A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 91: Telepathy

At the moment Meredia was leaving the Duke’s residence in response to Whitney’s invitation,

“What on earth is going on so early in the morning....”

“...Shh.”

At the Ringaarden Count’s estate, her destination, an atmosphere of tension more intense than any in recent memory filled the air.

“Isn’t this the first time something like this has happened?”

“...I don’t know. I’ve only been here for a month.”

“M-Me too.”

The reason for this atmosphere was, in fact, extremely simple.

Lunelle and Parsha, who resided at the mansion.

Bergen, who had recently been hiding due to the Holy Kingdom’s arrival.

And poor Sasha, who had yet to submit her vacation request to Whitney.

Not just Whitney’s close aides, but also the Great Demon Ripael, who had been transferred under the mansion’s custody from the Holy Kingdom, and even the maids who handled miscellaneous chores — all of them had been summoned without exception.

Naturally, the original gathering place, the office, was not large enough to accommodate so many people, and so, inevitably, they assembled at the tea party grounds in the mansion’s garden.

“......”

The maids, lined up, heads bowed, their faces stiff with tension.

The officers standing next to Whitney with meaningful expressions.

Whitney himself, seated on a tea chair, silently gazing at them since earlier, and next to him, Cecil, sharply surveying the surroundings, clinging close.

All of this combined created the impression of a demon king’s army gathered under emergency orders.

“The reason you have all been called here today is because a very serious problem has arisen for me.”

Thus, in such an unsettling atmosphere, Whitney finally opened his mouth and declared:

“At first glance, it might sound absurd, but please listen seriously.”

His words poured cold water over the already tense expressions of everyone gathered for this unprecedented assembly. freewebnoveℓ.com

“I don’t know how to act toward the woman I like.”

“...Master?”

“Yes?”

Even Lunelle and Parsha, who could be called paragons of loyalty, flinched at those words and failed to maintain their composure. It was clear how the others must have taken it.

***

“Everyone? Why are you all like this?”

Left alone in the frozen atmosphere, I scratched my head awkwardly and forcibly broke the silence.

“If you were trying to break the tension with a joke, just be honest.”

Then came Bergen’s sigh-laden scolding from nearby.

“I’ve never seen someone with worse humor than me.”

If I truly had intended a joke, the biting chill in his voice would have been enough to shrink me back.

“Is there anyone here with dating experience?”

But honestly, I was about two hundred percent serious. Of course, I hadn’t called everyone for just this reason. Still, with everyone gathered, I felt obligated to address it.

‘Today, Lady Meredia is coming to my house, and I have no idea how to act.’

If it were a one-sided crush, maybe I could muddle through. But now it had become mutual. With my utter lack of knowledge in this area, I desperately needed someone’s help.

“Cecil, don’t you have any dating experience?”

“...Are you crazy? I’m still a student.”

Thus, grasping at straws, I turned to my sister sitting beside me, but what I received was a rare look of horror.

“Hmm... Well, yeah.”

“And I’m not exactly popular with guys.”

In truth, I knew there was a whole pile of classmates secretly in love with Cecil, but I decided to leave that point untouched. When someone is too perfect, it’s normal for people to not even dare confess. It couldn’t be helped.

“Well... Parsha obviously doesn’t.”

“Ah, that’s mean.”

“...What about Lunelle?”

“I do know how to handle a sword.”

Shifting my gaze to the others, I found no better hope with Parsha or Lunelle.

“No, it’s my fault for asking.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Master, if you were a true demon king, you would just kill the men and take the women....”

“Parsha, please just stay quiet for a moment.”

One had dedicated her entire life to the sword, and the other’s entire perception was skewed. Clearly, asking them had been a waste of time.

“Hey, you.”

“Hiiik? Y-Yes.”

“Don’t you know anything? You’re over a thousand years old.”

Clicking my tongue regretfully, I turned toward the Great Demon Ripael, who had been deliberately avoiding my gaze.

“W-Well, you see....”

“Master, demon customs for love and marriage are completely different from humans’.”

Just as Ripael began stuttering, Parsha’s eyes sparkled, and she eagerly jumped in to intercept.

“Usually, the stronger party selects the weaker one for mating....”

“...Yes, thank you for the explanation, Parsha.”

“And very powerful demons often live their entire lives single!”

By that point, I understood exactly why Ripael had been avoiding my gaze earlier. I tried to cut Parsha off, but her continued explanations only gouged deeper into the demon’s wounded pride.

“......Damn it. What are you looking at.”

Baring her teeth and growling at the pitying gazes of the maids, Ripael looked particularly pitiful today.

“Do any of the maids have anything to say?”

“......!!!”

Trying to redirect attention, I asked the question, and an immediate dead silence fell among the maids.

“Haha, you really don’t have to be so nervous.”

“...S-Should I raise my hand?”

“Are you crazy? Just stay still.”

I tried to encourage them, but it seemed our maids were also inexperienced in romance.

“Hmm... So many people here, yet no one has any advice.”

At times like this, I keenly felt the absence of Alfred, who surely would have been well-versed in these matters.

“Well, except for one.”

“...Tsk.”

Thinking it over, there was indeed one more person who had been through a lot.

