The Simulacrum

~Chapter 145~ Part 2

"That's the long and short of it," I said into the phone, and my dear assistant on the other side let out a hum in acknowledgement.

"I'll read them before today's meeting," she told me, and there she would've most likely said more if I didn't interrupt her.

"Good. I have to hang up now. Talk to you later. Love you."

"Okay. Xoxo."

Was it just me, or was she getting quirkier with using shorthands like that in actual conversations? I didn't dwell on the question for long. Cutting the line, I pocketed my phone and then put an arm around my other, currently dejected girlfriend.

"Come on, princess. Cheer up."

"But I failed…" She moaned in a low voice, though her outward depression was hard to take seriously when she was snuggling up to me and rubbing her head on my shoulder as we walked. "I was supposed to stop you from working, and you still spent the whole night typing on the computer."

"Not the whole night," I corrected her, but in retrospect, I should've stayed silent.

Speaking of hindsight, I should've also stopped working on my notes when the sun came up and she started stirring, but then again, that thing was still my number one mortal enemy. Not the sun, I mean, but hindsight. I wasn't a vampire yet.

Anyhow, after I mailed the text file over to Judy in the morning I cuddled my princess to make her feel less dejected, we had a hearty breakfast courtesy of Snowy's handiwork, and then we headed over to the Dracis mansion on foot. It was both to help digest the food and for the sake of some Regular Loving Couple Antics™, though because of my draconic girlfriend's sour mood, there was less of the latter than expected.

But putting all of that aside, it was Saturday, meaning no school for the day. Not that I'd been attending this week; I was too busy with way too many things, but thankfully Lord Grandpa covered for me. Being in good diplomatic relations with the principal had many unexpected perks, it seemed. I just hoped he wasn't going to call in the favour during some inter-organizational negotiations. Now that I thought about it, I would have to visit him one of these days, both to discuss relations between the Assembly and the Elysium from now on and to check out if the Grimoire Key would react to Ammy or not, and—

"Stop thinking about work!" Elly interrupted my train of thought and poked me on the forehead, causing me to blink in surprise.

"How would you even know what I'm thinking about?"

"Girlfriend magic," she answered smugly, meaning her mood was finally improving, and she poked me between the brows again while we waited for the lights to turn green at the crossing. "Also, whenever you think about complicated things, you get these wrinkles here."

"Really?"

"Yup. It's very distinctive."

In the meantime, the traffic light switched and we started walking again, and since she was close to me already, she automatically entwined our arms. Smooth.

"Remember: no work today," she told me in a playful tone that also bore no disagreement. "There's no Draconic Council meeting, so take it easy."

"Sure, sure."

Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely honest with her. Depending on the definition of 'work', at the very least. There was a reason why we headed over to her home early in the morning, and it had to do with a simple text message I received from Roland.  That was the reason why I proposed to go to the Dracis mansion to 'play', though I wasn't deceiving her per se. I was planning to spend some quality time with her, but I also had some other things to take care of that she might've objected to while she wasn't looking. It was best to do it this way; what she didn't know about couldn't bother her.

Putting my justifications aside, we continued on our merry way in silence. At least until Elly let out a series of thoughtful hums and soft noises, practically begging me to ask what was on her mind.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"Hobbies." Her answer was as straightforward as it could be and she thoughtfully placed the index finger of her free hand onto her chin. "We couldn't find you a good one yesterday, and it's bothering me."

"I told you we can figure out something later. There's no need to rush."

"No, there is!" she insisted with an embryonic pout. "If we put it off now, then we're going to completely forget about it when something else comes up, and then it's just going to be infinitely postponed! Like choosing your pet-name!"

My back involuntarily tensed when she brought that up. Did she realize that I'd been purposefully sabotaging that in the past, I wondered. I had nothing against pet-names per se (in fact, I considered myself an aficionado when it came to nicknaming people, for better or worse), but receiving one wasn't something I was looking forward to.

She didn't make the connection yet, thankfully, and she continued to ponder with her finger poised under her lips.

