Vol. 2 - Chapter 46 - 46. Katariona’s Discussion About the Visitor
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was coming to visit our house. He probably knew that Chris was already here.
“Rio, for now, you should take a seat. We’ve been waiting until everyone has gathered before we discuss the Crown Prince’s visit to our home.”
Father said, urging me to sit down. So, I took a seat on the sofa with Leon, in his little beast form, on my lap next to Chris. Kikuno-sama stood behind Tojurou-san.
“For what reason does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince come to visit our home?”
Mother asked, to which my father crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.
“The announcement made no mention of the purpose. They simply wanted to visit our home…….Well, I suppose it’s reasonable to assume that they’re coming to check on Her Highness.”
I finally understand the reason for all the commotion in the mansion. A royal family member is coming to visit. And, accordingly, they had to make preparations.
“I’ve given out instructions on how to arrange things, but it’s still such a pain…….Eh? I’m so sorry to interrupt while in the presence of Her Royal Highness.”
Raising her hand to cover her mouth, Mother smiled elegantly, as if she had never misspoken. Recently, I’ve started to notice that Mother’s tongue has become more poisonous, or is it merely my imagination?
“It’s all right, Marchioness. You’re absolutely correct. Besides, the Duke of Paulform possesses the royal blood in his veins, so that makes us relatives, doesn’t it?”
Chris didn’t mean to flatter her. Those are simply her true feelings.
The Princess married the Duke of Paulford of my mother’s family line. To be exact, she was my mother’s great grandmother.
In the Kingdom of FIndalia, there are four great aristocratic families called the Four Great Dukes. One of them is the Duke of Paulford. It’s the only family that the royal family has married into. Therefore, they have the highest prestige amongst the four dukes.
Thanks to my mother, who’s maiden family is the Duke of Paulford, the Marquis of Grandeur is the second most prestigious family after the four great dukes.
Speaking of which, I heard that my parents were married for love, which is rare amongst the noble families. When Father was at the Magic Academy, he fell in love with Mother and asked her to marry him, to which she gladly accepted. It seemed that they both had feelings for the other, so it was a mutual love.
“I’m honored that you would say that. Her Royal Highness is very similar to Her Majesty the Queen.”
Her Majesty the Queen and my mother are good friends. They are childhood friends who are the best of friends. In public, she must show the courtesy of a vassal, but in private they sometimes hold tea parties together while she is in the capital.
Mother was commenting on how much Chris resembles Her Royal Majesty. And when I, who resembles her, stands side by side with Chris, we remind her of how she used to be.
“My brother may be thinking of bringing me back, but I have no intention of doing so. I’ll get rid of him as soon as possible before he causes any trouble for us.”
“You’re quite harsh towards your own brother, aren’t you? Do you not like your brother?”
Tojurou-san, who had been silently listening to us till now, asked Chris with a sigh.
“I don’t hate my brother, but I can’t forgive him for what he did to Rio before she came back in time. If he were to follow the same path in the future, I would never forgive him.”
Chris said, hugging me when she whispered into my ear.
“Rio, it looks like you and Fluffy-kun made up. That’s good.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you get along with your siblings Tojurou-san? How many siblings do you have?”
I’ve never heard about Tojurou-san’s siblings.
“I have eight siblings. I am the fourth son. And, I have three older brothers, one older sister, one younger brother, and two younger sisters. All of my brothers and sisters are on good terms.”
“Eight? Pardon me, but are you half-brothers?”
“No. Hinoshima is monogamous, so all of my brothers and sisters are from my parents.”
Our country also has a monogamous system with the exception of the royal family. However, some noble families have mistresses and half-brothers. Father is very devoted to Mother, so he wouldn’t have any mistresses.
“Tojurou’s mother must’ve worked very hard.”
“Do you have any siblings Kikuno-sama?”
“Yes, I do. I Have one older and one younger sister.”
Kikuno-sama’s family has three girls, and no boys. So it seems that her elder sister will eventually become the head of the household.
The conversation derailed to the topic of siblings, but we agreed that we would provide the highest level of hospitality for a royal family member when the Crown Prince visited.
That night, for the first time in a long time, I decided to go back to my room and sleep with Leon. Chris tagged along to play, so we both laid down on the bed with fluff.
“Hey, Fluffy-kun, do you always sleep with Rio?”
Chris said, picking Leon up, who was curled up in bed, and began to fluff him.
“Rio is one of my family members.”
“Hnn. But what are you going to do when Rio grows up? You’re a gentleman, right, Fluffy-kun?”
Leon’s body shook.
"I’m a god. Plus, I’m a beast like this, so it won’t be a problem.”
Does that mean… I’ll continue sleeping with Leon in the same bed when I grow up? The image of Leon as a young man popped up, causing my cheeks to burn.
“You’re a god, but you’re still a man. How can you act normally next to the beautifully grown Rio?”
Chris stretched Leon’s cheek with a grin. After all, Chris wasn’t afraid of Leon even though she knows that Leon is a god. Leon was also very generous, so she still continued.
“Of course, I’ll be fine!”
“Well, okay. I’ll believe you. By the way, I heard that you’re making rice paddies, but is that considered a challenge for you?”
After my plans to restore the castle ruins was rejected, I stubbornly decided to do my best in farming, but now I have to decide on something else to create. What should I do? Shall I make another Rose Garden?
“That forest has been full of miasma for a long time, and it wasn’t a suitable place for crops to grow in. Rio’s improvement of the soil has begun to revive the forest. So that’s also part of the challenge.”
Leon jumped onto my shoulder and stroked my head. I can’t stand the feeling of his soft paws on my head. It’s so soothing.
“And, the goal of this trial is for her to increase her magic power by gaining more experience in using creation magic. Rio’s magic power is beyond my imagination, so Rio might be the first person to complete the trials.”
He turned his eyes challengingly at Chris, while the corners of his mouth lifted into a smirk.
“Fluffy-kun, sleep on the couch! I’m going to sleep with Rio. And, you are not allowed to go anywhere near Rio.”
Chris puffed her cheeks and dropped Leon onto the floor with a plop.
“Let’s leave Fluffy-kun alone and continue our girls-only gathering.”
I glanced at Leon through my peripheral and saw that he had curled up onto the couch.
“When Chris falls asleep, I’ll move back there.”
Leon said, speaking to me in telepathy.
“Alright. Also,Leon,....... I’m sorry for what I did before.”
“No need to apologize. It was my fault for not being considerate enough. Plus, I’ll always be on Rio’s side.”
“Un!”
Chris and I kept talking about many things until we fell asleep.
Leon seemed to have returned to bed just as Chris was falling asleep. When I woke up the following morning, he was curled up on the bed next to my pillow.
TL: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter~!
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