Ch.107107. Yes, I’ve Decided on You Today.

“Hey, man! You should have contacted me right away when you got here!”

“Selden, I was dying of boredom without you. I know you came for Leonard’s wedding, but I was really looking forward to seeing you!”

Do I know these two men talking to me?

No.

We’ve never met before.

What’s more, the way they casually sat down at the table and asked the owner for drinks showed they had absolutely no shame.

I leaned toward Lightner, who had moved to the seat next to me, and whispered.

“Do you know who they are?”

“Aren’t they Young Master Selden’s friends?”

“I deliberately cut off all connections in my head when I went into exile. I don’t remember them, so could you tell me who they are?”

“The one on the left is Young Master Lucas from the Hyde family, and the one on the right is Young Master Rayner from the Flame family.”

They were either characters who didn’t appear in the original work or ones I couldn’t remember, though the former seemed more likely.

Well, “Selden Alphonse” was just an extra character, so why would his friends be any different?

I adjusted my posture and awkwardly opened my mouth.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.”

Lucas, with his long blue hair, closed one eye slowly and then opened it.

“Man, you missed us, didn’t you?”

Why does this Lucas guy look so sleazy?

Rayner looks like a bookish type with his glasses, but his expression and way of speaking suggest otherwise.

They seem like birds of a feather, but how should I put it?

It feels like a more wholesome gathering than I expected?

I turned my gaze to Lucas and continued speaking.

“As you know, I’ve been preoccupied with my exile.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you in the Lake territory. Rayner and I were also under house arrest by our families until recently.”

“House arrest?”

“Yeah, after you were exiled, our parents threatened us. They said if we caused any more trouble, they’d exile us just like Selden.”

“Haha, looks like I set a good example.”

Rayner, who had been silently listening to my conversation with Lucas, adjusted his glasses.

“Selden, your way of speaking seems to have changed a lot while we were apart.”

“How did I speak before?”

“It’s like you’ve lost that frivolous tone? Anyway, your expression also feels different from the Selden I knew.”

He may look dull, but he’s quite perceptive, isn’t he?

Still, for someone who could deceive even his own family, fooling these guys was as easy as pie.

Even if they caught on, they weren’t relationships I needed to worry about.

“I need to grow up a bit now. I can’t live as a delinquent forever.”

“That’s disappointing! Lucas and I were counting down the days until we could reunite with you!”

“To go to pleasure quarters?”

“Pleasure quarters?! Ahem!! Well, that would be nice too, but we’re about to have our coming-of-age ceremonies soon. Shouldn’t we be meeting women to marry?”

“Marriage?”

“Yeah! Your brother Leonard is getting married, so it’s our turn now.”

Is it because I’ve been reincarnated as “Selden Alphonse”?

I don’t feel the need to rush into marriage.

This world is full of landmines everywhere, and I don’t want to end up with some crazy woman just because I was in a hurry.

I smiled briefly and shook my head.

“No, I don’t want to rush into marriage. It’s not like fate will just fall from the sky with a ‘thud’ anyway.”

“Hey, you’re saying that even after seeing your brother? Who would have thought he’d marry Seri Familia?”

Right.

Seri Familia, of all people.

Who would have thought that a character known as one of the craziest women in the original work would become my sister-in-law?

“Haha! You’re right about that.”

“But are you okay? You used to like Seri Familia.”

“That’s already a settled matter between my brother Leonard and me. I can’t keep dwelling on the past, can I?”

“Wow, our Selden… you’ve really changed. If we’d known it would be like this, maybe Lucas and I should have been exiled too.”

Whether it was the alcohol taking effect or perhaps some remnant of “Selden Alphonse’s” soul, the initially awkward atmosphere quickly dissipated despite this being our first meeting.

“Let’s have a drink!”

“Sure.”

Even after Lightner returned to the family, the glasses for me, Lucas, and Rayner continued to be filled.

“Now that we’ve had enough to drink, shall we get started after all this time?”

Lucas slammed his hand on the table energetically and stood up.

I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what he was planning to do, when Rayner clapped his hands excitedly.

“Yes! Now that Selden’s here, let’s get started after so long!”

At first, I was very wary because they were Selden Alphonse’s friends, but I had started to warm up to them a bit. Were they really birds of a feather after all?

I didn’t know what they were planning to do, but with an uneasy feeling, I was about to reach out to Lucas to stop him when—

“There are three of us too. Would you like to have a drink together?”

