Perhaps it was because we were close to the sky, the sunlight was especially strong. I stared fixedly at the ceiling in the middle of the bright bedroom, as if it had been lit by dozens of lanterns. "It's been a long time since I woke up feeling so refreshed." For me, who suffered from insomnia, it had been a long time since I felt this sensation. I guess you could say it was quite refreshing to skip the aristocratic dinner.
"Last night's dinner... would have been an important occasion for Viscount Weatherwoods." Didn't you participate in the first dinner of your return after four years of absence? "I was wrong from the start." Now that this had happened, we would have to revise the plan. I could go for the concept of a nerd who had no sense of social cues. Perhaps this could be a more convenient route for the Weatherwoods family. If rumors spread that the master is stupid and arrogant, there will be no one who wants to approach him. He will be isolated and have no enemies. The quiet Weatherwoods mansion. Oh, was this what the head maid wanted from me after all...?
"Ah." My languid mind was struck by thunder.
Now that I thought about it, one of my arms felt heavy. I felt as if something soft was over my arm and used it as a pillow. I turned my head just in case. "Did you wake up?" A stunning beauty was looking at me with a sleepy face. Wow. "Argh!" My God! I got up, shaking my arms like an insect, and turned around only after moving as far as possible from the bed.
Rue, who had fallen to the floor, raised his chin and smiled spookily. "You know, honey, it's not necessary to wake me up so abruptly. I'm very immersed in the role of Viscountess, so if you keep interrupting me, I might leave you here alone." I had suddenly lost the energy to even scream "crazy" at him. I replied, grabbing my throbbing forehead, "There are separate beds!"
"What's wrong with newlyweds using one bed?"
"That's only a disguise."
"Is that so? By the way, are you embarrassed?"
Soft fabric swayed over Rue's thin legs as he sat up. Was he wearing the pajamas he bought at the tailor's? He seemed to have slept soundly next to his husband, who slept in his street clothes. Rue, who approached me lightly, rang the bell by the bed to announce our awakening to the servants.
"Our Miss Daisy is once again talking like a fool because she's embarrassed. But with a boy's face you seem quite annoyed. Oh, well, it's nothing to get too angry about." I thought about it again today. Rue is not a man. He's a dog. There's no way to reason with him.
Very well, somehow I had regained my composure. Sitting in the chair opposite him, I slowly undid my wrinkled tie and asked, "Why didn't you wake me up yesterday?"
"How could I wake you up when you were sleeping so deeply? Morian wants her beloved Viscount to rest well. Now, look at this. It's the Black Ragel's schedule."
I checked the brochure-like paper Rue handed me.
[Welcome on board the Black Ragel. We will sail according to the schedule below for the next 7 days. We hope you have a comfortable and pleasant trip.]
The schedule that followed was brilliant. Operas, concerts, lecture invitations, fairs... At the bottom it said that aristocratic council members would be contacted separately for some events.
"Everyone is busy playing and eating." Rue laughed while drinking the hot tea that had arrived before I realized it. "That's what friendship is all about. Building relationships with time and effort. For aristocrats, that's their job. That way, you'll be able to have more without giving up what you have."
Playing was their job? The way aristocrats lived was truly amazing. Then I couldn't stay still either. Whether it's Dian Cecht or the client, to gain something you have to go out and talk. You, aristocrats who are impatient to play, wait, the master of work, the maid is coming.
"Are you going?" Rue asked as he saw me getting ready to go out. I reflected for a moment and reported my honest purpose. "The client who sends assassins to the Weatherwoods mansion. I think he's a member of the aristocratic council."
I had been worried the last few days. This was because, despite the butler's warning that all the employees of the Weatherwoods mansion could become a target and be exterminated, everything had been in peace in Midwinterre and the Weatherwoods. Unexpected peace causes greater anxiety than before. Speculating on my client's psychology, I reached a fairly accurate assumption.
"If the client is a member of the aristocratic society, not just an ordinary aristocrat... I understand the silence that has reigned lately." In other words, there was no reason to attack the Weatherwoods' mansion. Now they could face Viscount Weatherwoods face to face, who expressed his intention to attend this year's council meeting.
"Mmm?" Rue, who arched his eyebrows with a suspicious expression, rose from the chair that was in full motion. "Hm, that's true. Your reasoning is quite good. I was a bit surprised just now."
"What does that mean?" Rue, who was around the corner, approached and kissed me on the cheek. "This means have a good trip, he-he. I need to rest a bit more."
