"Haa…."
Rewinding time briefly—just before Whitney left the office and discovered Lady Hestia.
"Calm down, Cecil. Giving up without even trying is just plain stupid."
After feeling an overwhelming gap against Princess Katarina and hearing Whitney's unintended provocation, Cecil clenched her teeth and muttered to herself as she walked down the corridor toward the bathroom.
"I have to save Father, Runiel, and all the servants from that bastard's clutches."
If Whitney had heard this, he would have been quite hurt, but for Cecil—who had spent years being tormented by her ever-suspicious older brother—it was no different from her life's mission.
"…Isn't that right, Mother?"
She suddenly stopped in front of the now-empty room of the Countess Lingard, reminiscing with a longing expression.
"Phew, this isn't the time for this."
Just as she managed to pull herself together from nearly wavering, she resumed her tired steps.
– Clang!
All of a sudden, the sound of something shattering echoed from the other end of the corridor.
"…Did Sasha make a mistake again?"
Assuming it was just another of Sasha's blunders, Cecil quickened her pace toward the source of the noise, expecting to find Sasha on the verge of tears.
"…!?"
But as soon as she reached the intersection of the hallway and took in the scene, she instinctively stepped back, hiding herself and peeking out cautiously.
"Haha. Saintess… No, Miss Tia, I'm not scolding you or anything."
"Ah… Ahh…"
"It's just a plate. Sasha breaks one every few days.
We can just take another one from storage."
On the opposite side of the corridor, Whitney was crouched in front of a new maid who was sitting on the floor for some reason, speaking to her in a calm tone.
"It's just that… I was having an important conversation with someone inside that room."
"..."
"It would be a bit troublesome if any part of that conversation were to leak out…"
Initially, Cecil had hidden on instinct upon seeing Whitney, but as time passed, her gaze grew more suspicious.
"I won't scold you, so tell me."
"Ah…"
"How much did you hear?"
Whitney's words sounded particularly dubious to her—though, of course, when wasn't he suspicious?
"I-I was just moving the teacups to the kitchen under Lady Parsha's orders… and then… I heard His Highness's voice."
"Hmm."
"His voice is quite distinctive, after all…"
Not only Whitney but also the reaction of the maid—who was now mentioning the prince—felt suspicious to Cecil.
'A regular maid knows the prince's voice…?'
Tilting her head in confusion for a moment, she held her breath again, focusing on the conversation in the corridor.
"I-I couldn't help but be surprised."
'Well, I guess she could know… Maybe she worked at the academy before coming here…'
"I heard the voice of someone I thought I'd never meet again as I passed by…"
"Gasp."
Hearing the maid's trembling, meaningful words, Cecil couldn't help but let out a quiet breath.
"…Is that really all?"
Fortunately, Whitney didn't seem to hear her reaction. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and pressed the maid in a low voice.
"I-I swear to God."
"Then that's a relief."
Hearing her answer, Whitney finally smiled brightly and patted the maid's shoulder.
"You must have been feeling weak, that's all."
"Hic."
"Judging by your reaction, I'm sure of it. It seems I haven't been taking good enough care of you, have I?"
Watching Whitney's eerily familiar demeanor—the same one he used when speaking to her—Cecil felt a shiver run down her spine. She swallowed dryly and observed the maid's response.
"I-I am satisfied! Truly…"
"No need to be so defensive."
The maid, her face pale with fear, forced an awkward smile and stammered out an excuse, but Whitney cut her off decisively.
"We wouldn't want to leave bad memories for the future savior of the world, now would we?"
Though his voice was low, his words were crystal clear to Hestia, who was currently disguised as a maid.
'The… Saintess!?'
And, of course, Cecil—who had long since strengthened her hearing with magic—heard it just as clearly.
'So that new maid… is the prince's fiancée who was kidnapped by black mages at the ball!?'
Luckily, this time she managed to cover her mouth in time, preventing another gasp from escaping.
'Then… the real mastermind behind the kidnapping…?'
But just as her mind began racing, her heartbeat pounded so wildly in her chest that it nearly drowned out the surrounding voices.
"Cecil, what are you doing here?"
"…!?"
She was so focused that she didn't notice Runiel—who was in the habit of moving soundlessly—standing right behind her.
"T-The bathroom."
"…?"
"Training ended, so I was heading to the bathroom…"
"Ah, I see."
