HowDeadTL: Chapter 1 Part 20

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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

[Side Story: The Hidden Young Lady (Gai's Perspective)]

Translated by: ME

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「The young lady I met about a week ago was a feisty little princess, small in stature but ready to stand up to a grown man.」

However, it wasn't a reckless attempt to resist. It was an action taken after calmly assessing the situation and realizing she couldn't escape (not that I had any intention of harming her), and it was also an act born of concern for the old gardener.

Where an ordinary child would be trembling in fear or crying, she, with a face that will likely make her the most beautiful woman in the kingdom one day, scrunched it up as much as possible and was checking the location of potential weapons (farm tools), if I recall correctly.

Her eyes held the intent to strike my vitals without hesitation.

It's my fault for intentionally provoking her by leaking killing intent, curious to see what she'd do as she glared at me with a desperate face.

*Chuckle.* 「Even in ragged clothes, her spirit is pure 'Gilmore,' isn't it?」

With no unmarried princesses or archduchesses currently, the young girl who should be the most noble unmarried woman in the kingdom was named Lady Magnolia.

Aged three.

Pink hair and ibis-colored eyes, characteristic of a small northern country that has now vanished.

The same colors as Lady Azelia, Lord Servas's mother. Her face closely resembled hers too.

The relationship between the Gilmore Marquis family and the Azenda Border County family is...complicated.

Commercially, relations are excellent, but on a psychological level, perhaps...

This stems from what Lord Servas did about ten years ago, when he panicked after nearly being promoted in rank unexpectedly.

His son, young master Gerald, who looks like a mild-mannered man, just smiled a disturbingly calm smile and clammed up, but he must have been furious.

...Lord Servas should have explained things properly.

His son's excessive anger, the scolding from his wife, the advice from his still-young stepson, plus the various upheavals involved in establishing and moving the new territory... it must have been chaotic.

And the worst part was that, relying on his son's competence, he tried to gloss things over with a half-hearted explanation, as if to say 'You understand, right?'

Even a famed general is just an ordinary man to his family. That incident showed me that even such men can often be quite lost when it comes to family matters.

He had worked so hard, so tirelessly since he was little... I wish we had praised him much, much more. He should have explained the circumstances and his true feelings.

For young master Gerald, who had striven too hard, his intense focus had narrowed his vision, and his father's clumsy trust alone wasn't enough; it no longer reached his heart.

But he was a child, so that couldn't be helped. The parent who forces such burdens on a child is ultimately at fault.

Well, if you call it an excuse, so be it, but it was an era of war. Parents, in their own roles, were often stretched thin just fulfilling their duties, and parenting itself was a process of groping in the dark; there were many things they couldn't do well, or so I think, having watched my master for many years.

Young master Gerald... despite his excellence, seemed to lack confidence somewhere, always thinking the worst, I suppose.

You could say he was that deeply hurt, or perhaps he was starved for affection, or stretched too taut.

*Being too capable can sometimes be a bad thing*, Gai thought.

Still, precisely because of that, I wish he hadn't taken actions that hurt himself and those around him more than necessary.

***

First, the angry young master essentially dumped his knight order onto the Azenda Border County.

There were concerns among nobles and the royal family about the power balance if multiple branches of the same house (though technically different houses due to separate territories) held multiple private knight orders, creating excessive military strength... leading to various ambiguities and disputes when the territory was split. The result?

「Are you intending to probe where it doesn't hurt? Do you doubt the Gilmore family's devotion to the Crown until now? I find such suspicions regrettable. Therefore, we no longer require it.」

And with a smile, he coolly tossed it away, saying, 'Let the Field Marshal take it and have it guard the border.'

Then, as if to prove his point further, he became the first Gilmore to take a civil official post.

The royal palace, the military (who apparently saw him as a promising newcomer), and Lord Servas were all stunned.

They cried. All the military officials (especially the administrative staff) wept.

Then, despite being told, "Then join the central government!" (young master Gerald was also exceedingly smart), he requested some obscure, unheard-of sinecure—who knows where he found it.

「A sudden inheritance, a mere youth just come of age. Being inexperienced, I regretfully cannot accept a position beyond my capabilities. If my request is not granted, I will regrettably decline to serve and immediately return to my territory to focus on its governance.」

It was true... the Gilmore Marquisate was vast.

In reality, young master Gerald had been managing the territory for years, even as a child, and was quite adept at it. This was pure sarcasm.

He didn't look regretful at all.

But the nobles unaware of the real circumstances and background nodded, finding it reasonable.

Considering the sudden inheritance, the years of his father's absence, and being made to move territories without being given time to learn governance... the senior officials could only nod, thinking to lessen the young man's burden.

The royal palace and the administrative department (who apparently thought, "Lucky!! We thought he was going to the military!") were reportedly in an uproar.

Only young master Gerald kept a cool face, probably muttering inwardly, *You were the ones scheming on your own.*

And the final blow was taking a wife who looked like a peacock.

It was undoubtedly meant as a provocation, but did he need to sacrifice his very marriage, something that shapes one's entire life?... He must have genuinely wanted to break their spirits completely.

His mother admonished him, but he wouldn't listen at all.

First, his mother and the peacock bride were utterly incompatible. The peacock bride, no matter how much she was explained to, completely failed to understand household management (that part went according to the young master's plan, though).

