A/N: Phew, got this done in under a month! I'll keep this brief, not much to say honestly. Same old, same old really. I just hope you're all doing well and staying healthy. Thanks for your continued patience!
Chapter 24:
Here For You
"Ainz-sama's coming to visit soon, isn't he?" CZ asked.
Without looking up from her book, Yuri nodded.
"Indeed. In about an hour, as a matter of fact".
"So, he's finally going to tell us what's been going on this past week..?" Narberal asked hopefully.
Yuri narrowed her eyes: "Narberal, watch your tone. You've no right to expect such a thing: Ainz-sama has no obligation to divulge anything to us. Regardless of the purpose, the fact that the Supreme One would take time out of his busy schedule to visit us at all should be enough to satisfy you," she scolded.
Narberal winced at the accusation with a reddening expression: "O-of course, I never meant to imply otherwise! I just want to know what's been troubling Ainz-sama so I can begin serving him better as soon as possible!"
"Ow…" CZ-whined, clutching at her ears and shooting an annoyed glare up at her flustered sister.
Yuri sighed.
Though she wouldn't admit it, she too hoped the supreme one would be willing to shed some light on what's been happening recently. All of Nazarick was growing more and more restless by the day, desperate to find out just what had transpired between Ainz-sama and the guardians.
"Yuri-san," Solution suddenly called, drawing the eldest sister from her thoughts: "why is Ainz-sama coming here..? It's, well… a bit unorthodox…" she trailed off, glancing around the room self-consciously.
Yuri adjusted her glasses.
"Yes, it is a bit strange… why the supreme one would come here rather than have us join him in the throne room, I can only guess…"
All the sisters hummed thoughtfully. After a while of fruitless ponderance, Entoma's concealed mandibles clicked in capitulation, and everyone else took that as a sign and gave up as well.
As usual, the reasoning behind the supreme one's actions was far beyond their comprehension.
"About 58 minutes left, huh… I suppose it's time for that?" CZ suggested.
Yuri held back a groan as she rose to her feet, smoothing out the single crease that dared to tarnish her impeccable uniform.
"Yes, yes, I'll go wake her up…"
"I still don't think it's fair you let her sleep all this time while we tidied up, Yuri-neesan…" Narberal confessed with a pointed scowl.
Yuri pursed her lips. It's true, and under normal circumstances, the very idea of allowing one of her sisters to oversleep when there was work to be done was utterly appalling. But these past few days, Yuri could tell something's been burdening her typically-boisterous sister. the wolf maid had been all but devoid of her typical immature and chaotic energy lately: when she wasn't working, she closed herself off in her room and hardly made a peep. Though refreshing at first, such long-lasting gloominess was highly irregular. When was the last time Yuri had seen Lupusregina smile, GENUINELY smile? These past few days, it's been nothing but feebly-forced smirks and hollow laughs.
Even more concerning was that every time Yuri tried to broach the topic and ask what was wrong, either subtly or explicitly, she had been met with a proportionally subtle or candid refusal. She had enough faith that Lupusregina would disclose the issue if it was something with potentially serious ramifications, so she didn't think it was necessary to pursue matters any further if it made her sister uncomfortable: everyone was entitled to some privacy, after all. But the fact still remained that Lupusregina was much too interpersonal and unashamed to keep any secrets, big or small, from her sisters... on the contrary, Yuri found that her loose-lipped sister had a tendency to overshare on MANY things.
She would never admit it, but Yuri was actually beginning to miss her sister's childish pranks and distasteful quips. It pained her to see her sister become so detached.
"Hey, there's no need to make a face like that," Narberal began upon noticing her eldest sister's stern expression: "I've… been worried about her too," she finally confessed, her expression softening slightly.
The other Pleiades all nodded their heads, and Yuri smiled.
"Right, of course…"
Exiting the main sitting area down the short corridor which branched into the sisters' rooms, Yuri came to a stop outside Lupusregina's chamber. Surprisingly, she couldn't hear the uncouth chorus of snores that usually greeted her from beyond the door.
