The Little Duchess' Home Tutor (Novel) - Chapter Intermission 5

Volume 1 Segment 2

Intermission 5 – Further Conspiracy

Translator: Mab

Editor: Kiriyume

“M-, Mother…. I-, isn’t it time to show us mercy…? I collapsed from the torture—I mean, sham battle you kind-heartedly drilled into me, and the next thing I knew, I was already like this… M-, My feet can no longer…. I have practice tomorrow morning, so please…”

“H-, he’s correct… My dear Lisa…. I-, I still have to go to the Royal Palace, so… You see…”

“—Not enough stones, I wonder? Anna, add more.”

“Of course, Madame. They’re well prepared, but I fear we have guests.”

“…We’re interrupting your time, it seems.”

“Good day, Lisa, Ricardo. And Richard too, I’m happy to see that you’re doing well. Anna, please pour me some red wine.”

“Understood, Professor. Would you like the same drink, Walter-sama?”

“Mhm.”

When Walter and I reached the meeting place, a special room at a high-class hotel that the Leinster House regularly patronized, we were greeted with the sight of Ricardo and Richard sitting on their knees side to side.

…There were even slabs of stone atop their laps, this was a traditional eastern torture.

Still, it was just too soft. Normally, the tortured shouldn’t be sitting on an even ground for this to work.

Lisa was still a gentle girl as always.

“—Something to say, Prof?”

“I’m just thinking that you really never change. I’ve been informed by His Majesty through my familiar… You sure messed up, Ricardo.”

“Honestly.”

“I-, I only had good intentions when I did it, you see…”

“Richard, you’re not innocent either, you know?”

“T-, that’s just unfair, Professor… I-, I’m also a victim—”

“Richard. I wonder who was terrified of his own little sister that he abandoned his own role, and then pushed Allen to that girl right after that?”

“…It was me.”

“You too, husband… Didn’t I already tell you so? ‘There’s no way that boy is going to accept the deal.’ And yet, I wonder who it was that brought the idea to His Majesty and even forced him to agree with it?”

“…It was me.”

“And what are you supposed to say?”

“We are very sorry!!”

…She’s pretty mad, it seems.

Walter, let us just toast together.

Mm, this is a nice red wine.

“It is a product our Leinster House will introduce into the market.”

“Walter, your household shouldn’t fall behind theirs. Didn’t you say Miss Tina’s selected breed of crops and plants are going to be imported into the capital?”

“…We don’t have a good middleman for that. Asking Graham to handle everything in the North and in the capital is just—”

“Implausible, is it.”

He is exceedingly capable, but—he works too much.

And, as far as I’m concerned, he’s already bearing an unbelievable amount of work even now.

—Hmm?

“Lisa, can you release the two of them? I want to hold a serious conversation.”

“…There is no helping it then. Anna.”

“Yes!” 

Anna then nimbly removed the stone weight and put them away.

…She lifted them so casually, but each slab was supposed to weigh a lot.

No, let’s not touch on that subject.

—Wow, it sure is a sorry sight seeing a pair of father and son weeping next to each other’s shoulders.

“…There won’t be a next, you hear me?”

“Y-, yes.”

“And so, Prof. Is there another evil scheme popping up in your mind?”

“How rude. By the way, Lisa. Did you put Miss Linne under Allen’s tutelage?”

“I did. It would be unequal for us if Allen is only associated with the Howard House, wouldn’t it?”

“I haven’t heard of that though!?”

“…Me neither.”

“And? Both Tina and Ellie are excellent girls. However, they need a worthy rival. Allen has consented in this as well.”

“…Linne will start to yearn for Allen too, you know?” 

Oh, Ricardo. You don’t say, isn’t that just obvious?

Rather, that’s part of the scheme too.

Sure enough, Lisa’s face said that it was just natural.

“It’ll be no problem. There are two girls as talented as her who will be her playing partners. The future of our Leinster House is in good hands.”

“…I still haven’t given my okay. Allen is a wonderful young man, I fully understood that. I do, but still…”

“As a father, you feel lonely because your daughter is taken away, is it? And so, here is a suggestion. Allen is brilliant—No, he is too brilliant.” 

With the incident from this afternoon, the plan to put him in a public position was forced to be on hold.

After all, that fool—Prince Gerald was said to have been expelled from the Kingsguard Order and was placed in house arrest in some remote area.

His Majesty was taking drastic measures too. But, it was still difficult to promote Allen just to fill the gaps.

…Really, what a pain in the neck.

However, Allen was a human resource that needed to be secured at all cost.

If so, then you only needed to make him a path that would lead to him being secured. 

—I told them my suggestion, then asked for their clarity.

「As it stands now, Allen is nothing more than a Home Tutor for a Duke’s daughter and her maid, though Ellie was the grandson of Graham who himself was a key figure. I believe that, with what I said, it will set him on a favorable path.」

Everyone in the room fell deep into thought.

Richard then opened his mouth first.

“However, will Allen accept that?”

“I’m sure he won’t.”

“—Wrong. You make him. If we show him how distressed we are, he’ll do it in a jiffy. We do need to dress it up with some spices, however.”

“That’s Lisa for you. I knew you would be onboard.” 

“I’m not a stupid woman who’ll let that kid away out of my grasp. Husband, and Walter too, you’re fine with it, yes?”

“Yeah.”

My plan was unanimously accepted, it seemed.

Kukuku… Allen-kun, you’re not thinking that you’ll only work 3 days out of 8 days in a week as a Home Tutor, are you? Naive, oh how naive.

I still remember how you were trying to push a wife onto me!

“—Next topic. Prof.”

“WAIT!!! Lisa, let me say this before we start anything weird; I am NOT looking for a bride.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“…You’re not going into that topic?”

“What I wish to talk about—”

Saying so, she held out a bulky old book to me—Th-, that is a Banned Book written before the Demon Lord War!?

Wh-, where did she get such a valuable thing—without a moment’s notice, I took that book from her hand.

“—You took it from me, didn’t you?”

“So what if I did—HAAH!? This mana, it’s—”

“It’s from Allen. I heard it makes the book cling on you until you finish deciphering it. You better work with the Headmaster, I’m sure he can be of help.”

Again… he schemed on me once again!!

B-, but I won’t lose. I shan’t lose.

I’ll show you that I can solve this level of ancient language without the help of those nasty-natured old bones!

…It would be a little while before they finished deciphering everything together.