The Main Family Is About to Die Out, so I, from a Branch Family, Am a Seed Provider (WN): Chapter 63

 

Chapter 63: A Quiet Story: The Beginning of the Upheaval and the Maid's Thoughts

 I've always found it infuriating.

 If one asks me what, there are various things.

 The fact that I couldn't blame my parents for their irresponsibility, or the day we lost our house in part because of it. Or the existence of that man.

 On the other hand, there is also a sense of resignation that it was inevitable, and that there was nothing that could be done about it.

 I can't express my mixed emotions in words, but I feel like I can grasp the outline even if it's vague.

 It was not long ago that I was able to clear away the confusion in my heart.

"You're strong, Ojou-sama."

 A few days ago.

 Right after the discussion with that girl...... Miss Mashiro, the woman who was shutting herself in that stallion's house, threw such words to Ritia Ojou-sama.

 It is a bland word, but for today's Ojou-sama, it is also a kind of powerful drug.

 The moment I tried to get in between them to protect my master from that.

"Glass, it's fine."

"……Ojou-sama."

 I was stopped by my master, Ritia Fregrance Ojou-sama.

"I'm not particularly strong."

"Is that so?"

 The maid, who seemed to be Miss Mashiro's attendant, muttered to Ojou-sama, who answered in a self-mocking manner.

"Well, that's just the way it is."

 It was a lie.

 These words caused a dull pain that throbbed in my heart, even though I was not a part of that incident.

"...Then, I'll be going back. I'm sorry to have bothered you today."

"Eh, ah, yes."

 Ritia Ojou-sama turned her back to the girls. I followed her out of the room after she put her hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open to let my master through.

 The hallway is narrow. The sunlight streaming in through the windows has begun to tilt slightly since we arrived here.

"Would they accept it?"

 On the way back. I asked Ojou-sama.

"Well, what do you think? Even if it's a positive thing in the future, what I'm saying is simply advocating the shame of a noble, and I wouldn't be surprised if they refuse."

 Ojou-sama implicitly told them it was okay if they refused, but there was a hint of impatience in her expression. But I think that's only natural.

 The Fregrance family is now in danger of survival.

 Needless to say, the cause was the imperial capital expedition.

 The Royal family and the Fregrance family tried to dispose of some nobles using the war.

 The other side of the war, which had to be kept hidden. It was leaked to the outside, even if it was only at the level of a rumor. So much so that some nobles directly asked the head of the family about it.

 Moreover, this incident has provoked factional fighting among the nobles, which should have been taking place behind the scenes until now, and it has come to the surface at once, creating a firestorm that has engulfed the entire country.

 Fregrance family, Brigitte family, Beymond family, Bamingham family.

 With these four families at the top, it is believed that the conflict will intensify.

 ……Well, it is also a headache that some are willing to pour oil on the flames of this conflict.

 And in preparation for such an upheaval, each noble family is now increasing their allies, and Ojou-sama and I visited here as part of that.

"What would you do if they refused?"

"What do you mean?"

“This is originally a noble under the jurisdiction of Viscount Fabian, so I don’t think he will nod easily. If we side with the viscount, we will..."

"Glass."

 When I said that, Ojou-sama stops and looks back at me.

 That's when I realized my mistake. No, rather, I realized it too late, which can be called a blunder.

"If you really want to talk about the rest of it, I also have an idea."

 Cold-hearted is not the right word for it, and there was quiet but definite anger on Ritia Ojou-sama's face.

"……I'm sorry."

 I regret that I have indeed overstepped my bounds, no matter how much I may have been thinking of the interests of the head family. However.

(If I said that she had an unnecessary weakness, Ojou-sama would get angry again.)

 Unbeknownst to others, I spoke to myself in my heart.

 Originally, to ensure that the main family would not cease to exist, Ojou-sama had a relationship with the next head of the noble family here.

 But as time went on, Ritia Ojou-sama slowly changed.

 And the decisive moment came when the Empire returned the corpses of several soldiers who had been in the rear unit, along with a report that the next head of the stallion's family had been killed in battle.

"……Sorry."

 That time. Something certainly changed in Ojou-sama.

