Chapter 72

Thank you for reading.

"Heyne, is Zetto napping in the chicken coop again?"

Sariel, looking around the garden, called out to Heyne, who was tending the vegetable patch.

"Yes, I suppose it's his age.

Recently, he's been leaving it to his grandson, Koot, to do the rounds."

Heyne replied, his voice sounding a bit melancholic.

"Can't be helped. You can't win against age..."

"Lucian might feel lonely."

Heyne said, sounding concerned.

"He seems busy."

Sariel thought about his son, who hadn't returned even though it was a break.

"He must be doing well and active."

Heyne straightened up from his crouched position and smiled.

"Heyne,

Before Lucian enters the academy, should I have told him about that matter first?"

Sariel regretted having postponed it because no one had asked.

"You mean Zeraph, right?

I thought it would be more natural to answer if Lucian asked."

"I see.

It feels like I'm running away, which is embarrassing."

"Didn't we always wait until someone wanted to know before telling them, regardless of the topic?"

Heyne tilted his head. While he could understand Sariel's thoughts, he believed Lucian hadn't asked because he wasn't that curious.

Lucian's mother's situation is complicated.

It was hard to tell him because his heart hadn't grown enough to accept it.

How could I have judged better?

The guideline was that once Lucian wanted to know, it would be the right time.

"Well, that was the case with studies.

But, was it right to handle the matter of lineage the same way?"

Sariel answered bitterly.

"Then, next time, why not bring it up naturally when a similar topic comes up?

Or, if you prefer, you could tell him formally and solemnly."

Heyne suggested, thinking that Sariel would be nervous if he tried to be formal.

"Right.

I'll think about it."

Sariel suddenly noticed the charm on Heyne's wrist and thought, 'Maybe the time I gave him that charm was a good opportunity.'

◇◇◇

The lord's mansion in the Vione territory had long been in disrepair.

While the mansion in the capital had been repaired early on, Sariel hadn't had the time to fix the one in the territory. At that time, the Vione territory was under the management of the country.

The previous lord had only fixed the minimum necessary to ensure he had a place to stay, using the cheapest labor from the villagers.

Sariel gradually made life easier and then started repairing the mansion bit by bit.

He paid the carpenters and masons in the territory the proper market rates, and they repaired it, earning him a reputation as a decent lord. The fact that he earned such a reputation shows how bad the previous Vione count was.

Lucian was taken to the territory only after his father judged that the mansion's repairs were almost complete and the relationship between the lord and the villagers was good. By then, Lucian was already eight years old.

Until then, Lucian's life had been limited to the mansion in the capital.

His world consisted only of his father, Heyne, the chickens, and the plants. As he grew, the three of them would occasionally go shopping in town, but it was a rare break from their routine.

No one ever asked Lucian, "Where is your mother?"

There were no families nearby with a father, mother, and children.

As he grew older, Lucian couldn't bring himself to ask his father and Heyne, "Who is my mother?" in an innocent way.

He knew he resembled his father. Without a mother, it was likely that his father's partner had passed away. In such cases, the one who lost the partner would be in pain.

Moreover, he had heard from Lala, the daughter of a large ranch, that giving birth to a cow was difficult, and it wasn't uncommon for human mothers to die in childbirth. Lucian thought that might be the reason his mother had died, as she was already gone by the time he was old enough to understand.

Even Lala, who had been close to him since he was a baby, didn't know about his mother.

It was hard to imagine why the kind father and the mother who gave birth to Lucian would be separated. If something had happened, it must have been a complex and unavoidable situation. So, he naturally thought his mother had passed away.

Because of these circumstances, he decided not to bring up his mother.

He wouldn't touch the topic unless his father did. He didn't ask Heyne because he thought he should ask his father first.

So, he chose to remain ignorant about his mother. He did this on his own.

He knew he was cherished by his father and Heyne, so he had no complaints.

The reason he was thinking about this now was that a boy sitting next to him had asked him about it.

It happened while he was waiting for Euseis in the library.

"Excuse me, is this seat available?"

A boy with light blonde hair and green eyes stood next to Lucian.

He was about the same height as Lucian, with a handsome and gentle appearance, and was one of Euseis's potential attendants.

—His name is Patrice, right?

His family name is... Selva, I think.

Lucian had been ignoring it because he thought it didn't concern him. He couldn't remember right away.

He had greeted the potential attendants briefly when they were with Euseis and had heard their names from Euseis at that time.

Nodding, Lucian answered, and Patrice sat down next to him.

"I want to get to know you better," Patrice said while casting a soundproof barrier, probably because they were in the library.

It wasn't a particularly powerful spell, but it would be enough if they spoke in a low voice. It was a good spell. As expected of a potential attendant, he was excellent.

