Chapter 57

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After the economics class ended, Joshua and the three brothers walked home.

Their stomachs were still full, and they hadn't digested the food at all. The cost of going beyond the limits of their stomachs was significant.

From the second year onward, they could take another subject in the afternoon, but this year, Emma and the others were limited to three subjects a day.

On the way, they met the twin first-year students, Catherine and Kaitlyn, and decided to walk home together. The twins had been taking a class in St. Cross language, which is spoken in the neighboring country of St. Cross, where they have friendly relations.

"St. Cross language was fun, wasn't it, Kaitlyn?"

"St. Cross language was fun, Catherine."

In the palace, it's rare to meet foreigners, so the three brothers have no interest in taking the subject.

"Emma, what's 'hello' in St. Cross language?"

Seeing the twins enjoying their conversation, Emma asked a question.

"It's 'Lakuru,' Miss Emma."

They answered enthusiastically.

"Then, what's 'thank you'?"

"It's 'Lakuru,' Miss Emma."

"Is it the same?"

"Yes! 'Lakuru' can mean 'hello,' 'thank you,' 'got it,' 'cool,' 'awesome,' and many other things, Miss Emma."

The twins harmonized beautifully as they answered the long sentence.

"Is it... convenient? Then, what's 'sorry'?"

"It's 'Rokuru.' 'Rokuru' can mean 'sorry,' 'goodbye,' 'no, I don't like it,' 'terrible,' 'haven't you gained weight recently?' and many other things, Mr. William."

What kind of foreign language is this... Even Georg, who was terrible at English in his previous life, found it interesting.

"Then, what's 'you've lost weight recently' in St. Cross language?"

"It's 'Lakuru,' Mr. Georg. We noticed that St. Cross people always say 'Lakuru' and 'Rokuru,' but apparently, most conversations can be handled with just those words!"

The twins were delighted to have their long-standing curiosity about the St. Cross people they saw conversing in their territory finally resolved.

"Indeed, the St. Cross language I learned from the interpreter only has 'buy' and 'not buy,' but 'buy' is 'Lakuru' and 'not buy' is 'Rokuru.'"

"Mr. Joshua, you really know a lot, Kaitlyn."

"Mr. Joshua, you really know a lot, Catherine."

Joshua told them that the silk from the palace is also exported to his country. Since the sales are handled by the Rothschild family, the three brothers didn't know about it.

"The silk from the palace is 'Lakuru,' Kaitlyn."

"The silk from the palace is 'Lakuru,' Catherine."

Since the twins seemed to be praising them, the three brothers responded in unison, "Lakuru!" (thank you). It seemed to work.

As they talked, they walked out of the school's main gate, where several carriages were parked. The spacious area in front of the main gate was apparently for this purpose.

According to Joshua, carriages are not allowed to run inside the school grounds, so students from distant homes or high-ranking nobles take their carriages after leaving the main gate. Joshua's shop is a 10-minute walk away, and the Stewart family's mansion is another 10 minutes from there, so they walk leisurely to school.

A 20-minute walk would have been a distance they would have driven in their previous life after getting a license, but their young bodies could handle it easily. Considering the hassle of preparing a carriage, the three brothers chose to walk without hesitation. They felt it would be unfair to increase the workload of the servants, who were few in number, as they were mostly those who had served the Stewart family and a few newly hired in the capital.

"We're staying in the dormitory, so we'll part ways here, Kaitlyn."

"We're staying in the dormitory, so we'll part ways here, Catherine."

The twins stopped at the intersection. Emma and the others would continue straight down the main street.

"Then, everyone, have a good day, Rokuru."

The twins held the hem of their skirts and bowed, so Emma understood that 'Rokuru' meant 'goodbye' and greeted them similarly.

"Miss Catherine, Miss Kaitlyn, have a good day, Rokuru."

"Be careful on your way home, Rokuru!"

"See you tomorrow, Rokuru!"

"Rokuru"

They said 'Rokuru' to each other and parted ways. It was interesting to see how the word worked without any awkwardness.

While being careful of the carriages, they walked down the main street and entered a shopping district with stylish stores. As can be seen from the fact that the students from the palace, including Robert, bought gifts for Emma in this shopping district, it is often used by the students. Joshua's assigned shop was also located in a prime location along the main street, and a large three-story building came into view.

"Joshua's shop is really coming along."

While looking at Joshua's shop, Georg muttered slightly apologetically. The shop is still under renovation, but the first and second floors will be used as the store, and the third floor will be Joshua's living space.

Originally, it dealt with silk from the palace and fur from the one-horned rabbit, but when Joshua took over the shop, both the store and the products were completely renewed.

It was originally supposed to be completed by the time the school year started, but due to Emma's...

"If there's a cafe with delicious sweets on the way home from school, I might go there every day."

...the sudden addition of a cafe space on the second floor caused a delay. The grand reopening is scheduled for next week. Joshua, who should be very busy, invited them to have a cup of tea, but they declined for today, knowing that Joshua would be working and the employees were waiting for his instructions.

"That's a shame. Please come again anytime. We'll have plenty of tea and sweets ready for you."

Smiling, Joshua waved goodbye with "See you tomorrow, Rokuru!" The prospect of buying snacks on the way home from school was appealing, but they decided to go home without stopping, as they were still full.

Continuing straight down the main street and through the shopping district, they entered the noble district, where large mansions stood out. The residences of nobles who work in the royal castle and those with territories close to the capital were built with ample spacing.

