Chapter 9 – The Madam’s Scheme

The guest rooms are located on the left hand side from the front of the Isky residence, but the rooms where the masters of the house lived was on the opposite, right hand side.

Lady Welsh’s room was located far deeper inside than the guest rooms, and it was decorated with luxurious ornaments inlaid with pretty gemstones.

It is widely regarded that everything should have its limits, but the stones that decorate her bed knows no restraint, as if her own unscrupulousness was put on display.

The owner of that room that went past its limits did nothing to conceal her irritation, and said thus:
“I can’t stand her.”
Then she summoned the maid attending her by her side.
“What’s the deal with that little girl! So irritating!!”
Then without any notice she slapped the maid on the cheek.
The young maid didn’t even flinch and silently took it with her face.
It seems she had already gotten plenty used to this kind of cruel treatment.

“Even though she’s a relative of the royal family, now that Glenn is going to marry the princess, we’re equal… no, we’re higher ranked than archduke Merry. That girl just doesn’t understand that!”

*whack*! she gave another swing with her hand.

“Seriously. You think so too, right?”
Then of all things, she asked the one she was venting her anger on for agreement.
“…… yes. It’s just as Lady Welsh says.”
“That’s right, isn’t it? I’m obviously in the right.”
The lady nodded then turned towards the maid.
“…… your face looks terrible. Don’t show that unsightly face in front of the guests until it heals. They’re still our important guests, after all.”
At that unreasonable order, the maid answered “Understood”, without so much as twitching an eyebrow.
“….. you may go now.”
The maid who had just been released bowed politely without showing her happy face and left the room.

“What an unsociable girl, gives me the creeps.”

That was the appraisal of the Lady toward the persevering maid.
Somehow it seems the Lady had totally lost the ability to objectively see her own violent acts.
Then what’s more, her pride, like this room’s splendor, seems to know no bounds.

She started thinking about making the guest she couldn’t stand, namely Lady Demy, go through a painful experience.

Then a few minutes afterwards, she smiled.
“…… That’s right, I’ve got a good idea”
She took out a summoning bell from her dresser and struck it two, three times.
But no sound was heard.
Of course.
This is a bell that was worked and imbued with magic so that other people can’t hear the sound.
In almost all cases in this world, this kind of bell is used for the summoning of ‘assassins’.
[…… you called for me?]
Not even a moment later, a male voice was heard in the room, but his form can’t be seen.
The Lady paid no mind to such things.

“Lady Demy had an attendant with her, and she brazenly brought a man at that. But I think that lover of hers is soon going to run into an ‘accident’ and lose his life, don’t you?”
[Understood.]
The man gave his immediate reply to the roundabout order.

“fufufu…. Little girl, you should learn your lesson.”

The Lady scoffed at Lady Demy.

…… but she, or even her pet assassin, would never have imagined that there was a ‘newbie’ maid on the room’s terrace concealing her breathing.

 

※

 

After almost a minute groaning ‘uu– aa–’ on the pillow, Lady Demy fell silent, and after a slight delay, abruptly sat upright.
Then she sat on the edge of the bed as if nothing had happened and calmly said,
“Excuse me. I lost composure for a little bit there.”
“It’s amazing how you have that on/off gap.”
“It is my job to keep up appearances. Royalty don’t act like commoners.”
“But I really like the disheveled-Princess-Rosé character.”
As I said that, Lady Demy turned around and buried her face in the pillow again.
“Go easy on me! Yuuki-san, go easy on me!! I’m dying here!”
“What was that reaction about!? Did I really say something that weird!?”
In response to my objection, the princess took a short pause and sat back upright, combing down her messy hair with her fingers.

 

“…… people say Princess Rosé is beautiful like a bouquet of flowers, a pure and chaste maiden.”

 

She started telling a story as if it was about somebody else.
“Yes, that was of course exaggerated and embellished for publicity. Because of her pedigree she received strict training to be like that but her actual personality doesn’t change. Since childhood, her tendency for pranks and mischief had been very embarassing.”

