The moment he opened the parlor door, Vain realized his bad feeling had hit the mark completely.
The man seated in the chair by the window was immaculately dressed—so much so that one would never guess he had just traveled a long distance—and as always, he held a single rose in one hand. As soon as Vain entered, he rose to his feet with an eager smile that showed he had been anticipating his arrival.
"Ah, if it isn't my good friend, Duke Razgrim! It has been quite a while. I am delighted that we could meet again like this."
"...What the hell did you come here for? And for the record, I don't recall ever becoming your friend."
"Life is far more enjoyable when you don't fret over trivial details, you know. Did we not share our dreams with one another in the royal capital?"
"If merely talking about a life of decadence makes someone a friend, my circle of friends would be ridiculously huge..."
Kieza Perkin.
He was the son of House Perkin, whom Vain had met at the Military Tournament in the royal capital. In looks alone, he was the very picture of a noble scion, but the moment he laid eyes on a woman, he would immediately hit on her, carry a rose wherever he went, and harbor a bizarre confidence in his own appearance. For some reason, this very man was sitting in the parlor of Vain's mansion, casually sipping tea.
Taking a seat in the opposite chair, Vain's gaze drifted to the luggage placed on the table. It was clearly far too much baggage for someone making a simple visit.
"So... what's with all the luggage? Don't tell me you're planning on staying for a few days."
"Far from a few days—I was actually thinking of staying under your care for quite a while. You see, I've run away from home."
Vain's hands froze.
"...Run away from home, you say?"
"That phrasing sounds rather crass, don't you think? I would prefer it if you said I left the marquis house to carve out my own path in life!"
"That's literally what the rest of the world calls running away from home!"
Unfazed, Kieza lightly twirled the rose stem between his fingertips.
"Ever since the Military Tournament ended, my father has been nagging me endlessly. 'As a member of a marquis house, get more involved in family affairs,' 'If you're capable of doing something, fulfill your duty,' 'It's about time you considered your own position'... Well, I understand what he's getting at. Since I was born into a marquis house, it's only natural that such things are expected of me."
"So you do get it. I can't say I blame him either; that's just how it is for a marquis's son."
"Oh? Given your reputation, Duke Razgrim, I rather expected you would say you couldn't care less about titles and ranks."
"I said that's how it is, but I never said I'd obey it myself. A peerage is just something to use whenever it's convenient... If it gets in the way, to hell with it."
For a split second, Kieza's eyes widened before his expression softened into an amused grin.
"...As expected of Duke Razgrim. It seems coming to you was indeed the right choice."
"Don't go getting impressed over that... Rather, I get why you ran away, but why did you come all the way to my place? If you're the son of a marquis, surely you have plenty of other people you could rely on."
That was the part Vain found most baffling. For a prominent family like House Perkin, they had to have countless allied nobles. There was no earthly reason for him to travel from the royal capital all the way to the distant Razgrim domain.
Kieza straightened his posture slightly. Dropping his usual flippant tone, he spoke as though recalling what he had witnessed in the royal capital.
"After I left home, I gave some thought to what I should do next... That was when I suddenly remembered you. The Razgrim forces I saw in the royal capital were peculiar. Even though they were a collection of people gathered from all over, they were strangely cohesive. An outsider from another house like Lady Lydia blended in seamlessly, and Lady Clarice offered her opinions to you, a duke, without the slightest hesitation... And yet, not a single one of them appeared to be serving under coercion."
"I pay them a salary and feed them, so working is only natural, isn't it...?"
"You seem to genuinely believe that... That is precisely what makes you so fascinating!"
Kieza chuckled softly and laid the rose on the table.
"I have always believed that what one can do and what one wants to do are entirely different matters. I do not believe that simply because you are capable of something, you must spend the rest of your life doing it. However, as long as I remain at home, the more capable I become, the more duties get piled onto me... If that's the case, isn't it fine to try working at least once in a place that genuinely catches my interest? When I looked at it that way, this was the very first place that came to mind."
"...In other words, you're saying you want to work for me?"
"Yes! If it pleases you, would you consider taking me into your service?"
Vain sank back into his chair.
Just yesterday, seeing the flood of people pouring into his domain, he had rejoiced, thinking how easy life would be if talented personnel just showed up on their own. He certainly hadn't expected the son of a marquis to invite himself over the very next day.
Still, he had no intention of hiring someone based purely on pedigree... If anything, the title of a marquis's son might only create extra headaches depending on the circumstances.
"...If you're looking to enter my service, I'll ask just in case: what can you actually do? If you're just a marquis's son with a fancy name, I have no use for you."
"Let's see... I can wield a sword reasonably well. I have also been taught the fundamentals of commanding troops, and I've always had a fairly sharp eye for assessing people. As for paperwork, I can handle a bit if necessary."
"...You can handle quite a lot, can't you?"
"When you are raised in a marquis house, you are drilled in all of this whether you like it or not. I suppose I am slightly above average in all of them, more or less."
Kieza genuinely seemed to think it was nothing special, showing no sign of boasting. If anything, he made a slightly distasteful face when mentioning paperwork.
"However, I am not particularly fond of work that involves staring at documents all day long... Though if you ask whether I can or cannot do it, the answer is that I can."
"Don't you have a few too many things where you're capable, but just don't want to do them?"
"What one can do and what one wants to do are entirely different things, after all."
"You really don't budge on that principle, do you..."
He could use a sword and command soldiers. He had an eye for evaluating people, and could even manage paperwork to some degree. Whether he was truly only 'average' as he claimed remained to be seen, but at the very least, he was worth a trial run.
