Perdes has improved not only in his acting and improvisation skills but also in his dancing and speaking skills.
In particular, his speaking skills improved a lot, and he led the conversation so smoothly that I wondered if this was the Perdes I knew.
That's why it's surprising and disturbing because it gives credence to the idea that Perdes might have harbored other feelings in the meantime.
I really need to get my family seal and office key back quickly.
Perdes said he would give it to me tomorrow morning, but I couldn't wait.
So I was about to ask for it now when Perdes asked.
“I don’t see the maid who went to the academy with you.”
“May is resting in the main building.”
I told her that I had come on a tight schedule, in case I was late for Perdes' coming-of-age banquet, and that May would be very tired, so I told her not to worry about anything and to get plenty of rest for a week.
Of course, if the Emperor contacts May in the meantime, I told her to tell me immediately.
When I talk about May, I naturally think of Rene.
“You said before that you took care of Rene well, but how did you do it?”
When I asked him what I had been curious about all along, Perdes asked something else.
“Come to think of it, today is my coming-of-age ceremony, but you're empty-handed? No gifts?”
You can't tell me, right?
Even if I asked persistently, Perdes would not tell me, and since I could find out for myself, I obediently did as he asked.
“Of course there is.”
"Oh?"
Perdes looked at me with sparkling eyes as if he was expecting something.
I smiled and asked a passing servant to bring me what I had prepared.
After a while, the servant brought a slightly elongated gift box.
“Here it is.”
“Can I try to open it now?”
“Of course.”
Perdes opened the gift box with childish delight, despite his large size.
Soon, Perdes' eyes grew as big as lanterns as he checked the contents of the gift box.
“This is... a mana pen.”
A mana pen is literally a pen filled with mana. If you draw a magic circle with it, you can use simple magic even without mana.
In other words, it was an item for magicians who could not feel mana like Perdes but were well-versed in magical theory.
“This is going to be expensive...”
“It was a little expensive.”
“It’s not a little. I know full well that one of these pens is worth the price of a decent mansion.”
I thought you didn't know, but you know that too.
“Still, I really wanted to give that pen to Mr. Perdes.”
Every time I exchange letters with Perdes.
Every time I saw someone expressing regret over not being able to use magic, my determination to give them that pen became stronger.
Perdes' expression became slightly clouded after hearing my answer.
Perdes muttered, fiddling with his pen.
“I appreciate your consideration, but this item is too expensive...”
“It’s okay, so don’t worry about it. The Leopolds are not so poor that they can’t afford such a gift, and today is the only coming-of-age ceremony you’ll ever have.”
The coming-of-age ceremony was the most meaningful and significant day of any birthday.
It was also a day that should have been the most blessed.
“And compared to what Lord Perdes has suffered so far, this is nothing.”
As I said this, the anxiety and impatience that I had momentarily forgotten began to creep up.
But I didn't want to ruin the good mood because I wasn't sure, so I held back.
“Rather, I feel sorry that I cannot give you something better, so please accept it without any burden.”
“...If Yeong Lady says so.”
The face that had been complicated with many emotions became simple in an instant.
Perdes smiled, his lips curled upward smoothly, a look of pure joy on his face.
“Thank you so much, Young Lady.”
"You're welcome."
Seeing his happy face, I thought it was a good idea to give him that pen as a gift.
...I hope this thought continues.
After finishing the coming-of-age ceremony banquet that lasted late into the night, Perdes returned to his room, finished getting ready for bed, and sat on the sofa, staring at the mana pen that Adele had given him.
To someone who didn't know, that gaze was so serious and intense that it looked like the pen and him were at odds.
“Why are you fighting with the pen, Master Perdes?”
Jack felt the same way and asked in wonder.
Only then did Perdes, who had just finished his snowball fight with Pen, answer while pressing the slightly sore snowball.
“It wasn’t about fighting, it was about thinking about what to do.”
“What? Disposing of the pen?”
“How could that be? That should be considered a heirloom and passed down from generation to generation.”
“Oh, so you’re saying that pen is an heirloom of the Duke Leopold family?”
At those words, Perdes paused.
Jack, unaware of the contract between Adele and Perdes, knew that he would become Duke Leopold, so it was natural for him to misunderstand.
