VFAI 11

Chapter 11

“Maybe I Expected Something”

The carriage carrying Karlotte and me raced along the main streets of the capital, Somnia.

Resting my chin on my hand, I watched the city scenery blur past outside the window.

It wasn’t like Karlotte and I were close enough to make conversation, so the silence wasn’t particularly awkward.

Time passed like that.

Then suddenly, Karlotte called out to me.

“…Hey.”

“Speak, Karl.”

“You didn’t bring a maid? That maid you always had with you. Misa or whatever.”

No matter how much Karlotte disliked me, there was no way he wouldn’t know the name of the maid who had been with me since childhood.

‘How childish.’

He was clearly trying to irritate me by deliberately getting the name wrong.

Normally, I would have corrected him and raised my voice just like before, but I was quite rational now.

I smiled brightly and replied.

“Yeah. Misa is busy with something else.”

“Hah…”

Karlotte let out a dumbfounded laugh and looked at me like he couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t expected me to respond like this.

Seeing his “I just got hit” expression made me feel oddly pleased.

I kindly added an explanation to the now-annoyed Karlotte.

“And since I have you, I don’t really need anyone else, right?”

“What does that even mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Unlike Yansy, Karlotte wasn’t as strong, but as a direct member of the Perdia family, he could also wield the destructive attribute of power.

Karlotte’s ability was “Ground Collapse.”

A large-scale destructive power capable of collapsing the ground within a narrow or wide range.

It was the kind of ability suited for massive battles, so in an era without wars, it didn’t get many chances to shine.

Still, Karlotte liked his ability quite a bit and trained with it alongside swordsmanship as part of the family knights.

I even heard he had such talent in swordsmanship that he could outperform most adult knights in sparring.

In conclusion, Karlotte was more than capable of serving as a bodyguard.

Just stating facts, but he seemed to take it as praise—his lips twitched upward.

“W-well, I am, kinda, strong. Ahem, cough.”

“……”

The second son of the family was seriously questionable. The future of Perdia felt uncertain.

At least Yansy, who had a functioning brain, was the heir, so that was a relief.

Karlotte, whose ears had turned red from coughing awkwardly for a while, suddenly asked me,

“By the way, where are we going?”

“Twannet Street. I’ve got some things to buy.”

Twannet Street was named after Empress Antoinette, whom the founding emperor adored deeply.

It was a luxury shopping district filled with clothing boutiques and jewelry shops frequented by nobles and wealthy merchants.

“Alright then.”

Since I usually went to Twannet Street whenever I went out, Karlotte didn’t seem suspicious.

That worked in my favor.

The more he let his guard down, the easier it would be to deceive him.

Eventually, the carriage slowed and came to a complete stop.

We had arrived.

Karlotte got out first. Normally, when a man and woman share a carriage, the man exits first and then helps the woman down.

Even Karlotte, who didn’t treat me as family, still stood by the door waiting.

For a moment, I remembered something from the past.

When I was nine and Karlotte was seven, we once went to the temple together.

After returning to the mansion, Karlotte, who got out first, looked at me as I was about to step down and said in a cold voice:

“I don’t want to hold your hand. Get down yourself.”

And then he walked away without looking back.

His clear rejection hurt more than I expected at that young age.

Not that I had expected him to help me in the first place.

Or maybe I had—judging by how disappointed I felt. How foolish.

“Miss. Please take my hand.”

“…Okay.”

Back then, the coachman, sensing my hesitation, had helped me down.

The height of the carriage that once felt terrifying as a child was now nothing at all.

“!”

I ignored Karlotte’s attempt to offer his hand and jumped down on my own.

I could see his hand grasping empty air awkwardly, but I ignored it and instead urged him on.

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

“Huh? Oh.”

He followed behind me with a dazed expression.

I smirked bitterly, imagining his face.

‘When did you ever properly help me anyway?’

That kind of courtesy didn’t suit us.

The first task assigned to me:

Spend at least 100,000 Lari.

Since the Duke said it was “an additional 100,000 Lari” beyond what I normally used, I would likely need to spend around 130,000.

With that heavy mission in mind, my first stop was a clothing boutique popular among young ladies.

As expected, the shop was filled with ladies shopping for dresses.

“Look over there, it’s the second young master of Perdia!”

