Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 131 – I witnessed my former subordinate’s resolve
“So, let me get this straight. Sophia-san, Happiness requested an extended vacation from you. You initially refused because the reason she gave was insufficient, but since she insisted, you granted it. The next day… she disappeared, leaving only a note behind.” [Youki]
“Yes, that’s correct.” [Sophia]
Sophie-san, with a vein pulsing on her temple, explained in a calm tone the events leading up to Happiness’s disappearance.
Hey, some on now. It hasn’t even been that long since that triple date… what is she up to?
Initially, some misunderstandings caused a bit of chaos, but everything smoothed out in the end, didn’t it? Cecilia was going on about the history of the statues in the square while Irene-san was constantly trailing behind Duke and even followed him to places she shouldn’t have. Happiness was seen walking next to Raven, eating crepes together, and getting along just fine as well.
“Hmm, even when I think back on Happiness’s recent behaviour, I can’t come up with any reason why she would disappear.” [Youki]
“I see. I thought you might know something about it, Youki-sama. I never imagined she would disappear without saying where she was going…” [Sophia]
“…I apologize on her behalf.” [Youki]
I bowed deeply to Sophia-san. Happiness was like family to me. Taking responsibility for a relative’s mistake was a given. Though, I bet she’d make an annoyed face if she heard me saying that.
“You do not need to bow, Youki-sama. When she returns, I’ll make sure to have a thorough talk with her.” [Sophia]
That’s the super head maid, Sophia-san, for you. As someone who had been on the receiving end of her lectures a few times, I silently offered a moment of prayer for Happiness.
“I understand. So, about the note that was the key to her disappearance.” [Youki]
I took the note from Sophia-san.
‘In one month, explore, Enmori’
That was all that was written.
“It’s very typical of Happiness, but… could she leave a note that everyone can understand?” [Youki]
Only Duke, Sheik, and I would be able to decipher something like this.
“I assumed it was some sort of code. I couldn’t make sense of it despite working at the mansion with her for so long.” [Sophia]
Sophia-san looked a bit disappointed. Well, it was understandable that she couldn’t figure it out.
“Judging by the note, ‘disappearance’, might be too strong a word. She did clearly indicate that we should come to get her.” [Youki]
“…In this note?” [Sophia]
“Yeah, though it’s written in a way that only we would understand.” [Youki]
It was understandable that Sophie-san didn’t understand it.
‘In one month’ means exactly that, and ‘explore’ means ‘come find me’. The problem is ‘Enmori’. Only Duke, Sheik, and I would understand that. It likely refers to the forest where Duke found Happiness. Though it doesn’t say what she’s doing there.
“So, she’s not doing anything dangerous, right?” [Sophia]
“Well, since we don’t know what she’s doing, I can’t say for sure…” [Youki]
Honestly speaking, I didn’t understand what she meant by ‘Come find me in one month’. I hoped it would not be some sort of mini-runaway situation.
“Well, it can’t be helped. I don’t want to inconvenience you any further, Youki-sama. Let’s talk again in a month.” [Sophia]
“Wait, are you sure about that? We’ve figured out the location, so if we wanted to, we could go look for her.” [Youki]
“If the note mentioned how long she would stay and where she went, then it’s fine. I’ve already granted her request for a long vacation, so let’s just let her do as she wishes.” [Sophia]
It was like a mother allowing her child to be selfish.
But there are times when people just leave a note and never return. It could be that the job is tough, but they can’t bring themselves to say it directly. Since Sophia-san is the head maid, she might have had experiences where people disappeared without saying anything.
As I silently tilted my head in thought, Sophie-san showed a hint of understanding of what I was thinking. It was just a small gesture, but she closed her eyes and nodded once. However, this was evidence that Sophia-san might have used some kind of mind-reading technique.
“…Youki-sama, I’ve told you many times before, I can’t perform such a feat as reading someone’s mind.” [Sophia]
“No wait, you’re doing it right now, aren’t you?!” [Youki]
“Reading minds is impossible for anyone. Besides, if we could read each other’s mind, life would be unbearably boring.” [Sophia]
“Sophia-san, you’re quite mature, aren’t you?” [Youki]
“That’s because I have a free-spirited husband.” [Sophia]
That was true. Being Clayman’s wife must be tough. I sympathized with Sophia-san’s struggles and couldn’t help but mentally thank her for her hard work.
“Maybe it’s good for him to realize some of it for his own sake.” [Youki]
“Yes, I’ll consider that if anything comes up in the future.” [Sophia]
It should be high time for Clayman to graduate from his slothful ways and get serious. However, if you were to take away all the laziness, sluggishness, and idleness from him, what would be left? His love for Sophia-san might be the only thing left.
