37 Monologue of A Certain Marquis 3
We, who had received Duke Lilac’s invitation, were now heading toward the evening party they held. On the route there, inside the carriage, Serena was grasping onto my hand tightly.
“It’s not your fault. The fault lies in me who made a mistake on the way I look at the situation. I have always thought that I still have some leeway until one year later – until the moment His Highness Frederick’s magic liberation ceremony is held. Who knows that… In any case, the fault is mine. That’s why, please don’t blame yourself for this.”
“No, it’s also my fault. I’ve been neglecting my duty. Although I’m saved from the swindler by Theodore and healed when I have Wendy, I have never done anything for that child. That’s why, now it’s my turn to save Theodore. Poor child… I must not let him suffer more than this.”
Serena gritted her teeth, looking as if she was being tormented due to the matter of Viscount Amber’s rejection over our engagement offer.
Still, it was not her fault. Sure, Serena had been away from noble society since that swindler incident four years ago. However, that was only natural since, for a while, she was feeling down after that event. She believed that she only brought trouble for us because she was being easily swindled by that fake fortune teller. It was only after she got pregnant again and gave birth to Wendy that the wound in her heart slowly began to heal. By giving undivided attention to raising Wendy and the years she spent with her and Theodore, she began to forgive herself.
Although, personally, I didn’t think this matter was her mistake. Alas, she began blaming herself again.
“He’s an extremely obedient and kind-hearted child who has never said something selfish. And despite his own feeling of despair, he never blames anyone, only crying in silence. As his mother, seeing my child like that, can I let that slip? As if! Moreover, did you see his face a while ago? Despite what happened to him yesterday, he is still smiling brightly at us… Asking for Miss Muriel’s hand in marriage is the first selfishness he showed to us. So, as his mother, I want to grant his wish.” Serena said, eyes as firm as a diamond with light that practically dared people to stop her.
Aah, I see now. She isn’t just blaming herself. She has become stronger. She cast out her fragile and unreliable side, and replaced it with an iron will. All for her children’s sake. A being called a mother is indeed amazing.
I was in awe.
“You’re right. The one who ended up showing such a sad face is me. Okay then, I’ll also do everything I can. After all, I will be disqualified as a parent if I do not do something to protect that child.”
“Yes. We both will.”
◇
Soon after, we arrived at Duke Lilac’s mansion. Giving our greeting to the duke and his wife, we entered the party venue.
This evening party was sponsored by Duke Lilac. And since that was the case, there was a high possibility that many figures that I’m looking for would attend the evening party, too.
Hence, I walked amongst the sea of people, greeting people and conversing as I looked for my targets. At that time, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder from behind.
“It’s been a while, Marquis Goldberg. It’s rare to see you come with your wife.”
The person who called out to me was Count Sphene, who came to this party accompanied by his wife.
He was the chief of the Magic Tool Research Institute located in the royal capital. He was in his early thirties with profound scholarly air around him. Yet, he was also gifted with a friendly disposition and smile. His wife was someone with gentle air around her, truly, they were a pair that embodied the saying of ‘like husband like wife’.
“It has been a while, indeed, Count Sphene. I rarely see you nowadays. Rumours are saying that you are busy with your research, but you don’t look like it. You seem to be as healthy as ever.”
“Hahaha, the same can be said to you too, Lord Goldberg. In any case, my situation right now can only be described as paradise. Our research has borne fruit at long last! And you have my deepest gratitude for that!”
“Good grief. All you ever talk about is research and research. Look, you ended up forgetting your daughter since you often leave for extended periods of time for that. Please, at the very least, follow Lord Goldberg’s example a little bit. He gets along really well with his children, am I right, Serena-sama?”
Since the other’s wife spoke with such a smile on her face, Serena decided to join her.
“You also get along really well with Sphene-sama, right, Grace-sama? In spite of your words, we can see that you’re as lovey-dovey as ever.”
“But, well, sometimes I think he might forget about me one day. I mean, he often forgets about his surroundings once he delves into his research after all. Therefore, as his wife, I can’t help but feel worried.”
