Ch.122122. Right, you sure talk a lot.

“Wow! Young master, look at the scenery over there. Isn’t it beautiful? I never noticed before, but as I get older, I realize how pretty these flowers are… I regret only understanding this now.”

“Yeah.”

“Look over there too. See those horses galloping freely across the plains. The ‘clop, clop’ sound of their hooves as they run makes them look so free.”

“Yeah, you sure talk a lot.”

“…Pardon?”

“What?”

Federicks pulls his head back from the carriage window and clears his throat.

“I suppose I’m just excited about going out after so long.”

“Were you planning to get out and run with those horses?”

“N-no, that’s too much of a joke. Honestly, how much have I struggled managing the finances? And you’ve been leaving me behind whenever you go out!”

“Lately, every time I ride in a carriage, something happens or we get attacked. Would you prefer I take you along more often?”

“…Haha! I was just joking too.”

With Evander Alphonse still at Lake Estate driving me crazy, why does this guy have to talk so much…

If Baron Byron hadn’t told me to bring Federicks along, I would have gone alone.

Still.

I did need someone to handle things.

Rio needs to look after Rinadiel, Jawill Wilson is building defenses, and Riden has to manage the mercenaries.

One fortunate thing, I suppose?

I refused Luna’s offer to come along, using her rampage as an excuse.

My head is complicated enough without Luna joining in—that would have been a nightmare.

Federicks’ chattiness is a hundred, no, a thousand times better by comparison.

I crossed my arms and turned my gaze toward Federicks.

“Are you sure?”

“If you suddenly ask if I’m sure without context, how am I supposed to answer?”

“That Father told you to come along.”

“S-surely you don’t think I lied to you just because I wanted to go outside?”

“No, you just seem to enjoy outings too much.”

“Not at all! I would never lie to you, young master.”

“Then why would Father ask for you?”

Federicks strokes his chin thoughtfully, then snaps his thumb and middle finger.

“Perhaps it’s about preparations for your coming-of-age ceremony? Once your exile ends, you’ll have your ceremony.”

“What’s the big deal about a coming-of-age ceremony?”

“What do you mean?! Having your coming-of-age ceremony means your words will carry weight within the family.”

“So what if my words carry weight?”

“A-and you’ll be able to move freely in other territories.”

I looked at Federicks with an indifferent expression.

“I already move around freely. What’s different?”

“Simply put, you can act freely without having to report to Baron Byron. Because you’ll be an adult.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I wasn’t planning to report my movements after my exile ends anyway.”

“That’s good. Now you can act legally.”

I continued speaking while looking at the scenery outside the carriage.

“Federicks, what exactly is death?”

“Are you suddenly curious about death?”

“Well, we’re heading to a funeral.”

“All people end in death. Isn’t there a saying that life is our only asset? So, if you accumulate virtue and consistently do good deeds—”

“Stop. I was wrong to ask you in the first place.”

Federicks scratched his cheek, seemingly embarrassed.

“By the way, what was the exact reason you broke off the engagement with Lady Elina?”

The engagement with Elina Parseche was broken right before ‘Selden Alphonse’ left for exile.

Which means, I wasn’t the one who broke it off.

So why did he express the intention to break it off?

I’m guessing ‘Selden Alphonse’ judged Elina Parseche to be unattractive.

She always wore a veil, after all.

If that’s not the reason, then as Baron Byron said, it must be because he was in love with Seri Familia.

Sigh…

If the latter is correct, then ‘Selden Alphonse’ was truly an idiot.

How could he reject heavenly beauty for a woman obsessed with dissection?

Besides.

Elina Parseche’s greatest charm is that she doesn’t appear in the novel “The Youngest Son of a Brilliant Family.”

Meaning meeting her wouldn’t change the story at all.

And what about her appearance?

She possesses beauty that doesn’t lose to any original character.

Her personality is calm, and she even had the boldness to kiss me on the cheek…

I let out a deep sigh toward Federicks.

