A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 124: Dash
“...I’m exhausted.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Hm?”
While buried in paperwork in the office, I accidentally mumbled out loud—only to flinch as someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“......?”
Ferris, who had been glancing my way with her hands behind her back for a while now, was suddenly patting my shoulders with sparkling eyes.
What the hell is she doing? Is this some ancient pressure-point assassination technique passed down by beastkin?
...Although, it actually does feel kind of good.
She was a spy who tried to kill me not long ago, so I was naturally suspicious. But since my stiff shoulders were slowly easing, it didn’t really seem like she was trying to kill me.
Well, considering she’d already sworn the knight’s vow, it’s not like she could harm me anymore anyway.
But just a few hours ago, she had trembled and freaked out anytime I so much as smiled. Why this complete 180?
...Could it be that thing she said about honor was real?
Reaching a high position, sure. But falling for a handsome man and marrying him?
If that’s her definition of knightly honor, Lunelle would literally foam at the mouth.
Still, her desire for status seemed genuine. That probably explained why she was buttering me up now.
After all, I was her master now, and if she wanted to climb, she’d have to stay in my good graces.
“That’s enough shoulder rubbing.”
“...Yes, sir!”
“By the way, I’ve got a question.”
“Ask me anything!”
Alright. Time to test her a bit.
“Your specialty is assassination, right?”
“...Do you have someone in mind you’d like dead?”
Ferris immediately narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice as she bowed her head toward me.
“Can you kill your former master?”
It was a cruel question, but considering she was Maier’s spy just a few hours ago, I had to test her resolve.
“Shall I depart now?”
“...Hmm.”
“If I come up with a good excuse, setting up contact shouldn’t be hard. Success rate’s about twenty percent, though. Assassination’s always a gamble.”
With her eyes already darkened, Ferris began speaking far too earnestly.
“If I pull it off, I’ll lay low for a few years and resurface discreetly. As long as you promise to cover for me afterward, I could even get support arranged...”
“Did Maier abuse you or something?”
I couldn’t help but ask, seeing how serious she looked—and how bloodthirsty she sounded.
“...No, he was good to me.”
“Really?”
“Haha... So good, in fact, I didn’t even realize it was all a lie.”
Her voice was drenched in bitterness.
“...That bastard told me I was the only one.”
Her killing intent was so intense that even Lunelle, who had silently been standing guard nearby, visibly flinched.
...Master, you really shouldn’t betray women.
......
Especially not Lady Meredia. I won’t be able to help you if you do.
Parsha’s whisper from the basement suddenly echoed in my mind.
Yeah. If this were Meredia instead of Ferris... everyone in the mansion would be passed out cold by now.
Not that I’d ever betray Meredia, of course.
—Knock, knock, knock...
Just as I rubbed my tired eyes and tried to return my focus to the paperwork, a knock from the front door snapped my attention away.
“Sasha?”
“......”
“...If you’re trembling again, just know the thing about assassinating Maier was a joke.”
With most senior staff already in the room, the only one likely to knock would be Sasha.
So I tried my best to reassure the poor girl, assuming she was nervously standing outside.
“I don’t know, coming from your mouth it’s hard to tell.”
“...Lady Meredia?”
But instead of Sasha’s usual pale face, it was Meredia who stepped through the door.
“Well, if you kill that bastard for me, I’ll give you a kiss.”
“......”
“...Just kidding. Doesn’t sound like a fair trade now that I think about it.”
Frozen by her unexpected entrance, I could only sit there in stunned silence after hearing her comment.
“What? Why the look?”
“...How did you get in here?”
A few seconds later, after recovering from the initial shock and noticing her slightly flushed cheeks, I managed to ask.
“Am I not allowed in my fiancé’s room?”
“Well... there’s usually a procedure...”
“And yet, when you entered the ducal estate, no such procedure was needed.”
Can’t argue with that logic.
“Didn’t the knights try to stop you?”
“I disabled them with a warning. I’m on good enough terms with the staff now, too.”
“Ahaha...”
I’d poured a lot into building up my knight corps, but of course even they were no match for someone like Meredia. (If it weren’t for her battle with the imperial princess, she probably wouldn’t have had a free pass.)
“What, you don’t want me here?”
“No, that’s not it...”
“Though, from the looks of things, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Just as I began to deflate, Meredia’s eyes lit up with sharp intent, and she walked over with a frosty tone.
