episode_0089

Having somewhat regained my senses, I briefly rode the carriage around the Imperial Capital before returning to the townhouse.

It’s the worst possible outcome, but I need to let them know that things are settled, one way or another.

“William, you’ve returned at just the right time.”

That was the townhouse I returned to.

As soon as I arrived, I saw my mother, who had finished preparing to go out and was about to get into the carriage.

“I’m back.”

“I have an acquaintance who said they could arrange something for the eve celebration.”

Looking at my mother, who spoke with a hint of hope in her face, I didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

Should I smile?

No, that would only complicate things further.

While I hesitated, an ambiguous and bizarre expression, neither smiling nor gloomy, appeared on my face.

“Uh… um…”

As I moved my lips and hesitated, my mother also hardened her expression and cautiously approached me.

“… Is something the matter?”

“I’m sorry.”

“… Don’t tell me, it’s not…?”

I lowered my head slightly and apologized first.

“Um, finding my partner, I don’t think I need to do that anymore.”

And I finished the explanation concisely.

Would a lengthy explanation be necessary? My expression and the situation already tell the whole story.

If the guy who went to the atelier comes back looking like he’s about to die and apologizes first, there can only be one answer.

My mother, who had been blankly watching me, gave a gentle smile, then raised her head slightly to look at the sky and said.

“We’re doomed, utterly doomed.”

“……”

“How did it come to this? You didn’t stupidly say it first, did you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then?”

“They already knew I didn’t have a partner, and even knew the schedules of everyone around me.”

My mother twitched and trembled like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

And she stared blankly at the empty air with vacant eyes.

“… Mother?”

“Haa-”

As I cautiously called out to my mother, her eyes regained their vitality, and a sigh burst out from between her lips.

Then, my mother, staring at me with half-closed eyes, lightly clenched her fist and slowly raised her arm.

“That’s why you should have found someone sooner…!”

“Ack!”

My mother’s fist struck the top of my head like lightning.

With the feeling of my head caving in, my vision flashed white.

“I told you so many times to be careful, but you got distracted by other things like an idiot, leaving yourself completely exposed?”

“But this time, it was understandable that I was distracted.”

“Still, you should have been mindful of this! I let you off the leash a little because you said you were doing active work, and this is what you make of it? Do you want to give up the business and return to the territory?!”

My mother’s arm and voice rose again.

If this were inside the house, I would have quietly taken it, but this is outside.

One time can be overlooked as a light mistake, but from the second time on, gossip will seriously circulate.

Aristocrats are also human, so they may strike their children where they can’t be seen, but still, openly showing it is a different story, so I quickly grabbed my mother’s wrist and said.

“Ugh… Mother, calm down.”

“Madam, we’re outside…!”

“First, let’s go inside and continue the conversation.”

“Ugh…!”

Grace and Emily, who had been watching, also rushed in to calm my mother down and naturally guided her into the house, so my head and my mother’s fist did not collide once again.

“Hoo…”

I let out a sigh of relief and stroked the top of my head.

Fortunately, or rather, no bump formed.

You might think I’m worrying about a bump over such a small thing, but even though my mother looks delicate, her hand is surprisingly stinging.

It’s not that her power is strong, but it’s like she knows exactly how to hit someone to make them hurt?

She has the knack of accurately hitting vital points or points where a person is instantly incapacitated.

I don’t know why she has such a talent…

“Haa…”

Anyway, after confirming that my head was okay, I let out a long sigh and followed my mother into the townhouse.

_

A tea table hastily prepared.

My mother and I sat facing each other in front of it, maintaining silence until Emily carefully approached and poured tea into our teacups.

“Please call if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Emily placed a small bell in the center of the table, then retreated, leaving only my mother and me alone and leaving the room.

“Haa… What should we do… Something I really didn’t want to happen has happened…”

“I’m sorry…”

As soon as the door closed, my mother’s lament burst out.

I apologized once again, lowering my head, but my mother shook her head and moistened her lips with the tea.

“What’s the point of apologizing now? The deed is already done, and it’s irreversible.”

“Umm… Mother, but at least Duchess Elizabeth is a decent person, isn’t she? Even if she has some suspicious aspects, it doesn’t seem like she’s a particularly strange person.”

“I know that well, and I also know that she’s not bad.”

“…?”

I was dumbfounded because words that were the complete opposite of what I had said so far flowed out.

“Judging by your expression, it seems like you’re misunderstanding something. It’s not that I dislike her.”

“Then?”

At my question, my mother made a half-resigned expression and drooped her shoulders.

“The problem is her parents. They’re decent people professionally, but I didn’t want to face them in the private sphere. Having to face her in family matters is a terrible thing.”

“I see…”

Several people that my mother would hate that much flashed through my mind, but I shook my head and dismissed the thoughts.

Even so, that can’t be it…

Even if it’s true, it shouldn’t be.

The deeds, though done with the Duchess’s permission, are not trivial.

If it were just a nobleman with great power, I could somehow get away with it, but if it’s not…

“Ugh…”

It’s terrible.

“Haa, to have to call that woman my in-law…”

“Wait a minute, is my marriage confirmed with just one partner?”

A relationship where you take someone as a partner to such a big event is by no means light, but it’s not as important as a married couple.

Engagements are often broken, and partners change frequently, and in some cases, the partners for the eve celebration and the main event are different.

If I do well later, I can fix it…

“That’s the characteristic of that family.”

“I see…”

I guess not.

If there was even a sliver of possibility, she would have told me to try something, but seeing her give up so cleanly, there must be no answer.

“It may be like that right now, but you never know what might happen in life, so maybe we’ll grow tired of each other later?”

Still, I didn’t give up hope and predicted another future.

“I wonder.”

“Since we’re still young…”

“As you say, such a thing could happen, but if such a future unfolds, all your father and I can do is flee overseas… no, that would be difficult too. It seems like all we can do is bury you in a sunny place. Do you like being next to your grandfather, or next to your grandmother? Oh, there’s also your uncle.”

This wasn’t it either.

Moreover, this ending is a guaranteed death.

The choice of where to be buried at the age of 17 is too tough.

“I don’t want to worry about that yet…”

“Then you must never choose a future where you grow tired of each other, unless you want to end your life as a playboy who plays with marriageable maidens and die.”

“…..”

It seems like every happy circuit is shattered as soon as I mention it.

“You seem to be constantly trying to deny the future with strange thoughts, so this mother will tell you two things you need to do for your sake.”

“Yes.”

As I made a gloomy expression and fiddled with my teacup, my mother made a serious expression, spread two fingers, and said.

It is said that you can survive even if you fall into a tiger’s den if you keep your wits about you, so there seemed to be some kind of trick, even if the possibility was slim.

As expected of my mother, the smartest and most sensible person I know.

“First, plan how to escort that child on National Foundation Day.”

“… Yes.”

“Second, write a letter inviting that child to your birthday.”

“……”

She just prolonged the words about choosing a burial plot.

Only for a brief moment, I felt like my vision was spinning.

Well… it seemed like it would be like that.

It is also important to face reality, and it is safer to accept the unavoidable waves than to resist them.

“Y-yes…”

I nodded with tears in my eyes.

_

I realized from the conversation with my mother that my situation was a big mess, but if I were to pick the moment when I realized it most deeply in my heart.

“… A tax audit?”

It was when a surprise tax audit notice arrived at the atelier a day later.

“Hmm~ I see.”

Tax audits are usually not a big deal, but I wasn’t particularly impressed even after seeing this.

Even the tax audit date is the day after my birthday, but I just accepted it.

They’re pushing it too hard on a business that’s only been established for two months.

It was just funny.

“Emily, I’ll read it again later, so please keep this separately.”

“Yes.”

I roughly passed the letter to Emily, turned my head, and looked for Elizabeth.

I have too many important things to do right now than that grandfather’s tricks, so I have to finish what I have to do and prepare or respond.

“Elizabeth.”

“Yes~”

I gestured to Duchess Elizabeth, who was talking to Duchess Fani, and called her. The Duchess, who has been in a great mood since yesterday, came trotting over with a beaming smile.

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing, I’m almost done with the dress.”

“Is it finally finished?”

“Yeah.”

I lifted the basket I had placed under my workbench onto the workbench.

Inside were a mink fur stole and a snow-white dress.

“Oh my, when did you get this stole?”

“I got it somehow.”

I tried to find a cheap rabbit or another color because I couldn’t find it easily, but I was barely able to get it thanks to Prince Hans, who has a wide network with the demi-humans.

It cost me quite a bit of money, but it was worth it.

The soft texture and clear, uniform color will definitely go well with the dress.

“Try it on and tell me if there are any parts that need simple modifications. I’ll do what I can during the weekend.”

“Yes.”

I pushed the basket to the Duchess and subtly winked at Emily.

Then Emily naturally took the basket and stood next to the Duchess and said.

“I will help you.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled as I watched the Duchess and Emily go to the next room.

I’m a little excited to see what she’ll look like.