[V3C5] The Bat Prince

Five days had passed since Frieda Blanquet began her stay at the Albright estate.

Waking up before sunrise, Frieda slipped out of bed and stood by the window still in her nightwear.

After waiting for a while, a bat flew in from somewhere. It was a large bat, about the size of a cat.

As the bat approached Frieda’s room window, it gently dropped the letter it was holding onto the windowsill.

“Thank you again today.”

When Frieda spoke, the bat responded with a chirping sound, almost as if it understood human speech, and flew away.

Frieda unfolded the letter brought by the bat.

The letter was written in a slightly eccentric handwriting, and the contents were concise:

“The shadow of the bookshelf in the storage room on the second floor is an excellent hiding place. Hide there if Grandmother bullies you.”

Frieda turned the letter over, but there was no address or sender written.

While Frieda had a tentative idea of who the sender might be, she temporarily referred to them as “Bat Prince.”

Letters from the “Bat Prince” had been delivered without fail every day after Frieda arrived at the mansion.

Some days, like today, it only delivered a letter. On the previous days, charms, medicines, and other such items were included.

Yesterday, she had received an ointment, along with a message saying, “If you are cursed with athlete’s foot, please use this.”

So far, Frieda hadn’t been bullied by Adeline, so she knew of no curse for giving athlete’s foot.

The worries of the “Bat Prince” were completely groundless, but Frieda found these eccentric concerns somewhat endearing. She smiled faintly and put the letter in a small container.

＊　＊　＊

Since she was allowed to do as she pleased during her stay, Frieda had spent the past few days cleaning the mansion whenever she had free time.

Although the Albright estate had servants for cleaning, and the mansion was kept relatively tidy, cleaning could be done as much as one pleased.

Frieda was good at cleaning. Back in Valmbelk, where she couldn’t afford to hire servants for cleaning, Frieda took the initiative to do it herself.

Cleaning wasn’t exactly a hobby, but she liked it reasonably well. After all, the visible results were satisfying.

Frieda asked Mick, one of the servants, where the cleaning tools were. Mick made a doubtful face at first, but he didn’t stop Frieda from cleaning.

In general, the servants of the Albright estate didn’t do anything beyond their salary, and they didn’t interfere with the affairs of the house. Their straightforward attitude was rather pleasant.

Today, Frieda wore an apron over her dress and, with cleaning tools in hand, walked through the corridors of the Albright estate.

Her target for today was the storage room on the second floor.

She had already confirmed with Mick if it was okay to clean. Mick granted his permission, saying, “Feel free to go ahead.”

According to the “Bat Prince,” the storage room on the second floor was an ideal hiding place.

Upon inspection, it was indeed overflowing with items, seeming like an excellent place to hide. Moreover, it had just the right amount of dust.

(This looks like it will be worth cleaning.)

Frieda began to look around the storage room, wondering where to start.

Upon entering the room, she found wooden boxes lined the right wall, filled with eerie items such as dolls, bundles of hair, and old clothes all jumbled together. Some seemed eerie enough to curse anyone who touched them.

Several shelves were lined up on the left side, including a bookshelf. This seemed to be the recommended hiding spot by the “Bat Prince.”

(It seems just right for a child to hide.)

Did the “Bat Prince” use it when they were young to hide from their grandmother? Frieda pondered this while approaching the bookshelf.

The tightly packed books on the shelf were all related to magic and curses. Frieda flipped through one, but she couldn’t understand a thing.

Secretly resolving to air them out on a sunny day, Frieda returned the book to the shelf. Then, she noticed a thin, string-bound book sandwiched between thick ones.

It was evidently different from the other books. Wondering if it was some set of research notes, Frieda turned the cover.

Leaves rustling silently, a quiet wind blows.

Under the swaying sunbeams, a lady’s brooch reflects the sunlight.

Bathed in sunlight, I witnessed the lady’s delicate hand gently tracing the brooch that sparkled like stars.

Ah, if only this body were a jewel, would she have loved me with those fingers…

“…”

It seemed to be a handmade collection of poems.

The writing had a slightly peculiar style, a handwriting Frieda had seen recently.

As Frieda silently continued reading the poetry collection, the door of the storage room creaked open.

“Oh, are you really cleaning?”

Adeline looked over, blocking the door with her ample figure. She wore a thick layer of makeup with a mischievous and joyful smile on her face.

“Did you find anything interesting?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Frieda nodded without shrinking back, placing the notebook back in its original place.

It had been a few days since Frieda saw Adeline. She hadn’t appeared again after the initial introductions.

…However, Frieda had always felt Adeline’s gaze on her.

Adeline was observing Frieda.

Even if Frieda asked why Adeline was observing her, Adeline would likely play dumb.

Considering this, Frieda carefully chose her words and said, “Why did you choose me as Lord Albright’s fiancé?”

“Harassment. Nothing more, nothing less. Sucks that you got involved though. Kehehe.”

Whom was this harassment directed towards? Her grandson Ray Albright, or perhaps…

“Is there some connection with my grandfather?”

“Did that man say something like that?”

