The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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“…What?”

Ainel stared at me with a rather soft gaze, lacking her usual sharpness, as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Her previously relaxed demeanor instantly reverted back to her usual self upon hearing my confession.

The fog of drowsiness covering her blue eyes dissipated, replaced by a look of disbelief and confusion.

“I can’t be hearing things. Ray, repeat what you just said!”

“…I accidentally revealed that I possess the power of spirits to someone else.”

“Are you serious about this?”

Could a mere slave like me really lie so boldly? All I could do was nod in response to Ainel’s question.

“Ha….”

Upon witnessing my reaction, she shook her head in exasperation.

With a deep sigh, she seemed to indicate that things had escalated to a troublesome level.

Who would’ve thought I’d see Ainel Shianella like this?

Although it wasn’t a positive reaction, seeing her openly express her feelings was a refreshing change.

Well, a refreshing feeling is still something.

“Let’s discuss this inside.”

“Excuse me.”

Despite that, I wasn’t entirely comfortable about being alone with Ainel again.

This private conversation felt much more stifling compared to my moments alone with Shione.

After all, Ainel Shianella had previously aimed a finely honed blade at my neck when she saved her daughter from Arachne.

Even if it was just for show, the memory was still fresh.

I rubbed my neck as I walked into her room.

“Alright, sit here.”

I took a seat in the chair Ainel pointed to.

The plush leather chair supported my body, but comfort was far from my mind.

“Hmmm—”

Sitting across from me with her legs crossed, Ainel looked a bit regal in her disheveled blue nightgown.

She had me seated right in front of her while she slowly began to comb through her tangled hair with her eyes closed.

Then, her soft pink lips parted.

“Considering yesterday’s events, those who witnessed you at the Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony must be whispering amongst themselves that you can handle mana. You’re already attracting quite a bit of attention.”

“…The situation was beyond my control.”

“I have no intention of pressing you on this, so don’t feel too intimidated. I know well that your display was meant to protect the Princess and Shione.”

Ainel tilted her head and opened her eyes, focusing on me with the distinct gaze of the Shianella family, reminiscent of the chill from the Northern Sea.

“Most will consider this all mere speculation, so if you deny it, that’ll suffice. Those who’ve picked up on your true abilities will likely figure things out with the Princess.”

“The Princess and I will figure things out together?”

“Exactly.”

As Ainel crossed her arms, her form concealed beneath the broad nightgown seemed to emphasize her figure.

“Perhaps it’s because she’s of royal blood, but the Princess has indeed come to understand your mana and abilities to a certain degree. She appreciates your bravery and has vowed to assist you so that you won’t find yourself in a tough spot again.”

“Oh.”

Was it because she helped me avoid being stabbed in the back? I had my suspicions when I first met her.

Now, it seemed she was starting to think of me more favorably.

As thoughts about my relationship with Adelhaite crossed my mind, Ainel relaxed her arms.

She brushed her dry lips with her right hand and continued.

“However, after this situation settles, the Princess expressed a desire to meet with you alone.”

Meet alone—

Surely it would involve my mana and swordsmanship, or maybe more of my deeper secrets that Adelhaite’s relentless questioning would dig into.

It was then.

Clap!

As my thoughts drifted to my one-on-one with Adelhaite, Ainel snapped her fingers to bring my attention back.

“Well, anyway… while the mana matter might blow over, the real issue is that you’ve been discovered wielding spirit magic, haven’t you? If rumors start flying that you can handle mana infused with spirits instead of regular mana, it could lead to quite the hassle.”

With that, she flipped her bangs back with noticeable irritation.

“Servant Ray… what on earth did you do this morning that got you exposed in front of me?”

“That is—”

“Don’t stall, just say it quickly.”

“…I had an encounter with an elf.”

“An elf, huh?”

Once I uttered the word elf instead of some pitiful excuse, Ainel tilted her head in interest, encouraging me to continue.

I recalled the cursed elf from only minutes ago.

Right, that elf’s name was…

“Friel Arielte.”

“Friel… Friel Arielte, you say?”

Ainel muttered that name as if testing it on her tongue, and I noticed her once-stiff expression starting to relax.

While she might not know Friel personally, it seemed there was some connection with the Arielte family.

It looked like the Shianella family had some ties to that clan of elves.

“Well, you got lucky.”

“…Lucky, you say?”

“Among the many elf families beneath the High Elf, the Arielte family is renowned for being the most honorable and loyal tree guardians.”

I barely suppressed a cynical laugh at Ainel’s comment. However, I couldn’t hide my gradually stiffening expression.

The most honorable and loyal family?

The very elf from the Arielte clan had boldly shown her greed towards me from the very first conversation.

And loyalty? To think that the elves could cut ties and leave, all in the name of family ties, and still carry such a title.

It was astounding. No, it was truly impressive.

“Unbelievable.”

“Those elf brats.”

Especially those tree guardians from the Arielte house.

I couldn’t help but marvel at how they managed to maintain such a pristine image that could put Ainel at ease.

“Clearly, you’ll need to explain your powers to them, but… if you ask nicely, I’m sure they’ll keep it a secret.”

“…Yes.”

Sure, they’d keep it a secret.

But it wouldn’t be out of the honor and loyalty Ainel believed in.

It would stem from a greed to avoid any chance of me being shown to other elves or snatched away.

The gap in knowledge between Ainel and me regarding the elves was too wide.

I felt like smacking Ainel upside the head to knock some sense into her.

“Ray, I want to know what you discussed with the daughter of the Arielte family.”

“Regarding that…”

“What you talked about and what happened with her. Don’t leave anything out, understood?”

Our matriarch, clearly curious about the true nature of the elves, was asking for such details.

As a loyal servant to the family, I had no choice but to comply.

The thought of finally revealing the elves’ true nature to my exasperating matriarch brought a slight smile to my face.

With all of Ainel’s senses focused on me, I grinned ever so slightly as I began to speak.

“Lady Friel Arielte said to me…”

I could not let this opportunity slip by!

I was going to make sure to reveal the true nature of the elves to her.

So I began to recount Friel’s words, one by one.

“Interesting.”

“…What?”

“I find you to be quite an interesting human.”

“……”

“And in that sense, would you be mine?”

As Ainel realized that all of this came from Friel, her eyebrows knitted together, and she leaned in to hear my next words.

In return, I wasted no time continuing.

“Surely you don’t believe I can’t belong to you.”

“Ray. Whether you’re a slave tied to the Count or just a servant, that doesn’t matter. What’s important is… your will.”

“If you truly want it, you have the confidence to take Ray from this mere count’s house, right? It’s just a ragtag count’s residence established by the short-lived species after all?”