I am looking for a bed.
It was soft and quite a good one.
At the end of the hallway is Dolores's office.
Next to it is her bedroom, next to that is Ruby's room, and next to that is my room.
No, there is a 'thing that used to be a room.'
The bed disappeared from my room.
Late in the evening, Ruby, Dolores, and I ended up sleeping together, the three of us.
My goal of subtly starting to sleep alone from today was ruined.
So I had no choice but to sleep together happily as three....
This must be how a beaver whose dam was destroyed feels.
I lay down on the bed.
Ruby is sleeping in the middle.
As always, it's Dolores, Ruby, then me, in that order.
How much time passed with my eyes open like that?
"Shh…."
Dolores put a finger to her lips and got up from her spot.
Then she slowly walked around the bed to the other side—toward me.
"Ruby doesn't wake easily once she falls asleep."
"I noticed. She seems to sleep a lot?"
"…Actually, she's a bit frail. Ruby, I mean."
Dolores made a bitter expression.
Was she projecting herself onto Ruby?
"Is she sick somewhere?"
"No, she isn't sick anywhere in particular. Though being frail is a little... different."
Ruby is frail… but she isn't sick anywhere?
I thought about whether there was anything I could do.
That was when.
"Lionel."
Gently brushing my forehead as I lay there, Dolores whispered.
"Yes."
"Earlier, you said you'd take off my shoes, right?"
"…Y-yes, I did."
Dolores always wore shoes, so I couldn't tell exactly.
If her shoes were equipment, they would have caught my eye, but they were ordinary dress shoes, so no information appeared.
That was when.
She slowly pulled down the blanket.
Rustle….
"This is what I usually wear."
Dolores sat on the edge of the bed and took off her indoor shoes.
"……."
And what caught my eye was.
-----------------------------
[Tmir's Ice Footrest]
[Unique Equipment] [5-Star]
[Compatibility] [2/100] - [Extreme Poison]
-----------------------------
[Cold air seeps into the bones and amplifies; a Yin Energy amplification synergy with Gorgonue's White Gloves exists. Current manifestation is half.]
[Cause of blocking 2 of the 9 meridians of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.]
-----------------------------
[A frozen heart walks on frozen feet.]
- Queen of the Frostfoot Tribe, Tmir -
-----------------------------
A translucent sock made of thin sky-blue cloth.
As if a membrane had been drawn over it, snowflake patterns are engraved on the surface.
And what catches my eye is, as expected, the Compatibility, the Extreme Poison verdict, and… the cause of blocking 2 meridians.
On top of that, it even had synergy with Gorgonue's White Gloves, so I can't even imagine how severe the Yin Energy was before she took off the gloves.
"Lady Dolores."
"Yes."
"Are all your equipment cold-type like this?"
A fundamental question arises here.
Could it be that this person has composed all her equipment with such chilly items?
Dolores looked at me for a moment, then gave a small laugh.
"…Only the gloves and shoes that cover the extremities."
"I see."
"The rest aren't this bad."
I nodded. I suppose I'd heard somewhere that if you cover your feet and hands, your body warms up.
But wrapping them in something this cold probably wouldn't help.
So the reason I couldn't recognize it by looking at her shoes was that the real equipment was the socks.
Fidget.
Perhaps because she was embarrassed by her bare feet exposed before me.
Dolores's toes moved slightly.
Her white, pale feet.
They might even create a preference I never had.
I feel relieved that only I saw them.
"…This…."
At that time, I wanted to tear off her gloves immediately, but I didn't have enough trust.
But now, isn't it different? I think I can say at least this much.
"Mama."
"Yes."
"Could you maybe go around without them?"
"……Huh?"
I suggested to Dolores that she take off her socks.
"Mmm… Lionel, the sensation in my feet feels a bit strange."
"I'll make it for you soon."
She trotted about on her feet, preparing to go out.
Inside her shoes are no socks.
I told her to take off those socks, but I didn't tell her not to wear any at all.
She was standing at the front door wearing her dress shoes completely barefoot.
Yeah, well.
Considering her eye for things, it might be better to just go barefoot than wear something half-hearted.
