Chapter 133-2
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
But man, this is awkward.
Half the credit should go to Seria, and she’s standing right over there in the corner, listening in.
Still, if I try to say that, she just comes back with, “I only managed it because of your power, Mr. Koji,” and then pins all the credit for breaking Ms. Alicia’s curse on me anyway.
She could use “Commercial Recovery” with any coins, not just the ones I make with “Imitation.” It feels wrong to hog all the credit when Seria did so much, too…
Plus, even being praised for my strength bugs me──a lot of it isn’t even something I trained for or earned.
If I bring that up, Ms. Alicia always says this:
”So what you’re saying is… your strength comes from a skill or magic. Still, you had to work to wield that power, didn’t you? From your opponents’ view, strength is strength──doesn’t matter how you got it.”
…Yeah. She’s got a point.
To someone I’m fighting, it doesn’t matter if I worked for my power or not──either way, I’m a threat.
She keeps going.
”Besides… if Siera trusts you with that much power, then you’re clearly not abusing it, right? That’s what I like about you.”
So──that’s it. It’s not just about having power, it’s about what you do with it.
She’s not just chasing after some strong guy for the fun of it or anything like that.
That’s good, but still…
…Hmm…
Even so, I can’t help but worry about what’ll happen to Ms. Alicia next… She leans in, close──really close.
”Um… do you not like me?”
”That’s not it. Not really…”
”Then what’s the problem?”
I try to dodge, pulling out the topic of her position.
”Uh, well──you said your engagement to one noble house fell through, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be another one down the line, right?”
I have to word it like that, since I can’t let on I know she’s royalty. Point is, with that kind of future, it wouldn’t be right to get physically involved now.
The moment I finish saying it, Ms. Alicia pushes right back, clearly not about to let it slide.
There’s only me and Siera in this family. That means one of us has to stay and marry into the family──or, if we get married off, we have to send our kids back here to be heirs. But that second option only works if we each have at least 2 kids. So really, keeping one of us here and bringing in a spouse──yeah, that’s the safest bet for the family.
Uh… okay? I think I get it.
If the place I marry into has lots of wives, sure, the “send a kid back” thing could work. But still, if I don’t have more than one kid, the tie with that family ends after my generation. Once the kid comes back here, I’m just… cut off.
So… if a family only has daughters, and they want to keep the family name going, bringing in a son-in-law really is the surest way.
Bloodlines mean everything to nobles. Adopting a total outsider? That’s a last resort.
And now, Iris is getting introduced to the royal family. If they like her, then Ms. Alicia gets to carry on the Gavrett name.
So that’s where I come in, huh.
But even so… isn’t there a chance I could just marry in somewhere else, instead of coming here as the son-in-law?
Ms. Alicia shakes her head at me.
Actually, that almost never happens. If a family asks for a son-in-law, it makes them look desperate.
Basically, people see it like you’re just trying to get rid of an extra mouth to feed.
Yeah, I guess if you bring in a wife, it looks like you have more to offer. And most families want to deal with someone who looks well-off.
That’s why extra noble sons usually try to join the royal court or serve another noble house, so they don’t embarrass their own family.
So basically… only a family willing to risk their pride would ever try to bring in a son-in-law.
That’s right.
Which means noble daughters have a hard time finding a place to marry into, and if they want to bring in a son-in-law, it’s likely to be someone from a less wealthy family.
Yeah, I guess if a decent guy shows up, they’d jump at it.
…Wait, is that why Princess Charlotte was so into me?
No, she’s got plenty of princes around. That can’t be it.
…Still, better keep my guard up, just in case.
Anyway.
I need to restock magic stones in Dungeon City. And if marriage is actually on the table, there are some folks I’ll need to talk to about it first.
”To be honest, I’m not thinking about marriage right now.”
So, I was planning to turn her down, but she suddenly pushed harder.
”Hah, hah… um, even if it’s just… or rather, could you just hold the kid?”
”…”
She’s excited and expects something from my actions, but I bet Ms. Elina’s twisted logic isn’t all that sincere.
Still, it seems like her actions stem from a feeling of admiration for me, and family matters are secondary.
Ms. Alicia is a beauty with style, the kind of woman it’s hard not to want.
But with the chance of an arranged marriage not being 0, I feel resistant to getting involved.
Maybe she senses my feelings, because Ms. Alicia brings the conversation back to the start.
”How about… we keep the matter with your mother a secret, then?”
”Ah, when you put it that way, it’s hard to refuse.”
Indeed, with this card played, it’s tough to say no.
Even without proof, getting suspected could sour my relationship with the Viscount.
Running away is an option, but I’d feel guilty if Iris could get cursed later on.
Getting physical means emotions will bubble up, after all.
So, it’s better not to get involved in the first place, unless there’s someone special. It comes down to preference.
If I refuse now, she might just change her tactics.
And if I reject her then, she’ll think I don’t like her, even if I do. It would just hurt her.
So if I’m gonna feel guilty anyway… maybe it’s better to just do it and deal with the mess later.
”Uh, what do you think…?”
Maybe it’s the threatening tone, but Ms. Alicia looks a bit sinister.
Or maybe she’s just eager to be with me…
Thinking that, I decide to check with her.
”You’re feeling okay, right? You just got the curse lifted yesterday?”
”Eh…? Oh, yes! I’m fine! I’m not much different from before I was cursed!”
”Should I leave your escort outside the room? If someone sees them, they’ll know you’re in here.”
”I’ll let you in then! She’ll keep quiet, and she can help clean up afterward too!”
Ms. Alicia had caught the meaning behind my question, and she eagerly answered, seeking my final confirmation.
”So, that… um, is that okay?”
”Well… as long as it’s not about marriage or making kids.”
The implication of “Just fucking around” was pretty low, but…
”Yes! That’s perfectly fine with me!”
She replied with a smile and quickly went to call the maid.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply