Chapter 118: The Scheming Trio
“And so—here I am!”
“Which part of that explanation actually explains anything…?”
Ryu had just finished bathing and was in his room with Esther, leisurely eating ice cream, when the Marquis Grace abruptly appeared at his door as if the entire thing had been prearranged by fate.
“Oh, that ice cream looks good. I want some too.”
“I’ll have some prepared. Please wait a moment…”
And so, for reasons no one could properly articulate, the three of them found themselves eating ice cream together.
“Esther, it’s been a while.”
“It has indeed. To think that the insolent little brat I once knew would grow into an even more insolent high-ranking noble…”
“You haven’t changed at all! Hahaha!”
“Silence, you whelp!”
(I see… so these two knew each other.)
During his student years, Marquis Grace had lived in the capital for three years. It would not be strange for him to be acquainted with Esther. As an elite apothecary patronized by the highest nobility, she must have met him during negotiations over elixir transactions.
“I heard you’re living here. Is that true?”
“Mm. I’ve received permission from Ryu to stay as a lodger.”
“As you know, Marquis, she is Arden’s great benefactor. We cannot possibly leave someone like her in that haunted mansion. Especially considering security concerns.”
“But surely you’ve received invitations from countless nobles—including His Majesty—to reside with them? You’ve declined every one of them. And yet you chose to live at Arden’s estate… Could it be something happened during the Hinomaru expedition?”
There were countless royals and nobles who coveted Esther’s presence. Every time she conducted elixir business, she was invited to live under someone’s protection—and she refused them all.
For someone like her to settle at Arden’s estate must have shocked more than just Marquis Grace.
“Mm…”
Caught by the sharp question, Esther hesitated.
Ryu answered in her stead.
“We became extremely close during the Hinomaru expedition. I simply pressed the issue while the momentum was on my side.”
“For Ryu-kun to open his heart to someone… that’s rare.”
“What exactly do you think of me…?”
“A siscon tsundere viscount.”
“Please stop. What if that spreads…?”
“Changing the subject—Marquis Grace, you arrived in the capital today, correct?”
“Mm. Well-informed.”
“On a day like that, shouldn’t you be spending time with your daughter?”
“Well… Flora told me earlier that I was ‘extremely disgusting.’”
“…What on earth did you do?”
“I merely asked if she would wash my back in the bath sometime.”
“Ugh… gross…”
“Simply repulsive,” Esther added flatly.
“Guh…! Those words are lethal to me right now…”
The marquis clutched his chest, visibly shaken. He seemed genuinely wounded.
“So you fled here to escape Flora-sama? Under the pretext of discussing the port town development plan? How pitiful.”
“Exactly. A most convenient excuse.”
After laying bare one another’s recent affairs, Ryu casually shifted the conversation.
“By the way, Marquis Grace… would you happen to have any interest in a ducal title?”
“Interest? It has been my lifelong ambition…”
His tone darkened slightly.
“…You’re planning to destroy the House of Blake, aren’t you?”
““!?””
“How did you know…?”
“Flora mentioned earlier that the fourth son of House Blake may have set his sights on Lena-chan. I assumed you must be furious, Ryu-kun. But I didn’t expect you to be considering toppling a ducal house. You’re as entertaining as ever.”
He continued, more seriously now.
“I dislike the House of Blake as well. We’ve exchanged our fair share of underhanded blows over the years. But… I think you should refrain from destroying them entirely.”
“…Why?”
“The current Duchess of Blake is the younger sister of Duke Mondo. If you act, you’d best limit it to the fourth son alone.”
“I see…”
Recently, Ryu had requested a grand fleet from the Empress for the Hinomaru expedition. Those ships had been provided by House Mondo. Marquis Grace undoubtedly knew that.
“Repaying kindness with hostility is something you’d despise most, wouldn’t you? I thought I should mention it.”
“…………”
This was news to both Ryu and Esther.
Klim’s malicious rumors were no mere childish prank. In truth, he had invested considerable funds and manpower to spread them. Had his target been a weaker noble house, the consequences could have severed trade ties with merchants and other nobles alike—crippling them for over a decade.
Frankly, the House of Blake would have had little room to complain if such recklessness led to its downfall.
Esther asked quietly, “Was the sister close to Duke Mondo?”
“Duke Mondo harbors a rather one-sided complex about her.”
“Are all nobles in this country hopeless sister-obsessed fools? What is wrong with this Empire?”
“Quite right.”
“You are hardly in a position to speak,” Esther shot back. “Being called ‘disgusting’ by your own daughter is no small feat.”
“…Ugh.”
Ryu, who had been leaning on the desk in thought, finally lifted his face.
“…Then I’ll refrain. I owe House Mondo a debt.”
“That’s the Ryu-kun I know.”
“But I will kill the fourth son.”
“You have my full support.”
“You…? Why?”
“That brat Klim has repeatedly harassed Flora. He’s attempted violence, and at other times targeted her circle to inflict psychological harm. Even now, the thought makes my blood boil.”
“I see…”
“Yes. I’ve long intended to teach him a painful lesson.”
“Ku-ku-ku… This strategy meeting promises to be productive.”
Thus began an extended planning session among the three black-hearted conspirators.
Along the way, they also discussed the future of the port town development project.
As Marquis Grace prepared to leave, he turned back.
“One last thing. Esther—you must keep a firm hold on Ryu-kun’s reins. I suspect you initially opposed destroying the ducal house, didn’t you?”
“How did you know…?”
“But somehow, he persuaded you, and before you realized it, you were leaning toward annihilation. His rhetoric rivals even Her Majesty’s. Hard to resist.”
“Mm…”
“Ryu-kun can do almost anything. Truly astonishing. But when his emotions surge, he sometimes struggles to draw proper lines. He may attempt things he would never ordinarily do. This time is a good example. So when that happens, Esther—you must stop him.”
He turned fully toward her and declared clearly:
“—As Ryu-kun’s wife.”
““!?!””
“…Ah. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that? I assumed Esther was the public legal wife and Lena-kun the secret legal wife. Was I mistaken?”
“That’s the plan, yes—but is this really the place to say that?”
Esther could not keep up with the conversation at all, mouth hanging open.
“Hoh…?”
“I just can’t help myself when I see troubled youth,” the marquis laughed. “Hahaha!”
“Yes, yes. Understood. Now please return to your estate and apologize to your daughter.”
“Don’t push, don’t push. I can walk on my own.”
Ryu half-forcibly escorted Marquis Grace back to the neighboring mansion.
““…………””
“Esther.”
“What.”
“I likely no longer possess something as trivial as a lifespan.”
“Indeed.”
“So… therefore—”
“I’m home~ …Huh? Is that Onii-sama and Esther I see over there???”
At that precise moment, Lena returned.
And so, the three of them headed to the dining hall together.