Perhaps there was hope for her after all, Yuri thought to herself with a smirk while reaching for the door handle (she had long since learned that knocking would be a futile effort).
But when she opened the door a moment later, she was shocked to find the bed inside was empty—and not just empty, but already made! Perfectly, without so much as a single wrinkle along the comforter.
This… was unprecedented. But where was Lupusregina..?
"A-ah, Yuri-neesan…" a timid voice called out.
Yuri's eyes darted towards the source of the sound.
!
There, sitting at the vanity wardrobe, was her sister, looking uncharacteristically meek and unsure. The floor around her was littered with all sorts of cosmetics.
"Lupusregina… what…" Yuri stammered speechlessly.
The wolf fidgeted anxiously in her seat, averting her gaze to the floor.
"Well, er... y'know…I thought it was kinda fun when you dressed me up the other day... S-so I just thought I'd, uh, maybe, try this… stuff… out again…myself," she muttered shyly.
But the incoherent string of words was more than enough for Yuri, whose widened eyes then narrowed in understanding (or perhaps sympathy).
"A-ah!" Lupusregina gasped, flailing her arms wildly: "it's not what you think..! It's not because Ainz-sama is coming this morning or anything!"
Yuri arched her eyebrow and stepped inside.
"I made no mention of Ainz-sama," she pointed out.
"Urk—! "
And if her constrained silence wasn't telling enough, the reddening of her face certainly was.
So that's how it was, after all...
Yuri smirked and shook her head hopelessly. Checkmate in one move.
"Seriously, what am I going to do with you..." she joked, approaching her sister from behind.
Lupusregina squirmed in her chair, tentatively lifting her head but still shying away from her sister's discerning gaze in the mirror.
With a dutiful sigh, Yuri snatched the brush from Lupusregina's hand.
"Wha—hey!"
"You actually want to look GOOD, don't you? Then just sit still for a moment," Yuri scolded.
"..."
At the redhead's consensual silence, the meticulous undead set to work.
"Yowch!" the wolf yelped hardly a second later.
"Hush now. It's not my fault you did such an amateurish job curling your hair: now I have to straighten it out again before I can do it correctly," Yuri explained with unsympathetic candidness.
"Hey! It—Ow!—doesn't look—AH!—that bad!" Lupusregina whined indignantly.
"I'd say it was a commendable effort if it had been done by a death knight".
Lupusregina crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.
"Jeez, well now you're just being mean for the sake of being mean. I tried my best…" she pouted, puffing out her cheeks as she slumped in her chair dejectedly.
"I'm sure you did," Yuri said in a bored tone, knowing better than to humour her sister with an apology.
After it became clear that her childish display was not eliciting the reaction she was hoping for, Lupusregina abandoned it and flashed a wide grin—an ordinary smile no doubt, conveying mischief and self-satisfaction like any other. Normally, Yuri would not pay it any mind, but this morning she could not tear her eyes from her sister's joyful expression.
It was truly beautiful, and she had missed seeing it.
"Yuri-neesan..?" Lupusregina trailed off confusedly after noticing her sister's tender gaze.
Yuri gave her head a sobering shake.
"What? Is it so wrong for me to admire my younger sister's beauty?" she asked with honest rhetoric.
The redhead's eyes widened in surprise. Even Lupusregina, quick on her metaphorical toes as she often was, was caught off guard by such a remark, which deviated so far from their typical banter.
Her older sister, one of the people she looked up to the most, had just called her beautiful.
"J-jeez, what do I even say to that…" Lupusregina sputtered giddily, blushing profusely.
"Say nothing. Just know that you are beautiful, and I… care deeply for you," Yuri eventually settled on saying: "we're sisters. I'll always be here for you, Lupusregina, as will all of your other sisters—you're never alone, so please… don't ever feel like you have to carry a burden, big or small, all by yourself," she went on softly, running a hand through her sister's red locks.
