The Struggle of a Weak Aristocrat in a Different World Our Domain is Surrounded by Large Aristocrats, and It’s a Big Problem! - CH 101

“Well, it’s simple. I heard small footsteps outside the door. They were as quiet as ours.”

Mist’s meaningful words made sense to me.

I see. So that’s what happened. No one would take the trouble to sneak them back to their room. So, the conclusion to be drawn is that the owner of the footsteps is a stranger.

If they were strangers, they would not have come into the king’s room. Even if they did, they would not have the intention of waking up the king when they crept in with their footsteps. Then, if they did come in, it would not be surprising if they did not want to go near the bed.

In a flash of inspiration, Mist had chosen the safest place to hide. When I realized what Mist had done, I got goosebumps because she was truly terrifying.

But in addition, I found a new fact about Mist that sent shivers down my spine more than anything else. In order to come up with this idea, she needed to hear the sound of creeping footsteps. Footsteps that I hadn’t heard at all, no matter how focused I was on my journal.

The green light I saw, the magic of the Piazon family’s sensory enhancement, everything is connected.

Looking back on it now, there were a lot of things that didn’t feel right.

For example, it’s strange that a child of a great noble family should be allowed to wander off by herself.

There was another time when I went to the infirmary to deliver a package to Alice. How could anyone sleep if they could hear the conversation of a princess playing with me, a mere viscount? That’s why I should have questioned the fact that the doctor in the infirmary, who was asleep at the time, obviously couldn’t hear what I was saying, but Mist, who was outside, could.

When Mist covered my eyes with her hand, I saw a flash of light behind my eyelids. That was probably the light that Mist emitted when she used her magic. Of course, the enhancement of the five senses includes the enhancement of hearing. In other words, she used her magic to hear the man’s footsteps.

I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it makes sense why she could hear me in the infirmary. And if it was true, it meant that she had inherited the treasure tool and the family estate.

I couldn’t believe it, but I remembered Mist’s words about not wanting to greet people at social gatherings, which made it all the more true.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“No, nothing!”

When I raised my voice, Mist said, “You’re weird, Chris,” and laughed hysterically.

I was just terrified of Mist. It couldn’t be helped, because the person in front of me was the same Mist who had just done such a thing without hesitation, no, it was Count Piazon, the head of the neighboring territory.

I don’t care how she got the title of Count. The only thing that matters in my mind is that the neighboring lords are too powerful.

“We’ve got all the information we need, but more importantly, we’ve got to get back to the carriage.”

My mind, which was a mixture of shock, fear, impatience, and various other negative emotions, was further disturbed.

As Mist had said, the king and the prime minister were supposed to be in a power struggle with each other. Because of this, tensions are now rising among the nobles as to whether they will side with the royalists or with the prime minister, and a civil war is imminent.

However, the fact that the two of them were meeting in secret suggests that they were planning to avoid confrontation in order to contain the civil war, or that they were deliberately trying to start it.

I thought there might be something deeper to the idea, but then I realized something simple and stopped thinking about it.

Either way, my position is to join the noble family that is most likely to survive. If the civil war is over, that’s fine; if it’s not, there’s nothing to change.

As soon as I reached that conclusion, I looked at one of the options for joining the noble family.

“What’s the matter with you? You’re staring at me like that, are you finally ready to marry me?”

Now that I know that Mist’s decision is absolute, I am at a loss for what to say. But then I realized something.

Mist is a count, right? She can’t be married off. Wouldn’t that mean that the governorship would be inherited by someone from the Piazon family and I become a live-in son-in-law? If so, does that mean I’ll be next to Mist for the rest of my life?

When I think about it, memories of the past come flooding back. I was made to act recklessly at a birthday party, she was in my room at the dormitory without permission, and when I think back, I never had a moment of rest.

But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying every bit of the thrill of it, and above all, Mist is a strong woman. I thought about this and that, but when I looked at Mist again, she surprisingly rolled her eyes.

“I thought you’d be bothered by that.”

Mist continued.

“I was wondering how you were going to avoid me this time, since you’ve been so lazily ducking me so far.”

She knew that I was avoiding her. But that’s not the point. I’ve made her feel uncomfortable.

If Mist finds out that I’m aware that she is the Count, she’ll think that my attitude towards her is the same as my attitude towards the Piazon family. If that happens, it will be even harder to move than before.

I have to deceive her somehow!

“Look, it’s called the suspension bridge effect! A man and a woman who share a crisis are more likely to fall in love!”

“Huh. I’ve never heard of it but I’ve also never really felt the sense of danger.”

“I’m a small guy, so I can easily feel a crisis.”

Hearing the words I said, Mist licked her lips glossily, and then smiled devilishly.

“So, am I correct in assuming that you are in love with me right now, Chris?”

Mist’s tone of voice was that of a predator, and I almost let out a pitiful scream. However, I put all my strength into holding my breath and managed to stop the scream, and stopped the legs that were about to run away.

When I finished, I could feel the heat on my cheeks from holding my breath, but I quickly changed the subject to cover it up.

“Now that we have the information, let’s go home as soon as possible.”

I spit out my true feelings and turned my back on Mist, who was in a good mood.