I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 114

 

“Father.”

 

Duke’s emotionless eyes turned to Carson. It was a different look than the one he had given Sylvia or Leen.

 

But Carson spoke as if it were nothing new, “What does Father think?”

 

“Leen is in a good place.”

 

“That’s not what I asked. …Of course, I made sure Leen was tucked into bed.”

 

“Good, I hope you won’t do anything stupid.”

 

“Am I a beast?”

 

An unspoken affirmation crossed the Duke’s face.

 

“…This darn father.”

 

With a small pause, he recalled Leen sobbing in his arms.

 

She had cried for a long time, exhausted herself, and passed out.

 

The two father and son were clumsy at such times, and they didn’t know how to comfort Leen.

 

All they could do was lend their arms to her until she cried herself to sleep.

 

That clumsy comfort worked. Leen’s tears continued to fall until she finally confessed what she had been thinking.

 

Though not all of it.

 

Carson’s eyes narrowed and asked, “It’s strange, isn’t it?”

 

The Duke nodded quietly.

 

“If I merely liked her, I wouldn’t have thought it would cause a family feud.”

 

“That’s what I thought, too. Something about Shrek or Rex or something must have made Leen really freaked out.”

 

Here’s what Leen told me.

 

That Rex Begonia was in love with her. That there was a connection between her aunt’s family, the Counts of Armeria, and the Duchess of Begonia, and that she hadn’t been able to cut him off until now.

 

Also, Begonia and Lysianthus.

 

That she didn’t want to cause a rift between the two dukedoms, so she tried to leave for a place where she knew no one.

 

But Carson sensed a contradiction in Leen’s words.

 

Leen liked the people of the Count’s household. From the sounds of it, she almost considered them like her parents…

 

I have never known Erhan, who was the Count’s heir, but I have known Luca, who was Leen’s cousin, and they were very close.

 

They even kissed on the darn cheeks.

 

So it’s understandable that they didn’t take Rex Begonia out of harm’s way.

 

But…

 

“It doesn’t make sense that Leen would think of leaving the Count’s people behind to go elsewhere.”

 

If she hadn’t been able to defeat him in the first place for fear of retaliation from the Duchy of Begonia to the Count, she shouldn’t have been able to think of running away.

 

Carson’s expression turned cold.

 

Otherwise…

 

Or that Rex Begonia was so dreadful that she would flee alone, abandoning the people she loved.

 

“Oh, come to think of it, Leen once said it would be terrifying to have someone spying on you.”

 

“Spying?”

 

“I wonder if this has something to do with him?”

 

…It’s not just Leen, anyone would think that.

 

The Duke tilted his head obliquely and asked, “How did you come to say that?”

 

“Once upon a time, I was caught trying to follow Leen.”

 

The Duke’s face crumpled at Carson’s words.

 

“You may be my son, but it’s disgusting.”

 

“I thought I resembled his mother?”

 

“…Only for the color of your hair.”

 

“Hmph.”

 

Carson folded his lashes slowly and said, “It’s been a long time since you’ve had to dispose of a corpse, hasn’t it, Father?”

 

The Duke thought about the last few mages he’d killed, then spoke slowly.

 

“Yes, it has been a long time.”

 

Carson spoke lightly, as if suggesting a walk.

 

“Let’s get some breathing space first, in case Leen wants to take care of this herself.”

 

“That’s a lot of work for a while.”

 

“Well, since she’ll be living with your mother, you can work fewer hours, right?”

 

“What are you talking about? Now that I know Leen’s feelings, I’m satisfied. From now on, starting tomorrow, I’ll be in the guest room.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“…”

 

The Duke waved Carson’s words away, hoping for the future.

 

No doubt, Carson would be a better Duke than he was.

 

🍃

 

I have decided not to leave the Dukes of Lysianthus and Carson.

 

To seek their help. I chose to rely on them. 

 

But my failure to tell them the full story of what happened between Rex Begonia and Erhan…

 

‘I wasn’t ready yet.’

 

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the people of the Duke of Lysianthus.

 

They have shown me enough faith, I have no doubt. But it took a lot of courage for me to bring up what happened then.

 

It was something I had kept hidden for a long time.

 

A terrible, horrible memory that I hadn’t told anyone about.

 

Rex Begonia.

 

How was I supposed to recite what happened without preparation when just thinking of the name caused me so much pain?

 

Even the use of a recording pen makes my hands shake with trauma, how could I possibly do that so easily?

 

But I decided to trust them, so it wouldn’t take long for me to get my bearings.

 

After all, the magic of the Companion’s Seal prevented me from running away.

 

Unlike before, there was plenty of time.

 

For now…

 

The fact that I didn’t have to leave was enough for the moment. I was happy.

 

I sighed softly at the empty space across my chest.

