episode_0087

The Hwangdo runway show was a complete success.

“Um… Lord William, a report has come in.”

“I was just about to stop anyway.”

“Ah, yes…”

After circling Hwangdo once, the knights waiting in front of the atelier confiscated the cart, mannequins, and even the stockings, but I was satisfied because I definitely caught people’s attention.

At this point, it’s no exaggeration to say I got my money’s worth out of the mannequins.

And the provocation, which was my main goal, was also very successful.

“We’re from the Hwangdo Administrative Office, we’re here for a surprise inspection, please cooperate.”

Because the very next day, the atelier was suddenly raided.

There’s no proof that the late Duke of Devonshire orchestrated the raid, but the reason for reasonably suspecting him was obvious.

Officials wouldn’t suddenly conduct a surprise inspection during this busy time preparing for the founding anniversary.

“May I ask the reason for the inspection?”

“A report has been filed.”

“What kind of report?”

“That cannot be disclosed to protect the reporter.”

And they were making it obvious that there was no reason.

“Ah, I see…”

Well… it wasn’t completely absurd, so I let it go.

They could keep it secret to prevent retaliation against the reporter, and they could keep the reason secret to prevent the destruction of evidence.

This isn’t a world with Miranda rights like in modern times.

I wasn’t flustered because I was somewhat prepared for this.

I was actually hoping it would happen at some point.

Elizabeth and I put our heads together and took measures in advance in anticipation of this.

It would be a shame if we prepared but had nothing to use it for.

“Of course, I’ll cooperate, please come inside.”

“Yes.”

So I greeted them with a smile.

With the mindset of ‘search if you want to’.

“Do you have your permit and business registration certificate?”

“Here they are.”

The officials who entered the atelier started by checking the documents first, and then

“Please leave for a moment while we search the premises.”

“?”

They took the unreasonable step of searching the building even with the imperial knight watching, and thoroughly searched our atelier.

“… Please continue to do so in the future.”

“Yes.”

As expected, nothing really came out.

The expressions of the thoroughly corrupt officials were quite a sight to see.

The imperial knight had been glaring at the officials fiercely from the beginning, so they must have hoped something would come out, but they would have anticipated the end the moment nothing was found.

It was all their own fault.

No matter how much pressure a high-ranking person put on them, they should have just pretended and left, but they went too far with the knight watching.

No one is completely clean, and they probably wanted to make a good impression, but they overdid it and ended up with another weakness.

“Excuse me, are you done with your business?”

“Yes…”

“Both of you will have to accompany the Knights Order on suspicion of conducting an illegal search.”

“……”

Oh, how satisfying.

_

“Hmm?”

After finishing work and heading home, just as I was about to enter the townhouse, a carriage stopped in front of it.

It’s common for carriages to stop in the noble district, but the crest on the carriage was so familiar, it was our family’s, so I stopped trying to go inside and fixed my gaze on the carriage, nudging Emily’s shoulder.

“Emily, did you hear anything about someone coming today?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything special.”

“Who is it?”

Mother said she would come around Friday, is it Hayes?

With curiosity, I approached the carriage.

“It’s been a while, young master.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

The coachman John, who got off the driver’s seat and quickly approached the carriage door, bowed his head and greeted me.

I raised my hand and accepted the greeting, and John, who had his hand on the carriage doorknob, hesitated and glanced at me.

“Young master, I’m sorry, but please step back a little as I need to open the door.”

“Ah, sorry.”

I was too close, I belatedly realized, and stepped back two steps.

“Thank you.”

Then, John smiled and slightly bowed his head, lowered the doorknob, and opened the carriage door.

The first thing that caught my eye when the door opened was the light golden hair that flowed straight down and fluttered gently.

And the light navy blue dress that was revealed between them.

I couldn’t see her face yet, but it was obviously my mother.

“Mother, you’re here early?”

As I approached my mother, who was bending over to get out of the carriage, John looked surprised and made eye contact with me.

“… William? Why are you waiting outside like this?”

“I saw the carriage on my way home, I thought it would be nice to go in together, so I waited for a moment.”

“Hehe~ What a pleasant coincidence.”

I offered my hand to my mother, saying it was a coincidence, and she gave me a warm smile, gently took my hand, and carefully got out of the carriage.

“You seem to have lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks, are you eating properly? Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Of course, I think it’s just because I have a lot of work.”

“Oh my… why do you have to make things difficult for yourself, you’re just like your father, you get angry and rush in…”

“Haha…”

I awkwardly smiled at the nagging that poured out as soon as we made eye contact, and shifted my gaze back to the carriage door.

“It’s been a while, sister-in-law.”

“Oh, thank you, it’s been a while.”

And I greeted my sister-in-law, who was carefully holding her swollen belly that clearly showed she was pregnant, even through her loose dress, and offered my hand.

