Chapter 100
Chloe seemed excited with Chris there and spoke to me more actively than usual.
"I think I've mastered double-entry bookkeeping now and can write simple household accounts. But I still don't understand things like commercial law or tax law well."
To save face, I'm holding back from saying that I honestly don't know much about commercial or tax law either.
I just know customarily how much tax is applied to which items when selling things and how to give gifts.
"How did you study, Chris?"
Hearing that, Chris who had been hesitant to speak because she was still awkward about becoming family with me, answered:
"There are no shortcuts in studying, big sister. You just have to write everything down and memorize it."
"But there's too much to memorize. Customary law, precedents, practical application... How do you memorize all this?"
When preparing for civil service exams, it would be enough to memorize just what came out in 'previous exams' unless I'm taking the bar exam.
But this world doesn't have previous exam books or textbooks, so it's even hard to get original law books.
'How do you memorize all that, as Chloe said?'
Even universities that give qualifications you can only get by passing the bar exam like administrative officials or lawyers can't do all that if you just graduate successfully...
No, that place is where they memorize textbooks without missing a single letter, so it would be possible.
Anyway, an ordinary person like me could never do it even if I died trying.
"Big sister, it's not like you and I are going to become lawyers or accountants. Why are you trying to memorize all that? Just pick out application examples and memorize those. Even in our trading company, none of the employees including me have memorized commercial law in its entirety."
Dealing with customary law and precedents is the role of lawyers and accountants anyway.
When work gets difficult and complicated, it usually ends if you just give appropriate gifts to Judge Andante and ask for reasonable dialogue while holding out the knife of tax audits.
Chloe looked at Chris with an expression saying the world is cruel.
"Then have I been racking my brains for nothing all this time?"
"...... That's right, that's why the Baron said too. If there's something you don't know, ask tutors or other people. Just working hard blindly will only lead to wasted effort."
There may be no shortcuts in studying, but there are plenty of ways to study efficiently.
Even when learning swordsmanship, learning properly from a teacher for 1 month improves skills faster than training recklessly alone for 1 year while grinding your body.
"But now that you know not to do that, you'll be able to do better next time, big sister."
Chris reached out her hand and stroked Chloe's head.
A smile appeared on Chloe's face.
Chris, who had been struggling to adapt to the new environment until just now, also seemed to have relaxed now.
"The teacher also said that if I just learn a bit of commercial law now, I'll be able to help with simple tasks under the young master. I'll work harder."
When I first told Chloe she could study, I thought it would be enough if she just learned letters, but I never thought she'd continue studying this far.
It's unexpected, but rather good.
'Chloe is studying for my sake too, right?'
And Chloe quietly started eating the snacks placed in front of her.
She used to look cute eating little by little with her hands before, but now that she's learned etiquette too.
The sight of her eating cookies with refined and elegant movements like a squirrel eating acorns is cute too.
After eating a few, Chloe brought her face close with about half a cookie in her mouth.
I think I know what her intention is without her saying.
I gently pulled her shoulder and lightly kissed her, biting the cookie.
Chloe who was extremely shy when we first did this now looked at me with eyes saying to do more.
"Young master, this time you feed me."
It's not just me and Chloe here.
But there's no 'outsider' here.
Following Chloe's request, this time I put a cookie in my mouth and approached.
Unlike me, Chloe approached very softly, but close enough for our upper bodies to touch.
Feeling Chloe's breasts touching through her clothes...
'She's not wearing underwear.'
"Thank you, young master. And look over there."
When I turned my gaze, I saw Chris blushing red like an apple.
She was lightly biting her lips, and while trying to turn her head away, her eyes kept following me and Chloe.
And her gaze was fixed on my lips.
Seeing that, Chloe smiled mischievously.
"Young master, it seems Chris wants to be fed directly with your mouth too. What do you think?"
People actually communicate more through expressions, eye contact, and atmosphere than words.
So I can understand without asking.
I picked up a snack in my hand without asking.
I put the snack in my mouth lightly and grabbed Chris's shoulder.
She flinched at a man's touch for the first time, but...
"Please be gentle."
Why are you saying words that should only come out on the first night of marriage for your first kiss?
Is she that nervous?
Well, in this era there are no adult educational videos commonly seen by people of all ages and genders.
'She probably doesn't think you can get pregnant just from kissing...'
Even just kissing will be extremely stimulating.
