Chapter 2042: At the New Stores ⑲

A large mansion in the Capital of Archlesia Empire. Upon returning to the mansion of the Hamilton Marquisdom, one of the Four Great Noble Families, Eris immediately instructed the maid to relay her arrival to her parents.

Fortunately, both her father and mother were at home and seemed to be enjoying tea together, so Eris joined them.

[Welcome back, Eris. Did you enjoy your shopping at Nifty's?]

[I wish I could have gone with you, but there's that party tonight......]

[I have something urgent I need to tell you about.]

Her parents, who had greeted her with calm expressions, exchanged puzzled looks at Eris’ unusually serious demeanor. However, being the great nobles that they were, they quickly realized it was an important matter and looked at Eris with focused expressions.

[An important matter huh...... The rest of you, leave. We'll call you if necessary.]

After instructing the maids and butlers in the room to leave, leaving just the three of them, the Marquis Hamilton took out a magic tool to prevent sound from leaking out and activated it, before giving a light nod.

Seeing this, Eris also gave a light nod, understanding that they were ready to listen, and began explaining what had happened today. Specifically, how she had coincidentally met Kaito, encountered five of the Seven Princesses, and been recognized as a friend by Kaito.

[.................................................Eh?]

Marquis Hamilton, a grand noble who held power and influence second only to the Emperor in Archlesia Empire and skillfully navigated the political arena daily...... found himself unable to process this information for the first time.

Hearing Eris’ words that she did not feel Kaito desired such a relationship at this time, Marquis Hamilton nodded slightly. His long involvement in the political arena allowed him to recover quickly, and his thoughts were already racing at considerable speed.

[......However, we can't completely rule out the possibility that he might wish for such a relationship in the future. Fortunately, as the next head of the family, Eris has been carefully selecting her future husband with the idea of taking a son-in-law, so as of now, you don't have a fiancé...... For the time being, shall we leave your fiancé selection blank?]

[Yes, that's fine.]

[I think this goes without saying, but this is merely a discussion of possibilities that such a relationship could develop in the future. You must not act with that as your goal.]

[Of course. That would be disrespectful to Kaito-sama, and I intend to build our friendship solely as Eris, excluding any connection with the family or any noble agendas. If, in the course of that, I were to develop romantic feelings for Kaito-sama, I would definitely report it.]

[Umu. Now then, let’s move on to the next topic...... Given the gravity of the situation, we can only work through each aspect one by one...... This will take a while.]

Feeling that their discussion would be lengthy, Marquis Hamilton lightly rubbed his abdomen as if to soothe a stomachache. The potential benefits of fostering a connection with Kaito were enormous. Depending on the circumstances, the Hamilton Marquisdom could achieve unprecedented prosperity.

However, at the same time, if they mishandled the situation, there was even a possibility that the Hamilton family could vanish from history, making it a deeply troubling dilemma for Marquis Hamilton on how to proceed.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [The feelings of the Marquis and his wife when they heard that their daughter, whom they trusted and sent out, returned home as friends with the World's Singularity...... Oh my goodness. I thought it was a bomb that would only cause major damage to Eris herself, but it turned out to be a napalm bomb of stomachache engulfing those around her in flames...... That devil is even starting to develop AOE Stomachaches now......]