At the end of the day, Catherine and Iris (René) entered the same bedroom together.
Although they tried to avoid contact during the day, this is the only time they were together. Not even the maids were allowed in the room, so they had some time alone together.
Then one of them leaves the room and goes to the other bedroom, and the other goes to sleep.
In other words, this is where the shuffling took place.
“Oh…! Are you sure you’re okay?”
And Catherine was naturally quarrelsome.
“If you dye your hair and wear the same clothes, but behave in an ungraceful manner like a boy, they’ll know right away. I can’t stop thinking about you all day long! I keep thinking, that you’re probably doing something weird…”
More than sarcastic, this was like a high-strung puppy barking at an unwanted guest.
No matter how much rivalry was stirred up by Catherine, it didn’t really matter to Iris (René).
But when she was this insistent, it was a bit annoying.
Iris (René) thought that at least one argument would be tolerated. And it would be rather natural for Iris to talk back to her.
“I was not born a young lady, and I have not studied etiquette all my life. I can’t do what you do…”
Catherine was amused by what Iris (René) had just said, interrupting her long-winded speech with a sharp retort.
“That’s not good enough! Then they would know which one of us is the fake!”
“I’m doing the best I can, even if I can’t do it perfectly. That’s why Earl-sama hired me. If you have a problem with me, shouldn’t you tell your father about it?”
No More Black Labor.
In his previous life, Chojiro had more than one experience of being forced to take responsibility on the job site by his zombie-like smart boss, but it was not right for him to take responsibility when the upper management was not so well managed.
A hired worker should do the best he can within his capabilities, and if it still doesn’t work out, the problem should be with the person in charge.
But Catherine, of course, was not convinced by that.
“I don’t have magic like you! I can’t do anything if I’m being threatened by a terrifying assassin! It’s important that you don’t get noticed!”
“I’ll do my best to make that happen. It’s just that I can’t do it the same way you do. It is impossible to reduce the risk of anything to zero percent. It is my job as a double to make it as small as possible. “
“You can say such things with impunity because you are strong! You must put more effort into pretending to be me!”
“I don’t know how a commoner like me can perfectly imitate a young lady who grew up wearing sparkly clothes! What are those movements? Even your natural hand gestures have an elegance that I don’t understand…”
The arguing almost got heated.
But then Catherine suddenly pressed a hand over her mouth.
“… Ah? Why are we complimenting each other?”
“Speaking of which…”
There was silence, then a curious pause, and the next moment they…
“”Pfft.””
They simultaneously erupted.
“Ahahahahahahaha!”
“Fu, ufufu, kukukuku… hey, why are we doing this …?”
“… It’s okay to laugh rudely… I’m the only one here.”
Her shoulders shook and her body curled, and Catherine struggled to hold back her laughter.
Expressing emotions in a straightforward manner was a vulgar behavior that people of the upper class avoided.
“Fuu, hah…, ah, jeez! I really don’t know how this came about!”
“It’s mostly Lady Catherine’s fault.”
“I’ve lost my temper….”
Catherine, who seems to have been drained of her venom, observes Iris (René) seriously with her ashen and crimson eyes.
“Iris. I’ve seen you and your friends visiting Father many times, but this is the first time we’ve chatted like this.”
“It’s not the first time, but…”
According to “Iris’s” memory, they had a conversation once, just a couple of words, or at least a greeting.
Well, to put it another way, that’s all, so it was probably fair to say that they have never had a conversation.
Mainly, though, it was because Catherine had a stern attitude toward Iris and didn’t want to talk to her.
“I feel like I’ve been nagging Iris for a while now.”
“… What were your feelings?”
“I thought you’d never laugh like this … after doing everything with a stone-cold expression on your face…”
‘Oh, I see’, Iris (René) thought.
Benedict said that Catherine’s inferiority complex stemmed from the fact that she did not inherit her mother’s magical talent. It was not hard to imagine that she had mixed feelings of envy and jealousy toward Iris, a genius blessed with magical talent. The very existence of “Iris” irritated her complex.
Her perception of “Iris” as a cold, mechanical, perfect superhuman was probably partly due to her envy.
Moreover, “Iris” was quite shy. She was at ease with her friends, but never smiled openly at strangers.
Is that why? The fact that Iris (René) laughed changed the way Catherine felt about her.
――Speaking of which, I just naturally laughed…
Laughing at something as silly as this is something René hasn’t done since resurrecting as an Undead.
Not that it changed anything.
“I can’t do everything. I can’t use holy magic, I can’t wield a sword with a 160cm blade, and I can’t wear heavy armor and hold a shield.”
“… Isn’t that something few people can do?”
“Talk about not being able to do “everything”. It’s no wonder I can’t imitate you. I can only do what I can do.”
“…Yes.”
Catherine seemed somewhat impressed by her words when she said, in typical “Iris” fashion.
“Hey, Iris. I’d like to hear about your adventures, if you don’t mind.”
Catherine came up to her, stars twinkling in her gray-red eyes, and offered Iris (René) a seat.
“It will too long and the maids will get tired of waiting for you to get ready for bed.”
Iris (René) refused, giving a serious excuse.
The hair on Diaz’s head provided very useful information. Iris (René) was going to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to investigate the matter. It was not desirable to take up too much of her time, which was the real reason.
Catherine looked almost convinced, but … she seemed to have something on her mind and clapped her hands.
“… That’s true too. Then I’ll tell father and have him make time to chat with you tomorrow!”
“Eh.”
“It’s settled! Good night, Iris. I’ll see you here tomorrow.”
With that, Catherine quickly left.
Iris (René) was left behind, unable to keep up with the developments.
–Well, I don’t know what it is…, but if she can get the right amount of time and not go to bed late, that’s fine.
The important thing was just to explore the Night Pythons while acting as “Iris”.
Whether or not she was going to have a nighttime chat with Catherine or not, it still didn’t matter to Iris (René).
Not yet, at that time.
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