Chapter 45
“First, you said pity undermines the will to be independent, right?”
“That’s right. From now on, they might just chase after expensive carriages with false hopes.”
“That would be true if we just gave them goods and left it at that. But I told the kid to come find me after making the next item.”
“…So today’s act becomes an ‘investment,’ huh?”
“Exactly.”
As expected, Bennen caught on quickly. And just like Bennen, he didn’t accept it entirely without question.
Now, there was still the second problem.
“What if other merchants start clinging to us?”
“I told those kids to ‘come to the ducal estate.’ That if it came down to it, they’d have an audience with the Duke himself. Who would rashly attempt that?”
“…True, I wouldn’t want to either.”
“And besides, the carriage has already left, so they can’t catch up even if they tried—”
I shrugged, then hooked my arms through Bennen’s and Elber’s again.
“And if someone does come at us directly, that’s when you, dear brother, get to protect me for all to see.”
“…Ha.”
A smile spread across Bennen’s face. Soon, that smile turned into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! Yes, we should use everything we can! Sol, that’s an even better answer than I had in mind.”
“Thank you.”
“You really do fit right in with the Schläger family.”
…Why does that sound like an insult? Well, whatever. The Schlägers aren’t that villainous.
Above all—
“…Sol.”
A sweet voice whispered in my ear as Elber leaned slightly against me.
“I really like that you not only help struggling children, but also give them the chance to do better.”
And right beside me is this angel.
I squeezed both their hands tightly, feeling cheerful.
The road the carriage could take soon ended. From here, it was a walking path leading to the small plaza. The coachman spoke.
“If you wait a bit, the guards will arrive.”
“No need. We can protect ourselves.”
Bennen gestured to his and Elber’s waists. Hanging from their belts were swords at least fifty centimeters long.
The coachman, apparently confident in the boys’ skills, immediately bowed and stepped back.
“Understood. I’ll just have the guards follow about ten meters behind in case of emergency.”
“…That’s an acceptable compromise. But in any case, they must not interfere.”
“Of course.”
The carriage stopped, and Bennen was the first to jump down, offering his hand.
“Please step down, milady.”
“Thank you…—Eek!”
This guy just kissed the back of my hand!
When I recoiled in shock, Bennen chuckled.
“You can’t be startled by things like this every time.”
“Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”
“You’ll have no choice but to. I’m going to keep doing it.”
Bennen let go of my hand and naturally took his place at my right side.
“Now we need to show the townsfolk that young master Bennen is completely smitten with his adopted little sister.”
How would they even know we’re from the ducal family? Well, we did just step out of a carriage bearing our crest.
But my question was quickly answered. On the cobblestone path, festival-goers began stepping aside the moment they saw the boys’ attire.
It wasn’t just our expensive-looking clothes—most eyes were drawn to the swords at their hips.
Ah, right. Only nobles and knights are allowed to wear swords in public. And these scabbards even bore the ducal crest.
Whispers started to spread.
“The Schläger young masters are at the festival?”
“Who’s that girl? She doesn’t look like a maid.”
“I heard from the mill manager that His Grace was on an inspection tour…”
“…Adopted? Wait, are they planning to sacrifice her to a dragon or something?”
That last ridiculous comment was a bit too loud.
The man who shouted quickly clamped his hands over his mouth in panic. But it was too late—Bennen’s sharp gaze was already on him.
“Should I just—”
“Hands off the sword. Good brothers don’t touch that for things like this.”
“…Then what?”
“Lean down for a moment.”
When Bennen leaned in, I rose slightly on tiptoe—and made a small mwah sound by his ear before pulling back.
I didn’t actually kiss him. Just a light brush, nothing more. But his reaction was dramatic.
“…Huh? Y-you—Sol—what—what did you just—huh?”
There was no mark on his face, but like dropping the sun into the ocean, his face turned a deep, blazing red, making it obvious something embarrassing had happened.
Smiling brightly, I said:
“Come on, let’s go. I want to see the festival.”
“…Y-yeah. Of course! I have to show you the festival!”
Uh-oh. Bennen’s broken. His smile was stuck as he walked, moving his right arm and right leg at the same time. Someone calm him down.
Meanwhile, Elber was also malfunctioning.
“…Sol. I-I also—w-wouldn’t mind getting one of your, um… kisses.”
“Even if you don’t want one, I do—so I’m giving you one.”
I stepped on Elber’s foot lightly to keep him from moving, then pressed my lips to his cheek with another mwah.
His face turned as red as a tomato. He touched his cheek with a trembling hand.
“Sol, this, this is…”
“A kiss. For showing me such a beautiful place even while grumbling about it.”
“Ah…”
“Let’s hurry. Weren’t you going to show me how wonderful Flogel is?”
