A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 168: Invitation (2)
“Y-You remembered me... Hehe...”
“Of course. I don’t tend to forget someone I’ve met even once.”
“Gasp.”
Adel, smiling brightly and fidgeting with joy at the fact Whitney remembered her, froze stiff the moment he replied in his gentle voice.
“I-I see...”
“......?”
Whitney tilted his head, eyeing her curiously as she mumbled with her head down.
“Aaaargh...”
“...What now?”
“Ugh... Nothing! Forget it...”
Only Cecil, who understood why Adel was acting like that, grimaced as she let out a sigh.
‘What on earth does she even like about him?’
Sure, after the last Prodigy Selection Tournament, Cecil had somewhat revised her opinion of Whitney. But still—he was her older brother.
And any ordinary little sister, upon realizing that her friends were showing interest in her brother, is biologically hardwired to respond with a disgusted, bug-squashing expression.
Unfortunately, the sweet and well-mannered Cecil was no exception to this rule.
‘Adel I can ignore, but how the hell did he land the Duke’s daughter?’
One question had been nagging at Cecil more and more lately: how had Whitney, of all people, managed to win over Meredia Embergreen?
Even in the past, when her family had no direct contact with the ducal house, Meredia was a name she’d heard countless times—a high-and-distant figure, like a flower blooming on a cliff’s edge.
A beautiful but dangerous flower. One that lured men to their doom if they tried to pluck it.
So how had her brother managed to pluck that flower?
‘There’s no way this is just a “business engagement.”’
Initially, when Whitney and Meredia’s engagement had been announced, she’d scoffed like everyone else. Dangerous people clinging to each other, how ridiculous.
But after seeing them at the Academy, and occasionally during Meredia’s visits to their mansion—especially that one conversation in the carriage—she had come to realize that the nasty rumors about them were completely unfounded.
At the very least, Meredia was genuinely in love with Whitney.
And even Whitney, who rarely showed any emotional expression, visibly reacted when it came to her.
‘What the hell actually happened between them...?’
To Cecil, it remained a complete mystery how their relationship had gotten that far.
It hadn’t even been a full year since they got engaged. There hadn’t been time for love to slowly grow. So when exactly had they gotten close?
‘Wait, don’t tell me it was love at first sight...?’
As Cecil sank further into that ridiculous line of thinking—
“Cecil, what are you doing?”
“Huh? Oh?”
“Your friends are waiting. Aren’t you going to let them in?”
“Ah! Right!”
Startled by Whitney’s words, Cecil finally realized her friends were standing around awkwardly behind her, unsure of what to do. She smiled brightly and turned toward them.
“Alright, everyone! Follow me! Should I show you my room first?”
Her friends all smiled and began trailing after her.
“Cecil, would it be alright if I tagged along too?”
“...Huh?”
“I’d like to see my little sister’s room.”
“O-Okay.”
Whitney added himself into the group with a smiling squint, and although Cecil looked slightly put off for a moment, she relented with a small nod.
“But... are ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) you letting the boys in too?”
“What?”
“It’s not proper for boys to just waltz into a girl’s room, is it?”
Then, with a wide smile, Whitney turned to the boys who had been lingering toward the back.
“Would you gentlemen be willing to wait in the guest rooms for a bit?”
“Uh, um...”
“A-Ah...”
Technically speaking, he was a guy too.
The boys pouted slightly, maybe about to say something—but the moment they met Whitney’s eyes, they swallowed their words. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
“...Would that be alright?”
His voice was soft, but despite the upturned corners of his mouth, his eyes were entirely devoid of warmth.
“Y-Yes, that sounds good.”
“Ha... haha...”
Cecil’s friends, being either commoners or lower nobles, were used to watching their words around higher aristocrats.
But this was something else entirely.
Just now, they hadn’t felt mere social pressure. They had felt the chill of death, cold sweat and all.
“Good. I'm glad you're all so perceptive.”
And the worst part was—this time, there was no misunderstanding. No illusion. Whitney was genuinely radiating killing intent, even as he smiled.
The girls ahead, including Cecil, simply glanced around, sensing the slight chill in the air. But the boys knew.
They knew they had made the right decision... and moved their feet with the weight of impending doom.
“Wait! Hold on!!”
Just then, as one group headed toward the mansion excitedly and the other trudged along like prisoners, a voice rang out from the entrance.
“Am I late? Haha...”
“Ah! Senpai!”
Someone came running up, waving energetically.
“I thought you weren’t coming! Hehe.”
“Oh please. As if I’d miss a chance to see Whitney—er, I mean, Cecil.”
Cecil turned to the newcomer and waved back with a delighted face.
