Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 28
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 28
While he was at it, Lion was about to check the Shilling Shop right away.
He was about to press the “Yes” button without the slightest hesitation, but—
Click!
“I knew you would be doing this, Brother.”
Rickshel’s appearance forced him to put it off for the moment.
“Your coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow, and you were still sewing?”
“No, I already finished the sewing, and there’s still time before the ceremony…”
He wanted to offer some excuse, but the moment he saw Rickshel surveying the room with that icy expression, his mouth shut on its own.
The room really was piled high with every kind of tie, so there was no way to spin it as anything good.
“I heard you’ve been at this for three days now.”
“Well…”
“And you haven’t been sleeping properly.”
I had a deadline, so what was I supposed to do!
…He couldn’t say that.
If he misspoke, it felt like the blowback would reach Andrie, too.
“The young master is right, young master.”
On top of that, at some point Elvia had quietly joined in and was nagging him as well.
“…Fine. Fine. I’ll sleep, okay?”
He wanted to check the Shilling Shop right then, but judging by the atmosphere, the moment they heard even the slightest rustle, another brutal round of scolding seemed inevitable.
But how had he found out?
Under the pressure from the two of them, Lion set everything aside and lay down on the bed.
Blink… blink…
Maybe it was because he’d been keeping his head down for so long, but the moment he lay on the bed, his body turned languid and his eyes began to close.
Only then did he realize.
‘Ah, I really did overdo it.’
By his past life’s standards, pulling an all-nighter like this seemed like a sure way to come down with body aches.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Brother.”
“Sleep well, young master.”
Their goodnights reached him as if from within a dream.
Yeah. Good night to you both too…
* * *
The next day.
“Nngh.”
Lion burrowed under the blanket, fleeing the sunlight streaming through the curtains.
He must have really pushed himself over the past few days, because sleep was still pouring over him.
“Young master. You must be tired, but I beg your pardon.”
Fwoop!
Elvia heartlessly yanked the blanket off Lion and forcibly sat him upright.
“Today is the day of your coming-of-age ceremony, so you must hurry a little.”
“Nngh, yeah…”
“If you are truly too tired, I can assist you with your bath.”
“No! I’m fully awake. I feel incredibly refreshed, actually?”
Whoops.
Lion sprang up in alarm and headed straight for the bathroom.
There were a few things about inhabiting Lion’s body that he still hadn’t adjusted to, and the biggest one by far was that kind of assistance.
Being waited on while getting dressed, being waited on while bathing!
Seriously, am I some kind of baby or what…
‘Nobles, honestly.’
Shaking his head, Lion gave his body a good, thorough steaming in the bath and got out.
When you’d overworked yourself, sweating it out really was the best.
After soaking in the hot water and stepping out, his head finally felt genuinely clearer.
“…”
Wait.
Was it just him, or were there an awful lot of servants in his room today?
If so, stepping out like usual would mean…
Lion carefully opened the door a crack and peeked outside.
As expected!
It wasn’t just the usual Elvia and Hanna—people he didn’t know were lined up in droves.
“Sigh.”
No matter how much of a noble young master I am, that’s a bit hard to handle.
After donning a bathrobe he normally never wore and tying it tightly, Lion stepped out. Elvia promptly brought out a light bite to eat and some tea.
“From now on, young master, you need only sit still.”
“Young master, don’t worry.”
“We’ll have this finished quickly.”
Felt like I’d walked into a high-end salon.
The moment he sat down and closed his eyes, the maids began working on Lion’s hair and face at truly remarkable speed.
“We’re finished.”
Already?
It felt like less than twenty minutes, and they pulled that off.
“I’ll handle getting dressed myself, so I’d appreciate it if everyone could step out.”
“If you need any help, please be sure to call for us!”
Whoosh—
Only after the dozens of servants had filed out of the room did Lion let out a soft sigh.
“Whew.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…”
Elvia remained alone, looking at Lion.