I closed the door and left the room before Rue could finish talking. He had gone undercover! How could he put his lips on a woman's face so easily?! I continued my steps, wiping my chin with enthusiasm. I felt strange. Could it be because Rue's behavior had changed subtly lately? Talking about poetry, about god, about being newlyweds... (Argh!!!) I opened my eyes and reflected on the warmth of my cheeks.
"Let's control ourselves. A man like that is a scammer! He takes people's hearts and bodies for evil!" Thinking of Rue as a pseudo-religious leader who stole money, my distress disappeared and my mind and body were at peace.
While I walked determinedly, I stopped in the middle of a flight of stairs leading upwards. The voices and footsteps of two men walking ahead of me were filled with a faint expectation. I ran up three or four stairs and stood beside them. "Hello, guys. Did something interesting happen? What are you talking about? Let's get to know each other." They seemed to be in their early twenties. The two friends asked me with perplexity and discomfort, "You are..." "I've never seen you before? Mmm. Who are you?"
"Me? I'm just a casual passenger. It's the first time I've visited the aristocratic council. Maybe that's why I have no friends. I'm very bored." They scanned my appearance with suspicious eyes. Then they checked the watch on my wrist and stopped being alert. It was a watch Rue had given me, but it must have been expensive and enough to meet their standards.
"Is it your first time attending? Alas, it's understandable that it's boring. The people who come here are like vultures, always ready to look for prey to eat. And if they pretend to do so, they don't really go out much among themselves. It's hard to blend in with them if it's your first time coming."
"Oh, really?"
"I'll warn you one thing, my friend, since you're a handsome man. Beware of women whose eyes light up when they see you. Some people may consider you the affectionate son-in-law without your knowledge. The capitalists who have a little money are eager to participate in the banquets here to establish personal connections through marriages."
The blonde presented himself as the son of a newspaper company president, while the black-haired one presented himself as the son of a bank president. They were more accessible because I hadn't presented myself as a member of the aristocratic council. As if they had waited until finishing their presentations, they opened their mouths to ask about me, I interrupted them and went up the stairs. "Okay, seniors. So, where are we going now?"
Maybe he appreciated the term "senior," because the newspaper company president's son laughed, "Haha, if you're looking for something interesting, it's definitely the aristocratic council. Everywhere something fun happens, even if it's bad luck." The bank president's son took over. "Yes. There's no show as interesting as the succession battles between them, especially that of Duke Berkley Gratten." "Come on, let's go before it's too late."
I think I had just heard something very interesting. Without further delay, we went up to the upper deck of the airship. The wind was relaxing. I closed my eyes for a moment in the wind, which blew at the right height, at the right speed and at the right temperature. This was what I liked about a super-large airship. Perhaps due to the aircraft's high structural stability, there was a deck to enjoy outdoor relaxation as it would be on a sea cruise.
"Hey, don't let your eyes wander. Follow us, it's that way." However, it seemed that the upper-class boys, whose only job was to play, had no intention of enjoying the relaxing wind. I followed them with a bit of regret.
The Black Ragel's deck was a bit unusual in its structure. The square located in the center was the lowest, and the area surrounding it was a structure in which layers rose like stairs. "It's like the Coliseum."
"Is this your first time on board the Black Ragel? This ship belongs to Duke Berkley Gratten's family. It is said that this space was designed for training purposes, and it is very popular among men and women of all ages for its unique atmosphere." "Indeed. The other large airships whose manufacture has been recently ordered follow the model of this circular coliseum-type design." Super-large airships cost astronomical amounts in design and maintenance. I couldn't believe they put a training field on top of such a vehicle. It was truly sacred.
The son of the newspaper owner, whose main specialty was slowly explaining today's events to me, spoke: "Look! Fortunately it hasn't started yet. Look, do you see the two men and women standing opposite each other in the center? The woman on the left is Jean, second in the line of Duke Berkley Gratten's Duchy, and the one on the right is Oster, fifth in the line."
Oster. It was a familiar name. With my eyes narrowed, I looked closely at the face of the woman named Jean. "Ah, yes. It doesn't seem like they get along. So why are they opposite each other like that? Are they going to do a poetry recitation contest or something like that?"
"Poetry? Berkley Gratten's successors? Ugh, what a joke. They both are fighting a duel. Didn't you hear about the duel that was announced last night at the aristocratic dinner? They declared they wouldn't be responsible if someone got in the middle of the fight." Ah, I'm sorry, I was sleeping back then.