Chapter 82
'〈Silent Witch〉-dono, can you hear me...?'
As Monica began walking alongside Felix, Rin's voice reached her from somewhere.
Monica jumped and looked around, but neither Felix nor the other pedestrians seemed to notice anything.
'Can you hear me...? I'm speaking directly to your eardrums.'
Apparently, Rin was vibrating only Monica's eardrums with pinpoint precision. It looked simple, but it was an astonishingly advanced technique. At the very least, it was not something a human could do.
'I understand that 〈Silent Witch〉-dono has safely reunited with the Second Prince. I'll guard the two of you from above. Please raise your right hand if everything is all right.'
When Monica pretended to adjust the edge of her hood and raised her right hand, she spotted a yellow bird perched on the roof of a shop ahead.
'I cannot enter buildings, but I can pick up sounds. In an emergency, please do not hesitate to call for me.'
Rin's support was welcome, but one wrong move and Rin might barge in again wearing a flashy man's outfit, as happened last time.
As Monica vowed to make asking Rin for help a last resort, Felix tapped her on the shoulder.
"By the way, Monica, which establishments do you usually visit for a night out?"
"...Huh!?"
Felix was wearing an especially wicked smile.
Sweating profusely, Monica desperately tried to figure out what people did for fun at night.
Monica generally spent neither day nor night outside, instead facing numbers and magic formulas. For her, "fun" was an unknown realm. And nighttime fun, at that. What did people even do when they went out at night?
"You're a delinquent who's used to going out at night, aren't you? What sort of places do you usually visit?"
"Um... well... that's..."
After groaning and agonizing over it, Monica suddenly had an idea.
That's right! She had just experienced exactly what people called "going out at night"—and it had even been the sort of noble entertainment commoners could never enjoy!
This had to be the model answer for nighttime fun. Monica's eyes lit up as though she had found the solution to a difficult formula, and she replied with complete confidence.
"I surround myself with beautiful young men and revel in wine and feasting!"
Felix finally doubled over laughing. Tears of laughter even glimmered at the corners of his eyes.
As Monica stared in stunned disbelief at an attitude she could never have imagined from the usual Felix, he wiped away his tears and said,
"If that's your preference, I could take you to one of those high-class establishments."
"No... I'm, um... already quite full from that sort of thing..."
After all, she had only just been waited on by handsome young men at the 〈Star-Seer Witch〉's mansion.
"I-Ike-sama... I mean, Ike-san... wherever you'd like to go..."
"Ike."
"...Uh... a-at wherever Ike wants to go."
Monica answered haltingly, then gave a small sneeze and shivered. The autumn night, with winter approaching, was bitterly cold, and some of the people walking along the street were already wearing fur coats.
As Monica rubbed her stiff fingers together, Felix enclosed her hands in his and gently breathed over them.
His white breath floated softly in the darkness before fading away like something fragile dissolving into the night.
Monica tilted her head.
"Um... Blowing on them is inefficient, though..."
"Then how about this?"
Felix loosened his scarf, took Monica's hands, and pressed them against his neck.
Monica's small hands pressed against Felix's pale, slender neck. The warmth of his skin gradually thawed her stiff fingertips.
The pleasant sensation made Monica's lips relax—but then she remembered the outrageous fact that her hands were inside Felix's collar and sprang away from him.
"Aaaaaah, um, well, in situations like this, opening and closing your hands gets your blood flowing and makes your fingers w-w-warm!"
"W-w-warm... That sounds very warm indeed."
Chuckling deep in his throat, Felix took off his warm scarf and wrapped it around Monica's neck.
"First, let's find you something warm to wear. Come along."
＊ ＊ ＊
Felix led her to a particularly lavish two-story establishment in the pleasure district.
Once they passed through its ornately decorated doors, the fragrance of flowers arranged in extravagant vases mingled with incense, creating a seductive scent.
Since Felix had said they were going to find her something warm to wear, Monica had assumed they were going to a clothing shop. It was obvious to anyone, however, that this establishment did not sell clothing.
What this establishment offered was an exciting evening with beautifully dressed ladies.
"Th-this, this, this, this...!"
"Are you imitating a chicken?"
Monica shook her head vigorously and desperately forced the words out.
"This, this, this... this place is...!"
'Madame Cassandra's House.'
As Felix answered, a woman appeared from the back of the establishment. She had cherry-blonde hair in a loose updo and wore a dress that boldly exposed her shoulders and décolletage.
The woman grinned like a cat that had found a tasty morsel, wrapped herself around Felix's neck, and planted a passionate kiss on his cheek.
"Baron, dear! It's been ages. You haven't come by at all lately, and I've been so lonely."
"Hello, Doris. Sorry; I've been rather tied up lately."
"Hey, book me for tonight, will you? Since you've come, I'll turn away all my other appointments tonight."
When the woman called Doris whispered in a coaxing voice, Felix returned her kiss on the cheek and said,
"Sorry, but I have business with Madame Cassandra first."
"Hmm?"
Doris finally seemed to notice Monica. Still clinging to Felix, she turned only her head to look at Monica.
There was no malice in Doris's gaze. She simply seemed to be sizing Monica up.
"Hmm, for someone the Baron brought in, she doesn't look like much of a draw for customers..."
Doris muttered under her breath and looked up at Felix.
"Oh, well. Madame Cassandra's in back. This way, this way."
With that, Doris slipped her arm through Felix's left arm and began walking.
When Monica stood there uncertainly, Doris looked at her in exasperation and shouted,
"What are you standing around for? The Baron's right arm is free!"
"...Huh?"
Doris beckoned to Monica and positioned her beside Felix on his right.
She grabbed Monica's hand and forcibly linked her arm through Felix's right arm, then clung to his left arm again herself.
"This is how you link arms! Press your chest in closer... Oh... right. You don't really have a chest to press in."
"........"
What was she being made to do?
When Monica looked up at Felix with a troubled expression, he wore an expression of someone barely managing to suppress his laughter.
"Um...?"
"First, let's go greet Madame."
"O-okay..."
Monica replied vaguely and began walking with her arm linked through Felix's—or rather, with her hand merely resting on it. She felt like a lost child.
Madame Cassandra's House was one of the busiest establishments in the pleasure district. Everything from the pillars and doors to the carpets was so gaudy that it hurt the eyes.
Mary Harvey's mansion had been luxurious too, but compared to this place, Monica reflected, it had been positively refined.
Before long, Doris stopped in front of a room at the end of the corridor.
"Madame! Madame Cassandra! A handsome man has come to see you after all this time!"
"Come in."
A woman's voice, roughened by liquor, came from inside the room.
Doris opened the door cheerfully and ushered Felix and Monica inside.
The corridor had been quite flashy, but the room itself was even more eye-searing.
The carpet was red, and the curtains were velvet. The decorations and tassels made lavish use of goldwork and gold thread.
A woman sat on a claw-footed sofa in the center of the room.
Her gray hair was beautifully arranged, and she wore a vivid scarlet dress and a wide-brimmed hat. She was a little too old to be called middle-aged, but far too full of vitality to be called an old woman.
Her amber eyes gleamed fiercely, with Felix reflected in them.
"Well, well, Baron. It's been quite a while. The girls here haven't been putting their hearts into their work lately because you haven't been showing your face."
"My apologies, Madame. I've had a series of matters to attend to."
What business could he have? Felix was a student.
But no one looking at Felix now would have guessed he was a student. He was far too accustomed to the nightlife.
(...It seems best not to say anything unnecessary...)
When Monica took a step back and hid in Felix's shadow, the woman called Madame Cassandra jerked her chin toward Monica.
"Who's the girl?"
"I'd like you to outfit her in something suitable for this part of town."
So it seemed that Felix's statement about getting Monica some warm clothes had not technically been a lie.
Ordinary clothing shops had long since closed. If he wanted to put together an outfit for her, paying a place like this was probably the quickest option.
"If that's what you need, leave it to me," Doris said, grabbing Monica by the wrist.
"Come on, this way!"
"Huh? W-wait..."
When Monica looked back and forth between Felix and Doris in bewilderment, Felix cheerfully waved to her.
"Have her pick out something cute."
"Aaaaaah, um, wait, I—!"
"Come on, move those feet!"
Doris seized Monica's wrist and began striding away.
Monica was half dragged into another room.
＊ ＊ ＊
After seeing Monica dragged away by Doris, Felix sat down on the sofa opposite Madame Cassandra.
Madame Cassandra opened a drawer in a locked trinket box, took out several envelopes, and placed them in front of Felix.
"Baron Grimton, Count Moran, Count Ashente, Marquis Baldia... These are from the noblemen you've gotten to know here."
"Thank you as always, Madame."
Felix thanked her, accepted the envelopes, and slipped them inside his coat without checking their contents.
All the nobles Madame Cassandra had named shared one thing in common: they were all nobles under the Duke of Clockford.
Madame Cassandra was perceptive enough to have noticed that, of course.
"I don't intend to pry into who you are, but... does this mean you won't be able to come here anymore?"
"Most likely."
As Madame Cassandra sighed over losing such a valuable regular, Felix placed a pouch stuffed with gold coins in front of her.
"Please use this to throw a grand feast tonight."
"And you'll be joining us for that feast, of course?"
"No, I have other stops to make. If you could simply lend me a bed for tonight, that would be more than enough."
Madame Cassandra frowned, took out a long pipe, and placed its tip between her bright red lips.
"It's your last visit. Take as many of our girls to bed as you like."
"I was thinking that might be nice too. But I unexpectedly found myself a companion for the evening, so I think I'll prioritize her tonight."
"...Hmm?"
Madame Cassandra's displeased eyes flew open, and she blinked repeatedly.
"...Could it be that the rather drab girl just now...?"
"She's a friend of mine."
When Felix answered smoothly, Madame Cassandra placed a hand to her forehead and looked up at the ceiling.
"Good heavens. I assumed you were here to sell that girl to my establishment..."
Just as Madame Cassandra muttered this, the sound of footsteps came pounding down the corridor.
A moment later, Doris burst into the room with Monica tucked under one arm.
"Madame, Madame, Maa-dame!"
In Doris's arms, Monica stared vacantly ahead and muttered numbers to herself.
Felix's eyes widened when he saw what Monica was wearing.
Monica had been dressed in a flimsy gown as thin as underwear, the sort worn by the girls at this establishment.
A revealing dress that suited a voluptuous woman like Doris only emphasized how gaunt Monica was, making her look painfully cold and exposed.
The deep burgundy fabric only accentuated Monica's pallor, while the shoulder straps had already slipped halfway down and looked ready to expose her slight chest at any moment.
Doris ran a hand through her hair as she spoke to the stunned Felix.
"Sorry, my dear. I thought you'd brought this girl to sell her, so I gave her a little hands-on instruction, complete with demonstrations, in how to please men... but she suddenly turned into a total wreck. What am I supposed to do? Will smacking her on the head fix her?"
Doris's hands-on instruction had apparently been too intense for Monica.
As a result, Monica seemed to have tripped into the world of numbers, just as she had that one other time.
"I'm sorry, Doris. I should have explained better."
"Hmm? You came to sell this girl, who looks like she has no one in the world, to my establishment, didn't you? Well, she's a bit too skinny to be popular with men, but I'll train her properly so she can take customers. You can safely leave her with Doris; I'll take good care of her."
"No, well, that's not what I meant..."
For as long as it took Felix to clear up Doris's misunderstanding, Monica continued muttering numbers with vacant eyes.