Anyway, Kyle and Elin’s spar ended like that.
Thanks to their spar, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony finished decently well.
After that, the feast began.
Inside and outside the Grand Shrine, the atmosphere was joyful.
The weather was cold, but the mood was already heated up.
“Kyle! How about having a drink before you go?”
“I’ll drink after I come back.”
“Ugh… When I was your age, I diligently drank and had magic herbs.”
“Dad! Do you really want to keep recommending weird things to my brother?”
“Got it…”
It was still not even noon.
Since Kyle decided to leave in the afternoon, there was still plenty of time.
I was sitting at the same table as Elin and Louise, eating food.
Kyle was eating with his family.
“Elin is better at acting than I thought?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah….”
Elin covered her face as if embarrassed.
I didn’t understand why she was embarrassed when she acted so well during the spar.
She fought well and handled Kyle’s counterattack with grace, ending it like a true knight.
“I’m embarrassed….”
“Huh? You did great!”
“But still, it was super embarrassing?!”
“Anyway, you were wearing a helmet and full armor, right?”
What was there to be embarrassed about?
“Everyone was watching me during the spar! How embarrassing was that! You guys wouldn’t know, right?!”
“Um….”
“Is that so?”
I couldn’t really say.
I don’t recall standing in front of dozens of people.
The most attention I ever received was probably back in that boarding academy.
“Anyway, let’s drink~”
“Yay~”
“Cheers~!”
We enjoyed drinking after a long time.
Of course, I had to dilute my drink with water.
Ever since that time I got wasted and lost my memory, I’ve always drunk like this.
“Kaah!”
“I can finally rest properly for a while!”
So we enjoyed our drinks under the cheerful festival atmosphere.
Every now and then, I glanced at Kyle and sometimes made eye contact with him.
Each time, instead of speaking, I just replied with a smile.
We could talk again once we stopped by the castle before the succession ceremony.
Right now, it’d be better to let Kyle enjoy his time with family.
That would be way better for him than spending time with me.
I just needed a fraction of the remaining time.
“Ah… Right. Sophia.”
“Oh?”
As I was eating and drinking, Louise suddenly spoke to me.
I was just enjoying my drink; why was she calling me…?
“Are you… planning to quit your job?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Quitting my job…
I guess that’s possible?
Well, my work as Kyle’s Private Tutor was already done.
It’d probably be better for Kyle to hire a more capable servant than me.
“I think that’s likely.”
Of course, not right now.
I still had to go on one more date with Kyle as promised…
“…So when are you planning to quit?”
“Huh? I wonder….”
I never really decided when to quit.
I’d probably think about it once Kyle became an adult and the succession ceremony was over.
Even if I said I’d quit now, I wouldn’t have anything to do anyway.
“Maybe it’d be better to quit within this year? It’d be better for him to hire someone more suitable.”
I was saying this while a bit tipsy, but I wasn’t that drunk.
Honestly, that was already something I had been thinking about this year.
There was no need to drag it out unnecessarily.
It’d probably be better to finish it quickly.
“Sigh….”
“What? You’re not sad about leaving Kyle or anything, right? But, it can’t be helped….”
“I see.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Suddenly, I didn’t really understand why she was asking this.
Ah, maybe it’s because Louise would have to stay in the castle for a few more years?
I was probably her closest friend in the castle.
Well, I could always visit when she invited me.
It might take a while, but I wouldn’t just ignore my friend.
“Heh… this drink is good!”
“Elin, try to stop him from drinking more.”
“Yes!”
“Hey…”
I was about to take another drink when suddenly Elin snatched my drink from me.
Just when my lips touched the cup!
“My drink….”
It felt unfair but there was nothing I could do.
After all, I was someone who lost in strength to Elin.
“Sigh… What about her….”
“I guess she’ll manage.”
“That’s true….”
My two friends started chatting with each other.
I had no clue what they were talking about, so I just munched on the food on the table.
“Hehe….”
*
“Uh… Young Master~”
“Sophia?”
“Yes?”
After the feast, I found Sophia after returning to the castle.
Come to think of it, they served wine at the feast today.
Given the atmosphere, she must have had some too.
Considering how she’s weak with alcohol, if she drank throughout the party…
“Did you drink?”
“Hehe….”
Well, she’s cute, so I guess it’s fine.
As long as she didn’t throw up on me and just acted adorably, I was fine with it.
In fact, I actually liked this slightly different side of her.
“You must return safely, Young Master.”
“Yes.”
Seeing her worry about me even while tipsy made me think of her as the true Sophia.
If it were Adela or Louise, they would definitely have acted very strange while drunk.
She’d probably fall asleep here in no time.
“It makes me sad to think that I won’t be able to see you for fifteen days….”
“Is that so?”
“Yes….”
