..
.
"You heard it, right?"
"Are you talking about Ms. Raiko? Yeah, I heard it—after all, it's the talk of the town… but it never hurts to hear it again. Tell me your version; maybe you have something new."
"ehme! In the version I heard, it all started when Mrs. Raiko and her friends were going to have a tea party, but there was a problem and the venue closed that day, so Mrs. Raiko suggested having the tea party at her house."
"Ugh, that was the first of many bad decisions he made that day."
"Yeah, it was a terrible shame. Even though everything was fine at first, Mrs. Raiko decided to show off her personal collection of teacups. She happily brought all her friends over, and when she opened the bedroom door, she found her daughter—who was a married woman—naked with two men who weren't her husband, which was seen by everyone present."
"hufff~, that alone is bad enough, but it's just the beginning."
"It sure is. It gets worse when you realize that one of the men—and who, well… was making love to her daughter—was her own brother, Mrs. Raiko's second son. That caused Mrs. Raiko to foam at the mouth from the shock."
"It's still fascinating to hear, even if it's the third time today. Also, to clarify, that wasn't why she went into shock—it was because of the other thing, which was even worse."
"Ah! Since you've already heard it several times, what are the other versions like?"
"They're all basically the same, but keep going, here comes the best— ahem, I mean, worst part of what happened."
"You just want to hear it again, don't you? Do you have some weird taste or something?"
"No, well… I don't know, just keep going."
"Anyway, about what comes next, I'm the one who wants to ask you—you have good, reliable contacts… so is it true? the other thing? Is it confirmed, or just something added to stir up trouble?"
"Ahh~ it's more fun when someone else tells me, but anyway… from what I heard, the other person was indeed Mrs. Raiko's husband, the head of the Raiko clan."
"So it was true after all. S-so, t-the other thing—the worst part of the scene—is that true too?"
"Yeah… Lord Raiko was also in on it at the time, but the problem was he wasn't giving—ahem!—well, his paternal love to his daughter, you know, like a sandwich, but rather, well, he was pouring his love into, well, the only other person there. They say they were like a train of—"
"Ugh!, stop, I don't want that image stuck in my head for a long time. Don't give me weird analogies, ugh, too late.... I know some noble families are weird and incest is practiced from time to time, but this—"
"Yeah, this crossed a lot of lines, in different ways. That's why it's the gossip of the moment. It's widely assumed that Mrs Raiko herself isn't the victim she's made out to be and was also involved, only she wasn't caught in the act, plus…".
..
Irrelevant.
That was my thought regarding what I was hearing.
I had gone out to gather as much information as possible, but doing so without a plan was suspicious, so I had to follow a logical sequence regarding my movements.
If I wandered into another courtyard or area that had nothing to do with me, it could be bad or even dangerous.
Even in the areas where I'm allowed, if I wander aimlessly, I might start to arouse suspicion.
But for now, using the excuse of being new and disoriented, I was able to move around a bit more than usual between my quarters and places I used daily, like the dining hall and the bathhouse.
I spent several hours wandering around and getting my bearings, introducing myself, and striking up conversations with some of the maids, talking about no specific topic so as not to arouse any suspicion.
I couldn't connect with any of them because they were all a bit wary of me, which I consider normal, and although I hadn't been looking for specific information, I learned a lot since this place was a natural hub for gossip and the like.
Some of it was relevant, but other bits, like this one—which I'd already heard three times before—were useless to me.
So, realizing I wouldn't get anything useful, I walked ahead and went inside.
"..."
"Oh! A new face."
As soon as I walked in, I saw two girls. One was a cat-woman like me, with brown hair; she was tall and slender, and she just looked at me in silence.
The other was a strange fox-like creature with light blue hair and a well-proportioned figure. The latter looked at me with interest. n.
"Good afternoon, is this the Apothecary?"
"Ooh!, a Felren, and a pretty one at that. I just love Felren, ugh!, but I can't spread my love around…"
"..."
The fox girl started acting strangely once she actually recognized that I was a Felren.
Besides, I don't know what she means by 'pretty'—I did my best to look plain and forgettable, but that didn't seem to matter to that fox woman, and she kept spouting nonsense.
