The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 122

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 122

But that was exactly where it ended.

Lu did nothing other than close the book. With that, the conversation between the Head Maid and me naturally moved on to the next topic.

“I think it’s best to reveal the truth as quickly as possible. You especially need to read the mood well. The other person should be in a good state of mind. The worst would be revealing the truth along with a rejection right after receiving a marriage proposal from him. That would be the worst way to handle it, trampling on the other person’s pride.”

“Hmm. That does make sense.”

Good, then let’s reveal it on the night the hunting festival begins.

Since it’s a banquet spent staying in Ragal or the Imperial Palace, regardless of Raphael’s reaction, we’ll have to face each other for several days. Even if our relationship becomes strained, there will still be opportunities for recovery.

Afterward, when Malicops and the Assassin Butler joined the conversation, the atmosphere shifted to something quite different and more serious than before.

The Head Maid, who had prepared fresh tea, poured tea into four cups and began the conversation.

“You asked about Natasha. To be honest, I won’t be able to tell you what you were hoping to hear. Like with the other siblings, my relationship with Natasha was quite distant. When I was young, I thought all siblings were like that.”

“I think Natasha said something similar.”

“That child was worse than me, if anything, not better. People around her disparaged her participation as escapist to the point where they called it that.”

This meant that Natasha’s influence was quite minimal until the outbreak of the Mage War.

“After the war ended, the Imperial Court naturally had an atmosphere of supporting Natasha as the next emperor. With Duke Jenail, Rosebel Count, and Duke Kalpenweber backing her, that child’s momentum was tremendous. She also had a friendly relationship with Weatherwax Baroness, who is called the Emperor’s Sword, so she had no rivals. She actually ascended to the position of heir to the throne.”

The first cup was prepared in front of me. The Head Maid, having handed the remaining cups to each person, sat in her chair.

Malicops spoke.

“I vaguely remember. It started when the Former Emperor’s health rapidly deteriorated less than six months after the war ended, didn’t it?”

“Yes. That’s when Natasha was deposed from her position as heir to the throne.”

Deposed?

‘She was actually deposed?’

The Head Maid took a sip of tea.

“The grounds for deposition were that ‘a temporary heir enthroned during wartime lacks legitimacy.’ The royal family member who became the new heir to the throne after the deposition was Ashneike, my older brother.”

“I suppose this was something the Head Maid and the other siblings knew nothing about?”

“Yes. I suspect some words were exchanged between the Former Emperor, Natasha, and Ashneike. Despite the great backlash, His Majesty the Former Emperor expressed no position whatsoever, and two days later, he passed away. And just like that… Ashneike ascended to the throne.”

“I remember there being various rumors about Princess Natasha’s response at the time. Didn’t she cut off all contact with the pro-war nobles and disappear?”

“That’s right. She couldn’t respond immediately to the deposition for that very reason. Many stories circulated. That Natasha had been caught in a very serious weakness by Ashneike, that she was suffering from a terrible mental illness after being possessed by the demons of war, that she wasn’t fit to ascend to the throne…”

I recalled Natasha’s face when I last saw her before leaving for Mephistos Castle.

She was a hero who would jump into hell together for a friend. Could there really be a greater vessel than that in this world?

Thinking of Natasha having to endure mockery and slander alone made my heart ache.

I also became curious. Why did Natasha obediently give up her position as heir to the throne?

“I don’t know the detailed circumstances, but Natasha suddenly appeared at Ashneike’s coronation ceremony and then suddenly disappeared again. I haven’t heard any news since then.”

“So she had become the new master of the Imperial Undergrounds in the meantime.”

At this point, anyone would come to similar conclusions.

“So the deposition was likely Natasha’s choice?”

“…”

“There’s something Natasha used to say all the time. That her true family was here, not in Ragal. Natasha was the person who had the hardest time whenever companions fell in battle. What she said to us before ascending to that great position of heir to the throne was similar.”

“…”

“She would become emperor to pay for the sins of the comrades who left first.”

To me, the weight of the throne is merely the price of those sins.

The Head Maid nodded.

“…Certainly, being emperor means being the face of Pen Rota Imperial House. It would be difficult to move directly to gather the resources, information, and technicians needed for resurrection experiments. It’s too busy.”

“I also think that’s quite a plausible argument. If Mephistopheles’ heart existed at the center of it all, they would have had to move even more secretly. No one in the alliance would agree to biological experiments using the heart.”

A brief silence fell over the table where the conversation had been taking place.

Only after hearing the sound of Lu, sitting by the window, putting down his empty teacup, did the Assassin Butler, who had been quiet the entire time, open his lips for the first time.

“According to the maid’s testimony, 【Berid Ret】 is definitely a suspicious organization.”

“Maid?”

At my question, the Assassin Butler frowned and spoke again, searching for the right word.

“Bandit.”

Ah, that maid.

