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Chapter 97

Even though the carriage of the inconsiderate noble was parked in front of the mansion dedicated to the family we had been seeking out, we had no real choice but to continue from there. As we approached the compound, I began to notice more and more questionable things. The walls surrounding this mansion were less clean, showing signs of disrepair. It was also manned by considerably fewer soldiers. The few soldiers who were stationed were sloppily dressed and inattentive. One even appeared to be sleeping on the job.

As we neared the gate, a single soldier stepped out. He appeared to be an old man, and his evolutionary strength wasn’t particularly high either. Nearby, a servant girl had seemingly come out to offer the driver refreshments. The driver, the same one with the whip from earlier, was being quite handsy with her, and while she was rejecting his advances, he was still trying to pull her behind the carriage where they would be out of sight from the street. Before the guard could turn to them, he noticed this. His lips tightened slightly, but then a look of helplessness appeared on his face and he let out a tired sigh and turned to us.

“Who are you?” He asked gruffly, his eyes filled with suspicion.

I turned to the maid and called out. “Is this the Capala household?”

The driver looked up in surprise at a voice suddenly being called his direction. The maid used this opportunity to slip out of his grip. She immediately started walking toward me, a look of appreciation and relief on her face.

“My lord, yes, this is the Capala residence.” She answered while trying to straighten her blouse which had nearly been torn open. “I apologize for the appearance. May I ask what my lord has come for?”

The driver glowered as he saw his prey escaping, but he couldn’t chase after her without causing a scene, and when she called me a lord, he instantly stiffened in worry.

“I regret, I am not a lord, but I seek audience with your head of the household?”

“Lady Abigail? What purpose does a commoner have with her?” The guard cut in.

“I have a letter,” I spoke up, pulling it from my luminal space. “A letter of welcome. This should be enough, correct?”

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the letter suspiciously. “Possibly…”

“Of course, it’s enough.” The maid pulled the letter from my hands. “I’ll escort you immediately.

“Priscilla!” The guard glared at her.

“Father.” She shot back.

He stiffened slightly, and then looked away, an embarrassed expression on his face. “Be off with you then.”

She nodded as if that concluded it. She only snuck a single glance in the way of the driver, who was now glowering at us with anger that his maid was being taken away. I had a feeling we wouldn’t have been able to get into the mansion so smoothly if it hadn’t been for this unique situation. The maid was somewhat pretty, if a bit plain-looking. She wore a maid outfit, something I never expected to see a real person wearing before coming to this city. However, since arriving, I had already seen one or two maids in the colors of their families traveling around the city to purchase goods. I couldn’t help but think there were many fantasies involving maids I had never fulfilled in my previous life.

“Please, follow me.” She gave the both of us a polite look.

I glanced at Mara and then shrugged, the pair of us followed the maid through the gate and then the main building of the mansion. As I got a look on the inside, I could see that the declining nature was clear to see. The building looked less like it belonged to the branch of a major family, and more like what you’d see from a collapsing minor family overcome with debt. Then again, I admitted I had very little to reference from.

As we entered the main hallway, I could hear a conversation taking place. It would be nothing but distant mutters to a normal ear, but I had been continuously perfecting my ears since I had become human and they now worked at a much better level than an average person, whether I detached them or not.

“Surely, you can agree to these terms.” A man was saying.

“They’re quite generous, m’lady.” Another male voice added.

There was a moment of silence, and then a light sigh. “Why must you keep forcing this issue? My parent’s graves are still fresh…”

“It’s been a year! I have watched idly by for a year as your branch withers. Half of your staff have already left, and don’t even start me on the fields…”

“Excuse me, please wait here.” The maid Priscilla spoke up, causing me to jump slightly. “I will take this letter to the lady and see if she wants to meet you.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

She smiled and turned away, walking off into a room beyond.

“You are young and unwed.” The man continued to speak. “I have three sons, Dennis is not only your age, but he is also a gifted paragon. If we united our two branches by marriage, with my alchemists and your supplies, we’d have enough power to even influence the main family in Arcford. We might even be able to produce a son who can become adopted in the main family line!”

“Is that what this is about, uncle?” her voice turned cold. “You want supplies cheap for your alchemists!”

“Niece, isn’t it better to keep this in the family? Would you rather marry a Frankford? Or a Stride? Not a Blanche…” His voice sounded disgusted with those last few suggestions.

“Yes? Priscilla?” The woman seemed to be ignoring him, instead speaking to the maid.

“My lady, there are two visitors. They have a… letter of introduction…” Priscilla spoke nervously.

“A letter? Probably commoners. Kick them to the street!” The man snapped.

“Stop right there! Do you work for me or my uncle?” The woman snapped.

“Ah… m-m’lady… I was just trying to…” The other man who had spoken earlier seemed flustered.

“Give me the letter.” She demanded, followed by some rustling sounds.

“Niece Abigail, we’re practically the same family. You don’t need to act so cold.” The man tried one last time. “Your father and my father were family, after all. If there wasn’t that bad business with our sister…”

“Escort him out.”

“M’lady?”

“I’m sorry, I need to take this. Escort those two in, and send him out.”

“Is this how you treat family?” The uncle’s amicable words turned angry.

“I’m sorry, I overreacted.” She apologized after a moment.

“That’s better, I-“

“Offer him some refreshments and recommend a good inn, then kick him out!” she snapped.

“Hmph! Even though your father and I never saw eye to eye, he never would have treated me like this!” He snapped, but his words were growing closer.

After a moment, the maid appeared, looking slightly winded. “My lady will see you now.”

Mara, who couldn’t hear the discussion, merely nodded and followed the maid. I stayed close behind, seeing an old man in a silk outfit with a grey mustache and a balding head. He looked Mara up and down with interest, but when his eyes landed on me, he merely snorted and continued to walk out. He was accompanied by a man who was wearing a butler outfit.

“I do apologize.” He was speaking to the older man. “Our lady means well, but she is under a lot of stress. It seems like she gets another marriage proposal every day and most of them are insincere.”

“That’s all the more reason he should just marry one of my sons.” He humphed, but he still allowed the other man to escort him while delivering tons of flattery.

We ended up in a large receiving room, and at the head of it was a large chair and table with a woman sitting behind it. She was quite a bit younger than I expected, perhaps not much older than I had been when I died, perhaps a bit older than Erika. She was extremely beautiful, to the point of being breathtaking. Other than Mara, her mother, and Erika, I had seen very few beauties in this world, so she particularly stuck out, especially since compared to the others, she was the first who was making the effort to wear a fine outfit and makeup.

She had rich red lips and curly hair tied up in a bun. She had pale, smooth flawless skin and a voluptuous body. She had an especially large chest and wide hips that made her especially curvaceous. Her dress was modest, but it was difficult to hide her enormous chest. She crossed her legs, and I fought the temptation to look at her legs.

“Hello, my lady.” I bowed.

She gave a polite nod, but then her eyes turned to Mara. “You must be the girl spoken about in this letter?”

“I-I don’t know, I didn’t read it. W-was I suppose to?” Mara asked in confusion.

The woman named Isabelle gave a stern look. “Perhaps, it’s better you didn’t. The contents of this letter, in the wrong hands, could cause a disaster for you. Merely by possessing this letter, you put my entire branch in jeopardy.”

“Ah! R-really? I’m sorry! I don’t want you to risk anything…” Mara cried out, bowing her head. “We’ll leave…”

A small smile flickered on her face. “However, why wouldn’t I assume a little risk… for family.”

“H-huh?”

“If this letter is correct, then your mother was my father’s sister. In other words, you’re my cousin.”