"Okay, Meru, you're going to be replaced by this cute girl."
"Hey, stop talking nonsense. Who wants to be your pet?... But I'll accept being replaced—if that saves me from unnecessary petting, all the better. I don't like people touching my ears… but this girl, isn't she the…?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, the only newcomer must be the masseuse who appeared out of nowhere… It's you, right?"
"That's right. My name is Rina, and starting today, I'm her Highness's personal masseuse."
"Oh, what a polite girl. Well, I suppose it's my turn. I'm Itsuki, the residence's doctor, but due to certain circumstances, I also run this apothecary."
"I'm Meru, her assistant."
They both introduced themselves, and although the cat girl seemed wary of me like the rest of the servants, the fox woman named Itsuki—who, according to her, was the doctor—kept looking at me favorably, or rather, it seemed like she wanted to jump on me and pet me.
It's not such a bad thing that she has a positive first impression of me, since this is a place I'll be visiting often and one of my excuses for moving around this palace.
If I can establish some kind of connection, so much the better for me.
"So, cutie, what can I get for you?"
"I've come because I need supplies to do my job."
A massage therapist is a type of medical professional, and many of the things I use require ingredients that can be found here.
At the massage parlor, everything was already set up, or I could buy it at the store in exchange for Myrr, but here I have to prepare it myself.
Luckily, I know how to do them, since it's part of the knowledge about massages that was implanted in my head.
I could order oils and other pre-made items, but I realized that isn't very professional and could be dangerous, since there's a chance they might be tampered with before they reach me.
And more importantly, since I'll be coming here often, it would be one of my best excuses to move around this residence without raising any suspicion.
"Oh come on, you don't have to be so strict. Do you have a list or something?"
"That's right, this is what I need."
"Hmm, I see you're the type who takes her work seriously. Hmm, let's see… Oh, all you want are simple, low-grade materials. That makes things easy. But don't you want any pre-made items? I'm really good at making them."
"It's not necessary. I usually prepare everything I use for my profession myself."
"Haha, if that's the case, I guess we have something in common. Well, let's see, I have most of it; I'm just missing a few items. We'll have to send someone to fetch them from the main Apothecary. Hey, Meru, go get these things."
"Okay!."
"Alright, I'll bring you what you asked for. Just wait a moment."
It seems there's no problem with my order, and Dr. Itsuki went into a room behind her, while the assistant Meru left and headed to what appeared to be the main warehouse to fetch supplies that weren't available in this Apothecary, which was exclusive to the Amarillys residence.
I wonder if I can get some information out of that girl, since she seems talkative and interested in me—I guess she's a cat lover in her own quirky way.
..
.
It wasn't even a minute before Itsuki came out with the dozen plants, herbs, and other items on the list.
It seems unlikely, but I'll check it later anyway to see if anything has been tampered with; it never hurts to be cautious.
"Okay, here's everything. I need to make a record..."
She laid everything out on the counter while taking out a rolled-up parchment and began writing very quickly—too quickly.
She can't be an average person; she must be someone above the first rank.
"..."
"Alright, that's all. Sign here, then you can wait for Meru to bring the rest of the materials."
"...I see. Just my name, right?"
"Yes, and note the purpose of these herbs. I assume they're for massages, right?"
"Yes"
I didn't sign right away; I started checking to make sure everything was in order, that the items were what I had ordered, and that there wasn't anything I hadn't requested.
"..."
"..."
That created an awkward silence between us, and it was even more awkward because she kept staring intently—or rather, she kept staring at my ears.
"Is something wrong?"
After I finished reading and checking, I asked her. She herself had given me a reason to start a conversation.
"Huhuhuhu~, cute girl, you're really bad at this."
"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?"
I didn't understand what she was referring to. The conversation wasn't going where I expected, and now she seemed to have an amused look on her face as she watched me, as if she were mocking me, and I really didn't understand what I'd done wrong.
Maybe I wasn't supposed to sign before the items arrived, or there was some unspoken rule I hadn't grasped yet.
I thought it wasn't a big deal until I heard what she said next.
"You did a lot of things wrong. Most people would overlook it, but unfortunately, you ran into me—an expert at spotting spies. You can't escape my sharp eyes."
"..."
*****