When I Infiltrated the Enemy Nation as a Slave, the Yandere Beauties There Started a Civil War Over Me - Chapter 04: The Mansion

Chapter 04: The Mansion

The outfit that Cecifelia gave me was a classic black-and-white gentleman’s suit, nothing more and nothing less—but still…

“W-Wow! So handsome! No way! You already looked amazing even in those ragged clothes, but now, just by wearing proper clothes, your handsomeness is even more pronounced. It’s like the clothes finally caught up with how cool you are!”

As soon as I stepped out of the dressing room in my new suit, Cecifelia, who had been waiting for me outside, showered me with praise.

…But, considering I’m in the middle of a mission and the fact that it’s coming from a noblewoman of an enemy nation, I didn’t feel any joy from her compliments. I just looked at her blankly.

“Ahh! I mean, Luke, you’re both handsome and cute, so when you’re dressed so nicely, it makes me want to take your clothes off!”

No, please don’t. Why would anyone want to undress someone right after dressing them?

Realizing it was better not to think too much about Cecifelia’s strange comments, I decided to focus on something else.

“You’ve got such a refined, beautiful face… You really look like a prince from somewhere.”

“!?”

—A prince!?

Just as I had resolved to think about something else, she had to say something like that…

“Huh? You look surprised. What’s wrong, Luke?”

“N-No, it’s nothing…”

Calm down, I told myself. Cecifelia was just commenting on my appearance, thinking I looked like a prince based on her own perspective. It doesn’t mean she has figured out that I really am a prince.

In fact, showing any signs of panic right now would be unnatural.

“I-I’m just a slave. There’s no way someone like me could look like a prince.”

“Ehh~? But really, you do look just like a prince!”

Every time the word “prince” came out of Cecifelia’s mouth, my heart pounded harder, but I didn’t let it show on my face… Actually, wait.

Wearing such a formal, classic gentleman’s suit could make people mistake me for a noble instead of a slave.

While one might think being mistaken for a noble could make it easier to gather information, it could also lead to a problem.

In a worst-case scenario, if someone thinks I’m a noble, we might end up in a situation where I’m expected to introduce myself. At that point, I’d be forced to lie, creating a contradiction.

If that contradiction were uncovered, the Elenorde Empire—currently at war—would have no hesitation in executing me as a spy.

If it were just my life on the line, that would be one thing, but if I’m caught, it would almost certainly lead to the downfall of Sandrotheim Kingdom.

That’s something I cannot let happen… no matter what!

“…Wearing such expensive clothes doesn’t really suit me, and I don’t feel comfortable in them. Could I possibly wear something more like what the other slaves wear?”

Considering that a single mistake could cost me my life, I couldn’t change my face, but I could at least ask for a change of clothes to avoid being mistaken for a noble or someone with authority.

In response, Cecifelia touched her finger to her lips thoughtfully.

“Hmm, well, I’m okay with that, but if it makes you feel uneasy, I understand. However! Even if you’re wearing slave clothes, I still want you to wear something stylish, so I’ll get you a custom-made outfit! Until then, though, you’ll have to bear with those clothes, okay?”

“Stylish…? Um, I don’t really care about looking stylish—”

Before I could finish, Cecifelia stepped closer and said,

“Nope~! I want to respect your wishes as much as possible, Luke, but I also want you to wear something cool. That’s my wish!”

…Well, I guess it’s better to wear some “cool” slave-like clothes than to keep wearing this gentleman’s suit.

“…Understood.”

“Good boy~! Now, let’s head to the place where you’ll be sleeping every day from now on!”

The place where I would be sleeping every day… It was surprising how considerate Cecifelia was, even though I was just a slave.

Providing me with clothes, arranging a bedroom—maybe, in a way, Cecifelia was one of the more kind-hearted nobles in the Elenorde Empire.

“This is it!”

