T/N: Back to the main story
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A Certain Over-Optimistic Calculation of Joshua [Part 1]
“Are you really fine not going to the extracurricular lesson?”
Carlos asked Joshua, who had just returned from dealing with complaints.
As there was no end to customers who still sent in their complaints and asked about cotton persistently, many staff started showing their weariness. In such a situation, Joshua took the initiative to continue standing at the front line and dealing with the customers personally.
Although Joshua was in charge of the store, the situation wasn’t something a boy under 16 years old could normally put up with. It would be much healthier for him to whine once about wanting to play with the girl he liked, a normal thing boys his age would do.
“Ow man, I bet your beloved Emma-sama is flirting with Prince Edward about now…” Well then, what will you do? Carlos poked fun at Joshua, who started keeping accounts at a blinding speed, a feat supposedly impossible for normal boys to do.
“…It is impossible for His Highness to flirt with Emma-sama.”
Joshua only raised the corner of his mouth slightly without taking his eyes off the account book.
“You don’t have to lie to yourself, you know? Young Master. The whole Kingdom knows His Highness Edward likes Emma-sama. Even though they will live in separate tents, they are still together for a few days. It won’t be weird if there’s some progress in their relationship…”
When Carlos said “progress…” Joshua’s gaze, which had been glued to the account book, suddenly shifted to Carlos.
Joshua rarely moved his eyes away when calculating sales, so this sudden stare took Carlos aback.
“Ah, no, uhh… I’m sure good things also await Young Master…” Did I really make him angry? Carlos became uneasy.
“There’s no way Leonard-sama will allow him to flirt with Emma-sama, right?”
“?”
“I have taken measures from the moment the extracurricular lesson was announced. You see, I had set it up so the ladies at the tea parties Melsa-sama participated in would mention how guardians could accompany the children.”
“Huh? Eh? Even if you had done that, wouldn’t they have just let the maids or guards go?”
“No, the Stuarts’ basic way of thinking is ironically very similar to commoners. By guardians, they will be more inclined to understand it as ‘accompanied by parents’. It was clear that Melsa-sama and Leonard-sama would want to go to the extracurricular lesson if they had free time. I just needed to direct the content of the conversation at the tea parties to the topic of accompanying guardians for a bit. Then, the two would surely go to the extracurricular lesson.”
“Eh… What’s up with that… that’s scary… No, but I think even the [daughter-doting] Leonard-sama can’t constantly keep an eye on the prince, you know?? His Highness Edward is sharp, so he surely won’t let go of even the smallest chance.”
When Carlos started talking to Joshua, he originally intended to comfort Joshua, who couldn’t participate in the extracurricular lesson, but somehow ended up taking the prince’s side.
He couldn’t help himself. Joshua kinda scared him.
“…Yeah, that’s the problem. There is also a tiny chance it can happen because Leonard-sama is pretty unreliable, and Melsa-sama is also absent-minded despite looking dependable.”
“Wait, that choice of words of yours!” What a rude thing our Young Master is saying about the VVIP of the Rothschild Company, the family who brings great support to the business… Carlos sweated.
“And thus, I threw in the [niece-con] to fill that hole.”
“Huh? …Eh? Oh! Arban-sama?! And here I’ve been thinking that he really came to the Royal Capital at the perfect timing, as if it had been planned beforehand… Eh? Could that also be…?”
“I did nothing much, only writing a letter saying… ‘The sons of Leonard-sama‘s cousins have grown up to be full-fledged men, so if they station the personnel of the Stuart clan well, around one person can go to accompany Emma-sama to the extracurricular lesson.'”
Everyone in the Stuart clan was an Emma fanatic, so no one didn’t jump at the chance.
Because Emma didn’t return to her hometown during the summer vacation, Joshua knew quite clearly the whole clan’s stance. There must have been a bloody battle happening in Palace.
“What awful bomb are you dropping on such a peaceful family?! Young Master!!!”