Fortunately, Runiel wasn't particularly perceptive and simply nodded at her explanation.
"Hmm."
But in this empty hallway—where sound carried easily—it was impossible for Whitney not to have heard their conversation.
"First, I need to sort things out."
The only saving grace was that Whitney seemed to assume Cecil had merely been passing through rather than eavesdropping.
– Cctat…
As he rose from his seat with narrowed eyes, he pulled a small bell from his pocket and shook it.
Runiel, who had been watching Cecil, immediately turned and approached Whitney.
"You called?"
"Runiel, postpone the meeting. Escort Miss Tia to the office."
Then, in a voice laced with amusement, Whitney subtly altered his tone, switching from "Saintess" to her alias as he gave his order.
"And prepare 'that' thing I mentioned before."
"'That'… You mean?"
"Make sure it's done discreetly, without anyone knowing.
Understood?"
"…Understood."
With that, Whitney finally turned his gaze to Hestia.
"Miss Tia, I'll be giving you an unforgettable memory today."
"Hic."
"A memory that will stay with you for life, even after you leave this place."
Hearing his chilling whisper, fear flickered in Hestia's eyes as she was dragged away by Runiel.
"So, I hope you enjoy it."
As she disappeared into the distance, Whitney waved with an eerily spine-chilling smile.
"S-Sir Whitney. Did everything go well?"
"…Well, more or less."
Just then, Princess Katarina peeked out from her room, cautiously inquiring about the situation. Whitney immediately put on what he thought was a gentle smile.
"It seems a maid made a little mistake."
"A-And, um… I was thinking inside my room…"
"Ah, my apologies, Your Highness, but I believe you'll have to postpone your farewell."
Cutting her off mid-sentence, Whitney shook his head.
"She isn't in the best condition right now."
"I-Is that so?"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she's properly 'fixed' so that our plans won't be disrupted."
At his chilling whisper, the princess swallowed dryly.
"…I-I'll leave it to you, Sir Whitney."
Lowering her head, her voice grew smaller, as if entrusting everything to him.
"Of course. After all, we share the same fate."
"R-Right. Haha…"
"Well, since our conversation is wrapping up… I suppose it's time for a farewell."
Whitney, who had been nodding with a satisfied expression, said this as he took a step forward.
The princess, sensing the moment, quickly followed behind him.
"A-Already?"
"As you know, I have to go fix someone who isn't in a good condition."
"Ah, I see! But shouldn't I give you the appointment letter for the judge? If you give me paper and a pen, I can write it right away…!"
"Haha, I almost forgot.…"
Their voices gradually faded into the distance, leaving behind an eerie silence.
'Could it be that my brother… is blackmailing both the saintess and the prince at the same time?'
Amidst that silence, Cecil, who was still covering her mouth and leaning against the wall, tried to calm her racing heart.
'I can't make any rash moves. If I act recklessly in a situation this big, everyone will be in danger.'
She clenched her eyes shut, forcing herself to stay composed as she muttered internally.
'First, I need to investigate every detail of the schemes happening in this mansion and gather evidence.'
Even though her heart was still pounding like crazy, when she opened her eyes again, they were filled with fierce determination.
'Whitney, you bastard. I will definitely stop you.'
***
"I'm sorry, but no one is allowed past this point."
"W-What?"
Having steeled her resolve, Cecil tried to sneak into a room near the office while holding her breath.
But before she could even climb all the way up the stairs to the top floor, she was stopped by Runiel, who stood guarding the entrance.
"Due to the young master's strict orders, even you, as a family member, are not an exception."
"C-Commander! Are you seriously doing this to me?"
"If you continue, I'll have no choice but to use force."
Feeling cornered, Cecil glanced nervously down the corridor before giving Runiel a pleading look, trying to appeal to her emotions.
But her response remained cold and unwavering.
"Then at least answer one thing for your former junior."
Biting her lip at her firm attitude, Cecil clenched her fists tightly and posed her question.
"What exactly is happening inside?"
"Hmm. I suppose I can tell you that much."
Runiel furrowed her brows in thought for a moment before finally opening her mouth.
"The young master is merely providing the new maid with some essential training."
"And by training, you mean…?"
To Cecil, who was desperately grasping for any clue, her answer was like gold.
"In simple terms, it's training on how to release basic desires."
"…What?"
"It's about learning how to fulfill one's hidden urges without worrying about the eyes of others."
