I Was Reincarnated as a Commoner. I Can’t Stand Living Like This, so I’ll Become an Aristocrat! C182

182, Memories of summer vacation

The next day I met Tino. 

I have plans for a tea party with Martine and the others today. It's a tea party and luncheon, so Martine and Stéphane are scheduled to arrive before noon. 

Lucien and I had already gathered in the reception room and were talking while waiting for them. There are only two people in the room. 

"What did Lucien do during the summer vacation?"

"Basically, it's training and studying. However, I met Stefan and the others a few times. I also met some other friends. After that, I just attended a gathering of nobles."

“A gathering of aristocrats?”

"Ah, it's like a tea party where people of similar age and rank gather. They say the purpose is to deepen friendships, but it's more like finding a fiancée."

"There's such a gathering..."

Even though she's only ten years old, she's already fiancée. Being an aristocrat is tough. 

“Does Lucien have a fiancé?”

"No, I'm not there yet. I've narrowed it down to just a few people."

“Oh, really!? I know someone too?”

"No, I don't think you know Leon. Most of them are old enough that they haven't entered the Royal Academy yet. I only know his name, but I've never met him."

I don't want to meet a potential fiancée I've never met. I guess this is because I have a Japanese way of thinking about free love. 

Are Martine and Stefan also candidates? No, is there a possibility that those two have already been decided... 

"Have Martine and Stefan already been decided? They're the first prince and first princess..."

"No, it hasn't been decided yet. That's why there are so many people desperately trying to become their fiancée. However, they will have to decide within the next few years."

"...I see."

It's a little sad that everyone seems to be going far away. As if to shake off that lonely feeling, I decided to ask him the question I had before. 

"I've thought about it before. Is it possible that Martine and Lucien are engaged?"

"Me and Martine? That's definitely not the case, right?"

"Absolutely? Isn't it quite possible in terms of peerage?"

"I see, Leon didn't know..."

When Lucien said that, he muttered with a surprised expression. What, do you have any secrets? 

“Is there something?”

"No, Martine and I are cousins. Cousins ​​can get married, but it's not recommended. Therefore, I won't get engaged to Martine."

“Oh, you’re my cousin!? Then Stefan too!?”

"That's right."

Wait, this is the first time I've heard of such a shocking fact! After all, it was like meeting the two of us for the first time! I've never heard anything like that before! 

If you and Lucien are cousins, that means your parents are brothers, right? 

“Who are siblings? Christoph-sama and Elisabeth-sama? Or Alexis-sama and Sofia-sama?”

"His Majesty and Mother."

“So, Sophia-sama was a former princess!?”

"That's right. Didn't you know? Your grandfather also called your mother Sophia-sama, right? I've heard that it's an old habit."

“Certainly…I feel that way.”

There's no way you'll notice such small details! It was the biggest shock this year. No, it was the biggest shock of my life. 

So, Alexis-sama, Sofia-sama, and Tristan-sama, the principal of the Royal School, are brothers? I think I've heard about three brothers before. I ignored him at the time, but I couldn't believe he was someone I already knew. 

But I still can't believe he's my cousin. It wasn't like that at all, was it? 

“But you and Lucien first met at the Royal Academy, right?”

“Ah, apparently we met when I was too young to remember, but we haven’t seen each other since then.Nobles basically live in their territories, so we don’t have many opportunities to meet them.Even if you are in a position where you can easily meet them, No, I missed the timing and ended up enrolling at the Royal College."

"That's right... It's not like the brothers aren't on good terms or anything, right?"

"I've never heard of anything like that. However, it's normal for aristocrats to not go back to their parents' homes often after getting married. Unless they're very close, I don't think they'll go see each other often. When I take over as the head of the family and my father and mother come to live in the capital, I'm sure we'll be able to see each other more than now.''

It's tough for aristocrats to not be able to go back to their hometowns often. I was really surprised. Then Martine will marry some noble like Sofia-sama, and then she will almost never come to the royal capital... 

Lucien will also be living in the territory, and it's going to get really lonely. 

I might still be able to visit Lucien by teleportation, but it will be difficult for Martine. After all, a man who frequently visits his wife can only cause trouble. No matter how generous her husband is, he probably won't like it. 

