Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 81

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Don’t Know About Successors, But I’d Like to Heal — Chapter 81

“Ah, wait—!”

It happened before the butler could even stop her.

“Oh!”

Andrea, who’d been carrying the clothes, jumped back in alarm and bowed her head, while Elvia, unfamiliar with such a situation, quickly covered Lion’s eyes in a panic.
As for Lion…

‘Ah, so that was the problem?’

He was a little startled, but it was fine.
Certainly, if bare skin suddenly appeared, even Lion would have jumped, but she’d merely removed her outer garment.
The climate here was quite cold.
Even a Training Garment wasn’t nearly warm enough with just a single layer.
Besides, since it was training attire, it wouldn’t be too thin either.
He wasn’t entirely sure, but surely there were plenty of things like practice sandbags sewn inside.

“Since there are many clothes to try on, would you consider changing in the Wardrobe Room instead?”

Lion slowly moved Elvia’s hand away with his index finger as he spoke.

“…”

Clarentia’s expression didn’t change as she watched Lion.

“Training garments are easy to put on and take off, but Andrea has brought quite a few other things as well. So it would be better to receive the servants’ assistance.”

A moment of silence.
Andrea and the butler broke into cold sweat.
And shortly after.

“Very well. Then I shall excuse myself for a moment.”
“Yes. I shall wait here.”

Fortunately, Clarentia wasn’t stubborn.
Rather, it seemed she was the type to follow a direction if she found it reasonable.
After Clarentia was led away to the Wardrobe Room by the maids.

“…I’m truly grateful. And I apologize on behalf of her rudeness, Lion.”

The butler Jesper bowed deeply to express his gratitude to Lion.
And was he not choking up a bit, his emotions welling over?

“Our young… no, the Marquis wasn’t originally this kind of person… It’s just that, well…!”
“It’s fine. Speak slowly.”
“Thank you. You’re truly kind.”

The butler dabbed his eyes and nose with a handkerchief and continued, as if making an excuse.
The Marquis isn’t a strange person.
He’s simply become somewhat unique since something unfortunate happened.

“He doesn’t even take care of himself—he works so hard for the Territory! Poor Marquis… how lonely he must be!”
“True enough.”

Lion found himself agreeing with the butler’s words to some extent.
Ricshel, too, lived as a successor without a single friend, didn’t he—in loneliness.
Until she was matched with Lion, she’d studied nonstop without a moment’s rest.
So what of Clarentia, now tasked with managing Bydentis?

‘At least Ricshel has a grandfather.’

When you’re swamped, the first thing to slip away is concern for yourself.
Because keeping yourself fed and sheltered requires only the bare minimum.

‘Though it does seem the Marquis Bydentis came to need it a bit unusually.’

In any case, that’s how it starts.
Clarentia is a skilled swordmaster, so she’ll likely hold out longer than most.
But after that?

‘Even grandfather found himself needing Mental Fatigue Recovery Potions, it wore on him so.’

Exhaustion comes.
It always does—to everyone.
Lion glanced sideways at Elvia.
Her face betrayed nothing of what she was thinking.
She likely understood, at least somewhat.
After all, it was a feeling she’d carried through long years.

“Then what would you have me do?”
“That is… well…”

The steward hadn’t expected Lion to ask so bluntly, and his words faltered for a moment.
He felt ashamed, as though his thoughts had been laid bare.
Yet for the Marquis’s sake, there was nothing he wouldn’t attempt.
The steward looked at Lion with earnest longing and spoke.

“If only you might be a companion to the Marquis, even for a few days?”
“A companion.”
“Yes! Just two days—if you would stay with him for that long, perhaps the Marquis might… might become somehow different, wouldn’t he?”

The steward himself seemed unsure, though.

‘… But the steward’s intuition is sound, isn’t it?’

Why else would the Marquis Bydentis have requested the tailoring from him, and even asked him to visit the Dwarf Village together?
Simply because he wanted to grow closer to House Asteri.

“It would be difficult, but… let me see what I can do.”

In truth, it wasn’t difficult at all.
To anyone watching closely, to Lion himself, it was clear: Clarentia needed a friend.
A friend named Ricshel.
But could the two of them become friends in this state?

‘Not a chance.’

Lion knew both Ricshel and Clarentia’s temperaments.

‘They’d spend the whole day talking about nothing but work.’

It would backfire.
Besides, there were other practical obstacles as well.

“Shouldn’t we first hear what the Marquis himself thinks?”

What mattered most was Clarentia’s heart.
No matter how many extraordinary techniques Lion possessed, it would all be for nothing if she refused him.
In fact, even the butler hadn’t managed to come up with a clear answer to that problem.
At that moment.

“What do you mean my opinion is needed?”

Clarentia appeared, having changed her clothes.
She’d shed the worn Training Garment from earlier and now wore a Formal Uniform, which looked remarkably polished.
Now she truly carried the air of a high-ranking noble.

“Well, that is…….”

The butler seemed uncertain where to begin.
No matter how much he favored the Marquis Bydentis, instinctive fear was beyond his control.

“I said I wished to tour the Marquis’s territory.”
“Tour it?”
“Yes.”
“For what reason?”
“The terrain here differs considerably from the Asteri Territory, so I was curious what plants grow in this region.”
“I see.”
“If the Marquis has time, would he be willing to show me around?”
“Yes, well, given that he is the eldest son of House Asteri, we certainly cannot allow any a-accidents to occur.”

