Chapter 11: Dangerous Gamble

The sun had fully set by now. Inside my room, Alfred was standing before me as I sat on the bed. As usual, his posture was perfect for a butler.

"Alfred, are you loyal to me?"

As my question was spoken, the atmosphere in the room became more serious. His expression and posture remained perfect. He just stood silently, not answering.

Normally, it would be considered an insult if a butler or servant didn't answer a noble's question.

'His loyalty is not to me, obviously,' I thought.

I continued to stare at Alfred seriously without diverting my gaze.

"Then, are you loyal to my mother?"

This time, his gaze shifted slightly, though it was less than a second.

"Yes, Young Master. I am loyal only to the Madam."

His answer met my expectations. From my memory, Alfred never liked Edward much since childhood because of his behavior. So for now, it was impossible for me to be the subject of his loyalty.

"Are you sure you are only loyal to my mother, Eilif Jubaida Vallois? And not to the Zefattin or Vallois families?"

This time my voice was firm. I needed to ensure Alfred's loyalty was only to my mother. The reason being, the Vallois and Zefattin families were on my list of suspects.

For the Vallois family, my suspicion stemmed from their making me commit suicide to erase the family's disgrace. As for the Zefattin family, I had the same thought. However, there was one more strong reason why the Zefattin family was on my list of suspects. Some of them had soul magic abilities. And as mages with soul-related abilities, they surely had connections and information about the Soul Releasing Potion.

Then there were my mother and sister. Actually, they were also on my list of suspects due to their strong soul abilities. However, I lowered their priority slightly because of Edward's memory. I thought it impossible for my own mother and sister to kill me, especially after seeing Yolina's overreaction when I mentioned my suicide.

So I was taking a bit of a gamble here. I would be in danger if my mother was indeed involved in my suicide. The danger was right in front of me, a butler who was my mother's loyal servant.

And now I could see his expression harden slightly.

"I am only loyal to Madam Eilif Jubaida."

Alfred did not mention either of the family names as my mother's last name. I didn't know if it was polite or not to exclude a noble's last name, but it seemed this action was to assert Alfred's stance.

But that wasn't enough. A magic contract had to be performed.

According to what I know, casting a magic contract didn't require internal mana. As long as you had a soul or body and the knowledge to cast it, the magic contract would appear if you genuinely intended to do it. The mana around would resonate with the parties involved in the magic contract. When the contract was agreed upon by both parties, the contract information would be converted into mana. And that mana would forcibly enter the body or soul.

"Would you dare to perform a magic contract for that?" I asked Alfred casually.

The magic contract appeared in front of Alfred. When my challenge was spoken, a dangerous aura leaked from Alfred's body. He furrowed his brows and sharpened his gaze towards me. It seemed he didn't like having his loyalty questioned, perhaps. After that, Alfred snapped his fingers and a soundproofing spell was activated. I shuddered a bit because of it.

'Damn, did I lose the gamble?'

I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat as a natural reaction of this body in response to danger. It felt like this body was screaming to run, but I held it back with Arkium and my will as the new Edward. Thanks to that, my face remained calm.

However, Alfred's aura became calmer.

"What do you desire, Young Master?"

The magic contract was still floating in front of the now calm Alfred. His expression was neutral.

I was silent for a moment before answering.

"I just want to confirm something and I hope you answer honestly as proof of your loyalty to my mother aside from the magic contract," I said flatly.

Alfred didn't answer and stared at the magic contract in front of him. He looked between me and the magic contract. Then he sighed. His right hand touched his left chest.

"Upon my soul, my mana core, and my word, I, this humble servant, Alfed Montague, am loyal only to Madam Eilif Jubaida as my master. Mother of Yolina Kazan Vallois and Edward Kazan Vallois! Death will be my fate if this contract is violated!"

I watched Alfred with a smile as he recited his vow.

Actually, the magic contract clause was more beneficial to me. It was Alfred's oath of loyalty to my mother, answering my questions honestly, and not harming or killing me. If the contract was violated, Alfred's soul would be destroyed. But even so, he still spoke it.

After Alfred recited his vow before the magic contract, the magic contract scroll closed and disappeared.

