Ch.41 Leader and Vice-Leader

In spite of encountering an emergency visitor shift, as usual the high spec servants of the duke household fully exhibit their reserve strength, and in a short while they have dealt with it! The Duke probably does not know of such hardships. I earnestly pray that they do not usurp him one day.

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Mimosa and I arrive in the salon, already aperitifs, tea, light drinking snacks and sweets have been prepared. It was all done in the time we were in the entrance way. What quick work! There is nothing but admiration.

Two maids immediately dispatched by Dahlia link up with us and so the hospitality in the salon starts!

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Making tea and delivering glasses of alcohol, while serving, I roughly look and I sense that it seems that there are a lot of young people. And no matter who it is, there are only people who have quite well-featured faces. Scary face group・sweet group・cool group・flashy group and so on, it seems every kind is gathered. Is there an item on being good-looking in the exam for becoming a knight? The figures of such dreamy people dashingly wearing the knights uniform is a sight for sore eyes. Although called a company of knights the special duty division are a group of elite intellectuals so they do not need to be muscular and macho.

However, even though they are placed inside such a all-smiles-good-looking-men-paradise, Mimosa and the rest of the maids easily handle their jobs without a single change in their complexion. As expected of first-class servants. I cannot just aimlessly observe my surroundings, I also should learn from observation!

There are 3 woman knights. They are also great drool-worthy beauties . ……oops, dangerous dangerous. I was about to do something wrong. No, but beautiful things should be praised as beautiful! The three people are slender and tall (more than me~!) the place that comes out, comes out properly. Their hips as expected of knights are firmly built but still even from the uniform their feminine pretty line is clearly distinct. Is it military regulations?, that their beautiful hair be gathered up without a single strand of hair loose. Aah, my observing has rapidly become like a perverted old man’s…… nah, yeah, nevermind! However, the Duke looks at these beautiful woman everyday nearby and yet, he often feels like looking at someone like me?

By the way the Duke’s beauty, despite being in such a paradise of beautiful men and beautiful women, it surpasses the rest?

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“Sorry, Vi-. My subordinates heard information from somewhere about you having a tea party at the house today and threw a tantrum saying ‘we want to come no matter what’”

I am detained by the Duke while distributing tea to the visitors. He slightly lowers his eyebrows and is apologetic.

“Do not worry about it. Everyone will cope with it”

I say while pleasantly and gracefully smiling but of course this is lip service. Because I think that, visitors are requested to make an appointment. If they do not everyone will be a whirl of busyness.

The Duke breathes a sigh of relief at my downright lying, smiling face but, to that,

“You can’t put down your own elite~! Leader!”

One of the knights forces their way between the Duke and I.

“What, Corydalis”

The Duke’s tender facial expression is immediately erased and, glances at that knight with a low voice.

“We are a intelligence gathering~operation system? It’s a piece of cake to fetch information on a tea party meeting”

The knight declares with a ready smile, not at all concerned, perhaps familiar with the Duke’s glare.

However the contents of what he said, wait a second?

Intelligence is a piece of cake? Of course, they are the intelligence service. Well then, was there a great leak of the duke house’s news?  That, has my wearing the servant uniform and slipping in with the servants been exposed to these people?!

I arrive at this thinking and quickly I feel the blood draining from my face. ‘Oh my, a duke household scandal?! The duchess daily life is wearing a servant uniform and slipping in with the servants?!’ such a headline comes to mind in my head *baban*. Aah, this is very bad!

The knight in hurry at such a change in my complexion,  “Ah? Umm the source of the information was the invited women? Because the guards here at the estate are impregnable. They can easily defeat us as opponents so, they are very excellent servants! So much so that I want to be scouted here if possible” gives an explanation like he interpreted my electric waves.

“Oh, was that so?”

Ah~I was surprised. It seems like they do not know my usual behaviour. I breathe a sigh of relief and my cheeks loosen. As expected the duke family’s servants are perfectly professional!

“This estate has a hedge cleverly calculated to obstruct looking in and even taking a glimpse would be out of the question and the servants are tight-lipped. Even the regular tradesmen do not gossip about the estate. It truly is difficult.”

Bellis, good job! Servants, good job!

The knight smiles bitterly but, I think he does not have to spy on his superiors house?

“Do not investigate my house!”

Of course the Duke also thinks the same but, he makes a sour face like he has consumed a bitter bug.

“Because even if I ask you will not inform me. Ah, but at the duke house the one leaking information the most is just Leader~”

The knight smiles broadly.

I unintentionally become close to spouting at the knight’s comment. Even though at great pains the servants conceal the news, the duke in question himself thoughtlessly went out to high society taking his lover……right. Lotus and the other’s troubles came to nothing……

Until quite recently he has taken his lover but contrary to expectations, this time he took his legal wife and moreover in the presence of everyone he grandly spoke fondly of me. Ouch. It hurts too much, Duke…… I am greatly perplexed.

To these knight’s words,

“Shut up. Be quiet already Corydalis!”

The Duke’s face is increasingly bitter.

“Yes ye~s. Aah, Madam, my greeting is late but, I am vice-leader Corydalis. Please call me Cory! At work I have a strictly superior-subordinate relationship with Leader but, in private he is a close friend so, I am pleased to make your acquaintance!”

The knight splendidly ignores the Duke’s heavily shrugged shoulders and sour face but, faces me with a lovely twinkling smiling face and gives his name. This person has a very well-featured face. His rascal like blue eyes are right now fully smiling and narrow.

“So it is Cory….” “Corydalis is fine!” “Corydalis. Nice to meet you I am Viola”

The Duke’s voice covers mine so I decide to call him ‘Corydalis’.

“This Person, his private life is not something to be praised but, he can do his job. Despite his appearance.”

“Despite his appearance is too much. Moreover what-do-you-mean by ‘not something to be praised’”

“I-mean-that. Would you like to hear it in front of everyone?”

“……”

After getting a clue the Duke averts his eyes and says no more. It is too easy to understand.

Corydalis cheerfully looking at such a Duke,

“Before he was the special duty division he was sent to the corps called the first platoon, ah, I was also though……”

I don’t know why but he ended up starting to chat about things from the Duke’s personal history to his military gains. The Duke looks quite uncomfortable and, I do not understand very well what he is trying to say. For now I will keep him company.

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After a short time Lotus shows up in the salon, and informs us that the dinner preparations are done.

Corydalis’ ‘Duke lecture’ finishes at last. Fuu. Which punishment game is this?