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Chapter 83 Part 4 – A letter from Rona. And the “Thunderbolt Polka”. Ironically, the dance that plunged so many young ladies into the abyss became the bridge between mother and Countess Rosenthal.

「…… I can tell by the sound of her heartbeat. Although her expression is a little nervous, Cornelia-san is currently in her best condition.」

He never forgets to follow up to reassure me.

I’m too embarrassed to say it, but thank you for always supporting me.

「…… By the way, Bradd, how long are you going to keep touching a maiden’s bulge?」

I made fun of Bradd to hide the fact that I’m embarrassed. Bradd still had his hand on my chest. And since he and my mother were giving each other thumbs up, it was a strange picture that looked as if they were encouraging molestation.

「Have you fallen in love with me? You better take full responsibility for doing these things.」

If Bradd wasn’t cross-dressing as a woman, it would be a bit of an obscenity case.

But since I’m currently in my adult form, I’m taller than Bradd. Having regained my composure, I intended to make fun of Bradd like an older sister. I’m sure he’ll laugh at me anyway for having such a smooth and flat chest, but I was going to be magnanimous and let it slide with a single fist.

「S-Sorry. I’ll take full responsibility ……」

「U-Un.」

Bradd, however, pulled his fingers back in a panic as if they had been touched by fire, and even his ears were red. He reacted in a way that was not like the usual him and the atmosphere became extremely awkward. He said that he’ll take responsibility …… how is he going to do that …… Eh, this is bad. For some reason, even my ears are becoming hot ……

「As an apology, you can buy as many sweets as you want with my pocket money. Let’s go on an incognito date together next time. I’ll pay for all the expenses. Sca-chibi is a girl after all. If I hurt you, I have to pay for it. My wallet …… will be lonely, but it can’t be helped. Goodbye, my coin friends.」

…… Hey, don’t mumble such a pathetic and stupid line with an expression full of sorrow. What’s with that ‘coin friends’. Does your friend make a jingling sound in your pocket when you jump.

My head cooled down at once and I was taken aback.

I’m not such a cheap woman. In the first place, how can you treat me like a child and try to entice me with sweets when I can buy a luxurious carriage with my pocket money?

And yet, I feel a little bit ashamed of myself for feeling a little bit excited.

Perhaps it’s the memory of the hell of saving money during my days as queen in the previous 「108 times」 that has stuck with me, but I’m very weak for the word ‘free present’. Seraphy, the top in the present-giver ranking, even drowned out my trauma with his gift-giving offensive. My fierce passion overpowered my defensive instincts, making me think that if I let bygones be bygones, I would have plenty of good juices from now on if I kept on good terms with this person. Hate the sin, but not the money!!

「Even if it’s not a noble’s meal, freshly roasted or freshly fried food is delicious. I’m acquainted with a place that has come in from overseas and hasn’t yet been given its due recognition because people are not yet familiar with it. What do you think?」

Bradd winked and grinned.

Bradd has a lot of acquaintances because he’s traveled all over the place. And sometimes he hits the jackpot. There are some times that the food is so bad that it makes me think, ‘Does he want to poison me to death?’, but my woman’s intuition tells me that it’s a jackpot this time.

Fine then, I agree.

「I won’t forgive you if you don’t entertain me to my heart’s content.」

「Certainly. I will serve you to the best of my ability, young lady.」

Bradd put his hand on his chest and bent down in an exaggerated gesture and pretended to kiss my hand reverently. His actions reminded me of my father’s behavior toward my mother. My tension which should have become more upbeat took a slight downward turn.

「…… If it’s Sca-chibi’s father, he would probably say something like,『Cornelia, I’d be willing to go through a million hardships just to have one smile from you. Because your happiness is my joy in life』.」

Bradd said while imitating father’s tone of voice. Wow, he’s actually good at mimicking. But it’s pretty weird to hear that ‘handsome guy voice’ when he looks like a lovely young girl. Is this an application of the ‘power of words’ of the〈Lawless Crew〉? It’s interesting, so let’s have him say all kinds of weird lines in my father’s voice next time.

「…… T-Then, while mimicking Wendell’s voice, let’s have him say this and that ……」

Mother, how can you hear our conversation from so far away!? What are you blushing for? It’s currently a serious scene. Also, why is Countess Rosenthal fidgeting as well. In the first place, if mother made a request to that wife-smitten father, let alone only doing a mimicry, he would even be happy to drink sewer water.

Now, let’s get back on topic.

「That’s something he often says at home. He is someone that can fight against the whole world if it’s for mother’s sake.」

Father has a lot of problems, but I can respect his unwavering faith.

We looked at each other and laughed. My confusion was cleared.

「I should learn from father when it comes to believing in mother. Let’s watch over her stage.」

To apologize for my ignorance, I gave my mother a curtsy. As soon as mother noticed, she gently did the same.

「Arnold, as a disciple, you should follow Scarlet-san’s example and believe in the duchess. At any rate, I envy Bradd for having a date appointment. May I have the pleasure of your company sometime? I promise I won’t let you regret it or be bored.」

After he finally managed to persuade Arnold, Seraphy walked over to us.

「Sure. I’m kind of embarrassed to be asked so passionately though.」

「…… Why do you look so sad, Bradd? She can’t go on a date unless its with you? It’s obviously up to Scarlet-san to make that decision.」

「…… I-I also want a date ……」

Arnold, who had been dragged along, mumbled. He’s a guy who wouldn’t say it clearly even though he has an overly self-confident character. I let out a sigh. At this rate, I’m not sure when we can move on to mother’s dance scene.

「I know. You want to go on a date with my mother, don’t you? I suggest you stop thinking about that since that will get you killed by the crazy wife-smitten duke. If you’ve forgotten the trauma, as her daughter, I will specially go on a date with you, so you will have to be satisfied with that, okay.」

I thought I was going to get hit, but to my surprise, Arnold’s tanned face instantly brightened and he nodded his head.

「…… I’m so happy to hear that.」

My heart fluttered a bit when he expressed it so straightforwardly. Arnold has a tough face with quite a bad look in his eyes, but when he smiles, he looks so friendly that he seems like a totally different person. Yes, that’s right, compromise is important. And as the representative of my mother, whom you admire, you can give me a lot of money.

「I will think very hard about how I can make you enjoy the date.」

Arnold is so serious about this that it is hard to believe that I’m just a substitute for mother, but he seems to be worried about mother as well. He’s busy switching back and forth between looking at mother with an anxious expression on his face and smiling brightly when he looks back at me. He is a passionate person who can’t hide his emotions at all. His feelings are so transparent that it’s almost amusing. It turns out that he has such a funny and cute side to him.

I beckoned Arnold to come over, made him bend down, and patted him on the head. Even so, I still had to stand on my tiptoes and stand tall to reach his head.

「Okay, okay, calm down. We still have plenty of time, so let’s take our time and think of a date plan together later. I’m also looking forward to it. But first of all, let’s all pray for mother’s victory.」

Arnold’s face turned red instantly and I became nervous. Could it be that he’s furious because I treated him like a child? If someone as tall as him grabbed me by the collar and pulled me up, the soles of my petite feet would be swimming in the air one meter above the ground. But Arnold only said, 「…… O-Okay」. Then he stood up straight and began to concentrate on watching over mother.

T-The taming was successful ……!!