Volume 9 Chapter 11 Proposal
When Ruella asked Al what he thought about Patricia, he looked confused. As the third son of a knight, he felt that Patricia, who is royalty from the Tempest Kingdom, was someone far away.
"I think she's a cute girl, but that's it. Our social statuses are too different. I don't have any thoughts beyond that."
Ruella shook her head at Al's answer. Barbara, watching from the side, looked amused.
"That's fine to say, but I know your statuses are different. Still, is that really all you think? Just that she's a little cute?"
As Ruella spoke, she seemed to get more upset.
"I feel like I owe my life to Al before. So, depending on how Al feels, I wanted to help. That's why..."
From Ruella's words, Al could tell she was anxious, but he didn't know how to respond.
"I understand. I'm sorry, Al."
"Wait a minute. I don't really get what's going on..."
Ruella looked quite disappointed. Al hurriedly asked her.
"You might know this, but Lady Serena and Viscount Eugene are currently in Lester. Sir Stroud, the second son of the Margrave, is expected to come too. The official reason is that they found the remains of Sir Henry, the Margrave's younger brother, who went missing nearby, and they want to recover them. But actually, it seems like they plan to propose to Lady Patricia there."
Proposal! Ruella seemed close with Serena, the third daughter of the Margrave, who was called a princess back in middle school. Al wonder if she got that information from her. The rumors Joanna heard were almost correct.
"Don't you think anything about it, Al? Mr. Stroud is planning to propose to Lady Patricia, who was secretly protected by Viscountess Tara. Everything is already planned out. Several famous bards have already been approached. This story was created by Viscount Eugene. It's a love story happening in front of Sir Henry's remains, who lost his life on an expedition, and the fur of the Six-Legged Tiger that killed him. It should be quite moving."
Ruella was pleading desperately. But Al shook his head weakly. Ruella loved Naresh and was trying to become his wife. From her perspective, Al might seem frustrating. But what could Al do? There was no way to change something that was already so well arranged.
He told Eric he didn't care, but if he claimed the discovery without giving up his achievements, could he gain enough fame to replace the Margrave's son? No, even if he thought that, fame wouldn't come quickly. People would probably look at him strangely at first, and it would take a long time to be recognized.
For someone like Al, who had low status, he might be forced into research at the magician's guild tower, pretending to keep secrets, almost like being imprisoned. In fact, that possibility seemed more likely. Leaving the decision to Eric was probably the right choice.
"Lady Ruella, that's just cruel. Al, I think your judgment is correct. The other side is royalty from a neighboring country. We both knew from the start that it wouldn't be a fair match. Plus, Al's dad was a knight serving the Margrave, right?"
Barbara lightly placed her hand on Al's shoulder while looking at Ruella's face.
"Yeah..."
That was all Al could manage to say. Ruella took a deep breath, looking slightly up at the sky, and then stared at Al.
"Alfred, I'm sorry. I tried to push something weird on you without thinking. It looks like the plans for the Mushroom Festival day are going to change a lot. Lady Joanna is resisting because Lady Patricia has a fiancé, but I'm not sure if that will be accepted. Lady Patricia probably won't come to my shop. I'll talk to both Lady Patricia and Lady Joanna about it. That's all I have to say."
"I understand. Yeah, that's right."
Al muttered weakly, then lightly bowed and left the Levy merchant guild.
* * *
"I knew it... I knew this would happen."
Al whispered to himself as he opened the door to the (Red-Faced Sheep) tavern. In the dining hall, Orson and the others were eating, but Al tried to pass by with his head down.
"Hey, Al, you're back! What's up?"
Orson was in a good mood today.
"Nothing much."
"Really? They set up a temporary covered exhibition in the square in front of the lord's mansion. They displayed the fur and fangs of the Six-Legged Tiger. There was a wooden sign next to it, and even though the letters were small, our names, mine and Al's, were written there as hunters. We're famous now! It's been talked about in the Adventurers' Guild too."
"Is that so..."
Al couldn't help but sigh. If he became well-known as an adventurer, he would get higher rewards for jobs like guarding. But right now, he didn't feel like celebrating that.
"Really, you seem down."
"Yeah, I'm a bit off today."
Al went up the stairs to his room and put his backpack on the desk. The 'Fly' spellbook was still in his backpack, but today, for some strange reason, he didn't feel like opening it. He had wanted that spellbook so much... Al sat on his bed and let out a big sigh again.
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