Ryuugoroshi no Sugosuhibi Chapter 10

「I can finally see it」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke could finally see Alice’s home as he flew forward.

『Looks like nothing changed since I left』Kousuke thought, but realized it was just a month so nothing should be different.

He began to descend towards the front door. As he tried to land he ended up smas.h.i.+ng face first into an invisible wall instead and immediately started to fall.

 

「Ow.. that hurt..」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke stood up while rubbing his face. Luckily, there were no serious wounds thanks to his superhuman specs. He only exclaimed being in pain out of habit.

 

「What is this?」(Kousuke)

 

He pressed his hands onto the wall and felt it repulsing his advance, it seemed he had no way of getting past it.

The sensation on his hands touching the wall was neither hot nor cold and it was perfectly smooth. He confirmed that the wall was quite thick and st.u.r.dy through random tapping. This invisible wall seemed like a giant, thick gla.s.s building surrounding the house.

Kousuke punched the wall with some strength and heard it groan and creak from the impact.

 

「It might break if I hit it any harder. Let’s not do that」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke figured that Alice erected this barrier with a purpose in mind. He didn’t want Alice to scold him so he decided against taking any actions that may inconvenience her.

 

「They’re probably not home if they’re putting this thing up」(Kousuke)

 

He had no idea what to do if that was the case. However, since he couldn’t figure out what to do in this situation, he decided to pick something randomly.

Becoming curious about the barrier’s shape, he decided to investigate it further.

He continually tapped and felt the barrier and finished his investigation in about thirty minutes. The barrier’s shape is a cube. He didn’t find any gaps so it seems there’s no way he can currently enter. 【TL: Headb.u.t.t, do it :)】

He didn’t see any signs of those two being home while investigating so he concluded that his previous guess was correct.

 

「What should I do now…?」(Kousuke)

 

Not knowing when they will return, Kousuke considered heading towards the town, Ricardo, instead. He had enough savings to last for about ten days on hand.

 

「I guess I’ll wait until the sun starts to set before heading to town」(Kousuke)

 

Deciding to wait a bit, Kousuke placed his luggage down. Since he got some free time until sunset he unsheathed his sword to gather some fencings to set up a farm plot.

The sword, with only small, minor scratches left, was restored rather well.

 

「That reminds me.. She wanted me to focus on cutting when I swing」(Kousuke)

 

He headed towards a nearby tree as he kept muttering「Cut? Slice?」quietly.

In his mind the way to use a kitchen knife suddenly appeared. 『The knife’s edge on the ingredient… Add a little pressure and pull the knife to slice…』 He planned to do something similar to the tree with his sword.

He warmed up his arm with a few swings and stood in front of the tree.

 

「Cut through!」(Kousuke)

 

While shouting, Kousuke swung his sword at the base of the tree.

The tree began to topple over slowly. He was able to brilliantly cut the tree down with one swing. However, he couldn’t tell if he was able to do it correctly since he wasn’t sure of the differences between a smas.h.i.+ng swing and a cutting swing.

『Is it something like this?』He pondered as he carried up the fallen tree onto his shoulder. It was certain that he couldn’t test this out numerous times. He didn’t need to chop down much in the first place and if he started to randomly deforest the area then Alice would obviously be furious.

He carried the tree back to where his luggage was, removed the branches, and chopped up the tree into smaller logs. He tied up the removed branches together before processing the logs further.

As Kousuke was processing the logs into fence pieces someone’s shadow appeared in front of him.

 

「Welcome back」(Unknown)

 

Kousuke looked up at the direction of the greeting and saw Alice floating in the air.

 

「Ah, I’m back. And welcome back!」(Kousuke)

「Mm, thanks. What are you doing?」(Alice)

「I was making some fencings to surround a farm plot. By the way, I had to cut down one tree for this. I might need to cut down one more later, it’s not a problem right?」(Kousuke)

「I don’t mind. But why farming? Did you make some good memories in the city about farming?」

「Not really. Since I’m just a freeloader here I wanted to help out with the food expenses a bit」(Kousuke)

「You know I’m filthy rich right? Money is the least of my concern. I won’t stop you though since I would like to have something fresh from time to time. Work hard and feed me something delicious alright? The only bad news is that you should have started this about two months ago」(Alice)

「Why?」(Kousuke)

「It’s because we’re heading to Ricardo now」(Alice)

 

Alice tapped the barrier and dispelled it. She led him into her home to help unpack.

