A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 80: The Bad Guy

As expected, she let out a squeak and straightened up in a panic.

“O-Our bond is a thread of destiny! This is but the beginning! The fate that awaits us transcends mortal comprehension—!”

“You know, it’s okay to just talk normally with me.”

Watching her with a half-amused smile, I gently said it again.

“S-Silence! Do not dare show such insolence before the Guardian of Glorious Light!”

“...Alright. Just thought I’d offer.”

But seeing her blush and wave her hands dramatically while raising her voice... I realized that middle-schooler syndrome speech might be unfixable.

“I just wanted us to be able to talk freely...”

I really did want to help her tone it down—for her future self’s sake, if nothing else—but if she didn’t want to change...

Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

“T-Then... should I?”

Just as I was about to give up, Tiffany nervously glanced up and spoke in a stiff, awkward tone.

“H-Hello.”

“......”

“I mean... uh...”

As I watched her struggle, she broke into a cold sweat and then suddenly clenched her eyes shut—then shouted out of nowhere.

“H-Hear me, O shadow!”

“...Yes?”

“B-Bring forth the gift I prepared!”

The maid who popped out from the side looked absolutely exasperated as she responded.

“M-my lady, Head Maid Maria told me to clear it away earlier...”

“Q-Quickly! Do you dare defy my divine command!?”

“...As you wish.”

Sighing heavily, the maid trudged out of the room.

“H-How was that? Cool, right?”

“......”

“Did I seem... imposing? Hmm?”

Tiffany turned to me, beaming like a child awaiting praise.

“...You were really cool.”

“Heehee.”

Honestly, she felt more like a spoiled noble girl playing pretend than a fearsome Guardian, but I wasn’t the kind of heartless person who’d throw such a jab at my one and only friend.

“H-How do I look? Cool, right?”

“...Yeah.”

“Y-You said it looked cool back then, remember? That’s why I’ve kept wearing it...”

That sounded like it might’ve been an unexpectedly serious confession, but before I could dwell on it, I noticed what the maid was carrying upon her return.

“I’ve brought it, Guardian.”

“Hand it over!”

“...Sigh.”

Tiffany snatched it from the maid and shyly held it out to me.

“Here. Take it.”

“...It’s a bouquet?”

“Y-Yeah. I grew it myself... in the garden...”

Is this what normal friends give each other? I wouldn’t know—I've never had a friend in this life or the last.

“Did the Guardian... just speak normally?”

“...T-Typically, now’s the part where I’d say, ‘These are petals from the garden of shadows...’ or something...”

I briefly thought about asking the group of maids peeking in from behind the half-open door, but they all seemed too stunned to speak, murmuring among themselves with ghost-white faces.

“Oh, by the way... before we go back to the meeting room, I wanted to ask something.”

Just as I was quietly admiring the flowers she gave me, Tiffany narrowed her eyes and asked:

“...Who’s the woman you came with?”

“Ah, she’s...”

Only then did I realize—I hadn’t explained Lady Meredia to her. I opened my mouth, gently brushing the ring on my left hand’s fourth finger.

“It’d probably be better if you heard that from me, don’t you think?”

Then, from behind us—a voice like a dagger in the spine.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“I did say this was supposed to be a private meeting, didn’t I?”

Even before I turned around, Tiffany’s eyes had already gone wide.

“I know. But it’s not like I could just sit there doing nothing.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You seem to be under a ridiculous misconception, after all.”

Lady Meredia walked calmly into the room and approached the table where Tiffany and I sat.

“You better listen carefully, Head of Lumen Ordo.”

“......”

“Whitney and I are—”

Just as she bared her teeth to speak, I couldn’t let the situation spiral any further.

I stood quickly and cut in.

“Tiffany, this is Lady Meredia—my fiancée.”

And in that moment, silence fell over the room.

“Lady Meredia, this is Miss Tiffany Astellade—my oldest friend.”

In the silence, I stepped toward Meredia, leaned in close, and whispered with a smile I hoped looked harmless:

“...She’s just a friend.”

Thankfully, after the introduction, the two women simply stared at each other for a moment.

‘Alright. Now that the misunderstanding’s cleared up, no need to escalate things.’

In fact, maybe this could be a good thing—why not help the Lady make a new friend while we’re at it?

“Well... since things have come this far, I’d love it if you two could get along. Haha...”

With that hope in mind, I offered them my brightest smile.

***

‘...An old friend, huh.’

Meredia had barged into the room with the Elder Council’s blessing, intending to correct the outrageous misunderstanding of Tiffany Astellade, head of Lumen Ordo.

‘And that suspicious smile again. What’s he scheming this time?’

