The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange - Chapter 73



73. A Journey for Two (2)

At the same time, this place is the lower level of the imperial capital. A place deep underground where not a single ray of sunlight reaches.

This secret place, where you can hardly find any traces of human footsteps, is the underground city of ‘Mayhem’ where demons who only seek the darkest of dark places gather, and it is also the heart of the cult that worships the evil god Sisyphus… … .

─Sir, we’ve finished cleaning Area A.

─C section is also complete.

─Area B is about 90% complete.

“Yes, thank you for your hard work. Units in charge of Areas A and C will return after thoroughly searching the surrounding areas, and Area B will contact you again as soon as the cleaning is finished. That’s all.”

… … Not anymore. The ‘Black Lion Knights’ led by the acting head of the Reinhardt family and the ‘Red Magic Unit’ led by the head of the Eleveth family have discovered this underground city and launched a devastating attack.

More than 90% of the prospective minions who had their souls mortgaged to the evil gods, or the believers who had been transformed into minions, have already become guests who cannot return. The remnants remaining in the Dante Duchy and Lance Barondom are also very small.

So if only this place, ‘Mayhem’, could be cleaned up, those b*stards would never dare touch his brother and his wife again.

‘How important is the successor to our family… … .’

“Are those pseudo-religious people who worship baseless gods trying to touch it? How presumptuous.”

Ruin Reinhardt muttered with sincerity as he stood on a high place with a clear view of the underground city, taking stock.

‘This suppression operation has proceeded as planned, so now all that remains is… … .’

When I thought that the remnants had been completely wiped out…

“… … Ahem.”

I heard a cough from behind me. I turned around and saw, as expected, that it was Earl Macmillan, the commander in charge of this operation.

“Your Majesty, are you here?”

“Is the cleaning finished?”

“I was told that Sections A and C are in the final stages of finishing work, and Section B is about 90 percent complete.”

“The DEF zone that our Red Horse Unit was in charge of was already finished a long time ago, but it’s slower than I thought.”

“… … .”

‘It’s still the same… … .’

The feeling of dread towards those within one’s own confines is the same as it was 10 years ago.

Ruin Reinhardt, who was muttering to himself, nodded slowly and agreed.

“Yes, well. Even though it’s a little slow, it seems like it’ll end quickly without any accidents, so isn’t that fortunate? If we wrap things up well like this and everyone returns… … .”

“Oh, wait a minute.”

MacMillan, who had cut off his horse’s tail, cleared his throat and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Ruin ​​Reinhard, do you have any plans for this after this?”

“No, there isn’t. Why is that?”

“That’s good. Then, let’s have a drink together later.”

“… … The Count and I?”

“Why, don’t you like it?”

I thought it was a joke because the suggestion was so out of the blue, but surprisingly, Macmillan’s face was serious.

“Well, how could I not? Wouldn’t it be an honor to work with you, Count? Yes, let’s have a drink as soon as this is over.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“But, is something wrong? Why are you suddenly offering me a drink… … .”

Normally, Ruin Reinhard would never ask about someone else’s private life, but he was curious about this. And Count Macmillan’s expression looked so serious that he ended up asking.

‘If this bear-like gentleman asks me for a masterpiece, I’m sure he must have been quite upset, even if I don’t know for sure.’

But what on earth is that disturbing thing? Could it be that, rather than there being no damage, one of the adjutants of the Red Horse Unit was seriously injured? The agony of a commander who suffered an unexpected loss of strength?

As Ruin Reinhardt pondered several plausible conjectures, Count Macmillan spoke hesitantly, for the first time in a while.

“… …my daughter.”

“Yes, your daughter?”

“This morning, you went on a trip with your brother, didn’t you?”

“Yes? … … Ah, yes.”

By the way, today was the date of Cain’s trip. Ruin Reinhardt, who belatedly remembered that fact, inwardly blamed Cain.

This b*stard, he’s become a younger brother and he didn’t even tell his older brother to take care of him. I even lent him the entire villa over there and told him to take good care of him.

