Chapter 41

I'm terribly sorry for the late update!

Summary of the previous episode:

"Roxane, the daughter of Mary and Adi, was visited by one of her brothers, who came to see the adorable girl... But who was it...!?"

---

A bold drumroll echoed in Mary's heart.

No, it wasn't just in Mary's heart; it must have been playing in the hearts of everyone present.

Indeed, everyone was tense and expectant, their gazes fixed on the approaching figure.

The hedge was conveniently tall, so only the shadow was visible, not the person. Moreover, the figure had paused momentarily, which only added to the suspense. It was frustrating, and unconsciously, everyone clenched their fists.

Who was coming...!

Who would be the winner of the bet...!!

Just as the anticipation reached its peak, the person slowly revealed themselves.

"Ah, my... no, the Albert family's, rather, the world's angel... Even the annoyingly sunny sky, which usually just seems blinding, shines brilliantly when it illuminates Mary and Roxane..."

Slowly appearing, with a gloomy aura, but still admiring his sister and niece, it was Lucian.

As he approached Mary, he gently stroked Roxane's silver hair, tickled her cheeks, held her chubby hands, and tickled her cheeks again. Then, he put a child's hat on Roxane and patted her head through the hat.

After a while, he looked up.

Only now did he notice Alicia and the others, suggesting that until then, his vision had been focused solely on Mary and Roxane, and perhaps Adi.

"The winner this time is Brother Lucian."

"Yes, I finally won. I didn't win once yesterday, and I was just outdone by Roberto again, thinking I might lose my uncle's dignity... It was worth setting up a doorstop to get here first..."

"Brother Lucian, you're the type who doesn't hesitate to use physical means."

Roberto is skilled in strategy, Lang is full of energy, and Lucian uses physical means—each brother has a distinct style, which is why these bets get so intense.

Moreover, Mary's parents often appear frequently. When they do, their cheerful voices of "It's grandpa" and "It's grandma" are filled with love for their grandchildren.

"But the most exciting moment was when Uncle and Aunt appeared."

'Uncle and Aunt' are Adi's parents. Perhaps because they are from a servant family, they always prioritize the Albert family, but they sometimes appear at unexpected times.

The other day, Mary was having tea with Adi and Roxane, and Alicia and Patrick joined in. As usual, they were betting on which brother would come.

Each person named the person they thought would come, and Mary, trying to be clever, guessed her father... but it turned out to be Adi's parents.

"It's the unpredictability of who will come that makes it so exciting. Adi says he takes notes every time."

"Yes, just in case. Sort of."

Adi took out a notebook from his chest pocket and wrote down the winner.

Patrick and Gaius looked over his shoulder with interest, even discussing things like "Maybe we can get closer to winning by taking statistics" and "We should start by calculating the frequency of the Albert couple and Adi's parents."

Mary, watching them, stroked Roxane, who was sitting on her lap, and said to her daughter, "In the end, it's all about your intuition, isn't it?"

Roxane, not quite understanding the adults' conversation, widened her big eyes and moved her lips in response to her mother's words.

Then, she waved her chubby right hand by her face, and the cute laugh that escaped was adorable.

By the way,

"Alicia, I won't allow you to try to get your favorite cake on the menu by currying favor with the winner, Parfait."

Mary sternly reprimanded Alicia, who had been inching closer to Parfait. Alicia quickly returned to her spot, raising her hands as if admitting to the cheating.

Parfait chuckled, a confident smile on his face.

"Don't worry. I'll create a menu that's good for Alicia's health. And Roxane-like, soft and plump sweets...!"

His smile turned from confident to mission-driven, another trait of a winner.

Watching Parfait and Alicia, Mary looked back at Roxane on her lap. "Let's have dessert together soon," she said, and Roxane, happy to be spoken to by her mother, narrowed her rust-colored eyes in delight.

Mary looked forward to the day when Roxane could eat various foods. She wanted to try giving her all sorts of things and see what she would like.

Currently, the right to decide the tea snacks as a reward for the bet belonged to the winner, but once Roxane could eat, the decision would surely always be hers.

Seemingly predicting the same future, Roxane moved her lips as if chewing.

Mary, captivated by her daughter's cuteness, suddenly came to her senses and looked up at her brother standing next to her.

"Brother, I'm sorry. You came first, and you must want to hold Roxane, right?"

Apologizing for forgetting in the excitement, Mary smiled, and Lucian laughed.

Despite his usual gloomy aura, his gentle smile was warm like a sunny spot.

"I want to hold the adorable Roxane, but the sight of the adorable Mary holding the adorable Roxane is so brilliant that I could look at it forever... But Lang and Roberto will be here soon, so I also want to hold her to intimidate them..."

"Brother Lucian, despite your gloomy demeanor, you're just as competitive as the other two."

Though their personalities differ, the three brothers are always competing.

Mary found this balance to be good and slowly lifted Roxane from her lap.

"Then, I'll give the adorable angel to the winner, Brother Lucian."

As she brought Roxane closer to Lucian, Roxane, sensing what was about to happen, opened her arms wide.

How adorable it was to see her daughter cling to him. Lucian, looking happy, had a rare, radiant smile on his face.

Almost simultaneously, hurried footsteps were heard.

What? These were the footsteps of the losers.

"Lucian! Using a doorstop is cheating!"

"...I didn't expect you to set up a doorstop."

Complaining, Lang and Roberto appeared.

They seemed upset at being outdone by physical means. Lucian, looking smug, even shook Roxane in his arms to show off.

