Herdy Family

Herdy Family

In the world of “Female Lead Groupies,” there were three main criteria for judging noble families.

First, the family must be recognized as legitimate.

Second, the family must be able to exert significant influence on the central government and the country itself.

And lastly, the third criterion was that there must be something that could be called a characteristic of the family.

‘The third one is a bit abstract, but in short, it means they should have something that can be called representative in a certain field.’

For example, the Lercier Family symbolized military power.

In the case of the Herdy Family, to which Delia belonged, they were famous for their “wealth” due to their vast assets.

‘Even in the story, it’s mentioned that the Herdy Family created their authority and influence using their enormous wealth.’

The extent of their influence was self-evident.

Delia suddenly popped up from such a family.

I acknowledged her unique business acumen and characteristic speed of handling tasks, having seen it firsthand, but…

‘Rich daughter… no, even if I assume she’s just a noble child from a prestigious family, she doesn’t seem to fit.’

Delia was the type of person who was so free-spirited that she could be mistaken for a wealthy commoner rather than a noble.

As I was clicking my tongue, watching Delia humming happily while looking at the modified formula I had helped with,

Delia, who was smiling happily, suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke to me.

“So, are you coming to my house?”

At those words, I couldn’t help but fall into contemplation for a moment.

‘Whether I go or not, it probably won’t be a big issue.’

It seemed better to go if I wanted to keep using Delia in the future.

I slowly nodded as I thought that if I played my cards right there, I could use Delia not only in the early morning but also in the evening hours.

“It’s not difficult.”

“Great. Then let’s go.”

If your head was full of flowers, it would probably feel like this.

I sighed, thinking that he was a guy I just couldn’t understand.

*

When I arrived at Delia’s house, my impression was that it was luxurious but excessively flashy.

The items placed in the Lercier family were also of such high quality that ordinary nobles couldn’t even imagine.

But the things here were on a different level, flaunting their grandeur.

‘If I were to compare, if our house feels like a luxury mansion, this place feels like a museum?’

As I was looking around, thinking that this alone could tell me what kind of family the Herdi family was.

A butler with a somewhat friendly expression greeted us.

“Welcome, Miss Delia and Young Master Deren.”

I nodded briefly in response to this welcome, and he signaled to the nearby maids and butlers to carry our luggage for us.

“Then, I will guide you to the guest room. This way.”

As I nodded, Delia, who was beside me, waved her hand and said.

“Hey, I’ll go ahead first then. Get some rest!”

“Alright.”

“Heheh.”

Delia, seemingly delighted with the magic modification, runs out towards the hallway with a happy smile.

I slowly move forward, hearing a regretful comment from the side, ‘Now Miss Delia is behaving frivolously even in front of guests…’

*

“This is your room. If you need anything or want something, please don’t hesitate to call.”

The butler leads me to a room that’s too luxurious to be called a guest room and quietly disappears from my sight.

I stand silently for a moment, watching the butler’s retreating figure.

As I slowly enter the room, I fall into thought for a moment.

‘It’s draining quickly.’

Should I say it feels like energy is being absorbed from the side even when I’m just standing still?

As I’m sprawled on the sofa, feeling strangely tired, someone knocks on the door.

“Hey, hey! I’m back!”

It seems like not even 5 minutes have passed, but she’s already returned?

Thinking that I’d prefer if she came later if possible, I briefly said.

“Come in.”

“Okay!”

Delia, showing an excessively high-tension, opens the door somewhat roughly.

Then she sits down, almost collapsing, on the sofa near me and starts talking.

“Hey, hey. You know what? I checked the magic modification you did for me again just now, and the efficiency has increased tremendously compared to before! Is this even possible…? Even the high-level magicians we’ve invited before couldn’t improve it this much. How were you able to improve it so much in such a short time?”

If this were a game, it would be like completing a specific relationship quest and suddenly seeing a dramatic increase in favorability.

Delia approached me even more casually than before and kept chattering about modifications.

Soon after, she smiled happily and sprawled out on the sofa.

“Really… you have no idea how much trouble I went through to modify this. How many years I invested to break through this… Haa.”

“……”

After being lost in thought for a while, Delia suddenly remembered something and jumped up from the sofa to tell me.

“Oh, and I heard from the butler earlier. Dad is in a meeting right now, so he’ll probably come around dinner time. Is that okay?”

It would be delayed by an hour at most anyway.

I nodded to indicate that it wasn’t a problem.

Delia smiled brightly and said to me.

“Then I’ll let you taste a lot of our family’s signature dishes, so look forward to it!”

Seeing Delia’s reaction, I nodded vaguely.

*

While I was asking Delia various questions to fill in the information about this world.

The butler knocked on the door and announced that the head of the Herdia family had arrived.

Hearing this, I decided to wrap things up and leave, so I stood up.

‘Then what should I say?’

It would be right to assume that even if there’s no hostility, there’s no fondness either.

Even if I give them the benefit of the doubt, I would still appear to be a shameless scoundrel who only calls out their daughter in the early hours of the morning.

‘Moreover, considering Delia’s usual behavior, it strongly suggests that she grew up receiving an enormous amount of love from her parents.’

Perhaps even beyond being a scoundrel.

From their perspective, I might be seen as human trash spreading wrong knowledge to their beloved daughter.

I decided to go in that direction, resolving to give off the gesture that we had no relationship whatsoever.

‘We met and did magic research together. I should emphasize that we’re not in any kind of relationship.’

I’m not sure if I should express this as fortunate.

Reputable groups were praising my magic modifications to the point of publishing articles about it.

Recently, I even performed magic modifications for Delia, so if she doesn’t make any verbal mistakes, things should go smoothly.

So, hoping that Delia wouldn’t make any mistakes, I encountered the head of the Herdy family.

The first thing I heard was quite shocking.

“For your information, I approve of this marriage. Take her quickly. But no refunds.”

Completely unexpected, or rather, words that shouldn’t have been said came out.

I blinked my eyes, wondering what on earth was going on.

The head of the Herdy family looked at me quizzically and said.

“Huh? Didn’t you come here to get married?”

“… No, I didn’t.”

“Then at least get engaged.”

“……”

From what I’ve seen on the internet, fathers with daughters are supposed to be very bitter when their daughters get boyfriends.

The head of the Herdy family was showing the exact opposite behavior, which kept throwing me off balance.

Still, not wanting to show it, I maintained a calm expression while acting, and Delia, who was next to me, laughed and said.

“Dad, I told you we’re not in that kind of relationship.”

“Why not? For what reason?”

“I don’t know that either?”

“Ah, I thought I could get rid of her this time, but I failed.”

Could this really be called a conversation between father and daughter?

I stood quietly, realizing that Delia’s free-spirited personality must have come from her parents.

He looked at me with a bright smile and said,

“I’ve kept our guest standing for too long. Come, sit down. The food was prepared by former imperial chefs, so I’m sure you’ll find it to your liking.”

“Thank you.”

“If there’s anything else you’d like to eat, just let me know. We can prepare it right away.”

It seems like all the food I could think of is already on the table.

I nodded gratefully and took a seat.

The head of the family stared at me intently and said,

“What I said earlier was half in jest, but half serious. If you ever think about marrying our daughter, just let me know. As the youngest son of the Lercier Family, you’d always be welcome.”

Were his previous actions the result of careful calculation?

I suppose it would be difficult to say such things, even jokingly, without some underlying intent.

I silently nodded and took a bite of meat, when Delia started giggling to herself as if she’d thought of something funny.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

Thinking that she’s becoming more incomprehensible the more I look at her, I tried to ignore her.

Delia carefully leaned towards me and whispered softly.

“It’s just a master-dog relationship, not a girlfriend. Isn’t it funny how they’re misunderstanding?”

I don’t find it funny at all.

I sighed and pushed the still-laughing Delia back to her seat as I resumed my meal.