I’ll let you go for now so you can enjoy your trip with your future wife, but if you don’t come back with good news, I’ll have to nag you properly.

“Yes, it was. But why?”

“I’m a little worried, that’s all.”

“……ah.”

I’m worried.

I think I have some idea of ​​why Earl Macmillan said this to me.

‘Before this gentleman became a political heavyweight who dominated the political world, he was also a father of a daughter… … .’

Since he himself is not capable of seeing an heir, he will never understand the feelings of a father with a daughter, even after death. If I were to guess, it would be ‘It would be natural for a father to be worried that his daughter, whom he raised with great care for 20 years, would go on a trip with another man.’

‘I thought he was a cold-blooded, quick-thinking person, but he also has this human side.’

I knew he cared about his own people, but I never thought he would worry this much about his daughter.

If any man touches this with even one finger, it could be over on the spot.

“……what.”

It’s not my job to take care of the aftermath. I’m not getting married either.

And in fact, it would be better if my younger brother, unable to control his lust, caused an accident. I don’t know what Count Macmillan is thinking, but I want to see a successor as soon as possible.

‘Cain Reinhardt… … .’

I can guess where you are and what you are doing by now… … .

Anyway, cheer up.

“Isn’t that how all fathers with daughters feel? Of course, it’s understandable for you to be worried. But.”

“… … .”

“As you know, Count, my younger brother, Cain Reinhard, is an upright man. So please don’t worry too much and trust me to leave it to me.”

“Umm… … .”

─Sir, we’ve finished cleaning Area B.

“Oh, so it’s finally over. Well, let’s go. I know another good restaurant. ‘In-laws’.”

“… … Okay, go.”

* * *

At 2:00 PM on the last day of December, after running for more than half a day, Leah and I finally arrived in front of our destination, the villa. This villa, which looked quite grand, was rented by my brother for five days with his full authority, and there was no one else there except for the servants who were there to look after our convenience.

… … In other words, in this place, no one will disturb you.

In a way, it might seem obvious, but for some reason my lips were so dry that I secretly applied saliva to them without Leah knowing.

“Cain, are you here?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Wow, it’s really big. It’s almost as big as my house.”

I slowly responded to Leah’s slightly exaggerated exclamation and knocked on the villa’s door. The servant who opened the door with a squeak was a woman in neat attire.

As soon as our eyes met, she bowed her head politely and asked a question.

“Welcome, are you Cain Reinhardt and Lady Leah von Elebeth?”

“you’re right.”

As if they had heard about it in advance, they let me in without any special confirmation. Two more servants approached from afar. One was an older-looking man, and the other was a woman of the same age.

“Hello, I will make your stay comfortable. Please leave your luggage here. I will carry it to your room.”

“Yes, thank you.”

We left our luggage and followed the servant’s instructions to the top floor guest room where we would be staying. As expected, the door is manually locked. Like other houses, it is opened and closed with a key, but the servant said that the locking device is specially treated with mana, so you can rest assured that you will never be able to enter without the key.

“Well then, have a nice time.”

The servant who handed over the key disappeared down the hallway. I went inside the guest room with Leah, and went straight to the bedroom to put down my luggage first.

“The atmosphere here is really nice, isn’t it?”

Leah said, looking around.

As she said, the atmosphere of this bedroom is very gentle. Cozy and antique interior, soft bed, soft mood lighting, lace curtains. It looks like a hotel room painted in a painting. If a man and a woman spend a night in a place like this, wouldn’t they be so ticklish that they might even develop feelings for each other that they never had before?

“Yes, I think so.”

“Right? … … Ugh, I’m hungry. Cain, aren’t you hungry?”

Leah, who was rummaging through her bag, muttered as she watched me. Now that I think about it, it’s already past 2 o’clock. It’s usually a time when you’re hungry, but since I had a quick breakfast while riding the carriage, I’m starting to get hungry too.

“Would you like to go for lunch?”

“Yeah, I want to eat. But where are we going to eat? Will the people at the villa prepare it for us?”

“No, I have a reservation at a good place.”

“Oh, really? Where is it?”

“You will understand when you go.”