The competent young master Claude looked on in disbelief and exasperation. Lord Servas, who might seem a muscle-brain but is surprisingly good with paperwork, was dumbfounded by the bride's incompetence and her gaudy, flashy nature.

...Amid the preparations for moving the territory, his mother eventually gave up too.

Furthermore, the bride was vain about her beauty (she was somewhat beautiful, but garish), arrogant, and a spendthrift.

The Gilmore Marquis family motto for generations was simple, sturdy, and austere.

For the peacock bride, who was always indulged and spoiled, it didn't take long for her to come to dislike the strict mother-in-law, the fussy father-in-law, and the step-brother who regarded her with cold indifference.

After the households split, they hardly ever met. On the rare occasions they absolutely had to (like for young master Brian's debut), it was like sitting on a bed of needles for everyone except young master Gerald.

So, naturally, any business or formal visits happened either in Lord Servas's room in the royal castle or at the Azenda Border County's townhouse in the capital. Young master Gerald would invariably come alone to handle things.

Young master Claude tried repeatedly to mediate, but it was useless.

Any suggestion of going to the Gilmore Marquis household was met with evasion, avoidance, or refusal.

Especially in the last few years, it became absolute.

Finally, young master Claude voiced his concern, thinking, *Something is definitely wrong here.*

He is an even more level-headed young man than Gerald.

He respected his elder brother and had adored him since childhood, so he was probably the most distressed by this deteriorating relationship. He also seemed to blame himself (though the matter wasn't something a young child could be responsible for).

Lord Servas also felt various misgivings.

But seeing how his own actions had caused things to spiral downward, and how every attempt to explain only worsened the relationship, he couldn't bring himself to intervene now.

And so, having returned from reconnaissance concerning neighboring countries and suspicious domestic nobles, I was sent to the Gilmore household after several years and entrusted with this spy mission.

***

First, I questioned the old gardener in detail after that day, but it seems young master Gerald didn't divulge any specifics.

The old gardener was formerly a knight specializing in scouting.

Even after leaving the knight order, he remained the Gilmore family's 'Garden Keeper' – their watchman.

I sifted through the chatter of the mansion's servants. The circumstances and condition of the young lady in question.

What I heard was unbelievable, almost unbearable to listen to.

Young master Gerald seemed quite careful about information control; the young lady's existence appeared to be almost completely concealed from the outside. He even made the servants sign contracts, strongly enforcing secrecy.

Beyond his complex feelings towards Lord Servas, he probably holds distrust towards the Royal Family. Admittedly, the current King is somewhat unstable.

The general consensus is that the next generation is quite problematic.

Having served in the palace, he must have sensed something more than just rumors.

Or perhaps he has grasped something concrete.

And, astonishingly, the Gilmore family's covert agents were gone. For the Gilmore family, who bear the responsibility of defending the nation, intelligence is indispensable.

When I tried to find out the details, they were nowhere to be found – not in the attic, not in the shadows, nowhere. I had no choice but to check with the underground guild.

...It seems he decided to just buy necessary information with money as needed. With no war, and no involvement in military or central government affairs, there probably aren't as many shady dealings as before. The need for a shadowy presence is likely minimal.

And the territory's administration is perfectly transparent and above board. It's nothing but pure, proper governance.

Given he has no desire for position in either the palace or the nation, it seems there's no scheming done by or against him.

In a way, he's beyond reproach.

It seems he lives by a pragmatic philosophy: when problems arise for himself or his house, he can just buy the information cleanly, without lingering complications, and then spread, manipulate, or dispose of it as needed.

Keeping dangerous individuals with loyalty to the master can be beneficial, but it also means they become entities deeply familiar with the house's internal affairs. Moreover, loyalty can be visible, but it can also be invisible.

He distanced himself from such entities, deciding that only he himself would handle such matters when necessary, and put a sturdy lock on the family nest.

The young lady is imprisoned. To be treated as if she does not exist.

***

Thinking I should at least report the current situation to Lord Servas, I peeked into the granddaughter's room.

Through the window, of course.

...There were no conveniently placed trees for spying, so securing a foothold was quite a struggle.

(「Thorough as ever, ain't he?」 I muttered a complaint towards the absent, insidious young master Gerald.)

「Fuh! Hah! Tou! Yaa! Eih! Yaa! Sah!」

「?」

I thought the young lady would be asleep, but there she was, holding a small hammer-axe with both hands, lifting one leg, hopping, running around.

(...... What is she doing in the dark?)

This time, she had a fierce expression on her face, thrusting her hands out alternately, doing something like straight punches.

Gai was taken aback for a moment, then his body began to tremble in small shakes before he couldn't hold back a snort.

「Pffft!!」

Magnolia would have been indignant if she saw.

(I mean, what the heck is she trying to do *this* time?)

Stifling the giggles desperately, his abs and facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

「Tha...That's... cheating... *guh-fuu*!」

Watching the little young lady puffing out her cheeks and dancing (?) a strange dance, I thought, *She's got guts.*

「Not bad, little lady. I like you.」

「Teyyaaa~!! (*Thwack*!)」

Just as she struck a pose, Gai collapsed. A fatal misstep.

An owl rolled its large eyes round and round, and a night crow cawed softly, 「Ah-ho~!」

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