The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 28.2

SIDE: Heliotrope

Upon entering the reception room, Master Kraut greeted Alts with a smile.

Then, along with Sebastian, the three of them headed outside the mansion.

Naturally, we followed from the shadows.

They crossed the grand garden and entered a side path.

“They’re heading toward… the greenhouse.”

“The greenhouse?”

It seemed Lady Primelia was unaware of its existence.

Well, it’s tucked away deep in the estate, and she hasn’t lived here for long, so that’s understandable.

“A few generations ago, one of the duchesses was passionate about gardening, so the head of the family at the time had it built for her. These days, it mainly serves as the gardeners’ workspace.”

“I see.”

“I’m aware of its existence, but I’ve never been inside myself.”

That said, there shouldn’t be anything else of importance in that area.

Why would they go out of their way to head there?

Beyond the path, a large, semi-transparent structure stood—about the size of a small house.

And, as expected, Master Kraut and the others entered it.

“So, this was their destination.”

“Then this must be the greenhouse?”

Lady Primelia looked in awe of the grand structure, but I was more concerned about our next move.

The entire building was glass.

Even though it was getting dark, if we got too close, we’d be seen immediately.

It would be infuriating to have come this far only to miss out on crucial information.

What should we do…?

“What exactly are you all doing here?”

“!!!”

A voice suddenly spoke from behind us, making all three of us jump.

When did he get there?!

We turned to see Sebastian, his usual calm expression unchanged.

Even though I had been on high alert, I hadn’t noticed his approach at all.

He glanced at us once, then sighed.

“If it were just the maids, I might have let it slide. But for Lady Primelia to be involved as well… This is most unbecoming.”

“We’re very sorry…”

We couldn’t even begin to make an excuse.

After all, we were blatantly spying on our own master.

As we hung our heads in shame, Master Kraut stepped out of the greenhouse.

“Hey, Sebastian, is something wrong? You suddenly disappeared, and I—wait… Primelia!? Heliotrope!? Laps!? What are you all doing here!?”

His reaction was extreme—

The look of someone who had just been caught red-handed.

Seeing that expression shook my trust in him for a moment.

Could he really be involved in something illicit…?

If I was doubting him, then Primelia, who had already been worried, must have been even more shaken.

Tears welled in her eyes as she stepped forward.

“L-Lord Kraut!”

“What’s wrong, Primelia!?”

“Y-You’re not… selling anything… illegal, right!? I-I know it’s impossible, but if that money came from something bad, then… then what should I do about all the gifts you’ve given me…!?”

“Eh…?”

At her words, Master Kraut’s eyes went blank.

He looked exactly like the fish we had for dinner last night.

Then, with those lifeless eyes, he slowly turned his head toward us.

That’s terrifying.

Please don’t stare like that.

“Um… How exactly did we get to this conclusion?”

Since his expression was genuinely unsettling, I decided to just be honest and explain everything.

By the time I finished, he seemed to have calmed down.

With a long sigh, he muttered—

“Haaah… This is my fault for keeping it a secret. Fine, I’ll explain everything. Come inside.”

◇

“Incredible…!”

Upon entering, Lady Primelia let out a gasp of admiration.

And I understood why.

Inside the greenhouse, vibrant flowers bloomed in every direction—a seemingly endless sea of color.

Unlike a manicured garden, the plants grew in a more chaotic, natural arrangement, yet it still had an undeniable beauty.

At one section, Alts was kneeling in front of several potted plants, carefully inspecting them.

“Alts, sorry to keep you waiting. Have you finished the inspection?”

“Ah, Lord Kraut. I just wrapped up… Oh? These young ladies—I believe we met earlier.”

“You’ll probably be seeing them again, so I figured I should introduce them.

This is Primelia, my younger sister.

This is my personal maid, Heliotrope.

And this is Primelia’s personal maid, Laps.”

With that, we exchanged greetings.

Then, Master Kraut turned toward us and introduced Alts.

“And this guy is Alts. He’s an alchemist who works with Ventz Trading Company.”

“An… alchemist!?”

All three of us exclaimed in shock.

Alchemy—a rare craft that combines various materials to create new substances, potions, and magical components.

Only one in several thousand people possesses an affinity for alchemy, making it a highly lucrative profession.

This was my first time meeting one in person.

“Alts regularly comes here to purchase materials. Apparently, the plants here are quite rare.”

“Indeed! Not only that, but the quality is exceptional. And that is all thanks to Lord Kraut.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

Why Would Master Be Responsible for the High Quality of These Materials?

“Ahh… well…”

Master Kraut hesitated for a moment before scratching the back of his head.

“Three years ago, I started watering the plants as part of my magic control training. Not long after, the gardeners told me that the plants’ growth had drastically improved.”

Ah, yes.

That was meant to help him develop the delicate magical control required for iaijutsu.

Who would have thought it had this kind of unintended benefit?

“So, after some investigation, I discovered that water infused with magic enhances plant growth. It helps them grow faster, makes them more resistant to disease, and even allows us to cultivate plants that were previously considered too difficult to grow artificially.”

“That’s amazing! But… wouldn’t someone have figured this out before?”

Lady Primelia raised a reasonable question.

If all it took was watering plants with magically created water, you’d think someone would have noticed by now.

“Hah.”

Ah.

There it is again—Master Kraut’s lifeless fish eyes.

“Primelia… generating water through magic consumes a lot of energy. On top of that, I discovered that each plant prefers a specific amount of magic… and figuring out the right balance is a total nightmare. An absolute nightmare.”

“O-oh… I’m so sorry.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize.”

So, in other words—

Just like with his iaijutsu training, Master Kraut had painstakingly refined this process over time, leading to an unexpected breakthrough.

“Well, at least it turned into a good source of income. I’m grateful to Alts for that.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you. Being able to directly purchase such high-quality materials is invaluable. I hope we can continue our partnership for years to come.”

The young heir and the seasoned alchemist exchanged a firm handshake.

Despite the clear age gap, they were completely in sync.

With that, Master Kraut’s suspected illicit dealings were officially debunked.

However—

There was still one thing I just couldn’t understand.

“Master.”

“Hm?”

“Why did you want to keep this a secret?”

His reaction earlier, when we discovered him, was far beyond normal embarrassment.

It was as if he had been caught doing something truly disgraceful.

It was suspicious enough to make even me briefly wonder if he was actually up to something illegal.

Hearing my question, he suddenly looked deeply dejected and spoke.

“Because…”

“”Because?”

“……‘The heir of House Wertheim spends his days watering flowers to make money’—doesn’t that sound ridiculous?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

It took everything in me not to react, but—

“(Adorable…!)”

“(Adorable…!)”

“(Adorable…!)”

Unfortunately for him, this entire incident was diligently recorded in Laps’s ongoing biography titled The Chronicles of Lord Kraut.

Years later, this wholesome anecdote would be responsible for sparking an entire wave of Kraut fanatics.

But that is a story for another time.