It was not Jack's question but his words that made Perdes hesitate.
It means that something should be passed down from generation to generation as a heirloom.
That means he'll get married and have children, but before he met Adele, Perdes was a celibate.
It was hard enough to support himself, so he had no intention of starting a family and sacrificing himself for that family.
But he was surprised that he thought that way so naturally.
At the same time, he was shocked as he imagined himself marrying Adele in a pure white wedding dress.
“...That’s a ridiculous imagination.”
Adele and him were engaged by contract, and this engagement ended in a breakup, not marriage.
The contract period that Adele had spoken of was until he came of age, so that contract period was now over.
If he could go on a continental trip that he has been longing for, tomorrow... why wouldn't he be happy?
“Are you okay, Mr. Perdes?”
As Perdes' complexion grew darker, Jack asked with concern.
Now that even worrying about Jack was bothersome, Perdes waved his hand and told him to get out of there.
After Jack left, Perdes was left alone and once again pondered the nature of his inexplicable emotions.
"...Birthday."
It's Adele's birthday soon, but Perdes is not happy because he feels bad about leaving without being able to celebrate it.
Yeah, that's probably it.
He had already received such a wonderful gift from Adele that he was wondering what to give in return.
So, Perdes, who had concluded that that was the case, thought carefully about what he could give Adele as a birthday present.
I rarely slept more than four hours during my time at the Academy.
I'm not the type of person who has trouble sleeping, but I had a lot to do to graduate early.
People thought I was a genius who easily skipped a grade and graduated early, but that wasn't the case.
It was the result of working harder than anyone else.
It was also a struggle to somehow survive.
“...”
It's 5 o'clock in the morning, before dawn.
Because of the habits I developed at the academy, I woke up without fail.
I could have slept for another two hours or so, but I was already feeling sleepy, so I just got up.
While I was at it, I thought of something I wanted to do.
I changed into a black dress and headed out of the main building to where my father and other members of the Leopold Duke family were sleeping.
It must have snowed while we were asleep because the road was covered with a soft, white carpet.
As I arrived at my destination, leaving my footprints on it, the caretaker who was clearing the snow greeted me in surprise.
“Welcome, Miss.”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course. Would you like me to bring you some chrysanthemums?”
“Yes. I’ll go to my father’s grave first, so bring it there.”
“Yes, Miss.”
I went inside, leaving the manager behind.
My father's gravestone was in the front because he had passed away relatively recently.
There were already chrysanthemum flowers placed on top of it.
It looks like one of the nobles who attended the coming-of-age ceremony banquet yesterday put it down.
Seeing my father's grave after a long time made my heart feel complicated in many ways.
A mixture of emotions came flooding in, including longing for my father and resentment at him leaving me behind.
The manager was coming soon, and I didn't want to show him that I was crying, so I covered my mouth with both hands to control my emotions.
I don't know about anything else, but I was confident in suppressing my sadness.
“Here you go, Miss.”
After a while, the caretaker arrived and handed me a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
I put it down in front of my father's grave and asked the caretaker.
“Who brought those chrysanthemums?”
The faces of several nobles, including Count Martina, came to mind.
I thought it would definitely be among them.
“Lord Perdes brought it to me yesterday.”
"What?"
A completely unexpected person was mentioned.
I was a little surprised and asked the manager back.
“Did Lord Perdes really bring those flowers?”
“Yes. And it wasn’t just yesterday that Lord Perdes brought flowers to His Excellency the Duke’s tomb.”
The manager continued with a proud look on his face.
“After the young lady left for the academy, he came by every morning and left chrysanthemums.”
“Really?”
When I asked back in disbelief, the manager nodded his head vigorously.
“Of course. And he even cleaned the gravestone himself once a week.”
“...”
“Of course, I told him I would do those chores, but he insisted on doing them himself and went all the way.”
“Why on earth...”
Why did Perdes do this?
Why did you do this when no one asked you to?
“I was curious about the reason, so I risked being rude and asked Perdes.”
I was curious, but fortunately, the manager knew why.
“Then he said that his only daughter had left the Duke’s residence and that he must have been lonely, so he came to visit the Duke's grave every day to comfort him from that loneliness.”
