Ch.284284. The Arrow Could Be Aimed at Me

“What are you worrying about so much?”

On the way to Alphonse territory.

We decided to travel in two carriages to have separate conversations.

One carried Pedericks and Clara.

The other carried me and Jawill Wilson.

Jawill Wilson sighed deeply, seemingly unable to come up with an answer.

“Haa… no matter how much I think about it, I can’t find an answer.”

“There can’t be an answer when there’s no problem.”

“Y-yes, that’s true.”

Jawill Wilson had been invited to the Delphinium Flower Festival in Cataria territory.

It was likely an attempt to boost tourism, which had declined after the Black Hound attacks.

Yet Jawill Wilson was so troubled because of Vivian Cataria.

If he built a connection this way, their relationship might eventually develop to a point where it would be awkward to refuse her.

And what if Vivian Cataria found out about Jawill Wilson and Clara’s relationship?

He needed to carefully decide his actions to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

I folded my arms heavily and tilted my chin.

“If it’s difficult to refuse, should I do it for you?”

“Y-you, young master?”

“Well, if it’s hard for the person involved, I can at least refuse on your behalf.”

“…Even so, I think it would be difficult to turn down the Delphinium Flower Festival. They seem to be trying to increase tourism, and that’s something I could help with.”

“But what’s troubling you is the anxiety that this occasion might bring you closer to Vivian Cataria, right?”

Jawill Wilson hesitated before slowly nodding.

“That’s right. I think I need to resolve this clearly.”

“So, shall I do it for you?”

“…Since this is a situation I created, I should resolve it myself.”

“Oh? That’s unusual.”

“I can’t keep putting you in difficult positions forever.”

I smiled gently at Jawill Wilson’s evident growth.

“How do you plan to refuse?”

“After the festival, I should tell Lady Vivian Cataria that I have someone I care for.”

“If possible, speak directly to Vivian’s father, Lord Gerard.”

“Not to Lady Vivian herself?”

“Right. Speaking directly to her might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“Ah…”

“If you do it that way, Lord Gerard will likely convey the message to Vivian in a way that minimizes her hurt feelings.”

As I gave this hint, Jawill Wilson’s expression visibly relaxed.

“Thank you. If this resolves well, it will truly be thanks to you.”

“If things work out with Clara, isn’t that also thanks to me?”

“Haha! That’s right.”

Jawill Wilson, who had been laughing heartily, tilted his head as if something occurred to him.

“By the way, I noticed earlier that Sir Pedericks didn’t look very happy either.”

“Ah, he’s just nervous.”

“Nervous?”

“My father is going to introduce a potential marriage partner to Pedericks. It’s probably because of that.”

“D-did Baron Byron approve it?”

“Yes, I asked him to. Pedericks can’t live alone forever.”

“…That’s true. Sometimes I felt sorry for him because he had so much work. This seems like a good development.”

With an indifferent expression, I continued speaking while looking at the scenery outside the carriage.

“It’s not a done deal yet.”

“Still, if Sir Pedericks takes small steps like this, won’t he eventually find a good match?”

“You’re right. If you don’t take action, nothing will progress.”

Screech-!

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Alphonse territory.

As I got out of the carriage, an unexpected person greeted me.

“Selden!!”

Leonard Alphonse, who must have been training diligently on his own, welcomed me with a sturdy appearance.

He used to be even more clueless than Jawill Wilson, but he seemed to have improved somewhat.

“Brother, have you been well?”

“I’ve been good. As soon as I heard you were coming, I insisted on coming out to greet you.”

“Do you have something specific to tell me?”

Leonard quickly scanned our surroundings and spoke in a low voice.

“Brother Evander left home.”

“…Pardon?”

“I don’t know the details either, but Brother Evander left home after an argument with Father.”

So after I cut off Evander Alphonse’s limbs with the information from Riden Solis, he finally declared independence?

This means Leonard might end up inheriting the family head position without effort.