“How can I possibly forget about you? You’re the only one I love.”
“Nope. Don’t think such an old trick will work on me.”
“Fufufu, I see. Then, let me have the opportunity to whisk your wife away from your side, milord. I simply have a lot of things to talk to and enquire about to your wife as I have been away from society for far too long. I have a lot of things to catch up with.”
“My goodness, are you going to leave us and have a private conversation amongst yourself? How terrifying.”
“Exactly. That’s why, let’s let these ladies have a room for themselves, shall we?” Serena said with a smile as she gently pulled Count Sphene’s hand to her. Then, she left us, their husband alone in this place.
The Count and I could only look at their retreating figures with a wry smile on our face.
“Count Sphene, seeing as our wives are gone to have private conversation together, I suppose we can start our own private conversation between us as well. Seeing that you acknowledge our situation back then, I assume you did not forget about His Majesty’s proposal back then, too.”
The matter I was talking about was when I returned the Saint’s Tiara years ago. At that time, it was thanks to the support from the Royal Capital Magic Tool Research Institute that I was able to return the tiara without having to face many difficult repercussions. Thus, I had nothing but gratitude to Count Sphene who was the first person to step up and support it.
“Nonono, it should be us who thank you. Truly, you have our utmost gratitude for giving us the opportunity to expand our research. The mage’s department should feel the same way as me, but…”
I understood what he wanted to say. At that time, due to my action, Count Greenwell – who had just become the chief of the Court Mage Department – was under the pressure to return the Saint’s Cane under his family’s care.
So, knowing this, I could only smile wryly since I understood Count Greenwell’s position. On one hand, as the head of the family, Count Greenwell certainly took pride in the fact that the Saint’s Cane was entrusted to his family. However, on the other hand, as the chief of the Court Mage Department, he also wanted to promote the research for the very item entrusted to his family.
Therefore, it came to no surprise that due to those two conflicting reasons, he ended up saying ‘It seems you have no pride as one of the five families.’ to me when we happened to meet after the event. Although it was just a spat with no other meaning behind it, especially since he realized his slip and apologized immediately, the other nobles who saw that scene still misunderstood. And that was how those baseless rumors got spread around.
―― I really had no way to stop those rumors from spreading around like wildfire.
“Well, that really can’t be helped. That’s something that only our family and relatives can understand. We can only do our best with everything we’ve got.”
“Yeah, it’s as you say.”
As we exchanged wry smiles to each other, a man came to us.
“―― I finally found you, Aniki. Good grief, I’ve been looking for you for a while now.”
We looked towards the direction of the voice and saw a man in the second-half of his twenties tottering toward us. For some reason, his features reminded me of Count Sphene.
“Please mind your manner a bit, Bates, we’re in front of Lord Goldberg. My apologies for his sudden interruption, Lord Goldberg. He’s my little brother, Bates.”
“Lord Goldberg?!”
The man called Bates spoke with a rather puzzled look on his face. However, soon, he stretched his hand for a handshake as he leisurely said, “Ma~n, this is the first time I meet you in person, Lord Goldberg! I often hear rumors about you nowadays. Oh, do allow me to express my gratitude for returning the Saint’s Tiara for research purposes. I―― wait, no. My name is Bates Sphene, Charlie Sphene’s little brother.”
Aah, if I don’t recall it wrongly, the name of the supervisor of the research is Bates Sphene. I see, so this man is also a researcher.
“My name is Owen Goldberg. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, right, I’m also your son’s, Theodore, friend. Pleased to meet you too.”
… EH?! HE… WHAT?
“Theodore’s… friend?” I asked faintly.
“Yes, yes. He visited my store this afternoon and we became friends then. Man, he’s really a bright child. He even ate doughnuts with Luke… whoops, I mean, Count Greenwell’s son.”
“Count Greenwell’s son?!”
“Yes, they get along really well.”
… Theodore. Did you actually finish the job that I should have done in a single afternoon? And that too even before I had a chance to set a groundwork for you?
