Chapter 135: Secret

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༺ Secret༻

"Sigh…"

"Lady Serena? Is something troubling you?"

At that moment, the atmosphere of the slave market was growing tense due to the various incidents and accidents that were happening.

"…No, it's nothing."

Serena, who had been staying at the academy's dormitory, was having a conversation with her personal maid.

"Once again, it's because of Frey! Again!"

"…Add an honorific."

"Sigh."

Seeing Serena's depressed appearance, the maid, who had grown annoyed, wore a dumbfounded expression when Serena spoke in a quiet voice like that.

"Oh dear… The heavens are so heartless. What in the world did our Young Lady do wrong…"

"Quiet."

"What is it? Are you sulking, Lady Serena?"

"…I don't know."

As Serena, who had been sitting at the desk, turned her head away as she said that, the maid spoke with a mischievous expression.

"Do you dislike it that much when I badmouth 'Lord' Frey?"

"...."

"Our Lady seems to harbor such deep affection for that good-for-nothing, the one who shamelessly flirts with his butler whenever you approach, possessing only a good-looking face but the rest is a total mess…"

"Stop it."

Serena tried to cut off the maid's words with a firm voice, yet the maid remained undeterred, continuing her muttering with a mischievous expression.

"Recently, there have been scandals involving the princess… There are rumors that the mage enters his room every day… There are also witness accounts of him being spotted on a date with the Saintess…"

"…You were the one who advised against blindly trusting information, weren't you?"

"That was why I checked from various angles, and they were all true…"

"Since I haven't checked, it's not true."

As Serena maintained her resolute stance until the end, causing the maid's previously smiling expression to darken.

"…Lady, do you remember when you were young?"

"I remember most things."

"I'm talking about the day when 'Lord' Frey made you cry for the first time."

Hearing those words, Serena's expression hardened.

"Do you know how much my heart ached that day?"

The maid, who had taken care of Serena since she was young, spoke softly, discarding her playfulness for the first time in a long while.

"At first, it was great. After enduring all sorts of torture and training from your family, living like an emotionless machine, it was when you smiled for the first time."

"…A smile?"

"It was a month after you met 'Lord' Frey."

"By then… it was when Frey correctly answered all the questions I asked him."

As Serena spoke and showed a faint smile reminiscent of that time, the maid sighed and said.

"At that time, I believed that fortune had finally smiled upon you. But, it's time for you to admit it now."

"What?"

"Please don't pretend not to know, you're a smart person."

As Serena maintained her silence after hearing those words, the maid, who had been watching her carefully, cautiously opened her mouth.

"Ever since the day he made you cry, the 'Frey' you knew no longer exists."

"…Ah."

Upon hearing those words, Serena flinched, and the maid spoke with a grave expression.

"Now that the influence of the 'Secret Family Lord' has diminished, you should start looking for another partner. Otherwise, you won't be able to get married."

"I'm not thinking about it."

"Really, look at me. I missed my marriageable age, and my future is uncertain."

With a self-derisive tone, the maid continued to elaborate as Serena's gaze started to waver.

"From the beginning, what's so exceptional about Frey? Handsome? Rich? Other men have those qualities too."

"...…"

"Are you holding onto him because of past memories? That's not love, that's clinging on to the past. Sometimes, the past can hold you back."

As Serena nodded at the maid's serious words, the maid clenched her fists and stood up, prepared to shout.

"Alright, then I'll start looking for a new groom candidate right now…"

"Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!"

"Hee-Heeek!!"

As the owl suddenly lunged at her, the maid panicked and scrambled onto the bed, hiding herself under the covers.

"I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I don't know what I did wrong, but I apologize first!"

"Kuu! Kuuuu!"

Desperately pleading with the owl, perched near her head and seemingly awaiting an opportunity, the maid hurriedly asked Serena for help.

"Lady Serena, please help me! Your pet is trying to kill me!!"

"…Irion."

"Kuu!"

At Serena's call, the owl flew to her outstretched hand. After glaring fiercely at the maid for a while, it settled on her arm and began preening its feathers.

