Chapter 90

The graduation ceremony has ended.

Father and Mother were seated together in the VIP seats.

For some reason, His Majesty was also seated there... Dorothy is graduating too, huh.

"Was I able to surprise Sir Christoph?"

I thought Dorothy could do it, but it seems she was really pushed to graduate.

It’s within expectations, but I’ll pretend to be surprised.

Still, Dorothy has recently become very womanly in her figure, I’m looking forward to her future!

"Sir Christoph, I am looking forward to the ennoblement ceremony on the 15th."

"I am deeply honored to be in the presence of Your Majesty."

"Formal greetings are unnecessary. More importantly, (please visit Dorothy more often, she seems lonely every day) I ask you kindly."

His Majesty whispered this so Dorothy couldn’t hear.

"Father, what were you talking about?"

"Ah, I was saying that Dorothy is looking forward to the ennoblement ceremony. She’s excited to meet Sir Christoph."

"Wh-What!"

"Hahaha, Sir Christoph, please take care."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

His Majesty left with Dorothy.

It’s tough for my older brother Jimnis and older sister Elizabeta, who are serving as guards, but they are doing their best.

"Let’s go home now."

"Christoph, let’s go."

Father and Mother, that’s fine, but my older sister Krishnas is surrounded by underclassmen and can’t move... mainly female students... I’m not jealous at all!

It seems Krishnas has noticed us and is pushing through the underclassmen to join us.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"I really had a hard time."

Krishnas is scheduled to start her duties as a court mage apprentice in late March.

I think Krishnas will become an excellent mage, but as a gift, I plan to give her a robe.

Father and Mother, including the two concubines, will give her a staff, and Jimnis and Elizabeta will give her a magic book, so Anna and I decided to give her a robe together.

The material for the robe will be made from fibers obtained from the Freesia, a plant-type monster. This fiber, though obtained from a plant-type monster, is fire-resistant. The thread will be dyed with powdered magic stones, and the fabric made from this thread will be used to make the robe. I prepared the fabric, but Anna is having the maids help her sew the robe.

Furthermore, Elizabeta’s engagement was decided in January, and her wedding is scheduled for November this year.

Elizabeta’s fiancé is Hebrai Kudo Zenger, the eldest son of the House of Zenger, a baronial family. Hebrai fell in love with Elizabeta at first sight and proposed, but Father kept refusing because the House of Zenger is part of the noble faction. However, after years of proposals, Father finally gave in and approved the marriage between Hebrai and Elizabeta. I think the engagement talks between me and Dorothy influenced this decision. Announcing my engagement at 14, before Elizabeta, who is 18 this year, would have been awkward, and it also marks a significant milestone as Elizabeta will become a full knight this spring. Krishnas is 15, so it’s not a problem for her either.

On February 15th, I was ennobled.

However, thanks to His Majesty’s impromptu additions, I was drenched in cold sweat.

"Christoph von Brutois, I hereby grant you the family name of Brutois and ennoble you as a viscount."

"I am deeply honored."

I bowed my head and thanked His Majesty.

Brutois is derived from the fact that Bruto Island is to the east, taking the 'east' and adding 't' to 'Bruto'.

For someone with no sense of naming, I think this is a decent effort... I want to think so.

"Viscount Brutois, thanks to the military supplies provided by your family, we have been able to advance favorably in the war against the Bossam Empire. As a reward, I grant you the territory of Selbes."

"Huh?"

I didn’t hear about this.

What is His Majesty saying?

Moreover, Selbes is a remote and undeveloped area in the eastern part of the Brutois March, and it could be considered more of a punishment than a reward.

The hall is in an uproar... even the prime minister looks lost, and Father is giving His Majesty a look like 'what are you saying?'

It’s clear this is not part of the script.

Regarding the grant of this territory, it seems more like His Majesty has his eye on my financial resources.

Through the Brutois Trading Company, I have been selling and processing resources from Bruto Island, which has brought me enormous profits, and His Majesty is well aware of this.

In other words, it’s a message to develop this remote area. If I succeed, the Holy Bandum Kingdom will become stronger, and if I fail, the kingdom won’t suffer much since it’s already a remote area.

What a move.

"…I am deeply honored."

I can’t refuse a reward given in public.

If I refuse, I would be a hero… a god, but still.

"Indeed. …I hereby announce to all present that the second son of the Brutois March, Viscount Christoph von Brutois, and my daughter Dorothy are engaged. …The wedding will take place in May next year."

This is the announcement of the engagement.

Dorothy is attending this ceremony just in front of His Majesty, and when I glance at her, she is blushing and looking down, which is quite charming.

Moreover, she seems to have grown again.

What has grown, you ask?

Don’t make me say it.

However, the engagement announcement is according to the script, but I heard the wedding was supposed to be two years after Dorothy comes of age, but His Majesty has moved it up by one year.

I came of age at 14, so I can’t say much, but it seems Dorothy will also be made to come of age and marry at 14.

Father, who didn’t hear about this, is giving a half-lidded look, like he’s looking at a raccoon.

He’s doing whatever he wants.

However, even if we didn’t know, it’s not a bad deal for me or the Brutois March… what a move.

"…And one more thing."

There’s more?

"Viscount Brutois has produced many magic items, and I have heard that you are also skilled in magic. Could you show us your abilities?"

His Majesty smiled and waited for my response.

The prime minister and Father have already given up and look exasperated.

What is His Majesty’s purpose?

From the perspective of the noble faction, I, who have become independent from the king’s faction, should not be made a noble. However, there should be no resistance or opposition to my becoming a viscount. If there were, it would prevent other nobles’ children from being ennobled. If the second son of the Brutois March, one of the most powerful noble families in the Holy Bandum Kingdom, cannot become a viscount, then no other noble’s child could be ennobled. Nobles act based on self-interest and would not do anything that would disadvantage themselves or their children.

So, is it about my engagement to Dorothy?

However, even though I am the second son, I am of the Brutois March bloodline, and my mother is from a marquis family, so there is no issue with my lineage. Moreover, although Dorothy is a princess, her right to the throne is low, and there should be no significant obstacles to her marriage. The only concern is that I am only a viscount, but with the noble faction’s current weakness and the strengthening of the royal family’s ties with the Brutois March, it’s unlikely that many nobles would oppose this engagement. If they did, it could lead to increased pressure and decline for their own families, which nobles, who are skilled in self-interest, would not do.

The only other reason could be His Majesty’s curiosity… I don’t want to think about it, but I can’t rule it out.

The only other possibility is that His Majesty is planning something, but what?

I can’t figure it out.

What should I say?

I look at Father, but he only nods slightly.

That face looks like he’s given up.

"I have some confidence in magic. However, I am a young and inexperienced person, like a frog in a well, and I am quite embarrassed."