Even as the words came out of her mouth, Yuri wasn't sure what she was saying. She was never one to get emotional, and often struggled to express such sentimental things. Did she say it right? Did it sound weird? In retrospect, she thought that might've been the case.
"Ah, look at me, saying such strange things out of the blue…" Yuri berated herself with a shake of her head: "forget I said anyth—"
!
But she stopped herself mid-sentence upon noticing the slight trembling of her sister's shoulders.
"Lupusregina..?"
The only response she got was a quiet sniffling, unsuccessfully stifled. Yuri was stunned speechless. What should she do? What should she say? It seemed her sister was more troubled than anticipated. Just what could've plagued her sister so insidiously that a single sincere comment on her part was enough to reduce her to this state? Yuri clenched her fists, now regretting the fact that she hadn't pressed Lupusregina about it sooner.
But a part of her was also angry with Lupusregina: why had she been keeping all this pain to herself? Did she not understand, after all this time, that she didn't have to hide anything..?
No, actually: thinking about it now, perhaps Lupusregina didn't understand that. Maybe she herself was to blame, with her stern and inflexible nature which could so easily be misconstrued for coldness, and that's what made her sister feel obligated to conceal her feelings right now.
But Yuri was an undead, she couldn't help it. It's one of the many reasons why she admired the supreme one so much—how despite being undead, he was able to so genuinely express kindness, love, and compassion. It was truly remarkable.
Yuri wanted to be like that too—that's the kind of older sister she always wanted to be for the Pleiades.
And so, guided by her sororal instincts, Yuri placed a reassuring hand on the redhead's shoulder—Lupusregina shivered slightly under the touch, only for a moment, before regaining her composure and flashing a weak grin over her shoulder.
'I'm fine, really!' the smile seemed to assure dismissively. It made Yuri's blood boil. How could she even TRY to hide it anymore, after what just happened?
Well, Yuri would not play along—she couldn't just turn a blind eye now, she had to make up for her own negligence after all. The cork was loosened, and Yuri was determined to wrench it out before everything was bottled back up.
Without a word, Yuri spun her sister around so that they were face to face and took Lupusregina's hands into her own.
the timid wolf looked up at her sister in disbelief, eyes glistening with a dry wetness.
"Lupusregina," Yuri began quietly, looking down at their intermingled hands, pale ivory laced with wheaty copper: "it's alright, just let it out".
She gave Lupusregina's hands a reassuring squeeze, and the wolf squeezed back, perhaps unwittingly, her whole body tense, desperate to stay intact and resist her older sister's vicious empathy.
No matter what, she did not want to break down. Not in front of anyone, but surely not in front of Yuri.
Lupusregina bit her lower lip as it began to quiver: she bit it so hard that the skin broke, promptly filling her mouth with a metallic flavour. Her throat constricted and her eyes and nose stung with the guilt she had been harbouring all alone. felt for betraying the guardians, especially Sebas (and his understanding and appreciation of her actions only exacerbated her guilt), and the pain she had caused Ainz-sama by leaving that diary at his door. All of Nazarick was imperilled because of what she did. So why had she done it? She wasn't entirely sure. She had no obligation or affection for the newcomer, so it was not a matter of revenge or justice. So then what was it, exactly..?
The fact that she could not definitively determine her own motive made it all the worse.
Oh, why did she have to notice Pandora's Actor visiting Jade's room the night before her murder? She would never have gotten involved in this mess if that hadn't happened!
But again, that begs the question: why did she get involved even after the fact? It would have been so simple to turn a blind eye. A late-night visit like that, although suspicious, was not necessarily condemning on its own. And it certainly wasn't her place to investigate the guardians in secret. She never had any problems staying out other people's business in the past—her own tasks were often troublesome enough on their own—so why did she even give it a second thought that night? And now, because of that, Nazarick might..!