Besides, the issue of how to screen and assign the people gathering in the domain had already cropped up since yesterday. If his claim about having a good eye for people was true, there would be plenty of uses for him.
Crossing his arms, Vain mulled it over for a moment before finally speaking up.
"All right... I'll take you on for now. But I'm going to see for myself if you can actually do everything you said. I hire people so that I can take it easy, so it'd be a problem if you just took a salary and slacked off."
"Of course! I shall work wherever I am needed. However, if you place too much expectation on me, my workload is likely to increase, so please keep it moderate."
"Don't start radiating an 'I don't want to work' attitude on your very first day..."
Even so, there was no real reason to turn him down. He could worry about House Perkin later; for now, he just needed to see how useful the man actually was.
With the matter settled, Kieza bowed once more.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you from now on, Duke Razgrim."
"Ah, right, stop that already."
"Stop what?"
"The overly polite speech. And being called 'Duke' makes my skin crawl... If I'm employing you, dealing with stiff, formal talk is just annoying. Just call me Vain. No need for honorifics either."
For the first time, Kieza looked at Vain in genuine astonishment. Then, within seconds, his expression broke into an even more delighted smile than before.
"...You truly are un-noble-like, Vain. How utterly fascinating! It seems I will be able to make full use of my beauty here. Besides, this place has... an abundance of beautiful women."
That was the one thing Vain understood immediately.
"Oh, so you do get it... Though let me correct you on one point. It's an abundance of beautiful women who are competent at their jobs. I don't have the leeway yet to keep dead weight around just because they have a pretty face."
"I see! Assuming there is no issue regarding my beauty, I simply need to prove my competence from here on out, correct?"
"I don't give a damn about a man's beauty, but... well, as long as you can pull your weight, I have no complaints. Since you claim you're decently capable, you'll be showing me starting tomorrow, got it?"
"If your expectations are too high, I'll be forced to work too hard. I would prefer it if you kept them modest, if possible..."
"You did come here to enter my service, didn't you?"
"That is my intention. However, I have no intention of overworking myself."
Feeling their mindsets were strangely aligned on odd points, Vain grimaced slightly. He was the type who wanted to delegate work to others so he could lounge around, but with the man in front of him thinking the exact same thing, it was becoming unclear which of them was ultimately going to end up doing the work.
◇
Just as their conversation settled down, the parlor door clicked open softly. Carrying a tray with a fresh tea set, Mylene stepped into the room.
"Pardon the intrusion. I have brought fresh tea."
Having already crossed paths with him when guiding him in earlier, her expression tightened ever so slightly the moment she saw him.
Kieza caught it instantly.
"Oh my, if it isn't the lovely lady from earlier! I didn't have the chance to greet you properly before. I am Kieza. It appears I will be staying here under your care starting today. If you have some free time after your duties, perhaps you could tell me more about this mansion while—"
"I-I am terribly sorry!"
She cut him off with far more force than expected, drawing startled looks from both Kieza and Vain. Perhaps realizing her voice had been a bit too loud, Mylene hastily bowed her head, but upon looking back up, she faced Kieza head-on.
"Um... while I appreciate the thought, there is already someone in my heart...! Therefore, I cannot accept your invitation! I am truly sorry!"
"Is that so...? I had no idea."
The moment Vain casually chimed in, Mylene's shoulders gave a noticeable twitch.
"...Y-Yes. Well, it is entirely one-sided on my part for now, but..."
"I see... Then please forgive my forwardness."
Showing no sign of offense at the rejection, Kieza backed off gracefully.
"It is not in my nature to pester a woman whose heart is already taken. While I am a bit envious of that fortunate gentleman, I shall respect your feelings."
"Thank you very much..."
Mylene let out a relieved breath and placed the tea before Vain.
"Kieza, don't go hitting on my head maid the day you arrive... If you cause trouble, I'll increase your workload to match, got it?"
"That would be quite troublesome... In that case, I shall mind my manners here. Having extra work piled on me from the very day I came to serve is not something I desire either."
"Don't get obedient only when more work is on the line..."
Before the exasperated Vain, Mylene began clearing away the empty tea set. In the middle of doing so, her gaze flicked toward Vain for a fleeting moment. It was truly only a split second. Vain was just about to take a sip of the fresh tea and didn't notice in the slightest.
Kieza, however, was different. The man who had just claimed to have a sharp eye for people had tracked Mylene's gaze with precision. Shifting his eyes from Mylene to Vain, and then back to Mylene, the corners of his mouth curled into an amused smile as though he had pieced everything together.
"...What are you grinning at?"
"No, it's nothing... I just thought this place is going to be far more entertaining than I expected, that's all."
"What would you know when you just got here?"
"Who can say...? That remains to be seen as we go along."
Though Kieza spoke with meaningful undertones, he offered no further explanation. Mylene gave a polite bow and left the parlor, leaving the two of them alone once more. While Vain found him suspicious, there was something else he wanted to sort out first.
"Come to think of it, I still don't know the extent of your abilities. Tomorrow, you're inspecting the domain with me. There are tons of people gathering here looking for work right now, so we can test that 'eye for assessing people' you were bragging about, can't we?"
"Being tested the very day after being hired... this truly is a demanding workplace, isn't it? As for me, I would have preferred to ease into things a bit more elegantly, perhaps while admiring a rose."
"I'm paying you a salary, so do your job! If you really are decently useful, maybe my own workload will lighten a bit... I'm counting on you for that."
"I think I can manage well enough. Though... please don't get your hopes up too high."
Kieza replied breezily and picked the rose back up from the table. He genuinely seemed to view himself as merely somewhat capable. And at this moment, Vain likewise thought of him as nothing more than an extra, slightly convenient set of hands.