Getcha Skills Chapter Nine

A/N: Sorry for the chapter being so late. Haikyuu’s never ending cliffhangers made it so hard to write as that show is just too good. Also this chapter is a bit longer to make up for the shorter chapter last week. It’s definitely not because I got carried away while writing or anything. Baka~

“Good night!” I say to Isobelle as I pull the covers up to my neck. I’m currently only wearing sweatpants as pajamas, like I do every night. The bed is a large bed with a mattress, sheets, blankets, and canopy. It seems pretty expensive. It took two hours to get this thing in her room, but it really is a nice bed.

“Good night.” She says turning away from me bitterly. She’s currently only wearing a one-piece nightgown meant for sleeping. We had just agreed to not have sex for at least three months to get to know each other first. I had pushed for four because I feel like three months is still a bit to short of a time to build the foundations for a long lasting relationship, but she wouldn’t agree unless I settled for three months. She said something about introducing me as her husband to all the nobles in three months, but I just tuned it out.

I turn away from her as well as I settle in to bed, but my mind is still too active.

There’s one thing that I just can’t understand about this world’s technology. With the fact that swords and shields are still predominantly used, it should be around medieval times, definitely before the 1300’s since there’s nothing remotely similar to a firearm being used from what I can tell, and yet she’s going to bed with sleepwear, when people just didn’t use sleepwear during the medieval times when it’s this hot out. Not only that, but the fact that there are so many rooms in this mansion! Is this due to the fact that there’s magic in this world, or is it because of the first king of this country who presumably brought new technology and knowledge to this world?

And there’s something else wrong. The fact that the prerequisites to unlock [Immortality] includes committing a feat that saves a country or the world bugs me. Edia said nothing about such a thing, and outright denied that I was being brought here to be a hero. So then why would she then say that I was brought here to be a hero?

She had no reason to outright lie to me, even if I did think that the scenario was a bit cliché.  So why did she lie? I just can’t think of a reason. Even after racking my brain, nothing comes up. She didn’t seem like the type of person who would lie, she had no obvious reason, and there was just no point to lying at all. There are only two options here. She’s a compulsive liar, or it wasn’t her who sent me that gift. There’s not enough evidence to support either of them, though the later scares me. Who would be capable of hacking into the system like that? I have no idea, and I don’t want to think that’s possible.

Thinking these things, I fell asleep before I knew it, though the large bed helped.

As my conscience slowly comes back to me, I feel something tapping my feet. It’s tickling me, but it’s not unpleas— Wait. There’s something tapping my foot?! I don’t share my bed with anyone, and I don’t have any pets, so why?!

My body wakes up immediately, as if a threat to my life is here. My heart begins racing intensely, pumping blood and adrenaline throughout my body. I jump out of the bed, falling flat on the ground. A loud thud resides, and I look around, not recognizing my surroundings.

The figure of a person rises atop the bed in the darkness sleepily saying, “Hmm? Byron, what’s wrong?”

The voice sounds familiar— Ah! It’s Isobelle! How could I forget something so important like being married?!

“No, it’s nothing. Sorry for waking you.” I say, climbing back onto the bed. I raise the covers back over by body, and turn away from her once again. My heart begins to slow down after confirming there’s no real danger.

“It’s fine, it was about time to start waking up anyways.” She says, looking out towards a small window. A small ray of light is shining through, lighting up a small part of the wooden floor. She slowly gets up out of her bed as I get back out and walk to the closet.

“Why are you going in there? You don’t have any clothes stored here,” She says right before I open the door.

“I’m going to change my clothes.” I say as I turn to face her.

“I don’t mind, you know.”

“I’m not doing it for your sake. It’s embarrassing for me.”

“Hmm? Why’s that?”

Huh? She’s not embarrassed by getting changed in front of someone?

“It-It just is, alright. I don’t know how to describe it.” I say, opening the door and walking in the closet.

“You’re weird.” I hear her say before I closed the door. I think it’s stranger to not be embarrassed while changing in front of someone.

I take off all my clothes and open [Inventory], take out a new set of clothes and underwear, and put the old ones inside of [Inventory]. After changing, I open the closet door and walk right back out into the room. Lesia and another young woman are both standing next to Isobelle, seemingly waiting for her.

“My Lady, it’s time to change.” The young woman says.

“Fine, fine. Byron, you can leave if you want.” Isobelle says.

“Guess it’s time for me to get out of here.”

“Let me get the door for you, Sir.” Lesia says, running up to the door and opening it. She seriously seems to be working.

