Editing MaruMAːMini-novel:Thepricessmermaid1

===The Princess Maidmer and I  - part 1===




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"It's kinda basic, huh?"

Since he broke the ice all of a sudden, I couldn't help but reply with a question.

"What did you say?

When the afternoon started turning into evening, unexpectedly, Yuuri who was loitering in my room at the Blood Pledge Castle said the following without looking at me.

"Basic. It's what you call a player who always throws straight balls, or always throws the same type of ball without being able to change the type of attack. They're called basic. Dare I say it? It's something monotonous."

"Haa..."

I know very well he tends to compare everything to baseball, but if he doesn't even let me know what the main subject is, it's difficult to understand what he's talking about.

It's unusual to see him, who loves OUTDOOR TRAINING, spending his free time in silence, but with the terrible weather outside and the droplets hitting the window, not only can one not go jogging, but it would be impossible to even go out for some quick shopping.

And that's why, without being able to do anything about it, he was literally loitering in my poorly lit room.

Maybe because he slowly got tired of moving from the bed to the chair, he was now lying on the sofa throwing a citrus fruit to the ceiling. He would catch it always in the same place, right before the fruit hit his face. Since it had the size of a ball, you absolutely need to play with it, right?

"So Conrad, your room is really basic.... there's nothing about it that's interesting ...."

My room? You were talking about my room? For a second, my hand dropped to my chest in relief. Then, I thought of some words from Earth that he might be thinking of.

"Could it be that you mean 'SIMPLE'?

"Yeah, that's it. SIMPLE... That word has a nice meaning.”

"Even if you say it has a nice meaning..."

I looked around my room.

In my hometown, there was someone who was giving up a territory that they got as an inheritance; and I was sent a complicated document about it. The pages of that document were spread on a round desk and chair that are simply not suitable for work. It looked just like a restaurant table, and it even had a white tablecloth on it. 

Then there was an ordinary sofa and a coffee table. By the window, there's the couch that he was using. There wasn't a bookshelf, like the ones in Lord von Voltaire's and Lord von Christ's rooms, nor was there a gigantic medicine cabinet, like the one in Lady von Karbelnikoff.

The walls didn't have any particular decoration. There weren't any armors being displayed, like those that collectors of warrior memorabilia usually have. Since I don't have that hobby, there's only two swords hanging above the fireplace. 

On the floor, there's only a carpet to protect myself from the cold weather. However, this carpet differs from the ones you can find in the other rooms, and it's substantially bigger. This is because I find being barefoot relaxing. I wonder if I can change the rules to completely ban shoes from this room. 

In my bedroom there's only a modest shelf and a storage compartment with some things in it, like some of my father's well-worn personal belongings that I inherited, although most of them are back in my hometown.

Rather than saying it's SIMPLE, it would be best to say there aren't a lot of things in it.

"Amazing! So this is what the room of a popular guy looks like. It's just like a MODEL HOUSE."

Yuuri sounded like a compliment expert, praising it without holding back. I simply thought that his perception of beauty was different from mine.

"It doesn't feel as if anyone lives here at all!"

"... Is that a praise?"

"Of course it's a praise!!! Listen... You know? I sort of... what percentage of unfuckability do you think I... ? Ouch!"

Since he turned his face towards me while lying on the couch, he failed to catch the fruit, which hit him right on the face. But the one who felt like crying was me. Unfuckability? What did you say?

"Sorry, I wasn't listening for a second. (t/n: Could you say that again?)"

"I was talking about a guy's percentage of unfuckability. I got a hopeless 88 percent." 

"Unfuc... and on what criteria do people base themselves for... that?"

"It's a survey that women take. Someone brought a magazine to school with that survey. They were given numbers and answered YES or NO to that question and then the answers were added to get a percentage."

"Ah"

Once again, my hand dropped to my chest in relief. When I went to Earth, at worst you'd have beauty pageants or prom queens and such. But this was a HIGH SCHOOL CONTEST to see if people want to sleep with someone or not. I was really surprised at how much things have changed.

But wait, was this a special article in a magazine for men?

"And so, as I mentioned before, I got an 88 percent in the unfuckability scale. It's terrible, I'm on the same class as Dekawa Tetsuro<ref>A tv personality, here's a pic: http://shinbishika-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/06-DVC00309.jpg</ref>."