“I don’t know what kind of farce this is, but my patience is reaching its limit.”

Bergen, who had been wearing an extremely bored expression, finally snapped as soon as I met his eyes.

“I’m only cooperating to save my daughter, you know....”

“There’s no need to worry about that part.”

Fortunately, I hadn’t thrown him a glance without reason.

“I made contact with the Shadow Witch a few days ago.”

“...What?”

“She’ll probably participate in the gathering this month.”

Lowering my voice so only the officers could hear, I whispered. Bergen’s sharp gaze narrowed as he listened.

As expected, someone of his caliber immediately understood the meaning of "Shadow Witch" and "gathering" just from hearing the terms.

“If that’s the case....”

“They are extremely wary individuals, but bringing along one bodyguard should be possible somehow.”

Just by adding that slight remark, Bergen already seemed to have grasped the rough outline of my plan. This is why you have to choose your subordinates wisely.

“Well, what do you think? I’m always doing my best to meet your employment expectations, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it. I get it.”

Of course, if you take, you must also give. When I gave him a silent look, Bergen finally sighed and thumped his chest with a dark smile.

“...How to deal with women, huh. That happens to be my specialty.”

But then, he subtly glanced around and lowered his voice.

“But it’s a bit... awkward to talk about here.”

“...Hahaha.”

“Honestly, seeing this lineup, I’m not even sure you really need my advice.”

Well, unintentionally or not, the current dream team did have a slightly extreme gender ratio.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s performance-based selection.”

“What?”

“Ah... never mind. But for someone so confident, you’re acting a bit timid. You sure you actually have advice to give?”

Since I had no intention of recruiting any new characters into this perfectly balanced golden team, I hurried to steer the conversation back.

“Huh, if you were trying to provoke me, it worked. Anyway, I’ll keep it short since this isn’t the place for a long lecture.”

Fortunately, perhaps triggered by my words, Bergen began giving serious advice with a grave expression.

“When it comes to relationships between men and women, the most important thing is the push and pull.”

“...Push and pull?”

“Yeah, remember that, and you won’t end up being a pushover anywhere.”

Wasn’t that the so-called ‘playing hard to get’ that I often saw mentioned on forums in my past life?

“Love and dating really are universal across worlds, huh....”

“Well, easier said than done. Especially when your opponent is that terrifying lady... huh?”

Just as I was nodding along, Bergen, who had been continuing with a slight smirk, suddenly grabbed the back of his head and bent forward.

– Flap!

At first, I wondered what happened, but then a familiar platinum-colored canary that had pecked Bergen on the back of the head gently landed on my shoulder and extended a leg tied with a letter.

「I’ve left the estate. I’ll be there soon.」

Of course, the one who sent this neat and elegant handwriting was none other than Lady Meredia.

“Judging by your face, looks like you’re already done for.”

“......?”

“Still, as someone who’s lived a bit longer, let me give you some advice: don’t become a man who gives up his liver and gallbladder too easily.”

While I quietly accepted the letter with a smile, Bergen, still glaring at the canary perched on my shoulder, spoke up again, his voice more serious.

“If you ever go through some disaster like I did, your life can fall apart in an instant.”

If it had been anyone else, maybe I could’ve brushed it off. But I couldn’t ignore the words of a man who had already lost the most precious thing in his life.

“...I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, you’ll probably manage somehow....”

As I naturally responded with a serious face, Bergen awkwardly avoided my gaze and retreated quietly into a corner.

“Now then, everyone. It’s about time to set up this place as our interview venue. Lunelle, have all the applicants for the knighthood gathered?”

“Yes, they have.”

Ending my conversation with Bergen, I spoke again with a smile, causing puzzled expressions to appear on the maids’ faces.

“M-Master.”

“...What is it, Sasha?”

And among them, Sasha, her legs trembling, somehow mustered the courage to walk up and ask,

“Um, doesn’t our estate already have a training ground?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Then why, instead of using that place... are we using such a peaceful spot...?”

Seeing the admiration in the eyes of the other maids watching her, it seemed that Sasha’s promotion to head maid was being acknowledged.

“Well, that’s because this interview was planned by Lady Lunelle—no, I should call her Commander Lunelle now.”

“...It’s an honor.”

“Anyway, you should ask Commander Lunelle yourself.”

Thus, intending to also lift Sasha’s spirits a little, I pushed the question toward Lunelle. And although she froze momentarily, Sasha tearfully directed her question to Lunelle.

“W-Why do we have to ruin the only peaceful sanctuary in the estate...?”

“It’s simple. The Ringaarden estate’s training grounds are too open.”

“...Huh?”

Lunelle’s reply was very much like her.

“In such an environment, it would be a bit difficult for me to ambush the applicants right now.”

“......!”

Well, if they were going to be knight candidates for the Ringaarden estate, it was only proper that they be able to fend off a surprise attack from Lunelle at least once.

“Sasha, you heard her, right?”

Concluding my thoughts, I turned to Sasha, who was trembling again, and gave a soft smile along with a quiet command.

“Please prepare stretchers—no, several stretchers to carry people.”

“...Eep.”

For this round of knight interviews, I could only pray that a few capable candidates would show up.