CH 29

29 The Good-For-Nothing is Unaware of His Own Situation

===Act 2===

I received a foal from my father on my 7th birthday.

WOHOOOOOOOO! ARE YOU SURE THAT I CAN HAVE THIS CHILD!?

「But make sure that you’re looking after this child properly, okay?」

Of course! I mean, I was taller than two years ago. I should be in the second year of elementary school… Somehow, I had grown older before I realized it.

Richard had grown taller than me though. Dammit! To think that a one-year difference between our ages resulted in such a huge gap in our physical growth. Just you watch, I’m gonna catch up with you soon!

In addition, Richard was also receiving his own foal. As expected of Papa. With this, he could follow me wherever I went.

With this, I could have a long ride along with Richard and Kevin.

Yes! It was finally time for the long-awaited long ride.

Since I was accustomed to the area around the mansion after a few days, I planned to go for a long ride to the small hill right in the outskirts of our territory’s capital.

I’d also come to the city’s residential area to play and see the streets of our territory’s capital.

While we’re touring around our territory’s capital, Kevin gave a rough explanation about the main facilities here.

The huge plot of land at the north of the center of the capital was our family’s residence, and the biggest mansion in that residence was in fact my father’s office and the main residence.

Surrounding that site was the house of our vassals. A single man like Kevin had his own room in my mansion, but he had to leave once he got married since he had to live with his own family after doing so.

Right outside of the castle wall of our residence were the houses of merchants. It was a high-end residential area.

There was a huge plaza in the center of the capital with a shopping district built around it.

A small housing area was built around the shopping district.

There was a rampart enclosing the capital and outside of that rampart was the agricultural field. Yeah, there was a paddy field too. Since there were paddy fields, we naturally had rice too, but somehow I had a conflicted feeling seeing paddy fields outside of a European-style city.

And then, when I turned around, I saw that we’d already gone around the rampart.

I see, even after this far, we’re still inside the capital territory.

That’s why we could still be at ease even after going this far from the residence.

Thus, I was looking around again for a while after hearing Kevin’s explanation.

I recalled Kevin’s explanation while we were passing by downtown. Upon seeing it closely, I realized that there was a small difference between Kevin’s explanation and reality.

The citizens who greeted us were greeting with a bright smile on their face. I returned their greeting as I thought that this was a nice city and our house was responsible lord.

After we returned from the long ride, I placed my foal in the stable and wiped my sweat. I intended to take care of my foal seriously but it seemed I was still lacking the skill needed to take care of my foal. I guess I’ll ask the stable boy to teach me later.

Since I’d yet to be able to unfasten the horse saddle and mouthpiece, I only went back to my mansion once I learned how to repair the tool, groom the foal, and unfasten the saddle and mouthpiece by looking at the experts doing their job.

It was important to know the proper way to do that. Even if I, for example, still couldn’t groom my horse and maintain the riding tools properly, later due to my limited time which meant that job would be left to the servant… There was a big difference between someone who could groom their own horse and one who couldn’t.

When my father said that he would help me to take care of my foal, I think he meant that he would teach me the basics of grooming my own horse. He said that since I was bound to inherit his position, I would eventually have to leave the care for my horse to another person, that’s why he wanted me to at least understand the hardship of my horse’s caretaker and feel grateful to them.

Moreover, when I received a letter from Fredrick, saying that he could groom a horse properly, my sense of rivalry got ticked off and I replied with “Just you wait, I’ll be able to groom my horse on my own soon.”. Well, since I knew that Fredrick never got an attendant, I guess it was only natural for him to be able to do anything by himself.

Unfortunately, my request to my father to give Fredrick a proper attendant from our house was also shot down by my father since it would make things more complicated for Fredrick. Damn politics!

I mean, all we needed to do was throw in some random fellow who had already received training to become his attendant, yet politics made it even more complicated.

I was also starting to become penpals with Muriel.

From her letters, I knew that Muriel loved embroidery. She sent embroideries such as bear, cookies on handkerchiefs along with her letters. Moreover, when I carried those handkerchiefs, Wendy, who saw it, confiscated them from me. After begging her to return it, she promised to return the handkerchief if I knitted two new ones for her.

The thing Wendy liked the most was the one with a river-like motif.

It was made with light green cloth, light blue, blue, navy blue, and white threads to depict the river, tiny beads and spangles to depict the reflection of sunlight on the water surface. It really calmed your mind.

When I returned to the mansion, Wendy had already been waiting for me.