"I'll be back. Ruby, rest well today… Lionel, you rest too. Your right hand is forbidden until today."
"Yeees."
"Yes."
Dolores bent down and kissed sleepy Ruby and me on the forehead, then went out.
She left to buy the minerals I requested and lubricant.
She could have just ordered a servant, but she seems to think she must see them herself.
But honestly, just leaving it to a servant would be….
Anyway, I was uneasy about her eye for things, so I asked to go with her, but.
'Lionel's face must not be known right now.'
She issued a lockdown order along with those words.
Well… I understood what she meant.
I watched her back as she disappeared outside the mansion.
"Yawn…."
Tug.
I caught Ruby, who was yawning and about to return to her room.
"Eek."
"Didn't you say today was your day off?"
"But, so what."
"Today, let's play together."
Judging by Ruby's lifestyle habits I'd seen so far.
Ruby hardly ever did any outdoor activities.
A child should, frankly, run around and roll her body about wildly.
When I was in elementary school, there was a kid who was just as frail as Ruby, but after being sent to a taekwondo dojo, he became healthy.
He even went to some competition and brought back a prize.
Rather than a hasty generalization, Ruby's situation seemed similar.
And hadn't she even said Ruby didn't go to school until she was 13?
Besides, Dolores said there was nothing particularly wrong with her.
"Play…?"
"Yeah, your Oppa will play with you."
"You're not my Oppa."
Why suddenly serious….
[Sigh]
"Okay. First, just follow me."
I took Ruby's hand and moved.
The destination was a place I had spotted before.
We crossed the hallway and arrived before a large door.
"Here."
"This is…."
This is where I was dragged in Dolores's arms because of the +20 wood gloves incident.
The room where I had to sit on her lap and listen.
I remember briefly scanning the room then. There was a lot of stuff.
There's exercise equipment.
There's a chessboard.
It looked perfect for playing.
I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.
Creeeak….
Beyond the door, a plush sofa. A bed.
A chessboard, a bookshelf packed with books, exercise equipment.
Besides that, unknown objects were placed about in a chaotic manner.
"How about here?"
"Here."
Ruby stretched fully, then added.
"It's the sisters' room, Master."
"……?"
Dolores's sworn sisters, known as the people who climbed the Tower together.
Ah, so it's something like a reception room….
Flinch.
My body stiffened.
I had thought we could use it freely.
If so, should I retreat? Using it without permission is a bit nerve-wracking.
That was when.
"Except for chess, you can do anything. Master said so."
"Oh, really?"
"I like it here too…"
Phew, that's a relief. Ruby likes it too.
I entered the room with relief and naturally headed to the exercise corner.
Next to a brutish-looking barbell was a jump rope, and there were a few other seemingly useful things.
"Ruby, over here…."
But.
Ruby had already gone to the bookshelf, buried herself in a beanbag next to the desk, and was opening a book.
"……Sigh."
Sighs.
Yeah, well.
She'll come if she gets curious later.
I decided to start exercising.
Actually, Ruby isn't the only problem.
I'm a problem too.
Yesterday, stepping on that pedal, and a few days ago, swinging that hammer, I felt it keenly.
I need to build up my strength.
Well, there's a saying that weight training as a child stunts your growth.
That's a myth.
As long as the weight isn't enough to compress the growth plates, it actually helps.
Right, Yuna?
[Yes, that's the conclusion]
"Alright, then."
I rolled up my sleeves.
I picked up the jump rope placed nearest to me.
Starting with cardio.
Thirty minutes passed like that.
"……."
I was sprawled out with my head on the floor.
Why is this so hard.
Jump rope, lifting dumbbells estimated at 1 kg, push-ups.
A circuit training rotating those three exercises.
On exactly the fourth round, my body gave out.
I did push-ups with my knees on the ground, and lifted the dumbbells with both hands.
Sweat pours down like rain.
Yeah, because I'm a noob….
Noob heart rate, noob lung capacity, noob stamina….
I just have to build it up from now on….
I barely lifted my head and looked toward Ruby.
Maybe Ruby found my flailing more interesting than her book.