 

“From here, it doesn’t seem as though there is anything pinned on it…”

 

Strained to find even the slightest trace. But the surface was smooth, and I gave up looking and sat back in my chair.

 

I was relieved to see no trace of the magic on my skin. But somehow, I felt disappointed.

Suddenly, a letter from Hans caught my eye.

 

Without thinking, I opened it and read it.

 

「I heard from Lord Erhan, the eldest son of the Count of Armeria. He needs money urgently.

 

It’s not difficult for me to lend you money, but I find it a little strange that he’s putting so much emphasis on you and your family and selling your name.

 

I thought it was only right to contact you first.

 

But he doesn’t seem to realize that you have more money than most nobles.

 

Well, you didn’t want him to know you were the one who developed all those things, so I can understand why you didn’t tell your cousin.

 

What do you want me to do? Help him?」

 

…Ah. Here we go.

 

Rex Begonia must have started to move. He’s been trying to get at Erhan since I graduated from the Arena Academy and didn’t return to the Count’s household.

 

That I had joined the Duke of Lysianthus as a maidservant was known only to my closest friends.

 

But it’s only a matter of time before Rex Begonia finds out.

 

How else did Erhan know I was related to Hans?

 

It was outrageous. Erhan, now you’re trying to extend your hand to my friend.

 

But it wasn’t the only thing I didn’t like about this situation.

 

“It’s me who’ll thank you if you touch Erhan instead of someone else, especially if it’s for money.”

 

I grabbed a quill and started writing without hesitation.

 

「Dear Hans, I have a favor to ask you.」

 

🍃

 

I chased after the teacup with a flick of my gaze, my head swiveling.

 

Once it landed in Carson’s hand, then in the Duchess’s, and then again.

 

I couldn’t believe that all of these actions were being performed by magic, not physics.

 

The Duchess smiled at Carson sheepishly.

 

“Will you give up now, my son?”

 

“I’m sure my mother will soon be spellbound.”

 

“Oho, no need to worry about losing control, I’ve got a few hours left in me.”

 

At that, Carson’s eyebrows knit together ruefully.

 

“Oh, no. A few hours is a lot for my mother.”

 

“You want to tell me again what you said?”

 

This might get us into a fight. I clap my hands together and apart, and both heads turn to me.

 

“How about this, to be fair, I take the tea.”

 

“No way. You dare me to get water on your hands?”

 

“No. This is non-negotiable.”

 

Why, technically, it’s my job as a maid to get in the tea. I let out a small sigh. It’s nice to be loved, but this was a bit much.

 

It certainly was. The two of them were now vying with each other to get the first tea.

 

The Duchess spoke up, taking the teacup from me once more with her magic.

 

“I was the one who bought Leen’s time in the first place, my son.”

 

“Buying Leen’s precious time is a bit of a strong word.”

 

“That’s what I meant. You should be grateful that I didn’t kick you out of our private tea time.”

 

“I think there’s a difference between kicking me out and giving me a tea.”

 

“Enough!”

 

I snatched at the teacup that was shifting in front of my eyes.

 

“Can’t we just agree that the Duchess will take me out to tea today, and Carson will do the same tomorrow?”

 

At my suggestion, the pair of heads finally nodded affirmatively.

 

“Not a bad idea.”

 

“I’ll give in this time.”

 

It was a moment of dramatic compromise.

 

“The water has cooled in the meantime.”

 

The Duchess ordered a maid to bring the water back to a boil.

 

I shook my head in disbelief and asked, “Isn’t it possible to boil water quickly with magic?”

 

“Oh, well, you don’t have to use magic for every little thing, and sometimes it’s just as elegant and nice to use the traditional method.”

 

… To use such a large amount of magic for a mere teacup dispute.

 

In fact, even her maids of honor were not always with her at tea time as I was.

 

Instead, maids of honor are required to stand by the Duchess’s side, talk to her to keep her from getting bored, and listen to her ramblings.

 

But I was only a maidservant, and I was being treated like a guest of honor…

 

‘Not that I hated this life.’

 

It allowed me to spend most of my days with herbs.

 

As long as I chose to stay in Lysianthus and try to make things work with Carson, I had nothing to lose.

 

I would be the beloved daughter-in-law of the Duke and Carson’s wife.

 

So now all I had to do was…

 

Minus my relationship with Carson and our progress. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone all the way, but the progress I’m talking about has been a little different.

 

The point of this was to make contact with Carson without the use of any control spells.

 

Little by little, I’d increase the amount of contact, and eventually, I’d lock lips with him without magic.

 

We’re going to be together for the rest of our lives, and I simply wouldn’t be able to rely on control spells forever.

 

Once I’ve made up my mind, I won’t hesitate. I won’t have to hold back. I opened my mouth, a smirk on my face.

 

“Duchess, Caon. I need to speak to you at length.”