<Running
Wolves> are successfully conquering the <Demon's-Den>. Although a single adventure exhaust them, no one
is seriously injured. This is because <Running Wolves>' method is to take
a rest day after every adventure to avoid fatigue, and to proceed steadily
without rushing.
In
addition, since the magic stone of the demon is larger than the previous ones, the purchase price
at the Adventurer's Guild is quite high. As a result, the party's joint
savings, which had been depleted by preparations to become honorary knights and
to start the Wolves' family, were gradually returning.
About
a week has passed, with repeated adventures and rest. That day was the rest day
of <Running Wolves>, and it was also the day when Alvin and Milis were
invited to the Beltz house.
If it
was just to meet Christina, there would be no need to be nervous anymore, but
today it was an invitation from Noah, Christina's father. As the Wolf family
was indebted to the head of the Beltz family, there was no option to refuse the
invitation.
That's
why Alvin and Milis were dressed in tuxedos and dresses, respectively, and rode
in a carriage with the Wolf family crest painted on it, driven by Homac.
「Hello,
Sir
Wolf.
It's been a long time since the unveiling party」
「It's
been a long time, Count Beltz. Thank you for the invitation」
「Thank
you」
At
Noah's urging, Alvin and Milis take their seats in the reception room. Unlike
their previous visit, the tables, chairs and other furniture have been
rearranged for dining, and the tables are covered with tablecloths.
「Chris
will be here soon. I'm sorry, can you wait a moment?」
「Yes,
of course」
「Thank
you. You feel better now? It must be hard to start a household」
While
Noah and Alvin chatted idly, the Beltz maids arranged the polished glasses,
knives, forks, and plates. In the midst of all this, a discreet knock sounded.
「Sorry
to keep you waiting. This is Christina」
「Come
in」
Christina
entered the room and bowed gracefully to Alvin and Milis with a big smile on
her face.
「Welcome,
Sir
Wolf
and Madame
Wolf」
The
way Christina conducted herself as a well-behaved young lady was beyond
reproach. The other two, Alvin and Milis, returned the bow. Although normally
they would not have greeted her in such a formal manner, today Noah, the head
of the Beltz family, was present. Since Christina is not yet officially
engaged, she must not neglect the courtesies of the nobility without
permission.
Not
that Noah would mind, of course.
「Let's
not get too formal today, shall we? Sir Wolf... Alvin, don't you think it would be better?」
「Oh,
yes. Thank you!」
「Thank
you, Father」
Noah,
the highest-ranking person in the place, put on a casual air, and Alvin, Milis
and Christina followed suit. Thus, the dinner party at the Beltz house began
peacefully.
↓ Continue to Read ↓
↓ Continue to Read ↓
◇ ◇ ◇
The
Beltz family's meal was delicious, and Alvin and Milis even devoured the
after-dinner dessert. Although their taste buds had begun to grow thanks to
Uthman, who had been hired by the family, the meal was even better than the one
he had prepared.
（I suppose
that's how particular they are about their food. We could increase our food
budget a little more... no, we have to control unnecessary expenses...）
Looking
upward, Alvin suppresses his own desires. Unaware that Alvin is in such
conflict, Noah talks to Alvin while sipping coffee after dinner.
「Speaking
of which, Alvin. I still haven't thanked you for dancing with Chris at the
unveiling party. Thank you」
「Yes!
Chris-san has been really good to me... so it's only natural」
Noah's
words caused Alvin to choke up as he realized that the main question of the day
had arrived. Despite his attempts to remain calm, he is still unsettled. Milis,
who sits next to Alvin, continues to watch Noah and Alvin's conversation with a
tense look on her face.
「I hope
you understand the meaning of dancing」
「Father, I'll talk about it...」
Noah
wants to at least make Christina's engagement official, now that she's been
publicly seen dancing at a party at the royal castle. Since Christina also
wanted to talk to Noah and ask him for the engagement after getting Alvin's
consent, she tried to stop him as soon as she could.
「Chris,
please don't stop it. Of course I knew what the dance meant. Both Mil and I
thought that we could get along well with Chris. And of course, we didn't want
to embarrass our benefactor」
「Al-sama...!」
Alvin,
who had won Christina over, said something he hadn't said before. He has yet to
come to terms with his sexuality. However, Alvin has finally made up his mind
that he can no longer ignore Christina's serious intentions. After many
discussions with Milis, he came to a conclusion.
「Noah-san.
Please let me get engaged to Chris! I'll do my best to make Milis and Christina
happy together!」
Looking
Noah in the eye, Alvin quips. Silence reigns in the parlor, and all the
servants gasp. Christina is filled with joy to finally hear Alvin say that he
wants to marry her.
「...Chris,
are you sure you want to do this?」
「...Yes.
I want to be with Al-sama」
Noah
and Christina, father and daughter, look at each other. Noah smiled with a hint
of sadness as he sensed once again that his daughter was serious.
「All
right. Alvin, take care of my daughter」
「Yes...!」
「Thank
you! Father!」
Christina
jumped for joy at her father's permission. Still thinking there was one more
person left to thank, she looked at Milis.
「Mil-san,
thank you... for accepting me」
「Chris-san....
Yes, let's support Al-kun together from now on」
「Of
course」
Milis
also congratulated Christina with a smile. With everyone's approval,
Christina's heart was filled with happiness.
「We'll
have the official papers ready soon」
「Yes.
We need to register our engagement with the government, right?」
Maybe
that had something to do with it. Christina was so distracted by Noah and
Alvin's conversation that she didn't notice Milis' deeper smile as she
pondered.
（Chris-san,
sex with Shinji-san is amazing... ♡ For Al-kun, Chris-san, too... ♡）
No one
here realizes that Milis is sending her thoughts to Shinji because of Alvin's
sexuality.
- Finally, engaged to Christina.
- Milis-chan is very fond of Al-kun, so she is trying to satisfy her sexuality by making Christina-chan Shinji's handmaiden. How kind!
- Let's move on with the story.
