Chapter 20
For the next few days, I spent my usual days going to the forest with Marie, Nicola, and Luke.
It was still right in the middle of the lunch service.
The customers were starting to thin out, so we would probably be closing soon.
I'm hungry. I want to eat lunch already.
As I was thinking that, a customer came in.
"Welcome! Wait, Frederick-sama?"
Frederick-sama was standing there.
However, he was wearing plain clothes and had a friendly smile on his face. If someone who didn't know Frederick-sama's identity saw him, they would probably think he was nothing more than a slightly wealthy commoner.
"Leon, I came today because there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"People get scared of me when I wear my usual clothes, and they don't treat me normally."
No noble would dress like a commoner for a reason like that.
Actually, this man didn't seem like a noble at all. He had smiled when we first bumped into each other, too. If he had been another noble, I might have been cut down for insolence.
Wait, maybe this world's class system isn't all that strict... Commoners can take the entrance exam for the Royal Academy, and they can use banks, too. When I thought about it, that was pretty strange, wasn't it?
It was a good thing for me, but the class system still existed, so I needed to be careful.
As I was pondering that, Frederick-sama peered curiously at my face.
"Leon, what's wrong? Does it not suit me?"
"N-no! I was just thinking that nobles sometimes dress like this, too..."
"Leon, keep it a secret from the public that I'm a noble, all right?"
"Y-yes!"
I hurriedly covered my mouth with my hand and nodded vigorously.
"By the way, we're still serving lunch, right? May I have something to eat?"
"Yes, please eat here. You can choose between steak and a pork-and-vegetable stir-fry. Which would you prefer?"
"All right, I'll have the steak."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
I said that, then went to the counter and ordered a steak set from Dad and Mom.
Then, just as I was about to clear a table where a customer had left, Marie stopped me.
"Big brother, come here for a moment."
Marie called me over in a whisper. I lowered my voice as well and went over to her.
"Marie, what's wrong?"
"Do you know that older brother?"
"You mean the person I was talking to earlier?"
"Yes. You were talking differently from usual, so I was wondering if everything was all right."
Was she worried because I was speaking politely to Frederick-san? Marie was so kind.
I struggled to keep myself from smiling as I wondered how I should explain who Frederick-sama was to Marie.
He had told me to keep his identity as a noble a secret...
"Marie, he's a friend of mine, so everything's fine. He's just someone important, so I was being careful not to be rude to him. You don't need to worry, okay?"
"Oh, really? Then that's good."
"You mustn't be rude to him, either, Marie. I'll handle him, so you look after the other customers, all right?"
"Got it!"
I thought Frederick-sama was someone I could trust, but I still wasn't sure. It would be best for me to deal with him myself.
It would be a problem if she offended him and he accused her of disrespect.
As I was thinking that, it seemed the steak set was ready.
"Leon, take the steak, please."
"Yeah! I'll take it over."
I carried the steak set over to Frederick-sama's table.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your steak set. Please enjoy your meal."
"Thank you. Then I'll dig in."
Frederick-sama ate the steak using only a wooden fork, somehow managing to exude an air of elegance.
Maybe it was because I knew Frederick-sama's identity, but the refinement that seemed to come from within him couldn't be hidden even by changing his clothes.
After a while, Frederick-sama seemed to have finished eating.
"Thank you for the meal. Leon, do you have a moment?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"When I told my family about you, they said they would very much like to meet you. Would it be all right if I invited you to dinner tonight? I was also thinking of giving you the study materials after dinner."
An invitation to dinner—at Frederick-sama's house? That meant the Townsend ducal residence, right!? Why me!?
So I really was under suspicion... Did they think there was something strange about the way I behaved? But it would be strange to start acting like a child now...
But in the first place, there was no way I could refuse. It meant I had no choice but to go.
I really have to go...? My stomach is starting to hurt...
"Yes, um, may I ask my parents if it's all right for me to go out?"
"That's fine, but I'll come with you."
"But I thought it was supposed to be a secret that you're a noble..."
"I only meant that it should be kept secret from the general public. That doesn't apply to your family. If I'm going to take a child into my care, I have to reveal my status."
"Thank you very much."
Frederick-sama and I walked over to the counter, and I called Dad and Mom over. There were no other customers in the restaurant anymore.
"Dad, Mom, I have something to talk to you about."
"Leon? What's wrong?"
"What's the matter?"
