I always had a personal thought while deep in my mind.
Talking to people above me is damn tough.
I’m not just talking about social status but also about those who hold various positions of authority.
Back in the day, it was school teachers, and slightly before that, the clients when doing quests.
And when I started working at the castle, there was Kyle, the Head Butler, and the Duke himself.
Of course, Kyle was also my student, so his position was a bit tricky, but the Head Butler and the Duke were definitely my superiors.
The Duke hadn’t come around for a few years after I started, but I was always aware of his higher status.
Well, he didn’t really interfere much, so it wasn’t that nerve-wracking.
But then…
“So, what are we talking about?”
“Uh…”
Now, I had to converse with someone way beyond the ‘superior’ label.
I could say ‘father-in-law,’ but that seemed too complicated.
Seriously.
After discussing it with Kyle, it was decided that I would take charge, but I should’ve just asked Kyle to do it!
In front of Kyle, I acted all cool, insisting it was my job… but now I’m thinking that might have been a mistake.
What’s considered ‘experience’ and what’s the real depth of life anyway?
To anyone, it looked like an unanswerable question.
“I have something to say to your father…”
Really, this was tough.
I hadn’t talked to the Duke much before, and when I did, it was super awkward.
The only difference was that last time he asked about the dining arrangement, but this time I had to bring it up.
“What? Is there something about the wedding? Or did Kyle mess up?”
“N-no! Kyle did nothing wrong!”
This was really challenging.
It felt even harder than the blunders I made at the academy before.
“I just found out recently… Um, Father, do you know about succubi?”
“…?”
When I mentioned it, the Duke raised an eyebrow, reacting to the bizarre situation.
Of course, he wouldn’t instantly get what I was talking about.
If I were him, I’d be confused too.
“Well, I assume you have some basic knowledge. They appear in fairy tales and various other stories.”
“Then… it seems like we can talk a bit more easily.”
“Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”
“Uh… if I said they actually existed, would you believe me…?”
That’s a bit disappointing.
If the Duke already knew that succubi existed, that would’ve made things ten times easier.
But then again, according to Mom, our ancestor succubi stories were from centuries ago.
It’s understandable that the Duke wouldn’t know.
“… It’s not impossible to believe.”
He replied that way.
He wasn’t completely convinced, but it’s not something he outright dismissed either.
I thought this reaction was sufficient.
“In a world with mana and monsters, the idea of non-human races isn’t all that far-fetched. Although, they are just fairytale figures now.”
“…If such beings had a child with a human?”
“…?”
“If a succubus had a child with a human… do you think you could believe there are descendants of that child still alive?”
“…Wait, is it…?”
“…”
I found it hard to answer the Duke’s question.
No, answering wasn’t difficult.
I could just say, “Yes! That’s me!” and that would be that.
But the problem wasn’t the answer itself; it was what came after.
What if he suddenly shouted, “You’re the descendant of that crazy brothel race?!” and decided to slice me up right there?
Sure, he didn’t have a sword by his side, but it was still scary.
“….”
“I am the… yes.”
I could barely finish my sentence and just wrapped it up.
I hunched down slightly, scared he might raise the knife he was using to cut steak.
I wasn’t sure how he would respond, but I wanted to dodge as quickly as possible.
“Huh.”
The Duke let out a weary laugh.
“Hoo… that’s surprising in many ways.”
After that exhausted laugh, he managed to speak again.
Thank goodness he didn’t look angry.
He simply appeared genuinely astonished.
It was a rather normal response, a bit less intense than I’d imagined.
At least it didn’t seem like I’d get stabbed right then and there.
I felt no problem heading to meet Kyle after this reaction.
“So you mean… you’re that descendant?”
“Y-yes!”
“And you wanted to tell me that over this meal?”
“Yes!”
I laid down my fork and knife upon his remarks and spoke.
It wasn’t as problematic as I imagined, but since I was in front of the Duke, I had to stay sharp.
“I was worried there might be a problem if I wanted to marry Kyle…”
“That’s a pointless worry.”
“Uh… really?”
It seemed like the conversation was flowing more comfortably than I thought.
“As long as you’re not planning to suddenly kill Kyle, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with it. Besides, you’re not that type of person.”
“I guess… but is it really all okay?”
“It is.”
“Uh…”
It felt way too calm; it was oddly uncomfortable.
It truly felt strange how easily the conversation passed by.
The Duke wasn’t saying anything wrong, but… wasn’t it too easy?
Kyle and I were freaking out just thinking something might go wrong.
“So, um… Kyle! You come in too.”
“Huh?”
Kyle?
Why was I suddenly calling for him?
*
That thought vanished immediately.
“…”
“…”
“Why were you outside…?!”
Suddenly Kyle opened the door and came into the Dining Hall.
Clearly, the Duke wasn’t just saying that randomly.
Since Kyle was right in front of him, that’s why he said it.
“I had a feeling…”
“I think you’ve overheard enough to know what’s happening. Since you’re here, why don’t you sit down and join us for the meal?”
“Yes.”
The Duke rang a bell nearby, calling over a servant to bring Kyle’s meal.
I really didn’t expect Kyle to be listening outside.
Well, he was just worried about me, anyway, but either way, Kyle joined and began to eat alongside us.
This was the first time we all sat together at a meal.
Usually, the Duke either ate alone or with Adela.
Kyle almost always ate with me?
In any case, it felt a bit weird in this context.
The Duke was eating without a care in the world.
“I heard you had no interest in people your age… but to think you’d get married as soon as you became an adult.”
“Haha…”
“…”
“As I mentioned before, I don’t plan to interfere with your wedding. Kyle probably doesn’t want that either.”
It seemed like the Duke really had no intention of intervening, just as before when we ate together.
Because of that, I didn’t have to worry too much. Basically, our only task was to cut the steak while listening to the Duke talk.
“By the way, if you’re a descendant of a succubus, what exactly is different about you? I don’t see any significant appearance change.”
“Ah…”
Was this the kind of feeling Mom had when she talked about succubi to me earlier?
Proving facts is always harder than just stating them.
For real…
*
“Ha…”
“It must’ve been hard for you.”
“Haha…”
After wrapping things up, Kyle and I returned to our room to relax.
It was just… exhausting on many levels… mentally.
Thanks to the Duke, it couldn’t be any more tiring.
Talking about succubi was especially a total struggle.
“Today… I think I’ve come to understand Mom’s feelings a bit…”
“Well… all the issues have been resolved, right?”
“Yeah. Pretty much everything’s sorted out.”
As Kyle said, everything that needed to be fixed was taken care of.
The only thing left was the meeting of our parents, but that wasn’t anything to worry about either.
Both sides weren’t against the marriage in the first place.
Our parents were genuinely excited about my upcoming wedding, and the Duke… had some thoughts, but still supported the marriage.
He’d said it was okay both last time and this time.
“Really, I’m completely drained….”
I, a succubus, felt the life force draining out of me.
Actually, it really did feel that way.
“Kyle, give me some cookies.”
“Got it.”
“A~”
I lay on the bed, taking the cookies from Kyle.
Maybe it was the fatigue, but I just felt like I wanted to eat something more.
Though I wasn’t particularly fond of cookies, still.
“By the way, I was surprised in many ways. Personally, I thought you’d hate that conversation.”
“Well…”
“You felt the same? I honestly didn’t think he’d just take it so casually.”
“I can’t deny that.”
Both Kyle and I never expected the Duke to handle it that easily.
After all, how many nobles would take it lightly when their son planned to marry the descendant of a brothel race?
Well, it went smoothly, and thank goodness for that, but I was still amazed.
Both of us were shocked without a doubt.
“…”
By the way, should I bring up the Duke’s comment about leaving after the wedding?
I felt a bit conflicted.
After all, it wasn’t just anyone; it was Kyle’s father who said that.
“…”
For now… I didn’t have the energy to discuss that today.
There was still a lot of time before the wedding, anyway.
I thought I could bring it up later.
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