The Simulacrum

~Chapter 154~ Part 2

Maybe because it was a Friday afternoon, but the Dracis mansion was slightly less bustling than usual. With all the busy and self-important Draconic Federation personnel moving in and out of the estate, it sometimes felt more like a government office than someone's home. I had no idea how Elly was dealing with it, but then again, the main building alone was big enough that she probably rarely if ever ran into any dignitaries or officials by chance.

With such idle thoughts in mind, I passed through the wrought-iron fences of the compound, casually greeting the familiar security guards in the process, and then I strolled across the front gardens. Spring wasn't quite in full swing yet, but thanks to the tireless effort of the family's gardening staff, the bushes and flower patches already looked pretty damn impressive.

The neatly trimmed and sculpted hedges were steadily turning greener by the day, the dark cobblestone of the winding footpaths created a sharp contrast with the vibrant greenery, and the forecast said there wouldn't be any blackthorn winter days in the foreseeable future, so they even turned on the small fountain in the middle. I always wanted to take a closer look at it, but I couldn't just wander around here last autumn, and there wasn't much to see during the winter. It still wasn't in full bloom yet, so I made a mental note to ask the girls if they wanted to take a stroll there in a month or so.

"Welcome, future young master."

Lost in thought, I was mildly surprised when I was immediately greeted by Melinda the moment I entered the vestibule. While we routinely saw each other these days due to my frequent visits, it was pretty rare to run into her right away like this.

"Hello, Melinda. Is Abram back yet?"

"Yes, the patriarch returned from his business trip this morning," the prim and proper chambermaid answered without much emotion, but the way she was looking at me made me feel a bit self-conscious.

While we maintained a cordial relationship on the surface, ever since her declaration that she would pursue the princess (in a romantic sense of the word, I assumed), there has been something of a silent tension between the two of us. While Elly reassured me that she wasn't interested in the blonde maid that way and that the 'misunderstanding' was already being taken care of, it didn't change the fact that our interactions remained just a touch strained.

Anyhow, I was just about to ask her to tell Dad-in-law that I was coming, but before I could get to it, another chance encounter interrupted me in my tracks.

"Leonard!" From the top of the fancy stairs leading to the first floor, Emese descended with springy steps. Despite being the esteemed matriarch of the household, she wasn't wearing any fancy dress or even designer clothes, but just a casual outfit with loose jeans and a simple sweatshirt. She beamed at me, an expression that was a mirror image of Elly's happy-go-lucky grin, and she even waved at me. "You should've called ahead! I didn't know you were coming over. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Hello. I'm here to meet Abram, so I wasn't planning to…" Noticing her intent stare, I reconsidered my options. "… but since I'm here, I might as well."

"Great! You're always just rushing in and out on business. It's been ages since the last time the whole family sat down around the dinner table together."

I waited for her to arrive next to me, while Melinda took a respectful step back to give us space.

"To be fair, I'm here to talk business. Or rather, about fifty percent business. You'll see."

"Will I?"

"It's about our spring break plans."

She raised a curious brow and folded her arms, swaying her hip to the side in the process. Was it just me, or did she put on some extra curves recently? In my experience so far, body types seemed to be pretty static in the Simulacrum, so maybe it was just the clothes, but considering she used to be wheelchair-bound, it made sense that she would 'fill out' a bit to emphasize how healthy she got.

Of course, I wasn't going to voice my impression in the open (heck, even ogling her like this was a bit rude), so I cleared her throat and looked her in the eyes again.

"I've heard about it from my daughter," she spoke up when our gazes crossed, her lips once again bending into a smirk that somehow managed to be both playful any yet dignified at once. It was one of the privileges of being an adult, I figured. "Is it still a secret?"

"It's not really a secret at this point, I'm just trying not to openly advertise it, in case things go horribly wrong in the meantime and it gets everyone disappointed."

"That's not a good attitude," she chided me all of a sudden, and before I could respond, she even reached out to pinch my cheek. "Would a bit of optimism kill you?"

"I get that a lot from Elly too, but it's just how I am," I told her, trying my best not to slur my speech.

Mom-in-law exhaled a sigh and let go of me.

"Melinda, please let the kitchen know that we'll have the family four-course menu for today's dinner."

The maid remained motionless, but her gaze flickered over to me for a moment before returning to Emese.

"As you wish, but… the future young master already asked me to lead him to the patriarch's room."

I was pretty sure I didn't get the opportunity to do so yet, but Mom-in-law dismissed her anyway.

"Don't worry, I'll escort Leonard myself. You can attend to your duties in peace."

"Understood."

With that final word in tow, Melinda politely bowed and headed towards the entrance of the servant corridors we used a while ago when I was visiting Percival. By the by, the old man was no longer here. I arranged a small residence for him in the neighbourhood, with a nursing service, where the patrols could keep an eye on him. Snowy had been diligently visiting him (more often than not in the company of Penny, and occasionally even Tajana) every other day. She took my request to learn about intrigue and skullduggery from the old bastard seriously, and he caught on quickly, using the opportunity to prove his 'usefulness' to us.