"Lady Serena, I've always been curious… What exactly is that owl?"

"It's a spirit."

"What!?"

As the maid questioned with a frustrated expression, she was taken aback by the unexpected answer.

"That… that's a spirit…?"

"Yes, it's a spirit."

"Why didn't you tell me about this until now…?"

"…You never asked, did you?"

As the maid asked with a bewildered expression, Serena responded with a look that seemed to say, "Why would you ask something like that?"

"But… Do spirits really exist? Is there any proof that it's a real spirit?"

"Considering its unusual strength for an owl, the fact that it makes wing flapping sounds despite being an owl, and its incredible intelligence, you can roughly deduce it."

"No, but what…"

"Anyway, let's put that aside for now."

The maid, who was about to dispute the deductions, regained her composure at Serena's words and stood up once again.

"Anyway! Just wait a moment, I'll find a prospective groom for you right away…"

"I'm fine."

"What?"

Seeing Serena's sudden smile, the maid tilted her head in confusion.

"I already have a prospective groom in mind."

"…Really?"

Soon after, Serena continued speaking, and the maid, now smiling brightly, cautiously approached her and began asking her questions.

"Who is it? What's their social status? How do they look? What about their wealth? And their personality?"

Looking at her, Serena began to speak in a quiet voice.

"First of all, their social status is high. Even compared to me, they wouldn't be inferior."

"Oh…"

"And their face is… um…"

Pausing for a moment, Serena blushed slightly before continuing.

"They're delicate, cute, and innocent. So, they give off a strong feeling of wanting to protect them? That kind of feeling."

"Wow…!"

"Their wealth is also tremendous. They're among the wealthiest people in the empire."

Upon hearing this, the maid, who had been touched by the information, put on a serious expression and asked her final question.

"Then… what about the most important thing, their 'personality'?"

"It's the best, I doubt you'd find anyone kinder, even if you searched the entire world."

As Serena answered with a content smile to the last question, the maid shed tears of emotion and rushed towards Serena.

"My Lady…!"

"Oops."

"…Ugh."

As she tried to hug Serena, the maid fell to the floor, pushed away by the sudden movement of Serena's fan.

"Once I finish what I'm currently doing, I have to somehow capture the Secret Lord."

"Su-Suddenly?"

"Yes, and when I catch the Secret Lord…"

As the maid, who had been rubbing her sore bottom while shedding tears, listened…

"…I'll have a child with the person I mentioned."

"Gasp."

As Serena whispered with a captivating smile, the maid unknowingly gasped.

"Co-Congratulations? But… aren't you moving too fast? Don't you need more time to get to know each other?"

"We've already spent so much time together that there isn't much time left."

"What do you mean… Wait, what about the engagement? You should at least terminate the engagement first…"

"It doesn't matter."

Due to Serena's shocking statement, the panicked maid began to perspire and tried to persuade her.

"Wait a minute, you can't do that! Even if it's Frey if you don't even break off the engagement before doing that…"

"…Huh?"

But Serena paid no heed to the maid's words and stared blankly into space.

"What is that wench doing…?"

Serena's hand was touching a crescent-shaped ornament in her hair, identical to the one on Frey's staff.

"…Can our pet cat not chase away even one uninvited guest like that?"

"My Lady…?"

"Prepare the carriage, right now."

Serena, retracting her hand from the ornament, issued a cold command to the maid in a chilling voice.

"…Understood."

The maid, who had always been by her side, adjusted her demeanor to a colder one as Serena's attitude changed and left the room.

In any case, my lady has found a new partner. So, it's a good thing.'

The maid, though internally happy that Serena had finally found a new partner, had unintentionally created a huge misunderstanding due to the timing of her advice coinciding with the setting sun.

"Koo woo!"

"…Hmm?"

As the maid left the room to fetch the carriage, the owl began to make a cute hooting sound.

"Oh, my."

Serena, tilting her head while observing the owl, noticed an item left beside the owl's foot and her eyes lit up.

