LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 3.2
“What’s wrong? You seem a bit down,” Gerald said to Ruru, who was setting up a light meal on the table in the room. They had been told that dinner would be a simple affair in the room, so Ruru, like a diligent maid, was busy setting the table.
Gerald often had his meals in the room.
There might be some pretext for calling Ruru over, but she seemed quite busy.
It was almost the social season when nobles from the provinces would start gathering in the capital. Even now, he was going through documents on his desk, tending to his official duties.
“Oh.”
Gerald, who had risen from his desk, looked at Ruru’s somewhat dejected face.
“Are you regretting rejecting my proposal because you realized my worth?”
“Of course not!”
“I was just kidding. If you think I’m worth it, that’s fine, but don’t push yourself if you’re tired.”
“What’s wrong? You seem a bit down,” Gerald said to Ruru, who was setting up a light meal on the table in the room. They had been told that dinner would be a simple affair in the room, so Ruru, like a diligent maid, was busy setting the table.
Gerald often had his meals in the room.
There might be some pretext for calling Ruru over, but she seemed quite busy.
It was almost the social season when nobles from the provinces would start gathering in the capital. Even now, he was going through documents on his desk, tending to his official duties.
“Oh.”
Gerald, who had risen from his desk, looked at Ruru’s somewhat dejected face.
“Are you regretting rejecting my proposal because you realized my worth?”
“Of course not!”
“I was just kidding. If you think I’m worth it, that’s fine, but don’t push yourself if you’re tired.”
“What’s this? Are you hungry?”
“I apologize. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Is it still some time until the servants’ meal? …Shall we eat together?”
“I appreciate your consideration, but it’s your meal, Gerald-sama.”
She said with composure, but her stomach rumbled again immediately. It was completely embarrassing.
“Come on, sit next to me… There.”
Gerald, sitting on the sofa in front of the low table, offered her a meatball on a fork. When she hesitated, he said, “Sit. That’s an order.” And when she reluctantly accepted, he added, “Open your mouth.”
Ruru resisted, but when he said it was an order, she couldn’t refuse.
It seemed like a punishment for making that embarrassing stomach noise. Somehow, she found herself being fed by Gerald.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious…”
Meat simmered in tomato sauce paired well with the refreshing yogurt sauce. It was seasoned in a way that wouldn’t cause indigestion for Gerald, who had requested a light meal, and Ruru could feel the thoughtfulness of the cooks.
Gerald, in a better mood now, tore off a piece of bread and brought it to Ruru’s lips.
“Here.”
“I-I’m fine already…”
Gerald’s own portion was running out.
“Just eat it.”
“Well, at least let me do it myself.”
“No, I’m enjoying this moment.”
Enjoying it!?
The roll bread he put in her mouth had raisins in it, and when she bit into it, the aroma of cardamom wafted through her nose. It was intricately made and delicious. Seeing Ruru’s expression, Gerald smiled contentedly. Was this what it felt like to feed someone?
“Tea! I’ll brew some!”
To escape from what seemed like an endless “ahh” attack, Ruru stood up energetically.
Gerald had instructed her to make tea instead of alcohol. She warmed the teacup, prepared the tea leaves, and carefully measured the steeping time with an hourglass.
It was the method of brewing tea she had been rigorously taught by the head maid. She watched it attentively until the last golden drop fell from the spout.
Gerald took a sip of the tea and said, “Delicious.”
“Did you practice?” he asked.
“Well, yes, somewhat,” she replied.
“It’s much better than the first day,” he said, even though she knew that the tea made by a veteran maid should be a thousand times better.
“Thank you,” she said, feeling a bit touched by the praise for her determined efforts.
“Despite everything, you’re diligent. You don’t just take the money and do things half-heartedly; that’s very much like you,” Gerald commented.
“Of course. I’m employed, so I’ll do the work that matches my salary.”
“You still have a long way to go in paying off your debt. Don’t overexert yourself.”
