Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 097
Somehow, a rather unusual category called Areas of Interest had been unlocked. Naturally, I wanted to see everyone else's information as well, everyone whose Status Window I could access, but in practical terms that was impossible. It was already late at night, and everyone would either be resting or busy with other things.
So for today, I decided that the last person whose Status Window I would check would be Young Lady Sapiela.
"But what excuse am I supposed to use to open it?"
The basic condition for viewing a Status Window was physical contact with that person's body. In other words, my hand or some other part of my body had to touch them.
With the others, who were in positions similar to mine, I could simply come up with any number of excuses, but the Young Lady was a different matter. I had to be much more careful.
There is something on your clothes. Something got on your shoulder. I could certainly start from something like that, but those were matters that should properly be handled by maids of the same sex.
"Ah, that method should work."
The most natural moment would be when handing over an object. To present something respectfully, both hands were needed, and from experience, I knew there was a good chance our fingers would brush slightly at that moment.
I returned to my quarters at once.
When I opened the drawer, there was a fine box inside. I quietly lifted the lid. Resting within it was a single pen made of plain wood.
In truth, this was no ordinary object.
It was the prototype of a ballpoint pen developed directly by the head of our company's manufacturing division.
The prototype had been completed a little later than the fountain pen because, unexpectedly enough, the ballpoint pen was much harder to make. Producing the ball bearing for the tip was not easy in itself, and on top of that, the existing ink could not be used either.
If the old ink were used as it was, it would spill out from the pen merely by holding it upright.
In other words, the ink needed viscosity in order to become the sort of ballpoint pen I had used back in the modern world.
A fair amount of time had been spent on that. Of course, my knowledge and Spinel's experience had allowed us to solve it, but creating something in a world where chemistry and engineering had not yet properly been born was an extremely troublesome business.
"I'll present this to her with the meaning that she should study hard, and use that as a natural excuse for physical contact. I was going to give it to her anyway."
I picked up the box and stepped out into the corridor.
It did not take long to reach the Young Lady's residence.
Even at this late hour, bright light still spilled from it, while knights and soldiers stood sternly guarding the door.
"Dilen. What brings you here at this hour?"
Sir Lancelot was on duty again today. I greeted him politely and answered.
"I've come to deliver something briefly to the Young Lady. Has she already retired for the night?"
"No. She's probably reading while having tea at the moment. A maid just went in not long ago."
"I see."
"In any case, you are working hard even this late."
Sir Lancelot stepped aside slightly to allow me through. He was neutral. I could not know what he truly thought inside, but at the very least, he did not shun me the way Sir Lorenz had.
After knocking, I heard the Young Lady's voice from within and opened the door.
Lanterns and candles cast a soft glow, driving back the darkness. The flickering light made Young Lady Sapiela look even more captivating than usual.
I approached carefully and bowed my head.
"It is quite late. You still haven't gone to sleep?"
"And yet here you are as well. What brings you here at this hour? Hasn't your work for the day already ended?"
"My work only ends once you have gone to sleep, Young Lady."
I had spoken half in jest, but Sapiela lifted her eyes from the book and smiled faintly. Her expressions had grown much more varied now, to the point that it was no longer like before, when I could not tell whether she was smiling or displeased.
In other words, it was proof that I had grown a little closer to her.
I stepped a little nearer.
"How was Young Lady Luminous? I trust she left after having an enjoyable time?"
"It was nice to see her again after so long. But Dilen, it seems your name has reached even House of Baron Plank lately."
"What do you mean by that, Young Lady?"
House of Baron Plank was where Baron Ainse, the man who had recently completed the first transaction with Eluna, served as head of the house. He was also the Administrative Officer of this territory.
Which meant that Young Lady Luminous was Baron Ainse's daughter.
In any case, I had been keeping rather quiet lately, so what sort of rumor could be spreading? The territory had become somewhat noisy because of the fountain pen, but the only person who knew I was the master of Metis was Eluna.
"They spoke of you as a Butler Apprentice who works better than butlers themselves. Luminous said she wished to meet you. If the chance arises, I suppose I should arrange a place for that."
"It would be an honor."
I had not been here when Young Lady Luminous visited today. Head Butler Yanrof had requested a meeting with me.
The Head Butler had been meeting with me frequently of late.
Apparently, now that I had begun catching the eyes of the Young Masters, and since Marquis Chronos himself had also taken an interest in me, he intended to manage me rather carefully.
Yanrof was genuinely worried about me as well. No matter how neutrally I acted, as long as the struggle over succession continued, it would be difficult to remain entirely outside the Young Masters' influence.
At first, I had thought, What could possibly happen just because one mere Butler Apprentice gets dragged in? But that would change once my apprenticeship ended and I settled into a position of my own.
After all, rumors already painted me as an Aura User, and the Knight Order was openly desperate to recruit me.
If I truly put my mind to it, I was now in a position where I could receive a knighthood or a baronetcy whenever I pleased.
That was why Yanrof had been offering me all kinds of indirect advice, worried that I might make some disastrous move.
I was not particularly burdened by that attention, but I did find it slightly annoying that it prevented me from focusing fully on my duty of attending to the Young Lady.
Well, that sort of dissatisfaction would vanish entirely once we departed for the Royal Capital.
More than anything, as I had mentioned once before, I did not care all that much about my position within the mansion itself. My interest was far more fixed on the recently established Metis.