“Loving someone is pretty profound, isn’t it?” [Youki]
“…You don’t need to think too deeply about it. Just don’t forget to cherish the person you care about. Love that’s one-sided… Oh, it seems it’s time.” [Sophia]
Sophia-san looked at the clock and ended the conversation with an apologetic look. I was hoping to hear more secrets to becoming a lovey-dovey couple from her, so it was a real shame.
“Thank you for responding to the sudden call today.” [Sophia]
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a family matter after all. Anyway, when she returns, I’ll make sure to give her a good scolding.” [Youki]
“I understand.” [Sophia]
It would be a steep price to pay for making everyone worried, Happiness.
I was seen off by Sophia-san, who gave me a beautiful bow and left the mansion.
“I’m back!” [Youki]
I returned to the now-empty inn. The lack of reply when I called out made me feel slightly lonely. While I was reflecting on that, I noticed something that wasn’t there when I woke up this morning.
“A letter?” [Youki]
There was a piece of letter left on the desk. The fact that it was attention to ‘Captain’ narrowed down the sender quite a bit.
“As expected, it’s from Happiness. What’s this? Oh, come on. Is she a kid?” [Youki]
The content was that she wanted to talk and asked me to come alone. Wasn’t this supposed to be a month later? She also told me to dispose of the letter after reading it. She shouldn’t be planning anything dangerous, right? Even though I highly doubted she would do anything like that, I still burned the letter and got rid of it right away. It couldn’t have been long since the letter was left here. She would probably still be in Minerva, so she would be easy to find. Sure enough, I quickly spotted Happiness, who seemed to be shopping for supplies for her trip.
“…Good morning.” [Happiness]
“You’re awfully laid-back for someone who’s been doing all sorts of incomprehensible things.” [Youki]
“…Serious.” [Happiness]
She claimed that it wasn’t a prank this time. I could tell that much from the fact that she was preparing for a journey.
“So, you said you have something you want to talk about. Where are we going?” [Youki]
“…This way.” [Happiness]
I followed Happiness as she led the way. While walking, I tried to observe her, but I didn’t notice anything unusual. In contrast, when she caught me observing her, she called me a pervert. Yep, nothing unusual here.
“Oh, isn’t that you, Captain?”
“Duke, you got called, too?” [Youki]
When we arrived at the designated spot, Duke was there. It wasn’t a coincidence – he was likely summoned by Happiness. It seemed that she had business with the two of us.
“…Gather.” [Happiness]
Following Happiness’s command, the three of us formed a huddle. The place she brought us to was an abandoned tavern on a quiet street. The fact that she chose a spot like this meant she probably didn’t want anyone else to hear what she wanted to say. I assumed Duke already made sure no one else was around, but just to be safe, I checked to see if anyone was nearby.
“…All right. Looks like it’s just us in this place.” [Youki]
“That’s Captain for you. Keep your guard up, please.” [Duke]
“Got it. So, is everyone here?” [Youki]
“…Yeah.” [Happiness]
“All right, looks like we’re all present.” [Youki]
“Well, since it’s probably hard to talk like this, could we separate ourselves?” [Duke]
“…No objections.” [Youki]
“…Agreed.” [Happiness]
After confirming everything, we broke the huddle. Duke and I then made ourselves comfortable on the available chairs.
Happiness was the one who called us here, but as we didn’t know what she wanted, we felt slightly uneasy.
“…I… I’ve made up my mind… so, I’ll tell him.” [Happiness]
I could tell that Duke had caught his breath. Even though Happiness normally spoke in short sentences, she had begun to talk properly. I’d only heard her speak like that once before, during that mission at the sea, so I wasn’t quite used to it yet.
“Tell him? Tell him what?” [Youki]
Duke didn’t push for more details but instead decided to listen to what she had to say. Given his calm demeanor, Duke really was a good listener. However, even Duke couldn’t hide his shock when he heard her next words.
“I’m going to tell him… about me. My true identity.” [Happiness]
“H-Him? Could it be…” [Youki]
I could feel sweat forming on my forehead. Even I could tell how shaken I was. Duke was also frozen, unable to move from his chair.
“…Raven.” [Happiness]
Even though I had suspected it, hearing his name coming out of her mouth made it all the more real – this was the decision she had reached. Nevertheless, Duke and I were at a loss for words, looking foolish as we stood rooted to the spot after she had made her resolve clear.
However, one thing was certain. There would be no way Happiness and Raven’s relationship would remain the same after she revealed it.
It’s going to come down to whether he accepts her or rejects her.
RinkageTranslation 
Thank you!
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