Chapter 284: I Love You

A silence fell over the room. Nero, ever perceptive, had already left the room, likely to prevent anyone from overhearing us or entering the room.

“Miss Fabienne, did I, um, move things along too quickly?”

“No, not at all. Ever since you taught me how to make potions, I’ve hoped that a day like this might come.”

A slightly subdued voice came through the ring. It seemed she genuinely felt that way. I was grateful. I had suspected she didn’t dislike me, but I wasn’t sure if she wanted to be with me for the long haul.

As for me… of course, I do like her. I appreciate her interest in potions and the way she hasn’t criticized my “mishaps,” even if she looked troubled.

“I love you, Miss Fabienne.”

“W-Well… I, too, love you, Julius-sama.”

What is a ten-year-old child saying? I want to know the reason as well. But this is normal in this world, so I’ll try to think of it that way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to bear the embarrassment.

It seems we’ll announce our engagement once spring comes. We need to build a good relationship before the snow melts.

“Oh, by the way, I have a gift for you and your parents, so I’ll likely visit the Amber estate again soon.”

“I understand. If I mention this to my parents… it might cause a problem, right?”

“Yeah. They’d probably ask where you got that information. I’ll send a letter right away.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

From the other side of the ring, I could hear a small giggle. I’m glad I gave her a communication ring. Without it, we wouldn’t have this secret connection.

I hope the transmitter function of the ring will never be used. I want to believe that the possibility of me becoming yandere is… probably nonexistent.

“It’s done, Nero.”

“I see.”

When I opened the door, Nero had a somewhat awkward expression on his face. It’s understandable. It’s hard to know how to react when the master suddenly starts talking to their lover.

“I’ll write the letter before bed.”

“I’ll prepare the paper right away.”

I began writing the letter with the glass pen. It really does write smoothly. I wonder why I didn’t make it sooner. With this, I’m tempted to make a fountain pen as well. I have a good grasp of the basic structure, so with a few trials and errors, I think I could manage it.

Once the letter was completed and carefully placed into an envelope, I sealed it with wax. …Wax seals seem troublesome, don’t they? Wouldn’t glue be more convenient? Maybe I’ll make some. It was a small item for housing in the game, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

The materials are glutinous rice, pine resin, and distilled water. It seems doable. I should have pine resin as it’s used in potion-making. The quality might not be perfect, but I’ll manage with effort.

I’ll make it tomorrow. For today, I’ll just think about the fountain pen. If I sketch it on paper, there’s a chance it might be conveyed from Nero to Alex-niisan. I’ll keep the designs in my head for now. I might use pine wood for the ink reservoir.

The next morning, after breakfast, I headed with Cain-niisan and the others to the knight’s barracks. Although it seems there won’t be time for training today, I can manage a greeting. I plan to give them the glass pens at that time.

“Good morning, Lionel.”

“Good morning, Julius-sama. You’re early today. Are you planning to train?”

Lionel raised one eyebrow with a mischievous look, as if he knew I was busy. I couldn’t help but smile wryly. Have the details already spread? Well, as the commander of the Heine frontier estate’s knights, information probably spreads quickly if something happens.

“Unfortunately, it seems unlikely I’ll be able to train today. Instead, I have this for you. As a token of my appreciation, I’m giving you a glass pen.”

“So this is the rumored one…! Thank you very much. I’ll treasure it. I’ll write about its usability in a letter and send it to you.”

“Y-Yeah, please do. Make sure to mention any flaws too.”

“Understood.”

It seems they think this is a prototype test. That wasn’t my intention, but if it helps identify areas for improvement, that’s fine. Lionel will likely provide honest feedback without any unnecessary courtesy.

“Giles, Christopher.”

“Julius-sama, is something wrong?”

The two happened to arrive just in time, so I called out to them. It seems they came to check out the commotion caused by the arrival of the Heine frontier estate group at the training ground. Since it was a good opportunity, I handed them the glass pens as well.

“Is this really alright?”

“Thank you very much.”

It seems they hadn’t received the information yet, so I explained the purpose of the pens to them. Both will be future leaders of the knight’s order, so they’ll likely have more writing to do in the future. I’m sure they’ll make good use of them.

There were also other knights eyeing the pens, so I took their orders. It amounted to quite a few, but with Rosalia and me working together, it should be manageable. It will also help Rosalia improve her skills, so no problem there.

If we find craftsmen to work in the workshop, we can use it as an opportunity for their training as well.

“I was hoping to have a match with Julius today…”

“I’m sorry, Cain-niisan.”

I made an apologetic face as best as I could. However, I have no intention of sparring with Cain-niisan. If I were to accidentally win, it could lead to a big problem.Cain-niisan might even go on a training journey. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen!

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter