The butler began to search for the whereabouts of the fortune-teller grandmother the next day. Although the butler, who was also the housekeeper, was away, the mansion ran smoothly without him. After all, I am not a demanding master, and the butler had trained the employees well.
I wanted to go out too…
“No, you can’t. What if you get into trouble after talking to someone? You can’t just wander the streets wondering, ‘Who did I talk to earlier?’”
Since the butler’s words were reasonable, I decided to stay quietly in the mansion.
I was almost living in seclusion, but business at the trading company was going smoothly. At the end of the year, the ‘TokTok’ messaging service sells a lot as gifts. The sales department must be working hard.
However, staying at home for days on end was boring. I didn’t even talk to the employees, just in case, which was almost like a silent retreat.
I did have conversations through TokTok, but they were mostly about business… It’s so boring.
If I can’t find the fortune-teller grandmother, do I have to live like this for the whole year?
TokTok!
The cheerful notification erased my unpleasant thoughts. Sitting by the office window, staring blankly outside, I quickly turned around and approached my desk.
88808880, a message from Duke Deyra.
[To Count Miria Hexen,
Greetings, Count Hexen. The ‘TokTok’ has safely arrived at your domain. I am pleased that not a single one was damaged.
I have something to tell you today. The bank sent a receipt for the payment, but the amount is less than what you mentioned before. It seems there was a mistake during the payment process, and I will pay the difference as soon as possible.
I apologize for the confusion. I hope for your generous understanding.
From Duke Deyra.
[^^]
I haven’t had many conversations, but I think I’ll get used to these polite and formal messages. Why did he add the [^^] symbol at the end? Is he using what he learned last time?
But the situation is a bit strange.
I stared at the TokTok screen for a while, trying to understand the situation. So, the payment was incomplete. Why was the product shipped if the payment wasn’t fully processed?
The bank also sent a receipt to us. I found the folder related to the Deyra family in the office bookshelf and checked the receipt.
Yes, the payment was indeed incomplete.
Mistakes happen since humans are involved. We can’t leave all the paperwork to machines yet. The technology hasn’t advanced that far.
Well, it’s good news that they will send the difference, no matter whose mistake it was.
“I need to reply quickly.”
I frantically typed on the typewriter, as if I would turn to stone otherwise. Normally, the staff would handle this, but since it’s such a special customer, what can I do?
[Hello, Duke Deyra! I have confirmed the part you mentioned. Please take your time with the difference; there’s no rush. It seems there was a mistake on our side as well. Thank you for taking care of it first.]
Is that too servile? No, he is a high noble after all. I shook off the distracting thoughts and wrote the next sentence.
[I’m glad the product arrived safely. I hope you have pleasant days with TokTok. Thank you!]
Soon, a reply came.
[Yes, thank you.]
[Yes^^ Have a good day!]
[You too, have a good day, Count. ^^]
[Yes, thank you!]
[I also thank you.]
…
Ah, why is this person like this?
I rubbed my forehead with my right hand, feeling a headache coming on. Didn’t Duke Deyra do this last time too? He could have just ended the conversation, but he kept replying until I had to end it. And I almost turned to stone because of it!
I glared at the screen, but there was nothing else I could do. I had to move my fingers before the curse activated again.
This should be enough for him to understand to stop.
I think I should avoid contacting the duke in the future. I don’t know why he does this, but it seems he wants to continue the conversation or have the last word.
Why though. Did he receive a curse like me? Can such a powerful magician also be cursed?
What do I know. I dusted off my hands and was about to leave the desk when…
TokTok!
[^^]
What is this person really?
Should I send a finger insult like before? What should I say to make the duke stop replying? It seems like he doesn’t want to continue the conversation either.
Should I just tell him not to reply anymore? Wouldn’t that seem too fussy? It’s weird to tell someone not to reply when they’ve already indicated they want to end the conversation. I should just not reply.
The problem is, ‘just not replying’ is impossible for me.
I sighed and sat down at the desk.
[You don’t have to reply anymore!]