I wasn't sure what a Dekawa class was, but women probably see Yuuri as a younger brother or a friend, because he's a kawaii type of guy.

But considering the type of question that was asked, the answer was to be expected.

If you were asked by your lover "Who's more important: Baseball or me?" What would you answer?  
 
1) Baseball 2) Lover 3) I don't care one way or the other.

2) and 3) are not a problem, but after honestly answering 1), you'd probably get ZERO POINTS. It's actually amusing. 

"But how is that related to the appearance of a bedroom?"

"It said that a room has to look like one where women want to spend time in."

He said this as he lowered his voice and looked away from me while sticking his short nails into the fruit to peel its skin. As droplets of juice gushed out, he narrowed his black eyes slightly.

"It said 'Do you have a CD storage rack?' ; ' Do you have a bed or a futon?' "

"You have a bed, right?"

"Yeah? But it's not properly made. 'Do you have posters on your wall'?"

"I bet you have them, maybe."

He showed the smile of someone who was caught off guard and said "Why do you know thaaat?" making the last word longer.

"But it said they have to be soccer posters, that it can't be baseball posters. Unbelievable, right?..."

"But in America baseball fans are popular though."

No, actually American football is popular over there.

"But why are women only okay with soccer posters? Isn't that sports discrimination?"

"I don't see the problem. Baseball is a man's sport, for sure."

"But in very rare cases there are female players who have the baseball loving heart of a guy."

After that, instead of throwing the trash away, he put the peeled skin on the floor carefully and began to divide the fruit into segments.

Rather than someone picky, he did it more like a well-brought up young master. 

But that thought was short-lived. He then boldly split the fruit into 4 parts, and put one of them in his mouth. He's even cheerful when he eats.

"You also can't have martial arts posters, because of the partial nudity. And muscles are so amazing... wanna eat?"

"That's okay."

It looked obviously sweet. I just couldn't take some of it away from him.

"So, what it said was that 'in order to get a girlfriend, first you have to change yourself'. But something like that... , I don't think I can abandon a comfortable room for a girl who may or may not come."

"Yes, indeed." 

Even though he nodded in agreement, he didn't look very happy about it. I wonder why.

"Well, there's no point in agreeing with an obviously popular guy, because I'm in a completely different CATEGORY. This room gives a 'man who can do anything' vibe to begin with, so there's no need to remodel the room. Although, it doesn't feel like anyone lives here."

"That's because I don't spend much time here"

"Is that so? Ah, so you're the type that only comes home to sleep in the morning? And sometimes bring a girl with you."

"No, I don't have any particular romantic stories..."

In fact, women have seldom stepped foot in this room at the Blood Pledge Castle. Actually, forget seldom, they never have. If we talk about my hometown of Luttenberg, it wouldn't be more than a handful of women. At best, they'd reach the reception room or the study, but that's not the same as taking them all the way to the bedroom.

A variety of incorrect things were said about me and a rumor about a tail fin was exaggerated.

And basically, it bothers me because it's about a love story of mine. That's right, I haven't been close with many partners. Since I go out on dates and have fun outside, I did not need to bring anyone close to me<ref>The word in Japanese means: "sphere of action"; which can mean bring someone close physically, like into your room, or being close to someone mentally.</ref>.
 
Anyone would dislike bringing a stranger into a private place of their own. And I didn't think I'd discover my proclivities at that age...

Anyways, he was sitting there on the couch, getting angry and clutching what was left of the fruit.

"Lies! Saying that you have few love stories, is an absolute a lie!"

"It's not."

"The humility of a popular guy is nothing but sarcasm!"

"Why would you say ? ... Ah! By the way..."

Since I said it as if I was about to tell a story, he leaned forward. It can't be helped now, right now, I started to remember everything all of a sudden.

"I've only fallen in love twice, and they were both very dense experiences."

"D-dense?"

"Yes, they were DEEPLY meaningful."

"Is it okay for me to hear the story? Or rather, is it R-18?"

"His majesty is already an adult, so you can listen."

"Yay! Thank you adulthood at age 16!"

What a problem, his eyes are shining with expectation for another person's love story. He's probably hoping the story will include the pink parts as well.

He approached the round table next to me and pulled a wooden chair closer.