37 Monologue of A Certain Marquis 3
We, who had received Duke Lilac’s invitation, were now heading toward the evening party they held. On the route there, inside the carriage, Serena was grasping onto my hand tightly.
“It’s not your fault. The fault lies in me who made a mistake on the way I look at the situation. I have always thought that I still have some leeway until one year later – until the moment His Highness Frederick’s magic liberation ceremony is held. Who knows that… In any case, the fault is mine. That’s why, please don’t blame yourself for this.”
“No, it’s also my fault. I’ve been neglecting my duty. Although I’m saved from the swindler by Theodore and healed when I have Wendy, I have never done anything for that child. That’s why, now it’s my turn to save Theodore. Poor child… I must not let him suffer more than this.”
Serena gritted her teeth, looking as if she was being tormented due to the matter of Viscount Amber’s rejection over our engagement offer.
Still, it was not her fault. Sure, Serena had been away from noble society since that swindler incident four years ago. However, that was only natural since, for a while, she was feeling down after that event. She believed that she only brought trouble for us because she was being easily swindled by that fake fortune teller. It was only after she got pregnant again and gave birth to Wendy that the wound in her heart slowly began to heal. By giving undivided attention to raising Wendy and the years she spent with her and Theodore, she began to forgive herself.
Although, personally, I didn’t think this matter was her mistake. Alas, she began blaming herself again.
“He’s an extremely obedient and kind-hearted child who has never said something selfish. And despite his own feeling of despair, he never blames anyone, only crying in silence. As his mother, seeing my child like that, can I let that slip? As if! Moreover, did you see his face a while ago? Despite what happened to him yesterday, he is still smiling brightly at us… Asking for Miss Muriel’s hand in marriage is the first selfishness he showed to us. So, as his mother, I want to grant his wish.” Serena said, eyes as firm as a diamond with light that practically dared people to stop her.
Aah, I see now. She isn’t just blaming herself. She has become stronger. She cast out her fragile and unreliable side, and replaced it with an iron will. All for her children’s sake. A being called a mother is indeed amazing.
I was in awe.
“You’re right. The one who ended up showing such a sad face is me. Okay then, I’ll also do everything I can. After all, I will be disqualified as a parent if I do not do something to protect that child.”
“Yes. We both will.”
◇
Soon after, we arrived at Duke Lilac’s mansion. Giving our greeting to the duke and his wife, we entered the party venue.
This evening party was sponsored by Duke Lilac. And since that was the case, there was a high possibility that many figures that I’m looking for would attend the evening party, too.
Hence, I walked amongst the sea of people, greeting people and conversing as I looked for my targets. At that time, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder from behind.
“It’s been a while, Marquis Goldberg. It’s rare to see you come with your wife.”
The person who called out to me was Count Sphene, who came to this party accompanied by his wife.
He was the chief of the Magic Tool Research Institute located in the royal capital. He was in his early thirties with profound scholarly air around him. Yet, he was also gifted with a friendly disposition and smile. His wife was someone with gentle air around her, truly, they were a pair that embodied the saying of ‘like husband like wife’.
“It has been a while, indeed, Count Sphene. I rarely see you nowadays. Rumours are saying that you are busy with your research, but you don’t look like it. You seem to be as healthy as ever.”
“Hahaha, the same can be said to you too, Lord Goldberg. In any case, my situation right now can only be described as paradise. Our research has borne fruit at long last! And you have my deepest gratitude for that!”
“Good grief. All you ever talk about is research and research. Look, you ended up forgetting your daughter since you often leave for extended periods of time for that. Please, at the very least, follow Lord Goldberg’s example a little bit. He gets along really well with his children, am I right, Serena-sama?”
Since the other’s wife spoke with such a smile on her face, Serena decided to join her.
“You also get along really well with Sphene-sama, right, Grace-sama? In spite of your words, we can see that you’re as lovey-dovey as ever.”
“But, well, sometimes I think he might forget about me one day. I mean, he often forgets about his surroundings once he delves into his research after all. Therefore, as his wife, I can’t help but feel worried.”
