In The Library「Now… how can we be on good terms?」
While walking down the hallway murmuring, he b.u.mped into Rin, who has Milky on top of her head.
「Good morning, Onii-chan.」
「Kyuu!」
As soon as Ritone appeared, she happily ran up to him.
Being healed by the gesture, he asked Rin.
「Hey, have you seen a small girl?」
「That young girl went to the library.」
Ritone nods when hearing it.
「Good, let’s do that then. Rin, you come too.」
Pulling Rin’s hand, they headed to the library.
Library
Within those tens of thousands of book collections, Nady was sitting while reading a book in one of its corners.
“The Biography of the Hero Artemis” was written on the thick book, which was being read at great speed.
「… Wonderful… The hero is so cool.」
While being absorbed in reading, a shadow falls over the book.
Being disturbed from her reading, Nady looks up unpleasantly.
「Please don’t obstruct my reading… Eh?」
Upon seeing Ritone and Rin, Nady stiffened.
「Ex-excuse me?」
「What happened?」
Staring at one point, Rin and Ritone’s intrusion was ignored.
「Kyuui?」
Finding it strange, Milky tilts its head at Nady, who is intently staring at it.
「A B-b-baby dragon!!! Cutttteee!」
The very next moment, Nady shouted out and clung onto Milky.
「Kyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!」
At the same time, Milky’s cry reverberates throughout the library.
「Hey, enough already, let go. Milky doesn’t like it.」
「… No!」
Nady, who is shaking her head, holds onto Milky.
In her arms, Milky struggles and squeals.
Nady didn’t budge at all, even after an hour had pa.s.sed.
「I will take this child as is, back to my home. I can’t leave her alone at such a place like this!」
As Nady was being selfish, even Ritone’s face became grim.
「Enough… Eh?」
「Ouch!」
The moment Ritone was about to scold her, Nady releases her clinging hand.
The reason is that Milky bit her.
「Kyui!」
Milky, who has been released, joyfully gets on Ritone head.
「That! Why would it be attached to such a man!」
「Because this child thinks of me as its parent.」
Ritone gently caresses Milky’s head, and in response, Milky joyfully squeals.
「A dragon can only show attachment to a hero, or are you saying that someone like you is a hero?」
「Only a hero? Come to think of it, what’s left of the legend says that Hero Artemis raised a mother dragon. Disappointingly, I am not a hero, and I also don’t want to be one.」
Ritone denied clearly.
「Unforgivable. For you to do such a thing even though you are not a hero. I truly detest you!」
As if saying she can’t bear the sight, she turned away.
Being hated by one of the heroines this much, Ritone sighed.
「Say, why do you hate me so much?」
「… I heard it from Father. You are mixed with the blood of a commoner.」
Nady’s face started to show some sense of discrimination towards people of lower status.
「It certainly is so, but my mother inherits the rightful blood of the Golden-Rank Family. Besides, who is your mother?」
「Do not disrespect my mother! It’s true her origin is a commoner, but not any ordinary commoner. She’s the very famous adventurer “White Princess Norn”!」
Suddenly, Nady began to scream at him. Apparently, she’s also been looked down upon by the House for entering with the half-blood of a commoner. So she takes pride in her mother, who is no ordinary commoner, perhaps trying to desperately keep that to heart by looking down on Ritone, whose father is a commoner with no fame.
「… However, there is nothing I can do about my birth. Even if you dislike me for something I have no control of…」
「Fun~, it’s not only that. At your age, you were tasked with the work of vulgar moneylending by Grandfather and have been pressuring a lot of n.o.bles. How long have we suffered by being criticized as a moneylender? … I hate you! 」
Nady, who has a lot of pride, came to hate moneylenders completely when she saw her father, a pure n.o.ble, bow before a moneylender who is but a mere merchant.
「I don’t like father either. Just a few days ago, you were looked down upon as an incompetent child of a commoner. As I became your fiancée, he completely changed his att.i.tude and started to praise you. Adults are filthy.」
(Don’t say such a thing to him… That uncle has various sides to him.)
Being an old man in his mind, Ritone was fed up with her foolishness.
In fact, Gold’s debt had originated due to the bad harvest which caused him to exempt taxes completely, with its purpose of saving the people.
The remaining tax was paid for by asking for funding from the merchants.
Though he is cold hearted since he ruthlessly held an a.s.sa.s.sination for a n.o.ble who was an obstruction to himself, but at the same time he is, in a feudal point of view, a merciful existence.
It was another one of the reasons that Ritone nor Eagle tried to remove him, and instead attempted to take him in.
If these were peaceful times, he might have been recognized as a merciful and wise ruler.
However judging from her eyes, she only sees him as a servile father who bows to everyone.
(As expected of the most difficult heroine to be captured. I believe that it will be impossible to become friends immediately.)
Seeing Nady, who stubbornly hates him, Ritone was quite lost at what to do.
「I-I understand, I won’t force you to this unreasonable engagement. If you still are unable to like me at the time when I become an adult, I won’t mind canceling it.」
「Naturally, because I will marry the hero!」
Nady, with glittering eyes, yearned for the hero she has yet to see.