That tangent aside, Emese gestured for me to follow after her, and we walked up the stairs from whence she came.

"Did something happen between you and Melinda?"

I wasn't expecting a direct question like that, so it took me a second to respond.

"No, not really."

"Are you sure?" She narrowed her eyes and looked me over from head to toe as if something about my posture was odd. "The way she looked at you wasn't normal."

"There might be some tension between us due to certain circumstances, but it's nothing major."

"Tension," she echoed me, still sounding unconvinced. "It's not interest, right?"

"No, of course not," I denied on the spot, and she responded with a sharp nod.

"Good. While I had my initial reservations about this relationship between the three of you… What did Judy call it?"

"Polyfidelity?"

"Yes, that. I'm glad to see that the three of you are close, so make sure you won't ruin it and end up like father-in-law."

I couldn't help but blink in surprise at that.

"The previous patriarch? Why? I thought his wives got along well enough."

Now it was her turn to blink and look at me funny.

"Who told you that?"

"Dad-in-law."

The answer didn't even fully leave my mouth, and she already stifled a groan.

"Figures. Men are just ignorant of these things."

"… So, from what I gather, they don't actually get along."

"It's complicated." I thought she said that to cut the topic short, but then she immediately continued with, "My mothers-in-law are all… strong personalities, and while they keep up a friendly façade in front of Abram, their relationship with each other can be… stormy at times. It's the reason why they still haven't visited Critias, despite the announcement of your engagement and the forming of the Draconic Federation." She looked at me with a meaningful gaze. "It's only a question of time though. I'd reckon they will put aside their differences and attend your wedding in the future, at the very least. I recommend you steel yourself in preparation."

"You are raising sooo many red flags right now," I grumbled without reservations. "What happened to your lecture about optimism from just a few minutes ago?"

She didn't give me a proper response, only a shrug that could be best interpreted as 'This is this, that is that'. Suddenly feeling a bit nervous about my first encounter with my grand-in-laws, we finally reached the door leading to Abram's study. I've been here more times than I could count, though mostly when discussing Federation business. The place looked much more presentable than the first time I stumbled in, when half of it was filled up to the ceiling with unsold music records.

"Son, honey! What a pleasant surprise!"

Dad-in-law was sitting behind his desk and welcomed us with a hearty laugh and his customary lack of indoor voice, simultaneously pushing a conspicuous pile of documents to the side.

"Good afternoon and such," I greeted him back with a lazy wave. "How did the negotiations go?"

"Worse than ideal, but better than expected," he responded enigmatically and then paused while Emese walked over to his side and presented her face for a quick peck. The two of them smiled and chuckled in that cosy, wholesome way that only harmonious married couples could pull off, yet he soon turned his attention back to me. "But son… Are you sure investing in online businesses like this is a sound strategy? I can wrap my head around sales numbers and distribution channels, but these 'search engines' and 'ad revenue' bits and bobs are Swahili to me."

"In the short term, yes. Trust me, it's going to be a big thing, just remember…"

"Yes, yes," he cut me off with a shake of his hand. "I shouldn't put all my eggs in the same basket, and invest our profits in stable stocks and companies. You told me this every single time we talked business."

"And I'm glad to hear that you listened," I quipped back with a toothy smile and stopped in front of his desk. "But speaking of business, how about the other thing I mentioned?"

"You mean, that investment opportunity you talked about the other day?" Abram paused and absently rubbed his sideburn with a large thumb. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure about it. We have never done any infrastructure development projects, and while I floated the idea to some of the other patriarchs with more business experience in this field, I couldn't get any straightforward responses without sharing the details."

"Were they interested?"

"Yes, but I think it was because your name was attached to the idea. Others though… You see, son, Celestials don't have the best reputation, and while many are eager to deal with you because you represent both them and the Draconian families, there are just as many who are wary of agreeing to anything for the same reason."

"As expected. We'll fix that image problem with time, and…" I paused, and suddenly recalling something, I clicked my tongue. "Before I forget it again, can I ask you to help me put together a press conference?"

"Press?" Emese echoed me, one brow raised in confusion.

"Not in terms of TV stations and news, but internally. Assembly included. I was told I need to clear up people's misgivings about me and my abilities before things get out of control."

"Oh, you mean your ability to teleport," Mom-in-law noted, and Abram suddenly slapped his knee.

"Ha! I know I shouldn't be surprised about what you do, son, but that was still a shock! It does explain how you kept coming and going as you pleased in the mansion though!"

"It certainly does," Emese agreed, but her eyes were still on me. "What kind of 'misconception' do you need to clear up?"

"Things that I could just Phase into anyone's bedroom in the middle of the night and murder them in cold blood." I paused for a beat, and cheekily added, "I reserve harassing people in their sleep to folks I don't like."

