The Empire’s Founding Day festival arrived faster than I had thought. The first to bring it up during mealtime was Clemens.

“The Founding Day festival is coming up.”

Clemens placed a small piece of fish in front of me.

‘I was wondering about that!’

My ears perked up at Clemens’s words.

“Yes, it’s about a month away.”

“Do you think the key events will be the same as last year?”

“Probably. It’s been the same for the past ten years.”

Noticing I wasn’t eating the fish I’d cut up, Clemens tenderly asked,

“Don’t like fish? Should I bring something else?”

Realizing I’d forgotten to eat, I quickly put it in my mouth.

“Don’t you know how to eat by yourself?”

Dayban, sitting right beside me, whispered into my ear.

‘Come to think of it, the twins still don’t like me.’

Clemens and the Duke had accepted me as family, but I’d only recently met the twins. It was natural for them to be uncomfortable around me.

‘I shouldn’t act too spoiled around Clemens in front of them.’

While chewing on the fish, I glanced at Dayban and then at Michael.

Dayban was slicing a large steak into bitesized pieces.

“So, you can’t eat this by yourself either?”

A piece of the nicely sliced steak landed on my plate. I stared at it, then at Dayban, and then back at the meat.

‘What’s going on…?’

“Do I have to slice that for you as well?”

Chomp chomp.

Proving I could eat it, I chewed diligently, and Dayban quickly cut me another piece.

“You need it sliced like this to eat.”

‘Really, what’s going on…?’

I can cut the meat myself.

Michael, sitting across from me, looked at Dayban with a sour expression.

“Dayban, Diane prefers fish over meat. Or something with a cream sauce.”

“Dayban, I’ve been cutting Diane’s meat. Eat yours.”

Clemens and the Duke spoke in turn.

Dayban looked at the Duke’s plate of meat with discontent and started to cut his own meat into large pieces and shove it into his mouth.

Michael let out a brief sigh on the other side.

Clearing his throat, Clemens began to speak.

“So, Father, I’ll be staying at the mansion this time.”

“You have duties as a proxy. It would be good to familiarize yourself with the capital this time.”

“I’ve gotten busier with the business I was overseeing last time. There are also new contracts.”

“Ah, is that so?”

The Duke glanced at me for a moment. Clemens looked a bit awkward.

“I really am busy.”
Why are they looking at me? I found it puzzling, but that wasn’t the important issue right now.

“What’s the Founding Festival?”

Upon asking nonchalantly, Clemens kindly answered.

“It’s a festival held annually to commemorate the founding of the empire.”

“Festival?”

I asked as if I didn’t know, though I did. As Clemens passionately explained, my mind raced.

‘If we go to the capital, we can’t use teleport… then the Duke would probably set out around a fortnight from now.’

Now was the perfect time to say I’d like to go to the Founding Festival.

“The royal family allocates a generous budget, and there’s plenty of sponsorship. Other lords also visit, generating a lot of tourism revenue.”

By the time Clemens finished explaining the Founding Festival, I spoke with a visibly excited expression.

“Wow! That sounds really fun! I want to go with Dad!”

Clemens stiffened.

“My dear, you can hold a festival in Hesera as well. You don’t need to go all the way to the capital.”

“That’s true, the journey to the capital would be long. Perhaps it’s too early for you.”

“Right, don’t be a nuisance by following your father.”

The only quiet one was Mikael. Everyone chimed in to oppose my trip to the capital.

But I wasn’t going to give up easily. I had talked to Silver Snake and, more than anything, felt even more rushed after hearing his words.

The Duke’s reason to go to the capital for the Founding Festival also involved the royal family. Every great noble has a duty to pay tribute to the Emperor at least once a year.

So if I followed the Duke to the capital, I’d naturally get a chance to approach the royal family.

Despite everyone’s strong opposition, I kept shaking my head.

“But if Dad goes, he will be away for a long time. I don’t want to be separated from Dad…”

I broached the topic with a gloomy expression and glanced up at the Duke. The Duke, who was cutting meat, froze. I knew that expression of his very, very well.

‘He’s considering!’

I fiddled with my fingers as I spoke.

“I’ve heard the capital is far away, I won’t see you for days.”

“…”

“I don’t like that, I want to be with Dad.”

“…”

“I can’t play much because of work as it is…”

The last part was more because I rarely visited the Duke’s chamber.

But it was true; the Duke was indeed a busy person. He was not only the lord of the expansive Hesera but also conducted many businesses under the name of his family.

Even this meal was a rare occasion that the Duke barely managed to find time for.

The Duke put his knife down. It seemed as if the knife he was holding had bent a bit.

“Let’s go together.”

“Really?!”

“But you must always stay with the escort and absolutely avoid causing accidents. Stick with me when we are there…”

The Duke laid out several precautions. I had to stick with Dad all day, hold his hand when walking around, and so on.

I nodded vigorously as I popped a piece of meat that Dayb cut for me behind the Duke’s back into my mouth.

‘Got it!’

That’s when Clemens hastily spoke.

“Upon reflection, I am not that busy either, Father.”

“…”

“I think I can go to the Founding Festival. No, I must go.”

“…”

“As Father said, the Founding Festival is not a frequent event. Gaining experience there is important too.”

The Duke let out a smile of triumph and casually said,

“Thought you were busy?”