MAS 09

-chapter 9-

Ah, right! I almost forgot.

“This one’s for Herden!”

I pulled out another container I’d kept in my pocket and showed it to him.

The moment I did, his face broke into a wide grin.

At first, he’d looked a little hesitant, but after seeing Ciderion eat his, he must’ve gotten curious.

“If you’re offering, I’ll accept it gratefully.”

He even stood up and walked briskly over to me.

“Hm? This one seems a bit different from His Highness’s?”

Herden asked, comparing it to what Ciderion had received.

Well, that kid likes sweet things—and you’re an adult!

What I’d given Herden was mint candy.

“That one’s a special custom-made service just for you, Herden! If you eat it when you’re sleepy, it’ll help wake you right up.”

“Sleepy?”

Tilting his head, Herden took a candy from the container and popped it into his mouth.

“Wow! It feels so refreshing in my mouth. I can’t believe snacks like this exist…!”

He exclaimed in awe, his face lighting up with excitement.

…He really likes it.

I guess I should remember to bring some for Herden from time to time too.

“You’re late today.”

Ciderion said as I slipped into his office.

It’s only thirty minutes later than usual.

Hah, this brat is really getting trained by his big sister.

“What’s with that ugly grin…?”

“Ugly? Mary says I’m the prettiest person in the world.”

Well, she didn’t actually say it that explicitly.

“What maid would dare tell her master he’s ugly?”

You little…

When someone attacks you over looks, you’re supposed to counter with looks—but…

I stared closely at his face, examining it bit by bit.

Longer eyelashes than mine, snow-white skin like freshly fallen winter snow, jet-black hair darker than the night sky and silky smooth, and delicate yet perfectly proportioned features packed into a small face.

Mm.

“Perfect defense.”

There was absolutely nothing to criticize.

I clicked my tongue and looked away.

“Fine. Must be nice being pretty.”

Ciderion looked at me as if I were ridiculous, then decided I wasn’t worth dealing with and turned his attention back to his paperwork.

“So, what did you bring today?”

“Nothing.”

Stop.

His pen, which had been moving busily, came to a halt.

In a voice tinged with emotion, he asked,

“Then why are you here?”

Wow. Look at this guy.

They really weren’t lying when they said kindness eventually gets mistaken for entitlement.

I puffed out my cheeks.

“Do you think I’m some kind of snack-delivery maid?”

“Not much different.”

“That’s seriously cruel.”

“…Honestly, I was kind of expecting something.”

Herden slipped in quietly.

Even Herden, the embodiment of kindness…?

Looks like I trained them too well.

My talent is terrifying.

But I can’t let my guard down yet.

You can tame a beast with meat, sure—but once the meat runs out, you become the next meal.

“Don’t bother us. Leave.”

Just like that.

After all the snacks I’ve brought you, you heartless bastard!

Today’s lack of snacks was a test.

I wanted to see how Ciderion would treat me when I didn’t bring anything.

And this was the result.

Bang—!

Damn it. He actually kicked me out?

“Ugh, forget it. What was I even expecting?”

I thought we’d gotten at least a little closer, but maybe that was all in my head.

Grumbling, I returned to my room, feeling oddly lonely.

“Milady, aren’t you going today?”

Mary asked as she kept glancing at the clock.

I lay face-down on my bed, flipping pages in a book as I answered casually.

“Where?”

“To the master’s office. You go there all the time.”

Mary, watch your wording!

“When have I ever gone all the time?!”

I shot her a glare.

“Yes, yes. My apologies for asking.”

She shook her head and continued cleaning the room.

For the record, this is not because I’m sulking.

I just realized that taming Ciderion with snacks isn’t as effective as I’d hoped, so I’m revising my strategy.

The revised plan is…

I haven’t actually come up with one yet.

So until I do, this is a temporary break.

Still, it feels kind of empty.

It’s been two weeks since I started bringing Ciderion snacks.

I guess it became part of my daily routine.

Feeling this hollow after skipping just one day…

But Ciderion probably doesn’t care at all.

That thought stung a little.

I kept telling myself he was scary, yet somewhere along the way I must’ve mistaken us for friends.

Get a grip, Lillia. He’s a terrifying mastermind!

In the original story, Ciderion was a cold-blooded man who wouldn’t hesitate to commit any atrocity to claim the heroine, Adriana.