Crap, I don't have passionate stories that would meet his expectations.

"This story took place in the barracks. Not the barracks of this castle, but the ones in my hometown..."

That's right, this episode didn't happen while I was living a castle life here, but while I was wandering from one place to another.





㋮                         ㋮                          ㋮





"Let me introduce you to a woman."

After a long time, I had finally returned to my hometown of Luttenberg, where I met an old friend by chance who suddenly said this to me.

Although I say he's an 'old friend' , it's nothing fancy like an old friend from school. And it's not like I hadn't seen him for a long time either.

Ever since we were children this guy and I have had an undesirable but inseparable relationship, he was one of the many people who adored Dunheely Weller... but no, since my father isn't in this world anymore, currently it seems that he has won over my older brother<ref>Implies that the story "Lost Flower" took place after Dunheely's death.</ref>.

At any rate, my childhood friend Gurrier Josak is a fine patriot, even if his blood is half mazoku, half human. 

After all, for the country and his people, he followed an unreasonable command to go to a brutal battlefield, and he also works in espionage and infiltration, in disguise, as one would expect. 

If one were to point out one thing though, it would be that there are some strange points in his self-perception as a man. Because no matter what the contents of a mission may be, people don't incorporate those aspects to their everyday life, right? Like crossdressing.

"It's just... it's strange you know? You keep being on the receiving end maidens's screams." 

"Wait, I cannot let you say that. Are you implying that I'm some sort of villain who horrifies women to the point of making them scream?"

"Oh, stop it. You know what I mean. I'm talking about high-pitched screams, high pitched<ref>Fangirling.</ref>. At any rate, with all the rumors of love affairs about you, it's strange that you don't have a girlfriend."

Sitting on a flat chair at a tavern, he extended his long legs to a side. Of course when he extended his legs, I mean both of them, in fact his entire body shifted to a side, and that's because he was wrapped in slit dress that showed his thighs.

"Josak, why are you crossdressing even though you're off duty....? In this tavern for soldiers....? In those....?"

"Shh, shhh! Don't be so nosy, don't be so nosy! We're talking about you, not me. If I thought the wound had healed I'd be off on some top secret mission. I'm glad that you've finally returned after so many years, but you've left the military and are living a wandering life going wherever you please. What happened to my commander? Even though you are a renowned warrior, you've come here and suddenly became a wandering traveler. Has your father's blood awaken in you? "

"That's not why I'm here."

Although I was fine with him pouring a generous amount of what was in the bottle in front of us, he then approached his face without permission and started sipping the excess alcohol that was about to spill. Even though it was my glass.

I didn't mind the fact that he was drinking from it, it was the lipstick smudge that he left on the glass that bothered me. Couldn't it be because of situations like this, that rumors about me have spread and that's the reason why I'm alone?

"How do you know I don't have a lover?"

"Because your room is quite bleak."

Acting just like a real woman, he entwined his fingers and put his hands next to his cheek.

"My room?"

"That's right, it's bleak. It doesn't feel like any women have ever been there"

"I only ever use it to sleep.... but, why do you know that? No way! Did you go in!?"

Josak grinned, his smile like that of someone about to tell a juicy story.

"What did you do while I was away?"

"I asked the house sitter to come in. Since they knew my face they let me in."

I asked an old couple to take care of the place while I was away. Because of this guy's appearance and how pushy he is, they must have been easily overpowered.

"Of course it looked bleak, because I wasn't there. In the first place, when lovers are in a place, that room doesn't change at all, right?"

"Ahh, so the prince has been going out at night to play."

"What did you say?"

I haven't 'gone out at night to play' since I got back from earth. Or rather, since I haven't been long in the country, there's no way this guy could know what I have or have not been doing.

Despite my puzzled look, Josak argued vehemently with a smug look on his face.

"Look, when a person is in love, their clothes, their expression and the vibe of their room change. People use bedsheets of beautiful colors, put flowers in a vase and stuff like that"

"That's something that women do, right?"

"Love has nothing to do with gender. I, who have the appearance of a woman and the leg hairs of a man, know that I'm right."

"Go shave" 

"Shut up"

Did he favor the natural look, or the importance of aesthetics? That question was easy to answer, because I had his strong, extended legs right before my eyes. But I did not dare to say anything, instead I approached my brow to the glass and drank. I didn't want to look at them.

