Chapter 5-11 : Thugs Ⅲ

 

「Lorea-chan, you may think that becoming a noble is amazing, but the responsibility one has as a noble is huge. Being a noble is not easy, you know?」(Sarasa)

Gaining a higher status than commoners in society is one of the merits of becoming a noble. However, working as a noble is not easy, especially if you want to become a good lord like Adelbert-san. You have to be ready to make sacrifices for your people.

「Store Owner-san, if you think the work as a lord is troublesome and don’t want to do it, it’s fine. We’ll take care of it for you. My parents just want you to inherit the Lotze Family even if it’s just for formality’s sake.」(Iris)

「But still. That’s too much to ask of me.」(Sarasa)

Unlike nobles who sometimes marry for political purposes, I’m just a commoner.

I have a dream of becoming a successful businessperson like my father and mother who were successful merchants.

I might also want to get married to someone I love in the future.

If I married Iris-san, even if it was just for formality’s sake, I would have a hard time marrying someone else.

「Umm… If you don’t want to marry me no matter what, then an alternative is adopting a child that either Wisteria or Cattleya will give birth to in the future. I want you to think about it, but you can take it easy.」(Iris)

「That’s asier said than done… Wisteria and Cattleya are your little sisters, right?」(Sarasa)

「Yup! Both of them are pretty cute! I’ll introduce them to you when you come to our house someday. I’m sure you’ll get along well with them.」(Iris)

I haven’t met them before, but Iris-san once told me about them.

Wisteria is ten years old. She is a cheerful and active girl just like Iris-san.

On the other hand, Cattleya, who is two years younger than Wisteria, is a calm and modest girl.

「Store Owner-dono, can you at least think about it for now? I’m sorry if I sound pushy, but I can’t disobey my parents…」(Iris)

「Uhh… Alright, I’ll think about it…」(Sarasa)

「Thank you, Store Owner-dono!」(Iris)

The Lotze Family wanted to give me something substantial as an expression of gratitude. I would disgrace their honor if I strongly refused it. Besides, it’s not something that should be done in the near future, so I guess I’ll take my time and think about it for now.

It would be great if Iris-san and Kate-san could fully pay their debt to me before our marriage is decided.

「By the way, Kate-san, when you mentioned Marquis Filmus’ name, Baronet Kirk looked so frightened. Who is that person?」(Sarasa)

「Ah, she is the lord and the head of the Filmus Family.」(Kate)

「”She”…?」(Sarasa)

「Yup. She is a woman but she married a woman too.」(Kate)

「「…Eh?」」(Sarasa & Lorea)

Lorea-chan and I were surprised.

Same-sex marriages among nobles are very rare. I couldn’t believe there was actually a noble who married someone the same sex as them. Moreover, that person is a marquis who has a high position in society.

That’s why Baronet Kirk, who thinks that same-sex marriages are strange and unusual, looked afraid when he heard that name.

If Marquis Filmus knew that Baronet Kirk thought that way, Baronet Kirk might be in trouble.

「Did she really marry a woman to become her wife…?」(Sarasa)

「Yeah. However, even though she likes women, she doesn’t seem to have a concubine.」(Kate)

「That’s rare for a noble.」(Sarasa)

It seemed that Kate-san had been doing a lot of research on same-sex marriages in this kingdom since Iris-san’s parents decided to engage her with me.

She then found out about Marquis Filmus during her investigation.

「I bet she is famous in the aristocratic society. Even Baronet Kirk knows about her.」(Sarasa)

「She is. If she heard what that jerk said about same-sex marriages, she would destroy him for sure. A baronet is no match for a marquis after all. Saying that same-sex marriages are weird and unnatural means an insult to her.」(Kate)

「Just as I thought. That’s why he was suddenly acting strange like pretending that he had a throat problem. What an idiot.」(Sarasa)

I understand that he had no choice but to cover it up, but pretending to have a bad throat all of a sudden was just funny.

When I was amazed by Baronet Kirk’s stupidity, Iris-san giggled.

「Did you see how desperate he was? Pfftt! He clearly said that same-sex marriages are weird, but still trying to defend himself by telling us that we heard it wrong. He’s such a clown.」(Iris)

He seemed to be panicked because he was afraid that we might tell Marquis Filmus about what he said about same-sex marriages.

That’s why he told us not to spread strange rumors.

「Same-sex marriages, huh…? I wonder what it feels like to marry someone of the same sex… As a commoner, I can’t imagine myself marrying a girl.」(Lorea)

「You know, there are also male nobles who married other men in this kingdom.」(Kate)

「Hee… Nobles are amazing. By the way, if Baronet Kirk comes to mess with us again, can we ask Marquis Filmus for help?」(Lorea)

「I’m not sure. it’s not that simple. Lorea, in an aristocratic society, borrowing someone’s help is the same as using their power. If we want to borrow her power, then the marriage between me and Store Owner-dono will be decided regardless of Store Owner-dono’s decision.」(Iris)

「Eh?」(Lorea)

「Look. Marquis Filmus is pro-same-sex-marriages and will help people who want to marry the same sex. If we ask for her help but won’t get married in the future, it’s the same as deceiving her. She would crush the Lotze Family for good!」(Iris)

What Iris-san said was right.

She will help us if Iris-san and I get married in the future.

If we use her power but don’t get married as she thought, she would think that we were a bunch of people who just want to take advantage of her power.

It’s the same as picking a fight with her. A knightly household like the Lotze Family won’t stand a chance against a marquis.

「Th, That’s no good, then… Can you do something without asking for her help?」(Lorea)

「Well, it depends on how persistent Baronet Kirk is. Anyway, if he comes again, we will use Marquis Filmus’ name just like before. I don’t know how long it will work, but I think we’ll be fine. I thought Baronet Kirk was a cunning and clever person, but he actually was kind of a shallow person who lacked intellect.」(Sarasa)

I knew that Baronet Kirk was not so clever after I successfully saved Adelbert-san from the debt he owed him.

「Instead of a feudal lord, I think he’s more like…」(Sarasa)

「The boss of a group of thugs?」(Lorea)

「Yeah, exactly that!」(Sarasa)

I clapped my hands as Lorea-chan said that.

「I’ve met many arrogant nobles when I worked at my master’s shop, but I feel like Baronet Kirk is kinda different from them. He spoke as if he didn’t think he needed to hide his bad intentions unlike most nobles.」(Sarasa)

「I noticed that too. I wonder if he is really a noble.」(Lorea)

Even Lorea-chan, someone who has been living in this village for a long time, didn’t seem to know much about the feudal lord of this region.

 

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7 Comments

  1. Thank you for the chapter!
    Still waiting Sarasa give royal family a hit that maybe baron needs auditing.

  2. Loreal and Sarasa need to start dating already. The lack of romance between the two is unnatural.

    1. Isn’t this chapter confirmed Lorea is straight tho? she said it herself that she can’t imagine marrying another girl.

  3. There is a prince running around the Village who promised her that she can ask him for any favour she wants…but no the first thing she thinks about is asking someone she never heard about before…

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