Gerald, tilting his teacup leisurely, offered genuinely kind words.
She had been tossed around a lot, but as an employer, maybe he had some kindness in him.
Upon closer reflection, he was older than Ruru, and today, he seemed to exude an older, more mature demeanor. Her heart felt warm and she shyly said, “Thank you.”
Gerald, too, looked kindly back at her.
The atmosphere became pleasant, and although Ruru felt a bit flustered…
“…I almost got swept away!”
It seems she almost got carried away by the moment.
She snapped back to reality.
“What do you mean by ‘almost’? Don’t let my kindness get to your head.”
“No, in the first place, it’s your fault that I’m tired! You kissed me in public!”
She explained that due to that, the maids had misunderstood and blamed her, but he didn’t seem remorseful and said, “It can’t be helped.”
“I was happy that you greeted me. That’s why I couldn’t help myself.”
“Couldn’t help yourself?! Anyway, could you please stop doing that kind of thing?”
“I see, so you’re saying it’s okay if we’re alone. Come on, sit here one more time.”
“No way. What are you planning!?”
“You still haven’t received your bonus yet. I’ll help you quit early. If you say sweet words that tempt me, I’ll pay you.”
The conversation takes an interesting turn, with Ruru trying to navigate her interactions with Gerald.
In the first place, Ruru’s high daily wage of 30,000 yen was given as compensation for being teased by Gerald.
Ruru wasn’t in a position to complain about Gerald’s actions, and if there was a bonus on the line, she would have to endure and even actively participate…
“…”
Reluctantly, Ruru repositioned herself on the sofa, and Gerald chuckled.
“What happened to that spirited girl from the beginning? Well, it’s too high a bar for someone like you, who has no immunity to love. If you can’t even do something this simple, I wonder when you’ll pay off your debt. Or maybe you’re intentionally trying to make me impatient…”
“No way! I’ll do it, just watch!”
Words turned into actions.
With a sly grin, Gerald responded to Lulu’s defiant words as if saying, “Well, go ahead then.” It irritated her. He wanted to show her that he could make her say the sweet words that would make him give her a bonus.
In the end, she ended up fleeing from the room.
With things like this, her debt would never decrease.
She disliked public displays of affection, and she couldn’t handle it even when they were alone. She feared that she would be asked if she had any intention of paying off her debt soon. Ruru was truly at her wit’s end.
Gerald watched as Ruru hastily left the room and couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you going to do about the dishes?” he laughed. It was foolish to run away like this when she would have to come back to clean up. He considered teasing her when she returned, but going too far might make her dislike him, so he intended to go easy on her.
As if to change the cheerful atmosphere, a calm knocking sound resounded.
“――Gerald-sama, may I come in?”
“Ah, Anthony. Come in.”
The servant who entered in exchange for Ruru briefly glanced at the finished dishes and said, “I will take care of these quickly.” He seemed to be calculating the time for Ruru’s return.
“I had the matter investigated, but it seems that counterfeit gold coins are indeed circulating, primarily in the outskirts near the capital. They haven’t been found in the rural areas.”
“I see. So, it’s likely that someone in the capital is distributing these fake Gallon coins.”
“The places where they were discovered vary. While it’s suspicious when they appear in the shops of noblewomen and luxury goods stores, they’ve also been found in butchers and eateries in the lower districts. Since we can’t narrow down the distribution areas, it’s safe to assume they’re circulating throughout the entire capital.”
Though it hadn’t been made public yet, counterfeit Gallon coins were currently in circulation in the capital.
Gerald’s ostensible reason for staying in the capital ahead of the social season was to prepare for his return to the social scene after several years. However, he was also tasked by Crown Prince Theodore to investigate this counterfeit money incident.
Six years ago, Gerald had secretly given up on the brink of the Marquisate family’s collapse.