"Y-yuri…" Lupusregina choked, begging her sister to release her. She couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to have to think about it any longer. She didn't want to come undone. The smiling sadist didn't unravel—she made others unravel!
But Yuri did not give up so easily. She would be the sister Lupusregina needed right now.
"All of Nazarick has been weeping this past week, Lupusregina," she assured, lifting a hand to caress the side of Lupusregina's face affectionately: "strength is a virtue: but you, my dear sister, are simply being stubborn".
"..."
And just a few moments later, after vainly trying to blink the bitterness away, Lupusregina finally surrendered to Yuri's insistent gaze and relentless silence. As the first tears began to trickle irrepressibly from the corners of her eyes, she threw herself into her older sister's receiving arms, burying her face in Yuri's chest.
"N-no fair, Y-yuri-neesan..." she whimpered defeatedly.
With her face now hidden, Lupusregina's pride allowed the tears to flow without inhibition, and she dissolved completely.
"There there, it's going to be alright," Yuri cooed, stroking the back of her sister's head. Later, after Lupusregina had calmed down a bit, she would figure what 'it' was.
But that could wait.
Holding her trembling sister tightly to her now-damp chest, Yuri couldn't help but smile. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to tune in to the rhythm of Lupusregina's heart, which she could feel reverberating powerfully through her own lifeless chest. Looking down, she planted a soft kiss on top of the red nest of hair beneath her chin.
Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump!
Was it wrong for her to be enjoying this tender moment so much..?
Maybe. But what was wrong with finding some joy in the consolation of her sister? She felt closer to Lupusregina now than ever before, and so she would cherish this moment.
Lupusregina… her insufferable, noisy, irresponsible, and clueless little sister.
Her beloved little sister.
...
"Good morning Ainz-sama!" the six Pleiades cried in unison, dropping to their knees as the supreme one entered the maids' room.
Ainz, in his human form, flashed an awkward smile and raised his hand:
"Ah, you don't need to be so formal with me in your own home, really… I'm the one intruding on your living quarters".
And, immediately, there came the typical 'Nonsense! The supreme one could never 'intrude'!'
Suzuki sighed inwardly: why did he even bother at this point?
He surveyed the bowed heads fondly, happy to be in the presence of loyal servants after so long. Unbeknownst to anyone, even himself, his eyes lingered slightly longer on one in particular.
She was beautiful, even more so than usual—there was nothing to suggest she had been in hysterics a mere hour prior to his arrival.
"To what do we owe this pleasure, Ainz-sama?" Yuri inquired dutifully.
Ainz shook his head to free himself from his subconscious' fixation, finally managing to tear his eyes off of the exotic wolf.
"Er, right. Rise," he commanded, wondering why his head suddenly felt so fuzzy.
Once all the Pleiades were on their feet, he reached into his pocket dimension and withdrew a stack of papers and a cluster of feathered pens.
"Please, have a seat wherever you feel comfortable," he encouraged with a smile: "I'll take a seat as well," he quickly added upon noticing their reluctance to sit in his presence.
The Pleiades all huddled onto the sofa, leaving the plush chair opposite to them open for the supreme one to claim.
'You didn't all have to squish together like that…' Ainz thought to himself as he took the open seat and deposited the writing materials on the coffee table between them.
"I need each of you to write something for me," Ainz explained ambiguously.
"Write something..?"
Ainz nodded: "Yes. I'm testing you all to see if you would be eligible for potentially important roles in the future. I've already had all the guardians perform this test, and after this, I'll be visiting the regular maids as well," he explained in a serious tone.
All the pleiades swallowed gravely and exchanged confused looks. None of them could have foreseen this as the reason for Ainz-sama's visit today.
This was serious indeed.
"And… what will we be writing, Ainz-sama?' Yuri inquired, readjusting her glasses in a fluster.
"It's simple, really. Just a single sentence, in fact," he went on as he separated the stack of papers and slid them out to each individual maid.