 

「You can leave your farming tools here for now. Just bring some changes of clothes and money」(Alice)

「Oh, about the money」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke pulled out a pouch and handed it over to Alice.

 

「Here’s the money you lent me」(Kousuke)

 

Alice inspected the pouch’s content then handed it back to him.

 

「Huh?」(Kousuke)

「You pa.s.sed the test. You shouldn’t have any trouble living on your own now. As a reward, the money I lent you is yours now」(Alice)

「You sure?」(Kousuke)

「I told you already I’m filthy rich. The money for the sword and living expense I lent you won’t dent my bank at all. I intended to give you the money in the first place. I only said I’ll loan it to you so you would work harder」(Alice)

「That’s true, it really did motivate me」(Kousuke)

 

“Here’s to cover your living expenses”. “Make sure you make at least this much money”. If he was told differently Kousuke knew he would have slacked off. The word “Loan” really did help motivate him to work.

Feeling convinced of her reason, Kousuke went to his room to prepare before heading back to the living room with his luggage.

 

「I finished packing. Before we go, can you tell me why?」(Kousuke)

「Mhmm. I have no objections in telling you. Have a seat first」(Alice)

 

Once he sat down Alice began to explain.

 

「The reason I’m taking you with me to the city is related to Horun not being here. Horun went back home and is unable to leave at the moment. She’s not hurt or anything though」(Alice)

 

Kousuke’s expression changed hearing Horun’s inability to leave so Alice tried to calm him down with that last comment.

 

「Her father isn’t letting her leave. Horun just wanted to visit her parents, but her father is planning on using her for his political agenda. In other words, through political marriage. Oh, but it’s not like she’ll get married anytime soon. It’s still in the matchmaking phase. Of course, Horun’s opinion doesn’t matter here since the father is choosing」(Alice)

 

There are a lot of n.o.bles who have their eyes on Horun. Being able to gain connection with a count or earl through this marriage would blind most with greed. The benefits involved were too great for the n.o.bles to ignore. Horun’s healing abilities, her future potential, and gaining more connections through her family, who among the n.o.bles could resist this?

There were some that wanted Horun for good luck as well. She was able to avert the impossible and it instilled the notion that she may be blessed with something to ward off destruction. For the survival of their bloodline, many families would happily welcome someone like her as a daughter-in-law.

The father is planning on sifting through these various n.o.bles to find the one with the most benefits for himself.

 

「Marriage huh… What’s Horun’s thoughts on this?」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke wasn’t too familiar with the notion of political marriage so his reaction could be seen as weak.

 

「Obviously she doesn’t want anything to do with this. But Rafael doesn’t care about what she thinks about this」(Alice)

「Rafael is her father’s name?」(Kousuke)

 

Alice frowned as she nodded.

 

「Ignoring her opinion, wouldn’t the marriage fail as a result?」(Kousuke)

「I told you it was a political marriage right? The marriage will work out as long as both family benefits. The opinion of the couple? They don’t give a d.a.m.n about it. Plus, marriage through love among n.o.bility isn’t common」(Alice)

「n.o.bility and the such didn’t exist around where I grew up so I’m really unfamiliar with this situation」(Kousuke)

 

Alice told him he doesn’t really need to know much more than what was already explained. The real reason for this talk wasn’t to discuss about the inner workings of the n.o.bles after all.

 

「We got off track, let’s return to the main topic. I’m bringing you with me so you could protect Horun as her personal guard. As long as you protect her, I will be able to freely move」(Alice)

「Horun doesn’t have any bodyguards right now?」(Kousuke)

「She does, but they’re all Rafael’s underlings. They’re definitely there to keep their eyes on Horun during the marriage interview. It’s pretty obvious they will pressure her. Therefore, having your presence beside her is essential in helping her stay calm. Those are just be a part of your job though」(Alice)

「What else do you want me to do?」(Kousuke)

「I’m going to need your help when I break her out of the mansion」(Alice)

「… Wouldn’t that make the situation even more serious?」(Kousuke)

「If we succeed in escaping, probably yes」(Alice)

 

She nodded happily.

 

「The last thing I want is a wanted poster with my face on it!」(Kousuke)

「I’ll have everything prepared for the operation so you don’t have to worry so much. I’ll have a disguise prepared for you as well. No one will be able to tell it’s you. Plus, it’s not set in stone that we’ll have to break her out. If my negotiation with Rafael is successful then Horun can leave the mansion without a problem」(Alice)

「Negotiation?」(Kousuke)

「That’s something Horun and I will take care of. You just need to focus on keeping Horun safe」(Alice)

「By the way, what will you be negotiating with?」(Kousuke)

 

Being told to keep it a secret, Alice revealed to him the details.