In particular, his speaking skills improved a lot, and he led the conversation so smoothly that I wondered if this was the Perdes I knew.
That's why it's surprising and disturbing because it gives credence to the idea that Perdes might have harbored other feelings in the meantime.
I really need to get my family seal and office key back quickly.
Perdes said he would give it to me tomorrow morning, but I couldn't wait.
So I was about to ask for it now when Perdes asked.
“I don’t see the maid who went to the academy with you.”
“May is resting in the main building.”
I told her that I had come on a tight schedule, in case I was late for Perdes' coming-of-age banquet, and that May would be very tired, so I told her not to worry about anything and to get plenty of rest for a week.
Of course, if the Emperor contacts May in the meantime, I told her to tell me immediately.
When I talk about May, I naturally think of Rene.
“You said before that you took care of Rene well, but how did you do it?”
When I asked him what I had been curious about all along, Perdes asked something else.
“Come to think of it, today is my coming-of-age ceremony, but you're empty-handed? No gifts?”
You can't tell me, right?
Even if I asked persistently, Perdes would not tell me, and since I could find out for myself, I obediently did as he asked.
“Of course there is.”
"Oh?"
Perdes looked at me with sparkling eyes as if he was expecting something.
I smiled and asked a passing servant to bring me what I had prepared.
After a while, the servant brought a slightly elongated gift box.
“Here it is.”
“Can I try to open it now?”
“Of course.”
Perdes opened the gift box with childish delight, despite his large size.
Soon, Perdes' eyes grew as big as lanterns as he checked the contents of the gift box.
“This is... a mana pen.”
A mana pen is literally a pen filled with mana. If you draw a magic circle with it, you can use simple magic even without mana.
In other words, it was an item for magicians who could not feel mana like Perdes but were well-versed in magical theory.
“This is going to be expensive...”
“It was a little expensive.”
“It’s not a little. I know full well that one of these pens is worth the price of a decent mansion.”
I thought you didn't know, but you know that too.
“Still, I really wanted to give that pen to Mr. Perdes.”
Every time I exchange letters with Perdes.
Every time I saw someone expressing regret over not being able to use magic, my determination to give them that pen became stronger.
Perdes' expression became slightly clouded after hearing my answer.
Perdes muttered, fiddling with his pen.
“I appreciate your consideration, but this item is too expensive...”
“It’s okay, so don’t worry about it. The Leopolds are not so poor that they can’t afford such a gift, and today is the only coming-of-age ceremony you’ll ever have.”
The coming-of-age ceremony was the most meaningful and significant day of any birthday.
It was also a day that should have been the most blessed.
“And compared to what Lord Perdes has suffered so far, this is nothing.”
As I said this, the anxiety and impatience that I had momentarily forgotten began to creep up.
But I didn't want to ruin the good mood because I wasn't sure, so I held back.
“Rather, I feel sorry that I cannot give you something better, so please accept it without any burden.”
“...If Yeong Lady says so.”
The face that had been complicated with many emotions became simple in an instant.
Perdes smiled, his lips curled upward smoothly, a look of pure joy on his face.
“Thank you so much, Young Lady.”
"You're welcome."
Seeing his happy face, I thought it was a good idea to give him that pen as a gift.
...I hope this thought continues.
***
After finishing the coming-of-age ceremony banquet that lasted late into the night, Perdes returned to his room, finished getting ready for bed, and sat on the sofa, staring at the mana pen that Adele had given him.
To someone who didn't know, that gaze was so serious and intense that it looked like the pen and him were at odds.
“Why are you fighting with the pen, Master Perdes?”
Jack felt the same way and asked in wonder.
Only then did Perdes, who had just finished his snowball fight with Pen, answer while pressing the slightly sore snowball.
“It wasn’t about fighting, it was about thinking about what to do.”
“What? Disposing of the pen?”
“How could that be? That should be considered a heirloom and passed down from generation to generation.”
“Oh, so you’re saying that pen is an heirloom of the Duke Leopold family?”
At those words, Perdes paused.
Jack, unaware of the contract between Adele and Perdes, knew that he would become Duke Leopold, so it was natural for him to misunderstand.
It was not Jack's question but his words that made Perdes hesitate.
It means that something should be passed down from generation to generation as a heirloom.
