Entering the Charlottenburg Ducal Residence

We teleported to the imperial capital, Vanberg, using a teleport magic circle.

We entered the capital right away, without a proper inspection. Normally you'd have to go through a brief checkpoint, but when Mother shot them a single glare, they quietly waved us through.

After that, we split into two groups. The three sisters went one way; Mother, Claire, and I went the other.

My sisters headed off, saying they wanted to look around the capital since it had been so long. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠They were whispering among themselves, clearly debating what to do for fun.

I watched them go, practically sucking on my fingers with envy. If only I had martial strength like the three of them, I could roam the capital freely too.

Just you wait. I'm going to scoop up every fortuitous encounter at the Academy and become incredibly strong. Way stronger than my sisters. And then I'll roam the world freely, just like them.

While I was inwardly resolving to grow stronger, we boarded a carriage already waiting in front of the building.

"Whoa. This carriage is gorgeous. Did you arrange it, Mother?"

"The Charlottenburg family prepared it to receive us. Though I did not expect a carriage this ornate."

"Charlottenburg? Hm... I've heard that family name a lot somewhere."

"What are we to do if you don't know the names of the only three ducal houses in the Empire, Yune? Especially since it's your fiancée's family."

"...Ah! Right."

My fiancée's name was so long I'd forgotten, but now that I thought about it, that was her family name.

Feeling embarrassed, I wrapped my arms around Mother's arm.

"So this carriage is taking us to the Charlottenburg Ducal Residence?"

"Yes. I've held off on letting you meet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your fiancée all this time. I've arranged for the two of you to meet and exchange greetings this time."

"Mmm...."

My fiancée, whom I'd forgotten about until now. Just remembering her existence made my chest tighten a little.

Having a fiancée would be a big problem when I run away from home later. The family would do everything they could to catch me. And it'd be a rotten thing to do to the fiancée herself.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Maybe I should try whining first?

"...Can't I just marry you, Mother?"

"!?"

My sudden remark caused everyone in the carriage besides Mother and me to break into dry coughs—specifically, Chloe and the coachman.

Oddly, the coachman started sweating bullets, but I ignored that and kept trying to persuade Mother.

"I'd rather have you than some fiancée I've never even met. You're strong, you're beautiful, and you have a lot of money, right? Plus, I love you. I'd much rather just marry you, Mother."

"...Stop talking nonsense, Yune. How could you marry your own mother?"

"Motherrr, don't be like that~ I'm saying I don't want to bride-marry a stranger~."

First, I threw her off with that weird talk about marrying her, then I brought out my real point: "I don't want to get married."

This was a negotiation technique where, when you want to ask someone for something, you first make an outrageous demand, and then when you bring out your actual request, the odds of it being granted go up. For reference, the person who taught me this was Albert.

"...Do you really hate the engagement that much?"

"Of course I do. I want to date someone I actually like."

"......Haah."

Mother thought for a moment after hearing my words.

Before long, she smiled and slowly stroked my head.

—Gentle strokes.

"First, meet her at least once. You never know—when you actually see her, you might find yourself falling for her. The way I fell for your father, Jürgen, at first sight."

"But I might not, you know...."

"If you truly dislike it—if, after careful consideration, you honestly feel you don't want to marry this person—then I will use my power for you. So don't worry about anything. I'll handle all the difficult parts for you."

...This is actually working!?

Honestly, I'd just thrown it out there, thinking it'd be nice if it worked and fine if it didn't. But Mother was actually saying she'd annul the engagement if I truly hated it.

I'd heard from Albert just how much political significance my engagement held, so my joy doubled.

"Wow, really? You're the best, Mother~! I love you most in the world!"

"...Yes. I love you too, my Yune."

Repaying her kindness, I acted more affectionate than usual, rubbing my cheek against Mother's arm. She smiled a little bashfully.

Beside us, Chloe had folded her cat ears flat as if she'd heard nothing at all, and the coachman was sweating bullets like a snowman melting away.

And so the carriage carrying the four of us rolled on and on, heading for the Charlottenburg Ducal Residence.

* * * * * *

"It's a magic contract. Sign it."

"...Yes! I am grateful for the Grand Duchess's ocean-vast benevolence!"

We arrived at the Ducal Residence.

While Mother detained the coachman for a moment to deal with something, I approached Chloe and asked.

"Chloe. You said you lived as a gladiator in the capital for a long time, right?"

"Yes. Though I've since spent longer in the North, so it feels like the distant past now."

"Then do you know a shop in the capital called the 'Everything General Store'?"

"Of course."

Chloe answered immediately. I smiled with satisfaction, pulled her closer, and whispered into her ear.

—Whisper, whisper.

"...Got it? I'll give you the money."

"Young Master. Why such a thing?"

"It's a secret. If there's money left over, you can use it to buy yourself something tasty, so go and come back as fast as you can."

"Hmm... Understood."

Chloe looked down at me for a moment, as if wondering what I was thinking.

Soon she took the gold coins I held out and quietly slipped away.

Mother approached me, having just finished talking with the coachman.

"Your butler went somewhere. Did you send her on an errand?"

"I asked her to do a quick errand for me. I can't go myself, right?"

"Hm... There will be plenty of other servants inside the Ducal Residence, so it should be fine. Now. Let's go in."

"Okay!"

After that, I headed into the mansion with Mother.

* * * * * *

My fiancée's family, the Charlottenburg Ducal House, holds the most formidable influence in imperial politics. This was their mansion.

Unlike our residence, which was full of female butlers, most of the staff here were maids in maid outfits. In Ryu Si-u's terms, butlers in suits.

The butlers gave us a grand welcome, as if they'd been prepared in advance. But my expression soured slightly.

