Chapter 469: Sister-in-law Daniela’s Request

Daniela-sama, my sister-in-law, is an important person who has married into the Heine Frontier Count’s household from the royal family. If anything were to happen to her, it would be a disaster. It’s no wonder that Father is being cautious. I completely understand how he feels.

Just as Father placed a hand to his forehead and began to worry, Sister-in-law Daniela bowed so low that her head nearly touched the table. I wasn’t the only one who panicked at the sight.

“Daniela-sama, please raise your head.”

“Father-in-law, I have a request. May I please be allowed to go to Sophia-sama’s side?”

My older brother, Alex, who was sitting beside her, also bowed his head. If it appears that Sister-in-law Daniela is going to the Kingdom of Raven by her own request, the kingdom likely won’t protest to the Heine Frontier Count’s household.

A heavy silence followed. Though it felt incredibly long, it probably wasn’t that much time. Mother, her expression clouded with concern, spoke up.

“Husband.”

“Very well. I’ll permit you to go to the Kingdom of Raven. Alex, you’re to accompany her.”

“Understood. I will protect Daniela-sama with my life.”

Lifting his face, my brother looked at Father with an unusually firm expression.

What’s going on? Is the journey going to be that dangerous? His resolve feels awfully heavy. Growing uneasy, I looked to Mother, and she gave me a sorrowful smile. Now I’m really curious.

“This stays between us. It seems there’s a bit of trouble in the Kingdom of Raven right now. It involves monsters.”

That explained it. The knight betrothed to Sophia-sama must have been injured in a battle with those monsters.

Looking at it that way, it seems the knight achieved some military success in that battle, perhaps intending to formally claim the position of Sophia-sama’s fiancé.

I don’t know what kind of monsters they’re dealing with, but will full-recovery potions really be enough? If news hasn’t spread outside yet, doesn’t that mean the situation is quite serious? The bigger the issue, the more the country will try to control the flow of information.

“Father, I’m worried about Alex-sama and Sister-in-law Daniela. May I go with them? I won’t be of much help in battle, but I can make magic potions.”

That was my way of declaring I wouldn’t be participating in any fights even if I went to the Kingdom of Raven. If I didn’t say that, Mother would worry. She even scolded me with a scary face when I got into a minor skirmish in the Mulan Marquisate.

“Julius…”

“It’s alright, Mother. If there’s a monster-related issue, the more recovery potions, the better, right? This could be a good opportunity to promote the high-quality magic potions of the Heine Trading Company.”

Mother’s eyes grew even more filled with concern. Father closed his eyes in thought. Sister-in-law Daniela remained bowed low. Alex-niisan struggled to get her to raise her head.

“Julius, go with Alex and Daniela-sama to the Kingdom of Raven. Daniela-sama, please raise your head. Julius will be going with you. It’s alright now.”

Upon hearing that, Sister-in-law Daniela finally raised her head. And I was honestly surprised. What is this deep trust from Father? Is it the kind of trust placed in someone dependable, or the kind placed in someone who will make a mess of things but somehow resolve them? I felt the urge to question him.

Mother looked down in silence. She must be against it, holding back her words. I gently stroked her hand. She quickly squeezed mine back.

“I’m truly sorry for causing so much trouble.”

As Sister-in-law Daniela tried to bow again, Father stopped her with one hand.

“There’s no need to say that. I don’t consider this any trouble at all. Doing everything I can for my beloved daughter is only natural for a father. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

Mother raised her head and smiled faintly. She understood as well—that this was the right decision. She’s just filled with love for her children.

The course of action had been decided. We would soon head for the Kingdom of Raven. While we’re at it, we’ll take along some mid-grade recovery potions stored by the knights.

In spring, you can collect river moose antlers at the Toradel River. The potions we bring will be made by Fabienne and the royal palace potion masters. With them, there won’t be any issues supplying magic potions to the Heine Trading Company. Wait, does that mean… they don’t need me?

The next day, as we rushed to prepare, even Rosalia finally realized something was going on. She and Mira pressed me for answers.

“Julius-niisan, did something happen?”

“Kyuu?”

“Oh, I’m just going to the neighboring Kingdom of Raven for a bit.”

“You’re going on a trip? Yay!”

“Kyu!”

“Ah, but Rosalia and Mira, you’re staying behind, okay? Be good and wait for me.”

Rosalia and Mira froze on the spot. Even Sister-in-law Mika, who had been secretly eavesdropping from a distance, froze as well. The moment I thought “uh-oh”, she closed the distance in an instant.

“Julius-chan, what exactly is going on? Would you be so kind as to explain it to your big sister in detail?”

Her smile wasn’t really smiling as she approached. Realizing they were being left behind, Rosalia and Mira began to raise a noisy fuss.

Hearing the commotion, Cain-niisan joined in, and soon Alex-niisan and Sister-in-law Daniela hurried over in a panic. Naturally, our parents did too.

It became such a ruckus that Father gathered everyone into the salon. It seems he intends to explain everything to everyone now. He probably originally planned to talk about it over lunch. He looked slightly troubled.

Apparently, he had anticipated that things might get noisy, which is why he didn’t mention it at breakfast. And I, not realizing that, went ahead and brought it up.

I still have a long way to go. I need to learn to properly discern what information to share and what information to hold back.

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