When I Infiltrated the Enemy Nation as a Slave, the Yandere Beauties There Started a Civil War Over Me - Chapter 28: The Dinner

Chapter 28: The Dinner

When Celestine sat down with perfect posture in the chair across from the dishes, Cecifelia spoke.

“Hey, I understand why you know my name, but how do you know Luke’s name, Celestine?”

“That’s because I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Sir Luke before.”

“…You’ve spoken with Luke?”

This is bad…!

I didn’t expect Celestine to be the duke Cecifelia was meeting with today. Celestine doesn’t know how strict Cecifelia is about my relationships with women!

But it should be fine… The temporary contract where I became a fiancé candidate wasn’t discussed openly, and I’ve been careful not to let such things slip. So, hopefully, that topic won’t come up here either.

That means I have to step in and steer the conversation to avoid the worst-case scenario!

“I mentioned before that I had a brief conversation with a woman while out in the city, right? That woman was Miss Celestine.”

“…I see. Well, since it’s a dinner, let’s start by enjoying the food in front of us.”

“Indeed, let’s do that.”

In a voice that gave away no emotion, Cecifelia spoke, and Celestine agreed, both of them starting to eat the food in front of them.

I was hoping the conversation would stay on the topic of the food… but of course, a dinner between two duchesses wouldn’t end with just that.

“So? How have things been on your end, Celestine?”

“In what regard?”

“Well, when asking a member of the Celestine ducal family, the first thing that comes to mind is the matter of abolishing the slave system.”

Abolishing the slave system…!?

I knew Celestine disliked the slave system, but I didn’t realize she was actively working to get rid of it.

That would explain Cecifelia’s earlier comments about seeing many slaves in her line of work.

“That matter… isn’t going smoothly, unfortunately. While there has been some progress, the Elenorde Empire is deeply tied to the slave system.”

“That’s true. The Elenorde Empire relies on slaves for labor. If they were suddenly gone, the loss would be unimaginable.”

I see… It’s true that the slave system supplements labor, but if it were to disappear, the workforce that has been relying on slaves would no longer function—and the Elenorde Empire would face internal collapse.

…Of course, I don’t think it would completely fall apart just from that, but if things reached that point, they wouldn’t be able to focus on wars with other countries.

And if that happened, the Sandrotheim Kingdom would also…!

While it’s unclear how realistic that is, I felt a bit pleased that I had learned one of the Elenorde Empire’s weaknesses from the conversation between its duchesses. Just then, Celestine spoke.

“Even if that were to happen, it would be a deserved punishment for treating people as less than human for so long. And then, we could rebuild the country without relying on a system like slavery.”

“That’s your view, Celestine. I used to think it didn’t matter whether the slave system existed or not… but now, I’d be in trouble if it disappeared.”

“And why is that?”

At that question, Cecifelia looked over at me as she answered.

“If the slave system were to disappear, then the thing connecting me and Luke would also be gone. That would be a problem.”

“Lady Claire, up until now, I didn’t think you were someone who became attached to slaves… or anything else, for that matter. But do you have an attachment to Sir Luke?”

“Attachment? It’s more than that, I think. I’m not even sure if there’s a word in any language that can express this feeling.”

As Cecifelia said this with a cheerful tone, Celestine responded.

“To hear Lady Claire say such a thing… Sir Luke truly must be extraordinary. I feel terribly sorry to say this after such a conversation, but may I ask something?”

“What is it?”

I had no place to interrupt, so I could only silently pray that Celestine wouldn’t say something to provoke Cecifelia’s anger. But my hopes were shattered the moment Celestine spoke.

“Would you consider selling Sir Luke to me, at whatever price you wish?”

Hearing those words, Cecifelia immediately stood up, quickly drew her sword, and pointed it at Celestine, her voice turning dark as she spoke.

“There’s no way I would ever hand over Luke… And what’s with you, Celestine? You’re always talking about abolishing the slave system, so why the sudden change of heart? Is that why you asked for Luke to attend this dinner today?”

Even with the sword pointed at her, Celestine remained calm and nodded as she replied.

“That’s correct… However, even making such a proposal serves the ultimate goal of abolishing the slave system.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Lady Claire, since you paid ten million gold for Sir Luke, you must have realized by now… that although he is a slave, he has a special presence that sets him apart from others.”

“…”

“I believe that by having someone like him by my side, I could find a breakthrough toward abolishing the slave system.”

I could sense that Celestine wasn’t just thinking about abolishing slavery—she also seemed genuinely interested in making me a real marriage candidate. But she wasn’t going to mention that part to Cecifelia… and honestly, I hoped she wouldn’t. If Cecifelia found out about Celestine’s true intentions, I had no idea what would happen to me.

After listening to Celestine’s words, Cecifelia lowered her sword, sheathed it, and spoke in a calm tone.

“You’re right, if someone like Luke were by your side, your efforts to abolish the slave system might go more smoothly than they are now.”

“Yes, that’s why—”

“But for me, I need the slave system to stay in place so I can be with Luke. So, I can’t help with your plans to abolish it. And even if I could, there’s no way I would ever hand Luke over to you.”

As she continued, Cecifelia blushed and gently touched me over my clothes while speaking.

“Luke’s body and heart, they’re both mine. There’s no way I would ever give them to someone else… And if anyone tries to take Luke away from me, then—”

She turned toward Celestine with a cold voice and empty eyes.

“Even if it caused a civil war, I would protect him.”

“…Do you understand the implications of what you’ve just said?”

“Of course I do. Would you like to report me to the princess?”

Cecifelia threw the question back at her, and after a short pause, Celestine shook her head.

“No, I have no desire to oppose you, Lady Claire, so I will refrain.”

When Celestine said that, Cecifelia’s eyes softened, and her voice shifted from cold to a calmer tone.

“As long as you’re not trying to take Luke away, I have no intention of opposing you or hindering your efforts to abolish the slave system.”

“I see… Then let’s end this discussion here and talk about something else.”

“…Yes, let’s.”

After that, the two of them started discussing recent events involving nearby nobles and matters about their territories. These topics, however, weren’t particularly relevant to my goal of uncovering weaknesses or secrets about the Elenorde Empire.

What I was more concerned about, though, were the occasional glances Cecifelia kept sending my way. It made me uneasy about what might happen after this dinner was over.

I silently wished that the meal would last forever, but of course, the food on the plates slowly disappeared, and before long, with the two of them finishing their meals, the dinner came to an end.