“Why didn’t you leave?”
“I intended to help you dress.”
Seriously, how old am I—is she worried I can’t put on clothes by myself?
Besides, this outfit was a collaboration between Andrie and himself. He had even done a fitting a few days ago.
Elvia would certainly know that.
Which meant…
“Do you have something to say?”
“Ahem. No.”
Truthfully, Elvia had no particular reason for staying behind like this.
‘He’s already old enough to have his coming-of-age ceremony.’
The frail little newborn she had watched over since her days as Sylvia had somehow managed to grow up well and was now holding his coming-of-age ceremony.
It was simply a shame that she couldn’t fully convey those feelings as ‘Elvia.’
Meanwhile, Lion, who had been tilting his head, spoke as if he couldn’t help it.
“In that case, could you help me organize the accessories a little later?”
“Understood, young master.”
Only then did Elvia turn away. Lion changed his clothes and then left the rest in Elvia’s hands.
“The Marquis will be proud. The tie suits you especially well.”
“That’s a relief.”
Since it was the last piece he’d made, he’d worried it might look strange in broad daylight, but fortunately it was fine.
Well, the Achievement wouldn’t lie, after all.
After fastening the very last cuff button perfectly, Lion took a look at himself in the full-length mirror.
‘My face really is decent, I’ll give it that.’
Add the styling on top, and he genuinely looked like the young master of a noble house.
“Then let us be off.”
Lion stepped out of his room. Outside, Rickshel had already arrived and was waiting.
And in the distance, watching him from afar, was his grandfather—Petrick.
“Allow me to escort you to the banquet hall, Brother.”
“Let’s go.”
At last, the long-delayed coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin.
* * *
The banquet hall of House Asteri was packed with nobles.
From the pro-Asteri nobles living in Asteri Territory and its environs, to the central nobles who were known to turn up their noses at everyone, and even the imperial princes attending in the Emperor’s stead.
“It seems even more splendid than an Imperial Court banquet.”
“I’d heard that the Marquis and his eldest grandson were not on good terms. That must have been a baseless rumor.”
“Hoho. Who can say for certain?”
They were prattling away as they pleased in place of the family’s principals, who had yet to make their appearance.
Envy, deference, jealousy, admiration.
The emotions each of them harbored varied, but one thing was the same.
Not one of them dared to look down on House Asteri.
Even the Sword Mastery Family that stood in opposition to the Asteris was no different.
“That said, even for the guest of honor, he does seem to be running a little late.”
“It won’t be canceled like last time, will it?”
“Ohohoho. Surely not… not once, but twice?”
Just when the conversation was running dry and the previous ceremony was about to be brought up—
Click—
The doors of the enormous banquet hall opened, and the direct line of House Asteri slowly walked in.
To welcome them, the orchestra struck up a majestic piece, and the nobles who had crowded near the doors all stepped back in unison to clear a path.
“…The atmosphere feels even more intimidating today, somehow.”
It was true not only of the Marquis and the heir but also of Lion, the guest of honor for today’s ceremony.
No, if anything, even more so…
“He’s a bit different from the rumors, isn’t he?”
“He doesn’t seem like an ordinary person.”
“They said he never awakened as a mage…”
Having heard the rumors of his frailty, they had unconsciously assumed his presence would be diminished.
But it wasn’t!
A few nobles hid their mouths behind fans and wine glasses the moment they saw Lion make his entrance and quickly revised their opinions.
At the thought that they could treat a young master of higher rank than themselves however they pleased, they had grown emboldened—only to realize that he, too, was a member of House Asteri.
No, a direct-line descendant.
The nobles were a little surprised, but they still kept their composure.
To be fair, he was the eldest grandson of House Asteri, after all. This much was only to be expected.
“He looks remarkably composed.”
“Rumor has it he personally inspected every detail in putting this party together.”
“Good heavens! On this scale, that must have been an enormous amount of work.”
Still, they ought to take some notice of him.