That means he'll get married and have children, but before he met Adele, Perdes was a celibate.
It was hard enough to support himself, so he had no intention of starting a family and sacrificing himself for that family.
But he was surprised that he thought that way so naturally.
At the same time, he was shocked as he imagined himself marrying Adele in a pure white wedding dress.
“...That’s a ridiculous imagination.”
Adele and him were engaged by contract, and this engagement ended in a breakup, not marriage.
The contract period that Adele had spoken of was until he came of age, so that contract period was now over.
If he could go on a continental trip that he has been longing for, tomorrow... why wouldn't he be happy?
“Are you okay, Mr. Perdes?”
As Perdes' complexion grew darker, Jack asked with concern.
Now that even worrying about Jack was bothersome, Perdes waved his hand and told him to get out of there.
After Jack left, Perdes was left alone and once again pondered the nature of his inexplicable emotions.
"...Birthday."
It's Adele's birthday soon, but Perdes is not happy because he feels bad about leaving without being able to celebrate it.
Yeah, that's probably it.
He had already received such a wonderful gift from Adele that he was wondering what to give in return.
So, Perdes, who had concluded that that was the case, thought carefully about what he could give Adele as a birthday present.
***
I rarely slept more than four hours during my time at the Academy.
I'm not the type of person who has trouble sleeping, but I had a lot to do to graduate early.
People thought I was a genius who easily skipped a grade and graduated early, but that wasn't the case.
It was the result of working harder than anyone else.
It was also a struggle to somehow survive.
“...”
It's 5 o'clock in the morning, before dawn.
Because of the habits I developed at the academy, I woke up without fail.
I could have slept for another two hours or so, but I was already feeling sleepy, so I just got up.
While I was at it, I thought of something I wanted to do.
I changed into a black dress and headed out of the main building to where my father and other members of the Leopold Duke family were sleeping.
It must have snowed while we were asleep because the road was covered with a soft, white carpet.
As I arrived at my destination, leaving my footprints on it, the caretaker who was clearing the snow greeted me in surprise.
“Welcome, Miss.”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course. Would you like me to bring you some chrysanthemums?”
“Yes. I’ll go to my father’s grave first, so bring it there.”
“Yes, Miss.”
I went inside, leaving the manager behind.
My father's gravestone was in the front because he had passed away relatively recently.
There were already chrysanthemum flowers placed on top of it.
It looks like one of the nobles who attended the coming-of-age ceremony banquet yesterday put it down.
Seeing my father's grave after a long time made my heart feel complicated in many ways.
A mixture of emotions came flooding in, including longing for my father and resentment at him leaving me behind.
The manager was coming soon, and I didn't want to show him that I was crying, so I covered my mouth with both hands to control my emotions.
I don't know about anything else, but I was confident in suppressing my sadness.
“Here you go, Miss.”
After a while, the caretaker arrived and handed me a large bouquet of chrysanthemums.
I put it down in front of my father's grave and asked the caretaker.
“Who brought those chrysanthemums?”
The faces of several nobles, including Count Martina, came to mind.
I thought it would definitely be among them.
“Lord Perdes brought it to me yesterday.”
"What?"
A completely unexpected person was mentioned.
I was a little surprised and asked the manager back.
“Did Lord Perdes really bring those flowers?”
“Yes. And it wasn’t just yesterday that Lord Perdes brought flowers to His Excellency the Duke’s tomb.”
The manager continued with a proud look on his face.
“After the young lady left for the academy, he came by every morning and left chrysanthemums.”
“Really?”
When I asked back in disbelief, the manager nodded his head vigorously.
“Of course. And he even cleaned the gravestone himself once a week.”
“...”
“Of course, I told him I would do those chores, but he insisted on doing them himself and went all the way.”
“Why on earth...”
Why did Perdes do this?
Why did you do this when no one asked you to?
“I was curious about the reason, so I risked being rude and asked Perdes.”
I was curious, but fortunately, the manager knew why.
“Then he said that his only daughter had left the Duke’s residence and that he must have been lonely, so he came to visit the Duke's grave every day to comfort him from that loneliness.”
Support Novellate!
thanks! aaahhh perdes's sincerity. i can understand her suspicion, but i feel bad for perdes
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