 

「Rafael holds a surprisingly high status as a diplomat. The reason for his status is Horun. I told you how skilled of a healer she is right? There are many who have high expectations out of her to the point that there are numerous request for her medical examinations. The people who requests for her medical examinations are those with a lot of power and status. Rafael took advantage of this and went with her on one of the visits to further his status as a diplomat. He was able to deepen his connections by being very charismatic, but it was all thanks to Horun that he succeeded. The other parties know this already though. Since the other parties actually owe Horun the favor, it is possible to get them to support her instead of Rafael, even if it puts Rafael in a disadvantageous position. We plan on “warning” Rafael about that」(Alice)

「So you’re going to basically blackmail him」(Kousuke)

「Ohohoho. It’s just a negotiation about an uncertain future」(Alice)

「But.. Will Horun do something that would be detrimental to her own household?」(Kousuke)

「She probably won’t do something that’ll destroy the household and I don’t plan on letting that happen. If it’s something that causes Rafael’s position to drop a bit I’m certain the household won’t collapse. If it works out, he’ll have to take into account Horun’s opinion if he wants to make connections through those medical examinations. Well, it’s not like I plan on using this negotiation material off the bat」(Alice)

 

Depending on how the situation develops, Alice may use her connections to pressure Rafael as well.

Despite what he’s done, it’s not like Alice hates Rafael, but she definitely doesn’t like him. She probably doesn’t care much about him in the first place.

The reason why she’s interfering is because she despises parents who completely ignore their children’s wishes. Alice was an abandoned child. Her suffering as a child originated from growing up at an orphanage.

During her youth, she harbored deep resentment towards the existence of parents. She calmed down a bit as she grew up seeing that there were decent parents as well.

This was also the reason why Alice doesn’t allow Borudosu to call her mother.

 

「If it’s for Horun’s sake then I’ll keep quiet about it」(Kousuke)

「I can’t say it’ll be for her sake yet though. We can’t ignore the possibility that the marriage can become successful. But, as far as Horun is concerned, she doesn’t want to marry yet so since that’s the case I plan on helping her」(Alice)

「I’ve been in Horun’s care before and wish to help her as well. I have no objections about this plan」(Kousuke)

 

With the discussion finished the two headed out.

After Alice erected the barrier once more, she called Kousuke over and casted some sort of magic on him.

 

「What kind of magic did you just use on me?!? Why is my voice a little high?!」(Kousuke)

 

Trying to get Alice to explain what kind of magic was casted on him, Kousuke noticed his voice was a bit higher than usual.

 

「I casted two. One’s an illusion magic, the other one changes your voice」(Alice)

 

Kousuke quickly guessed what kind of appearance he currently has and it was as he thought.

Right now Kousuke’s appearance is that of a woman. She looked around fifteen of age. Black hair that grew down to the shoulder in a bob cut fas.h.i.+on. The body’s frame was a bit smaller and the height a bit shorter. The eyes were big, the nose was small and the lips were pink and plump. Eight out of ten people would definitely consider this girl as pretty.

The only unusual characteristic was the eye color. The right was black and the left was blue. She gave him an “odd eye” with a purpose in mind it seemed.

Since there weren’t any mirrors around, Kousuke had yet to understand how different he really looked.

Alice chose this appearance for him because being beautiful has its advantage for the operation. People would be more willing to turn a blind eye towards a beauty’s action, even if it’s a bit suspicious.

Everything was planned to give Kousuke as much advantage as possible.

 

「This is the disguise?」(Kousuke-chwan)

「Amazing right? Not only can it trick others into thinking you’re the opposite gender, the body you have is pretty much real and will feel things like a real body」(Alice)

 

Kousuke confirmed this by touching his arm and chest. Even though he got to grope a breast, he wasn’t happy knowing that it was his own.

 

「The magic won’t just suddenly end right? And is there a way to tell that I’m disguised with magic?」

「Just cast it on yourself each time it expires. The disguise should last around four hours. It’ll probably be discovered you’re using magic on yourself. No worries though, you’ll trick them by saying you’re using magic to seal your “Demon Eye”」(Alice)

「Demon.. Eye?」(Kousuke)

 

He then came to know about the “odd eye” he has.

