Chapter 182 – 15. Return (3)

“Oh, welcome! I’ve been waiting for you to visit our estate!”

The one who greeted the delegation was a middle-aged man with blue hair.

Propylene Marquis.

If Serenia made the biggest contribution on the offensive side, Marquis Propylene made the biggest contribution on the defensive side. While the hero’s party and the Continental Alliance pierced the road to the Devil Castle, the Marquis defended the kingdom as an amazing military leader.

And that swordsmanship.

He received amazing achievements from the warrior Pedro several times, and even got one of the best skills in the kingdom.

Thanks to this, the propylene family, which was a count family, became a marquis and was granted a larger territory.

“Haha, I don’t know how many years I haven’t seen the princesses.”

“Isn’t that because the Marquis doesn’t come out well in the estate?”

“Anyway, when you get old, the house becomes the best.”

The Marquis smiles and jokes lightly.

But Mercedes and Marie couldn’t help but laugh.

Their eyes went to the Marquis’ right leg and left eye, respectively.

Legs that look natural but feel a sense of alienation somewhere, and eyes with stylish black eyepatch. It was the price he earned the credit for elevating his family to a marquess. There was no way that his desperate swordsmanship would disappear, but it was enough to narrow his range of action his.

After reading the emotions in the princesses’ eyes, he turned his head with a small smile.

“Oh, my daughter! It’s been a while since the day of the martial arts competition!”

“Marquis! Che-che-tong…”

Haha!! I often take vacations, so I’m sad inside!”

Realizing that the Marquis’ exaggerated behavior was a consideration for them, the princesses soon smiled slightly. He did this, and there was no need to remain depressed.

“Ooh, judging by how well the muscles are established, it must have been sincere training.”

“Ah! Whoa, Marquis… Eight! Father! Stop it!”

“…”

Of course, I wondered if it was really an exaggeration.

Valdez was watching the reunion of the marquis from a little distance with a bizarre gaze.

‘It’s filthy awkward.’

Albertz Propylene, now the Marquis of Propylene. Of course, Valdez knew him well. He was close enough to teach him a few sword skills, and the Marquis longed for the warrior Pedro and followed him well.

That’s why the current look was somewhat awkward.

At that time, a young man who showed a naive and lively appearance for a noble boy has become a father and the head of a family before he knew it. Valdez saw that several characters changed over the course of 18 years, but the Marquis Propylene had a particularly severe sense of estrangement.

‘Besides, I even touched my daughter….’

Valdez’s gaze was focused on Ethylene.

It was different from the cold and sober knight he usually shows, or the woman who loves him terribly. Ethylene with the face of a daughter with an otherwise rude father.

Facts that had been forgotten for a while began to settle in Valdez’s head his.

That Ethylene is the daughter of her close associate and admirer of her. Unlike Mercedes, she had never seen Ethylene in her childhood. She thought that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to touch him easily either. Whenever she sees Ethylene, her childlike face her will come to mind.

‘… No, isn’t that another?’

Come to think of it, if it was real, I wouldn’t even touch Mercedes.

In any case, what was certain was that her conscience pricked her conscience for nothing when she saw the affectionate appearance of her father and daughter her together.

The Marquis Propylene, who was delighted with her reunion her with her daughter her, looked around her delegation her after greeting her. Looking for someone. After looking around for a while, the marquis found Valdes and slightly raised the corner of his mouth his. He had been looking for Valdés from the beginning, but he had never thought he would be so close, so he found him from afar.

The Marquis soon strode towards the boy and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you, Lord Valdes. You are the famous boy hero.”

“… Meet the Marquis of Propylene. Your words are overrated.”

“Haha. How famous you are. Aren’t you a disciple of Sir Serenia, second only to the achievements you made in Ventorino?”

The marquise’s eyes watched him keenly.

Full of interest, but fierce eyes ran over his body.

Although it was later than Serenia, Marquis Propylene was also a sword master. An aura that could overwhelm an ordinary knight with just momentum without mana pressure. Valdez almost reacted involuntarily, but he barely endured it.

“I see… It’s amazing. From the built-in mana to the trained body… I can’t believe he’s his age.”

“It’s too much praise.”

“No, I’m not exaggerating. Sir Serenia deserves to be my disciple. If possible, I’d like to make a connection somehow.”

He looked at Ethylene, his daughter, with mischievous eyes. Then she blushed in amazement as if Ethylene had been caught. Even the appearance of her keeping her mouth shut in that state and smoking her other words her.

It was the Marquis who was taken aback by her reaction to her.

“Yes?”

She reacts so blatantly that there was no fool who would not notice.

“… Sir Valdes?”

“…Yes.”

“Is there anything I should know?”

“I’m not sure.”

“…”

Once again, fierce eyes glanced at him. And Valdez, as before, showed off the Marquis’s energy with a calm expression and acted as if he didn’t know anything.

In the midst of such a confrontation for a long time, the first to give up was the Marquis Propylene. He sighed and touched his head her.

“Ha, I’ve been holding on to the customer for too long.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the servants guided the delegation to the place to stay.