All the Pleiades eyed the blank pages fearfully. If a pin were to be dropped, you would hear it from miles away in such absolute and focused silence.
Whether or not they would be able to serve Ainz-sama in a new (and undoubtedly fulfilling) way would be judged and decided right here, right now?! And by a single sentence, no less?!
They all looked back to Ainz-sama expectantly, steeling their resolve.
The supreme one met them all with an equally serious gaze.
Just what in the world would he have them write? Surely it must be important if it's to be the sole dictator of his decision. Perhaps he would ask them a difficult question and require them to answer it as concisely as possible.
"The sentence you'll be writing is as follows," Ainz began, motioning for the Pleiades to pick up their pens. He felt like a school instructor.
" 'A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' ".
"..."
The Pleiades all blinked. Did they hear him right..?
"F-forgive me, but could you repeat that..?" Lupusregina stammered.
The overlord's heart skipped a peculiar beat at the sound of her voice. He coughed into his hand, unable to meet the speaker's eyes.
"Y-yes, of course. The sentence I want you to write is 'A quick brown fox leaps over the lazy dog'" he repeated—a phrase that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once.
This would give him a firm grasp of everyone's penmanship, which he could then compare to the note that was left for him in Jade's diary. This way, he could find out who it was that gave him the diary while still protecting their anonymity—who knew what the other denizens of Nazarick, the guardians, would do if word got out on who ratted them out? It could very well be tantamount to a death sentence for the exposed tipper. And if the worst didn't happen, he was sure then that their relationships with some people would certainly become... strained.
He was starting with the Pleiades because he was about 80% sure that the person he was looking for was among them. Who else could eavesdrop on the guardians and uncover their subterfuge without being caught? Certainly, none of the normal maids could've pulled it off, and most of the other NPC's sadly lacked the sentience to go through with such an independent and dangerous operation. There was always the possibility of multiple people being involved, but it's unlikely that there would've been many people who would volunteer to flagrantly oppose the guardians like that. And again, more people means more risk of being caught. So more than likely, there was a single brave individual, who specialized in stealth.
There was one person he suspected above all others, and she happened to be in this very room., right now. But he needed to confirm it—he needed to know who it was, because they were undoubtedly the most trustworthy person in all of Nazarick.
The plan was foolproof. It was only a matter of time before he knew for sure.
But he was hoping it was her.
...
The Pleiades fell into a contemplative silence, repeating the phrase in their minds over and over.
What were they missing? There had to be a trick to this nonsensical sentence. A riddle of some sort, perhaps?
"Hm..? Is something wrong..?" Ainz hummed after a few moments, wondering why none of them had started writing anything. Did they see through his lie, after all?! He began to feel nervous, and subtly wiped his sweaty palms against the sides of his robe.
"Er… it's not a trick question or anything. Just write the sentence, ahah..." he assured with a nervous laugh, but his distress only grew when he noticed Yuri's eyes narrow discerningly.
Ahhhh maybe the plan wasn't so foolproof after all! He really should've taken some extra time to just come up with a better explanation! As if writing this stupid little sentence could ever be a good enough test for the eligibility of some unspecified, non-existent position! What would he do if she called him out on it right now, or began interrogating him for details?! It was too late to leave, and too late to backpedal… he was trapped! If someone other than the one he was looking for figured out the reasoning behind this test and spread the news, it would nigh impossible to protect the informant's identity for long.
All he could do was try to act natural, and pray.
...
"..."
There has to be a trick to this! Yuri was sure of it now: the fact that he would even enforce the notion that there isn't suggests the opposite! No test conceived by the supreme one's unparalleled intellect could be so simple.
'I won't be fooled, I'll pass this test!' Yuri exclaimed triumphantly in her head, clenching her fist with conviction—something Ainz noticed in the corner of his meandering vision, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
'A political metaphor..?' Yuri thought, toying with the idea in her head: 'perhaps Nazarick is the 'quick brown fox'? Then that would make—'
Suddenly, she felt an elbow nudge her side, and a moment later, an arm wrap itself around her neck.