“How can I possibly forget about you? You’re the only one I love.”
“Nope. Don’t think such an old trick will work on me.”
“Fufufu, I see. Then, let me have the opportunity to whisk your wife away from your side, milord. I simply have a lot of things to talk to and enquire about to your wife as I have been away from society for far too long. I have a lot of things to catch up with.”
“My goodness, are you going to leave us and have a private conversation amongst yourself? How terrifying.”
“Exactly. That’s why, let’s let these ladies have a room for themselves, shall we?” Serena said with a smile as she gently pulled Count Sphene’s hand to her. Then, she left us, their husband alone in this place.
The Count and I could only look at their retreating figures with a wry smile on our face.
“Count Sphene, seeing as our wives are gone to have private conversation together, I suppose we can start our own private conversation between us as well. Seeing that you acknowledge our situation back then, I assume you did not forget about His Majesty’s proposal back then, too.”
The matter I was talking about was when I returned the Saint’s Tiara years ago. At that time, it was thanks to the support from the Royal Capital Magic Tool Research Institute that I was able to return the tiara without having to face many difficult repercussions. Thus, I had nothing but gratitude to Count Sphene who was the first person to step up and support it.
“Nonono, it should be us who thank you. Truly, you have our utmost gratitude for giving us the opportunity to expand our research. The mage’s department should feel the same way as me, but…”
I understood what he wanted to say. At that time, due to my action, Count Greenwell – who had just become the chief of the Court Mage Department – was under the pressure to return the Saint’s Cane under his family’s care.
So, knowing this, I could only smile wryly since I understood Count Greenwell’s position. On one hand, as the head of the family, Count Greenwell certainly took pride in the fact that the Saint’s Cane was entrusted to his family. However, on the other hand, as the chief of the Court Mage Department, he also wanted to promote the research for the very item entrusted to his family.
Therefore, it came to no surprise that due to those two conflicting reasons, he ended up saying ‘It seems you have no pride as one of the five families.’ to me when we happened to meet after the event. Although it was just a spat with no other meaning behind it, especially since he realized his slip and apologized immediately, the other nobles who saw that scene still misunderstood. And that was how those baseless rumors got spread around.
―― I really had no way to stop those rumors from spreading around like wildfire.
“Well, that really can’t be helped. That’s something that only our family and relatives can understand. We can only do our best with everything we’ve got.”
“Yeah, it’s as you say.”
As we exchanged wry smiles to each other, a man came to us.
“―― I finally found you, Aniki. Good grief, I’ve been looking for you for a while now.”
We looked towards the direction of the voice and saw a man in the second-half of his twenties tottering toward us. For some reason, his features reminded me of Count Sphene.
“Please mind your manner a bit, Bates, we’re in front of Lord Goldberg. My apologies for his sudden interruption, Lord Goldberg. He’s my little brother, Bates.”
“Lord Goldberg?!”
The man called Bates spoke with a rather puzzled look on his face. However, soon, he stretched his hand for a handshake as he leisurely said, “Ma~n, this is the first time I meet you in person, Lord Goldberg! I often hear rumors about you nowadays. Oh, do allow me to express my gratitude for returning the Saint’s Tiara for research purposes. I―― wait, no. My name is Bates Sphene, Charlie Sphene’s little brother.”
Aah, if I don’t recall it wrongly, the name of the supervisor of the research is Bates Sphene. I see, so this man is also a researcher.
“My name is Owen Goldberg. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, right, I’m also your son’s, Theodore, friend. Pleased to meet you too.”
… EH?! HE… WHAT?
“Theodore’s… friend?” I asked faintly.
“Yes, yes. He visited my store this afternoon and we became friends then. Man, he’s really a bright child. He even ate doughnuts with Luke… whoops, I mean, Count Greenwell’s son.”
“Count Greenwell’s son?!”
“Yes, they get along really well.”
… Theodore. Did you actually finish the job that I should have done in a single afternoon? And that too even before I had a chance to set a groundwork for you?