Sigh, I feel kind of depressed. Even the fun times we have now have an end. 

While I was listening to Lucien's shocking story, I received news that Martine and Stéphane had arrived. The two soon arrive in the room. 

“Stefan-sama, Martine-sama, it’s been a while.”

"Leon, it's been a while. I'm glad to see you!"

"Leon, you're finally back."

"Yes. I came back a few days ago."

There was a servant, so I gave a formal greeting, had lunch prepared, and then it was just the four of us in the room. 

Martine was the first to speak. 

``My summer vacation wasn't fun because Leon wasn't there.''

Martine said that with a slightly dissatisfied face and puffed out her cheeks. I'm really grateful to hear you say something like that. 

But maybe this is just for now...I feel a little lonely as I drag out the conversation I had with Lucien earlier. 

However, so as not to let anyone know, I returned it to Martine with my usual smile. 

"I'm sorry. I'll be in the city center for a while, so let's have a tea party. What did Martine do during her summer vacation?"

When I answered that, Martine's expression immediately changed from a smile to a worried one. 

"...Leon, is something wrong?"

　He asked me that while looking into my face. I should have been smiling like usual... 

Why does Martine always find out? Even though she thinks so, she is happy that he noticed her, and she has mixed feelings about it. 

"I just heard a shocking story from Lucien, and I haven't been able to think clearly yet. That's all, I'm fine."

“What shocking story did Lucien tell you?”

Stefan asked me that, so I decided to briefly talk about what I said earlier. 

``Lucien and Martine were really surprised to hear that Stéphane were cousins.''

"Leon didn't know."

"I do know that we are cousins, but I don't think about it on a daily basis. If anything, I think we are friends."

“But is that really that surprising?”

"I was really surprised. They're all cousins, and I never expected that Sophia-sama was a former princess."

"Are you sure? But why did you say that?"

"We were talking about everyone's fiancées. Lucien hasn't been decided yet, but there are candidates. It seems that the two of them haven't been decided yet...but are there any candidates?"

When I asked that, Martine immediately looked disgusted. 

“Are you talking about your fiancé here as well?”

"Haha... Martine is tired of the nobles who are aiming to be her fiancée. She says that when she meets a man, she sells herself, and when she meets a woman, she sells her family."

"I really hate it! Everyone thinks I'm an accessory or something."

Martine said that angrily. I'm sure you said that before. That's right, it's time to talk about inviting aristocrats to a luncheon. 

"I'm sure you said that before."

"I'm tired of it! I won't get married unless someone looks out for me."

``Martine hasn't decided on a fiancé at all, so it will probably be a while before she decides on a fiancée.Right now, there's no country in this country that wants to strengthen their relationship by marrying Martine off.There's no need to rush that fast. No, I have already decided on a candidate.”

I see, it will still be a while before Martine's fiance is decided. Well then, I guess we can still talk as happily as we do now for a while. 

Once I realized that fact, I felt the depressed feeling I had felt just now disappear, as if it were a lie. 

I feel like my current feelings are a bit bad, but... well, let's not worry about it for now. Let's just enjoy this moment. When I thought about this, I felt really relieved and started to enjoy myself. 

"Then I won't be able to see Martine for a while."

"Even if I get married, I'll only meet the four of us. I won't get married unless I'm with someone who allows me to do that."

"Hehe...I don't think there is anyone like that."

“If you don’t have one, you don’t have to get married.”

"Haha...If you see this Martine now, all the nobles of your age will be disappointed."

Lucien said that and laughed. 

"Okay! Now that this story is over, let's talk about something more fun. I want to hear about Leon. What did you do during your summer vacation?"

"That's right. I basically stayed at my parents' house, but besides that, I went to Ronnie's orphanage and Marcel-san's workshop. Also, I worked on developing dishes."

“Did you develop another new dish?”

“What kind of food are you going to cook this time?”

Everyone's eyes lit up as soon as they talked about cooking. After all, children are better food than fiancés. 

After that, we all had fun talking about our time off, and with an hour left until dinner time, we regretfully broke up. 

After all, it's fun talking to everyone. I strongly felt that I wanted to continue to get along with everyone like this.