But the owner of the legs, turned them towards me, waiting.

"... You know this already. Love is far away from this place, but..."

"Right? That's why your wonderful friend right here wants to introduce you to a girl"

"Wait, listen, just because I haven't gone out with someone of the opposite sex for a while, it doesn't mean I need to get a lover right away. Or actually, I'm not looking for someone to fall in love with right now. Or rather, for the time being, I don't have time to be looking in that direction."

"Please don't have such gloomy thoughts"

With his hands used to hold big swords, he patted my back . Of course I wanted to return the patting but if people were to see two strong men doing this, it would inevitably be mistaken for a quarrel. So I put up with it.

"It happened to me too all of a sudden, a good friend of mine fell passionately in love, had a quick wedding and forgot all about me! That's not something anyone wants. You've finally recovered a little bit and if I were to abandon you, you'd be sad, right?"

"Cut it out."

"But say, isn't it sad to see lord Weller walking under this sky alone, without a girl by his side? Don't you feel even a little bit lonely? If that's the case, then the morale in the red-light district will drop."

"The red-light district? Morale?"

"I'm talking about lowering the spirit of the people who work in that area."

They don't seem like people with a sense of solidarity but maybe there's some occupational consciousness that I'm not aware of. Anyway, a dip in the income of a commercial district that brings in a lot of money (even if it somewhat disrupts the public moral) impacts the state's finances. But even if I know that can't be ignored....

"Well, I doesn't need to be a lover. It's fine if you just walk with a lady around town. At any rate, I found some women and now I'm going to introduce them to you. Since the commander Lord Weller is so popular, you got a reputation as a philanderer."

Even though I was ignoring his every word, I felt like he didn't care.

"Aaaaanyways, a lot of people showed up and I started choosing. So this is the selected group of candidates for girlfriend for Lord Weller, supervised by Gurrier Josak."

At the sign of the tavern owner (who seemed to have been evasive till then), women appeared and lined up before me. Sitting across from me, on the other side of the table, there were five smiling women. There were so many different TYPES of women gathered there it was almost admirable. Their body shape, hair color, eye color, skin color, and overall vibe, were all different from one another.

The blonde beauty with blue eyes on the left corner, despite having an average hair color, somehow managed to make her hair and eyes glitter. She was wearing a racy outfit with an open cleavage. Her TYPE resembled that of my mother's.

The two in the middle were a redhead and brunette. Only their clothes were similar, everything else about them was different. The redhead had big brown eyes and a very particular big smile. On the other hand, the brunette had dropped shoulders, slit eyes and a refined face. I could quite make up the color of her eyes because of the shade that her long eyelashes projected. I thought those two were the youngest in the group.

They were wearing matching outfits one deep green, the other one dark blue. They were simple clothes that didn't expose too much skin, but you could tell by the gloss of the fabric that they were of good quality. Her fingers, crossed at the height of their navels were also beautiful. They looked like girls from good families, that didn't belong this late at night, in a tavern like this.

The problem were the remaining two.

The second from the right, was tall and had extremely wide shoulders. Her gracefully rolled up hair was either red or gold, her eyelashes and eyebrows were of the same color. But no matter how you looked at it, there was no way she was born with that hair color. Be as that may be, the two arms showing, as her outfit only covered her shoulders were quite sturdy, which means she had quite a bit of muscle. On top of that her hip bones were massive.... And is that a...?

"So what do you think about my selection? They're all very beautiful."

"One of them is a guy, right?"

"If you look at them they all have their own special beauty. I thought about the commander's undefined taste for women, and I simply picked the ladies judging by their appearance and went for the different types of women that the working-class men like."

"One of them is a guy, right?"
 
"Now, now, maybe you were into that type, right?"

Don't tell me 'now, now'. Anyone would be upset if a friend tells you he's going to introduce you to women, and then there's a guy in the mix. Furthermore, he hadn't even shaved his beard. He was just a guy in girl's clothes. That's not cute at all.

"But the woman on the right is really your type, right? The one in the right corner?"