“Demon Eye” is a gift someone may have. There are various types of abilities a.s.sociated with it like being able to see things as if in slow motion, being able to see extremely far, or being able to unravel the truth.

All wielders of a “Demon Eye”, are without exceptions, heterochromatic. It’s also a common practice to have the “Demon Eye’s” power sealed using magic or magic tools. The wielder can turn it on or off at any time, but it can accidently turn on for a brief moment. To prevent any accidents, the wielder would keep the eye sealed unless they absolutely needed to use it.

 

「I see, so what’s the ability my “Demon Eye” has in case I’m asked?」(Kousuke)

「Superior dynamic vision should be fine. I’m sure you can already do something similar」(Alice)

 

Since the plan wasn’t to just showcase the “Demon Eye”, other small details like this were discussed.

The two casted《Flight》and flew towards Ricardo.

It was almost dusk when they reached the town.

Alice led the way the through the town dyed with a vibrant night life. Their destination was an extremely expensive looking inn.

Alice grabbed a key from the reception and pa.s.sed it over to Kousuke. It seemed she rented out two rooms next to each other earlier.

 

「This is your room’s key. This place will be our base of operation for a while so try to keep the address memorized」(Alice)

「Got it」(Kousuke)

 

This inn operated similarly to s.h.i.+di’s inn. The only difference would be that there’s a bath in the room and they deliver the meals to the room as well. They’ll also do your laundry, but this time around to prevent detection he’ll have to do it himself.

He unpacked his things into his room then headed to Alice’s.

Apparently there was someone Alice wanted him to meet, but since the person was taking too long the two of them discussed what Kousuke did for the past month.

While they talked, dinner was brought to their room.

 

「You could have just accepted a big job to easily get a lot of money」(Alice)

「Safety first」(Kousuke)

「You say that but you ended up fighting against a Violent Barb, pretty sure that wasn’t safe」(Alice)

「Choosing to abandon them.. I doubt I can ever do that」(Kousuke)

「That may be so. Still, to be able to uproot a Violent Barb… I never heard anyone doing that before. It’s a method only useable for people with superhuman strength」(Alice)

「How do people normally defeat it?」(Kousuke)

「Usually with magic or poison. Use a magic that can pierce into the ground to kill it or heat the earth to smoke it out of the ground. You can also poison it with a strong herbicide by injecting it into one of its roots, it’ll take some time though. You weren’t taught these things before so I told you that you can’t defeat it」(Alice)

 

A knock from the door resounded through the room.

Alice opened the door and saw one of the inn’s staff.

 

「Pardon the intrusion Ms. Alice but there’s a guest requesting to visit you. Shall I allow the guest through?」(Staff)

「The person that came is an elderly woman correct?」(Alice)

「Yes」(Staff)

「Then allow her to pa.s.s」(Alice)

 

The inn staff bowed and left at the response.

Five minutes later an old woman with a calm demeanor was lead to Alice’s room by the inn’s staff. Kousuke noticed that this elderly woman’s appearance was similar to how his disguise looked.

 

「Kousuke, let me introduce her to you. She’s Horun’s attendant, Gretzel. Tomorrow I’ll have you enter the mansion under the ident.i.ty of Gretzel’s granddaughter」(Alice)

 

Gretzel has a granddaughter, but she doesn’t have a grandson. This information is known to Rafael and his subordinates. To infiltrate the mansion it became necessary to basically cross dress for Kousuke.

 

「Umm.. It’s nice to meet you, my name is Watase Kousuke」(Kousuke)

 

Seeing Kousuke bowing, Gretzel returned one as well.

 

「Nice to meet you as well, I’m Gretzel Norman. I apologize for dragging you into this mess」(Gretzel)

「Gretzel has taken care of Horun since she was a baby. She basically views Horun as if she’s her daughter. So despite Rafael being her employer she wishes to side with Horun instead and decided to a.s.sist us with our operation」(Alice)

「Ojousama doesn’t want to marry so of course I’ll provide a.s.sistance」(Gretzel)

 

Her att.i.tude and manner really showed that Horun was her number one concern.

