Chapter 55
[The target's stats are too high.]
[The curse is canceled.]
......So that's what happens.
The confession magic I had cast back at Aiden was canceled immediately.
I hadn't exactly expected it to succeed, so I simply nodded in acceptance. If it had worked and I'd actually used it, I would have been in serious trouble.
Aiden stared blankly, mouth agape, then said to me.
"What did you just do?"
"I can transfer debuffs. But your mana was too strong, Lord Aiden, so it was canceled."
'......'
Silence fell.
"Aside from twisting the direction of the skill's target—did you really reflect it back at me, too?"
"Uh... well."
"No, no, don't be scared. I'm not criticizing you. I'm just genuinely curious about the reason. Normally, you wouldn't do something like that because you might die."
Aiden really was curious about everything.
He'd been acting oddly excited around me ever since.
He didn't seem to realize what a threat the Lightning Bolts he'd cast around us posed to us.
I had no idea what he was thinking, but he didn't seem intent on harming us, so I gave him a frank and straightforward answer.
"Because it was magic you cast, Lord Aiden. To be honest, I was a little displeased at being threatened, so I simply sent it straight back to you."
"Displeased......"
He tapped his fingers with his arms folded.
He wasn't angry that I had called it unpleasant, nor did he show any particular sign of remorse.
He simply looked as though he were thinking very deeply.
Wondering if he might suddenly get angry anyway, I decided to take a precaution.
"Lord Aiden."
"Hm?"
"I am willing to cooperate with anything within reason. The only reason I can't tell you is that I don't have confidence in the answer myself."
Aiden furrowed his brow. His expression seemed to ask, What does that mean?
It seemed this would turn into a long and complicated explanation, but I continued regardless.
"First, please retract the Lightning magic deployed here. As I said, I don't like being threatened, and it's also extremely frightening."
"It was threatening, but... were you really that scared?"
He asked so innocently, as if he truly didn't understand what the problem was. My blood pressure shot up for a moment.
"Are you seriously asking that...? Even if you two are fine, the moment it touches us, we'd suffer a fatal injury. Right, sir?"
In my anger and frustration, I forgot even the proper form of address and shook Lee Chang-jin's shoulder.
But instead of agreeing, he stared at us, looking strangely ashen.
"You... What kind of attitude are you taking toward Lord Aiden right now...?"
"Huh? What about it?"
"C-Cavendish... Skill, you idiot..."
Lee Chang-jin's eyes began rolling back. Soon, his body crumpled where he stood.
I quickly reached out and caught his head before it hit the table.
"Whoa! Uncle!"
"This is bad. Call the Healers at once."
"Understood."
Aiden had his attendants take Lee Chang-jin somewhere.
Flustered by the sudden situation, I asked him.
"W-where are you taking him?"
"He fainted, so obviously he needs to go to the infirmary and rest. He probably lost consciousness because of your audacious behavior, but let me make this clear: this isn't my responsibility. You brought it on yourself."
"......"
Aiden calmly decided who was at fault in that firm tone. Someone had just collapsed, so wasn't he being too calm? But why would the future emperor care about a commoner's troubles?
I prepared to stand, grateful at least that he had called the medical team so quickly.
Then Aiden widened his eyes in disbelief and said.
"What? Where are you going?"
"We have to go check on him! What if something's wrong... Huh?"
Something settled onto my shoulder. Han Jihye was looking down at me with a drained expression.
"If you leave now, he'll go into cardiac arrest outright. I recommend that you remain seated, if only for the ambassador's sake."
As she said this, Han Jihye slowly lowered her eyelids. It was a gesture I had never seen before, but I immediately understood what she meant.
'Is she telling me not to cause trouble...?'
She almost never took such a firm stance. She generally accommodated me so I could breathe and live freely, so I realized that this situation was by no means trivial.
"......I'm sorry."
When I sat down, my teacup had been replaced. They had exchanged it because it had gone cold while we talked.
I took a few sips to calm myself.
'Let's deal with the immediate situation first.'
"Lord Aiden."
"Speak."
"......I'm sorry for causing such a sudden disturbance."
"Really?"
"Y-yes... Yes?"
Then Aiden rose from the seat of honor as if he had been waiting for that and sat beside me.
It was a formal apology, and Aiden surely knew that, but it wasn't particularly important.
He had probably just been looking for an opening to ask his questions.
As expected, he chuckled and opened his mouth.
"If you're sorry, you can naturally grant me a few requests, right?"
"Um... What are they?"
Aiden raised a hand toward Christian. The Lightning Bolts spread around us vanished simultaneously with a crackle.
"It's nothing much. First, I'd like you to provide Bella with as much information as possible."
"Information?"
......A vague demand.
At first glance, it seemed like he was letting me off easily, but that wasn't the case. In noble society, whenever entering into a contract or making an agreement, those of lower rank had to set conditions as detailed as possible to avoid being taken advantage of.
For example, suppose we were trading top-grade Flame Crystals.
If a lower-ranking party sold them to a higher-ranking one without specifying exactly when payment was due, the lower-ranking party could realistically end up not receiving the money even ten years later.
Of course, that was a very extreme example, but the principle remained the same.
