“Young Master, you’re back?”
They hurriedly wiped the relaxed looks from their faces and greeted me politely. Even so, they kept giggling among themselves.
“Congratulations on passing the exam.”
“Lucy—no. Who are you looking for?”
Maybe it was because I’d overheard their conversation earlier, but I felt a little embarrassed. Especially because they clearly knew I’d come looking for Lucy, yet still asked that question on purpose.
“Um… Is Lucy here?”
I asked hesitantly, and they giggled again.
They were treating me like some adolescent boy.
I’m a grown man, you know.
If you count my previous life, I might even be older than the duke.
“Hehe. Lucy’s heating the bathwater.”
“You should hurry over!”
Even if that wasn’t my purpose.
I gave them a vague word of thanks before heading to the bath.
“Lucy.”
“Oh! Young Master!”
She greeted me with a bright smile.
Usually, she only said what needed to be said, but today she seemed to be in an especially good mood. Chattering away, she almost looked like a baby bird.
She kept talking while checking the temperature of the bathwater.
While taking my outer clothes.
Even after I stepped into the bath, she continued chattering outside the door.
“So then, Young Master struck the other guy’s jaw with the hilt of his sword and—bam!—‘Don’t ever insult House Helleim again—’”
“Lucy!”
Splash!
Too embarrassed to hear any more, I stood up in the tub.
Had I really said something that cringeworthy?
Lucy giggled outside.
“Seriously, I was so moved. Thank you, Young Master.”
I sat back down and hid my face beneath the surface of the water.
Bloop, bloop—.
My breath sent the water swirling.
There was no doubt my face was bright red right now.
Was it the influence of this body?
My mind was that of an adult, yet I was blushing over something so trivial.
No. That couldn’t be it.
I wasn’t embarrassed. Absolutely not.
The water was simply too hot.
“I see your face is red.”
As she gathered my clothes, Lucy made sure to point it out in a teasing tone.
“Yes. The bathwater seems especially hot today. Did you fail to control the temperature?”
“Of course not. I set it a little lower than usual because I thought you might have worked up a sweat, Young Master.”
“…I see.”
“Or would you like me to cool it down for you?”
Hiss—.
“Ah! That’s cold!”
I looked over in surprise. A chill was rising from her hand.
“Hehe.”
Come to think of it, she had heated the bathwater with magic.
She was a year younger than me, yet she had talent.
I’d had opportunities in my previous life, but no talent.
This child had talent, but no opportunities.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.”
After my bath, I had dinner with the duke.
High-end dishes filled the table.
My mouth watered the moment I saw them.
Of course, in my previous life, I’d eaten food just as luxurious with Lord Frost. But that household served a strangely large amount of vegetarian food. They called it a nutritious diet meant to improve magical ability, but it hadn’t suited my palate much.
“Ah.”
The moment I cut into the steak and took a bite, incredible pleasure rushed through me.
I really did love meat.
Slice, slice—.
The duke glanced at me as he cut the meat on his plate.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Pardon?”
“You’re eating more slowly than usual.”
I’d already finished two plates and stacked them beside me.
Yesterday, I had eaten three plates by this point, but it was only a difference of one plate.
And he noticed that.
What a ridiculously doting father.
“Father.”
I called to him with a solemn expression.
His knife stopped, and he looked at me with wide eyes.
“What have you done?”
“No, it’s not like that—.”
“Arthur, you only call me that when you need me or when there’s trouble to clean up.”
Oh. Was that true?
I hadn’t even realized it.
After clearing my throat a few times, I looked at him again and spoke. I hesitated slightly, but made my question clear.
“Would you like a daughter?”
His expression immediately went slack.
His face seemed to say, That’s all this was?
Wasn’t that a pretty significant thing to say?
But he acted as though it were nothing, putting a piece of sliced meat into his mouth as he spoke.
“You mean Lucy.”
Clatter.
I jumped to my feet before I even realized it.
Was he a mind reader?
How did he know?
“You have the exact expression of someone wondering how I knew.”
Since he had read my mind once again, I couldn’t sit down for a few moments.
Had I really made it that obvious?
I eventually sat back down and listened carefully to what he had to say.
“I think about Lucy often as well. Her magical talent is exceptional. It would be a waste for someone like her to spend her whole life as a servant in a ducal house like this.”
“Exactly.”
I nodded vigorously. He gave me a sidelong glance before returning to his meal.
Crunch, crunch.
He chewed for a long while before swallowing.
“Even so, it can’t be done.”
“As I thought.”
“It isn’t for the reason you’re thinking. Her being a commoner, or anything like that. I don’t care for such distinctions.”
“I know. If you were that kind of person, you wouldn’t have adopted me.”
“…Do you still consider yourself a commoner?”
His expression tightened slightly.
He didn’t seem angry.
“Not particularly. I simply remember where I came from so I don’t become arrogant. Restraining yourself when you could act otherwise takes a great deal of effort.”
I looked at the duke.
Wasn’t he the perfect example?
He belonged to a swordsmanship house and was a duke. From the kingdom’s perspective, he had even earned the credit for defeating the monster known as the Grand Swordmaster.
He wasn’t royalty, but he possessed power and wealth to rival them.
And yet he didn’t casually throw that power around or lose himself in pleasure. That took tremendous principles and patience.
“I know very well that I’m not an especially good person. Most humans are the same. Why else would people say that if you want to see someone’s true nature, you should give them power? That’s why I stamp out those seeds before they can take root.”
“…Did you think of me that way? But as you said, I’m just one of those many people. The foot I use to stamp out those seeds just happens to be you, my son. The best education is leading by example.”
As expected, I nodded.
The duke possessed incredible dignity.
Then why wouldn’t he take Lucy in as his adopted daughter?
When I asked, his answer was completely unexpected.
“She doesn’t want it.”
“Lucy?”
“Yes. Even though she wants to show her talent to the world someday, she doesn’t want to become your sister.”
“…I understand.”
I stopped myself from asking anything more.
I had some tact.
From that conversation, I could at least vaguely tell how Lucy felt about me. Asking more through someone other than her would be rude to her as well.
Clink, clink.
Only the sounds of our utensils filled the room.
Pop.
The meat I put into my mouth melted on the tip of my tongue.
But more than praising the flavor of the meat, I felt sorry for Lucy’s talent.
She had enough talent to spread her wings.
And yet she had to use it to heat my bathwater.
Suddenly, I felt the duke staring intently at me.
When I raised my head, he was looking at me as if wondering why I wasn’t happy.
“…? Is something wrong?”
“Anyone can enroll in the academy, not just nobles—no. Never mind. You’re oblivious in the strangest ways.”
“Hm?”
“Finish your meal.”
What was that supposed to mean?
What had I missed?
I couldn’t figure out the answer no matter how much I thought about it, so I went back to eating meat.
Smack, smack.
Oh, this shrimp dish is delicious.