His mother had been desperately trying to salvage the situation, but his father had been neglecting the family in favor of his mistress. Since they had distanced themselves from the social scene, Gerald had enrolled in a commoner’s school with a sense of resignation.
He thought it was pointless to attend a noble school when they were going to fall anyway.
While he had behaved as a commoner in the school he enrolled in to conceal his identity, there had been a time when rumors circulated that he might be the hidden child of the Marquis.
Although he was not a hidden child but the legitimate child, some people approached him out of greed, wanting to “make sure.” When girls were attracted to his appearance and came close to him, he had responded with harsh words, which had made them cry and say all sorts of things to him.
He had thought that he ended up avoiding social interactions altogether, but then a younger female student had reached out to him.
“When we first met, I didn’t know anything about you… I just assumed you were a bully right away, and I felt bad about it. I wanted to apologize.”
Those were the words of the girl who later introduced herself as Ruru Einzweir. At that moment, Gerald thought, “Oh, is this one of them too?”
Had she, too, somehow caught wind of Gerald’s reputation and come to try to curry favor with him?
“Don’t think I’ll be swayed by something like this.”
Gerald, who had never felt the need for friends, thought he had successfully chased Ruru away with those words.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Who do you think you are!?”
He never expected to get a head-butt.
If it were a woman, maybe a slap, or rather, he shouldn’t have raised his hand to a man in the first place.
Her audacious actions in the heat of anger and her straightforward words, “If you want people to stop approaching you with ulterior motives, you should become a more attractive person,” made him feel as if he had been awakened.
Why was she lecturing him when they were just acquaintances?
He had said it didn’t matter whether he was rich or poor, but what if he had come from a well-to-do family? Probably, she hadn’t even thought about it. Looking at her expression as if to say, “I told you!” he realized how stubborn he had been and found it amusing.
He thought she was cute.
To Gerald, her way of living without any constraints and being true to her feelings was simply dazzling.
Living as a commoner in this school might not be so bad after all. He didn’t want to let go of the idea of spending his school days teasing this younger girl, but being on the receiving end of constant lectures was irritating.
What would this girl’s reaction be if she found out he was from the Marquisate family?
He had no intention of revealing his true identity here. Instead, he decided to reappear in front of her with his proper status and reputation restored.
If she found out his true identity, would she start to flatter him or change her attitude?
(I want her to stay the same.)
He hoped that her straightforward personality would remain unchanged. Gerald, who had kissed her, couldn’t help but smile smugly in his heart.
(Take responsibility for making me feel this way.)
His heart, which had been desolate due to his fallen life, had regained its vigor thanks to Ruru’s provocation.
With that momentum, Gerald made the decision to drop out of school.
At the time, he had decided to use himself as a selling point to the first prince, Theodore, who was preparing for his ascension to the throne.
“Could you use me?” he had asked.
Rather than resigning himself to despair like his father or merely running around the territory like his mother, Gerald sought out what he could do. The result was an alignment of interests between Theodore, who was looking for a useful pawn, and Gerald.
In exchange for assistance in rebuilding the Gransia Marquisate, Gerald promised not to seek higher status or honor than he currently held and agreed to work as Theodore’s tool.
“――I have also reported the above matters to Lord Theodore.”
Anthony concluded his report this way.
Anthony was a ‘borrowed’ man from Theodore. As Anthony calmly read out the report, Gerald knew that the true master he served was Theodore. The man who followed Gerald for the sake of his master’s goals did not express any particular surprise when Gerald decided to surround Ruru.
Although he was an excellent man, Gerald wasn’t recognized as a master by Anthony. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but feel the emptiness of their master-servant relationship. Nonetheless, Gerald nodded in response to the report.
“…And, this is just my personal opinion, but there seems to be something suspicious happening in the Eighth District.”
“What is it?”
“It’s reported that shady characters are lurking in the Eighth District. Foreigners seem to be targeting Gallon coins, engaging in pickpocketing and intimidation. Should we investigate?”
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