“Umm–, is this going to take long?”

“But the people didn’t know about anything like that. They swallowed the propaganda and took me for a saint. They decorated their living rooms with a portrait of me! Can you believe that!?”
“…… well, even if you say so…”
“But I’m certainly a princess. I have to aim to be the saint whose picture the people would want to decorate their homes with. A pure maiden. You listening?. A PURE. M・A・I・D・E・N!”
She finished off saying so with a threatening attitude, and buried her face in the pillow again.

 

“I have no experience with boys! Don’t you think you should go a little easier on me!?” she yelled with a muffled voice.

“…… In other words, what I did just now went over the limit.”
“Well that’s because Yuuki-san has Arina-san! You’re used to it!”
Princess continued protesting from behind the pillow.
“I did not have that kind of relations with that…”
“But I’ve been raised in complete isolation from boys! I don’t have the ability to take that kind of thing! D, do you want to kill me!? You want to kill a girl with agony!?”
“Huh? but don’t you have a fiancé?”
Immediately, princess raised her face.
“That doesn’t count!!”
“Ah, I thought so.”
“Thinking about the day that narcissist giving me that line… uu–, it’s giving me goosebumps…”
For the fiancée to go so far as saying something like this… I somehow feel sorry for Glenn.

“All right. What I did earlier was not good. Sorry, I meant well but went too far.”
I apologized, and Princess fell silent for several seconds.
“No. I’d rather say you did well.”

Aah–, which is it!?

“The point is, I wasn’t prepared enough. Yes, I’m Lady Demy, not the ‘pure’ Princess Rosé. An unbecomingly lustful young lady who would go so far as call on a young man she fell in love with along the way.”
The princess repeated her setting, as if giving herself some self-suggestion.
“Yosh,” she nodded and went down from the bed.

“……?”

I was bewildered by what she was going to do.
“Sit right there!” commanded Lady Demy.
As she ordered, I sat still on the bed, and for some reason the person I thought was an ojousama sat on the carpet and leaned her weight on my knees.

 

“Wai…! This is really bad!”
“Oh? why?”
“T, too close to my crotch… no, not that! Aren’t we getting our positions backwards!?”
“Oh well… I guess this means the retainer is usurping his lord. When there’s just the two of us, you’re the master, okay?”
If the knights saw us they’d probably kill me.
……. no, their pride might be destroyed and they might commit suicide first.
“If there’s just the two of us, there shouldn’t be any need for ‘acting’!Or rather, how did we come into this situation anyway!?”

“You know nothing, do you!”
Suddenly, Lady Demy raised her voice.
“I’m your employer, you know? If I say you’re the master, you should do as you’re told and become the master!”

Wait, am I the one being dumb here!?
She’s saying something so out there I don’t understand!
I don’t get it at all!!

As I froze in confusion on what I should be doing, she went back to being Princess Rosé and said,

“I need a man to take the lead. I can’t act as Lady Demy all on my own.”
Then she looked at me with teary, upturned eyes.

 

“……please.”

 

It came out.
Princess’ specialty, the ‘Onegai Eyes’.
Damn this, I can’t go against her….
“Ah–, whatever.”
I give up.
To hell with it, whatever happens, I don’t care.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll try doing a gigolo character. … but I’m not exactly experienced at this, so stop me if I went too far.”
She then smiled happily.
“In other words, you can do anything you want so long as I don’t say stop, right?”
This, I can’t tell whether this is Princess Rosé or Lady Demy anymore.
“Well…, I guess it’s something like that…… maybe.”
“You’re an inarticulate master, aren’t you. But that’s all right, let’s get ourselves used to it. —for now, I’d like you stroke my hair.”

I did as she she told and stroked her hair.
Well, Arina did badger me to stroke her hair several times before.
Is this really okay.
This person is the princess, right.
Isthisreallyokaaaaay—….

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