Chapter 194: The Problem Remains
Translated by AmaLynne
“Congratulations, Alicia, Sam!”
After making Alicia his fiancée, Sam headed to report to Jonathan and Grace.
The two of them were having tea in the dining room, along with Lieselotte, Erika, Hanae, and Mizuki.
All six of them sincerely celebrated Sam and Alicia’s engagement.
Particularly, Lieselotte, who knew she had considered stepping back because of her, was overjoyed.
Jonathan and Grace also seemed relieved that their reserved daughter was happily engaged to the boy she loved.
“Speaking of which, all the sisters are head over heels for Sam, aren’t they?”
Erika laughed.
She was right; the eldest daughter, Ulrike, Liselotte, and now Alicia all loved Sam.
And Sam loved all three of them.
“W-wait, Erika… You too, Sam?”
Jonathan misunderstood his youngest daughter’s statement slightly and panicked.
“No, no! I respect him as a mage, but Sam is like a cute little brother to me!”
Erika clarified that she considered Sam as a beloved little brother.
Jonathan and Grace sighed with relief.
Their parents’ attitude wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t that they disliked Sam, but they found it a bit unusual that all their daughters were marrying the same boy.
Especially now that Erika’s marriage proposal was progressing well, they couldn’t easily break off an engagement.
“But, Father, Mother, I hate to bring this up on such a festive occasion, but I don’t think Jim will give up on Alicia so easily.”
Erika said, hesitating a bit as she realized she might dampen the mood.
“Yeah, that’s a dilemma.”
“It’s not as extreme as Gunther’s infatuation with Sister Ulrike, but Jim has been fixated on Sister Alicia since way back.”
“Come on, Erika, let’s not be so harsh.”
Erika’s comments seemed to reflect her unfavorable view of Jim Robert.
“Well, from my perspective, Gunther and Jim aren’t all that different.”
“Setting Gunther aside, the real issue is what to do about Jim. I intend to explain that there’s no romantic connection, and I don’t think the other party will push too hard. However, it’s undeniable that Jim has feelings for Alicia, just as Erika mentioned.”
Sam refrained from interfering in the discussion about the Walker family, but he gently held Alicia’s hand, who looked uncomfortable with the topic being about him.
“Sam-sama…”
“Don’t worry, Alicia. Let’s trust in your husband.”
“Yes.”
When Sam smiled, Alicia smiled as well.
Seeing her daughters like this, Jonathan seemed satisfied and continued speaking.
“Now, what should we do? I should probably apologize to him, but I wonder if he’ll accept it.”
“I should apologize too. I pushed the conversation forward without properly considering Alicia’s feelings. I deeply regret it.”
“Mother, I’m sorry.”
“No, Alicia, you don’t need to apologize. I never expected you to dislike Jim. But now that I think about it, I’ve never heard you talk about Jim. He likes you, and he’s been talking about you at home. I was just happy that the other party liked you. Please forgive your mother.”
“Mother, you’re not at fault.”
Alicia shook her head at Grace’s apology.
While it was true that her mother hadn’t properly considered her opinion when advancing the conversation, Alicia had never expressed her discomfort either.
It was a two-way street.
“Um…”
Sam, who had been silently observing, hesitated before raising his hand.
“What’s wrong, Sam?”
“If it’s okay with you all, I’d like to meet with this Jim Robert.”
“No way!”
“Father?”
Jonathan immediately rejected Sam’s proposal.
Sam looked puzzled.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but what if it turns into a duel, like with Gunter, Albert, and Kurando?”
“Well, surely it won’t come to that.”
“Even if Sam has no intention of dueling, there’s a possibility the other party won’t be able to contain themselves and might challenge him. Especially from Jim’s perspective, Sam is the guy who ‘stole’ Alicia. He can’t be expected to remain calm. We certainly can’t have Grace’s friend’s son split in two!”
“I won’t do that!”
(Such baseless accusations! I have enough sense not to engage in a duel!)
Sam felt frustrated, but it wasn’t just Jonathan who felt anxious; Grace and the other fiancées nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, that’s true. When Sam leaves the estate, he tends to bring back trouble.”
“He seems to attract trouble.”
“Hahaha, well, yes, he does have a penchant for mischief.”
“…Even you, Liese-sama, Hanae, and Mizuki.”
Sam let out a sigh of resignation in response to the comments from his fiancées.
While he found it highly unlikely that a duel would occur with Alicia’s childhood friend, he couldn’t help but recall the various troubles he had gotten into during his days in the capital.
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