My larger design was to grow the company into something that would influence not merely Adeline Territory, but the entire kingdom, and eventually the whole continent.
Being shut up inside the mansion alone would inevitably become tedious. Once I had secured the title of Full Butler, I had been thinking that I might leave this place......
And yet, the Young Lady standing before me gave me pause.
Is it affection?
There is definitely affection.
And it is not simply because Young Lady Sapiela is beautiful. Whenever I look at her, I feel as though I want to protect her. When I eat something delicious, when I see something fine, when I lie down to sleep, her face sometimes comes to mind without warning.
And when I obtained the completed ballpoint pen currently tucked inside my clothes, the first person I thought of was Young Lady Sapiela.
If that is what it means to like someone, then I would like to admit it frankly.
But expressing such feelings now would be difficult. The gap in status was not something so easily narrowed.
"There is something I would like to give you, Young Lady."
"What is it?"
Her eyes were filled with expectation. I took the box containing the ballpoint pen from inside my clothes.
"A distant relative of mine recently established a company. It is a place that makes all sorts of convenient objects, and it was also that relative who presented His Excellency the Marquis with the item called a fountain pen."
"Ah, that. Father has become completely taken with it lately. He says it is remarkably convenient."
"You've seen it before?"
She nodded. But unlike the Administrative Officer, she had not shown such strong interest in it. That was only natural. She had less occasion to write.
So perhaps the impact would be a little less for her?
I opened the lid of the box and showed her what was inside as I continued my explanation.
"This is a pen that is scheduled to go on sale soon. It is an extremely convenient pen that writes without needing to be dipped in ink."
"Is this a fountain pen too?"
"No. It is similar, but a little different. Lighter, and even more convenient."
I could hardly tell her outright that it was the standard model.
Each had its advantages and disadvantages. Fountain pens had trouble with poor-quality paper, and their ink dried rather easily. But the ballpoint pen had none of those shortcomings, so it truly was more convenient. Of course, it lacked that exhilarating scratch of a fountain pen's writing feel.
"Since you will be studying at the Academy soon, I asked my relative for this with the meaning that you should study even harder. He readily gave it to me. It is, for your information, the very first prototype ever made."
"I see."
I held out the box in both hands so that Sapiela could take it comfortably, and she stretched out her arm to lift it from me. In that brief exchange, our fingers brushed lightly.
Just as I had expected, the Status Window appeared.
○ Sapiela de Adeline
Rank: ★★★★★
Level: 15 (+1)
Trait: Elegance S, Refinement S, Etiquette A, Social Dance A, Sewing C, Painting C, Physics D, Mathematics D, ???
Status: Autumnal Reverie
Areas of Interest: The trip to the Royal Capital. Anxiety over stepping onto a new social stage. Affection toward a subordinate.
[Not Unlocked]
......
As expected, a new trait had unlocked as our relationship progressed. Perhaps because she had been studying diligently lately, Physics and Mathematics had opened at D-rank.
But what exactly was that status message supposed to mean? Autumnal Reverie?
It sounded like the sort of phrase one would encounter while analyzing modern poetry in a high school Korean literature class. Still, Korean had always been one of the subjects I liked, so I could roughly guess. Something lonely, perhaps, or emotionally tangled.
The newly opened category called Areas of Interest gave me the clue. She would be going to the Royal Capital, entering the Academy, and meeting entirely new people there. It seemed that the many emotions arising from that were being reflected in her status message.
Come to think of it, my ability to interpret metaphorical language seems to be improving more and more.
If I ever returned to the world I used to live in, perhaps I should pursue my doctorate in Korean literature instead.
In any case, I had achieved my goal, so it was time to return to my quarters. There was still much to do before leaving. I needed to make contact with the eldest and second Young Masters, and I still had the auction to attend as well.
"What an interesting object."
Sapiela smiled as she tried writing on paper with the pen. I found a satisfied smile rising to my own lips in response.
"Thank you, Dilen. Convey my thanks to that relative of yours as well."
"I will, Young Lady. Then, since it is quite late, please do get some sleep."
"Dilen."
I had already bowed and was about to leave when she called my name. I lifted my head and looked at her.
"No, it is nothing. Go on now."
"I hope you have a peaceful night. I will see you tomorrow."
***
The next day, the effect of presenting the fountain pen to Marquis Chronos made itself felt immediately.
"The eldest and second Young Masters both said they wish to meet at once?"
"Yes. That is the reply that came back."
So they really did catch the scent of money.
We were meeting in secret at a hidden place near the Adeline mansion. Eluna, hidden beneath a robe, gave her report. I stroked my chin.
"It seems that this time, the two of you will need to step forward. Request an audience with them on the same day, at the same hour. Kalmond will negotiate with the eldest Young Master directly, and Eluna, you will handle the second Young Master yourself."
"Wouldn't it be better if you negotiated with them in person?"
"No. It must happen simultaneously. If one of them is met first, word will spread for certain, and the effect may be reduced."
"But I understand that you have already met the third Young Master, Master."
"Because the true leads are the eldest and second Young Masters. They won't spare a thought for the third. He is too much of a wastrel."
Eluna lowered her head slightly, as though she understood.
"Is there any further command you would give us?"
"The eldest Young Master likes warriors, and the second Young Master likes beauties. Prepare yourselves accordingly, each to match the concept."
"I will obey."
And just like that, the two of us parted ways.
Now all that remained was the auction house.