The butler did his best to frame Lion’s request in the most favorable light.
The Marquis Bydentis gazed intently at Elvia instead of answering.
Then he tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand.

‘He’s sensed Elvia’s strength.’

Lion marveled to himself.
The Marquis Bydentis seemed to be far more formidable than he’d anticipated.

‘So he really is a Sword Master.’

The butler continued his relentless persuasion in the meantime.

“Moreover, the Marquis knows the terrain extremely well, and the timing is quite convenient…….”
“Very well. However.”

However?

“Only I and Lion Asteri will go.”

It seemed clear he was being cautious of Elvia, who was obviously a formidable fighter.

* * *

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to depart immediately.
They were in the midst of planning which routes to take when a knight came running up urgently with a report.

“Your Highness, we report that a large monster has descended to the midpoint of the Mountain Range.”
“I’ll handle it.”

The moment Clarentia finished speaking, she vanished through the window once more, and she did not reappear until the following evening.

“…….”

Well, such things happen.
A large monster is dangerous, so the Duke will have to handle it personally.
But.

“I beg to report!”
“Mm.”
“Forgive me, I must report!”
“Mm.”

Incident after incident erupted without end.
Each time, Clarentia would dash off.
And Lion understood one thing.
At this rate, a year could pass and he’d still be stuck here.
Forget leaving—he wouldn’t even get to give her the necklace.

‘I need to revise my plan entirely.’

Leaving the manor wasn’t feasible.
There was no telling where Clarentia might rush off to mid-journey.
So then.

“Elvia.”
“Hehe. Yes, young master.”

Elvia looked at Lion with an expression that said she already knew exactly why he’d called her.

“Could you spare half a day for me?”
“I’ll make sure nothing disturbs your pleasant time.”
“Hm? Thanks.”

Elvia vanished with a satisfied smile on her face.

‘……’

Why did she look so pleased?
In any case, next step.
Lion sought out the butler.

“Young master, I have no excuse for—”
“It’s fine.”

Lion cut off the butler’s apology and spoke quickly.

“Is there any way you could delay your report to the Duke for half a day?”
“Pardon?”
“If things keep going like this, I’ll have to just turn back.”

Lion deliberately avoided elaborating and shook his head as if troubled.

“Ah!”

The butler realized how much time had already passed and, turning pale, agreed to do whatever it took to stall the report.

“Where is the Duke right now?”
“He’s likely sleeping at the moment. If there are no duties, he typically just sleeps like the dead.”

He added that even if they shook him awake, he wouldn’t rise unless there was official business.

“So I suspect it would be futile to suggest visiting his chambers.”
“I see. Then, before going to the Duke’s chambers, would it be alright if I stopped by the kitchen?”
“Pardon…? The kitchen, you say? Yes, of course.”

Good.
With Jesper’s permission—or rather, a permission that wasn’t quite permission—there was no one left to obstruct the plan.
Lion stopped briefly in the kitchen to gather a few ingredients, then set off immediately.
Before long, Lion and Jesper arrived at Clarentia’s chambers.
Jesper gave a polite cough and knocked.

“Your Grace. Are you awake?”

As expected, the door didn’t open.
Jesper nodded with a rueful expression, and Lion quietly let himself in.
Just as he’d anticipated, Clarentia lay motionless on the bed, eyes closed, perfectly still.
Though he did notice her eyes looked a touch shadowed.
Well, she’d been running about day and night without rest—even a Sword Master with exceptional stamina would feel the weight of it.
Under normal circumstances, he’d have let her rest in peace, but Lion was somewhat pressed for time.
While the Duke had been rushing about, Lion had taken another look at the Hidden Quest.

-While we can’t return it to the person who seeks it, wouldn’t it be better to put it back where it originally was?

Where it originally was.
So not a person, but a place.
Lion had naturally assumed it meant the Duke’s estate.
That’s why, during Clarentia’s absence, Lion had explored the estate thoroughly.
He’d visited every room a guest was permitted to enter.
If worst came to worst, he’d have to leave the necklace behind anyway.
But…
The quest hadn’t completed.
Which meant there was still one place Lion hadn’t been granted access to—and that was the answer.
If that was the case, it could only be here.
The Duke’s own chambers.
Even Lion wouldn’t have dared to enter on his own.
But fortunately, with Jesper’s assistance, he’d managed to gain entry.

“Pardon the intrusion.”
“…….”

Just as he’d thought.

‘She’s not actually asleep.’

The fact that a Sword Master wouldn’t wake at being shaken made no sense whatsoever.
Clarentia was feigning sleep.
As for why… Lion couldn’t be certain, since it wasn’t his place to know.
But it had to be exhaustion.
That’s why she kept her eyes closed, shutting out both her beloved servants and even Jesper, the head steward.
Lion gazed at Clarentia’s closed eyes for a moment, then moved to the table beside her bed and withdrew the ingredients he’d prepared.

[Snowbeast Milk (★)]
-Milk from the snowbeasts that live only in the white, snow-covered mountain peaks. It’s characterized by a rich, nutty flavor like whipped cream and a high fat content, but it’s quite difficult to obtain.

[Melted Couverture Chocolate (★★)]
-Chocolate with almost no added sugar. It contains a remarkable 45 percent cacao butter!
-It’s melted smooth, glossy and luminous.

He had no intention of forcibly waking her, but he suspected she might wake out of sheer curiosity anyway.
After all, Lion was planning to have quite the little picnic here in the Duke’s chambers!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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