 

「Why do I need to be considered as Mrs. Gretzel’s granddaughter to enter the mansion? Wouldn’t it be the same thing if either of you simply recommended me the job?」(Kousuke)

「Alice’s family is in the mansion as well as someone pregnant. It’ll be very difficult to try to get some unknown person into the mansion. So we’ll use the pretext that Gretzel is having trouble working due to her age for your entry as the granddaughter coming here to a.s.sist her. The years Gretzel here has worked in the mansion has earned her a great deal of trust. They’ll a.s.sume it’ll be alright since its Gretzel’s granddaughter so they’ll be lax with your background check」(Alice)

 

Rafael doesn’t harbor any suspicion towards Gretzel at the moment since she has not voiced her disapproval of Horun’s political marriage.

 

「I’ve already received Rafael-sama’s permission on this matter. It’s also a fact that work these days is taking a toll on me」(Gretzel)

「Kousuke, tomorrow you will act as though Gretzel is your grandmother and your name will be Yui. Don’t forget this alright?」(Alice)

「I’ll try my best」(Kousuke)

 

This will be his first time acting. He started to feel nervous thinking he might screw up. He’s never acted in a play before, even an elementary school one.

Seeing him fretting about, Gretzel gave him a comforting smile.

 

「You don’t have to be so nervous. There’s no one in the mansion that knows Yui so even if your behavior isn’t like hers, no one will notice. You just need to remember the names, speak politely and never openly be rude to anyone else. Majority of the job just requires you to attend Ojousama, also some small housework and garden maintenance. Quite simple right?」(Gretzel)

「… If it’s just that then I should be fine」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke inquired further about the details of the mansion and felt a little relieved.

 

「By the way, does my current appearance match your granddaughter?」(Kousuke)

「There is no resemblance at all. She is definitely good looking, but pales in comparison to you」(Gretzel)

 

Apparently, the real Yui’s appearance did not take after Gretzel’s side of the family but of another’s instead.

As they continued the discussion a doubt arose in his mind which lead him to inquire further about Gretzel’s family. It was just in case since he probably didn’t need to know the details of Gretzel’s family relations.h.i.+ps.

Gretzel headed back to the mansion about an hour later. She wanted to inform Horun that Kousuke will be working at the mansion starting tomorrow.

When Gretzel left, Alice taught Kousuke how to cast the illusion spell to maintain his disguise. Alice dispelled his current disguise and asked him to cast it himself to make sure there aren’t any discrepancies.

After making two small adjustments he got her “Okay” and headed back to his room.

It’s been decided he will go to the mansion tomorrow morning around 8 o’clock.

 

The following day, Kousuke woke up on time and is currently standing in front of the mansion. Of course, with his disguise on. He’s wearing the woman’s clothing he received last night. He felt a bit uncomfortable wearing something he’s not used to, a skirt.

Alice is currently speaking with the gatekeeper to get Gretzel for them. If Alice was alone she could pa.s.s through without any issues, but she has Kousuke with him so she needed to get permission for him first.

While waiting for Gretzel, Kousuke was observing the mansion. Ever since he came to this world, it was by far the largest building he’s seen so far. The front courtyard was so big it could probably fit the neighboring houses onto it with ease.

The main building has three floors and the windows were fitted with gla.s.s. Kousuke was able to see a few faint presences of people through the windows. There were two side buildings, both of which were above average in size compared to the nearby houses. In the front courtyard were three gardeners taking care of the flower beds. There was even someone taking care of a horse.

While absentmindedly taking in the view, Gretzel came out from one of the side buildings. Gretzel approached the front gate slowly and testified that Kousuke is her granddaughter. Kousuke was able to go through the front gate after that.

He was amazed at how big the courtyard was from the inside.

 

「Horun is currently living separately from the main building」(Gretzel)

 

Gretzel responded seeing Kousuke’s questioning face as he stared at the main building.

 

「I didn’t even say anything.. How did you figure that out?」(Kousuke)

「You were staring at the mansion in an odd way so anyone would be able to figure that out」(Alice)

 

Hearing Alice’s response he suppressed the emotions on his face.

 

「My expression was that obvious?」(Kousuke)

 

Gretzel smiled at Kousuke. She seemed amused by Kousuke’s expression and gave off a pleasant aura.

 

「Ojousama is not living in the main building for the purpose of security. The main building usually have many n.o.ble guests visiting throughout the day. To prevent the opportunity for any of them to creep into her room, we relocated her living quarters. To begin with, that separated building was for Ojousama’s use so it wasn’t inconvenient for her to move into it」(Gretzel)

「Were there past cases like that?」(Kousuke)

「There are some foolish individuals that think if they do that to force the marriage through after the fact and come here under the false pretense of a marriage interview. In fact, two people were thrown out so far for attempting」(Gretzel)

 

As they conversed they arrived at the separated building.

