“I’d like to check myself, but I can’t leave my post. If you don’t mind, Miss Windsor, could you find out what happened?”
Just as I expected.
The moment the chef finished speaking, a new notification appeared.
[A quest has arrived.]
▶ The Whereabouts of the Forgotten Merchant Guild
Once, the merchant company Luden Trading Company specialized in supplying food ingredients to Belmont Castle.
However, their deliveries suddenly stopped. As a result, certain ingredients have become difficult to obtain within the castle, and essential supplies such as salt and spices are now in danger of running out!
Discover why contact with Luden Trading Company was cut off and resume trade!
— Map of the Belmont Duchy
— Rewards
· 3,000 Diamonds
· Chef Affection
I knew there was no way he’d bring this up for no reason.
And it looked like this quest would take place outside the castle.
I’ll take a closer look at the duchy map later.
Just as the corners of my lips started to curl up with excitement, the chef added worriedly,
“However, leaving the castle requires His Grace’s permission.”
“Really?”
Even better.
I had been planning to visit the duke anyway.
“In that case, Chef, I’ll ask the head maid to see whether His Grace would be willing to have lunch with me.”
“Huh? If that’s the case…”
Reluctantly setting down the bread that still smelled wonderfully of butter, I said,
“Could you prepare lunch, then? And please save this bread for me. I’m definitely eating it as a snack afterward.”
“O-of course! Though it’s been such a long time since His Grace came here… I’m not sure whether he’ll agree to come…”
Ah, right.
I’d casually asked before, and he had declined because of poor health.
And while I’d stayed up all night, Edwin had practically done the same. Would he really be okay?
As I was thinking that, the chef suddenly muttered in a voice dripping with regret.
“Still… I would be happy if His Grace visited and tasted how much the food has improved. The last time he came here, I couldn’t serve him a proper meal…”
He sounded like a dumped ex-boyfriend full of lingering feelings.
“Wait. N-now that I think about it, there might even have been foreign matter in the food. I was too distracted at the time to notice! His Grace must have been upset, yet he only smiled at me.”
“Oh, wow…”
“If I had the chance, I’d like to make up for it by serving him a proper meal just once. If he would come one more time, I’d never make such a foolish mistake again! Sob… sobbbb!”
Wait.
Now that I heard it like this, it really did sound that way.
I treated you badly before, didn’t I? But I’ll do better this time. I’ve changed a lot. I’m a better person now. I don’t even play games or drink anymore.
The chef continued his ex-boyfriend-style rambling before suddenly looking up at me.
“If you can bring His Grace to the dining room, Miss Windsor, I will prepare the finest meal possible.”
“Ah, okay…”
Would that really work? Hahaha.
I nodded, silently hoping that the good version of the duke would accept the invitation if only for the chef’s sake.
****
In a dim bedroom darkened by heavy curtains,
Edwin Belmont slowly opened his eyes.
The vivid red eyes that emerged from the darkness moved sluggishly as he assessed his surroundings. Unlike the twisted madness of the night before, his gaze was cold and dry.
The time…
Though the curtains were drawn, the light filtering through the gaps suggested that morning had long since passed.
As Edwin instinctively tried to sit up, he frowned at the heavy sensation wrapped around his body.
Clank.
As if confirming his suspicion, the dull sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the room.
Only then did he lower his gaze.
“Ha.”
Thick chains were wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso.
The shackles had even been layered several times over, completely restricting his movement.
“…He’s really trying everything.”
His quiet voice carried undisguised disbelief.
Still, it didn’t take him long to understand why this had happened.
Most likely, it was retaliation for openly trying to interfere with the other’s movements.
His other self had always been like that.
Whenever things didn’t go his way, or whenever he felt slighted, he inevitably acted like this.
A form of self-harm that arrived without warning.
As always, it was a method that made conversation impossible.
No, wait.
Things didn’t go his way?
There was no reason for that bastard to go this far if he’d simply fallen asleep drenched in blood like usual.
After twisting his body a few times to test the tension of the chains, Edwin let out an irritated sigh and grabbed the chain wrapped around his leg.
Crack!
The sturdy chain shattered.
If his other self’s defining trait was the monstrous strength granted by their strange body, then Edwin Belmont himself was, above all else, an exceptional magic swordsman who valued reason.
To someone who could manipulate mana freely, breaking steel chains was hardly difficult.
Just then, a familiar knock sounded.
“Your Grace. Did you call?”
“Come in.”
The head maid cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. The moment she saw Edwin wrapped in chains, she visibly shrank back in surprise.
“D-do you need help?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Rattle.
After removing the remaining chains, Edwin slowly stepped down from the bed.
“As for today’s meal—”
“Is she dead?”
The sudden interruption made the head maid stop mid-sentence.
“Pardon?”
“My new fiancée.”
What did he mean by that?
After briefly considering the intent behind his words, she answered honestly.
“She is alive.”
“She isn’t dead…?”
Even though he’d suspected as much, his expression turned strange.
That bastard had definitely gone out last night, yet he couldn’t believe he’d left the most troublesome person alive.
Watching him carefully, the head maid brought up the matter she had been saving.
“Actually, Miss Windsor was wondering whether you might join her for lunch today.”
“Lunch.”
When Edwin looked at her, she continued as though she’d been waiting for the opportunity.
“She said the chef has put a great deal of effort into preparing the meal, and if your health isn’t well—”
“Very well.”
“Pardon?”
Her face turned fully toward him in surprise.
Meeting her pitch-black eyes without any particular reaction, Edwin repeated himself.
“I’ll join them for lunch today.”
“Ah! Miss Windsor will be delighted, Your Grace.”
That woman would be delighted…
Why did that matter?
Why did the head maid, whose voice was always the same, suddenly sound different?
Pointless curiosity.
Mocking himself inwardly, Edwin replied absentmindedly.
“Will she?”
That strange woman who was slowly bringing change to this cursed, dreadful place.
A woman boldly called by name in a place where no one else seemed to have one.
And the woman whom he had encountered… yet failed to kill.
No.
Had he failed to kill her, or had he simply chosen not to?
That was something Edwin would have to see with his own eyes.
If she had been spared because of some improper fascination, and if she was interesting enough to attract his attention…
Then perhaps I should be the one to eliminate her.
At first, Edwin had worried that the woman bringing change to the castle would become another innocent victim of him.
Now, however, he found himself curious about her.
And wary of her.
Of course, perhaps she had only survived because of a passing whim.
Even so…
“I’m curious.”
At the very least, he needed to meet her.
With a faint sense of unease, Edwin began to prepare.
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