The rumors spread in an instant.
It was because I acted so openly. I borrowed Roti from Jake and walked around with her by my side — not that I truly *walked* around with her, of course. It's just the way it sounds — or I kept her with me as part of our "noble group." Either way, in a hotel where nearly all the first-year academy students were gathered, there was no way the rumors wouldn't spread.
Moreover, I didn’t just engage in such visible actions.
“Knight’s title... are you serious?”
“I’m talking about the person who saved the princess’s life. It’s not impossible to bestow such a reward, even if it’s a temporary title that won’t carry down to future generations.”
“But doesn’t it require the Emperor’s approval to grant such a title?”
“Do you think His Majesty, who dearly loves his daughter, would say nothing and let it slide?”
At my words, Roti fell silent.
Alice, who had been watching us from a nearby table, looked as though she was about to snort, but I ignored her and continued speaking.
Well, anyway, I knew the Emperor would find such a proposal amusing and would likely accept it.
It would provide a good reason, after all, for claiming that she had done a favor for the future Duke of Lindbergh.
Normally, I would choose a seat by the window or against a wall when picking a spot in a restaurant. I wouldn’t want to sit in a place where I’d attract attention. But now, that wasn’t the case. The more attention I drew, the better.
So, I bit my lip and deliberately chose a seat in the center of the room, enduring the discomfort.
“But Your Highness, that incident...”
“Baker.”
I interrupted Roti and called out to Lily, who happened to be passing by our table.
“Yes... yes, Your Highness!?“
Lily, suddenly being called out by me, turned pale.
She had probably been doing it on purpose. Ever since I started sitting alone with Roti, she seemed to want to get a sense of whether I was bothering her. She even jumped into the crowd of nobles to figure it out.
However, the conversation we were having now was slightly different. This was likely purely out of curiosity.
She must have deliberately put less food on her plate and casually walked by us, trying to eavesdrop.
“Baker, you were nearby at the time, weren’t you?”
“Eh? Ah, yes...”
Feeling the eyes that had been on Roti and me shifting to her, Lily squirmed uncomfortably, twisting her body this way and that.
“Didn’t you see Roti save me back then?”
“Y-Yes, I did.”
“Exactly.”
I repeated my words to emphasize my point and looked at Roti.
“With a witness like this, I don’t think anyone will be able to refute it.”
Alice made a face as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but she didn’t try to refute my words.
Claire, sitting across from Alice, and Leo, sitting between them, were staring at me with their mouths agape. It wasn’t until Claire slapped Leo’s arm that he snapped out of it and quickly began cutting his steak. But in his haste, some sauce spilled onto his clothes.
Why? Are you jealous?
Should I make an opportunity to tease Leo a bit? Watching Leo turn pale after hearing all this would be amusing.
Besides, since Leo is a guy, maybe rumors of an affair will start circulating.
“Anyway, my mind is made up.”
“But, then... what about the young master?”
“I’ve already told Jake.”
“...”
At that, Roti’s expression grew cloudy for the first time since I had started speaking.
“Did the young master agree?”
“Yes, he did.”
Looking at Roti’s dimmed expression, I felt slightly flustered.
Why? Isn’t she supposed to be happy about this? Jake wouldn’t spare a glance for any woman other than Roti.
I thought for a moment and realized that I might have misunderstood something at a deeper level.
Wait, so... is that it?
Could it be that Roti wasn’t fully confident that Jake liked her? That’s why she feels comfortable being by Jake’s side as a maid, thinking she’s safer that way?
Hmm.
But if that’s the case, I couldn’t really do anything about it. Jake would keep Roti by his side even if she became more than just a maid, but if Roti herself couldn’t gain that confidence...
“You don’t need to worry too much.”
I figured I should add a few reassuring words, just to be safe.
“You don’t need to worry about losing your job. It’s quite common for a daughter of a baron family to become a maid in a duke’s household. Roti will only be receiving a knight’s title, so unless she intentionally quits, she should be able to continue working just fine.”
“...I understand.”
After hearing my words, Roti’s expression relaxed a bit.
So, it looks like I was right.
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This couple is more troublesome than I thought.
...Well, I’ve done my part, so the rest is up to Jake. That’s the common sense of this age, right?
I guess I’ll be satisfied with just lowering the difficulty a bit.
*
After finishing our meal, a maid was waiting outside.
Though she wasn’t wearing a maid’s outfit, she introduced herself as “a servant of the Lindbergh family,” so I suppose it wouldn’t be wrong to call her a maid.
Dressed in a luxurious suit, she handed me a similarly elegant envelope and said:
“Lord Lindbergh would like to have tea with Your Highness. He said that, while you are staying here, if you give him a time and place, he’ll come right away.”
I wouldn’t leave until I checked the letter, so I opened it immediately and read its contents. Apart from some decorative phrases, the message was basically the same as what the maid had just said.
“I see.”
When I responded, the maid bowed slightly.
“Would it be possible now?”
She froze as soon as I said that.
“The location—”
“I’ll go to him. Couldn’t you accompany me on your way back?”
They say, strike while the iron is hot. It’s more convenient for both of us if we talk now.
But at my words, the maid immediately wore an apologetic expression.
“However, Lord Lindbergh is not at the estate right now.”
“May I ask where he is?”
“...He’s at the farm. There is a mansion there, but...”
“I’m fine with that. Wouldn’t it be better for us to take care of this while the opportunity presents itself?”
“Understood.”
It seemed that the maid had made up her mind after hearing my words.
‘Anytime, anywhere,’ I had said.
“So, you’re going to meet the Duke now?” Alice, who had been eavesdropping, asked.
“Would you like to come with me?”
When I asked, Alice furrowed her brow for a moment before replying.
“Yeah, I’ll go with you.”
“But if you do—”
“I’ll be the one to do the talking.”
“...Understood.”
The maid, slightly startled by Alice’s words, clearly couldn’t argue with what the princess had said.
“Oh, may I come along and have a look?” Charlotte immediately butted in.
“I’ve never seen the farm since I got here. It might be interesting to visit the grand farm that the Empire is so proud of.”
“....”
The maid hesitated for a moment, then looked at me.
“In that case, I suppose it’s best to check with the Duke first.”
“...Understood.”
The maid lowered her head respectfully again and turned to leave. As she made her way back, I suddenly realized: she’s a foreigner.
*
People often think that the military-industrial complex rules the world just because they sell weapons.
After all, weapons are tools that kill people, and manufacturing them requires advanced technology. Even in a place without semiconductor development like this, it’s still the military sector that leads technological innovation.
It’s often said that new technologies are first tested on the battlefield, so it isn’t too strange to think this way.
But in reality, those who make guns and cannons are always at the mercy of those who buy their products. When those buyers switch suppliers, the makers of weapons go bankrupt.
It’s the military contractors who always cater to the needs of their clients.
So, to say that these people rule the world? That doesn’t make sense. They’d be dragged around by the collar if it came to that.
The real world rulers are those who sell fruit.
Everyone can easily buy and eat fruit, and nobody’s upset if they don’t buy it. Leftover and overripe fruits are turned into juice and sold, while nearly spoiled fruit is dumped on colonized natives, but it’s not free, of course. The price includes shipping across two oceans.
Thanks to this, the fruit business is always profitable. The same goes for anything else. The trade between the homeland and the colonies always favors the homeland.
Despite the Duke’s intentions, the number of guests increased, and we ended up taking the bus.
And as we entered the vast farm, no one in the bus could speak.
The size of the farm was enormous, no doubt about it.
“...It’s amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the oranges in the Empire came from here,” Charlotte muttered.
No one really responded, but they all seemed to agree with her.
Even though the sun was nearly set, many people were still working on the farm.
Of course, almost all of them were native workers.