24-Hour Reincarnation Consultation Office, Episode 19
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“My Lady, it seems they are from the Imperial Palace.”
“……So it seems.”
“That was fast.”
“Sheesh, indeed.”
After Sorinte left, Lora had spent a rather peaceful and delicious breakfast.
After that, while she was cleaning again, the magic doorbell rang once more, and when she looked outside, the carriage she had seen yesterday was standing there.
It was the carriage sent by the Crown Prince.
However, unlike yesterday, the carriage bore the flag symbolizing the Imperial Family, and on the coachman’s seat sat a knight of the Crown Prince’s palace instead of a mage.
“That knight looks like the one we saw yesterday, and the two people standing in front of the main gate seem to be officials from the Imperial Palace.”
“Really?”
“My Lady, I shall go out and see.”
“Please do. I need to change my clothes.”
“Yes.”
Since the carriage had come, she might have to go to the Imperial Palace immediately.
“This should be fine.”
Lora changed into a fairly neat formal suit.
As Countess Lien, she had to show at least the minimum dignity.
‘I have the orb.’
She packed a few other necessary items as well.
She immediately left the mansion and headed for the main gate.
“My Lady.”
Just then, Tom approached her.
Two people were following behind him.
‘Huh?’
Lora’s eyes widened slightly at one of the two.
‘Where have I seen him before—’
Familiar gray hair.
‘Ah!’
The Tree of Glory!
That Administrative Bureau official she had run into at the office on the first floor when she went to the Noble Association!
Lora remembered this person.
The reason was simple.
“Such a filthy empire, I ought to annihilate it all with my magic—”
The words he had spoken had remained quite vividly in her memory.
‘I almost didn’t recognize him because of the glasses.’
Unlike last time, he was wearing glasses today.
‘He didn’t look like he had bad eyesight?’
But that person’s eyesight wasn’t an important matter to Lora.
Anyway, he didn’t seem to remember Lora either.
“It is a pleasure, Countess Lien.”
Lora’s gaze passed over the man and turned to the person standing in front of him.
“I am Viscountess Violet, affiliated with the Administrative Bureau.”
She offered Lora a brief but polite greeting.
“Pleasure to meet you, Viscountess Violet. Let us go inside and talk for now.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
Lora began walking back toward the mansion, discreetly sizing up Viscountess Violet, who was following half a step behind her.
‘She must be here about the temporary instructor position.’
Imperial family affairs were generally handled directly by the Imperial Family itself, but the instructor position was different.
The power struggle between the Imperial Family, which wanted the education of the imperial clan separated from power, and the Noble Association, which wanted the opportunity to grow close to the imperial clan under the pretext of education. As a result, the Administrative Bureau had ended up taking charge of instructor-related affairs.
“This is unexpected.”
Lora turned to the side at the voice she heard.
Viscountess Violet was wearing a strange smile.
“What is unexpected?”
“The movements of House Lien.”
Hmm.
Lora briefly closed her mouth at the frank yet unrestrained answer.
Viscountess Violet spoke in a low voice, as if whispering.
“You know why I have come, don’t you?”
Of course she knew.
“Is it not regarding the temporary instructor position?”
“……I did not expect you to speak so openly.”
“Since you did, I thought I would try being the same.”
Why, am I not allowed to?
Lora looked at her as if she had nothing to hide, and Viscountess Violet let out a dry cough.
“Ahem, indeed.”
However, her bewilderment lasted only a moment, and soon she drew a truly sinister-looking smile at her lips. It was a smile reminiscent of a typical schemer.
“Countess, I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince met Her Majesty the Empress Dowager yesterday?”
“……And so?”
“I merely stated the fact as it is.”
Having asked as if testing the waters, Violet added:
“And even if it is temporary, the position of instructor to His Highness the Crown Prince, who has only just awoken, was decided remarkably quickly.”
Right now, Viscountess Violet was asking: what had happened between the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince?
And what deal had you made with the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince?
Lora let out a short breath and opened her mouth.
“Do you believe Her Majesty the Empress Dowager intervened in this temporary instructor matter?”
“Hmm.”
Violet briefly closed her mouth. She seemed at a loss for words at the openly inquiring attitude.
‘Then why do you keep asking.’
Lora smiled as if nothing was wrong and walked toward the mansion.
“Oh dear.”
Viscountess Violet approached Lora’s side and quickly bowed her head.
“My apologies, Countess. I have overstepped my bounds.”
The apology was simple.
