When I Infiltrated the Enemy Nation as a Slave, the Yandere Beauties There Started a Civil War Over Me - Chapter 12: Perfume

Chapter 12: Perfume

After returning to the Cecifelia estate, I went straight to Cecifelia as part of my duties as a slave.

“I’m back.”

“Luke! Welcome back~! Ahh, even after all the boring work, just seeing your face makes me instantly happy~!”

Cecifelia stood up from the chair in front of her desk, which was covered in documents, and approached me.

“You went out to enjoy the town today, right? How was it?”

“It was fun.”

“Really? That’s great—”

Cecifelia’s voice was bright and cheerful, clearly pleased with my answer—until, for some reason, she suddenly stopped speaking as she got closer to me. 

What’s going on…? She doesn’t seem to be feeling unwell or anything.

“…”

As I wondered about the change, Cecifelia moved even closer, bringing her face right next to mine, as if crossing paths.

“Miss Cecifel—”

“So, you had quite some fun, didn’t you, Luke?”

When I turned to look at Cecifelia, just as I was about to call her name, I noticed that her eyes had become vacant, and her tone had turned cold. 

This… It feels similar to the way she acted toward the man at the slave auction and Vadling during the meeting… but something about it is different.

As I was trying to figure it out, Cecifelia faced me directly, her usually beautiful blue eyes now hollow as she stared into mine and said,

“Hey, Luke, where did you go and what did you do today?”

“Uh… As I mentioned before, I went to the town and—”

“I know that. What I’m asking is where in the town you went and what exactly you did.”

…Something’s off.

Up until I reported that I had returned, Cecifelia wasn’t acting like this toward me. 

So why has her attitude changed so suddenly?

I don’t know the reason, so it’s dangerous to lie recklessly… But if she finds out I was trying to earn money behind her back, I have no idea what might happen. 

In that case, it’s better to tell a harmless lie for now.

“First, I looked around the town to get a feel for the atmosphere. Then I visited a decorative shop that caught my eye.”

I hadn’t actually gone into a decorative shop, but if she tries to verify it, I could always say I had my head down and didn’t notice. There are plenty of excuses I could use.

“…Is that really all that happened in town?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

“Oh? Then, can you explain why I smell women’s perfume on you? Are you telling me that the scent rubbed off from the decorations in the shop? I’ve never heard of a shop selling perfume-scented decorations, so why don’t you show me this place?”

“…!?”

—Women’s perfume…!?

As she pointed that out, I instinctively looked down at myself. 

Sure enough, now that I focused on it, there was a faint scent lingering on me… That’s right, it’s Celestine’s perfume.

She had touched me to check if I was injured and had been standing close while we talked, so her scent must have rubbed off on me… I had been too distracted by our conversation and the thought of earning money to even notice!

“Hey, why are you looking away from me? I’m the one talking to you right now, Luke. So why are you turning your attention away from me and toward the perfume? Or… do you have some special connection to that perfume?”

“N-No… Now that I think about it, there was a woman in the shop, so maybe the scent rubbed off on me then.”

I thought denying it would be difficult, but I was once again reminded that the person in front of me wasn’t the usual Cecifelia. She was cold, rational, and much more composed than I had anticipated.

“From the way the scent has transferred, it’s clear you were touched in several places, right? So, could you explain in detail how you ended up being touched all over by a female customer in the decorative shop?”

“T-That’s…”

“I doubt you went to a brothel since I made it clear beforehand, and besides, you don’t have any money. But… with how handsome you are, it wouldn’t be surprising if women approached you, even while you were just walking down the street. So now you’ll have to tell me, what exactly did you do with this woman?”

“It’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t do anything inappropriate—”

“Inappropriate, you say? So that means, at the very least, you had some kind of interaction with a woman, right?”

…!

At this point, I have no choice but to tell her everything—everything except what truly needs to be hidden.

But seriously—who exactly is Cecifelia? What kind of person is Claire Cecifelia to the Elenorde Empire?

As a member of the royal family in the Sandrotheim Kingdom, I’ve spoken with many nobles and resolved issues through discussion… Of course, that was partly due to the strong position I held as a prince. Now, as a slave, my influence is limited.

But… I’ve never encountered anyone who spoke with such hollow eyes and a cold tone, yet still didn’t seem entirely emotionless.

“So, can you tell me how you were involved with that woman?”

There’s no wasted word in her questions, like she’s precisely advancing a game of chess… What if—what if someone like this was influencing the war between Sandrotheim and Elenorde?

What if Cecifelia were the one devising Elenorde’s war strategies? What if the work she was doing earlier today was related to that?

Of course, that line of thinking is a bit too far-fetched… but if someone with a mind like Cecifelia’s was controlling the battlefield, then I…

“…”

That said, now isn’t the time to be thinking about such far-fetched ideas… I need to focus on the conversation with Cecifelia right in front of me.

“Alright, I’ll tell you.”

So, I explained only the bare minimum—that I had a brief conversation with the woman. As for why she touched me, I used the excuse that it was because it’s unusual to see a slave wearing a gentleman’s suit.

Cecifelia responded,

“Well, I can’t say for sure if it’s true or not, but it doesn’t seem like anything more happened, so I’ll let it go this time. But to prevent something like this from happening again, there’s something I haven’t told you yet that I need to make clear.”

Cecifelia continued speaking as she touched my shoulder and arm.

“Luke, you belong to me now… I don’t want to force you to do anything as a slave, but there’s one thing—”

She placed her hand on my face, her hollow eyes locking onto mine, and said, 

“If you ever let yourself be distracted by another woman… I’ll have to punish you. Do you understand? Give me an answer.”

“…Yes.”

As I responded, Cecifelia withdrew her hand from my face, her hollow expression fading. She smiled and gently patted my head.

“Good boy, Luke! You’re so well-behaved!”

“…”

As Cecifelia patted my head, my thoughts wandered back to the possibility that had crossed my mind earlier—the idea that I might eventually have to do something drastic.

—At that moment, I hadn’t fully grasped the weight behind Cecifelia’s words: “If you ever let yourself be distracted by another woman…”