"You're really sporty, so maybe we should think about something along those lines? A sport we can play together."

"Like tennis?"

"No, that's too competitive," she denied my suggestion (though to be fair, I was half-joking anyway). "We need something more laidback that lets you relax. Something more communal."

She continued to wrack her head over the topic even as we reached the large wrought-iron gates of the Dracis mansion. The guards manning the perimeter, a mixture of the usual men-in-black security detail and some of our newly recruited Squires, were falling over each other to be the one to let us in, to the point two of them collided and nearly fell over in the process. This made me once again question if we really needed so many guards here… but then again, this was no longer just the semi-permanent home of the Dracis family, but the temporary seat of the Draconic Federation, so maybe the added security was warranted after all.

In any case, after asking to see if the guys who crashed were all right, and saying a few platitudes about doing a good job and being always vigilant, we headed towards the main entrance. Our steps were accompanied by the giggles of the princess, but she only told me what it was about when we were out of earshot.

"With each passing day, you sound more like a king."

"Is… that a good or a bad thing?"

"Good! You're cool!"

For further emphasis, she nuzzled up to me with an ear-to-ear grin. I… didn't quite get it, but if she was happy, I was happy, so it all worked out.

Meanwhile, we reached the lavish vestibule of the mansion, and we were immediately swarmed by placeholder maids led by a butler. Not Sebastian, just a normal one, though he obviously patterned himself after the old incognito dragon, sporting the same spiffy outfit and slicked-back hairstyle.

Since I moved in and out of the place almost daily, I was getting used to being pampered by them, and after handing over my long-coat and telling them that I would be staying for lunch, we finally managed to break out of their encirclement and head further inside. Yet, the moment we entered the big hall on the other side, we were stopped again by a pair of familiar and overly enthusiastic voices.

"Ue-sama!"/"Brother Leonard!"

From the winding hardwood stairs on our left, covered in red felt carpet and lined with classical paintings on one side and an elaborately carved railing on the other, the sounds of two sets of tiny feet could be heard thundering down. The pair of the petite miko, dressed in a tomboyish casual outfit that nevertheless still used her usual red-and-while colours, and the equally small dragon girl sporting her usual colourfully patterned Chinese dress, came to a screeching halt in front of us.

"Hi, kids," I greeted them, though to be fair, it was a bit of a misnomer.

Ichiko was hundreds of years old, even if she had spent most of that time locked up in a sword, while Odango Girl was, despite her outward appearance, about the same age as my girlfriends. Her childish appearance had something to do with her physiology as a full-blooded dragon in disguise, but since her mental age more-or-less matched her apparent one, it was hard to treat her as someone in our age bracket.

"What are you up to so early in the morning?" Elly asked absent-mindedly. She had detached herself from me during our encounter with the staff, and at the moment she was rubbing the heads of the girls.

Ichiko was a given, as she loved getting patted in her chubby little fox form, while Xiao was… well, technically speaking treating her like that was 'disrespectful' because she was a 'great ancestor' and whatnot, but she liked to be spoiled, and nobody was looking, so it was fine.

"We're scheming!" Odango Girl exclaimed with a toothy grin, and the foxy miko nodded along with gusto.

"Yes! Our plans within plans are slowly but surely reaching fruition!"

"Aw! Isn't that nice?" Elly cooed and redoubled her head-patting efforts, much to the girls' apparent delight. She must've thought that they were just playing, but I knew better.

"Any progress?" I asked half-jokingly, and Ichiko instantly balled her fingers into balls and stared at me with a gaze full of determination.

"We're a critical junction, Ue-sama!"

"Yes! Our web of intrigue is perfect! Now, all it needs is one last push to make them fall!"

"We've got this!"

"We do! We do!"

Tried as she might, Elly couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably at the sight of the fired-up girls. On the flip side, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. My princess didn't know, but these two had a rather excessive interest in the budding relationship between Mountain Girl and Naoren, and I had no doubt that whatever they were cooking at the moment had something to do with that. This meant there were obviously some shenanigans afoot, which… wasn't necessarily a bad thing. So long as…

"Keep it in moderation, okay?" I warned them, and the kids solemnly nodded.