She turned to see Lupusregina with a devilish grin, and she felt a small piece of paper thrust inconspicuously into her hand.
With a frown, she unfolded it.
[Got any ideas?]
She looked back to Lupusregina, who was jutting her tongue out lamely.
The arm slung over her shoulders now felt like a snake coiling around her neck. Without a moment's hesitation, she crumpled the piece of paper and threw it indiscreetly over her shoulder.
Lupusregina opened her mouth as if to silently exclaim 'Wahhh!' before glancing nervously to the overlord, who luckily didn't seem to notice—he was busying himself with the whistling of a bland melody as he took a sudden interest in his chair's fabric (anything to appear casual and avoid any unveiling scrutiny).
The wolf sighed in relief, and Yuri rolled her eyes.
"Ainz-sama," a monotonous voice declared.
The overlord shook his head and blinked twice, returning to reality.
"What is it, CZ..?" he inquired, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.
"I'm done," the tangerine-haired girl replied nonchalantly, extending the piece of paper out towards him.
"A-ah! Well done, CZ-san," the overlord commended, snatching the paper from the small girl with blinding speed.
He immediately began to study it, bringing a hand to his chin thoughtfully.
Yuri held her breath and watched him intently, trying to gauge his intense reaction.
"CZ, what did you write?" Yuri asked shamelessly, knowing full well that CZ did not possess the wits to actually solve such a confounding riddle. Certainly not that quickly, at least. (She did not have this thought with demeaning intentions, rather, as her older sister, Yuri was fully aware of the Delta Pleiades' limitations).
"I just did what he asked and wrote the sentence," CZ said apathetically, already reaching for the penguin plush she kept on her person at all times .
"I see, thank you…" Yuri replied absent-mindedly, eyes glued to the overlord.
!
Just then, Ainz-sama's lips had moved! But what did he say?! It had been said quietly, hardly even a mutter under his breath—but Yuri was sure she caught the words 'doesn't match'.
Finally, the supreme one cast the paper away and looked back up at CZ with a smile.
"Thank you CZ-san, well done," he congratulated in a tone that Yuri keenly detected to be slightly tinged with disappointment.
Of course, as she had expected: simply writing the sentence wasn't the answer he was looking for! The overlord was unfathomably intelligent—as if he would base his appointments of important positions on such a ridiculously easy and arbitrary test.
Though her assumption was confirmed, it didn't really help her. She hadn't the faintest clue where to begin. Looking around her, she saw Narberal and Solution with similarly distressed expressions. They must have come to the same conclusion as her. Entoma's expression was as unreadable as ever, but based on the stillness of her mandibles, she wasn't stressed. Lupusregina on the other hand was biting her nails, and by looking closely Yuri could almost see the trails of smoke billowing from her ears.
Poor girl.
"Here you go, Ainz-sama," Entoma suddenly announced, handing in her paper as well.
"Ah, very well," Ainz replied. As the sheet changed hands, Yuri managed to see what the insect maid had written: the same as CZ, the obvious answer—in other words, a blatant surrender as far as Yuri was concerned!
She wanted to slap her sisters upside the head for giving up so easily. They were reflections of the Pleiades as a whole, and they've just managed to paint themselves as fools in the overlord's eyes!
"Er, I don't mean to rush you all, but…" the overlord trailed off in a bassy voice as he straightened his posture. The fact that two of the girls had already handed in their paper without a hitch gave him the confidence to reassume his air of authority.
Yuri's eyes widened. She was taking too long!
"H-here, Ainz-sama!" Solution cried out, succumbing to the pressure and thrusting her sheet out towards him. He took it from her with a smile and gave it a single glance over, before offering a dismissive hum and an unconvincing 'well done'.
Solution bowed her head before slumping back in her seat defeatedly.