“You’ve already sworn knight’s vows with two women. How blatant.”
“...It was just coincidence.”
“The head butler is a girl. The head maid is a girl. All your closest knights are girls, girls, girls. Must be a fun time every day, huh?”
I mean... isn’t it normal for the head maid to be a girl?
And the butler and maid leaders are tiny little Sasha and Parsha!
The others are just elite picks from the game and wildcards to counter Maier’s influence.
Besides, Bergen’s also one of my closest aides, and he’s in the shadows. This feels like a pretty unfair accusation.
“Everyone in the room—leave us.”
“...You really think I’ll just play along?”
“Lady Meredia, if you’ll allow me to expla—”
But there was no way she’d listen now. Just as I tried to calm her and get Lunelle and Ferris out...
“Sir Whitney!!!”
“Ah.”
“What are you doing in your office all day!!!”
The one voice I really didn’t want to hear at that moment echoed through the hallway.
“You two, hold her back—”
“Come play with me instead!!!”
“...Ugh.”
I’d hoped Lunelle and Ferris could hold her off, but before I even finished my order, Katarina had already burst through the door.
“......”
And so began a painfully awkward silence.
“Huh?”
Carrying a chessboard (how she even knows how to play is a mystery), she froze on the spot when she saw Lady Meredia.
“Your Highness, I believe I assigned exclusive maids to attend you.”
“...T-They were tired. A-And... this kind of thing is more fun with friends.”
Watching her squirm, I sighed and replied calmly.
Did she wear them all out again after yesterday’s chaos?
I inwardly clicked my tongue at her outrageous stamina—again.
Then Meredia, wearing a frosty smile, suddenly spoke.
“Missing for a week, and here you are. Your Highness.”
“...Hic.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m very good at keeping secrets.”
Hearing that, Katarina hiccupped again, her expression turning increasingly tense.
“Your Highness, forgive me, but I’m having an important conversation with Lady Meredia right now.”
“O-Okay.”
“Would you mind waiting outside for a moment?”
To avoid any further disasters, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° I wore my most diplomatic smile and tried to usher her out.
“R-Right... Girlfriends are more important than friends, anyway...”
“......”
“T-Then... I’ll wait outside.”
Thankfully, she lowered her head and twisted awkwardly before stepping out.
“...Hmph.”
Meredia, who’d been watching that exchange closely, narrowed her eyes and looked at me again with a chilling smile.
“So, does it feel good, being surrounded by women?”
“...Her Highness is technically a man.”
“And who’s arguing that?”
Feeling like I was completely under her control, I decided it was time to gamble early.
“Does it really matter, though?”
“What are you getting at?”
“No matter how many women are around me, I only love one person.”
My words were so transparent even Ferris and Lunelle, who were about to close the door, visibly flinched.
“......”
And as expected, Meredia’s cold gaze locked onto mine.
“You only love me?”
“...Of course.”
“Then prove it.”
Her icy demand made sweat bead on my forehead as my mind went blank.
“...That’s easy.”
But soon enough, a very simple idea popped into my head—and I decided to act on it immediately.
“What is it?”
As I held out my palm and smiled, Meredia tilted her head, staring at my hand.
“One of the few forbidden white magic spells.”
“......?”
“All it takes is holding hands... No, you’ll feel it yourself when you touch me.”
I gave her the most harmless smile I could muster, but she only looked more suspicious by the second.
“...Forget it. I’m not doing that.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Your face looks way too lecherous.”
When she flatly refused, I couldn’t help but grumble softly.
“You’re too cruel...”
“Well, it was just me being petty anyway. You don’t need to do anything weird.”
Thankfully, it seemed this mini-crisis had passed.
Still... I was hoping she’d take my hand. I’ll try again another time.
“I know you haven’t touched a single woman yet. I’ve been keeping a close eye.”
Just as I scratched my head, she casually dropped a bombshell.
“...You’re joking, right?”
“Who knows?”
I had a sinking feeling I’d never sleep peacefully again.
“So, what brings you here today, Lady Meredia?”
Time to change the subject. I gave her a friendly smile and asked.
“I came to propose something.”
“Haha, anything—”
Her answer, however, left me speechless.
“...Let’s go on a date.”
“...What?”
I mean, any guy who hears that for the first time from his new girlfriend would probably react like this, right?
“Right now.”
“...!?”
Yeah. Definitely the kind of proposal that makes your eyes pop out of your head.