And she immediately revealed her true intentions.
“I am in the position of a kite with a broken string, you see. I came to try tying a new one.”
Lora’s eyes widened.
“……A string?”
“Yes. For some reason, in my eyes, this meeting today will become either gold or a lump of shit, one of the two.”
Was she referring to the Crown Prince? Or the Empress Dowager?
Lora thought for now that it wasn’t herself. Because no matter how she managed to avoid being stripped of her noble title, her family was undeniably a declining house.
‘And our customer too—’
From the looks of him trying to find a way back, he wasn’t exactly a lump of gold either.
“Ha, hahaha—”
Lora simply laughed, hiding her true thoughts.
‘Later, when our customer Ion returns to his original world, it seems like chaos will break out.’
Imagining that time, she couldn’t help but laugh as if she knew nothing.
Meanwhile, Viscountess Violet’s eyes sparkled at Lora’s reaction.
‘Even though I spoke to this extent at our first meeting, she isn’t very wary.’
She doesn’t even try to know Violet’s intentions.
Instead, she let out a short laugh and turned away from Violet.
As if amused.
‘There is something there.’
Countess Lien. This young head of the household has some connection to the Crown Prince, and perhaps even further to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. She may have even made a deal with the Kiona family, the Empress Dowager’s maternal family and meritorious retainers.
‘As expected of a meritorious subject family, are they truly meritorious retainers?’
The Lien family. It is not a house to be taken lightly. Violet smiled, hiding her inner thoughts.
“You are an interesting person, Countess.”
She spoke up to that point and closed her mouth.
Ring, ring— Ring, ring—
Because of the sound coming from her.
“Hmm, one moment.”
Violet took something out from inside her coat.
It was a magic communicator.
‘Wow. That’s incredibly expensive.’
It was a magic item that even wealthy noble families possessed only one or two of, a device that enabled communication between parties.
And the magic communicator in Violet’s hand was stamped with the Administrative Bureau’s seal.
‘Is Viscountess Violet seated in a high-ranking position in the Administrative Bureau?’
Assigning an Administrative Bureau-owned magic communicator to an individual meant that person wielded considerable power.
Lora exchanged a glance with Tom in that moment.
She felt she would have to look into Viscountess Violet somehow.
“Countess, may I take a brief call? It’s from the department I am in charge of.”
“Yes. That is fine. Please take your call comfortably.”
“Thank you. Then please go in first, and I shall follow shortly.”
Lora subtly observed Violet, who was being quite polite, and then gave Tom a meaningful look.
The front door opened, and Lora looked at the official who had been quietly following behind all this time.
“Hmm.”
She didn’t know his name.
“Level 10 Administrative Bureau official, Cross.”
Noticing her uncertainty, he introduced himself quite cleverly, and Lora hung a gentle smile on her lips.
“Yes, Mr. Cross. Please come in.”
Gray eyes, the same color as his hair, fixed upon her from beyond his glasses.
‘Hmm?’
Lora somehow felt that gaze was slightly unpleasant. His eyes were a little strange.
“Then excuse me.”
Soon, Cross averted his gaze from her and entered the mansion.
‘It’s a good thing I cleaned.’
Though there were still many places needing repairs, the first-floor hall was fairly clean nonetheless.
And though they were placed rather randomly, the table and chairs in the center of the hall were positioned quite pleasingly.
“There are many old yet antique pieces of furniture. My Lady, if you rummage around, everything comes out.”
They were all things Tom had thoroughly searched the mansion to bring out.
“Please sit.”
Lora offered Cross a seat, and Tom opened his mouth.
“I shall bring out refreshments. Is there a type of tea you prefer?”
“Anything is fine with me.”
Cross answered, adjusting his glasses as if uncomfortable.
“Then I shall return shortly.”
Tom turned his steps toward the kitchen.
With that, only Lora and Cross remained in the very spacious first-floor hall.
‘Mmm.’
Truthfully, Lora didn’t particularly have anything to say to Cross.
It was awkward to discuss business matters while Violet was absent.
‘And I can’t really bring up our meeting at the Noble Association, since he doesn’t seem to remember.’
In the end, Lora decided to remain silent.
It was at that moment.
“Countess Lien.”
Unexpectedly, the other party broke the silence.
“Yes?”
Lora met his gaze.
‘Hm?’
But the look in his eyes beyond the lenses was a little strange.
‘They’re gleaming?’
Just as she thought his eyes were gleaming, Cross opened his mouth.
“……Do you consult reincarnators too?”