Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 164: The Van Dyne Residence
A maid escorted Tauro, Aeris, and four Royal Guard knights into the Van Dyne residence. Six additional knights remained outside, ready to enter immediately if anything went wrong.
A line of maids and servants greeted Aeris inside.
Nearly two years had passed since she last entered her family’s Royal Capital residence, and only a few of the servants she remembered remained.
Among them was Mei, the head maid, who had always been close to Aeris and cared deeply for her. Tears filled Mei’s eyes when she saw the girl again. Several other longtime servants were equally moved by how much Aeris had grown.
Aeris nearly cried as well, but she forced herself to remain composed before confronting her mother.
An elderly man she didn’t recognize, apparently the new chief steward, sharply rebuked the emotional servants. Mei stepped forward to shield them from his anger and offered to guide Aeris’s party herself.
The steward immediately turned his hostility toward her.
“Enough,” Aeris said coldly. “Will you expose House Van Dyne’s disgrace before the Royal Guard instead of properly receiving your guests? Mei will show us in.”
The man fell silent.
“Yes, Lady Aeris. Please follow me.”
Mei bowed and led them toward the reception room.
She wore round glasses, and her long purple hair was arranged in a bun. She was an attractive woman of about twenty-six, with a mature figure and kind eyes that remained fixed on Aeris with concern.
Mei clearly wanted to speak, but the presence of unfamiliar servants kept her silent. After bringing the party to the reception room, she bowed again and withdrew with the other maids.
Aeris wanted to call her back, but the opportunity passed.
While they waited, the sound of a crying baby gradually approached. The cries reached their loudest just as the door opened.
The Marchioness of Van Dyne entered with the infant in her arms.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
“My darling Aeris! I heard that a terrible misunderstanding had occurred, and your mother was heartbroken. This poor child was also—”
“Waaah! Waaah!”
The baby’s cries overwhelmed the Marchioness’s performance before she could complete three sentences.
“This child is crying from sorrow for you as well,” she added loudly.
Then she forced a smile.
“But this is a discussion for adults. We should allow the grieving child to rest elsewhere.”
She handed the infant to a maid. The baby stopped crying almost the instant the maid took hold, making the situation so absurd that Tauro and the others struggled not to react.
“Now then…” the Marchioness began again.
“Excuse me!” Tauro interrupted. “My stomach suddenly hurts. May I use the bathroom?”
“Then I’ll have a maid guide—”
“He can find it himself, Mother,” Aeris said. She gave Tauro directions, and he quickly left the room.
The moment he was out of sight, Tauro activated [Presence Concealment] and headed directly toward the office Aeris had described.
According to her, the large custom-made safe was probably located there. It was too heavy to move and secured by three separate locks. One was magical and responded to House Van Dyne’s magic. Aeris intended to release that lock from the reception room by extending her barrier magic through the mansion.
The remaining two locks required physical keys normally carried by the Marchioness and the steward. Tauro didn’t have either key, but he intended to open the locks himself. With the dexterity granted by [Precision] and [Divine Archer], his hands could perform tasks that would have been nearly impossible for an ordinary person. Locks in this world were also much simpler than the ones he remembered from his previous life.
When he reached the office, its door stood slightly ajar.
[Presence Detection] revealed someone inside, and [True Eye] showed the person’s outline. Tauro carefully looked through the gap.
Mei was hurriedly searching through a desk drawer.
A massive safe stood behind the desk, and one key had already been inserted into one of its locks.
It appeared that Tauro and the head maid had come for the same reason.