She, who turned three this year, was already able to learn courtesy. My sister was truly amazing, right?

She raised the sides of her skirt, pulling one foot slightly behind while bowing lightly as soon as she saw me.

「Wellcyome byack, Onii-chama.」

Look, my angel was so adorable, right! She was the most adorable angel in this world!

The cutest little sister in the world.

「I’m home, Wendy. Thank you for coming out to greet me. Your greeting is perfect, good job.」

「Ai yem a lady chuu. That’s yust nachural.」

「Indeed. Wendy is a splendid lady indeed.」

「Richard, Kevin, chank you very much for chaking care of my brocher.」

「Thank you very much for your care, Miss Wendy.」

「Thank you very much, milady, those words alone are enough for me.」

「You don’t actually need to greet them too you know.」

「Gyeez, Onii-chama, you myust nyot say sometying rude like tyat again you cnoow.」

「Hahaha. Look, I’ve made Wendy angry.」

Geez, she was such an adorable little creature!

Rather, both Kevin and Richard were making dumbfounded faces.

「Deyar fyather, said that he’s wayting for you, onii-chama.」

「Really? I’ll be right there. And thank you for telling me. Will you come with me too, Wendy?」

「My apyologies nii-chama, I’ve pwior appointment to knyitting togyether with deyar myother.」

I see, too bad.

I went to meet my father after asking Wendy to send my regards to our mother.

◇

Upon meeting my father, he asked me whether I wanted to go along with him to Royal Capital.

Naturally, my answer was YESYESYES.

I mean, both Fredrick and Muriel were in Royal Capital, after all.

It’d been a while since the last time I met them.

「By the way, Theodore, do you like miss Muriel?」

「Absolutely.」

「I see… the truth is, I’m also going to visit and greet Viscount Amber this time.」

「Muriel’s father?」

「Yes, I’m thinking about arranging your engagement with miss Muriel.」

「E-Engagement!?」

Engagement… Does that mean she is going to become my fiancée!?

「Yeah. Are you against it? It really doesn’t matter which one it is.」

Rather than that, don’t you think it was way too early for me, Papa?

「We’re going to be in deep trouble if you’ve no fiancée as soon as possible, this is also to prevent strange women from approaching you. Though seeing the two of you often sending letters to each other, I think you’re on good terms with her. Or else, do you by chance have another girl in your mind?」

I shook my head in a hurry upon hearing his question.

「Then shall I assume that you agree with this? Naturally, we’ve to wait for her reply though.」

I nodded this time.

「We’re going to hold an engagement ceremony after both parties agree to this engagement.」

「U-Uhm, if, Muriel rejected…」

What should I do now? I suddenly lost my confidence.

「Uhm, the other side might refuse this engagement’s proposal if they got scared by the difference in status between our house but… I don’t think they’re going to reject our engagement proposal.」

No, I mean just in case Papa. We’ve to be prepared for the worst situation.

I mean, my experience of not having a girlfriend was equal to my current age plus my age in my previous life.

There was no way she would agree so easily. Hahaha, I just somehow felt that way.

I mean, I never did anything like showing my appeal to Muriel.

I did feel grateful to be born as a hunk, but it didn’t mean that I could become as cool as my father.

「Uuhm, Theodore? You’re getting along really well with Miss Muriel, right? Since that’s the case, have some confidence in yourself. I mean, where does the usual confident Theodore go to at such an important moment?」

Dammit, as expected of a transcendent hunk called Papa, his handsome face was just like a free-for-all forgiveness ticket.

I mean, not even once I managed to cause the other girls to scream “KYAAA” like him in all the parties I attended with him.

Even though I always danced with Muriel, no other girls wanted to dance with me aside from Katrina. Moreover, the rangers were still glaring at me even after two years had passed.

The glare became even more intense as if they’re ready to pounce at me at any moment, whenever I talked with Fredrick. The heck, do you really hate your step-brother to the point of wanting to kill him?

「A-anyhow, be confident in yourself. We can expect a positive reply from them, you see.」

「Are you sure about it, Father?」

「Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be okay. That’s why stop showing such an anxious look on your face.」

I left the room after my father reassured me.

Later on, both Richard and Kevin reassured me with「Why are you getting cold feet now after flirting in daylight like that?」.

There was no way I was not having cold feet.

I mean, this was the first time for me, in both of my lives.

A few days later, we departed towards the Royal Capital after finishing all the necessary preparation.