“Where? Oh my, it really is him.”

I didn’t fully understand it, but apparently Yansy and Karlotte were considered top marriage prospects in noble society.

The young ladies blushed and kept sneaking glances at Karlotte.

Uncomfortable with the attention, Karlotte frowned and followed behind me.

“Why come in person? You could’ve just had someone summon them to the estate.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Reasons?”

Without answering, I acted instead.

As soon as I entered, I pointed at the entire wall of ready-made clothes.

“From here to there. All of it.”

“…Hey!”

Karlotte looked at me in shock.

“Relax, Karl.”

“This is insane.”

“Get used to it. It’s the Perdia way.”

Though the conversation was one-sided, the boutique staff began processing the order.

Karlotte muttered in disbelief.

“I’ve heard you waste money without thinking, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad…”

Then he asked seriously,

“What if Father hears about this?”

But this was exactly what the Duke had ordered.

Ignoring Karlotte, I continued shopping.

“Also that wall over there. All of it too.”

“Yes, miss.”

Karlotte examined the items and asked,

“Those are men’s formal outfits. Why are you buying those?”

Indeed, they were men’s clothes.

I hadn’t bothered checking carefully when I pointed.

“Well… do you want them?”

“What? Are you giving me a gift or something—”

“Then I’ll just skip them.”

“Hey!”

He got angry out of nowhere.

Weird guy.

“If you wanted them, you should’ve said so.”

“It’s not about that!”

Ignoring his outburst, I handed over the Perdia family insignia necklace to the clerk.

It functioned as both identification and a blank check for nobles.

Once I finished selecting items and presented the insignia, the bill would be charged to the estate.

‘No wonder personal funds are impossible.’

Everything gets recorded.

“Send everything to the Perdia estate.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Time was short.

After finishing at the boutique, I headed straight to a nearby jewelry store.

“I’ll take that entire display.”

Karlotte, once again horrified, stared at me.

“Just calm down, Karl.”

He really hadn’t received Perdia-style financial education yet.

I felt more comfortable spending money with him reacting like that.

After purchasing jewelry as well, I estimated I had spent around 140,000 Lari.

That completed the first task.

Next was my personal objective.

The destination was the mage tower near Twannet Street—but there was a problem.

“You’re done, right? Let’s go.”

I couldn’t take Karlotte with me.

This is exactly why I said I didn’t need a bodyguard. He made moving around too inconvenient.

While leaving the jewelry store, I looked up at him.

“I want cake.”

“Cake? Just eat it at home.”

Karlotte frowned.

“I want the fondant chocolat from ‘Blanc au Blanc’ patisserie.”

“What? That place is always packed. You’d have to wait hours in that crowd.”

I smiled without answering.

‘Exactly.’

That makes it easier to shake him off.

“Just eat any cake…”

“If I tell Father you’re neglecting your duty as a guard—”

“Fine, fine! Let’s go!”

In the end, Karlotte gave in.

“Come on, Karl.”

“Such a waste of time… a complete waste…”

“Isn’t that the second young master of Perdia?”

“No way, why would he be here?”

“It’s really him! Look!”

“Kyaa! Karl, right?”

“Seriously, it’s Karlotte!”

People recognized him everywhere, and Karlotte’s irritation kept growing.

“I can’t believe I’m doing cake errands…”

The more he thought about it, the more it felt like he had been tricked by Elodie Perdia.

Still, he waited in line, unwilling to leave after already investing so much time.

Eventually, he entered the patisserie.

“Fondant chocolat. One.”

“One fondant chocolat. Anything else?”

“Nothing—”

Then suddenly:

“Every type. One of each. Deliver them to the Perdia estate. You do delivery, right?”

“…All of them?”

“Yes.”

After finishing payment, Karlotte left the shop feeling strangely satisfied.

‘If I suffered through all this time, just one cake would be ridiculous.’

Of course, he planned to dump everything on Elodie.

Imagining her reaction made him feel a little better.

“Eek! Karlotte!”

“He’s Karlotte!”

Ignoring the crowd, he walked toward the alley where he had told Elodie to wait.

But when he reached the corner—

He stopped.

A fallen parasol on the ground.

“…Hey.”

An empty alley.

“Elodie Perdia?”

No answer.

Elodie Perdia had disappeared.