"What exactly do you mean by information?"
"......Wow, you're a smart little thing."
Aiden's interest deepened further.
He then began listing the detailed conditions.
I was to provide Bella with information about rare items as soon as I obtained it, provide her with information about my origins first as well, and, if there were already people who knew, draw up and submit a list of them, among other things.
"......What happens if I don't?"
"The nobility isn't a status for someone of uncertain origin. Naturally, you'd be expelled and placed under surveillance. Consider yourself lucky I'm not demanding that you spill everything right here."
"Hmm, so does that mean I can put it on hold for now until I'm ready to tell you about my origins?"
Aiden nodded.
"I'm accommodating you because I've decided you're valuable. Otherwise, you'd have been killed on the spot the moment you resisted earlier."
As he said that, he looked back at his attendant. A Terminator-like middle-aged man who looked about 190 centimeters tall had a greatsword strapped across his back.
His arm had seemed to move for a moment earlier, and apparently I hadn't imagined it.
It was the moment when the difference between him and me became clear: I couldn't even follow his guard's movements, let alone Aiden's.
In the end, realizing I had no choice but to comply, I lowered my head dejectedly.
"I understand... But may I ask one favor?"
"What is it?”
"As you promised, please don't pressure me. I really just want to live quietly."
"Ah, that's obvious at a glance. Now, as for the second condition: you said your goal was to become an artisan, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I want you to accept any items we order from you without refusing. If possible, I'd prefer something like the rare ring you gave Bella."
Aiden added that he absolutely wouldn't push me beyond reason.
Though it sounded considerate, he probably hadn't taken into account the mana I used for my own purposes.
As though his prediction had been correct, he added the condition that whenever I sold rare items to someone else, I had to report them to Bella first.
Britain's desire to monopolize the entire supply was unmistakable.
'I should have listened to the family head.'
This was the moment Vincent and Douglas's advice hit home with particular force.
They kept talking about nobles and respect, but wasn't this effectively taking away all my freedom?
"Are these all your demands?"
"For now? As for the rest...... Wh-why are you getting teary?"
"......"
I want to go home.
I just want to hug someone.
I never thought being a noble would mean only easy things, but shouldn't I at least be given room to breathe?
It wasn't as though I'd sought attention, and I'd worked hard and kept pushing forward in my own way, so how could this be the result?
A sudden wave of misery welled up. Unable to hold it back, I shed large tears one after another.
I felt as though I were trapped in a prison that was slowly tightening around me. If I rebelled as I normally would, too many people's lives would be at stake because of my actions.
"No..."
Aiden nervously patted my back. He looked around as though seeking help, but everyone else wore similarly flustered expressions.
No matter how powerful and reckless Britain was, it still styled itself 'the land of gentlemen.'
The trite rule that one had to take responsibility for making a child or lady cry remained unchanged, so everyone simply watched Aiden's actions without offering any help.
Thus the unexpected standoff(?) continued.
"What on earth is going on?"
'Huh?'
A little while later, Bella showed up for some reason.
Her sudden appearance made me wonder if it was an illusion or a dream, but when our eyes met, I realized it was reality.
Her characteristically indifferent gaze. If she hadn't been real, she probably would have looked a little warmer.
She took her eyes off me and spoke to Aiden.
"I promised Lady Raebi I'd notify her first. But how can you turn my words upside down like this after only a few days, Aiden?"
"No, you've got it wrong! Today was 'Raebi Na's' formal request for an audience!"
"Hmm, I didn't receive any message. And even if that were true, why is she crying?"
"I... don't know. We were just discussing business, and she suddenly started doing this."
Bella then looked toward Christian.
Her lips parted slightly, and an expression like 'Ha...!' appeared, suggesting she understood the general situation.
"I can tell without being told. Aiden, I don't want to question your methods, but even so, isn't this going too far for a mere ten-year-old child?"
"......Well, no."
'I never thought I'd end up feeling sorry for an adoptee...' Bella muttered under her breath.
She said we'd discuss the details later, then took my hand and helped me up.
Then she left the room with such decisiveness that I wondered whether it was really all right.
'Did I escape...!'
It was a relief. Though Aiden wasn't truly threatening me, the name Aiden ‘Cavendish’ itself was immensely intimidating. I had no mental energy left to continue negotiations.
I asked as she dragged me along by the hand.
"L-Lady Bella. Where are we going?"
"My room. You have time, don't you?"
"I do, but... why?"
"Haa... Why do you think? I'm going to talk to you and apologize in my own way. You seemed to like Golden Riesling before; I have more than a thousand bottles upstairs, so follow me quietly."
'Oh...!'
"You can let go! I'll walk on my own!"
Golden Riesling wasn't a matter of money.
It couldn't be gathered until a certain field-type Gate opened, so there was almost no supply at all.
Even Douglas had said it was difficult for him to obtain, which said everything.
I forgot my gloom and followed her.
'......But why do I feel like I've forgotten something?'
……That day.
Lee Chang-jin woke up in the infirmary without knowing what had happened, then faced Aiden once again.
While I was relaxing with Bella over a rather enjoyable conversation, he had apparently trembled in fear and endured Aiden's pressure to ‘let’s be friends.’