Ch.303303. ·····Now that I hear it, it’s horrifying.

“Young master, I’ve unpacked all the luggage.”

“Good work. How much longer until we reach Lake Territory?”

At an inn in a territory of the Eastern Continent.

Since it seemed we wouldn’t be sleeping in the carriage continuously, I decided to stay overnight to wash up as well.

Jawil Wilson straightened his back at my question.

“According to the coachman, if we leave early in the morning, we should arrive by the afternoon.”

“So we really don’t have much left to go.”

After organizing all the luggage, Jawil Wilson sat in the chair opposite me and spoke.

“Among all the journeys I’ve taken with you, young master, this seems to be the longest in terms of distance.”

“Indeed. All this trouble for research materials… By the way, what about Olivia?”

“She had dinner downstairs and went straight to her room.”

“I’m worried she might cause trouble, but maybe that’s just my imagination?”

“Come on, Olivia isn’t some troublemaker… Don’t worry.”

I narrowed my eyes at Jawil Wilson, who suddenly defended Olivia.

“That’s strange?”

“…Pardon?”

“No, it’s just that until yesterday, you were gossiping about Olivia more than I was, and now you’re suddenly defending her?”

“Wh-when did I defend her!? I’m just saying that Olivia is a grown adult, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…Could it be that you’ve changed your mind after seeing Olivia’s figure?”

Jawil Wilson’s face turned bright red.

Then, fanning himself with his palm, he raised his voice.

“To be frank, what has Olivia done wrong? Isn’t the real problem that Lord Robert neglected his child’s education because he was too busy with research!?”

“Would you listen to this guy?”

“When Olivia removed her top because of the heat, fortunately she was still wearing undergarments, but I felt sad. Because probably no one had ever told her that was inappropriate behavior.”

“Well, well! You’re defending her even though she hit you?”

“They say hate the sin, not the sinner. I understand Olivia.”

Jawil Wilson placed his palm on his chest and nodded.

Well, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand.

Such a figure on that slender frame…

It was certainly impressive.

I folded my arms heavily and let out a long sigh.

“Hah… Clara would be so pleased to see you like this.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up Clara?”

“Alright, then when we arrive at Lake Territory, I suppose it would be fine if I had a chat with Clara?”

As I curled up the corners of my mouth, Jawil Wilson seemed to snap back to his senses and gulped dryly.

“…I apologize. I think I was enchanted by her chest… I mean, by something.”

“Be good to the one you have. You’ll regret it otherwise.”

“Ah, understood.”

Jawil Wilson drooped his shoulders, then soon lifted his head.

“By the way, will Olivia be living in Lake Territory now?”

“I don’t know. She’ll probably return to the Northern Continent after giving the research materials to Lord Robert. But why do you ask?”

“If Olivia stays in Lake Territory, I was thinking our territory might become the strongest on the continent.”

Lucien and Robert…

And Olivia, who is half-human.

This was enough power to withstand simultaneous attacks from all four imperial courts.

“Even if she stays, it’s not like she’ll be with us forever.”

“That’s true.”

“Since Olivia has come to Lake Territory, I hope she gets along with Lucien. Even though she’s half-human, she would understand Lucien’s heart better than anyone.”

“…Young master, is that really a good thing?”

“Why?”

“Don’t people who are close start to resemble each other? What if Lucien starts acting like Olivia?”

“…Now that you mention it, that would be terrible.”

Jawil Wilson must have imagined it too, as he trembled.

“Ugh! I’ll head to my room and get some sleep now.”

“Yes, go ahead. We need to leave early in the morning, so get some rest.”

Clank-! Bang!

As Jawil Wilson was about to leave, the door burst open with a loud noise.

Turning my head, I saw Olivia at the doorway, holding a bottle of alcohol, swinging it while nodding her chin.

Then she opened her mouth with a booming voice.

“How is everyone!? Nothing beats alcohol when you can’t sleep!”

*

“Are you out of your mind!?”

Kabla’s loud voice boomed as he barged into Robert’s lodging.

Robert calmly tilted his head in response.

“What brings you here at such a late hour?”

“I heard that Lord Selden Alphonse went to the Northern Continent to retrieve your research materials!!”

“Ah… there was a reason. I thought it would be better if I stayed in Lake Territory rather than Lord Selden Alphonse, in case Lucien went berserk.”

“That’s not what I mean! Olivia is there, isn’t she!?”

“Yes, she is, but…?”

“Do you think I don’t know your intentions!?”

Robert nodded with a faint smile.

“I won’t deny it. But I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?”

“No matter how much you want to marry off your daughter… how could you plan so meticulously?”

Olivia was Robert’s sore spot.

Despite careful education from a young age, he couldn’t change her wild dragon temperament.

Of course, he hadn’t paid much attention while focusing on human research.

However, he had expected Olivia to inherit at least some of her calm mother’s personality, but she was completely unpredictable.

Consequently, even at marriageable age, she remained single.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried for his daughter.

How many men had he introduced to her over the years?

But Olivia couldn’t find anyone who met her standards.

It was understandable.

She wanted to marry someone stronger than herself.

It was also difficult to turn to dragons for a marriage partner.

Olivia wasn’t pureblooded but half-human.

There was a high possibility that dragons would instinctively reject her.

But.

When despair was at its peak, Robert saw Selden Alphonse.

Not only was he handsome, but he was also bold enough to negotiate with the Western Emperor for his friend Kabla.

Above all, he was stronger than his daughter Olivia.

Therefore.

Despite being able to retrieve the research materials himself, Robert had planned to bring his daughter and Selden Alphonse together.

Naturally, his friend Kabla had seen through his intentions.

Robert adjusted his posture and looked at Kabla.

“If you had a daughter, you would understand my feelings. I had no choice. I was also quite impressed with Lord Selden Alphonse.”

“…Even if Olivia and Lord Selden Alphonse meet, they might not end up together, right?”

At this, Robert grinned, showing his gums.

“Come to think of it, you haven’t seen Olivia since she was little. She takes after her mother’s beauty perfectly. I’m not saying this because she’s my daughter, but I’ve never seen a human woman more beautiful than our Olivia.”

“Lord Selden Alphonse isn’t someone who only looks at appearances.”

Robert furrowed his brow at Kabla’s words.

“Are you saying that our Olivia is just pretty but has a bad personality?”

“Am I wrong!?”

“…I won’t deny it. Even as her father, I must acknowledge certain things.”

“And if you were planning something like this, you should have at least consulted with me!”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you would try to stop me.”

Kabla clutched his head as if he had a headache and slumped into a chair.

“This is no small matter.”

“Why are you so serious? There’s no need for old men like us to interfere in matters between a man and a woman.”

“That’s not what I mean! I heard from Rupert that Lord Selden Alphonse already has someone he intends to marry!”

At Kabla’s words, Robert was momentarily startled but soon chuckled softly.

“Is that all… It’s not like Lord Selden Alphonse is already married, is he?”

“…You might change your tune if you heard who Lord Selden Alphonse is going to marry.”

“The way you’re talking, one might think Lord Selden Alphonse is marrying a princess.”

“Did you already know?”

“…What?”

“That’s right. The person Lord Selden Alphonse is going to marry is the Eastern Continent’s princess.”

At this, Robert, who had maintained a relaxed expression until now, bolted upright.

“Are you certain?”

“It seems everyone is keeping quiet about it, but it’s a settled matter. Didn’t I tell you? When Emperor Callian came to fetch Princess Joanna last time, Emperor Malius personally attended.”

“Th-that was… because Emperor Malius has a close relationship with Lord Selden Alphonse, wasn’t it!?”

“I thought so at first too. But Rupert told me.

Even though everyone is hushing it up, they all know that Lord Selden Alphonse is going to marry the Eastern Continent’s princess.”

Robert wasn’t afraid of the imperial family, but he knew that getting involved in imperial affairs could be troublesome.

Moreover, if this led to the revelation of dragons’ existence to the imperial court?

“Y-you should have explained this to me earlier!”

“If you had consulted with me before setting things in motion, it wouldn’t have come to this.”

“Hah… this is serious.”

As Robert sighed deeply, Kabla held out his palm, urging him to calm down.

“Isn’t it good that you know now? Nothing will happen before they reach Lake Territory anyway.”

“…You don’t know because I didn’t tell you. When Olivia was young, there was just one time she liked a boy her age. She acted very aggressively then.”

“H-how did she act?”

To Kabla’s question, Robert replied with half-glazed eyes.

“…She undressed in front of the person she liked.”