And Whitney’s gaze, which had already been stormy, darkened even further.
‘...Ember?’
That figure—no matter how you looked at her—was definitely Ember.
***
‘Holy crap. This is insane.’
As she waved enthusiastically and walked up to Cecil and Whitney, Ember tried to keep her cool—barely.
‘A real game character is moving around in front of me. What the hell.’
Of course, the “character” in question was none other than Whitney Ringaarden, who was now staring coldly at her.
She had arrived a bit earlier than this, actually, but instead of approaching, she’d hung back to secretly observe him. Watching Whitney smiling icily at those poor boys—it was just too perfect. So her brain short-circuited a little.
‘This... this is life.’
Like a certain other regressor from somewhere else, Ember was someone from another world.
And, naturally, she had a favorite character. Her favorite? The ultimate hidden DLC bait: Whitney Ringaarden.
Originally just a throwaway character—known only as the first innocent person Meredia ever killed—he had almost no screen time in the main story.
But after the DLC, he inexplicably survived, got engaged to Meredia, and began playing an increasingly central role.
The changed ending in the DLC had absolutely hooked her, one of the game’s deepest veterans.
‘My fav... is right here, breathing and talking. Hehe...’
Yes, Ember had a very specific taste.
Not unlike that one villainess from somewhere else, she had a soft spot for smirking masterminds with half-lidded eyes.
‘Wait... is he looking at me? Yeah, he definitely is.’
“......”
‘Is he glaring? Oh, right—he totally knows I’m a transmigrator. Of course he’d be on guard...’
As she chuckled to herself—
“Excuse me.”
Whitney suddenly approached her.
“How did you end up here?”
“Huh? Brother, do you know her?”
Cecil, following behind, tilted her head curiously.
“Cecil, who is this?”
“Huh? You don’t know her?”
As Whitney feigned ignorance, Cecil scratched her cheek awkwardly and explained.
“She’s a third-year senior at the Academy. Her name is Ambrosia, but I just call her Ember.”
“...I don’t remember seeing you during my visit to the Academy.”
“Oh, she was on a leave of absence until recently.”
Whitney’s brow furrowed even deeper as he narrowed his eyes at Ember.
“On leave, huh.”
“Yes. I had some things to take care of.”
He looked like he wanted to press further but seemed to back off due to the watching eyes.
“...Cecil, I’ll check out your room another time.”
“Huh?”
“I have something to discuss with this young lady.”
Cecil flinched, squinting at him.
“W-What is it?”
“.......”
“Why are you like this? Again?”
His mood clearly abnormal, Cecil frowned in concern.
“It’s nothing serious. I just have a little question for her.”
“...To someone you just met?”
But when she saw the look on Whitney’s face, Cecil knew better than to argue.
“...Alright then. I’ll just go hang out with the others...”
From experience, she knew: when Whitney wasn’t smiling, it was never her place to step in.
“...Who’s that, now?”
“Adel, let’s go inside.”
“...But—”
“Now.”
“A-Ack!”
Sensing trouble, Cecil grabbed the now glaring Adel and dragged her inside.
“......”
Only after the group disappeared into the mansion did Whitney speak again, his voice low.
“What exactly are you after?”
“I got bored waiting for the operation date, that’s all.”
“I told you to stay put.”
His icy gaze made Ember’s body tremble slightly.
“God, the half-formal tone... I’m dying.”
“......?”
“He sounds just like he does in the game...”
She mumbled in awe, her eyes sparkling.
“What’s your connection to my sister?”
“Oh, Cecil? I met her through a student club. Swordsmanship.”
“A club?”
“Yeah, we trained together a few times.”
Whitney’s eyes narrowed even further.
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“Pardon?”
“No, actually... now it does.”
Rubbing his chin in thought, he suddenly shot her a sharp look.
“You’ve possessed someone. Of course your behavior’s different.”
“...That’s true.”
“But was there any need to enroll in the Academy?”
With a sunny smile, Ember answered without hesitation.
“Of course! How could I not?”
“...It was that important to you?”
“Sigh. I wanted to get close to the main characters too...”
She pouted dramatically—and then Whitney suddenly pulled out the letter from his father.
“Do you know anything about this code?”
“Huh? Let’s see. Hmm...”
She peered at it closely, then twitched slightly.
“...Ah.”
“.........”
“I-I have no idea.”
“Really?”
Whitney's voice dropped lower.
“...So when are you heading to the Northern Continent?”
“.........”
“To be frank, you can’t just stroll in there. You need full preparation—”
Unfazed, Ember changed the subject without shame.
“I’ll be departing in two days.”
“What—wait, two days!?”
All that topic-changing had been in vain. Her eyes widened in pure shock.