[Ferloche's Diary!]

Warning! Do not snoop!

"…Good job. As a reward, I'll give you your favorite cookie."

As she stroked the owl, Serena stared at the cover of Ferloche's diary, where something was written in cute handwriting.

"Why did you leave your diary at the dormitory today when you usually carry it around all the time?"

She murmured, tilting her head.

"Well, you are quite a fickle person…"

Serena, lost in thought as she gazed at the diary, soon began to quickly skim through the pages.

– Swish…!

"…'Half–Demon God,' 'Let's go to the cellar,' 'DLC.'"

Serena, who had been speaking words intermittently, soon let out a chuckle and murmured,

"You've written such cute things in this diary, haven't you?"

Without even looking at the hint on the last page of the diary, she had already deciphered how to uncover the hidden code.

"…Hmm?"

Serena, who had been flipping through the diary without hesitation, suddenly stopped.

○○ Year, July 11

– Can you handle it?

In the diary entry for July 11, there was only a single sentence, without any hidden code.

– Swish, swish, swish.

Flipping through the diary with growing anticipation, Serena froze upon reaching the empty pages after July 14.

"...!!!"

"Lady, the carriage is here. You need to come down now…"

"Let the coachman go."

"What?"

After standing motionless for a long time, Serena said,

"I'll drive it myself at full speed."

"What do you mean…"

Pushing the confused maid aside, Serena climbed into the coachman's seat of the carriage and muttered,

"…I need to check something as soon as possible."

Shortly after, a lone carriage began to race through the streets of the empire at full speed as the sun set.

– I've successfully activated the magic of the cabinet. I've increased the space and enhanced the stability. Now, I'll start replicating the magic in identical cabinets in all areas of the market.

– We've engaged in battle with the demon army that has appeared all over the slave market. No executives have appeared yet, so we have the upper hand for now.

– As ordered, I and the combat staff are not involved in the battle. As Frey said, the priority is the sacrificial magic circle.

'Yes, everyone is working hard.'

The operation was progressing smoothly.

Irina and Clana were performing their tasks brilliantly, and the Demon Army was grasping at straws.

If things continued like this, we would be able to save everyone again.

"…Heh."

"Krrr…"

However, a slight unease had crept in because of this fox that's gone berserk and is strangling my neck.

Couldn't it strangle me a little more gently? My arm was growing numb at this point.

"Ugh…"

A glimmer of hope arose, but the pressure around my neck only grew stronger.

– Young Master… Is it still not done yet…?

In such a situation, Kania's voice began to flow into my head.

Her voice seemed a little faint, probably because the transmission was unstable due to being strangled.

'…If I don't react anymore. Break in immediately and calm Miho down.'

– A-Alright… I'll do my best…

'As always, thank you, Kania.'

I… love you, too…

In such a situation, I did my best to maintain consciousness and communicate. Once the sound stopped, I shifted my gaze back at Miho again.

"I just… I just wanted to live longer… I just wanted to gain freedom…"

The method to capture Miho was to let yourself nearly be killed by her.

The key to clearing her route was to redirect the rage of the berserk spirit, corroded by negative emotions, solely toward me until I lost consciousness… This was really a terrible game.

Of course, since she hadn't fully vented her emotions yet, she might drain my energy, so I had already secured a backup plan with Kania.

Irina and Clana had their own tasks to complete, and Kania was the most suitable for this job.

At first, when I revealed the true nature of the operation to her, she was horrified and tried to dissuade me. However, she eventually sighed and agreed to follow my intentions. I was infinitely grateful to her.

"Ugh…"

As I thought about it, my consciousness began to blur.

"I am… I am just…"

As I watched Miho gradually descending into confusion, I deliberately showed a pained expression and struggled fiercely while gripping her arm.

"…..Ugh."

Eventually, I lost consciousness, trembling in her grasp.

Kiii…

The last thing I saw was the door to the waiting room opening, and someone coming in…

"Frey!!"

"...!"

It was Ferloche, holding someone's hand.

'…Huh?'

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02