Chapter 30

Perhaps because it's so close to the sky, the sunlight is particularly intense. I lay in the middle of the bright bedroom, as if lit by dozens of lamps, staring blankly at the ceiling.

'How long has it been since I woke up feeling this refreshed?'

For someone with insomnia, this sensation was truly rare.

Perhaps it's because I didn't attend the noble gathering that I feel so refreshed.

'That dinner last night must have been quite important for Sir Weatherwood.'

To make a grand entrance after four years and then deliberately skip it?

'This is a bad start.'

Given this situation, I need to adjust my plan.

I'll go with the concept of a clueless and thoughtless head of the family. Perhaps this approach would be more convenient for the Weatherwood family.

'If the head of the family is rumored to be stupid and arrogant, no one will try to get close. I'll naturally be isolated, and no enemies will arise.'

A quiet and peaceful Weatherwood Manor.

Ah, this must be the ultimate goal that the butler desired...

"Ugh."

A bolt of lightning struck my drowsy mind.

Come to think of it, one of my arms feels heavy. It feels like something soft is using my arm as a pillow.

Worried, I turned my head.

"Are you awake?"

A breathtakingly beautiful woman, her face still drowsy, was looking at me.

Uh.

"Aah!"

Aaah!

I shook my arm as if trying to shake off a bug and sat up. Only after moving as far away from the bed as possible did I turn around.

Ruga, who had fallen off the bed, was holding her chin with a sly smile.

"Hey, darling. Don't be so surprised. You were so immersed in your role as Lady Weatherwood. If you keep interrupting, I might leave you behind."

I didn't even have the energy to call her crazy. I held my throbbing forehead and replied.

"Separate beds!"

"Why, for newlyweds?"

"It's a cover."

"Really? Are you embarrassed?"

Ruga's slender legs, wrapped in soft fabric, moved as she stood up. Did she even put on a custom-made nightgown from a tailor? She must have slept soundly next to me, fully dressed.

Ruga approached and rang the alarm stone bell to signal the start of the day, then smiled.

"Our Miss Daisy is so embarrassed, she's talking like an idiot. I know it's annoying to see a man's face, but it's not enough to make me angry."

I reflected again today.

'Ruga is not human. Ruga is a dog. Don't try to talk to her.'

Alright, I've regained my composure.

Sitting in the opposite chair, I slowly untied my wrinkled tie and asked.

"Why didn't you wake me up yesterday?"

"How could I wake you when you were sleeping so well? Morian wants her beloved Sir Weatherwood to have a good rest. Here, check this. It's the Black Lagoon's schedule."

I looked at the pamphlet-like paper Ruga handed me.

The schedule that followed was dazzling.

'Opera, concerts, receptions, exhibitions, lectures...'

At the bottom, it said that members of the noble council would receive separate notifications for each event.

"Everyone is so busy with leisure activities."

While sipping the warm tea that had just arrived, Ruga laughed.

"Building relationships is all about that. Spending time and effort to cultivate relationships. For nobles, that's their job. That's how they maintain and gain more."

Leisure is work? The life of a noble is truly remarkable.

Then I can't just sit around.

'Whether it's Dean Ket or the client, I need to go out and explore to find any leads.'

Nobles who are desperate for leisure, wait for me, the king of labor, the maid, is coming.

"Going out?"

Ruga, who had been watching me prepare for my outing, asked.

After a moment's thought, I revealed my honest purpose.

"I'm talking about the client who sent the assassin to the Weatherwood family. They seem to be a member of the noble council."

For the past few days, I had been in deep thought.

The butler assassin's warning that 'all the Weatherwood family's employees could be wiped out' seemed hollow, as the manor and Midwinter were peaceful.

Unexpected peace caused more anxiety than before. After speculating about the client's psychology, I reached a plausible conclusion.

'If the client is not an ordinary noble but a member of the noble council... it makes sense why it's been so quiet recently.'

More precisely, there's no reason to stir up the Weatherwood manor. Sir Weatherwood, who has announced his intention to attend the noble council, can be confronted directly.

"Hmm?"

Ruga, who had a suspicious look on her face, raised her eyebrows and stood up from the chair she had been lounging in.

"Oh... right, that makes sense. I was a bit surprised by your deduction just now."

