Oh, Al!　Where have you been?

　When I returned to the living room of the mansion after the duel with Bram, Ra came running up to me.

'I'm going for a little man-to-man walk. Hey, Eric.

Yeah.

Yeah, I've always wanted to go for a walk.

　Eric nodded in agreement, and Ra said with some regret.

'Sorry, sorry, I'll invite you for your next walk,'

Yeah, definitely?

　Ra laughed happily as we exchanged promises for our next walk.

　Oh, you really are a lovely creature. I wonder if he will become our little girl.

　I sat down on the sofa and took a break, thinking to myself.

　Then, Elinora's sister sitting across from me turns her gaze on me with a jittery look.

''What?''

You're disgusting. Do you like little girls like that?

　Don't talk to me like that, you might mistake me for liking little girls like Viscount Yulina.
I want it.

"It's not like that. 'That's not what I mean. I just want to be petty with you.

What do people around here don't have?

　When I say clean-hearted, I'm sure I'd be making enemies with anyone other than Sister Elinora.

'Oh, Saara. Tea, please.

I understand.

　I pretended I hadn't heard sister Elinora's question by asking Saara to make me a cup of tea.

'Oh, I fooled you, didn't I?

...and a cover-up.

You got away.

　Because besides Elinora's sister, I'm afraid of Alecia, Luna and Mother Erna who are watching from the side.

　You see, even if they aren't participating in a conversation like this, they'll listen in and try to chase you down.

　I think it's good to have a little more calm and innocent like Ra-chan.

'Lord Silvio, do you have a moment?'

What's wrong?　Master Bram.

　These are the women who were driving me away like that, but my interest was shifted by the unusual situation of Bram talking to Brother Silvio.

　Bram has gotten involved with Sister Elinora and me, but this is the first time he's gotten involved with Brother Silvio.

　Apparently, Bram is going to fulfill my little wish.

"You'll have a duel with me next time.

Yeah, yeah?　Why did you duel with me?

　Brother Silvio, who is always calm at the sudden warning of a duel, was unexpectedly confused.

''It's because if I can't defeat you, I can't challenge Alfried to a rematch.

Rematch?　Eh, wait a minute.

　Brother Silvio, who doesn't know why but seems to know I'm involved, forces me away from Bram and takes me out of the room.

　Then he goes to the end of the living room and whispers.

'Hey, Al. The duel Master Bram is talking about is about sister Elinora's engagement, isn't it?　That was supposed to be Al's substitute - not Al's, but Sister Elinora's own solution, wasn't it?

　Who's taking the place of you, terrible brother Silvio, too?

'Yeah, but I didn't listen to Bram when he said he was going to challenge sister Elinora after he beat me.

So how come I get a duel?

　The duel with Bram was reluctantly assigned to me.

　And yet, that's exactly what Brother Silvio, who was to be challenged, was wondering about.

''I told you that if you wanted to challenge me as a winner's privilege, you had to defeat Brother Silvio first.

　The reason why this happened is because Bram wouldn't give up, even though he won the duel. That's why I've been thinking for a while that if you want to challenge me, you must defeat Brother Silvio first, and that's why I invoked the strategy.

　That's the little wish I asked Bram to do. Bram also nodded at this with a reluctant expression.

''Why do you involve me there!

With my brother, we even share in the pain. Brother Silvio will feel my pain too - but he has to carry it with him.

That's just an imposition, isn't it?

Don't worry, Brother Silvio. Brother Silvio will never lose!

　If you're a defensive brother Silvio, you can shrug off Bram's attacks. I don't know if he can win or not, since I haven't even seen his abilities, but he shouldn't lose.

''Yeah?　Then I feel like I'm going to be challenged to a duel all the time...

'Then you can tell them to take on someone different, just like me, before they take on the challenge.

　Sister Elinora to me. Me to Brother Silvio. And so on, batoning away Bram with a bang.

　If Bram is a proud Bram, he will continue to fulfill the winner's little wish.

　If Brother Silvio managed to win, he could pass the baton to the next member of the Rumba or Silver Wind.

　When I enthusiastically told him this, Brother Silvio smiled bitterly.

''Well Al, that's a terrible thing to think about.

It's Bram's fault for unreasonably challenging me to a duel.

　Even though I want to get engaged to sister Elinora, I want you to put yourself in our shoes as well, as we are caught up in this.

　If you're worried about the troublesome Bram, you'll only make us tired.

'Hey, Al!　Shall we go to the festival soon?

　As I was chatting with my brother Silvio, Ra-chan came over and tugged on the hem.

　Nice timing, Ra-chan.

I know. I'm sure the harvest festival will be starting soon, so why don't you show him around the village?

　Brother Silvio didn't seem to be convinced yet, but since Father Nord said so, he had to take action.

I'll show you the way. I will show you the way.

Yeah!

　So we get up to head to the village.

　The adults don't seem to get up from their couches or chairs, especially as they plan to come slowly later.

'My carriage will give us all a ride.

'Alecia's carriage is so spacious!

　When I walked out of the mansion, Alecia and Ra-chan said, as they should.

''Huh?　Carriage?

'What?　What's wrong with me riding into the village in a carriage?　Do they restrict the roads for festivals?

'No, not really. I was just surprised because I usually walked away.

　It was a fifteen-minute walk down a single road to the village of Koliat. Until now, I had either used the transition to get around or walked leisurely, so I had no idea that I would be heading there in a carriage, so I just let out a shout of surprise.

''I'm not dressed to walk very long distances either, and Ra-chan is here.

　That too. It's indeed rude to make the duchess walk to the village.

　Besides, there's little Ra-chan, so it's best not to burden her on the way.

　That's why we got into the carriage that Leengrande's maids had prepared for us.

　The Leengrande family's carriage is very large and elaborately decorated.

　The red and gold-colored carriage is not only noble, but also somewhat awe-inspiring.

　As expected, about ten people will not fit in one carriage, so we will be separated from the connected carriages.

　Me, Ra-chan, Eric, Alecia, and Loretta-san will be riding in the first carriage, and Elinora's sister, Luna-san, Silvio-san, and Bram will be riding in the second carriage.

　In addition, Lim-san, Alecia's maid, had been sitting in the Gosha seat before she knew it.

　I don't think that's where a maid should be sitting, but it might also be meant as an escort. Because Lim-san isn't just a maid from the way she carries herself.

''Lim, let me out.''

Yes, sir.

　When everyone was safely on board, Mr. Lim in the groom's seat twitched his whip.

　Then the two horses running over the carriage slowly walked away.

　The Leengrande family's carriage proceeded through the courtyard and out of the mansion.

　In front of the gate, Alecia's maids, Ra-chan's maids and Bram's butler, who were waiting at the mansion, grudgingly bowed their heads to see me off.

　It felt like it was the first time since Kagura's inn that I had been seen off by such a large group of people.

　If it was a high-class inn, it wouldn't feel strange, but if it was done in my usual mansion, I would feel embarrassed.