It's true, I was interested in the girl that was in the right corner, but not for the reasons he stated. Out of the five people there, she was the most plain-looking one. In terms of self-confidence, when compared to the other four, she was somewhat different. It's like she didn't understand the situation she was in, and kept looking around. Her hair color resembled mine, and she had it neatly tied in the back. I thought that it wasn't long enough to bother her, but clearly she must have thought it was in the way. Could she be a woman with a career outside the house? I reassessed. She looked like she worked at the military library department or the accounting department. I kept staring at her. Unfortunately I wasn't looking at her appearance or vibe, but her luggage.

It was very big. Something elongated, completely wrapped and she was holding it with both arms. It was about the size of a child, and it was too big for someone of her body size to carry properly. Furthermore, you could see that both her arms were dripping water droplets. But this was expected as she was tightly wrapped in a light yellow blanket and was soaking wet.

The mystery object was also wrapped in wet blankets. The woman from the right corner was carrying such a suspicious luggage, and by the way she was holding it, it looked like she was cradling a baby. The weight of the item didn't seem to change the expression on her face. The humble appearance didn't suit her at all and I wondered if she could be a terribly important person.

As I was worriedly staring, I thought I saw the lump move. It moved!? Did the luggage itself move?

"Hey, wait. That woman wrapped in a blanket seems to be holding a child in her arms, besides, the luggage moved....."

After hearing me mutter those words, she looked down in panic.

No way, did she bring her child here!?

The way she was holding the luggage really looked like she was holding a baby, but by the size of the package I'd say it's already a child, and for some reason she was walking around with it wrapped in a wet blanket.

Could it be the child couldn't be exposed to outside air? Or maybe it can't be exposed to light? But there's no way that if a child had a sickness, she would expose it to such dangers, just to come to this tavern at night.

I understand that Josak called her and said 'I want to introduce you to my friend', but I really didn't see why it was necessary for her to go as far as to introduce me to her child....
 
No way, was she thinking about marriage....

As soon as I had that thought, I started lifting my hips from the seat.

You gotta be joking, right? Marriage? This is a problem, she wants to get married? 

Thinking about how I'd decline the proposal, I scratched my memory looking for famous quotes.

"So what will you do commander? Which girl will you pick?"

Asked Josak in a carefree tone without knowing my concerns. With a slightly troubled smile, I gave a safe answer.

"Ladies, you're all very beautiful and I don't want to have to narrow it down to only one of you."

Mn? Wait a sec. Even if she's thinking about marriage so aggressively, if I don't choose her, then there won't be any trouble. I just have to pick another candidate. But which one...?

"Whaaaat?" said Josak by my side with a manly shout.

"Come on choose someone, I put my heart into this"  

"........ ugh"

I had no words.

What he said was true. Josak's whole town got involved, and in order to escape that place, I had to choose one of them. I absolutely didn't want to. For the time being, I didn't have any time to spare for love.

「 He 」<ref>This is written in the third person. The author is explaining what Conrad's thinking.</ref> was able to finally get there and who knows how long it took him to get ready. In order to live as comfortable as possible in his hometown, he had to sort out many problems. And in order to do that he had to learn about countries by being in touch with lots of people and learn their cultures and history.

There are still many unexplored territories. I didn't have any free time for love.

Wouldn't it be better to simply not choose anyone?

But if I used that strategy, then I would see the glimmer in the eyes of those ladies disappear. They were all waiting for me to choose.

"All right, all right, the one that I recommend is..."

Only Josak looked like he was having fun.

But even if I chose one of them, the rest would end up getting their feelings hurt. But if I make them think "This guy's the worst" then they'd be glad they only came here to look but weren't chosen.

So I really only had one option. In short, I'd be a despicable man so that the women would be disgusted.

"Ladies, you're all too beautiful, I feel it would be a waste for you to go out with me. But if the second person from the right ...."

"It's a raid!"

In a second, the selection had turned into a nightmare.

The customers and employees near the entrance screamed. This didn't look like a dangerous place that the police would break into to carry on an investigation. 

At that moment, she (he) moved her right hand towards her hip. I don't carry long swords for battle when I go out walking around town, but my acquaintences always carry portable weapons for self-protection. And in Josak's case, it didn't look like he was going to protect me at all.

"What does he mean raid? Is anyone doing any illegal gambling in here?"

"It's not that ~! Damn it! Stuffel you bastard! You and your stupid laws! Hey you! Listen!"