“She willingly joined our side before we could properly threaten her. She said the atmosphere in her guild was unsettling, so she was considering a new career path.”

Career path? It was too wholesome a word to come from a Bandit Maid’s mouth.

“Three months ago, she participated in a mission to steal wartime magical tools buried in a landslide under orders from above. Even though quite a tremendous amount of items were discovered, the leadership only took a couple of corpses, while the magical tools that were the actual purpose of the mission were pushed aside.”

“Corpses…”

“Since similar incidents have been repeated for years, ominous rumors seem to be circulating within 【Berid Ret】. She spoke quite seriously about how the veiled guild leader might be Mephistopheles, who didn’t die but survived.”

It was frightening up close, but quite ridiculous from afar. The guild leader of 【Berid Ret】 wasn’t Mephistopheles but a hero from the era who defeated Mephistopheles.

When Mephistopheles was mentioned, Malicops’ complexion darkened even more.

“Actually, I have nothing to say about Mephistopheles’ heart either. It’s something I completely failed to notice.”

The old man’s face as he said this was still deeply lost in thought.

When I first requested an investigation into ‘the relationship between Pen Rota Imperial House’s resurrection research and Mephistopheles’ heart,’ Malicops hadn’t predicted that the Imperial House would have stolen Mephistopheles’ heart.

‘That means they were conducting experiments that secretly.’

Malicops continued.

“However, the fact that Pen Rota Imperial House stole Loqwe’s technology is something we’ve been watching for quite a long time. Some of the mages that Loqwe sent as volunteer soldiers during the war went missing, and we still haven’t found their bodies. Probably some key information was leaked through them.”

“Do you mean the Imperial House kidnapped Loqwe’s mages?”

“Whether it was kidnapping or an extremely voluntary decision, I don’t know, but either way, that seems like the most certain route.”

When the Head Maid let out a small sigh, Malicops patted her shoulder and offered comfort.

“Don’t be upset. There are no morally perfect central government agencies in this world. There’s only a difference in how cleanly they manage to dress things up.”

“I’m old enough now, Malicops. I experienced the dark side of the Imperial House more than enough during my childhood. Quite thoroughly.”

“So using that Mephistopheles’ heart, resurrection might actually be possible?”

Glancing at Lu, Malicops quietly cleared his throat.

“Ahem. I suppose I can tell the baronet… Given the nature of the matter, I contacted Skuld directly. And I received the answer that resurrection is possible, but what comes after cannot be guaranteed.”

“What do you mean by ‘cannot be guaranteed’?”

“For instance, even if the body is revived, a soul completely unrelated to the body’s owner might return.”

“…”

“Even if the original soul returns, there’s a high possibility they might die again soon, making the resurrection meaningless.”

Malicops managed not to add ‘like you, baronet.’ He too seemed to think it was better to keep the fact that I was terminally ill hidden from the Head Maid.

I slowly nodded.

“Skuld’s judgment is logical. But would Natasha really not know that fact?”

“Baronet, as you know, strong desire suppresses reason. Just as Mephistopheles did.”

Are you comparing Natasha to Mephistopheles now?

It was an unpleasant comparison, but I kept my mouth shut. If I only defended one side because of our long companionship, my perspective would narrow. At times like this, I needed to judge rationally.

After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I turned my head toward the window.

“Do you think so too, Lu?”

Lu answered while keeping his gaze fixed on the book he had opened again, 『100 Pen Rota Home Cooking Recipes』.

“I’m curious about what you think, Daisy.”

“About what? The resurrection experiments?”

“Raphael Jenail.”

“…Raphael?”

So suddenly?

“Why that?”

The topic came up so unexpectedly that a stupid-sounding voice escaped me without my knowing. Malicops, sitting next to me, coughed very quietly.

“Ahem. Baronet? It seems we’ve finished discussing what we intended to convey, so we’ll take our leave now. Butler? Head Maid? Let’s go downstairs and have a drink.”

“Go ahead, elder. I still have something to say to my master…”

“Astrosia Paul Whiskey, 28 years old.”

“…”

“The aroma is maddeningly wonderful. Get up while I’m asking nicely.”

“…”

After Malicops left the bedroom with the Assassin Butler and Head Maid.

Lu turned the page to one titled 【Lamb Chops with Saffron】 and spoke again.

“If I could help you, would you accept my help?”

Lu’s help? Of course I would accept it.

He was almost the only person I could trust wholeheartedly right now.

But Lu’s standard for ‘helping’ is quite ambiguous.

“Are you saying you’ll help ensure my relationship with Raphael doesn’t fall apart?”

Lu, who closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, answered with a noticeably tired expression.

“I thought about it for a bit”

“Yeah.”

“Just killing him wouldn’t be bad either.”

What?

“If I kill him and take on the role of Jenail Raphael myself, I could pass you much more reliable information. I could just brainwash the people around him, so it wouldn’t be that difficult.”

“….”

“How about it, will you leave it to me?”

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