Retainers
After dealing with various matters, I finally returned to my room in the reception hall. I quickly changed out of my maid outfit and jumped onto the bed. For a while, I lay face down, pressing my face into the pillow. Eventually, I lifted my head.
“Phew…I’m finally back.”
For your information, I had bid farewell to Chris in front of the reception hall. And until I returned to my room, Diana was considerate enough to keep an eye on my surroundings. Thanks to those two, I managed to get back to my room without being noticed by anyone. Turning over onto my back from my prone position, I let out a sigh. “Hah…”
“It was good that I obtained information about the medicinal herb that could lead to developing an effective cure for my mother’s illness, but it was quite arduous.”
As I reminisced about the events that had transpired since visiting Farah’s room, I was suddenly overcome by an intense drowsiness, my eyelids growing heavy. I might have been more exhausted than I had thought. Just as I was about to give in to the sleepiness, there was a knock at the door, and I heard Diana’s voice from outside.
“…Lord Reed, Lord Reiner summons you.”
“Father? What could it be? Understood, I’ll be right there.”
I rose from the bed, rubbing my eyes with my hands to dispel the drowsiness, and left the room. I had been told that the room prepared for Father in the reception hall was the largest one on the second floor. Diana went ahead to guide me, so we quickly arrived in front of Father’s room.
After taking a deep breath outside the room, I knocked on the door and called out, “Father, you summoned me?” Immediately, I heard Father’s voice from inside: “Enter.”
Diana, who had accompanied me, made no attempt to enter the room and instead waited in the hallway.
“Eh? Diana, aren’t you coming in?”
“I have been instructed by Lord Reiner to wait here after escorting you to Lord Reed,”
she replied with a slight bow.
“I see, thank you for escoring me.”
After saying that to Diana, I opened the door and entered the room where Father was waiting. However, there were two other people present – one of whom I recognized as Zack Riverton. The other was a slender dark elf man I didn’t know. Zack and the dark elf seemed to be having a serious discussion with Father.
Eventually, the slender dark elf noticed me and quietly bowed his head. At the same time, Zack asked Father, “Well then, shall we proceed?” Father gave a small nod, saying, “Indeed,” and Zack flashed a mischievous smile, cleared his throat, and turned his gaze toward me.
“Lord Reed, this is one of my subordinates, Capella. Capella, introduce yourself.”
After Zack finished speaking, the dark elf called Capella slowly raised his head. Then, facing me, he politely introduced himself.
“As you have just been informed, I am Capella Didor. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Saying this, Capella bowed to me once more. Caught off guard by the sudden situation and unsure of what was going on, I signaled for him to raise his head. As he did so, I was slightly taken aback by his appearance – a black-haired, sharp-eyed…quite handsome fellow. The aura Capella exuded was different from those of the Baldia family, carrying a certain tension.
More importantly, however, the name “Capella” seemed vaguely familiar to me. Where had I heard it before? As I racked my brain trying to remember, Father addressed me.
“Reed, Sir Zack has just made a proposal that concerns you as well. Take a seat and listen.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At Father’s urging, I took a seat on the vacant sofa. We were seated in a triangular formation around a table, with Capella standing by Zack’s side instead of taking a seat. Once I was seated, Zack began speaking slowly.
“Lord Reiner, Lord Reed, my apologies. Now, where were we?”
“Hmm. You were saying that you wished to have Capella serve as Reed’s Retainers, were you not?”
“Huh…?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Hearing their conversation, I tilted my head in confusion. Why was Zack suddenly proposing that Capella become my Retainers? The whole situation seemed rather suspicious, and I gradually grew perplexed. Even as I showed my puzzled expression, Zack continued speaking with an unwavering smile.
“From what I’ve heard, Lord Reed seems to be quite open to the idea of marrying Princess Farah. In that case, having someone well-versed in Renalute’s culture nearby would make preparations much smoother, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I see. That’s certainly a valid point, but…”
As I nodded at his words, I glanced at Father to gauge his reaction, but he showed no particular change in expression. It seemed he intended to leave this matter entirely in my hands. I briefly deliberated before responding to Zack.
“I appreciate your consideration. However, my marriage to Princess Farah has not been decided yet. Moreover, if this is about preparing to welcome her and learning about Renalute’s culture, I don’t see why it would need to involve one of my retainers.”
Hearing my reply, Zack offered a calm and confident smile before responding.
“Indeed. But you can rest assured, Lord Reed. I am confident the marriage between you and Princess Farah is as good as settled. Given the timing, it’s only natural to think so, isn’t it? Furthermore, your prodigious abilities, which you demonstrated before His Majesty Elias, are well-known among the nobility of our nation. Considering all factors, it’s difficult to imagine anyone other than you as Princess Farah’s partner.”
With those words, Zack smiled and leisurely sipped the tea that had been set on the table. Hmm. There wasn’t anything particularly illogical about his reasoning, but the fact that he was going out of his way to recommend Capella as my retainer made it clear he had some ulterior motive. I turned my gaze to Father and posed a question.
“…What are your thoughts on this, Father? And is it alright for me to make the decision myself?”
“Hmm. I intend to leave this matter entirely to you. It may sound harsh, but I want you to determine for yourself whether the person in question is fit to be a retainer.”
Hearing Father’s words, Zack let out a low chuckle and murmured with a hint of amusement.
“As expected of Lord Reiner. Quite strict, as always.”
Capella, on the other hand, remained silent, standing there without a word. I studied his expression, but his blank face revealed nothing about his emotions. If Father wasn’t intervening and was leaving this to me, it was highly likely that he and Zack were in cahoots. Given that, the most plausible conclusion was… they were testing me, weren’t they?
As I entertained that thought, I suddenly remembered why the name “Capella” sounded so familiar. Ah, that’s right. Capella was a character in TokiRela!. He was one of the characters who became playable in Free Mode after the main story was cleared. I seem to recall he was skilled in espionage or something like that. His stats focused on attack and speed, with low defense.
Still, I couldn’t quite recall how he was tied into the main storyline. Based on my memories of his character in my past life, Capella was likely some kind of spy or intelligence operative for this country. If that was the case, then Zack—who had him as a subordinate and seemed able to negotiate with Father—might be a high-ranking figure within their intelligence network.
The moment I came to that realization, my eyes unintentionally met Zack’s, and his slight smile sent a chill down my spine. Noticing my reaction, Zack immediately picked up on the mood and spoke in a gentle, concerned tone.
“…Is something the matter, Lord Reed?”
“No, it’s nothing. Rather, I’d like to know Zack’s true motive in recommending him as my retainer. Surely, you’re not going to claim he was chosen solely for the purpose of welcoming Princess Farah?”
Feigning calm, I probed Zack directly. I knew that I stood no chance of outwitting him if I tried to beat him at his own game. If anything, I couldn’t even imagine myself winning. In that case, being straightforward and honest seemed like the better approach. Hearing my question, Zack raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise but quickly broke into a sly smile, speaking in a tone that suggested he was genuinely entertained.
“Heh, hahahaha… You truly are fascinating, Lord Reed.”
After chuckling, Zack turned his gaze toward Capella.
“Capella is an extraordinarily capable man. My sole reason for recommending him is this: I wish for him to become Lord Reed’s shadow.”
“A shadow…?”
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome