Ch.8989. I’ll Push Hard for You.

“We’re going to meet Seri Familia now, right?”

Leonard, as if there was truly something wrong with his head, raised his voice with a cheerful expression, acting as if he’d never been intimidated before.

I let out a short sigh.

“That’s correct.”

“Why do you think Father suddenly called both you and me to the Familia house?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“But I think I do!”

I tilted my chin toward Leonard, who was brimming with confidence.

“Then why are we going to the Familia house now?”

“Remember Seri Familia? We went on that joint monster hunt together in Lake territory.”

“Yes, Baron Rene’s daughter.”

“The way she looked at me back then wasn’t ordinary. I’m sure they’re planning to discuss marriage.”

I sighed again as I watched Leonard rambling with exaggerated gestures.

It wasn’t just because of Leonard; I couldn’t hide my anxiety about being summoned to the Familia house itself…

The conversation I had with Seri Familia when we fell off the cliff together flashed through my mind.

She had grabbed my bleeding arm with a crazed look in her eyes, refusing to let go.

And along with that, her infamous line from the original work came back to me.

“My heart races whenever I see corpses and blood—what am I supposed to do about that?”

How could I possibly forget such a line?

Though I didn’t know exactly why we were summoned, I had a definite intuition that it wasn’t for anything good.

Well, Leonard, who had been so intimidated before, was already grinning from ear to ear at the news of going to the Familia house.

I spoke to Leonard with one hundred percent sincerity.

“I hope things work out well between you and Lady Seri Familia.”

“Haha! You think we’d make a good match too, right?”

“Yes, you’re absolutely made for each other.”

“When we get there, give me a good push in the right direction. If you do, I’ll forgive everything that happened in the carriage.”

In the original work, Seri Familia was one of the worst villains—not just someone to avoid getting involved with, but someone terrifying even to encounter.

Should I seek independence quickly after the monster wave ends?

Being dragged around by Baron Byron isn’t doing me any favors either.

By the way.

The immature Leonard is beaming with joy.

I wondered if I’d ever seen such a single-celled organism in my life.

Just watching his emotions change from moment to moment is enough to drive me crazy.

“Yes! I’ll definitely give Lady Seri Familia a strong push in your direction.”

“The Familia family may not be as prestigious as ours, but you know they’re quite famous in the region, right?”

“Is that so?”

“See? To lead a noble house, connections are important, but information is essential!”

Wasn’t he just boasting about his great connections earlier? Has he changed his stance already?

Anyway, he’s so eager to climb up with just a little encouragement—it’s disheartening.

Normally, I would have told him to stop bothering me and to get lost.

However, where are we heading right now?

We’re going to where Seri Familia is.

I need to humor him.

There might be a chance to make use of Leonard later.

“As expected of my brother!”

“Ahem! If I proceed with marriage to Seri Familia, it will definitely benefit our family. I won’t have to worry about my older brothers anymore.”

Kuk!

It would certainly help the Alfonse family, but when you come to your senses, you might find one of your arms or legs already torn off!

Barely suppressing my laughter, I spoke.

“It’s a long journey. Are you feeling alright?”

“My body is fine, but the imperial carriage was definitely better. The ride quality isn’t great since we switched.”

Fortunately, the Familia house was closer than the imperial palace, so we arrived after a full day’s journey.

Having departed immediately after returning to our family estate, my body felt stiff from spending several days sleeping uncomfortably in camps and carriages.

“Oh my, is that Selden?”

As I stepped out of the carriage, Seri Familia, who had come to greet us, covered her mouth with her palm and smiled brightly.

Her purple hair still sparkled unusually in the sunlight.

Clear-cut features and glossy lips.

Though a villain, she had the distinct three-dimensional quality of a character from the original work.

Leonard, anxious for some reason, immediately blocked my path as he got out of the carriage and bowed politely toward her.

“Leonard Alfonse, pleased to meet the young lady of the Familia house.”

“Ah… yes, nice to meet you.”

“I was quite tired from attending the imperial banquet, but when I heard the Familia house had invited us, I rushed here immediately.”

“I see.”

Then, Leonard pulled a single flower from his back pocket and gazed at Seri Familia with half-lidded eyes.

“I didn’t have time to prepare a proper gift. It can’t compare to your fragrance, Lady Seri Familia, but please consider it a small token of my sincerity.”

So when he suddenly asked to stop the carriage just before we arrived, he wasn’t answering nature’s call but picking a flower?

And that line that even a grandfather wouldn’t use…

He should have asked me for advice instead. Why is he unnecessarily losing points?

Even Seri Familia looked taken aback by Leonard’s socially inept behavior.

“…Thank you.”

Thanks to Leonard’s desperate marking, I moved to the reception room without much conversation with Seri Familia.

As soon as we entered the doorway, Baron Byron rose and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! You’ve arrived earlier than expected.”

“Selden Alfonse, greeting Father.”

“Leonard Alfonse, greeting Father.”

Then Baron Byron glanced at Baron Rene and continued.

“Selden, you look radiant. Did you eat well at the imperial palace?”

The feeling of a father boasting about his son?

I felt an inexplicable lump in my throat.

Just as I was about to speak, Leonard blocked my path again.

“Father, let me tell you who I connected with at the imperial banquet—”

“You look unwell, so go rest in your room for now.”

“…Pardon?”

“This father has important matters to discuss with Selden, so go rest, will you?”

When Baron Byron widened his eyes with his distinctive baritone voice, Leonard stood there blankly before leaving the reception room with the Familia house butler, his shoulders drooping.

Now only I, Baron Byron, Baron Rene, and Seri Familia remained in the reception room.

A very uncomfortable atmosphere.

Baron Byron’s expression, which seemed to hide something, made me even more anxious.

“Sit down first.”

“Yes, sir.”

As I sat on the sofa managing my expression, Baron Byron glanced at Baron Rene again and continued.

“When this father asked you to return to the family, you said you wanted to complete your exile period to properly reflect, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Once your exile ends, it will soon be your coming-of-age ceremony. And you know well what completing the coming-of-age ceremony means.”

Across from me, Seri Familia sat with a flushed face, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Alas, my ominous premonition seemed to be coming true.

Father…

How could you try to marry your beloved youngest son to a woman obsessed with corpses and dissection?

It was truly a moment of despair.

However, as they say, even in a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.

I frantically racked my brain to survive.

That’s when it happened.

A brilliant idea flashed in my mind that could miraculously get me out of this awkward situation.

“I understand well. Actually, His Majesty the Emperor asked how my marriage would be arranged after my coming-of-age ceremony.”

“E-Emperor Malius did?”

“Yes, he said he would summon you to the imperial palace soon.”

“Emperor Malius… is summoning me to the imperial palace!?”

“If you ask Brother Leonard, he’ll confirm it. At the birthday banquet, Emperor Malius invited me to have tea with him.”

Baron Byron cleared his throat with a bewildered look.

“Continue.”

Perhaps the words I’m uttering now are digging my own grave.

But what choice do I have?

For now, I need to create a situation to prevent marriage with Seri Familia, and I can deal with the aftermath later.

Besides.

Emperor Malius will definitely summon Baron Byron to the imperial palace regardless of what I say.

He already gave me his word on that.

Therefore.

By revealing now what will be discovered later anyway, I can escape this awkward situation.

That was the best I could do at the moment.

“He didn’t specify exactly, but he asked me to relay the message that he would summon you to the imperial palace soon.”

Baron Rene Familia also wore a serious expression.

Of course.

He wouldn’t want to be the one who stole a potential son-in-law the Emperor had his eye on.

Baron Byron pressed his fingers against his temples as if he had a headache after hearing this.

“He must be referring to Princess Sairin.”

His expression was full of concern.

It was common knowledge that Princess Sairin was losing in the succession struggle at the imperial palace.

To successfully complete my plan, I tilted my head in feigned ignorance.

“What do you mean?”

“Given that Emperor Malius mentioned marriage, it’s obvious. He wants to match you with Princess Sairin.”

Now I could predict how Baron Byron would move.

He would likely try to quickly arrange a marriage with Seri Familia or a lady from another house.

He would think it better to disappoint Emperor Malius once than to have the Alfonse family ruined after Princess Etherian wins the succession struggle.

As Baron Byron sighed, I scratched my head, continuing to play dumb.

“Pardon? But I’m close with both Princess Sairin and Princess Etherian.”