Chapter 241: Mansion Conflict ① Meatball Descends (1/2)
–Aegir POV–
Claudia and Clara wake up together a little past noon.
If I think about what happened on the floor yesterday before evening, they pretty much slept for an entire day.
From what I saw, it wasn’t just the emaciated Clara who was tired from the long trip, but Claudia as well despite the fuss she caused. The maid who checked on them was worried when she saw how long they were sleeping.
「Good morning.」
With that said, Claudia who appeared from the bedroom is wearing the not-very-luxurious loungewear I prepared.
She didn’t put on any accessories and just lightly tidied her bed hair so I could only see her as a slightly plump woman.
But still, she had an aura around her that made the maid beside me step back instinctively.
Is that what you call ‘a noble’s majesty’?
「There are times I could feel it from Nonna, but Claudia’s in a different class.」
「Ahn, saying something like that makes me so happy.」
She jogs and jumps into my chest.
I catch her firmly as the pressure makes me take a step back.
As I pat Claudia while she buries her face in my chest, I also give some attention to Clara.
The thin Clara is more worrying to me than the jelly-like madam.
Clara grins when she realizes I was looking at her.
「We were able to sleep away the fatigue yesterday, but we’re actually starving.」
「Oh, as much food can be prepared for you as needed. Eat lots. It sounds like your stomach is grumbling too.」
I could hear her stomach growling for a while now.
I did something bad, I should have urged Clara to eat sooner.
「……no, that was the mad-」「Oh my Clara, how unbecoming of you! Let’s hurry to the dining hall.」
The gaze Clara sends to me appears to plead for help, and when I smile back, she pouts.
I don’t know how to describe the atmosphere in the dining hall right now.
Nonna welcomed the madam and Clara just for the sake of form and is glaring at the two of them while Mel doesn’t even intend to hide her feelings.
Catherine, Miti and Maria seem to be purposely showing off their enlarged bellies by rubbing them.
Celia didn’t even take a seat with her to eat, instead standing beside me as a guard and baring her fangs.
I guess Claudia’s disliked by everyone.
「Habh! Hab, habh! Hagh, hagh…… gehoh! Ngogh…… w-water……」1
Claudia either doesn’t realize all the stares or is ignoring all of them as she continues eating.
Regardless, the way she eats is incredible.
She has a refined manner of eating as a noble but her pace is abnormally fast.
Her cheeks don’t even bulge out when she stuffs her mouth…… no, maybe that’s because they’re already round and fat.
Clara also seems to be eating with great momentum, probably because she’s hungry, but doesn’t stand out due to the attention drawn by Claudia beside her.
She appears relieved.
「……she eats like a pig.」
Mel mumbles in a subdued voice.
「Hey…… did she just tear the bread in half and swallow it whole?」
Carla was genuinely surprised.
「There isn’t a moment when her fork stops moving. I’m surprised she hasn’t poked herself with it yet.」
Celia comments in disbelief.
Sebastian was preparing additional portions of meat.
More than the usual 1 kilogram was being prepared.
「Fuu……I think I’ve calmed down for now. Let’s chat a little before the main course comes.」
Bread, salad, soup and steak…… there is no better main course anywhere else.
When I smile wryly, Nonna starts threatening right away.
「My deepest condolences for having to experience the horrors of war…… as well as losing your husband. After resting here in our home, will you be going back to your own home?」
She’s implicitly telling her to go back home.
Mel and Celia also nod in agreement.
「This body which should have perished along with my husband in the flames can no longer shamelessly return home. Now, my only path to continue living is…… to rely on Margrave Hardlett’s mercy and compassion.」
She doesn’t even know if her home is safe.
「T-then how long will you be staying?」
「「Until death comes upon us.」 -I guess.」
Nonna slams her tableware onto the table.
「Tch, you should have obediently died as a burnt pig.」
「M-mom?」
Mel grumbled and Kuu jerks back in shock.
「Ara, how vulgar.」
Claudia lifts the plate of soup with her palm and drains the liquid within a few seconds.
「In any case, I, as Aegir’s wife, don’t approve of your stay here! It’s already cramped enough as it is without you coming!」
Nonna finally displays her hostile intent for all to see.
「Ara, you have a large and beautiful mansion, don’t you? You can manage to provide a room for Clara and myself at least, can’t you? It’s hard to say but all of you are too seedy-looking and won’t be suitable for the extravagance of the mansion.」
What was said lit a fire under Nonna again.
「Oh, you’ve said it now…… there is nothing to be afraid of with you losing your backing! Shall I throw you in the dungeon?」
「Ara, the wife of the Hardlett household is going to throw two people who escaped and ran from far away into the dungeon? What an uncivilized person. Did you perhaps seduce Aegir-sama with those hot air balloons of yours?」
「This woman! I can’t take it anymore!」
Both parties stand up and glare at each other.
The clattering sound of tableware shattering further heightens the dangerous atmosphere.
If I don’t stop this now, they might start slapping each other.
By the way, Casie was the one responsible for breaking the tableware.
She wasn’t able to withstand the fighting mood and dropped it when she ran out of the dining room in a panic.
「Sorry Mel, you can’t hand over a knife. It’ll become a bloody affair.」
Left with no other choice, I step in between the two of them.
「Nonna, she has also experienced much before running here. She’ll take back her insults so please overlook this.」
「Uuu…… but, that woman……」
Tears well up in Nonna’s eyes as she clings to my chest, then she sticks her tongue out at Claudia.
「Claudia, Nonna is my beloved wife. If you ridicule her, it also upsets me too. We wouldn’t be able to live together if you do that.」
「……I take back my earlier words…… and sincerely apologize.」
Claudia looks enviously at Nonna.
To be honest, I don’t care where they live.
After all, Claudia and Clara have no luggage.
They escaped without carrying much of anything.
「During this time with money to spend, this woman will take my…… ahem, will be leeching off Aegir-sama’s assets!」
That’s true.
Claudia was a prominent noble in the Federation and her reckless spending even made Marquess Malordol unsure of what to do.
If she were to continue her luxurious lifestyle, I wouldn’t be able to support her as I am now.
「You don’t have to worry! Now that I have arrived at the place of my truly beloved man, I will not spend excessively anymore. Besides, I have some savings for my new lifestyle.」
When she said that, Clara, who was eating as if nothing concerned her, stood up quickly and, along with a maid, carried something quite heavy-looking into the room.
「These are jewels……?」
「There are so many of them.」
Just like Celia and Carla said, it was a mountain of jewels.
There are rubies, sapphires, emeralds and jewels I’ve never seen before.
「Ah- awawa…… what large jewels you have.」
Unlike me and Carla and the others who just saw it as a mountain of jewels, Nonna was so amazed that her hips gave out.
「You can hold it and take a closer look if you want.」
Claudia puffs out her chest with pride and places a jewel in Nonna’s hand.
At first, she looked on in frustration and ultimately couldn’t win against the temptation of the jewel.
「This is…… a sapphire? No…… an emerald……」
「Fufufu, I wonder which one.」
I take a peek behind Nonna who is tilting her head in bewilderment.
Apparently, the jewel changed color depending on the angle of light shining through it.
Furthermore, the color would differ when put under the sunlight or a lamp.
「Wonderful. I’ve never seen anything like it.」
I’ve never had a chance to look at many jewels before but one that changes color is pretty interesting.
「Ufufu, it’s the greatest treasure of the Malordol household, which doesn’t really have an exact price attached to it, but is worth more than a single mansion.」