Everyone turned around when they heard Josak's voice.

"These guys are here to catch people breaking the transvestite prohibition law, in other words the crossdressing ban! Everyone hurry up and enter the kitchen! You have to get out! From the storage room, you can use the sewer tunnels and run away!"

At that moment, and to my surprise, almost every woman in the tavern stood up.

"Hey, wait, everyone...."

"They're all violators of the transvestite prohibition law. Crap, what a stupid law."

In other words a ban on crossdressers. I had never heard of that law. It seems that Lord von Spitzberg Stuffel, the older brother of the Maou, her majesty Cäcilie, was exercising whatever power he had left and apparently approved an evil law.

Be as it may, almost every woman in the tavern was a shemale. What kind of place is this?

"By the way, you have to run away too, Josa. Uwah~"

At that moment, I felt something heavy being pressed against my chest. I froze for a moment.

"I'm really sorry! Please, take care of this for a while."

Unsure of her every move, she ran away from the person standing before her. It was the girl Josak had picked, the one with the brown hair neatly tied back, who was sitting in the right corner. Before I could understand what had happened, I found myself holding whatever was wrapped in the wet blankets.

"Eh?"

Why did she give me her luggage? She ran away. For the time being I was happy that after feeling the luggage, I realized that a child wasn't wrapped in it. Thank goodness, it's not a sick child.

".... What is this?"

Next to me Josak was scratching his head.

"Ah, that person really has bad manners. But it's a good thing that they could run away. The manager of the library department is really disagreeable, but it would be a shame if they were found here."

"It's okay, because they can run fast now"

As I turned around to see who Josak was talking to, I realized it was the guy... uh... person who seemed to be a guy in drags who was still peacefully sitting on their chair holding a beverage.

"Is it okay for Gurie-san not to run away? You're pretty important in the army, and if they find you here and it turns into a scandal it would be bad."

"You're right. I will need to escape soon. Hey, commander! Don't just stand there, hurry up and leave!"

The shape of the person who was peacefully drinking while leaning on their elbow was, no matter how you looked at it, that of a man. But they were not panicking due to the transvestite prohibition law, which was proof that her clothes and gender matched.

"H-he is a she? And she was a he?"

"Ahahaha, so you didn't realize sooner, right? Actually commander, everyone except this person here was a guy."

As soon as he said that, I realized that the blonde woman and the two wearing matching outfits were gone. They ran as soon as they heard the word raid.

"This is making me doubt my general knowledge."

"Getting a good scare once in a while is a good thing."

When I started to run away, I began to feel the weight of the luggage pressed against me. That person was carrying this effortlessly. Certainly it's not the physical strength a woman would have. 

"Josak, I have to return this to her... uh... him."

"That person is small, if they had to carry something like this they wouldn't be able escape, that's why they gave it to you. Please take care of it for a little while. I'll go pick it up from the commander's place later."

"I don't mind keeping it for a while."

I was worried about what was in the blanket. I thought that something shiny was peeking from inside the bundle, but I had no time to check. Now that I think about it, I really didn't need to run away because of my plain clothes and appearance, but this is the kind of thing that you do for a friend.

"What's inside?"

As soon as he asked the question, the object move. Without a doubt, that thing was alive.











When you return to your house after a long time of it being empty, it's so cold that it almost feels like it's not your own house.

That place is too big to be called a house and too small to be called a castle. It seems that people who live nearby call it a palace or a manor, but I just see a house. It's nothing more than the place where I wake up for a few days, whenever I return to my hometown.

I don't have any family waiting for me there. I had only left a soldier as the gatekeeper, and an old couple house sitting, but that didn't mean that they were using the fireplace the whole time to warm up the house.

However, only on that day, if you were to look inside through a window from the garden, you'd see a light. And if you opened the door, the inside of the room would be warm.

It wasn't a cold season, but my chest, stomach and arms were soaking wet, and my temperature had dropped.

"Conrad-sama!"

A skinny old man came trotting down the stairs. It was the man who was house sitting and who had also served my father.

"Thank goodness! I didn't know what I'd do if you didn't return...."

"Thanks for your help. Come closer to the fire to stay warm. What is it? Is something the matter?"

"Well..."

But as soon as he started speaking, he noticed the luggage I was carrying. The water had drenched my clothes all the way to my thighs and droplets were dripping on the floor from my elbow .

"What in the world is that?"

"I don't know. Someone asked me to keep it for a while. I don't know what's inside. But, since it moves every once in a while, I think it's a living thing."

"A living thing!?"

When I said that, he hurriedly pulled away the arms he had stretched out to pick up the item. Unconsciously, I gave him a grim smile. I'm sorry, nobody would like to be given an unknown living thing, right?

"I don't mind, I'll carry it myself. Could you bring the outdoor washtub to my room? I don't want the floor to get wet."

"Of course, I'll be there shortly!"

The old man replied in a happy tone. Was it because he was relieved that he wouldn't have to pick up the unknown, wet living thing?

"But first tell me, what did you want to say? When you said that it would be a problem if I didn't come back home?"

"Oh! Right, that's right! If you need to go to your room please go quickly . You have a guest, they're waiting in the study."

"A guest?"

It's quite unusual to have someone come visit when the owner is away. No way, could it be the girl... uh... guy from before? I don't think they've come to pick up the luggage already. It's too soon.

"Then I will leave this in my room, change my clothes and meet them. If they've been waiting till now for me, waiting a little bit longer won't make any difference. But tell me, why did you take them to the study?"

"Well.... I offered to make them wait in the reception room, but..."

"I see. Well, it's fine. Please give them another cup of tea while I change, go now."

The old man suddenly looked scared and kept repeating 'but....', 'but...'. He looked worried while thinking about the identity of the guest.

"But, Conrad-sama, please, please hurry up."

"Yes, I will. Who in the world is here?"

"It's... uh... his Excellency Lord von Voltaire Gwendal."

When I heard his name, even I was surprised and I'm sure one could tell by my expression.

"My older brother? Here?"

"Yes."

I thought it was some sort of joke. My brother Lord von Voltaire? Who's always in the capital? He came here, in person, by horse? It's not a distance one can casually ride.

Despite having messengers, for Excellency Gwendal to come in person to see me, without any soldiers that had pledged their loyalty to the country, this is not something that happens every day.

Did something terribly important happen? Or was he on a diplomatic visit nearby and is just passing by? I finished changing my clothes, as I muttered that I hoped it would be the latter, and headed towards the study.

The old man and the gatekeeper arrived with the outdoor washtub. With it, the floor wouldn't get wet, and the blankets wouldn't get dry.

Lord von Voltaire had brought a chair closer, to sit in front of the desk that my father used to use, and was flipping through a thick book that was on his lap. He seemed to have taken it from one of the shelves.

"Excellency."

As I opened the door to the study, he looked up in my direction while remaining on his seat. The brightness of the lamp dyed his face orange.

"Ah, you came back."

"I'm sorry for making you wait."

"Don't care. Either way I wasn't going to ride my horse any longer tonight. I'll only ride to go back to the city and to where I'll sleep"

"You don't need to go to the city. If my older brother so pleases, you could just stay here...."

Gwendal shook his head slowly and said he didn't want to leave the ten soldiers he brought with him waiting. His long hair swayed gently.

"But, what brings you to this remote area, this late at night?"

"Sit down."

Indeed, it was rude of me to stand while we were talking. Since there was nowhere else to sit, I went around the desk and sat on the cloth-covered chair that my father used to sit on. Contrasting with the room temperature, the place where I rested my elbows was hard and cold.

Gwendal closed the leather-cover book and looked at my face intently. The look on his deep blue eyes made me feel so uncomfortable, that I felt like scratching the back of my neck.

"What is it? Did I win a cash-prize that I'm unaware of?"

"No."

My older brother suddenly let out a short sigh, and gently stroked the uneven surface of the old, leather-covered book with his right palm.

"You ended up resembling him."

"Who?"

"Your father."

Ah, he could only utter a vague reply. But I don't think he came all the way here to talk about such trivialities.

"So..."

"I came here..."

We both went silent, waiting for the other to continue. Of course, Gwendal had precedence. But soon after, I would regret having let him speak. Because from the mouth of his Excellency Lord von Voltaire Gwendal, a leading figure in the country, I heard once again a very troublesome offer.

"Conrad, let's have a match-making party for you."










What a day today!









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==References ==
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