He never said that, but apparently his brain had already rewritten the memory.
“Of course! I’ll show you how beautiful it is until the sun sets!”
“Hehe, thanks. I’ll brag to Dad later!”
Elber and Bennen each held one of my hands. We walked toward the crowd with light, almost dancing steps.
From behind, voices murmured:
“‘Dad’? Could she mean the Duke?”
“The head of the bakers’ guild said that at the recent union meeting, His Grace doted on his daughter endlessly. I thought it was nonsense, but…”
“Even Bennen isn’t normally like this…”
But Bennen’s face carried a smile too genuine to be acting.
Someone muttered words that summed up all our feelings:
“What on earth is going on here…”
Exactly.
The pressure of having to show the townsfolk a sweet family image didn’t last long—I soon found myself truly enjoying the festival.
Every gust of wind filled the air with flower petals. Everyone wore bright clothes and danced in the plaza.
Little kids tumbled onto the petals, almost crying, then burst out laughing at their flower-covered hands—making even the adults watching smile.
Of course, that wasn’t what mattered to me.
“Wow, this grilled fish is delicious! Even better than butter-grilled squid!”
“Sol, want to try mine? It’s grilled roe with cheese.”
“Thanks. …Oh, salty but really tasty!”
“Hmph, you can’t just flood your tongue with salty stuff. Balance it out with mine.”
“Thanks, brother. Wow, the caramel flavor is so rich!”
There was plenty of food, of course—and even games. No Viking rides or Ferris wheels, but the spring-mounted horses and swings I hadn’t ridden in ages were still fun.
People who had been wary upon recognizing Bennen relaxed as they saw us happily enjoying the festival. Yes, this was the kind of scene I wanted.
The problem was…the Duke wasn’t here.
No matter how much I tagged along to meetings or work, exchanging affection in private, to truly change my image in front of the majority of the townsfolk, I needed a big public event like this festival.
Why was he taking so long?
“Bennen, when is Father coming?”
“He said he’d try to make time by evening.”
“‘Try’? So he might not come at all?”
“…That’s right. He’s never taken time off during the festival period. Don’t be too disappointed if he can’t.”
“But he promised to dance with me at the finale.”
He’d even gone down on one knee to invite me. The Duke isn’t the kind to make empty promises.
But upon hearing this, both Bennen and Elber’s expressions changed. What now?
“…Oh? So you’ve promised to dance with Father.”
“Uh, yeah? Usually, the lord and lady dance at the finale, right?”
“True. But before that, who are you going to dance with?”
…Ah. So that’s the issue.
Both boys’ eyes locked on me. Ugh, so much pressure.
“Uh…of course, if there’s time, I’ll dance with both of you.”
“Who first?”
“I’ll see how things go…”
“And if there’s only time for one?”
“…”
I swallowed hard under the gaze of their pleading eyes. Which would be better for image management?
Bennen is known as the Duke’s right-hand man and the cold-blooded young master. Dancing with his little sister at the festival would soften his icy image.
The downside: since Bennen’s image is so similar to the Duke’s, it might lessen the impact of the Duke’s dance.
Elber’s dance wouldn’t be as striking on its own, but watching children dance makes people smile warmly. It would also show that the ducal family has “ordinary kids,” lowering public wariness.
Ughhh…
As I weighed the options for the future of the ducal family, Bennen and Elber exchanged glances—then stepped back from me.
“Elber, if you lose, accept it gracefully.”
“You too, don’t make excuses.”
“Uh, what are you two talking about?”
Elber pointed toward a nearby stall. On wooden shelves, a row of small dolls stood lined up. It was a booth where you knocked them down by throwing balls.
“Whoever gets more wins.”
“Fine.”
Bennen pulled a silver coin from his wallet and handed it over. It must’ve been a lot, because the stall owner looked surprised.
“Keep bringing us balls until we’re done.”
“Ah—yes, sir.”
When would they be done?
The stall owner quickly set a box of balls in front of them.
Bennen’s first throw sliced through the air and knocked over the doll in the front row.
“Not bad, brother.”
“I’ve been around.”
“Then my turn.”
Elber’s throw was faster and hit a doll farther back. He smiled playfully, which was unusual for him, making Bennen grit his teeth as he grabbed his second ball.
Of course, his second throw hit as well. So did his third, fourth…
Would this ever end? Forget image-building, this was now pure pride at stake.
I sighed and stepped back—only for someone to suddenly hold out a doll to me. A cute dwarf in a red hood, one of the stall prizes.
But the one handing it to me wasn’t Elber or Bennen…
“K-Kai?”
“Hi, Sol.”
Before I knew it, Kai was standing beside me, smiling as brightly as if he’d just found a treasure.