Runiel's words sounded more and more suspicious, making Cecil tilt her head in confusion.
"Of course, to outsiders, it might seem crude and improper.
But what matters is the results."
"W-What are you even saying?"
Cecil's jaw dropped at the shocking statement that just came out of her mouth.
"…For reference, I also underwent the same training recently. And I must say, the results were excellent."
"..."
"Since I grew up as a noble, I had always been taught to see such things as vulgar… but…"
Runiel, her face slightly flushed, spoke with a strangely liberated expression.
"After the young master's training, it felt as if something inside me had been set free."
"Ah…."
"So for someone as disciplined as she is, I can confidently say that she will succumb just as easily."
Runiel hesitated for a moment before continuing with an expression that Cecil had never seen from her before—one that was almost gentle.
"To the young master's warm heart, that is."
Frozen in shock, Cecil could only manage to spit out one blunt sentence.
"Y-You crazy bastard."
Well, what sister wouldn't react like this upon discovering that her own brother had a hobby of "training" women?
***
'Why are my ears itching again?'
After receiving the appointment letter from Princess Katarina and seeing her off, I returned to my office, scratching my ear absentmindedly.
"W-What… are you planning to do to me?"
In the seat where the executive members had gathered for a meeting just hours ago, only Lady Hestia, the saintess, remained—looking as if she was about to pass out.
"Haha, no need to be so tense."
I did feel a little guilty about postponing the meeting before we had a chance to discuss the detailed plan.
But really, wasn't this plan impossible to execute without the saintess's cooperation in the first place?
"If anyone saw this, they'd think I was about to eat you alive."
"…P-Please spare me."
Look at that. Even a light joke had her trembling, barely able to speak.
At this rate, even if the plan succeeded, she might hold a serious grudge against me.
I needed to mend our relationship first.
"We're simply going to spend some time being honest about our desires, Lady Saintess."
With that in mind, I clapped my hands and turned my gaze toward the bookshelf at the back of the room.
-Creak…
Right on cue, a secret mechanism activated, revealing the entrance to the underground chamber.
"W-W-Whatever it is… please be gentle with me."
Seeing the scene before her, the saintess mumbled tearfully as if she had misunderstood something.
"Haha… I don't know what you're thinking, but you won't be stepping inside today."
I quickly dispelled her misconception.
"You only need to experience what's coming out of that place."
"…H-Huh?"
She still looked completely lost, but that didn't matter.
"Alright, here we go!"
Just in time, Sasha appeared from the underground passage, pushing a cart.
"I-I brought all the appetizers first…"
On the cart, an array of dishes, prepared using all the mansion's best ingredients, was neatly arranged.
"And the rest?"
"I-I'll bring them as soon as you say the word!"
That's right.
This was my ultimate weapon against the saintess—
The "Banquet Trap Strategy."
"Wh-What is all this…?"
"I told you, didn't I?"
Even noble ladies, who had been trained from childhood to maintain strict dietary discipline, often dreamed of indulging in food at least once in their lives.
I had tested this on Runiel, who was famously self-disciplined, and even she had proven that no one, not even a future killing machine, could resist their appetite.
"So let's be honest about our desires."
"A-Ah…"
"I know you've been skipping meals because you were suspicious of our food."
Now then, what about Lady Hestia?
Someone who had lived—and would continue to live—an even more disciplined life than Runiel?
"If you're worried about poison, I'll eat with you. How about that?"
"Y-You think you can break me with something like this?"
Sure, that was the expected response at first, but—
-Growl…
Words meant nothing against an empty stomach.
"For someone who says that, your body is being quite honest."
"Ugh…"
"Well, if you don't want to, I won't force you."
I smirked, watching her face flush red with embarrassment.
Then, as the final blow, I used my memories from my past life.
"…I also have your favorite wine here."
"…!"
"If you return to the church, you'll never be able to drink this again."
If my memories weren't mistaken, before she became a saintess, Lady Hestia had been quite the drinker.
"So, what will you do?"
There was no way she could ignore the premium 30-year-old wine that I now dangled before her, freshly pulled from the ice bucket.
"…Give me some."
"Hmm? I didn't hear that."
As expected, after a moment of silence, she spoke again in a quiet, hesitant voice.
"C-Could you pour me just one glass…?"
And with that, the saintess—whose resolve had finally crumbled—sealed the victory of my "Banquet Trap Strategy."