“I wonder why indeed.”

“From your expression, it seems you regret it.”

“I do regret it. Yes, absolutely.”

I clicked my tongue, and Federicks leaned his head toward me.

“Then isn’t it not too late even now?”

“Huh?”

“Women are naturally drawn to those who comfort them when they’re going through their hardest times. Isn’t Lady Elina going through her most difficult days right now?”

“No thanks, I don’t want to take advantage of that.”

“You need to be honest. If you keep putting it off, Baron Byron might force you to marry someone you don’t even like.”

I looked at Federicks and smirked.

“It’s fine. We still have Sister Miria. Speaking of which, when are you going to introduce me to a man for her?”

“I think we should look into it again after visiting Parseche territory.”

“Try to schedule it for two months later. I think I’ll be quite busy.”

“Understood. I still hope you’ll reconsider meeting with Lady Elina.”

“Why do you seem more eager about this than I am?”

Federicks opened and closed his mouth in bewilderment before raising his voice.

“Because it’s frustrating! Who would have thought that the young master who used to frequent pleasure houses and was crazy about women would become so picky about marriage?”

Why does everyone in this world rush marriage so much?

Is divorce easy here?

No, it’s not.

They might take concubines, but they don’t discard their legal wives.

Once you’re bound, you can’t leave each other unless one commits a serious crime.

That’s why Seri Familia tried to assassinate Leonard before the wedding.

After the monster wave ends and I hand things over to the protagonist, will I find a good match too?

For that, I should first aim for independence.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it myself. Just stop nagging.”

“Sigh… understood.”

With Federicks’ sigh, we arrived at Parseche territory.

As I got out of the carriage, a splendid mansion caught my eye first.

“Wow, is this really a declining family?”

I gaped, and Federicks quickly followed me out of the carriage.

“The Parseche family recovered from financial difficulties thanks to the Peil fruit, and they’ve accumulated wealth through other businesses since then.”

“The Peil fruit must have made a big difference.”

“Isn’t this all thanks to you, young master? So, using the Peil fruit as an excuse, you could reconnect with Lady Elina—”

“I said I’ll handle it myself, didn’t I?”

“…I apologize.”

While I was bickering with Federicks, a familiar female voice called from behind.

“Lord Selden Alphonse!”

I turned my head reflexively.

Elina Parseche was walking toward us with confident steps, still wearing her veil.

Is it because of the knights escorting her?

Or is it because she’s become more at ease?

Some kind of aura seemed to envelop her.

“Lady Elina, it’s good to see you. Even with your face hidden behind the veil, you’re still beautiful.”

“Well, that’s rich coming from someone who broke off our engagement.”

“Haha, didn’t you agree to forget about that?”

“Of course. Our family rose again thanks to you, so we should forget the past.”

“…Are you alright?”

At my question, Elina hesitated before nodding with a gentle smile.

“My mother always said that one should smile more when times are tough. It would also be rude to greet a guest who has come all this way with a sad face.”

“But you’re still wearing your veil?”

“Ah… I had originally planned to remove it starting from Lake Estate, but there were certain circumstances.”

“Certain circumstances?”

Elina blushes with an embarrassed expression.

“It’s a bit difficult for me to say…”

“Haha, I suppose men can’t keep calm when they see your face? As someone who has seen your unveiled face, I can understand.”

“…How embarrassing.”

Just then, Federicks nudges my side with his elbow and jerks his chin, indicating I should look behind me.

I turned my head with a puzzled expression.

And then.

-Who is that guy talking and laughing with Lady Elina?

-This isn’t fair! He only gave us a brief greeting!

-Ah! Be quiet, I can’t hear what they’re saying!!

-Someone find out which family that guy is from!

-Lady Elina!! I would die happy if I could see your unveiled face just once more!!

Sigh…

I have a feeling this is going to be an exhausting funeral.