I quickly walk out the door, moving to the left side of the door before stopping. I lean up against the wall while waiting, hoping I can get some information.

“Lesia, please get the blue dress from the closet.” The young woman’s voice says.

“Yes, Miss Emelisse.” Lesia says.

“The blue dress, that was a good choice Emelisse.” Isobelle says.

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“I’ve been wondering, but why have you been calling me ‘My Lady’ this morning?”

“Well, your father, Sir Theodore, disappeared, only leaving a letter that said ‘I’m retiring to Ivory Chateau, so I leave the House to you and that husband of yours. He’s the head of the House, but educate him well so he doesn’t embarrass you.’” Emelisse says.

“What?! This is so unlike him! Show me the letter!”

A short silence passes, during which I can only assume Isobelle is reading the letter.

“Ah, Sir, good morning.” The voice of a young man says, walking towards me from the left.

“Oh, hello, um…” I say, looking towards him. He’s tall, somewhere around 5’10”, dressed in what you’d expect a butler to be wearing. Wait, that can’t be right. If he’s wearing the typical black suit with a tail, black dress pants, black shoes, white undershirt, black tie etc., then why aren’t the girls wearing typical maid outfits? Let’s chalk it up to misfortune that typical maid outfits didn’t catch on.

“Gerard, Sir.” He says.

“Hello, Gerard. Is there something you need?”

“Yes, I’ve come to inform you about the fact that you are now the head of the House.” He says, anger slightly hidden but not completely. “I was instructed to pass to you the symbol of the Head of the House, so that no one can deny that you are the Head.” He hands over a small item wrapped in cloth.

“Oh, thank you.” I say, taking the item carefully.

“And, Sir, if there’s anything you need, please ask me. I’m the Head Butler, so I will probably be the person you deal with the most.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I say.

Just what the heck is that guy doing, already making me the Head of the House? I don’t know anything about what I need to do for that job!

I unwrap the item so that I can keep it in [Inventory] without having it in my pocket. It’s a silver medal, but in the middle is a bright yellow bird, so yellow it makes me think it’s gold, though near the ends of its wings are orange, so that’s probably not the case. I can instantly recognize the bird the image is trying to portray.

Phoenix.

I put the item into [Inventory] and lean back up against the wall, wanting to hear more of Isobelle’s conversation.

“Whatever, I guess it can’t be helped then.” Isobelle says.

I missed it! I missed the whole conversation?! Ah, and it was just getting good, too. Whatever, maybe there will be something else interesting.

“Is there anything else going on?”

“Yes, My Lady,” Emelisse says, “Apparently, the king is sickly.”

“Eh, really?!” Lesia asks.

“Mind your manners,” Emelisse says.

“Sorry.”

“But, yes, at least that’s the rumor that’s going around right now.”

“And how do you know that?” Isobelle asks.

“I recently got a message from a cousin, whom I’m very close to, who works in the Palace.”

“I see. Well, the king has the most resources in the kingdom right now, so as long as it isn’t incurable, he’ll be fine.” Isobelle says.

“Please take a deep breath, My Lady.” Emelisse says.

Silence passes before finally Emelisse says, “And we’re done.”

“Thank you, Emelisse.”

“It was nothing.”

“Lesia, please get Byron.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

I hear the tapping of footsteps before finally the door is opened.

“Ah, Sir. The Lady wants you.” Lesia says.

I walk back into the room with Lesia, only to find a beautiful woman in a deep blue dress that goes all the way down to her ankles. Her sleeves go to her wrists, and she’s wearing gloves as well. Seriously, how does she stand the heat while wearing that all day?

“How do I look?” She asks.

Here it is! The impossible to answer question! Well, actually one of two impossible questions, the other being ‘Does this make me look fat?’ With no good answer, how do I respond?

“You look wonderful.” I say.

“Oh, you’re just saying that.” She says.

Then why did you ask?!

“So,” I say, walking over to her, “you’re father made me the Head of the House. He gave me the Symbol and everything.”

“I know! He’s just too rash in his decisions! He really should’ve waited. Though, he was getting a bit old at 57.”

He was 57?! He looked 42! And, yeah I guess that is getting a bit old for working— Wait. If he’s 57, he had Isobelle when he was just 41. That guy’s got some moves. I wonder where her mother is?

“So, are you ready to go to the Adventurer’s Guild?”

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Edit: Corrected the age of Isobelle’s Father when she was born. My mental math was really, really off. Sorry about that. Isobelle is 16, not 8, just to clear up any misconceptions. Also added the fact that the main character did in fact get changed. He was not naked during this chapter at all.