CH 91

Words : 1141 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

I met with the head of the Liebert Family Still…to be so indifferent about your own clothes… What kind of person was this…? He had been described as hearty. In any case, Tilura. I hope you won’t say such things right in front of him? I think it was one of the top 3 things a daughter can say to her father that would shock him the most… It was then that I swore that if I ever had a daughter in the future, I would be careful to be clean and tidy. And so unlike breakfast time, we all entered the dining hall in a relaxed mood. Apparently, they had come up with good strategies on how to deal with the duke. Ms. Lyra and Ms. Gelda were in the room and serving the food. After that, we ate until we were quite full, and then we rested and drank some of Ms. Lyra’s tea as we waited for the duke’s arrival. Immediately after lunch, a maid entered the room and announced that the house had finished preparations for welcoming their master. They must have been very busy… My hat was off to them. “Any time now…” “Lady Claire, as we discussed.” “I know.” “I’m getting nervous.” “Wuff!” Sebastian was saying something to Ms. Claire. It was probably about what she was going to say in regards to the marriage proposals. Tilura looked nervous about meeting her father after being away for so long. But out of everyone, I was clearly the most nervous, as I was seeing him for the first time. Even if the others had all assured me that he was careless or unconcerned with details, this was still a nobleman. They say that your first impression is important, and I did not want this to be a failure. As for Leo, she was leisurely drinking her milk. Sherry was riding on top of Leo’s back and looking at everyone as if wondering what was going to happen now. Well, Leo did not seem like the type to get nervous while meeting people. As for Sherry, she was too young to know the significance of meeting someone who is important. Or perhaps it didn’t matter, and they just didn’t get nervous around humans to begin with. As I thought of such things, the door of the dining hall opened and a butler entered. “His Grace has arrived.” And with those words, I could sense the room growing even more tense. It was one thing for me and the servants to be this way, but Ms. Claire and Tilura were just meeting their father… Sebastian gestured for Ms. Claire to move forward, and Tilura and I got to our feet. Leo and Sherry followed suit. Leo took her position next to me, and Sherry moved next to Ms. Claire. “…Let’s go then. Mr. Takumi, Tilura, Sebastian.” “Yes, Ms. Claire.” “Yes, My Lady.” “Let’s go.” “Wuff?” “Kyau?” Leo and Sherry were just as oblivious as before, and did not understand what the fuss was about. But there was no time to explain, as we left the dining hall. But really, it was just the master of the house. Why was this the atmosphere of people going to fight the final boss in a game…? I was one to talk, since I was just as nervous. But this was just a family reunion, and not an actual fight. Yet such thoughts were not enough to calm my nerves, and like that, we came out into the entrance hall. Dozens of maids and butlers stood in a row here. There were so many, that I wondered if the entire household was present. Though, I was quite sure that it actually took many more people to manage a mansion of this size, so it was likely just those who were free at this time. Ah, Ms. Helena was here too. And I saw Phillip and Nicholas near the door. “His Grace, Duke Ekenhart Liebert has arrived!” Rang a voice from just outside, and everyone in the hall straightened their backs. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, but I copied the servants and fixed my posture as well. I was currently standing behind Ms. Claire and Tilura, and next Ms. Lyra and Ms. Gelda. Still, his name was Ekenhart, huh? I had not been told his name before this. Still, the name gave the impression of a beautiful gentleman. Phillip and Nicholas opened the doors from both sides, and then a man walked in, followed by three armored guards. “Welcome back, Your Grace, Duke Ekenhart!” “Mmm.” The servants all raised their voices in unison and greeted their master. Ekenhart saw this and nodded. Then he turned to look at Ms. Claire. Ms. Claire and Tilura stepped forward. Sebastian was right behind them. “It is good to have you back, father. I’m afraid I must have caused you much distress, and for that I am sorry.” “Welcome back, father.” “Claire…I am just glad that you are all right… You two…have grown even prettier than when I last saw you… It makes me very happy.” Oh…? This man was covering his face with his large hands and crying… What happened? In fact, he was not really the handsome gentleman I had been expecting. His mouth was covered in stubble, and his beard and sideburns were connected. He had a rough, wild look. Even his clothes made me realize that the others had been speaking the truth. Had he been walking around town, no one would suspect that he was a nobleman. …In fact, had he been carrying an axe, people might mistake him for a bandit… That was what the old man looked like. Though, he was currently crying at the sight of his daughters. Had he only trimmed his beard, he could look like a dandy older man… I mused while looking at the sobbing Ekenhart. That being said, this crying had the effect of erasing any sense of nervousness that one might have felt from his physical appearance. Well, he still looked strong. And you would probably go flying off into the air if he hit you. But this was Ms. Claire’s father, and he wouldn’t do anything like that… I think. However, to think that Ms. Claire came from him… She must take after her mother. “Father, I wish you wouldn’t cry in front of other people like this.” “Oh…I’m sorry.” “Your Grace, had you waited, you would have received a message that explained that Lady Claire is well.” Upon hearing this, Mr. Ekenhart roughly wiped away the tears and stopped crying. Yes, Sebastian did say that he had sent out a second message after Ms. Claire returned.

CH 91

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