"What do you mean?"

Ruga, who had moved close to me, kissed my chin.

"Good luck. Haaam. I need to rest a bit more..."

Bang!

I left the cabin, closing the door before Ruga could finish speaking.

'She must be crazy. Kissing a stranger's chin?'

I wiped my chin vigorously as I walked.

I feel strange. Is it because of the change in Ruga's behavior and tone while playing the role of Morian? Really, it's like a, a, honeymoon...

Squish!

I opened my eyes wide, remembering the warmth on my cheek.

'Pull yourself together. You're the type who gets dragged into a cult and gives both your body and soul.'

Thinking of Ruga as a cult leader who preys on people for money, my worries disappeared, and my mind and body felt at peace.

Walking leisurely with a broad-minded attitude, I stopped at the stairs leading to the upper deck.

The voices and footsteps of two young men ascending the stairs ahead of me sparked a faint hope.

I leaped up the stairs, taking two or three at a time, and stood beside them.

"Hey, friends. Is something interesting happening? Let me in on it."

They looked at me with a mix of confusion and discomfort.

"Who are you...?"

"Your face is unfamiliar. Hmm. Who are you?"

"Me? Just a regular passenger. I'm visiting the noble council for the first time. That's why, I guess, I have no friends and am bored."

They scanned my attire suspiciously.

Then, after checking my wristwatch, they relaxed their guard.

It must be a valuable item that meets their standards, given by Ruga.

"First time? Ah, then it's no wonder you're bored. The people who follow us like shadows, even if they pretend otherwise, only mingle among themselves. It's hard to join in if you're new."

"Ah, really?"

"Let me give you a warning, handsome. Be careful of some of the ladies with fire in their eyes. You might be marked as a potential son-in-law without even realizing it. Wealthy capitalists try to get into these gatherings for connections and marriage."

The blonde introduced himself as the son of a newspaper editor, and the black-haired one as the son of a bank president.

Being non-members of the noble council, they were easier to approach.

Just as they were about to ask about me, I interrupted and gestured upstairs.

"Alright, seniors. Where are we going now?"

Did they like being called seniors? The newspaper editor's son smiled and said.

"The noble council. It's unlucky, but something interesting happens every year."

The bank president's son continued.

"Yeah. Especially the succession battle of the Berkeley Greighton family is the most entertaining spectacle."

"Come on, let's go before we're late."

It seems they just added a very interesting explanation.

Without further delay, we climbed to the deck at the top of the airship.

The wind was gentle.

I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the perfect height, speed, and temperature of the sky's breeze.

This is one of the good things about a large airship.

Perhaps because of its high structural stability, it has a deck suitable for outdoor relaxation, similar to a cruise ship.

"Hey, don't get distracted. Follow me. It's over there."

But the upper-class heirs, for whom leisure is work, don't seem to want to enjoy the gentle breeze.

I followed them with a slightly regretful heart.

The deck of the Black Lagoon has a unique structure. The central square is the lowest, and the surrounding area rises in layers like steps.

"It's like the Colosseum."

"Is this your first time on the Black Lagoon? This airship belongs to the Berkeley Greighton family. This space is designed for training, and it's popular with people of all ages due to its unique atmosphere."

"Recently, the decks of large airships that have been ordered are even imitating this circular Colosseum style."

Large airships require astronomical costs for both design and maintenance.

To place a training ground at the top of such a luxurious mode of transportation is very fitting for the Berkeley Greighton family.

The newspaper editor's son, skilled at explaining, slowly explained today's event for my ignorant self.

"Fortunately, it hasn't started yet. See those two people standing face-to-face in the center? The woman on the left is Jin, the second in line for the Berkeley Greighton succession. The man on the right is Oster, the fifth in line."

Jin.

A familiar name. I narrowed my eyes and carefully observed the woman called Jin.

"Ah, right. They don't look like they get along. Why are they standing face-to-face? Are they going to have a poetry recitation contest or something?"

"Poetry? For the Berkeley Greighton succession? Ha, that's a boring joke."

"They are having a duel. It was announced at the noble council dinner last night. Didn't you hear? They declared that they won't be responsible for any injuries sustained during the spectacle."

Sorry.

I was sleeping then.