I stared at Leonard blankly.

“So what’s your point?”

“What do you mean? I’m about to become the family head!”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I wanted it, but I didn’t wish for Brother Evander to leave home.”

“…Pardon?”

“Shouldn’t there be someone to support me firmly when I’m in the family head position? Especially after what happened to Brother Jason Alphonse…”

Surprised by this unexpected response, I spoke with an intrigued expression.

“I didn’t expect you to think that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you’d purge all obstacles once you took the family head position.”

Leonard stared at me in disbelief.

“If you win the succession battle, you should have the generosity to embrace others. That’s what being a family head means!”

Oh, look at this guy?

I thought he would immediately block Evander Alphonse’s path to success and assign him to a remote territory once he became family head, but he wants to embrace him?

Like Jawill Wilson, he was showing signs of growth day by day.

“Oh? Then will you embrace me too?”

Leonard nodded while patting my back with his palm.

“Your future is practically set now.”

“…Is that so?”

“Don’t worry about your future. No matter what, I’m not someone who forgets favors.”

Sigh…

I felt a surge of emotion remembering the past days when I had beaten this guy until I was drenched in sweat.

Though they say people can’t be reformed, he seemed somewhat recyclable.

“I just want to live quietly.”

“Right. If you hadn’t wanted to live quietly, you would definitely have become the family head.”

“How are you so sure I have no ambition for the family head position?”

“I heard some things from Father, and if you had wanted the family head position, you wouldn’t have trained me personally, right?”

“…I suppose that’s true.”

“By the way, Brother Evander disappeared in the night with his knights like he was running away… I’m telling you to be careful in case he might cause you harm.”

It was a reasonable point.

Evander Alphonse might harbor more resentment toward me than toward Leonard.

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had gone wrong, but he certainly would have felt that his succession rights were pushed back because of me.

Originally, he probably thought the family head position was guaranteed after Jason Alphonse’s death.

However, Leonard had risen unexpectedly, and by the time Evander tried to assess and salvage the situation, it was already too late.

Moreover, his attempted rebellion had failed, leaving him in despair.

Therefore.

The arrow might be pointed at me.

Of course, attacking Lake territory would be futile now.

I bowed to Leonard.

“Thank you for warning me in advance.”

“Be careful. It shouldn’t happen, but Brother Evander Alphonse might attack Lake territory out of spite.”

Kuk!

To attack Lake territory, he would need the cooperation of at least three other families, even if I weren’t there!

He’d have a slightly better chance of success if he attacked Alphonse territory instead.

Well, Evander Alphonse probably doesn’t know the details anyway.

I cleared my throat and raised my head.

“How’s the atmosphere at home?”

“It’s a complete mess. Brother Jason Alphonse rightfully received punishment for his wrongdoings, but our parents don’t know much about Brother Evander Alphonse’s situation.”

“They must be heartbroken.”

“Mother is the most devastated. After all, Brother Evander Alphonse was the pillar of our family after Father. For such a person to disappear in the night without even leaving a note…”

If I told Baron Byron Alphonse the truth that Evander Alphonse had plotted rebellion, the issue could be easily resolved.

However, that wouldn’t ease our parents’ hearts.

I need to resolve this myself.

If possible, I also intended to embrace him, as Leonard suggested.

“I’ll do my best to find Brother Evander Alphonse’s whereabouts, so please comfort Mother until then.”

“I’m already doing my best! These days, I even bathe with Mother again!?”

I smiled gently at Leonard, who cleared his throat with a reddened face.

“With Sister too?”

“No, Sister says she doesn’t want to bathe unless you’re there.”

“Ha! When on earth is Sister getting married?”

“Well… Derickson Everton? She seems to meet with him occasionally, but I have no idea about the situation…”

Leonard, who had been trailing off, suddenly blinked as if coming to his senses.

“Look at me. Anyway, our parents are waiting, so let’s go in!”