"Well, I've been invited to Frederick-sama's house for dinner tonight. Can I go out with him now?"
When I said that, they looked at Frederick-sama with slightly wary expressions.
"Is this man an acquaintance of Leon's?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm sorry for the late introduction. My name is Frederick Townsend. I am a member of the Royal Guard stationed at the Royal Palace. I met Leon the other day, and I would like to invite him to dinner today. Would that be all right?"
When they heard Frederick-sama say that, their faces quickly turned deathly pale, and both of them knelt on the spot.
"I-I'm terribly sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Mom and Dad bowed their heads without saying anything else.
"Please raise your heads. There's no need to be so frightened. I won't accuse you of disrespect. So, would it be all right if I invited Leon? Since it's a dinner invitation, I'll have him stay at the residence tonight and make sure he is brought back here tomorrow."
My parents looked anxiously at Frederick-sama and me, but perhaps because they couldn't refuse a noble, they agreed to the invitation.
"Yes, please take good care of Leon."
"Thank you. Please rest assured. Leon, we'll leave now. Is that all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Mom, Dad, I'm off. Don't worry about me."
"Be careful."
"Yeah, see you later."
And so I left the restaurant with Frederick-sama.
I'd said everything would be fine, but I was worried. Why did the members of the ducal house want to meet me?
Frederick-sama seemed like a good person, but I still didn't know him well, and the members of a ducal house were far too frightening...
"Leon, we'll be taking that carriage."
A carriage had been waiting a short distance from our restaurant. It was a sturdy but plain-looking enclosed carriage.
"What kind of carriage is that?"
"It's a carriage belonging to the ducal house. We use it when we want to travel incognito."
"They have carriages like that, too?"
When we approached the carriage, the coachman opened the door for us.
"Then you get in first."
"I-is it all right?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"Thank you."
I cautiously climbed into the carriage, and unlike the exterior, the interior was extremely luxurious.
A plush carpet covered the floor, and the cushioned seats were luxurious. The interior was also very bright.
"Amazing...!"
"Ha-ha, we're a ducal house, after all. Even this is on the less luxurious side, though."
"I'm sorry!"
"It's all right. Sit down."
"Yes, excuse me."
As expected, the ducal house was incredible! The plush seat was comfortable, and the carriage's jolts barely reached me, making the ride pleasant.
More importantly, I was on my way to the ducal residence... What would they say to me? Did they suspect me because I was far too strange for a commoner child?
I grew more and more anxious.
"You don't need to look so worried."
"Really? Why am I being invited?"
"My parents simply want to meet you."
"But your parents are dukes, aren't they...?"
"No, my elder brother has already inherited the title of duke, so my father is the former duke. In this country, it's customary for a noble to pass on his title when his son turns fifteen and then work at the Royal Palace."
Oh, I see. But whether he was the current duke or the former duke made no difference to me... Either way, he was a noble.
"Even so, why do they want to meet me...? And why have you taken such an interest in me, Frederick-sama?"
"That..."
What was with that pause!? This was incredibly awkward! Was there something difficult for him to say...?
"To gain your trust, I suppose I should be honest. I suspected you at first. I thought you might be a spy from another country. But after speaking with you, you didn't seem to be one, and I had you investigated. Since there was nothing suspicious about you, my suspicions were dispelled. However, if you aren't a spy, then you're far too capable for a commoner. You have a good head on your shoulders, you think quickly, you smoothly adjust your manner depending on whom you're speaking to, and you have excellent manners. The ducal house would like to bring you over to our side. Does that satisfy you?"
So I really had been under suspicion... I hadn't noticed at all that they had investigated me...
Though their suspicions hadn't been completely dispelled, they had been mostly cleared, and they valued my abilities.
Maybe I should actively build a friendly relationship with them.
If I was going to enter the world of the nobility, I would absolutely need the backing of someone with high status.
If the ducal house agreed to support me, things might become much easier from now on.
I might even want to actively showcase my abilities.
"I'm glad your suspicions have been cleared, and I'm happy that you think so highly of my abilities. Thank you very much."
After that, Frederick-sama and I spent the rest of the carriage ride chatting about trivial things.
I realized that Frederick-sama was approaching me with his own interests in mind, and that made it a little easier for me to relax. Not knowing why someone was approaching me was what made me most anxious.
As the carriage rocked along, I hoped that the members of the ducal house would be as easygoing as Frederick-sama.