"Don't worry, Ue-sama! I'm one of the founders of the Kage clan! Discretion is my middle name!"

I wanted to point out that she didn't even have a surname, let alone a middle one, but Odango Girl beat me to the punch.

"Yes! We'll keep collateral damage to a minim—!"

"T-There won't be collateral damage!" Ichiko cut her off by putting a hand on Xiao's mouth. "Discretion! We're going to be very discreet!"

"Y-Yes! No collateral damage," Xiao corrected herself, and then whispered, "But Ichi? What about the…?"

"W-We're going with Plan B!" the tiny miko declared and grabbed Odango Girl's hand. "We have to hold a strategy meeting! Goodbye, Ue-sama! Elly-ue!"

"Okay. Have fun."

"B-Bye bye!" Xiao also said her goodbyes a bit frantically as the other girl pulled her up the stairs (not the one they came from, a different one), leaving me alone with my girlfriend and her dopey smile.

"Mmm! They're so cute!" she exclaimed, slightly startling me in the process, but I couldn't argue with that.

"They are, but they're also a handful."

"That's just how children are," Elly stated profoundly, followed by another giggle and an affectionate glance at me. "You're going to be a great dad."

"… Where did that come from?" I asked, suddenly alarmed. "Please don't tell me…?"

"A-Awawa!" Realizing the implication of what she just said, Elly let out one of her rare yet just as endearing cutesy noises and frantically waved her palms. "I-I-I didn't mean it like that! We always used protection, so we're good! I meant in general! Just in general!"

"Oh, good," I muttered with palpable relief. "That wouldn't been way too soon."

"Y-Yes, but… One day?"

"Sure," I answered her implied question and gave her a kiss. "Let's talk about this again in a few years, okay?"

She nodded, a little calmer but still beet read, and after a few short breaths, she shook her head and suddenly told me, "I… have something to discuss with Grandpa Sebastian!"

That was probably an excuse she cooked up on the spot because she was feeling embarrassed and self-conscious around me. I played along and nodded.

"I also have something to take care of, so that works out. Let's meet in your room once we're done."

"No work," she warned me, and instead of an answer, I gave her a peck on the forehead. Normally she would've taken that without any issues, but after that exchange, she was extra-sensitive, and she quickly excused herself.

As childish as it felt, seeing my girlfriend flustered like that tickled something inside me. Maybe it was reminding me of the good old times, when she was still acting tsundere towards me. Or maybe it was just the primal instinct of every boyfriend wanting to tease their girlfriend. However, before I could act on the urge, she left the hall, and as if waiting for her cue, a familiar blonde maid showed up from the other direction.

"Future young master," she greeted me with a polite curtsy and a stony expression, but that was just Melinda for you.

Elly's chambermaid and old friend was still a bit frosty towards me, but since I've been visiting the estate regularly these days, we ran into each other often enough that our relationship thawed up a bit. We weren't exactly on friendly terms yet, but I was doing my best to be cordial, while she was, if nothing else, professional with me. That was good enough, I reckoned.

"Good morning. Has Sir Roland told you I was coming?"

"Yes. Sir Griffon Knight has informed me of future young master's visit ahead of time," she answered matter-of-factly and gestured for me to follow after her.

She didn't lead me to the door where she came from, but instead, we headed to the far end of the hall. Based on Dad-in-law's occasional bragging, the main building was a one-to-one copy of an old mansion they held in some Central European country. That meant it also had a bunch of 'hidden' servant entrances and corridors, originally designed so that the maids and the rest could move the building without disturbing the family.

She stopped in front of a section of the wall under one of the winding stairs, and at first glance it looked like the rest of the wood panelling, if not for two things; a small, hooked knob at waist height, and faint signs of dragging marks on the floor in front of it. That was odd, as wear and tear was rare to see due to how the Simulacrum operated, but maybe it was intentionally there to accentuate the building being 'an old, mysterious mansion'.