A desire welled up in my chest to pat Sophia’s head.
Of course, I understood her feelings.
Ever since we met, we hadn’t gone a single day without seeing each other.
By rough calculations, we had met every day for about 2,500 days.
“You have to come back safely…?”
“Yes.”
I reassured Sophia, who was worried about me while intoxicated.
Well, saying I reassured her might be an overstatement; all I did was respond.
“Sophia, you remember that we agreed to go on a date when I come back, right?”
“Of course. I remember almost all the things we’ve talked about, Young Master?”
“So, please stay healthy until I return.”
While speaking, I felt a bit embarrassed.
It was just a mere fifteen days, yet here I was saying all this.
Anyone would think it was months since we last met.
Of course, since it was her room, no one would know.
“It seems like I should be leaving soon.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, it seems I need to pack my things.”
“I see….”
I exchanged a few words with Sophia, but time was already slipping away.
Honestly speaking, I wanted to spend more time with Sophia.
Just a few more minutes or even seconds with her before I leave.
It was greed.
But maybe it’s okay to have such greed.
“Sophia.”
“Yes?”
“Is it alright if I hug you just once?”
Before I leave, I thought this kind of greed might be permissible.
I knew saying something like this to someone already tipsy wasn’t the best, but we wouldn’t see each other for fifteen days.
This much should be okay.
Of course, I wouldn’t do it if she said no.
“Um….”
Sophia, who seemed to be pondering, had a cute flushed face due to the alcohol.
Of course, she was always cute, so it made sense.
How can a person be pure, cute, and sexy all at once?
That was Sophia.
“Hehe… you wanted some encouragement from your noona, huh?”
“…Yes.”
“If that’s what Young Master wants, hugging you once? That’s no problem at all!”
Sophia’s confident demeanor.
It felt like she wanted to come off as a reliable older sister, but she was just cute instead.
“Then just once, I’ll hug you.”
“Yes, go ahead and hug me?”
“….”
Without saying a word, I hugged Sophia.
Given our height difference, I could feel her ample chest brushing against my chest.
But at that moment, what mattered most was that I was hugging Sophia.
Although I held Sophia, I didn’t do it too tightly.
I didn’t want to cause her any discomfort.
I simply ended it with a moderately gentle hug.
After all, we still had plenty of time left.
From then on, couldn’t I take it slowly again from our next date?
“Okay! Young Master? You should be leaving soon!”
“Yes. I’ll finish as quickly as possible and return.”
“Alright.”
With that, I stepped out of Sophia’s room.
I was about five minutes behind schedule compared to when I originally planned to pack, but it was no big deal.
I could just run.
“Sigh….”
I was sprinting toward the castle gate with my luggage.
But my mind was filled with thoughts only of Sophia.
That single hug just moments ago resonated strongly in my chest.
It was just one hug, after all.
I wondered how much faster my heart would race if I did something else with Sophia someday.
I wasn’t sure.
The only types of skinship I had done with Sophia so far were holding hands and hugs.
“Haha….”
For someone who thought I’d take it slow, I was being pretty slow.
“Young Master!”
“What is it, Adela?”
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yeah.”
Just before I reached the castle gate, I exchanged light words with Adela.
I figured my father wouldn’t mind such a delay.
I was only about two minutes late.
Anyway, I kept thinking about Sophia as I approached the castle gate.
When I arrived, only my father was there.
There weren’t any other servants around.
“Father.”
“You’re a bit late.”
“I had someone to talk to.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
My father smiled slightly as he looked at me.
He must have guessed who it was.
After all, he probably knew who I liked from the start.
“Huh… I can’t believe you’re already the one doing this.”
“Is that so?”
Even Sophia found it hard to believe I had come of age.
“But I believe you can handle it well.”
“Of course. Whose son am I?”
“Hah… You didn’t even mention me at your Coming-of-Age Ceremony.”
“Ah.”
Did he feel a bit hurt because I hadn’t mentioned him during the ceremony?
That wasn’t my intention at all.
I just said what I thought would make Sophia feel good.
“I’m just joking. The one who truly raised you was that Private Tutor of yours.”
“Haha….”
That comment had a hint of self-deprecation.
I had never held such feelings toward my father, but I knew he didn’t mean it that way.
“It’s alright, Father.”
“Well then, I’m glad to hear that. Now let’s talk about the succession ceremony.”
“Yes.”
After that, my father’s words continued.
It was something I had already heard many times before, so it wasn’t difficult at all.
It just involved heading down from the castle to endure at the snowy region outside for the succession ceremony.
That was all.
I had heard it several times by now.
“Father, I’ll be going now.”
“Take care.”
I responded to my father with a smile and moved my feet.
Fifteen days.
Fifteen days without seeing Sophia…
“That seems like forever.”
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