Chloe seemed more lively than usual, perhaps because Chris was around, and she approached me with excitement.
“I think I’ve finally mastered bookkeeping well enough to manage a simple household account, but I still don’t really understand things like commercial law or tax law.”
I was holding back my words for the sake of my dignity, but honestly, I didn’t know much about commercial law or tax law either.
All I knew were the customary details about what items were taxed when selling goods and how to present gifts.
“How did you study, Chris?”
At that question, Chris, who had been awkward about being part of our family, finally spoke up.
“There’s no shortcut to studying, sister. You just have to memorize everything by using it.”
“But there’s so much to memorize! Customary laws, precedents, actual applications… how am I supposed to memorize all that?”
When I was preparing for the civil servant exam, memorizing only what’s on past papers would’ve sufficed unless I was taking a rigorous exam.
But in this world, there are no past papers or textbooks, and obtaining the original text of the law is difficult too.
‘How can I possibly memorize all of that as Chloe suggested?’
If I can graduate safely, I’ll receive qualifications that would normally require passing exams like administrative officer or lawyer, but—
No, that place requires memorizing every single character from the textbook, so it might really be possible.
In any case, ordinary people like me would never manage to do that.
“Sister, why do you want to memorize everything when neither of us is going to become a lawyer or accountant? We only need to extract some applicable examples to remember. None of the staff in our trade association have memorized all of commercial law, including me.”
Arguing about customary laws or precedents is primarily the role of lawyers or accountants.
When things get complicated, you can just give Judge Andante an appropriate gift and politely request reasonable discussions regarding tax audits, and most of the time, that’s the end of it.
Chloe looked at Chris with an expression that said the world is cruel.
“So, I’ve been wasting my time studying uselessly all this while?”
“…… That’s right. That’s why the Baron also said, if there’s something you don’t know, ask a tutor or someone else. Working hard without direction just leads to pointless suffering.”
Though there are no shortcuts to studying, there are plenty of effective ways to learn.
When learning swordsmanship, learning properly from a good teacher for a month is far more effective than training aimlessly for a year.
“Well, now that I know it shouldn’t be done that way, I’ll be able to do better next time, sister.”
Chris stretched out her hand and patted Chloe’s head.
A smile spread across Chloe’s face.
Even Chris, who had been struggling to adjust to the new environment just a moment ago, seemed to have relaxed.
“The teacher also said that once I get a little familiar with commercial law, I could assist with simple tasks under the Young Lord. I will work harder.”
When I initially told Chloe that it was fine to study, I thought just learning the letters would be enough, but I never imagined it would continue to this extent.
It was unexpected, but rather nice.
‘Chloe studying is for my sake too, isn’t it?’
Then Chloe quietly started snacking on some treats laid out before her.
The image of her eating with her hands back then was cute, but now she has learned etiquette, and it’s just as cute to see her eat a cookie with refined and graceful movements, like a squirrel munching on an acorn.
After picking up a few, Chloe brought her face close to me with about half a cookie in her mouth.
It seemed clear what her intention was without her saying a thing.
I gently pulled her shoulder, kissed her lightly, and bit into the cookie.
Chloe, who was shy when we first did this, now looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask for more.
“Young Lord, this time, please feed me.”
It wasn’t just Chloe and me in this moment.
But there were no ‘men’ around.
Following Chloe’s request, I went ahead and held the cookie in my mouth as I approached her.
Unlike me, Chloe leaned in quite closely, her upper body nearly touching mine.
Feeling Chloe’s chest brush against me through her clothing made me realize…
‘She’s not wearing a bra.’
“Thank you, Young Lord. And look over there.”
When I turned my gaze, I found Chris’s face as red as an apple.
Her lips were slightly biting down, and even though she was turning away, her eyes were still glued to Chloe and me.
Her gaze was fixed on my lips.
Seeing that, Chloe wore a teasing smile.
“Young Lord, it seems Chris also wants you to feed her directly. What do you think?”
People are creatures that communicate more through expressions, gazes, and atmosphere than with words.
So, I understood without asking.
I picked up a cookie without any further ado.
Holding the cookie with my mouth, I grabbed Chris’ shoulder.
Her body shivered slightly at the touch of a man’s hand…
“Please be gentle.”
What on earth is with the kind of words that would be expected on a first kiss or wedding night?
Was she that tense?
Well, in this era, educational videos for adults were not uncommon, you know.
‘But I don’t think she’s under the impression that kissing alone would lead to pregnancy…’
Just kissing would indeed be incredibly stimulating.
