Episode 130: Sudden Visitors
Even so… Collette-san, huh?
The Fourth Princess’s attendant is here, which means the Fourth Princess-sama is probably here…
I don’t want to see her. I’ll try to avoid her as much as possible.
“I’m home!”
“Welcome back.”
I closed the door to my house.
“Why are you here…?”
“How rude. I just came to meet my husband’s subordinate.”
And so, the Fourth Princess appeared out of nowhere.
Beside her stood Gerald-kun, the heir to Count Missgancia, looking apologetic.
“Gerald-kun.”
“I’m sorry, Andrews-san… She insisted on speaking with the ‘Sage of the Frontier’…”
“Gerald-kun.”
“I-I understand. I’ll take responsibility and won’t let my wife do anything. Besides, she doesn’t have any real power as a princess anymore, right?”
“Gerald-kun.”
“…Y-yes. O-of course, you have no obligation to answer my wife’s ‘requests.’ I assure you as a nobleman!”
…Well, I guess it can’t be helped.
“…So? What business do you have, Princess-sama?”
“Since Collette isn’t here, I thought I’d speak with you directly.”
She’s talking to me directly, so she really has abandoned her position…
I don’t know what she’s really thinking inside, though!
“Is that so? However, I’m sorry, but I’m of humble birth and don’t have the education to converse with such noble people…”
“Aren’t you one of the few mages in this city? It’s only natural that I’d want to talk to you, isn’t it?”
Huh?
“Gerald-kun.”
“I didn’t say anything! I didn’t say anything!!!”
Oh, it wasn’t you then…
“Collette saw through it, didn’t she? She said, ‘His way of keeping distance is that of a mage.’ Besides, to me, your way of thinking, your techniques, your abilities, your education… they’re clearly not from this country. It’s only natural to think you’re a mage, isn’t it?”
Well, that’s true.
If they find out too much…
“To be honest, it feels like, ‘Do you really intend to hide it?’ Ah, no, perhaps you’re using it as bait to avoid those who take the bait.”
That’s right…
I only want to associate with people who have the sense to not say anything even if they understand.
“You dislike me, don’t you? I understand that. You desire ‘peace,’ after all. But I want you to understand that I have to meet you.”
Well, yeah…
We’ll probably have a long relationship from now on.
Gerald-kun’s reign will likely last for about fifty years.
Even though the current Count Missgancia is still very active, he will eventually die.
After that will be Gerald-kun’s generation.
Even then, I’ll be alive, running a pharmacy and clinic in this city, living under the protection of the powerful.
That’s why “inheritance”…
The Mortimer family must smoothly inherit the legacy of “the connection with me” that will be passed on to the next generation.
To that end, I need to deepen my relationship to some extent with the Fourth Princess, the mother who will give birth to the next Count Missgancia.
It’s not about personal likes or dislikes; I have to do it.
Besides… only a scumbag or someone insane would attack others without limit just because they personally dislike them.
I’m not that crazy.
“…I surrender. It’s true that I’m not comfortable with you. But if you don’t bother me, cause me stress, or try to manipulate me in strange ways, I think we can get along normally.”
“That’s fine. If I were still in the position of a princess, I would have done so, but now I’m married into the Mortimer family. I swear I won’t do anything to upset the ‘Sage of the Frontier,’ one of the Mortimer family’s greatest assets.”
Hmm…
If she’s swearing, then she must be serious.
A noble’s words are not light.
If she goes so far as to “swear,” then she’ll really do it.
That’s why, in the world of politics, they have conversations like people from Kyoto, avoiding clear statements. Because words have weight.
If a royal like that, a noble among nobles, says “I swear,” then I can trust her.
“A-anyway… Lady Lucretia. So, what’s your business? If you just came to see me, I’ll send you home with some baked goods as a souvenir…”
“Oh, is it wrong to come see you without a reason?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be good. You’re newly married and Gerald-kun’s wife. You shouldn’t be seen coming and going to my place, as I have a reputation for being loose with women.”
“…Are you loose with women?”
“I have a lot of lovers, you see.”
“Ah… are you on good terms with Mazoku, Barbarians, and other foreigners?”
“Don’t you like that?”
“No? Even though I’m a former Holy Knight, I hired the Elf Collette as my attendant. I understand the idea of treating those with ability well, regardless of their race, though not as much as Count Missgancia.”
“Then…?”
“Aren’t you less ‘loose with women’ than you claim to be?”
Huh…?