That was the opinion of the majority of the nobles.
As everyone knew, Lion’s presence wasn’t what mattered to them.
Even though they were attending Lion Asteri’s coming-of-age ceremony, hadn’t every single one of them actually come here with the same objective?
Lion was the pretext. The real targets were Petrick and Rickshel.
“Hmph…”
Watching them, Petrick let out a low scoff.
How dare they not know their place and presume to size up my grandson.
“Lion.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Those ones over there—don’t even associate with them. They’re a bad lot.”
Lion realized his grandfather was pointing at the nobles who had been whispering while looking at him, and he smiled quietly.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Hmph. Be mindful that this is a formal occasion. Soon you’ll have to signal the start of the party, so prepare yourself.”
“Haha, don’t worry about that. As the proud eldest grandson of House Asteri, I won’t do anything to bring shame.”
“…Very well. I have something to ask you a little later. We’ll talk then. Now go on.”
Lion, who had given his chest a dependable thump and flashed a grin, turned away.
‘He’s surprisingly attentive, really.’
Well, that aside, not a single word his grandfather had said was wrong.
There was even a saying: don’t be picky with commoners, but pick and choose your nobles!
‘Not that I have any intention of mingling with people who are only cozying up for their own gain.’
Lion’s objective was simple.
It was to leave a favorable impression on the nobles who had no interest in his grandfather or his brother—the ones who had come purely to enjoy the party.
‘Andrie made me such fine clothes and showed genuine consideration for our family. The least I can do is give him some promotion.’
To do that…
First, he needed to draw a reasonable amount of attention.
The opportunity came quickly.
To signal the start of the party, a spot had been arranged for the guest of honor, Lion, to offer a brief word of thanks.
Lion strode up, stood on the platform, and looked out at the assembled nobles.
Most of them weren’t even paying attention.
It could have stung, but to Lion, it was a good sign.
He hadn’t been counting on every person here as a target for promotion anyway.
A day to say, Look, I grew up well and became an adult—even if that was the official pretext, it was just a pretext.
To those nobles, the goal was to catch the eye of ‘Petrick Asteri’ or his heir, ‘Rickshel Asteri.’
They surely believed that only by currying the right favor could they secure the power to live out their lives as nobles.
‘This isn’t a coming-of-age ceremony—it’s a kind of winnowing conducted by House Asteri!’
‘To postpone it once and still prepare something this grand! Something is definitely going to happen.’
‘If we can catch the Marquis’s eye here, our children’s future will be smooth sailing!’
Indeed, most of the nobles were thinking exactly as Lion had predicted.
Their conclusions were unanimous.
Make the best possible impression.
No—if they couldn’t make a good impression, then at the very least, don’t act like a thorn in his side!
Never mind the sickly eccentric Lion, but when it came to the Marquis and the heir—never!
Of course, Grandfather simply wasn’t interested, and Rickshel far preferred talented commoners over unremarkable nobles.
‘They can figure that out on their own.’
Having finished that thought, Lion slowly opened his mouth.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Lion Asteri, who has at last, albeit belatedly, come of age.”
Clap, clap, clap—
The nobles gave a perfunctory round of applause.
As every gaze turned toward Lion in unison, the one who was worried instead was Rickshel.
‘I do hope Brother isn’t nervous…’
Speaking well and having a good character were entirely separate matters from this.
Meeting one person’s gaze was naturally doable.
The gaze of a few people was burdensome, but still manageable.
But when those gazes numbered in the dozens and then the hundreds, the pressure was immense.
That was why heir lessons existed—to train to withstand that pressure so one wouldn’t freeze up in exactly this kind of situation.
Of course, Rickshel himself was someone whose nature remained unshaken whether before hundreds or thousands, but…
He couldn’t help worrying—what if his brother collapsed from the strain?
Rickshel, who had been watching Lion with that expression of concern—
“Wh… what?”
—murmured in spite of himself.