Turning into a side street and walking a bit, they arrived at the gate of a particularly large and spacious mansion in the noble district. The three brothers stopped in front of it and sighed in unison.

"...It's huge."

"It's huge..."

"It's huge..."

The mansion prepared for their life in the capital was a luxurious one that matched the Stewart family's income. The house in the palace had a large garden but a small building, and it was a dilapidated mansion after selling everything that could be sold, making it difficult to get used to the stark contrast.

Even with the help of the Rothschild family, their lifestyle hasn't changed much. They had been poor for too long to live extravagantly, and they hadn't even bought back most of the things they had sold.

And yet...

They sighed again at the large gate in front of them.

"No matter how many times I see it, it's huge."

"Will we ever get used to it?"

"Who knows..."

Initially, their father, Leonardo, intended to let the Stewart family stay at Joshua's shop. However, Daniel, Joshua's father, scolded him for saying something foolish.

"Which world's rich earl stays at a merchant's shop!? Will you pay rent? No, that's not the point, right? What? Cheap rental in the capital? What are you talking about? If you're going to live in the capital, you should buy a proper mansion, right? Are you really a noble? Do you have no pride or dignity? Can you even eat with that? Ah, I get it! I'll prepare everything, just pay the money? What? As cheap as possible? That's why..."

Over the years, Daniel had become less formal with Leonardo, but Leonardo didn't mind. He just listened quietly to Daniel's lecture. Seeing this, Daniel, who didn't spend much on clothes, food, or housing, decided to find a mansion that wouldn't embarrass the Stewart family in the capital. He was determined to buy an impressive mansion.

"Huh? Daniel, isn't the number of zeros three too many?"

"Leonardo, what kind of mansion are you planning to live in? The cost of living in the capital is high, you know?"

"Well, a suburban one would be fine..."

"...If it's far from the school, it will be difficult for Emma to commute."

"...Alright, Daniel. Let's go for a place close to the school. Let's do it."

"Right? This mansion is a good deal."

"...! Daniel, but it's close to the school, which is good, but... when you look closely... isn't it a bit too big? We're a family of five, you know?"

"Leonardo, think about it. With this mansion, you'll have a large house and garden... the cats will be happy."

"...Alright, Daniel. Let's go with this one. Let's do it."

Leonardo was easily swayed.

Daniel knew that this man would spend as much money as needed if he used Emma and the cats. Thanks to Daniel, who knew more about the Stewart family's assets than Leonardo, they ended up with a mansion with one of the largest plots of land in the capital.

Since they decided on the mansion using a map of the capital and the floor plans sent from the palace, Daniel had to handle the purchase procedures on Leonardo's behalf when they arrived in the capital.

When Daniel saw the actual mansion for the first time, he thought, "Oh, did I go overboard?"

But he kept it to himself. The mansion in the capital was so large and luxurious that it was almost overwhelming. The only consolation was that it was slightly off the main street, making it less noticeable.

Knocking on the small employee entrance instead of the large main gate, the door opened as if they had been waiting.

"Meow~"

A large calico cat skillfully opened the door with its front paws.

"Welcome back, Coimé!"

"Meow~"

Emma clung to Coimé's neck, savoring the soft fur. Coimé always greeted her like this when she returned from school.

It had become a daily routine, just like when the porters used to wait at the gate for the students to return.

At first, the gatekeeper, who was intimidated by the large cat, was charmed and now watches Coimé open the door for Emma and the others with a gentle smile.

"Welcome back, young masters and young mistress."

The gatekeeper greeted them with a smile, but the three brothers grimaced.

"Grandpa Evan, please stop calling us that."

"Ho ho ho, to me, you're all young masters and young mistresses."

The elderly gatekeeper, with prominent white hair, closed the gate's lock firmly while rejecting their protest. He had been picked up by the Stewart family 10 years ago after his noble family's estate management failed, and he had been living a vagrant-like life. He had worked as a coachman in the capital but, with age, found it difficult to take care of the horses and was worried about being let go.

"Evan, can you be the gatekeeper from now on?"

When Urban asked him casually, Evan thought he had bought a small house and was happy to have a job.

"...But... this... mansion... is a bit..."

When he saw the mansion, he was shaken. He had thought it would be a simple job of chasing away children's pranks, but it turned out to be a mansion that could be targeted by organized attacks.

"Don't worry! We have a cat."

Urban and Leonardo, who came to the capital in turns, answered confidently. For Evan, it was a "What the hell!?" moment, but seeing the actual cat made him understand.

Is it even a cat?

In front of him, the cat rubbing against Emma was indeed a cat, but how big it was. However, it didn't take long for him to get used to Coimé, who waited diligently at the gate, knowing when the children would return. He didn't mind the fluffiness.

"Coimé, let's take a nap?"

The cat answered happily to Emma's words.

"Meow~"

It was getting warmer, so Emma pointed to the large hammock in the garden and followed it. She had brought back something a bit strange today, but it wasn't a problem. She exorcised it with a single meow.

"?? My stomach is starting to settle a bit! I think I can eat dinner now."

While being wrapped in the cat on the hammock, Emma muttered.

"Meow~"

The cat meowed, saying it would gently wrap and protect her beloved port, so she could enjoy her favorite naps with her beloved port for a long time.

This is a rare appearance of Coimé due to a lack of fluff.