"Please don't joke like that in public, or it will only make things worse," she scolded me, while Abram was deep in thought.

"I can pull an emergency assembly and ask Endymonion to send some attendees in a diplomatic function. I don't think they have any news organizations, but word-of-mouth should take care of spreading the news all the same!"

"Maybe we should, then?" Emese proposed, and his husband turned a questioning eye at her. "The Draconic Council keeps pushing out new laws and treaties every week, and it's hard to keep track of it all. We could use something to keep the members and our affiliates up-to-date. Maybe a newsletter?"

"That's not a bad idea," I agreed, but Dad-in-law was less enthusiastic.

"It's not, but… we just finalized the budget the other day, so if we wanted to add a new department to the payroll…"

"Hold that thought, I'm going to ask Judy first," I interjected, and my in-laws both turned to me with a hint of intrigue in their gazes. "She likes to take note of everything and organize data, so I'll ask her if she wants to help with this. Think of it as a test run."

"A capital idea, son!" Abram grinned ear-to-ear, and if he wasn't seated, I was sure he would've tried to pat my back. "It's about time we gave her some kind of official position in the Federation so that those annoying naysayers would finally shut up! Good thinking!"

"Wait, what kind of naysayers are we talking about here?"

Mom-in-law clearly signalled to her husband to keep quiet, but he didn't receive the message, and he told me, "Just some envious old men who think she doesn't have the background or achievements. It's just meaningless buzzing, like a swarm of flies. It's best to ignore them."

"… And how come I've never heard about this before?"

"Because nobody is foolish enough to say it within earshot to you," Mom-in-law told me flatly while simultaneously pinching Abram's ear.

"Ow, honey! What was that for?"

She ignored him and smiled sweetly at me instead.

"I do agree with my hubby that you should ignore them. Don't try to engage with fools, for they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

"… Noted."

I said that, but honestly speaking, the idea that some people in the Draconic Federation were scheming to discredit Judy still didn't sit well with me. I already had too many things to keep track of, but I figured I would have to squeeze 'observe the Council members and their helpers to find the ringleaders' into my daily routine from now on. But that was for later.

For the next half an hour or so, we discussed other business-related minutia, like my 'royalties' from Ouroboros, the company's music streaming platform, and other short and long-term plans, including the upcoming spring break training camp. We didn't go too deeply into the details though, since we would talk during dinner as well, and we would've probably gone into some other tangent if not for a knock on the door.

"Please excuse me," Melinda spoke as she entered and, following a strangely awkward curtsy, she addressed me. "Milady is requesting the presence of future young master in her room, as soon as possible."

"It's fine, we'll continue later," Emese said before I could get a word in, and urged me forward with a smile. "Don't make them wait."

"Sure. I'll see you both at dinnertime."

With that, I bid my farewells and followed after the chambermaid.

"This way, future young master."

"I know. At this point, I can navigate this mansion with my eyes closed."

That was a bit of an overstatement, but Melinda only hummed in response and gestured for me to follow closely. Our short journey to the princess's quarters was quiet and uneventful, though I couldn't help but notice a few odd things. Such as… did Melinda also put on some weight? Or maybe I was just primed to notice small discrepancies due to my previous observations about Emese's hips. No, scratch that; no matter how I looked, she did seem a bit bulkier than usual. Was she like that earlier as well, I wondered.

Not for long though, as we reached Elly's room and Melinda took out a master key. The door was open, so she didn't need to use it, but since I was paying extra attention to her, it just struck me as odd. She stepped aside and gestured for me to enter, and I did so without any reservations.

Elly's room was the same as always, with its eclectic mixture of the girly stuffed animal collection and signed heavy metal posters and paraphernalia both clashing hard with the fancy antique baroque-style furniture. If anything, I considered it a reflection of my princess; odd and quirky, but undeniably cute and wholesome as well. Which made the following observation all the more confusing.

"Where are the girls?" I asked, glancing around in the empty room. I was just about to use Far Sight to see if they went to the toilet or something when my plan was interrupted by the sound of a key turning.

Startled, I looked at Melinda, who just used her master key to lock us in. Not only that, but before I could even utter a cheesy line befitting the situation, such as 'What's the meaning of this?', she turned to face me and, without an ounce of hesitation, she bent over and grabbed the hem of her long skirt. With motions that I could only describe as 'practised', she smoothly pulled her maid dress over her head, revealing… a different maid dress underneath.

Except this one was the impractical kind, with fishnet stockings, a miniskirt, and a short-sleeved top with a freaking boob-window to show off her cleavage. While I was still shocked by the sudden turn of events, she cast her original maid outfit onto the ground and casually adjusted her headdress.

"I was told future young master is aroused by such clothes, so…" She tried to do a curtsy, though it looked a bit silly with the comically short skirt. "I will serve the future young master now."

…

Crap. I walked into this one, didn't I?