Startled!
When our eyes met, she looked surprised, turned her head, and hurriedly moved her gaze to the book.
I should keep it a secret that the book is upside down.
I barely raised myself up.
It felt like I would die from exhaustion, and Ruby kept staring at me panting, which oddly hurt my pride.
"…Oh, what's this."
Pretending to be interested in the chessboard, I observed it while resting.
Actually, I had played quite a lot of chess too.
Originally, it was part of the static games Yuna recommended to help me quit rhythm games.
But then I suddenly played chess 17 hours a day.
Yuna watched for two weeks and then banned chess too.
The online chess matchmaking environment at the time was… pure hell.
AIs that had even learned to distinguish AI moves began playing while evading that surveillance.
So it was a situation where untouchable cheaters were spreading across the board, and playing in that environment became extreme training.
Of course, as an AI hater, I didn't use them.
Around then, I had a Luddite mindset of wanting to slaughter every machine.
My online chess Rapid Rating is around 2500.
I know. It's actually amazing, but the point is not to make a fuss.
As if it were natural, not for me.
So if I just glance at the board, I can tell who's winning….
"…Black is getting destroyed?"
This is, well, being ripped to shreds.
The number of pieces is roughly similar… but if this goes two or three more moves, it's over.
"Ruby, whose game is this?"
"…White is Master."
Oh, Dolores.
She's completely crushing Black.
"Sometimes she comes and takes turns playing chess. When she plays, Master plays, and then she comes again and plays… But she hasn't come for about a year. It's about time she did."
"…I doubt she'll ever come."
If it were me, I wouldn't come either.
Rather than play any more here, I'd probably shut myself in and never come out.
I shook my head at Black's pathetic skill.
"I'll go drink some water."
"I want lemonade."
"Can I pour it on your leg?"
"Let me think for a moment. Hmm, no."
I exchanged silly jokes with Ruby and headed to the kitchen.
I feel like we've gotten fairly close. Maybe it's because we slept together.
Even this is probably Dolores's arrangement…?
The kitchen is at the inner end of the mansion's first floor.
A few servants were quietly preparing for the afternoon.
"Could I ask for a glass of water and one lemonade?"
"Yes, Young Master. I'll prepare them right away."
Click-clack.
One servant filled a glass with water.
Another poured the lemonade that had been prepared in advance.
While waiting for them to be ready, I glanced into the mirror next to the kitchen.
"What the."
My sorry state was reflected as it was.
My hair was soaked with sweat, my face was red, and my shirt was wet all the way to the collar.
I look like a complete mess.
I left the kitchen holding a glass and a lemonade, one in each hand.
I was walking down the hallway toward the reception room when it happened.
Click.
At the far end of the hallway.
A woman draped in black was striding inward.
The exact opposite color scheme from Dolores.
A black velvet dress, black gloves, even black boots.
Even her hair was black with a purple tinge, as if it were drinking in the light.
And decisively, she was tall.
'Okay.'
I understood at once.
She's someone of high status.
I bowed my head slightly.
"Hello."
The woman stopped walking for a moment and glanced me up and down.
"Espresso."
"…Yes?"
"Grind the beans only twice, not too fine. Water at 85 degrees. No higher."
What is she talking about.
She left those words, opened the reception room door, and went right in.
Eek…!
I thought I heard Ruby gasp inside.
The door closed.
Is she telling me to go brew coffee now?
"Sigh."
Yeah, if she tells me to brew it, I have to. She looked like someone important.
I do look like a mess.
She must have mistaken me for a servant, or maybe she doesn't care.
I set down the lemonade and water nearby and headed to the kitchen.
When I arrived at the kitchen, I spoke to the maid.
"Um… a guest has arrived. She said espresso, grind the beans only twice, not too fine. Water at 85 degrees. No higher."
"……!"
I recited the request Yuna had noted down. If it weren't for Yuna, I wouldn't have remembered.
Then an elderly servant from the back of the kitchen walked out.
"Lady Isabella has arrived."
"Yes, she was a bit black."
"When the Duke went out…."