“I don’t know the details. He just often mentioned that shamans are terrifying.”

Suddenly, Adeline lifted her sagging chin and leaned back, laughing with a high-pitched “Kehehehe!”

Her laughter was filled with delight.

“Oh truly? The ‘War Wolf of Valmbelk’ said that! Truly an honor for any shaman!”

Frieda’s brave grandfather was the hero of the war fifty years ago, renowned as the War Wolf of Valmbelk. What kind of connection did he have with this shaman?

As Frieda pondered such things, Adeline approached her with a swaying motion.

Frieda was quite tall for a woman. Consequently, Adeline had to peer up at Frieda’s face from below.

Those pink eyes sparkled eerily and vividly, reflecting Frieda’s own eyes.

“You resemble that man. Those eyes… the eyes of a wolf. Kehehe, maybe I’ll pluck them out and keep them close at hand.”

The old woman’s threatening words were enough to make anyone tremble, but Frieda replied without the slightest shred of emotion.

“That seems like it would require a great deal of maintenance.”

“…”

Adeline squinted her shadowed eyes and stared intently at Frieda.

“What an unappealing girl. Not a trace of dissatisfaction shows on your face.”

“Dissatisfaction? Of course, I have some.”

Frieda decided to let out the dissatisfaction she had been carrying over the past few days.

“It’s lonely eating alone, so how about we eat together during mealtime?”

Adeline widened her pink eyes, carefully examining Frieda’s face as if licking it with her gaze.

“You don’t look like you feel a speck of loneliness though.”

“I do feel it. In Valmbelk, I used to have meals with my brother, my grandfather, and my younger siblings, before they went into service… I prefer a lively dining table.”

Adeline fell silent as if sulking at Frieda’s words, but soon enough, she snorted.

“Only a crazy girl would want to eat while looking at this old woman’s face. Fine, from today on, you can lose your appetite by seeing my face next to your food.”

“Don’t worry. Our old man… I mean, my grandfather is no slouch either.”

Frieda’s grandfather was a troublesome geezer who, during meals, would start recounting blood-soaked tales of slaying enemy generals. On occasion, he would even strip and flaunt his old scars.

Having grown up eating meals with such a grandfather, Frieda was confident that there was nothing that could ruin her appetite.

As Frieda calmly conveyed this, Adeline burst into hearty laughter, clutching her stomach.

＊　＊　＊

“Ah… ugh… what can I put in today’s letter… and what should I inform about Grandmother… yes, that’s it…”

In the Jade Chamber of the Ridill Kingdom Castle, Abyss Shaman Ray Albright muttered to himself while writing a letter.

After much contemplation, what was written on the stationery was a short sentence.

“When Grandmother is in a bad mood, it can be improved with raisin cakes.”

Satisfied with this, Ray nodded. At that moment, a voice came from behind.

“I get it, I get it! Raisin cakes are delicious! My old lady likes them too! By the way, my recommendation is the one from a shop called Old Rich…”

Ray let out a yelp as he turned around, finding Raul, another of the Seven Sages, peering into the letter from behind. It seemed he had been reading it without permission.

Ray glared at Raul resentfully.

“…P-Peeking at someone else’s letter without permission, how tactless can you be… thinking that you can get away with anything if you have a good-looking face, curse you… curse you…”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. By the way, you’ve been writing letters every day since a while ago. Is it for your fiancé?”

“W-Why do you care? It doesn’t matter…”

Ray quickly covered the stationery with his arm, and Raul casually took a seat beside him.

As Ray glared angrily back, Raul grinned, showing his white teeth.

“Hey, Ray. Listen to this! I’ve come up with a strategy for you to get along with your fiancé!”

“…I have a bad feeling about this… It’s definitely going to be something absurd…”

“Guess what, next week, Mary-san is hosting a party at her mansion!”

Starseer Witch Mary Harvey, one of the Seven Sages, was the daughter of a Marquis and loved social gatherings. She periodically hosted tea parties and soirées.

As a Sage, Ray had received invitations to parties hosted by Mary several times. Of course, he never attended a single one.

“By the way, Ray, your fiancé got an invitation too!”

“…Huh?”

The smiling Raul slapped Ray’s shoulder, leaving Ray dumbfounded.

Although Raul intended it to be a light tap, Ray’s frail body swayed just from that.

“Meeting for the first time at a party is so romantic! Oh, right, Mary-san will prepare your formal attire, Ray! I’m looking forward to it!”

The Starseer Witch Mary Harvey was known for her gentle nature, but also her fondness for beautiful young boys.

Several handsome boys served at Mary’s mansion, all bending their shapely knees to her will.

——What kind of formal wear would she choose? A frilly blouse with shorts, of course!

With a face that seemed to be witnessing the end of the world, Ray buried his head in his hands.

By no means did he want to attend this party. However, Raul was backed by the Starseer Witch.

The Starseer Witch was a woman who never takes no for an answer, in a different way than the combat-crazed older sages.

(I-I don’t feel like I can escape…!)

Ray muttered suicidal thoughts in despair as Raul said, “This is gonna be fun!” with a cheerful smile.

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