Seventh Daughter 3-21

 

Chapter 3-21 : It Will Explode When You Step On It

 

By the time Mylia flew to the World Tree, Chloe and Aria, who changed clothes into their school uniform, came to the mansion of Baronet Darelias in the royal capital.

Chloe wanted to talk with the lord of the Darelias Family because the Darelias Family was the first aristocratic family to send an engagement request to the Atwood Family.

Actually, Chloe and Aria didn’t come to the Darelias’ mansion by themselves. Aria’s grandmother, Elizabeth de la Ruzé Griffith came as well to accompany them.

The three of them were sitting on a sofa in the guestroom of the Darelias mansion, waiting for the lord of the family.

「Grandma, are you really feeling well now?」(Aria)

「Aria, I told you I’ve fully recovered. I can even use my strongest spell now. Don’t worry, if I wasn’t feeling well, I wouldn’t have come here with you.」(Elizabeth)

While showing her gentle smile to her granddaughter, Elizabeth slowly waved the fan in her hand.

She had braided silver hair and was wearing a fine dress. The way she behaved elegantly showed that she was a respectful noble woman.

It has been a while since she was released from the petrification curse, and she seemed to be in good shape as if she had fully regained her physical strength.

The reason why she recovered relatively quickly was because she could use rejuvenation magic, and she used it on herself.

She had smooth skin and looked young for a woman who was in her sixties.

Despite her age, she was still able to work as an active magician.

「Alright. But if you start to feel sick, please let me know.」(Aria)

「Fufu. Aria, you’re such a worrywart. Chloe-san, don’t you think so too?」(Elizabeth)

「Aria is a kind-hearted girl, so I think it’s natural if she’s worried about her grandma.」(Chloe)

「Chloe onee-sama…」(Aria)

When Elizabeth asked her about Aria, Chloe answered honestly what she thought about her.

Chloe was nervous at first when Aria told her that her grandma, the legendary magician, Elizabeth de la Ruzé Griffith, would accompany them, but then she found out that Elizabeth was a nice and friendly woman. She felt reassured that a great person like Elizabeth was on her side.

After the three had a fun conversation for a while, a man who seemed to be the lord of the Darelias Family entered the guest room with a young man following behind him.

「I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.」(man)

The man looked a bit nervous.

After all, there were two Duke Griffith’s family members waiting for him.

「It’s an honor to receive you in my home. I’m Diete Darelias, the lord of the Darelias Family.」(Diete)

While introducing himself, the man with a short mustache bowed deeply toward the three ladies who were sitting on the sofa in front of him.

「…..」(Chloe)

Seeing the aristocratic man bowing in front of her, Chloe refrained from standing up and bowing back at him.

Chloe is a baronet just like Diete but she was with Aria and Elizabeth, a daughter and the mother of Duke Griffith, so she mustn’t do that. If she did, she would be considered disrespecting the Griffith Family.

Chloe sighed as she thought that living in aristocratic society was a hassle.

「I’m Baronet Chloe de la Atwood. As you know, these two ladies are members of Duke Griffith’s family. Elizabeth de la Ruzé Griffith, the legendary magician known as The Flash, and her granddaughter, Aria de la Ruzé Griffith.」(Chloe)

As Chloe introduced the two, Aria and Elizabeth nodded at Diete.

Chloe then took out the letter, which proved that she was really a Baronet, from her pocket and showed it to Diete. She thought that Diete might not believe that a little girl like her had the same aristocratic rank as himself.

「Please take a look at this letter. The other day, I received the title of Baronet from Her Majesty, Queen Kushana.」(Chloe)

「I see. Thank you for showing me this letter. It’s nice to know you, Baronet Chloe. Ah, let me introduce him as well. This is my second son, Gilbert.」(Diete)

Being introduced by his father, the young man who was standing up next to Diete lowered his head.

「I’m the second son of the Darelias Family, Gilbert. It’s a pleasure to meet you.」(Gilbert)

Unlike his father, Gilbert looked calm even though there were two members of a duke’s family in front of him.

He seemed to be seventeen or eighteen years old. He had curly hair and calm-looking drooping eyes.

Now that they were done greeting each other, the two members of the Darelias Family sat on the sofa on the other side.

「Thank you for receiving us in your home today.」(Chloe)

「It’s my pleasure.」(Diete)

As he said that, the lord of the house, Diete, showed his friendly smile to Chloe.

The Darelias Family was an aristocratic family that was well known for its culinary-related business.

There were so many talented cooks in the territory that Darelias Family governs.

The Darelias Family also had connections with many merchants and had the best information network among Baronets in this kingdom.

Chloe tried to be careful so as not to let her guard down as she talked with the lord of the Darelias Family.

「Let’s get to the topic at hand. There are three things I would like to talk about with you today.」(Chloe)

「Alright, I’m listening.」(Diete)

「Thank you. First of all, I want to talk about Jasmine onee-sama’s engagement.」(Chloe)

「Ohh, what do you think about it? My second son, Gilbert, is a very talented man, and I’m pretty sure he will take care of Miss Jasmine well. I would be grateful if you can support them as Miss Jasmine’s sister.」(Diete)

Diete spoke with a broad smile on his face.

As Diete talked, Chloe glanced at his son, Gilbert, who was sitting next to him.

Noticing Chloe’s glance, Gilbert smiled at her with a gentle expression. He then started talking on behalf of his father.

「Lady Chloe, there are rumors related to Miss Jasmine that I’m curious about… It seems that a lady named Robilya, who seems to be Miss Jasmine’s cousin, has recently attended a social party for unmarried aristocrats. I heard that at the party, she said that anyone who wants to marry Miss Jasmine has to marry her as well as a second wife so that she can take care of Miss Jasmine.」(Gilbert)

「…..」(Chloe)

Chloe knew about that but she kept listening.

「She also said that she is close to Mylia de la Atwood, the rumored Dragon Slayer… Is that true…?」(Gilbert)

Chloe let out a long sigh, fixed her sitting posture, and looked at Diete and Gilbert with a serious face.

「Actually, I came here to talk about that. Let me tell you the truthーー」(Chloe)

Chloe planned to ask for the Darelias Family’s cooperation, so she didn’t hesitate to tell them the truth.

She told them that Robilya’s true identity was the famous divorcee from the Atwood Family, Robin de la Atwood.

She also told them that Robin had no intention of bringing Jasmine to the royal capital and the fact that she was lying about her relationship with Mylia.

Lastly, Chloe told them that Robin made use of the engagement request letters that were originally addressed to Jasmine to buy luxurious items from various shops.

「That’s… What a terrible woman…」(Diete)

After learning the truth, Diete’s face turned pale.

Even a calm person like Gilbert was also surprised.

「So… What she said was all a lie…?」(Gilbert)

「Yes. She is a flirtatious and cunning woman. My sister, Mylia, sometimes calls her “landmine woman”. Ah, by the way, according to my sister, “landmine” is a type of trap spell that you cast on the ground that will explode when your enemy steps on it.」(Chloe)

「”Landmine”…? I see… So, does “landmine woman” mean a woman who will destroy your life before you know it?」(Diete)

「Exactly…」(Chloe)

 

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