Chapter 289 That's Why Nobles Are Impossible
Sara winked at Maria and slowly helped her sit up. A cushion was quickly placed against her back.
"I'm sure I've said this many times before. I don't want to live as a normal noblewoman. Even Rihito's kindness in seeking out fellow reincarnators is ridiculous if it will hurt my reputation. If my reputation is that fragile, I would be completely injured the moment I step into the business world."
"Why not just let Sophia handle the merchant side as usual? If you gradually increase your physical age, you can just pass as a distant relative, right? Plus, we have the golem."
"And you want me to pretend and wear the uncomfortable mask of a noble lady?"
"I'm not wishing for you to live as a noblewoman, Sara. I just want you to live comfortably as my daughter."
"Father... no, should I call you Uncle now? The path for me to live peacefully has already been cut off. It's true that my reckless actions caused this, but please at least be aware that you played a part in dragging me into social events."
Just as she finished speaking, Sara coughed, and Rihito hurried over to pour some cooled tea into a cup from the side table and slowly helped Sara drink it.
"Miss Sara, you can't rush things. You're still using body-enhancing magic to talk right now."
"Yeah, I might have gotten too excited. I'll try to speak more quietly."
Scott and Blaze, who were watching closely, felt anxious about Rihito's caring behavior, but their hearts ached at how weak Sara looked, who was usually incredibly strong. They believed that once she woke up, they would see the energetic Sara they knew, but they started to worry that she might fade away like this.
"Mr. Rihito, isn't it bad that Sara still need to sleep?"
"Should we not be here?"
"It's true that she should rest a bit longer, but after sleeping for ten days, Miss Sara must be tired of it, right?"
When Rihito answered, Sara smiled gently and lightly squeezed Scott and Blaze's hands one after the other. Still, their expressions remained gloomy.
"I'm fine, so don't worry too much. I've slept more than enough, and I'm happy to see your faces again after such a long time."
Blaze leaned in to look at Sara's face, then glanced back and forth between Marquis Grandchester and Robert.
"Why are you trying to make Sara do things she doesn't want to? That's why she collapsed, right?"
"You two, it's time to step back from Sara. It seems like a family discussion is needed."
Their father, Jeffrey, approached and tried to pull them away from Sara's bed, but they stubbornly refused to move.
"I'm not leaving. I'm on Sara's side."
"I'm going to protect Sara too."
"Hey! You two!"
However, Jeffrey's loud voice was a bit too much for Sara right now. Her head started to throb.
"I'm sorry, Sir Jeffrey, but could you please be a little quieter? It's hurting my head."
"Th-that's rude."
"And I want these two to listen too, so please let them stay here for a while. Shall we go back to our conversation, Uncle Robert?"
"I'm still very much planning to adopt you, you know."
Robert looked at Sara with a troubled expression.
"I want to clarify that I don't dislike my grandfather or uncle. As I mentioned earlier, I can't live as a normal noble lady because I need to live as a merchant. You can understand that from the fact that I couldn't follow the lord (grandfather)'s order to 'live for Grandchester'."
"Yeah, I get it. I know it can't be helped."
"But if I live as myself, the 'reputation' that a normal noble woman should care about will never be good. Allowing a damaged noble lady like me to roam free will also harm Uncle's reputation, who will become Viscount Astley soon. So I think I should live as a commoner."
"I'm glad. It's not that you dislike us. You're just worried about us, huh?"
"I wouldn't dislike my uncle or grandfather just because I got a little sick. Besides, it wasn't Uncle's fault that I collapsed. Well, it's not really Grandfather's fault either. Just think of it as a fever from overthinking."
"Yeah, then please call me 'Father' after all. I didn't adopt Sara because I want you to be a noble lady, and I won't ask you to live for the family. Well, that's different from my father, I guess."
Then, this time, Sara looked back at Robert with a troubled expression.
"I'm not sure if taking me in as an adopted daughter is a good idea for you, Uncle. It might put you at a disadvantage with the royal family and other noble houses. They could pressure you."
"I don't care. I'll protect you with everything I have. Ah, but if things get really bad, I might have to ask Sara for help."
Then Robert let out a slow sigh and smiled widely. However, the Marquis Grandchester, who was sitting next to him, looked displeased and stared at his son Robert.
"I don't think you can say such carefree things once you become the lord."
"No, Father. It's precisely because I'm going to be a lord, even if it's a small territory, that I fear forcing Sara into anything. As her father, I love Sara, but from a ruler's perspective, I would reach the same conclusion. Losing Sara would be a significant loss, but having her as an enemy would be terrifying. It's foolish to step on the tail of a dragon. More than anything, the new industries that come from Sara's free thinking will far exceed our imagination. I still remember the shock I felt when I first tasted Elma brandy. I want to invest in that future as a lord."
"I see, you have a keen eye. ...Maybe I'm not cut out to be a lord after all."
"Father, I think it's just that Sara is special."
"That may indeed be true."
The Marquis Grandchester leaned back in his chair and began to think about Robert's words.
"Well, if Sir Robert doesn't want Sara to live as a noblewoman, then there's no need to worry about her reputation, right? So I don't get why he confronted Mr. Rihito about 'possibly causing misunderstandings'."
"Blaze, I think it's just that Sir Robert wasn't happy about it."
"Huh, just jealousy? That's just like us."
"Yeah, that's true."
"Well... I don't want to admit it, but it's a fact."
Scott and Blaze showed no mercy to Robert. Robert could only make a bitter face and accept it.
"Oh, were you two feeling jealous?"
"It's tough when you talk in a way only the two of you understand."
"Mr. Rihito is so unfair!"
'Hmm... I should probably explain about reincarnators properly around here.'
"I see. Since it's a good opportunity, I'll explain about reincarnators to you all."
"Sara, that's something you should explain properly to us, the Grandchester family."
"Ah, that might be true. At the very least, we should stop following reincarnators unconditionally."
Pointed out by Marquis Grandchester, Sara decided to explain what reincarnators were to them again.
"Reincarnators in this world are people who were born into this world with memories from when they lived in another world. Kazuya, the founder of Grandchester, was also a reincarnator. It seems that in the generation of the founder's grandchildren, Kazuya became revered, but reincarnators are not born only into the Grandchester family. So I think it's better to get rid of the family rule of following reincarnators unconditionally."
"That's something I've heard before. Now that I've seen a real example in Mr. Rihito, we have no choice but to change the family rules. I thought it was a secret only passed down in Grandchester, so it's disappointing."
"Well, I can understand your feelings, but it's not something that can be inherited."
Sara continued to explain calmly.
"As you know, Rihito and I are reincarnators. By the whim of the gods, we were suddenly cut off from our original world and are now wandering in this world as outsiders. Our souls were abducted and brought to this world."
Rihito added to clarify.
"Even if we didn't retain our memories from our past lives, we might have just felt a sense of loss without understanding why. But, fortunately or unfortunately, we do have our past memories."
"I was lucky to be loved and raised by my family, but Rihito is different. Imagine being abandoned in the forest as a baby while retaining your current memories. Isn't it natural to long for your former family, friends... and comrades?"
"What!? Mr. Rihito was an abandoned child!?"
Robert exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes. I was abandoned in the forest as a baby, faced with life-threatening dangers, and that's when my past memories returned, along with my magic. I was a child whose appearance and personality didn't match more than Miss Sara does now. I survived alone in the forest until an old woman who was a healer found me."
"I see... I can't believe I said something so terrible. Mr. Rihito, I'm really sorry."
"There's no need to apologize. In fact, I have a wife and children in this world, and I have many descendants. Still, I wonder why I can't shake off the feeling of being a outsider."
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