He felt no remorse even when killing people.

Granted, that was due to the influence of his fire attribute—but still.

Just what is that cursed attribute, anyway?

I picked up the hand mirror from my bedside table and studied my eyes closely.

To determine someone’s innate attribute, you look at their eyes.

Since I was born with the water attribute, a blue aura shimmered like heat haze within my yellow irises.

And Mary had the wind attribute.

It’s fascinating every time I see it.

Ordinary people can’t properly wield their attribute power—especially before adulthood, when it’s even weaker.

But Ciderion awakens his at fifteen and sweeps across battlefields.

So this is the overpowered strength of a dark-matter sub–male lead.

Still, being thrown alone onto a battlefield at such a young age wasn’t exactly enviable.

…Though I was jealous of the power and fame.

If I’d possessed the body of a male lead or sub–male lead, I’d be conquering this world.

Why did I have to be such a useless supporting character?!

I pouted and complained, but reality didn’t change.

“Oh my, it’s already this late.”

Mary’s words snapped me back to reality.

Though I’d done nothing in particular, the sun outside was already setting.

And when the sun sets, what do you do?

“It’s dinner time.”

Which meant—

“I guess you’ve decided not to come at all.”

I had to see Ciderion.

He spoke while slightly pushing out his lower lip.

What? Is he… sulking?

No. This is Ciderion.

The man who probably thinks of me as an ant on the roadside. There’s no way he’d sulk over me.

I hesitated, then went with a generic excuse.

“…I’m not feeling very well.”

“You’re not…?”

“Cough—khm! I’ve got the chills. Might be coming down with a cold. You’re busy, so I didn’t want to infect you.”

Even if I played the part of a kind person who put others first, he wouldn’t feel even the slightest bit touched.

Let’s just eat.

Feeling oddly bitter, I scooped up some soup.

No—more precisely, I was just about to bring it to my mouth when—

“Then I guess you can’t go.”

My gaze snapped from the soup to Ciderion.

“Can’t go where?”

“We received an invitation from the imperial family to attend a banquet.”

He said it casually while cutting his steak.

A banquet…

“—A banquet?!”

I shot to my feet. Ciderion frowned slightly.

“Don’t make a scene.”

“Yes, sir.”

I quickly sat back down.

“B-but really? An invitation? We’re actually going?”

“That was the plan… but if you’ve caught something contagious like a cold, it’d be better not to.”

“No! It’s not a cold! It’s—uh! You know pollen allergies? I have those! I must’ve mistaken it!”

Even I thought the excuse was pathetic.

But a banquet…

The crown jewel of transmigration stories—a banquet!

Any avid reader of romance fantasy has thought about it at least once.

What would a banquet be like? How dazzling would it be?

I didn’t crave it desperately, but I wanted to experience it at least once before I died.

Yet I didn’t even own a proper dress, and having been sold into political maneuvering, I didn’t have the freedom to go out.

Granted, I was a homebody by nature, so it didn’t suffocate me too much.

Still, choosing not to go and being unable to go are two very different things.

Looks like the snack shuttle worked after all.

I hadn’t just been playing snack maid all this time.

Snacks were merely the excuse—the real goal was creating opportunities to meet.

No matter how well I knew him from the novel, actually talking to him was still necessary.

But since Ciderion was so taciturn, most of the time it was just me rambling.

About what I liked, what I wanted to eat, places I wanted to visit…

And I definitely mentioned wanting to go to a banquet.

Maybe he remembered that.

Nodding to myself at this perfectly reasonable assumption, I suddenly realized something strange.

Would Ciderion really go that far for me just because of a few snacks?

That personality-less monster?

…Maybe it’s because his powers haven’t fully awakened yet.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“I don’t particularly want to go, but the invitation said I should attend before the war.”

His next words deflated me slightly.

Of course. Who was I kidding?

But hey, good is good!

Ciderion’s face was clearly full of annoyance. Kind of cute, actually.

I was gazing at him fondly when—

Huh?

His usually rigid lips curved upward, ever so slightly.

Thinking I’d imagined it, I blinked and looked again.

Yeah, figures.

Whether it was a trick of the eye or not, his mouth was flat as ever.

Guess I was seeing things.

I soon lost interest and shifted my thoughts.

More importantly, what do I need to prepare for a banquet?

I won’t need to prepare anything myself… right?