 For Ritia Ojou-sama, this noble family became a noble family that she was determined to protect, not a noble family that she could easily cut off at any time.

 If a stranger were to hear this, they would marvel at how merciful Ojou-sama is.

 But it is also a clear weakness and a stumbling block in the noble society. And in the midst of the upheaval that is sure to come, it may even be fatal.

"So, Glass. What are our plans after this?"

 However, Ritia Ojou-sama is still resolute in her duties as the daughter of the Fregrance family, one of the kingdom's five great noble families, as she usually is.

“After this, we plan to visit three nearby noble families in this area. The order will be the Flotia family, the Croche family, and finally the Blossoms family.”

 Certainly, that image will look strong, as Mashiro says.

"I understand. Thank you, Glass."

 Still, even I, to my dismay, cannot grasp how burdensome it is to perform that ideal image.

"But. If we go to three more families now, it will be late before we return home."

 When will Ojou-sama reach her limit? It is equivalent to walking on a lake covered with thin ice without a lifeline. Besides.

"Um, Ojou-sama."

"What?"

“In addition, today is also the day of the regular checkup, so I think we won't be able to return to the mansion after tomorrow.”

"Ah."

 It's not like she forgot about it, but Ojou-sama let out a faint voice.

 Then, she gently put her hand around her slightly swollen belly.

"...If it's going to be a burden, I'll change the schedule."

 Yes. No matter how hard she tries to act and behave, Ritia Ojou-sama's body is not hers alone now.

 The future of the Fregrance family resides in that belly.

 Even if we overcome the crisis that is now coming, if anything happens to her, it will all go down the drain.

"You don't have to re-schedule it."

"But……"

"It's okay. It's just that my plans for the evening got a little bit screwed up. I'm fine with that."

 Ojou-sama answers confidently. She never tries to show her weak side, even to me, even in such a trivial exchange.

"Now then, let's head to Flotia family."

"Yes, I understand."

 As I look at Ojou-sama's back, I mutter to myself.

 The future of the family, the political disputes of the noble society. And even the protection of this branch of the family is going to be carried on her shoulders.

 And above all, the most painful thing is that there is only one person to whom she can truly entrust her back. And yet, that person is no longer with us.

 And even though I knew that, I still can't even take his place. That is the most painful thing of all. No, it's more like......

(It's frustrating... No, should I say regrettable?)

 It's hard to imagine that our decades-long master-servant bond would be defeated by a few months of a relationship.

 It's just that the man standing next to my master was that man who wasn't in a master-servant relationship.

"He's really an annoying man."

"Hm? Glass, did you say something?"

"No, nothing."

 When I replied to Ojou-sama who turned around and asked me, she tilted her head cutely.

 Seeing that figure, I suddenly understood. The root of the frustration that has been nesting in my heart for so long.

 Ah, quitting while he's ahead.

 After stealing Ritia Ojou-sama's heart, that man left the stage. 

 And most of all, the thing that irritates me is that he's not here when Ojou-sama wants him to be by her side the most.

"Ojou-sama. Let's change our plans."

"Eh? Why?"

“I can assume that the Croche family will have no problem with the relationship if we go at a later date. I think it will give a different impression if we take our time rather than being pressed for time."

 When I put my hand on the bewildered Ojou-sama's shoulder, who was saying "Eh? Eh?", I gently urged her forward.

 After the war, the fog that had covered my mind cleared, I suddenly pictured Miss Mashiro and the girl we had just met with, and I made a decision in my heart.

 A maid will never be able to stand side by side with her master. Then all I have to do is obtain a position that will allow me to return to that place again.

 Return to nobility. Since ancient times, there have been very few cases in which a person who was a nobleman, became a commoner and went back to being a nobleman again. The reason for this is simply that there is a background of severance, which is an insurmountable barrier that hinders those who wish to return to the nobility.

 It's not impossible, just difficult to achieve.

"......It will take some time, but please wait. Ojou-sama."

"W-what are you saying this time? Or rather, I can walk by myself, so don't push me!"

 If you can't be depended on, you just have to get the power to be depended on.

 So I decided in my heart that I would once again become the head of a noble family that once existed as a branch of the Fregrance family.