Moments later, Narberal discarded her pencil with a frustrated toss before handing in her paper as well.
"Forgive my stupidity, Ainz-sama!" she beseeched self-admonishingly.
The overlord's blinked incredulously, and he hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out to claim the paper from her hands. He read it over, and his brows furrowed in confusion.
"E-er… there's nothing to apologize for. You did as I asked, you may raise your head," he assured, waving his hand emphatically.
"You are too kind, Ainz-sama!"
Yuri was beginning to feel dizzy. It seemed that, with no offense to Lupusregina, she was the last hope to redeem the Pleiades' intellectual reputation.
"Hai, all done, Ainz-sama!" Lupusregina declared, beaming proudly. She flamboyantly thrust the paper towards Ainz, causing her chest to bounce in such a way that the unprepared overlord gagged on his own spit.
"Are you alright, Ainz-sama?" Lupusregina asked innocently, to which the overlord waved his hand dismissively and struggled to clear his throat.
"Y-yes! I-I'm fine! You just surprised me, that's all!"
"Surprised you..?" the dark-complexioned maid inquired with a tilt of her head, causing her chest to jiggle again.
"Nothing!" Ainz assured just a bit too loudly, quickly reaching for the maid's outstretched hand. But then—
Bzzt!
The two of them jumped in surprise and quickly retracted their hands when a static shock was transmitted from the supreme one's fingertips to her own as their hands brushed over one another.
They both watched as the sheet of paper that fluttered to the centre of the table between them, as it had fallen from Lupusregina's hand and failed to have been claimed by Ainz's amidst the chaos. (It was a very potent 'static' shock, you see).
The made and her sovereign looked back up at each other and shared an awkward laugh before simultaneously averting their gaze from one another.
'Was… he blushing?'
'Was… she blushing?'
They both shared an optimistic thought, neither daring to look back for confirmation.
No, surely it was only their imagination, they both concluded with a sobering shake of their head.
Luckily for the two of them, their embarrassing spectacle had gone unnoticed by the other Pleiades—Yuri was deep in thought, CZ was fixated on her stuffie, Narberal and Solution were both stewing in their own self-deprecating thoughts, and Etoma was eating something… unorthodox, by most standards.
After he felt his cheeks cool down again, and not wanting this inexplicably-intimate awkwardness to continue, Ainz finally reached for Lupusregina's answer.
...
Once she was sure his focus was on the paper, Lupusregina risked shooting a furtive glance his way—but her heart skipped a beat of panic and she reactively brought her hands up to cover her flushed cheeks as the overlord suddenly sat up, bringing the paper up closer to his face with an intense expression.
"This is…" he trailed off ominously, and Lupusregina's heart sank in realization.
Could it be..? No way!
She must have made a spelling mistake after all! Her gut had been telling her that 'leap' must have been spelled 'leep': if only she had listened to her instincts! Now she's exposed herself as a complete idiot to Ainz-sama!
Just as she began to fathom the repercussions of her error, the supreme one looked at her over the top of the sheet which otherwise concealed his face.
"Yes, I see…" he repeated in a strange tone and stoic expression that sent a shiver down Lupusregina's spine. By now, the other Pleiades' attention had been drawn by the supreme one's posture and long-lasting scrutiny of Lupusregina's answer.
Yuri, her paper still blank, began to open her mouth to apologize, sensing that her sister must have made a grave mistake somehow—but the words tumbled back down her throat as Ainz suddenly rose to his feet, leaving her and everyone else to stare in awe as his robes billowed behind him impressively.
"That will be all for now, thank you for your time. I am very grateful," he announced his departure before promptly turning around.
Perhaps it was just her feeling self-conscious, but Lupusregina was sure he had looked straight at her when he said that last part. Even if that was the case though, she was certain it couldn't possibly have been exclusively directed towards her; still, her chest tingled with a warmth that quickly spread up to her face.