After climbing the stairs and walking a bit down the hallway on the second floor, Cecifelia stopped in front of a door. She turned the doorknob, opened the door, and invited me inside.

The room had a single bed and two bedside lamps placed on either side of it. 

The walls and ceiling were clean and well-kept, of course.

“…Is it really okay for a slave like me to sleep in such a place?”

“Of course! You may be a slave, Luke, but I want you to live as happily as possible!”

Even so, giving a slave such a well-furnished room… I still didn’t quite understand her motives, but perhaps I could ease up on my caution around Cecifelia a bit—

“This way, every night and every morning will be something to look forward to! After all, I’ll be sleeping next to you, and when I wake up, I’ll get to see your face first thing!”

“!?”

S-Sleeping next to me!?

And waking up to see my face!?

I was completely caught off guard by Cecifelia’s sudden and shocking statement.

There was no way I could sleep in the same bed as a noblewoman from the enemy nation while the people of Sandrotheim might be suffering somewhere at this very moment.

“I… I couldn’t possibly sleep in the same bed as the Duchess Cecifelia… I’d feel too nervous to fall asleep. If there’s a stable or a storage room, I’d be perfectly fine sleeping there.”

Honestly, as a royal, I’d always slept in very comfortable places, so I wasn’t used to sleeping in uncomfortable conditions. But anything would be better than sharing a bed with an enemy noblewoman.

“No way! If you slept in a place like that, you might catch a cold or some strange illness!”

“B-But, sleeping in the same bed as you… that’s, well…”

As I struggled to find the right words to convince her, Cecifelia’s face lit up as if she had an idea.

“Oh, I get it! You’re sixteen, after all… Even though we’re in different positions, there’s only a one-year age gap between us, so sleeping in the same bed might make your heart race. Actually, now that I think about sleeping next to you, Luke, my heart’s starting to race a little too…”

From my perspective, this wasn’t the issue at all, but if I could avoid sharing the same bed, then any excuse would do.

“But don’t worry! Even if Luke’s… um, Luke gets bigger, that’s just a natural reaction, and I’d never get mad at you for something like that!”

L-Luke’s bigger… Bigger—Wha—!?

“T-That’s not what I was trying to say, please!”

I almost forgot to use polite speech, but I quickly corrected myself and continued speaking.

“I just think that, as a slave, it’s inappropriate for me to share a bed with a duchess like you… It just doesn’t seem right.”

“…Mou, fine! I get it. If you’re that against it, I’ll have them bring in another bed for you by tonight, and we can sleep in separate beds. How’s that?”

Ideally, I’d prefer a separate room, but having different beds was already a big improvement. As a slave, I couldn’t ask for more than that.

“Thank you… Miss Cecifelia, what time do you usually go to sleep?”

“Hmm, usually around midnight or so.”

Which means, late at night, I could wander around the mansion without her noticing.

“I understand. I’ll adjust my sleep schedule to match yours.”

“You’re so considerate and kind, Luke. Thank you!”

After that, Cecifelia gave me a full tour of the mansion, including the guest rooms, the bath, and even the library.

“Yeah, that should cover most of the places you’ll need. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anytime.”

“Thank you very much.”

As I thanked her, Cecifelia glanced at a nearby clock and said,

“It’s about time for a meeting I have with a marquis. If you’d like, Luke, you can sit in and watch the meeting.”

This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. 

As a prince of Sandrotheim, I would never normally have the chance to observe a conversation between nobles of the Elenorde Empire.

There was a good chance I could gather useful information. With high hopes, I nodded in agreement.

“I understand. I’ll stay and observe.”

“Thank you! Alright, let’s go!”

“Yes.”

While it made sense that Cecifelia wouldn’t suspect me of being a foreign royal spy, it still seemed careless to allow a slave she barely knew to witness a conversation between nobles. Maybe Cecifelia wasn’t as sharp as I’d thought.

But those thoughts didn’t last long—what I witnessed during the meeting would completely change my opinion of Cecifelia.