As the day ends, Catherine and Iris Lune enter the same bedroom together.
During the day, they try to avoid each other as much as possible, but this is the time when they are together. Not even a maid is allowed in the room, creating a private moment for just the two of them.
Then, one of them leaves the room and heads to another bedroom, while the other stays and sleeps.
In other words, this is where the shuffle happens.
“Honestly…! Are you really alright with this?!”
And Catherine, as expected, was in a quarrelsome mood.
“Even if you dye your hair and wear the same clothes, it’ll be obvious right away if you act like a boorish boy.
I’ve been worried about it all day! Wondering if you’re doing anything weird…”
Rather than being sarcastic, it was more like a high-strung puppy barking at an unwelcome guest.
Iris Lune didn’t particularly care how much Catherine resented her.
But when it was this persistent, it was a bit annoying.
Iris Lune thought she should be allowed to say something back. Besides, retorting here would actually be natural behavior for “Iris.”
“I wasn’t born a noble lady, and I haven’t been studying etiquette my whole life.
I can’t be like you.”
Cutting off the long-winded speech with a sharp reply, Catherine looked taken aback by the fact that Iris Lune had even talked back at all.
“T-that’s no good! If that’s the case, people will know who the fake one is!”
“I’m doing my best as much as I can’t do it perfectly.
Lord Count hired me because he thought it was okay even like this. If you have a complaint, shouldn’t you say it to your father?”
No more black labor.
In her previous life, Chojiro had experienced being blamed by a smart, zombie-like boss more than once, but it was wrong for the field to take responsibility even when the management was bad.
A hireling should do their best within the scope of their abilities, and if it still doesn’t work out, the problem should lie with the one giving the orders.
Or so she thought, but Catherine, of course, wasn’t convinced by that.
“I can’t use magic like you can!
I can’t do anything if I’m attacked by a terrifying assassin! It’s important not to be noticed!”
“That’s why I’m doing my best. It’s just that I can’t be exactly like you.
Anyway, it’s impossible to reduce the risk to 0%. My job as a bodyguard is to make it as small as possible.”
“You can say that so easily because you’re strong! Put more effort into pretending to be me!”
“There’s no way someone like me who grew up as a commoner can perfectly imitate a lady who grew up wearing sparkling clothes! What was that movement just now! I don’t even understand the elegance in natural gestures…”
One thing led to another, and the argument was about to escalate.
But then Catherine suddenly covered her mouth.
“…Huh? Why are we complimenting each other?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Silence, then a bizarre atmosphere filled the air, and the next moment, the two of them—
““Pfft.””
—burst out laughing at the same time.
“Ahahahahahahahaha!”
“Hee, heehhee, Kukukuku… Wh-why is this happening…”
“…It’s okay to laugh in an unladylike way. I’m the only one here.”
Shaking her shoulders and curling up, Catherine desperately tried to hold back her laughter.
Expressing emotions directly is considered vulgar behavior that upper-class people should avoid.
“Haa… Ah, geez! How did we even get on this topic!”
“It’s mostly Lady Catherine’s fault.”
“I lost my rhythm…”
Looking like she had lost her edge, Catherine stared intently at Iris Lune with her ash and crimson eyes.
“Iris. I’ve seen you and your people coming to Father’s office many times, but this is the first time we’ve talked like this, isn’t it?”
“It’s not exactly the first time…”
Searching through “Iris’” memories, they had exchanged a few words of greeting.
Well, conversely, that was about it, so it could be said that they had never really talked.
The main reason for this was that Catherine had a prickly attitude toward Iris and didn’t try to talk much.
“I think I misunderstood you, Iris.”
“…What did you think of me?”
“I thought you were someone who could do anything perfectly with a cold face… I never thought you would laugh like this…”
Ah, I see, Iris Lune thought.
According to Benedict, Catherine was said to have a complex about not inheriting her mother’s magical talent. It’s not hard to imagine that she harbored complex feelings of envy and jealousy towards “Iris,” a genius blessed with magical talent. Her very existence stimulated Catherine’s complex.
Thinking of “Iris” as a cold, mechanical perfectionist was probably also partly due to envy.
Moreover, “Iris” was quite shy. She was friendly with her companions, but she didn’t readily show a friendly smile to strangers.
That’s why, perhaps. Just the fact that Iris Lune laughed changed the emotions Catherine directed at her.
–Come to think of it, I laughed naturally just now…
Laughing like this over trivial things was something that hadn’t happened since Lune was resurrected as an undead.
It didn’t really change anything, though.
“I can’t do everything. I can’t use holy magic, I can’t swing a 160cm greatsword, and I can’t wear heavy armor and carry a shield.”
“…Isn’t it that fewer people can do that, though?”
“I’m saying I can’t do everything. It’s only natural that I can’t imitate you, Lady Catherine.
I just have things that I can do.”
“…I see.”
Speaking in a way that was typical of “Iris,” Catherine seemed somewhat impressed by those words.
“Hey, Iris. Would you mind telling me about your adventures?”
Catherine, drawing closer, blinked stars in her ash-crimson eyes and offered Iris Lune a chair.
“If you spend too much time, the maids who are getting ready for bed will get tired of waiting.”
Iris Lune gave a serious-sounding reason to decline.
She had obtained very useful information from Diaz’s hair. She was planning to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to investigate the matter. She didn’t want to take up too much time, that was the real reason.
Catherine seemed about to be convinced, but… she clapped her hands as if she had come up with something.
“…That’s true. Then I’ll tell Father to make time for you and me to chat every day from tomorrow onwards!”
“Eh?”
“It’s decided! Good night, Iris. See you again tomorrow, here.”
Catherine said this and quickly left.
Left behind was Iris Lune, who couldn’t keep up with the development.
–Well… I don’t really understand, but as long as I can secure time properly and not go to bed late, it’s fine with me.
What’s important is, after all, investigating Night Python while acting as “Iris.”
Whether she ends up chatting with Catherine at night or not, it was still something Iris Lune didn’t really care about.
At this time, still.