Even if many theories were learned from adult educational videos, some men can barely control their excitement when just holding a girl’s hand for the first time.
I held Chris much more gently than I had with Chloe and slowly leaned in.
Every time I edged closer, Chris’s face turned redder and redder.
Anyone might think there was a fire.
“……”
However, Chris did not reject me.
After a gentle kiss, I slowly pulled away.
“How was it?”
Chris was silent for quite some time after hearing my question.
When we first met, she felt like an ice princess, cold as snow, but now that we were up close…
‘So inexperienced.’
She seemed several times less adept than other girls when it came to romance.
Is it possible to be so affected by just a single kiss?
“How cute, Young Lord.”
She excels in everything else, but her clumsiness in this area makes her so charming.
I gently patted Chris’s head as I had done for Chloe.
“It feels warm and comforting. It’s completely different from the way my dad used to pat my head.”
Chris’s expression relaxed a bit.
“It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before, and I’d like you to do it a bit more. It’s a bit scary because it’s so unfamiliar, but I feel even better than that.”
Chloe wasn’t quite like that.
But since she said it was nice, I stroked Chris’s head for quite a while.
Chloe continued to observe Chris, finding her adorable.
“It’s completely different from the usual and when she gets affection from the Young Lord, it’s so cute. She’s just like Nero.”
However, a strange sense of rivalry ignited within Chloe, and this time she lightly perched herself on my lap.
After sitting down, she turned her body to me, hugging me tightly as she kissed me.
“If you get shy now, how will you handle even more than this later?”
Perhaps spurred on by what she saw between Chris and me…
She softly whispered in my ear.
“Young Lord, you’re starting to feel tired, aren’t you?”
Chris, hearing that, covered her face with her hands shyly.
But she made a little hole between her fingers to keep watching.
“…… I’ll set an example as a sister.”
Chris probably thought she would cross the threshold into adulthood today.
But due to her shyness, she had yet to take that step.
However, she kept looking at Chloe and me with envy.
The next morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, instead of talking to me, Chloe whispered in Chris’s ear.
Just loud enough for me to hear.
“Soon, Chris won’t be able to live without the Young Lord, just like me.”
…… It’s nice that we’re close, but I wonder if I can actually survive this?
And from that day forward, I began inviting a former soldier to train my physical strength during my free time.
After a few days of holiday granted by the Duke, I went to greet the “father of the father-in-law.”
Previously, as just a Young Baron, I felt a bit of less formality from the servants, but this time they treated me with sincere respect, as if I were a member of the Duke’s family.
“Your Grace, the Duke, it’s a pleasure to see you.”
The Duke chuckled when he saw me.
“It makes me a bit sad that my grandson-in-law is acting this awkwardly.”
“The closer you are, the more you must uphold etiquette, right?”
“That’s true. Indeed, our Medici Baron is polite and capable.”
“It’s an honor.”
“People around say I’m foolish for marrying off my granddaughter to a Young Baron, but what is the relationship between you and me? If I hear those foolish rumors, I might grab the collar of whoever said that and beat them up.”
The most crucial point he made there was,
‘No matter what other nobles say, I trust you. We’re buddies.’
…… No, I never intended to make such buddies.
But protesting might lead to a realization that pasta can be eaten through both mouth and nose.
If I want to live long, I should keep my mouth shut.
And he said I was lovely, right?
“The wedding will take about a year because there’s much to negotiate with the royal family and arrangements to rent the Florence cathedral.”
…… Even a Duke has to negotiate with the royal family to marry off his granddaughter.
“By the way, did you rest well?”
“Yes, I rested well. And now I think it’s time to ‘poison’ that pagan governor…”
“I was planning to show my granddaughter’s face this week, but what a shame.”
The Duke waved his hand after hearing my words.
“Make sure to come back as quickly as possible. Don’t get hurt, and Alfred left me with this message.”
“What did he say?”
The Duke chuckled.
“He said he would throw you into the army if you made Erika cry.”
…… No, please, not the army.
“He means he would stick you straight into the cavalry, no, the Order of Knights (which is essentially a medium cavalry unit).”
Among the Imperial’s various troops, that one is known for its severe training.
“How could I ever make the Lady cry?”
“Not the Lady, but your wife. Looks like my grandson-in-law is completely clueless about married life.”
“Haha, do I seem like the sort to make my wife cry?”
“Of course not, but also remember to think up a new family name on your way back. The herald showed that ‘Medici Baron’ belongs to two families, and it’s causing quite a bit of hassle.”
With that, I left as if escaping to Nador.
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