But when Whitney spoke those words, she went silent for a moment, quietly observing that sly smirk he always wore when manipulating others. Her thoughts spiraled.

‘He’s the guy who managed to charm a literal saint with nothing but his tongue and brains. There’s no way this isn’t calculated.’

To Meredia, Whitney was the kind of person who, even if dropped in the middle of a desert kingdom, would somehow return home ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a week later, sipping tea on the mansion’s veranda.

And now, that man was smiling again—signaling something.

She couldn't afford to take that lightly.

“Engaged...? You’re engaged?”

“Yes. She’s my fiancée.”

As Tiffany tilted her head at Whitney’s response, Meredia’s gaze sharpened.

‘Wait... that girl... she doesn’t know what it means.’

It was then Meredia realized the fatal weakness of the eccentric Lumen Ordo head: a lack of basic worldly knowledge. A girl raised her entire life on white magic doctrine and isolated education.

“You there. Shadow. Do you know what that is?”

“Th-that is... um...”

Normally, it wouldn't be a problem. Tiffany could just ask her servants—whom she dubbed "shadows"—anything she didn’t understand.

“It’s... sort of like a union of souls...”

“A union of souls?”

But this wasn’t a normal situation.

“They form a deep physical and emotional bond...”

“Hmm.”

“It’s both a contract and a socially binding promise...”

Unable to handle the fallout of a full, honest explanation, the maid twisted the truth, sugarcoating the meaning of fiancé.

“Aha! So that woman is your familiar, then!”

“...What?”

And the moment Tiffany, after some intense mental gymnastics, arrived at that absurd conclusion and shouted in joy—

“Wait, no, I think you misunderstood—”

‘Hah. So that’s what this is.’

Meredia, realizing exactly what Whitney was aiming for, shot him a sharp side glance as he scratched his head.

‘He’s pulling this kind of stunt right here in the heart of Lumen Ordo?’

Apparently, her devious fiancé had now decided to stretch his schemes toward the Guardian herself.

‘Shameless bastard. And he’s supposed to be a hero?’

Though she was mildly irritated that he’d launched such a plan without consulting her, the thought soon left her mind.

“Tiffany, being engaged means—”

“It’s like being bound as a familiar. Right?”

“...Yes. You could say that.”

Regardless of the absurd misunderstanding, Meredia knew they needed Lumen Ordo’s support—to uncover clues about Whitney’s future and to break her curse.

“Whitney and I are bound to one another, both legally and personally. So yes, you could call it a familiar-like bond.”

“Oooh! I knew it! So it was like that!”

If this harmless misunderstanding helped move things along more smoothly than clashing egos, Meredia would gladly play along. After all, nothing about Tiffany’s mistake changed the fact that Whitney was still her fiancé.

And when the day came Tiffany learned the truth, maybe she’d even distance herself from Whitney out of disappointment—especially once she realized how he’d used her misunderstanding.

All things considered, it was most advantageous to go along with Whitney’s little charade for now.

“Then allow me to introduce myself. I am the head of Lumen Ordo, Guardian of Glorious Light, bearer of celestial secrets, heir to the great mage who rules the seven stars, and—”

But just as Tiffany was getting deep into her latest overblown self-introduction, Meredia’s eyes narrowed. She walked straight over to the couch where Whitney was quietly seated.

“...And I am Whitney’s one and only—wait. What are you doing?”

Tiffany’s speech ground to a halt as she opened her eyes to find Meredia calmly sitting right beside Whitney.

“What?”

“Why... why are you sitting next to Whitney?”

“I’m sitting beside my fiancé.”

“But... but why—”

“Because that’s what fiancés do. Is there a problem?”

“Are you... one of those familiars who shares power with their master?”

“Something like that.”

“Uuugh... W-well, if that’s the case... then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Despite her clearly disgruntled expression, Tiffany nodded as if reluctantly accepting it. But just as she prepared to resume her introduction—

“Anyway, I’m Whitney’s one and onl—Hey!”

“What now?”

“You’re leaning too much!”

Meredia, who had been silently watching Whitney, suddenly rested her head on his shoulder. Tiffany, face bright red, practically screamed.

“Haha. Tiffany, it’s normal for fiancés to do this.”

“I-Is that so...?”

Whitney’s casual response and serene smile disarmed Tiffany almost immediately, leaving her shrinking back into herself.

“Still... you... you’re my boyfriend...”

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch it.”

“N-nothing...”

The maids watching from the door all murmured at once, their expressions dim with resignation.

“...What a bad man.”

“No wonder he seemed too normal for a white mage...”

“So he’s finally shown his true nature...”

Meanwhile, Whitney’s expression—utterly satisfied with how well his plan had worked—remained cheerful and clueless, utterly detached from the ominous reviews surrounding him.