Seeing this, Lang growled in frustration, and Roberto, though not showing it on his face, exuded a cold aura. Hearing their words, "Next time," the next match would likely start in a few hours.

As Mary watched the scene, the brothers, one of them saying, "Well," changed the subject.

"Let's get back to work. Or rather, we left in the middle of it."

"Actually, the conversation was interrupted when Lucian left the room, and we were focused on escaping."

"Given that, we'll return our adorable angel Roxane to our adorable sister Mary..."

Lucian was about to hand Roxane to Mary.

But just before he did, Roxane started wriggling, as if protesting. Her lively wriggling was like a fresh fish.

Then, her rust-colored eyes turned to Adi, who had just noticed the conversation. Adi, with the same rust-colored eyes, looked at his child, wondering what was wrong.

Roxane pouted and made a "mmuuu" sound. Though she couldn't yet speak clearly, her small lips conveyed her message.

It seemed she preferred her father's arms to her mother's.

Noticing this, the three brothers exchanged glances.

"...I'm not happy about giving her to the tall Adi, but if the adorable Roxane wants it, there's no choice."

"I'm worried that Adi's height might scare Roxane, but we can't ignore the angel's plea."

"Even if it's our foolish younger brother, there's no choice."

Despite their complaints, the three brothers handed Roxane to Adi.

—By the way, just before that, Adi had said, "I'm sitting in a chair, so height doesn't matter," and was then held down by Lang before receiving Roxane from Lucian, with Roberto's loud sigh ending the sequence.

Watching the brothers leave, Mary realized that the tea party was still going on. Alicia and Patrick were already discussing the next bet, and Parfait and Gaius were talking about desserts.

In a few hours, the brothers would likely come to see Roxane again, and perhaps her parents would come, knowing that Alicia and the others were there, to stir up the bets.

"It's so lively and fun. Roxane, everyone loves you and comes to see you."

Mary, sitting next to Adi, who was holding Roxane on his lap, spoke to her daughter.

Roxane, looking happy, narrowed her rust-colored eyes and laughed, her short silver hair fluttering. How adorable she was.

---

"Where are we...? It feels like I've been here before, but also not..."

"Miss, this is the afterword."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot because it's been so long since the last update."

"But the fact that there's an afterword means there's an announcement, right? By the way, what's this acrylic panel-like thing?"

【☆*.+☆*.+】

"It looks like some kind of acrylic panel. The illustration is of me and Adi."

"Yes, it does look like an acrylic panel... Let's call Parfait."

"Good idea. Parfait, Parfait, can you tell us what this acrylic panel-like thing is?"

【☆*.+ω；｀)☆*.+】

"Oh, the image on the acrylic panel-like thing has changed. From the picture of me and the young lady..."

"It's Parfait! Parfait is appearing on the acrylic panel-like thing!"

【(´；ω；)Hello through the panel!】

"Hello, Parfait. What is this acrylic panel-like thing?"

【(´；ω；)It's not an acrylic panel-like thing, it's an acrylic panel!】

"Oh, it's an acrylic panel, not an acrylic panel-like thing."

"I see, an acrylic panel."

"So, it's an announcement. Parfait, go ahead and announce it!"

【(´；ω；)Okay! Here's the announcement!

As part of the 20th anniversary of Beans Bunko, an acrylic panel for 'The Daughter of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline' will be released!】

"Oh, an acrylic panel with an illustration of me and Adi! It's showing Parfait now, though."

"But this might be mistaken for a product where Parfait is part of the illustration."

"Yes, the product is an illustration of me and Adi, and Parfait isn't part of it..."

【(´；ω..:.;::..】

"Oh! Noise on the panel's Parfait!"

"He's disappearing..."

"I'm sorry, Parfait, don't worry. It's okay, stay with us."

【(´；..:.;::..】

"Oh, Parfait is fading away..."

【……..:.;::..！！！】

【(´；ω；)I forgot to explain how to purchase it!! With my last strength... I'll display the purchase method on this acrylic panel... I'll raise my spirit to the limit and send out a mental wave...!!】

"That was quite a lot of work."

"He used a mental wave to do it."

【(`；ω；)Grrrrr!】

【Grrrrr】

"Parfait, your spirit! Your spirit words are appearing on the panel!"

【Grrrrr Grrrrr Grrrrr】

"Parfait, it's a haiku! It's in 5-7-5!"

"The seasonal word is 'grr'!?"

【Grr!?】

【(`；ω；)Second grrrrr!!】

【20th Anniversary of Kadokawa Beans Bunko

'The Daughter of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline' Acrylic Panel

Reservation Period: ~ November 4 (Thu) 23:59

Release Date: Early January 2022

Reservations available at Kadokawa Online Store and others】

(Corrected the release date as it was incorrect)

"There it is! Parfait, the announcement is displayed properly!"

【(´；ω；)I'm sorry for the late announcement, and the reservation period is almost over. Please, everyone, I kindly ask for your support...】

【(´；ω；...:.;::.s...】

【……...:.;::..】

【☆*.+☆*.+】

"The acrylic panel has returned to the original beautiful image of Volume 4. He must have used up all his strength."

"Thank you, Parfait."

(´；ω；)Actually, I'm right here.

"Oh, you were so close."

"Then, what was the point of talking through the panel...?"

As part of the 20th anniversary of Kadokawa Beans Bunko, an acrylic panel for 'The Daughter of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline' will be released!

Reservations are open until November 4, 23:59 (some online stores may end on November 3).

I'm sorry for the late announcement, and the reservation period is almost over.

Please, everyone, I kindly ask for your support!

The next update of the story will be soon.