If I tell you in advance, your expectations will be lowered by half. I held out my hand, meaning that if you want to know, come and take my hand. Leah smiled happily and took my hand.

“Okay, then let’s go together.”

Holding hands, we left the villa and headed to the restaurant we had made a reservation at with my brother’s help. It was a fancy, specialized restaurant that was similar to today’s restaurants, and rumor had it that one meal would cost as much as a typical family of four would live on in a month.

In addition, it is expensive, and it is always fully booked, so even if you have money, you cannot visit it freely.

After walking around for about 20 minutes, chatting away, we arrived at [St. Sherbet] restaurant, which has a fancy signboard, unlike other neighborhood restaurants.

I wasn’t really interested in eating, so I just passed by, but Leah recognized the name of the restaurant, opened her eyes wide, and grabbed my sleeve.

“Huh? Cain, isn’t this Street Sherbet? You made a reservation here?”

“Street Sherbet… … .”

When I asked her what that was, Leah grabbed my arm and started making a fuss.

“Yeah, Street Sherbet. This place is really famous. You didn’t know about it when you made the reservation?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Wow, really? I’m so lucky, they said there’d be a month-long wait just to make a reservation here… … . Thanks, Cain.”

I thanked my brother in my heart, went into the restaurant, and told the staff at the front desk my name. The staff seemed to check something, then smiled and showed me to my seat.

“You two, please come this way.”

We were guided to the window seat, which was the farthest from the exit, and sat facing each other. There was no need to order separately. The menu here is only one course meal using seasonal ingredients that change with the season.

“Hey, Cain.”

“yes.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Why are your lips trembling like this? Are you in pain somewhere?”

“……no.”

‘I was wondering how I could naturally give you a surprise gift after enjoying a course meal, so I couldn’t honestly say that, so I just mumbled something.

“Huh… … Really?”

Leah looked at me with a suspicious expression, but I pretended not to notice and avoided eye contact. I’m not good at acting with facial expressions, so if I keep making eye contact, my true feelings will be revealed.

“It’s an appetizer.”

While I was in a difficult situation, a waiter came over and brought down a pre-dinner drink and a dish. It was an appetizer of fresh, oily goose liver, pate, and balsamic vinegar – foie gras, one of the world’s three greatest delicacies.

I carefully cut my share of foie gras. Leah followed suit, cutting it carefully, then opened her lips slightly and put it in her mouth, chewing it.

“Huh… … !”

At that moment, Leah closed her eyes tightly and let out a young moan. Her lips and eyebrows trembled slightly, and at the same time, the corners of her mouth drew a curve, as if she was truly impressed by the taste of foie gras.

“Do you like the food?”

“Huh? Oh yeah… … . Oh, it’s really delicious, this is my first time eating something like this… … .”

Leah swallowed hard, her tongue loosening after eating the appetizer, her words drawn out. But this was only the beginning. This was only the first appetizer, and since this restaurant was expensive, they served a traditional full course meal. There were still soups, fish dishes, sorbets, meat dishes, poultry dishes, etc… … .

“… … Hmm.”

“Really. Wow, wow… … .”

Nana Riana finished off her plate of foie gras, exclaiming in admiration. Then, at the right moment, the waiter came over and put down the soup.

“… … !”

Leah took a sip of soup and her shoulders shook. The next course, soup, was just as delicious as foie gras, making her shiver.

Following Leah, I tasted a spoonful and I can see why she reacted that way. I can’t hold back my reaction even if I want to. If I were to translate the sensation I feel on the tip of my tongue into words, it’s like a ‘bomb of umami’ is ravaging my mouth.

“……her.”

This is so delicious, isn’t it? The food is so excellent that my surprise gift will be relatively overshadowed… … Is this okay?

I looked at Leah as such worries suddenly occurred to me. She, who had no way of knowing what I was thinking, smiled prettily as soon as our eyes met and said.

“Cain, this is really delicious. Isn’t it?”

“… … .”

Yeah, well.

With Leah smiling like that, is that a big deal?

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

I smiled at Leah and took a bite of the soup.