The servant looked at me for a moment, then smiled gently.
It took about 5 minutes to brew the coffee.
She held out a tray to me.
"…Normally I should bring it, but since she made the request to Young Master Lionel, I cannot bring it. Lady Isabella is that kind of person…."
"Yes, of course I'll take it."
She looks very troubled.
I didn't particularly mind.
When I answered, the servant placed the coffee cup on the tray with a slightly relieved expression.
"Where is Lady Ruby, by any chance?"
"She was in the reception room."
At my answer, the servant gave a bitter smile.
"I see. I'll leave her in your care."
The servant carefully placed the tray in my hands.
I took the coffee and went out into the hallway.
Judging by her reaction and the attitude she showed from our first meeting.
'Hmm, she must be a nutcase.'
I thought she was quite a difficult person to deal with.
The thought even crossed my mind that Dolores might be top-tier among dukes in terms of personality.
If I assume she's one of the sworn sisters, she's likely a High Ranker.
Before I knew it, I was in front of the reception room.
Knock knock.
For some reason, I felt I should knock.
When there was no answer, I opened the door and went inside.
As soon as I entered, what caught my eye was the beanbag where Ruby should have been.
It was empty.
Where did she go this time.
I was turning my head to deliver the coffee when it happened.
"……."
Lady Isabella.
Was sitting in front of the chessboard.
"Hmph…."
I had to hold back my laughter.
So it was you, the chess noob?
You look like you'd be a grandmaster on the outside.
So you were a chess noob, I see.
Whether she was thinking, she brought her finger toward her lips, then quietly lowered it.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a board where thinking would produce an answer.
"Coffee is here."
"Leave it and go."
I set the coffee on the table beside her, pretended to leave, hid behind her back, and looked at the chessboard.
Sip.
"Is this house… the coffee the problem?"
Anyway, incompetent people are always quick to blame others.
"If it weren't for the gloves, I wouldn't have come…. Ah, I hate this…."
She keeps muttering something to herself.
But I heard something just now that I couldn't let pass.
Gloves?
Is she talking about my +20 wood gloves? The only person who knows about that is Dolores.
It's possible she told her.
Surely she didn't say something like, "Go die."
I trust Dolores. After all, I left all authority to her.
And.
After long thought, a bad move.
Isabella's finger rested on a knight.
And the knight was lifted slightly off the board.
Sorry, but the moment she takes that, her queen will be taken within 3 turns.
Of course, Dolores would have to make theoretical moves, but even without that, it was obvious the kingside would be torn apart.
She had already touched the piece and lifted it off the board, so it was final.
Now she absolutely had to move it. That's the rule.
It could be considered a fairly important rule.
But she suddenly shook her head vigorously.
And placed the knight back on the chessboard, in its original spot….
"Wow, that's cheating."
"W-what?"
I tilted my head with the bright expression of a child who knew nothing and asked.
"Isn't that cheating?"
I put up with a lot, but I can't stand cheating.
Fucking cheater. My lifelong enemy.
Isabella was dumbfounded.
She opened her mouth and looked at me.
"What are you?"
"I'm Lionel, Ruby's friend."
"……Not a servant?"
Isabella, who had been looking at me as if dumbfounded.
Soon, she suddenly curled up the corners of her mouth.
"My interest has cooled."
Rattle….
She knocked over all the pieces.
Well, well. You got yourself a good excuse.
Then.
Clatter….
She neatly set the pieces back on the chessboard.
"So you play chess well. You even know the rules."
"A little."
"Are you close with Ruby? Which family are you from… Ah, never mind."
"I am, but I don't know about her."
She asks about my family. She must think I'm some noble family's child.
Unexpectedly, Isabella didn't look displeased.
She seemed happy to have an excuse to overturn that game.
Well, if it were me….
She smiled with a very pleased expression and asked me.
"Want to play a game with me?"
"……."
Chess?
…With me?
"…Yes, sure."
You?
Holding back my laughter.
I sat across from her.
"I'll take white."
Swish.
The chessboard turned around.
At her taking the advantageous white against a child in the middle of this.
'Wow.'
I felt she needed some education.