3 bar menu

Volume 7 Chapter 4 Part 4

Translation by burnt.marshmallows
Editing by Team Foxsunes

That man didn’t show a single sign that he was affected by the reactions of the people around us. In fact, it appeared as though the Hero was much more concerned about that. 

That was why, ever since we arrived on this land, the Hero had been following that man around like a puppy and was trying his best to prove to people that he was not something to fear. 

And so, it seemed that those efforts had paid off very well.  Seeing how their own「Young Master」interacted with that man without hiding his goodwill towards him, the servants had started to accept that man too. The warm looks that were directed at the two of them as they did things like practice their swordsmanship was proof of that. It might also have been because the rumors in the Royal Capital had yet to reach this region, but even so, I was very thankful for their reactions. 

ー「What we think of as terrifying」might not always be「what really is terrifying」

I remembered my wet nurse’s words yet again. It was none other than the Hero who proved that to me. Once, when we were out of that man’s sight and the hero was talking to me in secret, he looked embarrassed as he laughed, saying:「It could have been because I talked about Agedilus so much in the start」. Surely, that could have been one reason for it, but I thought that that was not the only reason why. 

This land, and the people who live here, were calm and kind. On paper, we had come to this land allegedly for therapy with a change of scenery, but I could feel that premise slowly becoming the real reason we were here. But I was getting ahead of myself, because I even started thinking that it’d be nice to give birth here. I had thought so even more, after hearing from a doctor acquainted with the Schtorenvihein family that the child in my belly appeared to be growing well.  

But, no matter what I said, the best-case scenario would still be for us to go back to the Royal Capital with our names cleared. I didn’t know when that would happen, but I wanted to let the people most precious to me hear our baby’s energetic cries as soon as possible. Especially because they were the people who told me that they were looking forward to that day very much. 

 「You’re already so popular, and you’re not even born yet.」

I didn’t mean to suggest that our child wasn’t completely「popular 」in a good way, but at any rate, I wished for our child to be born healthily. Those thoughts entered my head as I caressed my belly. Knock knock knock. That was when I heard the knocking from the door. 

I raised my head that was downcast from looking at my belly and looked towards the door. It was still too early for that man and the Hero to come home. If so, I thought, as I stood up, saying「Come in」. The door was opened with a clank. The person who was standing there was exactly who I thought it would be.

「Excuse me, Madam Filmina. I have brought tea.」

「Ah, Daphne. Thank you.」

The lady-in-waiting who had taken on the role to take care of me entered the room. She pushed a small wagon that held a tea set into the room. The sweet smell that gently tickled my nose was the herbal tea that we had brought in from the Royal Capital. She probably went through the trouble of picking that out and brewing it for me. Being one of the old-timers amongst the servants in the mansion, she was very thoughtful about things like these, is what the Hero said proudly. 

As I corrected my posture while I remained seated on the chair, the lady-in-waiting nodded once with a smile and quickly started brewing the tea as she opened her mouth.

「Madam Filmina, are you fine with not going to watch the Young Master and Sir Agedilus practice their swords? I watched them for a bit before I came here. They were both very splendid. All the servants in the mansion are gathering in the courtyard. 」

「Dear me, is that so? I guess that’s why it seems to be quite lively.」

I had been wondering why I could hear the sounds of cheering from the courtyard, but it seemed that the people in the mansion were just excited from seeing that man and the Hero’s gallant figures. I had given up the thought of going there to watch, thinking that it’d be bad for an expectant mother like me to let my body chill under the cold sky. But after hearing all that, I even started to think that I should have gone to watch.

But judging from how that man was acting, it didn’t seem that he planned to let his swordsmanship practice with the Hero end today, so I’ll probably be able to watch them another time. I’ll just look forward to it then, I concluded in my head, as I quickly took another sip of the tea that my lady-in-waiting had brewed for me. Having personally been taught by that man, the lady-in-waiting’s tea, although not as good as that something that man could brew, was delicious enough. Seeing this, I can’t afford to let my guard down either. I thought as I took another sip of the herbal tea. That was when I suddenly felt a gaze on me. 

Hm? I tilted my neck as I looked towards that direction. What awaited me was my lady-in-waiting, standing there with a surprisingly serious expression on her face. 

「Daphne? What is it?」

I couldn’t help but be perplexed at how the lady-in-waiting was acting. The atmosphere around her was strange, as if she was tense, completely different from how calmly she was acting just a few moments ago. What happened? I questioned her with those thoughts in mind. Her eyes swayed for a moment, as if she was confused, before she opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.  

「Madam Filmina, are you not anxious?」

「What?」

About what? I tilted my neck even more. From the eyes of a stranger, that action might have been interpreted as silly, but it seemed that that was not the case for my lady-in-waiting. If anything, she seemed to make the atmosphere around here even firmer as she stared straight at me. As I silently encouraged her to continue, she whispered softly, as if trying not to waver. 

「Um……About the child in your belly.」

「This child?」

「Yes. When the Young Master told me that I would be in charge of taking care of Madam Filmina, he also told me the reason why the two of you came to the Schtorenvihein region this time.」

I couldn’t help but gasp at the words that my lady-in-waiting was telling me, although she was trying her best to tell me calmly. That was because this was the first time in these few days that I had heard the truth. 

Basically all the servants of the Schtorenvihein mansion were supposed to have been told that the reason that man and I came to the mansion was for 「therapy with a change of scenery」as mentioned before. I had thought that the only ones who had directly heard about the rumors that were spreading in the Royal Capital were the Hero and his parents. But it seemed that the rumors had been heard by people other than them as well. 

The lady-in-waiting, the new person who found out about the rumors, intertwined those slender hands of hers in front of her chest. Her gaze trapped mine. Even if I tried to avert my eyes, our interlocked gazes probably could not be separated. For some reason, I just couldn’t look away.. 

「I understand that it is quite impolite for me to ask this. Please listen to me without getting angry, Madam Filmina.」

「……What might it be?」

I could feel my body tensing up so much that even I was perplexed. This was the first time I felt so tense since we came to the Schtorenvihein region. Even as we stood in front of the couple who were the owners of the land, I didn’t feel as tense as this. Although I had just drank some herbal tea, my mouth quickly felt completely dry. It seemed that she had noticed how I felt, but the lady-in-waiting ignored that as she continued to speak. She asked me the one question that I didn’t want to be asked. 

「What would happen if the child in your belly was really the second Demon Lord, just as the rumors say?」

I instinctively gasped. I wasn’t able to answer promptly. Even though I was able to answer immediately when the magazine reporter asked me in the Royal Capital, for some reason, right now, my words failed me. I wasn’t able to avert my eyes, as if I were entranced by the light that flickered in my lady-in-waiting’s eyes. I wasn’t able to do anything other than repeatedly close and open my mouth, stammering.

Can’t wait to see more? Want to show your support? CLICK HERE to be a patron and get additional chapters ahead of time!