A large mansion in the Capital of Archlesia Empire. Upon returning to the mansion of the Hamilton Marquisdom, one of the Four Great Noble Families, Eris immediately instructed the maid to relay her arrival to her parents.
Fortunately, both her father and mother were at home and seemed to be enjoying tea together, so Eris joined them.
[Welcome back, Eris. Did you enjoy your shopping at Nifty’s?]
[I wish I could have gone with you, but there’s that party tonight……]
[I have something urgent I need to tell you about.]Her parents, who had greeted her with calm expressions, exchanged puzzled looks at Eris’ unusually serious demeanor. However, being the great nobles that they were, they quickly realized it was an important matter and looked at Eris with focused expressions.
[An important matter huh…… The rest of you, leave. We’ll call you if necessary.]
After instructing the maids and butlers in the room to leave, leaving just the three of them, the Marquis Hamilton took out a magic tool to prevent sound from leaking out and activated it, before giving a light nod.
Seeing this, Eris also gave a light nod, understanding that they were ready to listen, and began explaining what had happened today. Specifically, how she had coincidentally met Kaito, encountered five of the Seven Princesses, and been recognized as a friend by Kaito.
[………………………………………….Eh?]
Marquis Hamilton, a grand noble who held power and influence second only to the Emperor in Archlesia Empire and skillfully navigated the political arena daily…… found himself unable to process this information for the first time.
It was understandable. His daughter, who had gone out shopping to a tea brand’s store, somehow ended up meeting the World’s Singularity in just half a day, was recognized as his friend, and also met five of the Six Kings’ Executives. It was too much to process all at once.[W- Wait, wait…… How did that happen? N- No, coincidentally encountering Miyama Kaito-sama is understandable. Nifty is owned by Miyama-sama, so it’s not unlikely that he would go there to check on his store; the odds are low, but it’s not impossible to run into him…… However…… Why did that lead to you being recognized as Miyama-sama’s friend?]
[Your doubts are quite valid, Father, but unfortunately, I do not have a clear answer…… after all, I don’t understand how it happened either.]
In the first place, the mere fact that Eris, who went shopping at a store in another country for a short time, happened to run into Kaito along the way was a miracle in itself, and the situation beyond that was incomprehensible.
The Marquis’s wife, who was also pale and confused like her husband, pondered for a moment and spoke her thoughts.
[……Is this not…… spoken just for politeness’ sake?]
[I thought that too, so I asked Kaito-sama directly, but he truly considers me a friend. He also gave me a special magic tool for ordering from Nifty, which is meant for friends.]
[Is there any possibility that Miyama Kaito-sama desires you as his lover?]
[I don’t think so. Kaito-sama was a commoner before coming to this world, so perhaps this was inevitable, but he is not the type to play mind games. Personally, I found him to be a very straightforward person with easily readable emotions, and I felt he treated me as a friend throughout. Of course, there’s always the possibility that Kaito-sama is skilled enough at hiding his emotions to fool even me but……]
From Eris’ impression, Kaito’s emotional changes were quite easy to read. It was clear that he held a positive impression of her; however, it felt more like a genuine fondness for a new friend rather than romantic feelings or desires.
Hearing Eris’ words that she did not feel Kaito desired such a relationship at this time, Marquis Hamilton nodded slightly. His long involvement in the political arena allowed him to recover quickly, and his thoughts were already racing at considerable speed.
[……However, we can’t completely rule out the possibility that he might wish for such a relationship in the future. Fortunately, as the next head of the family, Eris has been carefully selecting her future husband with the idea of taking a son-in-law, so as of now, you don’t have a fiancé…… For the time being, shall we leave your fiancé selection blank?]
[Yes, that’s fine.]
[I think this goes without saying, but this is merely a discussion of possibilities that such a relationship could develop in the future. You must not act with that as your goal.]
[Of course. That would be disrespectful to Kaito-sama, and I intend to build our friendship solely as Eris, excluding any connection with the family or any noble agendas. If, in the course of that, I were to develop romantic feelings for Kaito-sama, I would definitely report it.]
[Umu. Now then, let’s move on to the next topic…… Given the gravity of the situation, we can only work through each aspect one by one…… This will take a while.]
Feeling that their discussion would be lengthy, Marquis Hamilton lightly rubbed his abdomen as if to soothe a stomachache. The potential benefits of fostering a connection with Kaito were enormous. Depending on the circumstances, the Hamilton Marquisdom could achieve unprecedented prosperity.
However, at the same time, if they mishandled the situation, there was even a possibility that the Hamilton family could vanish from history, making it a deeply troubling dilemma for Marquis Hamilton on how to proceed.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [The feelings of the Marquis and his wife when they heard that their daughter, whom they trusted and sent out, returned home as friends with the World’s Singularity…… Oh my goodness. I thought it was a bomb that would only cause major damage to Eris herself, but it turned out to be a napalm bomb of stomachache engulfing those around her in flames…… That devil is even starting to develop AOE Stomachaches now……]