What’s this?

I thought delinquents’ friends would offer strange drugs or forcibly drag women to the table.

I chuckled to myself at their unexpectedly decent behavior.

Of course, that was only until one of the women Lucas had spoken to opened her mouth.

“Ha… of course it’s you, Young Master.”

With a feeling like a breeze blowing through the tavern, a woman rose from her chair.

Her dark black hair fluttered magnificently.

Her fine features, sparkling eyes, and light leather armor were enough to inspire admiration.

‘But that emblem looks familiar…’

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

It was the emblem of the Alphonse family.

No wonder she called me “Young Master” earlier—she knew me?

Lucas seemed to have just realized the situation too, as he was now watching my reaction.

Still seated, I gave the woman an awkward smile.

“Sorry, my friend is drunk, so…”

Lucas scratched his head and laughed heartily, trying to read the situation.

“Haha!! I am drunk indeed. Yesterday I even asked my mother to join us for drinks!”

The black-haired woman, paying no attention, grabbed her glass from the table and approached me, swaying as if drunk.

Then, sitting down across from where Lucas had been, she spoke.

“Young Master, please pour me a drink.”

“…Oh, sure.”

“By the way, do you know my name?”

Despite her noble, feminine face, perhaps because she was a knight, she exuded an imposing aura throughout her body.

To be this impressive even while appearing drunk…

The knights of the Alphonse family seem quite capable.

“Sorry, I’ve been in exile for so long that I’ve forgotten all the knights’ names. What’s your name?”

“Ha… I didn’t expect anything. It’s Renata.”

“Right, Renata… that’s a nice name.”

“Please, if you’ve been exiled, you should come to your senses.”

It was a truly awkward situation.

At the table with Lucas, Rayner, and Renata, all the women were silently leaning in, ears perked up to eavesdrop on our conversation.

Suppressing my embarrassment deep in my chest, I leaned back in my chair with feigned composure.

“Strange. Since when did the knights of the Alphonse family become so disrespectful? Even if you’re drunk, it’s hard to understand.”

With slightly unfocused eyes, Renata spoke with a slurred voice.

“Then please stay away from our lady.”

“Who is your lady?”

“Who?! Of course, it’s our Lady Miria Alphonse!! Do you know how much our lady’s reputation has suffered because of her association with you?”

Ah…

So she’s Miria Alphonse’s knight?

When she came to meet me, I noticed quite a few women among her subordinates, and she must have been one of them.

By the way.

I’m the one who wants to distance myself from Miria Alphonse, so why am I being falsely accused?

If she were Jason Alphonse’s subordinate, I would have put her in her place properly, but this just makes me feel deflated.

“Right, I’m sorry about that.”

“…What?!”

“I said I’m sorry for being close to my sister.”

Had Renata not expected an apology at all?

As if sobering up, her previously dull eyes suddenly sparkled with life.

She covered her mouth and hurriedly stood up, bowing deeply.

“I-I must have been temporarily insane. I drank too much and made a mistake with you, Young Master.”

“No, I completely understand your position. When the person you serve is hanging around with the biggest delinquent in the family, it’s natural to be upset.”

“…What can I do to appease your anger, Young Master?”

No, really, it’s fine?

What kind of memories does she have of the previous “Selden Alphonse” that made her so frightened as soon as she sobered up?

I nodded my chin toward Renata.

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’ll tell the lady about this.”

Aha!

So in addition to being a delinquent, I also have a reputation as a tattletale?

Well, given Miria Alphonse’s personality, telling on someone would be quite effective.

As I was at a loss for words, Lucas cautiously joined the conversation.

“It seems like there was just a misunderstanding. Why don’t we have a drink and clear it up?”

What misunderstanding?

Just as the words “You idiot, just say you want to drink with the women” were tickling my throat, unfamiliar male voices came from behind.

“Well, who do we have here? It’s Young Master Selden.”

I narrowed my brows at the arrogant tone and turned my head.

There stood three men wearing leather armor with the Alphonse family emblem, just like Renata, with their arms crossed and an air of superiority.

“Who are you?”

“Come on, have you gone senile already? We’re knights serving Young Master Jason.”

I licked my lips and rose from my chair.

I had been feeling irritated with nowhere to vent, and now these meat shields had so kindly presented themselves—what a joyous occasion!

I looked at the men with satisfaction, one by one, and curled up the corners of my mouth.

“Alright, I’ve decided on you guys for today.”