When I entered Nyuneri Castle, I immediately reported Nambonan's situation to Father. There was no problem that I became Nambonan's mayor since Father had already approved of it. There were no unexpected incidents, so it could only be described as everything went according to plan.
After the report was over, Father ordered the other people in the room to leave.
「... I heard that you've been learning about different kinds of woman.」
「Yes.」
I felt like he just told me 'I heard that you've been screwing around.'
Without any expression, Father rested his chin on his hand.
「There's nothing wrong about it. So that you can build a good relationship with your future wife, learn about women as much as you like.」
「Yes. I will learn well.」
I was glad that he wasn't critizing my behavior.
His chin still resting on his hand, my father grinned.
「Still, how did you grow to have that kind of personality… Back when I was learning about women, I usually did it with the same woman. Father often used to scold me to learn about other woman, even though he himself was only intimate with Mother… oh, make sure to keep this conversation a secret.」
Father was surprisingly talking about his sex life. Hearing him talk about his experiences with women, I was troubled on how to reply. He usually had a scary expression, so I would be surprised when he occasionally transformed into a dirty old man.
「There aren't many with your personality. If Brother were still alive, you two might've gotten along well.」
The scene where I was struggling for woman with my uncle surfaced in my mind.
Now that I think about, I didn't have many acquaintance among nobles who were into having sex with several women. Just as mentioned by my father, he and Grandfather didn't have many partners, and even the young noblemen who participated in the Nambonan war weren't the type to randomly lay their hands on a woman. Deanrish even went as far as bringing his favorite girl along. As for those with licentious lower half, other than me, I could only think of Deanrish's father, Viscount Galliana.
When I asked Father about that matter, he said that getting intimate with a small number of women was the norm for the general nobility. My views, such as 'its man's shame to not eat the meal set before him' or 'men shouldn't shy away from having sex', might be heavily influenced by my previous life.
Well, since there were also exceptions like my deceased uncle, those values apparently weren't absolute and avoided by them. Instead, nobles were encouraged to have sex with many women.
「Your contribution was enormous for being able to seize Nambonan in a perfect condition. It was a pleasant surprise. I'll add the necessary funds for your learning. Just speak if you have anything else you need.」
「Thank you. Please leave Nambonan's management to me.」
I got slightly excited from the unexpected bonus. I wasn't troubled with money, but I was honestly delighted that he praised my efforts. When considering my father's age and my age in my previous life, he would be my immediate supervisor, so I somehow remembered my salaryman days.
A serious expression, I bowed properly and ended my report.
I had a late lunch and then invited Fanny for a tea at the garden inside the castle.
「Haa, this scent is very pleasant....」
「I'm glad and delighted to hear that you liked it. I knew you'd like it, so I bought it on my way back.」
「Fufu, I'm also happy. Even when in a far away place, Big Brother has been thinking about me.」
Fanny seemed lonely for being left alone in the castle without Grandfather, our parents, and me. Father only took a few days to come to Nambonan, but he didn't have many chances to come in contact with Fanny because he was busy with many matters such as work, going to the house where our Mom lived in the royal capital, and engaging in social activities with the nobles in other territories.
Fanny had been pouting when I invited her for a tea, but her mood took a turn for the better when she found out that I bought a present for her. Dropping by the village was indeed the right decision.
「When I drank this tea at Nambonan, I thought that its your favorite fragrance.」
This was the tea I drank in the bar during the day I made a mess of Anna in many ways. Anna said that the flowering tea could be bought near Nambonan. I thought it was the perfect present for Fanny, so I asked her the location of the village just before we left for Nyuneri.
Since it was called a tea, I somehow imagined they were growing something similar to a tea plant in my previous world, but in the village, they were raising a tiny unusual plant similar to a hydrangea, and they were plucking its leaves. The highest-quality ones seemed to be harvested from the plants that bloom during the summer, and then it would go through drying and fermentation. Unfortunately, I didn't see them doing those works in the village considering the season.
They had a stock of high-quality leaves, so I sampled it and was able to enjoy the tea's rich scent and beautiful color. I even bought the leaves based on the village chief's asking price. That village chief might really be a clever fellow.
「Oh. Fufufu, Big Brother really understands me very well. This tea is warm and it makes me feel very happy. I… I've been alone the whole time, so I was very lonely, you know?」
Showing a smile with a hint of sadness, Fanny drank the tea.
I had never been away from Nyuneri for an extended period of time like the one this time. Originally, I should've been attending the school for nobles in the royal capital for six years starting when I was eleven years old until sixteen, but the school was currently closed. I had never attended it once. Due to that, it was the first time for Fanny to experience being alone without her family for a long period of time.
「Big Brother, would it be alright if I come to your room tonight? I want to hear interesting stories.」
Her bright smile never considered that I would refuse her request.
Did I have the choice to refuse her? No.
「Of course, you can come.」
I wanted to protect her smile.
As I was walking to my room, I was feeling troubled because I'd been planning to sleep with Eve tonight. I felt like I had a similar trouble in the past. It was enjoyable to talk with Fanny at night, but my enjoyable sex life would go up in smoke.
「Tesh, do you have any good idea?」
「I think Young Master should just summon her during the daytime. I'll inform the bath servant.」
「I see.」
From the way he spoke, he was probably referring to Eve. Obviously, he wouldn't be telling to summon Fanny.
Having sex in the daytime, that sounded like an indulgent college student. Unfortunately, I didn't have such an enviable experience in my previous life.
「The servants have been feeling anxious because Young Miss has always been feeling lonely these past days. That's why, when we saw her joyful look when Young Master came back…」
The servants seemed like they were really worried about Fanny. As expected, the servants wouldn't be able to substitute for her family, so they might've been feeling vexed.
「Very well. Inform her that from tomorrow onwards, I might be taking a bath during the noon. And, I'm feeling tired from traveling today, so I'd like to enter the bath. Come and call me once the preparations are done.」
「I understand.」
Tesh bowed and left.
I opened the door and went inside my room for the first time in a while. Today's weather was good, and the sunlight was shining in so brightly from the window. Glasses, which were considered as high-class goods, were used without restrain in the window of my room. It was the kind of room that one would expect from the son of a Marquis.
The glass was colored and not completely transparent, but its transparency was high enough that I could see through beyond the window. Perhaps because the sunlight had warmed up my room, there was a fragrance of a flower inside.
「Hm?」
The door leading to the balcony was made of glass over a wooden frame, similar to a shoji.[1] I could see a shadow beyond the door, but I couldn't identify the person because the glass wasn't clear. The person was crouching down without moving.
Opening the glass door quietly, I stepped inside the balcony.
The person crouching down was wearing a female servant's clothes. So it was a woman. What should I do if the person was a man?
「Oh. So its you, Minith.」
Sure enough, the person crouching was Minith who had received my second-time experience. She was crouching down as she faced the sun's direction, her fingers interlaced, and eyes closed. She seemed so focused in her praying that she didn't even hear me.
「Minith.」
I called out to her just beside her, but she didn't notice me at all. Just as I was thinking of rubbing her ass, Minith slowly opened her eyes.
Then, her gray eyes fixed on my figure.
Her vacant eyes regained its brightness, and then she stood up startled and straightened her posture.
「Young master?! I, I'm sorry!」
Her appearance while blushing as she brushed her hair with her hand and patted her clothes which had gotten wrinkled because she was crouching down was very lovely.
As though all the fatigue in my body had been blown away, I felt blood actively circulating around my body.