Even after learning all sorts of theory through adult educational videos, some severe guys among men can't control their excitement even just holding hands with a woman for the first time.
I hugged her about three times more gently than I did with Chloe and slowly brought my face closer.
Chris' face turned redder and redder each time I approached a little.
To the point where someone might think there was a fire.
"......"
But Chris didn't reject me.
After kissing softly, I slowly parted my lips.
"How was it?"
Hearing my words, Chris couldn't speak for quite a long time.
When I first met her, she gave off the impression of a cold Snow White, but when I actually approached.
'Clumsy.'
She seems several times clumsier about romance than other women.
Does it make sense to be like that from just one kiss?
"You're really cute, young master."
Being clumsy at this while being good at everything else is charming too.
I stroked Chris' head like I did with Chloe.
"It's warm and reassuring. It feels completely different from when my dad stroked my head."
Chris' expression was slightly relaxed.
"It's a feeling I've never felt in my life, but I'd like you to do it more. It's unfamiliar and scary, but I feel good beyond that."
Chloe wasn't like this.
But since she says it feels good, I stroked Chris' head for quite a long time.
Chloe also kept observing Chris as if she was cute.
"She's so cute being completely different from usual when receiving affection from the young master. Just like Nero."
But Chloe whose strange sense of competition was aroused this time sat lightly on my lap.
After sitting down, as if to show the dignity of the official wife.
She turned her body towards me and hugged me tightly while kissing.
"You'll end up doing more than this later, how can you be shy already?"
And perhaps stimulated by being seen by Chris...
She whispered in my ear first:
"Young master, are you getting tired?"
Hearing those words, Chris covered her face with her hands as if embarrassed.
But she was watching everything through holes between her fingers.
"...... I'll show you an example as the big sister."
Chris herself probably thought she would pass through the door of adulthood today.
But she still couldn't cross over due to her own embarrassment.
However, she kept looking at Chloe and me as if envious.
The next morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, instead of speaking to me, Chloe whispered in Chris' ear.
Loud enough for me to hear intentionally.
"Chris will soon be unable to live without the young master like me."
...... It's good that they're getting along well, but can I really survive?
And from this day on, I started physical training with a former soldier in my spare time.
**
After finishing the few days of vacation the Duke made for me, I went to greet the 'father of my father-in-law'.
Until last time, I felt like the servants treated me a bit less respectfully because I was just a viscount.
This time they treated me very carefully like a member of the ducal family.
"I'm here to see His Grace the Duke."
The Duke laughed heartily seeing me.
"It makes me quite sad if our granddaughter's husband acts so awkwardly like this."
"Shouldn't we keep etiquette the closer we are?"
"That's true too. As expected, our Baron Medici is polite and can do anything."
"It's an honor."
"People around me say I'm stupid for handing over my granddaughter to a mere baron, but what kind of relationship do we have? If you hear such false rumors, grab the bastard who said such things by the collar and beat them up."
The most important point among what was said there is this:
'No matter what other nobles say, I trust you. We're buddies.'
...... No, I had no intention of becoming such buddies.
But if I protest, I'll deeply realize that pasta can be eaten through the nose as well as the mouth.
If you want to live long, you should keep your mouth shut.
And she's pretty, right?
"The wedding will take a year because there's a lot to agree on with the imperial family, and a lot of preparation like renting out the entire Florence Cathedral."
...... At the duke family level, they even consult with the imperial family when marrying off a granddaughter.
"Anyway, did you rest well?"
"Yes, I rested well. And now I think I need to go feed 'poison' to the infidel governor..."
"I was going to show you our granddaughter's face this week, it's really regrettable."
Hearing my words, the Duke waved his hand.
"Come back as quickly as possible. Don't get hurt, and Alfred left these words."
"What did he say?"
The Duke laughed heartily.
"He said he'd put you in the military if you make Erica cry."
...... No, not the military.
"He said he'd stick you as a commander of the cavalry, no, knight order (it's called knights but it's actually a heavy cavalry unit)."
Knights, among the empire's various units, that's the place with the harshest training.
"How could I make the young lady cry?"
"Not young lady, but wife. Our granddaughter's husband is completely clueless about married life."
"Haha, do I look like someone who would make his wife cry?"
"Of course not, ah and on your way back, think of a new family name. The Heraldry Office complained it's very inconvenient to have two 'Baron Medici' families."
With those final words, I left for Nador as if fleeing.