They gave a light greeting to Rafael’s security force as they entered the building. Two maids inside were bustling about cleaning the place. The two maids, one had short, red hair that looked slightly older and the other had long, white hair.

 

「Meryl, Serena. Please come here for a moment」(Gretzel)

 

Gretzel called the two maids over.

The two maids were introduced to Kousuke by Gretzel.

 

「As you were told earlier, this child is here to a.s.sist me with my work starting from today. Even though it’ll only be for a short while please get along with her. Come here and introduce yourself」(Gretzel)

「Nice to meet you, my name is Yui. I may be inexperienced and lacking in some aspects but I will work hard and do my best. I look forward to working with the two of you」(Kousuke)

「My name’s Meryl. Best regards」(Meryl)

「My name is Serena. I look forward to working with you as well」(Serena)

 

Thinking Kousuke might be nervous, the two maids gave him a friendly introduction.

Meryl’s the redhead, it seemed she’s at least 20 years old. Serena’s the white haired one, she seemed around 17. 【TL: I didn’t want to write “Whitehead”, seemed nasty】

 

「Since that’s done, please continue with the cleaning. I’ll need both of you to give this child various instructions later on, I’ll be relying on you two」(Gretzel)

「Please leave it to us」(Meryl)

「We’ll thoroughly teach her the ropes」(Serena)

 

Both of them bowed and Serena waved at Kousuke before heading back to cleaning.

 

「They’re very good girls, they make my life easier. Alright, follow me, I’ll take you to the room Ojousama is currently in」(Gretzel)

 

They climbed up the left hand stairs and knocked on the room furthest down on the right before entering. The room was a study with bookshelves and shelves with various apparatuses displayed. Towards the end of the room was a table with a very comfortable looking chair next to it. Horun was seated there while reading a book.

 

「Ojousama. I’ve brought Alice and Yui here for you」(Gretzel) 【TL: I actually forgot Alice came along】

 

Since they couldn’t be certain who might be listening even inside this building, they kept up the charade that Kousuke is Yui.

Horun placed the book down and stood up to greet them.

 

「You must be Gretzel-san’s granddaughter. I have been under Gretzel-san’s care ever since I was a child. I will be in your care as well」(Horun)

 

She approached them as she greeted and grasps Kousuke’s hand. And whispers softly, “Welcome back” to him.

Kousuke nods slightly at her before greeting her back as Yui.

 

「You guys can stop worrying about the surroundings. There’s no one lurking nearby」(Alice)

 

Alice used her magic to inspect the nearby area and gave permission to relax for now.

 

「Alice, thank you. Once again, welcome back Kousuke」(Horun)

「I’m back. How should put this… seems like it’s quite a messy situation huh?」(Kousuke)

「Since Alice is able to freely move now I’m sure there will be no more problems」(Horun)

「Are you alright with the marriage interview being cancelled?」(Kousuke)

「If I was a typical n.o.ble then a political marriage may be an obligation I must fulfill. But I feel that my responsibilities as a n.o.ble is already finished. The only obligation I was given to fulfill was to be a sacrifice and since I’ve already fulfilled that obligation I feel that I deserve to be live freely. I’m probably only thinking this way because I was never raised and educated to be a n.o.ble in the first place.」(Horun)

 

The talk of a marriage interview was simply a stroke of good luck Rafael stumbled upon and won’t cause him any serious losses if were to disappear. Compared to a marriage interview failing which can be played off by saying they aren’t compatible, the worst would be cancelling an engagement right before the deadline. Crus.h.i.+ng the marriage interview before it becomes an engagement will prevent Rafael’s loss from being too great.

So for Horun, who has no intention to marry yet, she has no reason to reject the plan to crush the marriage interview.

 

「Ojousama, would it alright if I may bring Kousuke downstairs to the begin working with the other two?」(Gretzel)

「Do you think they’ll become suspicious if it takes any longer? Sorry Kousuke, let’s continue our conversation later then. I’m looking forward to hearing about what you did during the past month」(Horun)

 

Horun continued her reading as the rest left.

 

「Well then, Yui, please follow those two’s instructions from now on」(Gretzel)

 

Kousuke nodded and headed towards the two maids that were still cleaning.

Alice and Gretzel headed to the main building to report to Rafael about Kousuke’s (Yui’s) arrival.