“We sent out a messenger from this mansion, and he likely headed here as soon as he heard what had happened.”
It was nearly a week’s journey.
And he left immediately after another week passed…he would arrive today.
I see… So that means it’s been two weeks since I came to this world… I didn’t expect to be reminded in this way.
“Once Lady Claire was safe and returned to the mansion, thanks to your help, we sent out another messenger to His Grace, but…”
“But father would have left before that messenger arrived.”
“I see…”
He would have acted as soon as he received the first message.
Either he was a man of action, or he worried about his daughters too much… But it seemed a little rash for the head of a great house.
Perhaps he should have at least waited for the second message.,. Well, I was not in a position to be saying anything.
“You know how father can be… It is more likely that he felt it was a good opportunity to tell me about the marriage proposals that have been piling up.”
“But isn’t he coming because he is worried about you? Perhaps he has forgotten all about that?”
I suppose it was a kind of trust… Both Ms. Claire and Sebastian agreed that though he might have come out of concern for his daughter’s safety, there was no doubt that he had other intentions for coming…
A few moments later, Ms. Gelda brought Tilura to the dining hall after waking her up.
And then Leo, who had remained uninterested in our conversation, and the sleeping Sherry, got up and so we all ate.
Once we were about halfway through breakfast, Tilura started to ask Ms. Claire about why the maids were in such a rush. And upon hearing the reason, Tilura seemed to freeze.
The breakfast continued in a dark and gloomy mood until we were finished.
While it had been delicious…I couldn’t really enjoy it amidst that atmosphere.
Which made me feel bad for Ms. Helena.
But I also felt bad for the father. The mere suggestion of his presence had caused the two daughters and butler to fall into a bleak mood…
After breakfast, Ms. Claire, Tilura, and Sebastian went to a different room in order to discuss strategies for dealing with the duke.
It all seemed very overblown to me, but I just told myself that a young noblewoman likely had to do things in a proper way.
In any case, as I would not be able to test Weed Cultivation in the back garden, I decided to return to my room with Leo.
“Well, what should we do?”
I wondered as I sat down on the edge of my bed, and petted Leo, who was lying on the floor.
Leo looked at me questioningly with a tilt of her head, but I just patted her head as if she did not need to worry.
So, Ms. Claire’s father, the duke, would arrive shortly after lunch.
And since I was not able to use Weed Cultivation, I had quite a lot of time with nothing to do.
I could just rest or play with Leo. But I found that I felt quite restless.
It was likely due to nerves. For the first time, I was meeting someone in this world who had great authority as a noble.
While Ms. Claire was a noblewoman, she was not the head of the house. Besides, I had not known she was a noble when I first met her.
Ah, now that I think about it…
“Ms. Lyra. Would these clothes be acceptable for meeting the duke?”
“As Lady Claire explained earlier, His Grace does care about such things. So I believe that you should be fine.”
As she was charged with helping me, Ms. Lyra had followed us to my room. And according to her, my clothes were fine.
Still… Even if they said he didn’t care about such things, there was always the possibility that I could make a bad first impression if I wasn’t dressed properly…
Due to my work, I used to always wear a suit and tie.
“If you are concerned about that… Didn’t you have some clothes tailored for you in Ractos?”
“Yes. I had a set made for me.”
“Then why don’t you go and pick it up?”
I see. I had asked the tailor to make clothes that were similar to the ones that I had borrowed from Sebastian.
I had returned those clothes already, but the new ones were close enough to formal wear.
And while I could just borrow from Sebastian again, now seemed like a bad time to bother him…I didn’t know anything about rejecting marriage proposals…and did not want to get involved.
“Still, if you are going to go to the town of Ractos, you will have to hurry, or you will not make it back before His Grace’s arrival.”
“As for that, you don’t have to worry. Right, Leo?”
“Wuff!”
Leo nodded as if to say that I could count on her. Yes, she was very reliable.
Upon seeing this, Ms. Lyra nodded with satisfaction.
“I see. If you ride on the great Leo, then you will arrive in no time.”
And so I took Leo and left the mansion.
Before leaving, I asked Ms. Gelda to tell Ms. Claire and the others that I was going to Ractos in order to pick up my clothes.
They might worry about me if I left without saying anything.
And so we walked to the gate, and then I got up onto Leo’s back.
…And then…
“Ms. Lyra… Could it be that you are coming too?”
“Of course, I am. I was charged with taking care of you, Mr. Takumi. Besides, I must pay the tailor.”
“Ah…that’s right… My apologies. Thank you.”
Yes, there was the matter of payment.
I had only paid for the clothes that I purchased and took back with me.
And until the contract was settled, and I started to sell the herbs and earn an income, I had no money whatsoever.
And so I took Ms. Lyra, and we rode on Leo towards the town of Ractos.