“Thank you very much for inviting us today, Count Wingart.”

“The pleasure is ours, thank you for coming, Duke Cellite.”

As soon as Duke Cellite arrived, the entire mansion was wrapped in an incredibly stiff atmosphere.

Honestly, it’s painfully obvious they haven’t really interacted much before.

The fact that it feels even more tense than when royalty visited—what is going on.

However, there were two people who swept away that tense atmosphere in an instant!

“Aria-chan! Hello!”

One of them is me, Hikari-chan.

And the other is, of course—“Hikari-chan, you have to greet properly!”

“Ah! Thank you very much for coming today!”

“Thank you as well!”

It’s Aria-chan.

We both properly carry out the formalities we learned by imitating our parents, and smile.

“Hikari-chan, are you okay?”

“I’m okay! Sorry for making you worry.”

“That’s good! Hey, what should we play?”

The two daughters start chatting, leaving the parents behind.

Seeing that, there’s no way the two fathers wouldn’t think something—“My child was completely stiff in front of Prince Leon, but with Lady Aria, she opened up right away. That’s impressive.”

“No, no, it’s because Lady Hikari is so easygoing. I think that makes it easier for Aria to talk too.”

The tense atmosphere from earlier begins to melt away as if it were a lie.

“I want to read a book!”

“Otōshama, do we have books?”

To begin with, the house is ridiculously big, and I don’t even fully know where everything is.

I’d like to believe we have some…

“There’s the study, but I wonder if there are any easy books?”

“Count, I believe Aria wants to teach her letters, so as long as the books aren’t too difficult, it should be fine.”

“Eh! Aria already knows how to read?”

“Yes! My child is six years old.”

“So she’s two years older than Hikari? No wonder she’s so composed!”

“Otōshama?”

I feel like Aria-chan and I just got completely left out.

“Ah, sorry. I’ll guide you to the study. Duke, what will you do? Would you like to join your daughter in studying?”

“I would love to!”

Together with the now-friendly fathers, the four of us head toward the study in our house.

While we were walking, the duke kept looking around curiously.

“Is something the matter?”

“This place is quite spacious.”

It seems his curiosity slipped right out of his mouth.

“This house was originally used by a marquis family, but they fell into ruin for certain reasons, so we purchased it before it was cleared.”

“That was a great purchase. The maids and servants all seem lively as they work, it almost feels like a waste for you to only be a count.”

“No, no, I have my wife and daughter. If I gained any more status, I’d lose time with my family.”

“Haha! That’s exactly my concern right now as well!”

They’ve really gotten along well.

If the daughters get along, does that make the parents grow closer this quickly too?

“They’re talking about something difficult, huh?”

“Yeah, Otōsama is amazing!”

Meanwhile, Aria-chan and I are having a very childlike conversation.

Well, since I can understand what they’re saying, it’s not so much difficult as it is… a bit too real.

Honestly, I don’t really want to hear any more.

As if that wish came true, we arrived at the study.

When my father opened the door, what awaited us was less of a study and more of a refined, antique-like space.

“Otōshama, over there.”

When I point, there’s a bookshelf that looks oddly empty compared to the others.

Could it be… are we actually poor nobles?

“That shelf is for when Hikari starts studying next year. I was thinking of gradually adding some easier books.”

No! That’s definitely newly prepared!

“Thank you, Otōshama!”

After four long years. It’s still a year away, but it looks like I’ll finally be able to learn about this world.