, I had already anticipated that kind of reaction.
“Tsk.”
“…! Are you mocking me right now?”
“No. I’m laughing because it’s funny.”
This time, I openly laughed at Emma.
Her eyes started to turn red with blood.
“It’s because of you, my lord, trying to blame me for a crime that Claire put me in solitary confinement!”
“You’re unbelievable. You did something to deserve it, so Claire ordered her to confine you.”
“You’re spouting nonsense. That was a legitimate statement! As much trouble as you caused, it’s normal for me to be sensitive about going out!”
Emma raised her voice and shouted.
Should I give her a good punch by now?
“I didn’t commit any crimes. Even if I didn’t, you already committed a crime against the Duke.”
“Huh. You’re saying something that doesn’t make sense again─”
“Recently, there have been rumors of embezzlement among the nobles.”
Emma, who had been raising her voice, blinked her eyes for a moment.
“It’s absurd. There are rumors of a noble embezzling money from their estate. But at the same time, there’s someone who suddenly came into a large sum of money?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Why? I heard that Emma recently bought expensive clothes. It’s suspicious, isn’t it?”
“Hmph. I have nothing to do with that. On the contrary, it seems like you dislike me so much that you would make up stories.”
She had bought those clothes with the money she had earned as a hardworking maid.
Only to maintain the dignity of the Grand Duke’s household.
Emma argued like that.
Here’s another shot.
I threw out a bait that only I knew.
“Oh really? I heard that among the knights of the noble, there were some who suddenly replaced their equipment. Is that also just a coincidence?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Yes. They seemed to have worked very hard. They could have saved up. What does that have to do with me?”
Either Emma wasn’t that stupid or she didn’t take the bait.
But I could make her bite forcibly.
“Damn it. Do you not know that the money that should be allocated to me from the noble is being held in your hands and added to the salaries of those guys?”
“That’s Ariana’s responsibility, not mine.”
Financial management may be Ariana’s job. However, bookkeeping and allocation are the rights of the maid. You easily manipulated the records, didn’t you?”
“What is this…”
“Last month, when we had to urgently use the estate’s funds. You definitely made some holes in the books, didn’t you?”
Emma’s self-assured face suddenly changed.
“So, you asked.”
Her frozen expression was like a sharp blow to the heart.
“H-Hold on, don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never made a mistake in approving anything!”
The ledger should have no issues.
If I can argue convincingly enough, I can make it seem like I was just delusional.
But…
Emma is currently locked up in solitary confinement.
I can’t confirm that fact right now.
But this should be enough.
[Time remaining: 10 seconds]
Well, the time limit is up.
Leaving with just one last word, I got up from my seat.
“Whether you were wrong or not, we’ll find out when the truth is revealed, right?”
“H-Hold your bluff! What truth are you talking about?!”
[Exiting the danger zone!]
Even though I kept hearing someone shouting from behind, I couldn’t see Emma’s expression.
But just by hearing her shout, I can guess. She must be extremely anxious right now. My act of confidence must have worked perfectly.
That’s the nature of an information gap.
Even if I boasted in front of her, wouldn’t she be uneasy if there was no way to determine if it was true or not?
‘Emma, be anxious, be impatient.’
Before long, that impatience will create small cracks and reveal mistakes on the surface.
I just have to patiently wait for that moment.
***
‘Hmm?’
After provoking Emma and returning to my room, I started to prepare to move to the annex.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Heron was waiting right in front of me. And he was accompanied by other servants.
Heron, upon confirming my arrival, questioned the other servants around him.
“What’s going on?”
“Master, you asked me to prepare for your move to the annex… but it seems to have been rejected.”
“Rejected?”
“Yes. Miss Claire strongly opposed, stating that it was absolutely not allowed.”
According to Heron, the annex is currently in an unusable state, as there are no maids or servants to assist me and no furniture present.
‘He deliberately left them out.’
I replied nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter, while suppressing my frustration.
“It’s fine. I’ll carry the necessary belongings myself, and all I need to do is bring my body, right?”
“But, Master…”
“Don’t worry, I can handle the cleaning and laundry myself.”
If the reason for rejection is just a mere inconvenience in daily life, then that’s not a valid reason for rejection.
And then Heron let out a deep sigh.
“Still, you can’t stay there, my lord.”
“Why?”
“The second young lady has refused to accept any guests for a while and has blocked off the annex.”
“What…?”
After making such a fuss about not being able to use the annex.
Are they deliberately trying to keep me from going there?
“You said I could go to the training grounds, but how can the master stay in the annex when he’s not allowed to?”
Come on, seriously.
If they’re going to go that far, they might as well not let me in at all.
Those servants must have just returned from doing that.
“Um, my lord. Perhaps it would be best for you to give up on using the annex as your residence.”
Heron broke out in a cold sweat, unable to respond.
Obviously, he can’t use the annex in this state.
“Sigh. Fine. I’ll just go in.”
“Aren’t you going to the training grounds?”
“I’ll go tomorrow.”
Because if he can’t use the annex, he’ll have to think of another place.
“There’s still a way. If I put another letter in the training grounds, it should work.”
And so, I decided to spend another day that wasn’t originally planned.
The time of night had come, crossing over from evening.
In a quiet solitary cell, where only one person was confined, the sound of small footsteps echoed.
“Who is it?”
As the silence shattered, Emma reflexively asked.
“…It’s me. Emma.”
“No, Miss Flora?”
Emma’s face brightened as she saw the most adorable youngest lady.
“To come all the way to this dreary place… You might catch a cold.”
“It’s alright. I dressed warmly.”
“Still, Miss. Please go back quickly since I’m fine.”
She said that, but she couldn’t be happier.
For Emma, Flora was the savior who relieved her anxieties.
After that, Flora offered a tempting dessert, and there were formal conversations between Emma and her.
Then, suddenly, Flora asked.
“…You know. Yumo. Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, Miss.”
Emma swallowed the dessert and responded with a bright face.
With her anxieties, Flora, who had been contemplating, asked a puzzling question.
“Everything I’ve been doing so far, it’s all for the sake of my family, right?”
“Yes?”
“That… thing I said to Karsen.”
Emma put down her dessert and opened her eyes wide.
“Well, yes. Miss! That vulgar and filthy person who came to ruin the duke!”
It was the same thing she heard every time.
“What could someone who rolls in the back alleys possibly want? They can only think of devouring the duke with their dirty feet. Just like any other commoner!”
Threatening the duke.
Tainting the duke.
Lowering the duke’s prestige.
“That person is a calamity. They’re just an evil being who aims for Duke Karna’s position and after swallowing the duke, they will do whatever it takes to secure their own interests. No, they’re a demon!”
A demon who even aims for the position of the family members.
The nanny, Emma, had always said that.
“…That’s what it is, right? Karsen came from the outside. They came from the slums.”
“Yes! Don’t be swayed by whatever that person says, Miss Flora. It’s all sophistry, falsehood, and wicked flattery. Remember that.”
After repeatedly giving her warnings, Flora nodded her head.
“Yes, don’t worry.”
She said she would never fall for sophistry and falsehood.
She said she wouldn’t succumb to that wicked flattery.
But.
Even though she said it outwardly, Flora’s doubts did not disappear.
“Really, am I doing the right thing? Karsein… he doesn’t want anything?”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask Emma that question.