"Get to know me?"

Lucian decided to use polite language.

"Yes. Since you are a friend and cousin of Euseis-sama."

"I don't think you need to go out of your way for such a reason... I think."

Lucian answered matter-of-factly. He didn't particularly like or dislike Patrice, but he thought it was wrong to become friends out of a sense of duty.

"No, it's not that I'm going out of my way.

I noticed that you're being bullied a bit in class."

Patrice explained hesitantly.

"Like when your textbook was torn or your notebook was taken?"

Lucian remembered the notebook that had disappeared two days ago.

It was clearly stolen, given the circumstances. There was no way he could have mistaken a notebook with his name on it.

"Yes. I thought that if you had more friends besides Euseis-sama, such things might stop."

Patrice said earnestly.

"I see. Thank you."

Lucian smiled. He was secretly impressed by Patrice. No other classmate had shown concern for him about this issue, except for Euseis.

"No, I was worried about you, Vione-sama. It's also for my own benefit.

Not just because of the bullying."

"…Because I'm Euseis's friend and being bullied.

But, I'm not really bothered by it. I appreciate your concern, though."

Lucian shrugged.

"Did you know that you're rumored to be a mysterious friend of Euseis-sama?"

Patrice asked in a low voice.

"I didn't know. There's nothing mysterious about me."

Lucian tilted his head.

"Like, where did you come from before you were adopted into the Vione family?

It's said that you're from a relative's family of the Vione family."

Patrice looked at Lucian as if trying to gauge his reaction.

Lucian blinked at the sudden question. Then, he recalled the mystery surrounding his mother.

Why did he have to be asked by a boy who didn't even know him, about something he couldn't even ask his father?

Thinking this, he opened his mouth.

"Um.

Do you really want to get to know me better?"

"Uh? Yes, of course."

Patrice nodded, looking confused.

"If so, shouldn't we get to know each other better first, beyond what we said in class? Things like personality, whether you have siblings, what books you're reading.

It doesn't feel right to ask such detailed questions without knowing these things."

Pointed out by Lucian, Patrice's ears turned red.

He looked genuinely embarrassed, and Lucian didn't feel that he was angry or anything. 'He's not a bad person,' Lucian thought.

There were five potential attendants for Euseis. Lucian had only spoken to Patrice.

The other four ignored him, treating him like air. Considering this, Patrice might be a good person.

A few days later.

Three weeks had passed since the start of the school year.

Today was the deadline to choose and submit the application for elective courses.

During these three weeks, the focus was on basic subjects, and repeated quizzes were given. Practical magic was a required subject in the middle school, and individual assessments of basic magic skills were conducted.

It was a preparatory period.

Lucian and Euseis showed each other their completed forms and submitted them together.

The following week.

The business management course that Lucian had listed as his first choice was marked as "not available due to high demand."

◇◇

"Father.

The professor of business management at the Royal Academy, Darnis Selva, is the uncle of my potential attendant, Patrice Selva, right?"

"…Yes."

Sirius looked up from his desk at his son.

Euseis's voice was unusually stiff. He had rushed into the study as soon as he returned from school, saying he had something to talk about.

"Please remove Patrice from the list of potential attendants."

"Did something happen?"

Sirius suppressed his tense voice and expression, trying to ask his son calmly.

"Lucian's first-choice business management course was not available due to high demand."

"…Wasn't it supposed to be available to anyone who listed it as their first choice?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Yes.

So, Lucian went to ask the professor, but he was told that there wasn't enough room and was turned away.

We also went to the principal's office.

The principal asked Professor Selva, but he said that 'first choice' wasn't written on the application.

But I know it was, because I submitted the application with him. It was clearly marked as the first choice."

"Do you know the reason for the discrepancy?"

Sirius asked calmly.

"Lucian is being bullied. I know you are aware of this.

His notebook and textbooks have been stolen. Some have been found torn.

We had the security magic devices in the hallways checked, and the culprit was identified, and the school is dealing with it.

When questioned, they said things like, 'I thought it was arrogant for a mere count's son to be close to the crown prince' or 'I was jealous.'"

"…I have received reports.

I will investigate the matter of the business management course.

However, the connection between the bullying and Professor Selva is not yet clear, right?"

"It doesn't seem unrelated."

Euseis's irritated voice made Sirius sigh inwardly.

I understand how you feel.

But rushing to conclusions won't lead to a good outcome.

"Calm down, Euseis."

"…I am calm."

Euseis answered, sounding sulky.

"Of course, I will investigate.

I will also consider whether to remove Patrice. The bullying might not be as it seems."

Sirius added.

—Not as it seems?

Euseis frowned, repeating his father's words in his mind, but Sirius didn't say anything more, as if telling him to think for himself.