Chapter 21

"Come now, we can't take Bern, can we? Lord Louis will be troubled."

"Well... I think Sir might be fine with it?"

"Hmm... Well, perhaps..."

Their conversation made my head ache. That child is still as blind as ever.

"Is that child causing so much trouble over there?"

"She's moving beautifully. For Lord Edward, though. No... for that baroness, I suppose..."

...Ah, I'm too afraid to hear what she's up to. I don't want her to come back to the duchy.

"Rather than that, Iris. Can I stay here for a while?"

"Of course, Grandfather. Ah, but... I have a request..."

"What is it?"

"I have two... One is that I've established a new guard unit in our territory. I want you to train the new recruits. Of course, just during your stay here."

"Of course, I can. I was just thinking of playing with Ryle and Dida anyway."

"Eh? So they know you're coming?"

"I told them it would be soon... Well, they're used to it, so they probably have an idea."

...Grandfather, you're too vague. That's why they couldn't tell me when. There's no set date.

"And the other one?"

"Um... Well... You see..."

"Go on, say it."

"...Can you take me to the town?"

My request seemed to surprise Grandfather, as he widened his eyes.

"That's fine, but... why?"

"Um... I want to walk through the town. Not as an inspection, but... I want to see how the town looks now, how the people feel and live, by walking among them. I don't want to bring too many people... If you come, no one will complain, right?"

The last inspection I did, even though it was only part of the territory, I saw a lot. But I want to walk as a townsfolk, not as an inspection. Without a carriage, without being surrounded by guards, more directly. Just like in the old days. Thinking about it, Grandfather is incredibly convenient.

Firstly, if someone as strong as Grandfather comes with me, it will be safe, and Ryle and Dida won't object.

Secondly, walking with Grandfather will be a good camouflage. To put it bluntly, Grandfather doesn't look like a noble at all.

Thirdly, I don't want to move my family with my whims right now. I've assigned tasks to Ryle and Dida, and I want them to prioritize those... Other guards would need to be brought in a group, and I'm still not confident in their abilities. Considering all this, Grandfather is the perfect person.

"Sure, why not? How about we go tomorrow?"

"Really!? Thank you so much!"

Yay. What should I do... I'll enjoy some street food and window shopping.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me. Miss Iris, it's time for the afternoon meeting..."

Sei entered hesitantly.

"Oh, it's already this time...?"

"Iris, don't worry about us. We know the house well."

"That's right. I'll go play with Ryle and Dida soon."

"In that case, I'll take my leave. Please call me if you need anything."

As we left the study, Sei updated me on the progress of the tasks I had assigned in the morning. ...Ah, I need to plan the sale of the herb tea leaves.

"By the way, Sei. The report mentioned the Baroness Yurie..."

"Yes, about her. She applied to become a member, but I rejected her."

"Oh, didn't Lord Ed complain?"

"I told her, 'If you were formally married and became royalty, it would be different, but at this stage, you cannot become a member.' I explained that many nobles are waiting to become members of our guild, and even those of higher status are waiting their turn. She understood. The Second Prince complained a lot, but she eventually convinced him."

"That's good... I'm glad it's not a big deal."

"...But, what's with those people? If they knew the Azuta Guild was yours and still acted so arrogantly, it's nerve-wracking."

"...I think it's more that they didn't know or didn't care about me from the start..."

Yes, that's how it feels. I'm a thing of the past... probably just a distant memory. To them, each other is the most important, and everything else is just background... Oh, thinking about it, they fit the description of the eye of the storm perfectly.

"Even if they were unrelated, their quality is poor. The Second Prince threw a tantrum, waving his power around, and she said special treatment wasn't good... What about you, who applied?"

"..."

I couldn't help but sigh heavily.

"Sei, if you're worried about me, you can just approve her application. It's more troublesome to have Lord Ed interfere."

"Currently, there really is a waiting list. When it's her turn, I'll consider it carefully."

"That's fine."

After that, as I went around for meetings with Sei, it was already dusk.

...Next, I have a meeting with Sebastian.

Thinking about that, I walked alone, taking a leisurely stroll. The duchy has a vast estate, with several gardens and annexes separate from the main house. Incidentally, the Azuta Guild headquarters is located in one of these annexes.

Since prototypes are not allowed to leave the building, I go there to see them. It's good exercise, and it's still within the estate.

When I entered the study, Tanya immediately made tea for me.

"By the way, Tanya. Can you adjust my schedule for lunch tomorrow?"

"Do you have plans?"

"Yes. Grandfather is taking me to the town."

"Lord Gazel? That's wonderful. I'll clear your schedule right away."

"Thanks."

That's settled. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.