The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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“Don’t you have something to say?”

What could I possibly talk about with someone I just met today?

Forcing down the tumultuous feelings within me, I hurriedly lowered my head just enough for the crown of my hair to show.

After all, the princess herself has graced me with her presence and spoken to me.

If I were to hold my head high in front of a royal like her, it wouldn’t be surprising if I lost my head right there.

“I am honored to meet Your Highness, the noble princess of the Aisiliah Kingdom.”

Fortunately, it seemed she appreciated my quick greeting as she nodded in response.

“Lift your head.”

“How could I possibly raise my head in front of Your Highness?”

“Must I ask you twice?”

“…I thank you for your consideration.”

As I raised my head, she gazed at me as she had when she first entered the banquet hall.

Once again, her eyes scanned me slowly.

And just like before.

Adelhaite scrutinized me with her narrowed eyes, stroking her angular jaw.

“Hmm…”

Her murmur, laden with discontent and confusion, accompanied the sudden widening of her eyes.

With her hand now lowered and crossed, Adelhaite did not seem to care about the men around, but her posture accentuated her ample cleavage, making me feel quite uncomfortable.

She asked languidly, “What’s your name?”

“…I am called Ray.”

“Ray… considering you have no family name, you don’t seem to be a noble. How did you manage to get in here?”

“Thanks to my position as a servant to the Shianella Count’s household and Ainel-sama’s kind assistance, I was able to enter.”

“I see, a servant… so you’ve risen to that position from a commoner?”

I cautiously shook my head.

“…I am not a commoner.”

“If you’re not a commoner, then are you a slave?”

Adelhaite tilted her head at my confession of being neither noble nor commoner.

Her beautiful hair flowed, conforming to her movement.

“…I am the slave and devoted servant of the second daughter of the Shianella Count, Shione Shianella.”

“Hmm.”

I was worried she might look down on me with a disdainful gaze at the mention of being a commoner and a slave, yet she met my eyes with an even more profound and mystical glow.

“I once thought there was no one in this world I couldn’t decipher, except for the Emperor of the Empire.”

She began to speak in a way that made no sense at all.

“It’s truly astounding that I couldn’t see through a mere commoner. It seems…”

The corners of her mouth, previously emotionless, subtly lifted.

“It’s almost dubious whether you’re a person of this world.”

Dubious whether I’m a person of this world? Her words snapped me back to reality.

“What do you mean…?”

“How much do you know about our Aisiliah royal family?”

Embarrassingly enough, I didn’t have much knowledge of the royal family’s grand history or the intricate tales woven around it.

Having lived my whole life as a slave, I hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to read the storybooks detailing the kingdom’s history, nor had I heard the bard’s songs praising the royal family.

“I apologize, but I only know of the holiness and greatness of the Aisiliah Kingdom, which was established after driving away the demons; I’m not deeply informed about the royal family itself.”

“Then let me enlighten you simply.”

Adelhaite raised her chin as she continued speaking.

“The royal family is descended from dragons, and though we are called mere nobility, we have inherited the powers of dragons. That purplish eye known only to the exalted dragon is precisely that.”

“Ah….”

“Moreover, thanks to the phenomenon of selective inheritance…”

She stroked her hair.

“I’ve dyed my hair purplish as a result. While I usually have the same eyes as everyone else, if I desire, I can wield the dragon’s eye’s powers to their fullest.”

Adelhaite’s pupils transformed.

From human-like to those resembling a lizard’s. From the vertically slit pupils, a soft bluish light emanated.

In a whisper that only she and I could hear, Adelhaite began to speak.

“Indeed, you can operate the powers without anything being read from you.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s absurd to think that a mere commoner has evaded the powers of perception from the dragon’s eye. So now, here, I will ask you.”

Quietly, with a fiercely hostile tone, the princess’s voice pierced my ears.

“Shianella’s male slave, Ray. Reveal your true identity.”

I couldn’t dare respond to Adelhaite’s request.

While there are a few things that come to mind regarding why I might not be readable to her dragon’s eye, could I even expect her to believe my words if I were to explain them in detail?

“Having returned from being active as a hunter on Earth, I found myself in this odd world where the roles of males and females have reversed. What’s more, in this world that’s already gone to ruin, I must raise that clueless daughter of the Count to save the world, not the glorious princess.”

Honestly, statements like that sound even more plausible than a goblin suddenly twisting its body and evolving into an ogre.

As I hesitated to speak, Adelhaite scoffed, as if expecting nothing less.

“To not even answer my question is quite rude. Then again, your silence seems to confirm that you are indeed hiding something.”

The bluish light faded, and Adelhaite’s eyes returned to a human-like gaze.

“…After my coming-of-age ceremony, you will have a private audience with me.”

I’m doomed.

A private meeting with the royal princess, who harbors deep doubts about my fundamental identity.

My head already feels like it’s splitting.

As much as I’d like to firmly refuse, how could I refuse the words of a princess when I’m in no position to deny even Shione’s?

“…Understood.”

In the end, I promised the princess a private audience.

Considering she’s a person of her stature… it would be a piece of cake for Ainel or Shione to pull me aside.

“Then we shall see at that time.”

I merely bowed my head in silence.

Once those words were spoken, the princess headed straight toward Shione and Peira, who were engrossed in an animated discussion, and took Peira away to approach Yulia Feiosha.

It seemed that Adelhaite had something to discuss separately with the Feiosha Marquis family along with wanting to draw Peira away from me.

While Adelhaite was busy with her business, I noticed that Shione and Noah seemed to have left the conversation, as both looked quite fatigued.

But why is it…

“Why is he smiling again…?”

Noah, yet again, seemed to be under some misconception.

She secretly smiled at Shione.

Not only that.

[Quest Completed.]
[Shione Shianella’s growth rate increases further.]

What the heck is going on?

Even the quest to mend my torn relationship with Noah has been completed.

While things were already tense with Peira, what exactly did my lady say to complete the quest?

As I stared blankly at the status window, Noah hurried back to her mother’s side.

Her steps seemed light, as if a weight had been lifted—surely, it seems that quest has indeed been completed.

‘Now I don’t even know anymore.’

Let it be whatever it turns out to be.

I’m exhausted just from the princess’s conversation.

At least for now, I don’t want to think about anything concerning quests, so I cleared my head and approached Shione.

“How was your conversation?”

“…Ray.”

“What is it?”

“I want to go back to my room…”

Shione looked up at me with a crumpled appearance like a wet animal that had been caught in the rain, as if she had been through a lot.

I felt just as drained, and I wanted nothing more than to return to my room just as she did, but ultimately I shook my head firmly.

“There are still Lady Aria Alenarr and Lady Leona Refillia remaining. Let’s hang in there a little longer.”

“Right, I suppose…?”

“If you’re really feeling unwell, remember the wager we made.”

“Oh, the wager.”

As if reminded of the bet we had, the slumped Shione straightened up again.

Now motivated, I spoke to Shione once more.

“Then first, you should talk to Lady Leona Refillia. In the meantime, I will seize the opportunity to… go and relay a message to Lady Aria Alenarr.”

“What…? What do you mean by relay a message?”

I couldn’t help but sigh at Shione’s inquiry.

“Lady Siabel Shianella asked me personally to deliver a message to Lady Aria Alenarr.”

Before coming to the capital, Siabel, who had been bedridden, had asked me to do so.

As Lady Aria Alenarr now sipped wine alone, I planned to hurry and convey Siabel’s message to her.

—If I don’t want to earn her ire, it’s best to communicate exactly as I was told.

I stroked my neck, recalling her whispered words from the past.

…Hopefully, I won’t lose my head for irreverence.