“You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine because everyone is helping me, but how are you, young master? You seem to have lost a lot of weight compared to before, as my mother said.”

“I’m not the only one who thinks so, your face too, and your neck seems to have become thin, William, eat well, don’t just focus on work.”

“Yes…”

Seeing that my sister-in-law, who only glanced at me while getting out of the carriage, was saying the same thing as my mother, have I really lost weight?

I’m not that big to begin with, so I shouldn’t lose any more weight.

Should I start exercising…?

“Haa~”

My mother, who sighed slightly as I stroked my neck and made a serious expression, shifted her gaze to my sister-in-law.

“By the way, Wilhelmina, aren’t you cold? How can you expose your arms like that when the sun is setting, where did you put your shawl or cardigan?”

“The inside of the carriage was hot, so I left it with Charlotte for a while, and it’s okay since we’re going inside soon, mother.”

“Oh my…”

My mother, looking at my sister-in-law with a displeased expression, gestured to Charlotte, took the cardigan that Charlotte was holding, and put it on my sister-in-law’s shoulders herself.

“It’s going to get colder from now on, you have to be careful from now on.”

“Ahahaha…”

Looking at my sister-in-law awkwardly smiling while fastening her cardigan, I felt like I would be listening to nagging on the street for an hour if I wasn’t careful.

“Then let’s not do this outside and go inside quickly.”

“Yes, that would be good.”

_

After entering the townhouse and entrusting the servants with unpacking, we headed straight to the dining room with my brother.

After entering the dining room and seating my mother at the head of the table, with me on the left and himself and my sister-in-law seated side by side on the right, my brother immediately stuck to my sister-in-law like glue, showering her with honeyed glances and taking care of her.

“Are you eating well these days? Has anything changed that you can’t eat since I last saw you?”

“Of course, I didn’t even have morning sickness.”

“That’s a relief.”

My brother, while cutting the meat on my sister-in-law’s plate, couldn’t take his eyes off her face.

“Ugh…”

Watching that made me feel twisted inside.

It’s not that I’m jealous or I don’t want to see it, but I feel like my teeth are going to rot and I feel ticklish inside, I feel embarrassed.

“Ah~”

“Oh, honey, do you think I’m a baby? I can take care of my own meals.”

Fortunately, my sister-in-law cut him off appropriately before my brother’s actions became too much, so I didn’t collapse due to diabetes.

Her face was flushed red with embarrassment, but seeing the corners of her mouth twitching, it seemed like my sister-in-law didn’t dislike it either.

Of course, the fact that she refused didn’t change, so my brother made a dejected expression like a beaten puppy and carefully put down his fork and knife.

“Ah… yeah, sorry, was I too uncomfortable?”

“It’s not that, but everyone is watching, please refrain a little.”

“Okay.”

Everyone is watching?

Then does that mean it’s okay if they’re not watching?

I feel like I’m getting a blood sugar spike.

I narrowed my eyes and slightly turned my head to the side.

“Hehe~”

My mother was looking at my brother and his wife with a pleased expression and smiling kindly.

She made eye contact with me, stopped smiling, and opened her mouth.

“By the way, William.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Have you found a partner?”

“… Pardon?”

Partner?

I frowned and slightly opened my lips, wondering what this was all about, and my mother pressed her temples and said.

“I’m talking about a partner to participate in the founding anniversary event with.”

“Ah.”

Until now, I didn’t care because Hayes and I were each other’s partners, but now Hayes has betrayed me, so I don’t have a partner.

I’ve been too busy lately, so I forgot.

“I knew this idiot would do this, what have you been doing until now without finding a partner?”

“No, well, I was busy…”

“Busy?”

“No, it’s not…”

The reasons for being busy are all my own fault, how can I use this as an excuse?

I had nothing to say even if I had a hundred mouths, so I drooped my head and made a dejected expression as if asking to be killed.

“Haa… what should I do, there’s no one to find in a week…”

“Does a partner really need to be…”

“William, do you want to die at the hands of your mother?”

“My thoughts were very short.”

I thought that maybe I could do without a partner for once, but I immediately put my head down again after seeing the blue energy flickering around my mother.

“William, I don’t care about the patent or the business, don’t do anything else during the remaining period and find a partner first, I’ll try to find one as much as possible too.”

“No, even so, I have to talk about work…”

“Unless you want to humiliate your mother in a very unique way, bring a foreign nobleman, an alien nobleman, or even a former nobleman who has fallen decades ago.”

“Yes, William, listen to your mother and don’t do anything else.”

“Th-That’s right, young master, a partner seems more urgent than work.”

My mother, who was emitting a fierce energy, and my brother and sister-in-law, who were agreeing with her.

It wasn’t the time to be stubborn, so I nodded my head vigorously and answered.

“Yes! I’ll find one somehow!”

Damn it, what should I do?

I answered loudly, but I couldn’t think of an answer at all.

“……”

Damn it…