"What do you wish to ask, Young Master?" Alfred added.

"First, this is about my mother. Has she ever planned to kill me? Perhaps using you so her hands wouldn't be stained with blood?" I asked calmly.

Alfred's eyelids twitched upon hearing my question. He, who had been calm before, started to emit a dangerous aura again. However, this time, only a little leaked out.

"I don't know what makes you suspicious of Madam Eilif. But, Madam Eilif would never have the intention to harm you, not even a strand of your hair. Madam Eilif will always care for you no matter how vile your behavior, Young Master. And for myself, no matter how much I dislike you because of your disrespectful behavior towards Madam Eilif, I could never harm her beloved son."

Although Alfred's tone was a bit harsh, I didn't take it too seriously because he really didn't like me.

"Vile and disrespectful, huh? It seems you are very honest with your answers, Alfred. You're even expressing your hatred towards me."

I leaned back with both my hands as support behind and looked up. I just chuckled.

"Forgive my harsh words and behavior."

Then I returned to a normal sitting position.

"For now, just forget about it. It's not that I'm mad with respect, but I hope you can treat me with respect in the future. Because I am still the son of your subject of loyalty. And I think I can exclude my mother and maybe my sister from the list of suspects."

Alfred squinted. It seemed he didn't know what I was talking about.

"Suspects? About your murder?"

Alfred started to connect the dots. Well, it was obvious. I asked if my mother had ever planned to kill me and I talked about excluding my mother from the list of suspects.

"I hope you are good at keeping your mouth shut, but this is about my suicide."

Alfred widened his eyes.

"Wait, suicide? You?"

Edward was the type of person who was vile but hardworking and had a strong mentality. Although Edward had never killed before I entered his body, Edward would use any means to become strong. And suicide was something Edward would never consider. Even Alfred seemed a bit incredulous at what I said, judging by his tone.

"I hope you will always keep your mouth shut after this in my mother's name. Four days ago I committed suicide with the Soul Releasing Potion and it seems the effect failed. I am still alive."

Unlike Yolina, Alfred did not have soul abilities. Therefore, this time I created a different story from what I told my sister.

After hearing my words, Alfred sighed and looked at me with slight anger.

"What were you thinking?" Alfred asked.

"That's the problem. I don't know what motive made me dare to commit suicide. Motive, contact, and everything about my suicide, that memory seems erased. I only remember committing suicide by drinking the Soul Releasing Potion," I answered.

Alfred's fingers touched his chin as if thinking. The trace of his anger disappeared.

"Missing memory and Soul Releasing Potion? Now I understand why you ensure my loyalty is only directed to Madam Eilif. You made a big gamble by talking to me."

From my perspective, the Zefattin family, the Vallois family, Yolina, and my mother were the closest and strongest suspects considering my past vile behavior. Removing the parasites from the plant is an effective way to keep the host plant from drying up and dying. From my perspective, my mother might also consider me a disgrace that needed to be removed to not tarnish the Vallois, Zefattin, and herself. And Alfred caught what I was thinking.

"It seems they had prepared a plan if your suicide failed by erasing your memory," Alfred added.

I grimaced.

'Well, the suicide succeeded and you are talking to a different person,' I thought.

"Actually, I also suspected you. After all, we were in the same room for several months. But with you swearing your oath in the magic contract, I can exclude you," I said casually.

Alfred chuckled and shrugged. Then his serious face returned.

"Do you also suspect Mia?" Alfred asked.

"Hmmm, Mia, huh?" I muttered.

Delmia Yussein. She is a beautiful and naive maid. Although I was a bit suspicious, her naivety made me lower the probability of her being a suspect.

"Her behavior has been a bit strange lately. I thought it might be because of your change in behavior over the past four days. But I think it's not just that," Alfred said.

I just thought all of Mia's reactions were due to my change in behavior, but I hadn't thought that far. Alfred is Mia's trainer, so he spends a lot of time with her. Therefore, Alfred, who knows more about Mia than I do, can sense changes in her behavior.

'Perhaps that's true...'

comment 0 comment

Vote

SEND GIFT

Load failed, please RETRY