"We will continue to serve you to the best of our abilities, Ainz-sama!" four maids—all except for the flustered pair of Alpha and Beta—replied in unison, bowing their heads towards the overlord's retreating back.
And just like that, he was gone. No sooner had the door shut behind him than Yuri whirled around and grabbed hold of Lupusregina's shoulders to give her a forceful shake.
"W-what did you write, that made him leave in such a hurry without even bothering to look at my answer?!" she wailed, fearing the worst.
"I… I don't know," the wolf answered with a vacuous expression as she stared at the chamber's door and replayed what had just transpired in her mind.
'I see…' he had said after receiving her answer, while the lower half of his face had been hidden behind the sheet of paper. Looking back on it now, she was almost certain, from the look in his eyes, that he had been smiling when he said that. Her chest suddenly began to ache anxiously.
...Maybe 'leap' was the correct spelling after all..?
...
"Did you get the answer you were looking for, Ainz-sama?" Sebas, who had been patiently waiting in the hallway, inquired as soon as Suzukiclosed the door to the maids' room behind him.
With a giddy expression, he withdrew a small card from his robe's inner pocket.
'Not a suicide. It was the guardians of Nazarick' it read.
He held it side by side with the newly acquired paper, and though it shouldn't have even been possible, his grin broadened even more.
There was no doubt about it. The handwriting was a perfect match. His hunch had been corrected. Deductive reasoning aside, he felt deep down that he always knew it had to have been her.
"Yes… yes I did, Sebas," he replied, glancing up at the butler, whose face was a self-contradictory mix of disinterest and amusement.
The overlord arched an eyebrow curiously.
"But from your expression… could it be that you already knew who had left the diary outside my door that day..?"
Sebas placed a hand over his heart and offered a lamely cordial smile.
The overlord groaned internally. So he had gone through with this elaborate handwriting-matching scheme for nothing?!
"Forgive me, Ainz-sama. I was only trying to respect Miss Lupusregina's choice to remain anonymous. Though if you had ordered me to tell you, I would have forfeit the information," he explained dutifully.
Suzuki sighed heavily. Of all the people who could've come to know the truth, he supposed Sebas was the least problematic.
"Well that's all fine and dandy, but I had no idea that you knew, so the thought of asking you hadn't even crossed my mind…" Ainz reasoned, too defeated to even bother asking how Sebas figured everything out.
"If it's any consolation, Ainz-sama, I think your plan was quite clever".
"Sebas, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were poking fun at me," Ainz said with a weary smile.
"I would never, Ainz-sama. Besides, even if I had told you who it was, would you have believed me?" the butler went on, determined to give reason to his master's careful plan.
"The fact that you would openly call your own trustworthiness into question tells me that I could have believed you".
"It pleases me to hear you say that, Ainz-sama. You are too forgiving," the butler pointed out with a solemn bow.
Ainz chuckled wistfully.
"That may be so... but only to those who are worthy of my forgiveness, Sebas. Only to those who are worthy…"
And with that, feeling quite fulfilled, the overlord took stride down the long hallway which lead towards the throne room.
"Come, Sebas: now that I have my answer and some peace of mind, there are some things I wish to discuss with you in private," he called out over his shoulder.
"As you wish, Ainz-sama," the butler replied, trying to conceal his delight as he caught up to his master's side. He was overjoyed to have been given the opportunity to start making amends for his mistakes so early. He was not sure why Ainz had extended his forgiveness to him before any of the other guardians, but the butler would surely not complain. He was sure that the overlord must have his reasons, and would extend his hand to the other lost souls when the time was right. If he ever got the chance, he would advocate for them if necessary.
For now however, he could only do his best.
...
As they walked in silence down the long hallway, Suzuki contemplated the man at his side.
Touch Me-san's creation… strong, dignified, good-hearted, humble, and naturally compassionate towards all life.
All those qualities together formed a very interesting personality that was tragically scarce within the walls of Nazarick.
Yes, Ainz was sure of it. Sebas would be a great king.