Whatever the case might've been, Melinda pulled on the hook and the whole wooden panel swung on hidden hinges, revealing a normal doorway sunk into the wall behind it. She produced an old-timey skeleton key to open it. On the other side, there was a dimly lit corridor that was considerably less lavish than the average interior of the mansion, but still fairly spacious and tidy.

Melinda closed the fake wall and locked the door behind us, and then she gestured for me to follow after her. However, it was only a few steps later that she pointedly cleared her throat.

"Future young master? May I speak frankly?"

I sent a flat glance her way, and uttered an even flatter, "When have you ever not done that?"

She nodded without taking umbrage with my tone at all and firmly stated, "Your relationship with Milady appears to be harmonious."

I didn't expect those words to come out of her mouth, but no matter how I scrutinized her, I couldn't find any sign of sarcasm. That meant it was probably a setup for something.

"Yes, you could certainly say that."

"Future young master promised that he would make Milady happy, and upheld his promise. For that, I'm sincerely thankful."

Okay, this was getting more and more suspicious by the second.

"Thank you, I guess."

She gestured for me to follow after her to the right when we reached a junction, and then she continued with an eminently serious, "I held back until now because I didn't want to endanger Milady's happiness, but since her relationship with future young master seems stable now, I'm going to make my move." That odd declaration was followed by a meaningful pause, and then matter-of-factly, "I simply wished to inform future young master of this."

"By making your move, are you talking about…?"

"I've already received permission from future young master," she cut me off emphatically and while her expression remained neutral, I couldn't help but feel that her eyes were somehow glaring at me without her brows moving a micron. "And future young master wouldn't be so low as to go back on his word, would he?"

We locked eyes for a second, and lacking better options, I shrugged.

"Break a leg."

She solemnly nodded, and her expression not only eased up, but I could almost see a faint smile tug at her lips. Honestly, I mostly forgot about that whole exchange we had in the past where she very heavily implied that she had some kind of crush on the princess, and back then I didn't go out of my way to shut her down. Of course, back then we were operating more on an experimental polyamorous kind of relationship, while now we had a firmer and more settled polyfidelous one, but as she said, I gave my word, and I wasn't going to walk back on it.

I also wasn't particularly worried about this development. Not only that, but while I wasn't a fan of weird shenanigans when they involved me or the girls, we kind of needed those to weather the interim before I could figure out what our plot should be, so… eh? I figured I'd let Elly work out this one.

During the time we had that exchange, we walked up some stairs and reached our destination. After passing through another hidden servant entrance, we were now in the detached servants' quarters. That meant either the elevation difference between the two buildings was more than I thought, or part of the corridors we walked were underground, but I didn't dwell long on the logistics of that.

Once she led me to a door, Melinda did a curtsy again and wordlessly disappeared into the passage where we came from. Left alone, I took a deep breath to center myself and calm my nerves before reaching for the doorknob.

The white room, smelling faintly of disinfectant, was originally just one of the many servant lodgings made obsolete by this allegedly being the twenty-first century and them no longer being actual serfs living on the grounds. It was a bare chamber, with only a single iron bed, a wardrobe, a couple of chairs, and an old CRT television in the corner, currently occupied by two familiar faces.

When our eyes met, Roland rose from one of the said chairs and automatically gave me a salute. He was wearing his Uniformer was a bit haggard. To be fair, he had been about as busy with official business as I was, if not more so, yet I couldn't help but feel that his sour disposition had more to do with the man on the bed. Speaking of whom…

"Ah, Leonard? Is that you? It's been so long!" A frail old man greeted me with a warm, grandfatherly smile, followed by a series of coughs. "Sorry. I'm… not in the best shape right now."

I eyed the old snake, looking as weak and harmless as I'd ever seen him, and when I glanced at Roland, he gave me a conflicted grimace in return. Already feeling exasperated, I faced the bed again and took a deep breath to collect my thoughts.

"Good morning, Sir Percival. Let's talk."