"Ugh, why are there so many men here? Gross."

"Now that you mention it, Yune, you've always disliked male servants. You even bathe alone every time. Is there a reason?"

"You wouldn't like it if a woman touched your body either, right, Mother?"

"...Understood."

We were chatting idly like that when a man who seemed to be the head maid came to guide us.

Soon we arrived in front of the Head of House's Office.

—Knock, knock.

"The Grand Duchess and the young master have arrived."

—Oh. Show them right in~.

When the head maid knocked, a slightly buoyant voice came from inside.

The door to the office opened...

—Creeeak.

"Erengard, and Yune. It's been a while."

A woman in a shocking outfit greeted us.

...!?!?

Seeing her clothing, I doubted my own eyes.

A jaw-dropping ensemble that revealed her underbust, navel, pelvis, and even the curves of her hips. A degree of exposure that made even Flare's outfit seem modest by comparison.

My face went red in an instant.

And as if she'd been shocked in a somewhat different sense, Mother's voice dropped icily as she drew her sword.

"...Schmut. What in the world are you wearing? Have you finally lost your mind?"

"Heheh. Yune seems to like it, though? What do you think? Isn't your auntie pretty?"

"Yune, close your eyes for a moment. It seems the time has finally come for me to personally eliminate a great blight upon the Empire."

"Hey, hey. Don't radiate killing intent in front of Yune! He's at that age—he'll wet himself!"

I glanced up, startled, and saw that the corners of Mother's eyes were deeply furrowed for once. Good heavens. Just how much must she have hated that to make such a face?

Ultimately, this standoff concluded when the woman called Schmut pulled her half-lowered coat back over herself.

With the exposure clearly diminished, my embarrassment finally eased a little.

"Duchess. Hello. My name is Yune."

"You can just call me Auntie. More importantly, Yune, you've really grown a lot. The last time Auntie saw you, you were still a total suckling babe. And now look how healthy you are."

When I greeted her with the noble etiquette Sir Max had taught me, Duchess Schmut looked at me with approval.

But Mother's eyes remained cold.

"More importantly. What was that outfit. Showing something like that to my son in front of his mother. I assume you know it would normally be grounds for a duel."

"Ah. I wore it to show Yune."

"Then that means you want to die."

"She's radiating killing intent again. Just listen."

A fight nearly broke out again, but the Duchess brushed it aside with an easy grin.

"Kir is still ten. The same age as Yune, right? So she hasn't grown yet."

"She's probably still bigger than Yune."

"Well, that's true. Anyway. What kind of charm would a girl like that hold for him? So I was showing him in advance what Kir will look like when she grows up. That her chest and hips will get big like this, so he should look forward to it."

She struck her own chest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with a confident expression.

But Mother's expression curdled even more, as though she'd just seen something truly repulsive.

"Look forward to what? It's so revolting I want to wash my eyes out."

"That's because you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a woman. Boys pretend to be shy, but when you stick out your chest like this! Your hips like this! they swallow hard and can't stop staring. They all love it, you know."

"They probably only pretended to like it out of pity, thinking the thirty-six-year-old Duchess had gone senile. I'm sure they were all struggling to hold back their nausea on the inside."

"This girl, really. Yune, Yune, you also like big che— Gukkh!"

"Don't wag your filthy tongue at an innocent Yune. If you do it one more time, I'll throw down the gauntlet."

"Tssk. Fine. I'll stop teasing."

She'd been about to ask me something with an unpleasant grin, but only calmed down after Mother, unable to hold back any longer, smacked the back of her head.

Soon she called a servant and sent me out.

"Head maid. Escort Yune to Kir. Let the two of them have a private conversation for a bit."

"Understood."

* * * * * *

After Yune followed the servant out.

Erengard folded her arms and stared directly at her friend Schmut's face.

"So. Was that really the reason you wore that harlot's outfit?"

"That was part of it. And also to mess with you."

"You truly do want to die."

"Sorry, sorry."

After that, the two of them—the same age, having grown close at the Academy—started bickering. Though calling it bickering was generous, given that genuine killing intent was rippling in one of their eyes.

They'd lived remarkably similar lives in many ways, inheriting their families young, losing their husbands early. And yet their personalities were polar opposites.

"Still, Yune seemed to like it, didn't he? Maybe I unexpectedly work well on younger guys?"

"Stop spewing nonsense. Please."

And so the two of them, reunited after a long time, chatted and caught up.

"More importantly. You remember what I said, right?"

"How you were bragging about Yune being cute?"

"...I'm talking about the mansion defenses and servant management."

"Ah. Of course. Even if a dragon flew in and fired its breath, this place would be fine. All the servants have had their contracts renewed with magic contracts, too."

"Oh? You handled that quite swiftly."

"It just so happens I was in the middle of reinforcing the mansion's defenses myself. But why the sudden concern?"

"...I couldn't discuss it over the communication orb for fear of eavesdropping. But here ought to be fine."

Then, all at once, Erengard dropped her voice and her face grew serious.

She spoke to her friend, someone she could trust. Schmut.

"Not long ago. There was an attempt on Yune's life."

"...!?"

The moment she heard those words, Schmut started in shock. Her eyes went round as she spoke.

"...Yune, too?"

"...'Too'? Don't tell me."

"Yeah. Someone tried to attack Kir once, too."

At that, Erengard's eyebrows rose.

"...It seems this will be a long conversation. Let's sit for a moment."

"Alright."

After that, the Grand Duchess and the Duchess. No. The two mothers began talking with genuinely serious expressions.

Their personalities could be called complete opposites, but their feelings for their children were the same. So their faces were more serious than ever before.

...Without the faintest clue what their children were up to in another part of the mansion.