Chapter 182: Meeting with the King (1)
Translated by AmaLynne
Sam, escorted to the king’s office, was asked to sit on the sofa and did so.
Instead of a maid, coffee preparations were underway.
“Uh, Your Majesty?”
“I’ve been getting into coffee recently. I select my favorites from various beans and pay attention to the equipment. Do you like coffee?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good to hear. Francis and Stella seem to prefer tea, and though they accompany me, they don’t seem to enjoy it much.”
The rich aroma of coffee filled the room, and with a smile, King Clyde handed Sam a cup.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy this.”
Sam liked both coffee and tea.
While he often drank green tea from his previous world, he had also frequented coffee chains worldwide, although not to the extent Clyde did.
He enjoyed coffee for its own sake, but he recalled that some of his friends had made it a hobby, even obsessing over coffee-making equipment.
“—It’s delicious.”
Sam’s comment wasn’t flattery; the coffee was well-balanced and truly tasty. Clyde’s face relaxed upon hearing Sam’s words.
“That’s good to hear. Oh, right, there was something I wanted to discuss. It seems Lise is pregnant. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“I hope Lise will be happy with you.”
“I’d be happy if that were the case.”
If Lise were happy, Sam would be too.
Given her unhappy previous marriage, he wanted to make her so happy that she could forget her painful past.
“Have you heard about the Michel family?”
“Yes.”
“Julian Michel is dead, and Misery Michel went insane and committed suicide. It’s self-inflicted, but it’s truly pathetic. There’s no room for sympathy, though.”
“I agree.”
Sam has no sympathy for them, as it’s their fault.
They could have just behaved themselves after losing their manhood, but they made foolish moves like taking Kotomi hostage, which led to them losing both arms.
As a result, they attempted suicide but couldn’t die, and ultimately died at the hands of their mother.
Their mother, too, went insane and committed suicide by smashing her head against a wall due to the shock of killing her beloved son. Instead of atoning for their sins, they chose the easy way out.
“The remaining members of the Michel family have been demoted from earls to barons. That’s about all the penalty I can give them, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
Sam doesn’t care about people who are no longer here, and he has no intention of getting involved with that family in the future.
“By the way, you probably already know, but I met with Kurando recently.”
“Sorry about his arm.”
Sam didn’t expect Kuranso to refuse treatment for his arm.
Magnolia also backed down easily when Kurando refused treatment, so he would likely continue living as a one-armed man.
However, that didn’t mean he had lost his skills as a swordsman.
Sam hoped never to face him in battle again.
“Very well. Not treating it was his choice. He made those decisions. I should apologize to you. Kurando was an irreplaceable friend to me. That’s why I offered leniency, which you may disagree with. Sorry.”
“It’s alright. Kurando-sama was also a victim.”
“I apologize. The position of Sword Saint will eventually be inherited by Mizuki. However, it’s too soon for that now. The recent incident, though regrettable, has already spread too widely. Therefore, it’s impossible to make Mizuki the Sword Saint at this time. Besides, Kurando says she doesn’t have the required level of skill yet.”
“I’ll leave that matter to you.”
“Isn’t it about your wife?”
Sam looked troubled at the king’s words.
The decision to make Mizuki Sam’s fiancée was Clyde’s judgment.
Mizuki herself seemed to understand that she was also a hostage, but Sam wasn’t entirely convinced.
However, if both Kurando and Mizuki agreed, he didn’t intend to interfere.
“It doesn’t matter to me whether Mizuki-sama becomes the Sword Saint or not. I accepted our engagement thinking it was fate, not because she’s the Sword Saint’s daughter.”
“Sometimes, I envy that about you. When I was young, I couldn’t be like you.”
“It’s because of my inexperience. I’m truly ashamed.”
Sam had a good relationship with Mizuki.
There was no sense of desperation since she came as a hostage. Moreover, Sam and the Walker Count’s family treated her as one of his fiancées, so she always had a smile on her face.
Although she lived apart from her father and sister, it wasn’t as if she couldn’t meet them, so she would visit them when she had the time.
Sam also spent time with her.
“Hehe, that’s fine. That’s what you wish for. Anyway, there have been suggestions to grant you territories, including for Lise, Stella, Hanae, and Mizuki.”
“I’m fine.”
“…Let me finish.”
“I don’t need it.”
“That’s why…”
“I don’t need it.”
“…Sigh. You’re not greedy at all. Usually, people would be delighted to receive territories.”
Sam shrugged his shoulders at the king’s wry smile.
“Even if I received territories, I couldn’t bear the responsibility of managing the livelihoods of the residents. In the future, even if such offers come up, I won’t accept them.”
“Is that your wish?”
“Yes. I’m more suited to a leisurely life in the capital.”
“When I look back on Sam’s past, he doesn’t seem very laid-back.”
“Ah, hahaha, let’s leave it at that.”
“Well, alright then. We’ll do as you wish. It’s more convenient for me if you stay in the capital.”
“Thank you.”
Sam was genuinely relieved not to receive any territories.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l