[Yes, Count, you don’t have to reply either.]
I said you don’t have to reply. Don’t reply! I can’t help it because of the curse, but what about you!
I barely suppressed the urge to vent. And I racked my brain to think of a phrase that would make the duke unable to reply any further. Are we going to keep TokToking all night? Should I wait for the duke to get tired and fall asleep?
Then, the indicator showed that the duke was typing a message. I had given up hope and glared at the screen, wondering if he still had something to say.
[I forgot to mention something and am contacting you again. I received a charity party invitation along with TokTok, but I’m not sure if I’ll be free that day. Would it be okay to send a representative?]
I thought it would be another meaningless letter party, but this one actually had a purpose. I leaned on my chin and pondered for a moment.
We send charity party invitations to nobles who purchase our products in bulk. It means to come and enjoy a meal and make a donation. Since I personally write and send all the invitations, they are quite special.
Our charity party is famous for not allowing representatives. Well, direct family members are allowed.
From the standpoint of receiving donations, it’s good whether the person or a representative comes and donates money, but the nobles are so picky. When they see a representative sent by another noble, they think, ‘A representative came? Why did I come in person? It hurts my pride!’
I can’t understand why they are so twisted, but now I just accept it.
[Only spouses or direct family members can attend as representatives!]
The duke’s grandparents had passed away long ago, and his parents had left the domain to wander. He’s still unmarried, so he has no spouse or children, which means he has no representative to send.
[Yes, I understand. I will check my schedule and attend in person if possible.]
See, I told you.
An invitation is just an invitation, so it’s not necessary to attend, but it would be very helpful if Duke Deyra, who has always stayed in his domain, could attend our party. He would probably donate a lot too. Just thinking about the amount of his donation made me feel better.
[I hope you will be able to honor us with your presence if time permits. Thank you!]
[Thank you for your kind guidance. Have a good day.]
[You too, have a good day, Duke^^]
[Yes^^]
[Thank you.]
[I also thank you.]
My mood, which had been lifted, plummeted to the ground. Here he goes again!
…
In the end, I had no choice but to greet the butler with a haggard face when he returned in the middle of the night.
This duke must be insane. What could possibly be the reason for his obsession with replying? Could he really be cursed like me?
Eventually, I had to send a single dot [.] to shut the duke up. What truly terrified me was that even after receiving just a dot, the duke tried to reply again. I almost fainted right there and then when I saw [The other party is typing a message].
Fortunately, he seemed to understand my strong intention not to answer, as no more replies came. From now on, do I have to keep sending just one dot to end conversations?
“Master, I’ve found something!”
Still, the butler’s cheerful face was my only joy. Ah, this damned curse. Initially, I thought I could endure it for a year if I couldn’t break it, but because of the duke’s crazy actions, I can’t stand it anymore.
“You know that note you received, Master. They say you have to burn it to break the curse.”
“Really? Is it that simple?”
I thought I’d have to run around the neighborhood naked or stand on my head, but just burning a note would do it! The butler’s face was also very bright.
“Yes! Easy, right?”
“Yeah! That’s great. So where’s the note?”
The butler’s mouth dropped open.
“Excuse me?”
“Where’s the note? I gave it to you in the carriage to throw away.”
“…”
The butler broke out in a cold sweat and blinked. Then, out of place, he winked cutely and exclaimed.
“So I threw it away!”
Ah, my blood pressure. Am I going to die of hypertension at this young age? Engrave on my tombstone, ‘A young life ended due to hypertension.’
I don’t know if I’m angry because the note is gone, or because the butler cheerfully told me that burning the note would solve everything after he had thrown it away, or just because I’m overwhelmed and frustrated. So I just blurted out.
“Then it’s all for nothing! Why did you talk about it so excitedly!”
“I forgot I threw it away!”
“Why are you so confident?”
“Because you told me to throw it away!”
I cried out in despair, burying my face in my hands. I felt like crying and rolling on the floor in frustration.
Do I really have to live like this for the whole year? Huh? Is that it?