“For now, I’m busy with work, so I’ll step back. Everyone… See you at dinner.”

“I understand, Marquis.”

After answering the words of Mercedes and the Marquis, he gladed at Valdes as if urging an answer. The former was addressed to the princesses, but the latter seemed to be addressed to the delegation and was clearly aimed at him.

In the end, Valdez also opened his mouth.

“Okay… I see, Marquis.”

The Marquis Propylene turned his back disapprovingly and went back to his office.

As the envoys scattered here and there following the servants, Ethylene ran to Valdez.

“Ah, that, Lord, Master. That’s…”

“It’s okay. It’s about this much, I have to endure it.”

“Ah…”

To Ethylene, who made a very apologetic face, she replied that Valdez did not care.

Wasn’t she also deliberately reacting that way? She may just be embarrassed by her father’s sudden antics of her. Perhaps the Marquis of Propylene also didn’t know that he would be caught in a light prank. She has a daughter over the age of one, and it was odd that her father wasn’t interested in her.

“And watch your words. This is your home. Who knows how to listen.”

“All right!”

All in all, since she reacted like that when there were many servants around her, even a few people must have noticed Ethylene’s feelings of her. They must have been keeping a close eye on each other, but there was nothing good about their relationship being exposed.

“Somehow, I feel like I’ve met my father-in-law. … Huh? It’s not a feeling, is it?”

Valdez was guided by another attendant to the bedroom assigned to him, and she murmured softly.

Come to think of it, that wasn’t a huge mistake. Anyway he was thinking of getting her as one of Ethylene’s own wives of her. He, of course, did not decide whether he was a wife or a concubine, but she did not intend to make a big difference in treatment. I don’t know about it in terms of authority.

‘Father-in-law… Are you a father-in-law?’

A laugh came out.

It was the first time in my life to taste it.

Of course, none of the women he had ever embraced, especially those whom he intended to take as future wives, could be called parents.

Starting with the demon king and Irena, who could be said to be the royal family, they had no parents. Common demons were often in a calm relationship with their parents, and there were many times when they did not raise them themselves. There was a big age difference, so when the first one grew up, there were a lot of cases where the first child was entrusted to the first one.

And since all three of Ulstro’s mothers and daughters were his women, he did n’t particularly feel that Beatrice was his mother-in-law his. When she called her mother-in-law sometimes, she called her by her first name when playing a little.

So are the others.

“… It’s fun.”

Valdez, lost in thought alone, heads to the bedroom.

Ethylene stared back at the back of her master her, the man she loved. She made an apologetic expression towards him, and while talking again, she was smiling as if she was satisfied with living here.

Seeing the corner of her mouth she lifted slightly, Marie, who was slightly away from her, tapped her older sister with her elbow.

“Wow, sister. Look at her. Isn’t that normal?”

“That’s right… It’s a very advanced level.”

Valdez didn’t notice, but his princess sister was sure.

What she saw just before her was her performance of her. I don’t know anything else, but in this respect, they knew more about ethylene than Valdez. In fact, even if it wasn’t that, it was Mercedes and Marie who usually spent more time together than him.

She sensed that while Ethylene was outwardly submissive and that she did not care what the situation was, she was at the same time hiding a ploy she wanted. And it seemed that her heart was slowly revealing itself as she finally came to her own base.

“What do you think of my sister?”

“Me? I…”

Mercedes was quickly troubled.

I don’t know exactly what it is, but she seems to be plotting something Ethylene. She wondered if she could just leave her alone. Her troubles her did not last long.

“What, would it be okay?”

“Really? If it’s your sister, then I don’t care.”

In conclusion, both decided not to care about ethylene.

Her loyalty had been fully tasted and understood by now. As long as Ethylene wasn’t trying to take their place, they could have been given a little more freedom. Now, there are few rivals in the battle for Valdes, but countless women will appear every time he conquers the continent while seeking revenge.

There was no guarantee that there would n’t be a woman among them who would fit into Valdez’s heart his, or who would be close to his ideal type his. So, even from now on, we need to cooperate with each other and build a strong relationship. If Ethylene also fell in love with Valdez, it was clear that she would be instrumental in that.

“Yeah. Ethylene deserves to be loved and happy.”

“Yes.”

After a decent conversation, the sisters headed to their allotted lodgings.

After the delegation unpacked their luggage in their respective sleeping quarters and relieved their travel fatigue, time quickly passed and it was evening.

The person at the head of the long table in the dining room was, of course, Marquis Propylene, the owner of the Marquis family. To guarantee the authority of the nobility, to be precise, the head of the family who had the territory, even if the king or queen visited, the highest seat in the territory was the head of the family.

Right next to them are the two sisters of the royal family.

And then surprisingly, it was assigned to Ethylene and Valdez.

In other words, the two were seated facing each other.

“…”

Valdez felt strange in this strangely uncomfortable position, but for now he let it go. I wondered if he would have seated himself, who hadn’t even been appointed as a knight yet, because of what had happened before.

Ethylene showed a very sorry expression for Valdez, who was quietly eating. It was so blatant that Valdez realized there was something there. Of course, that didn’t mean he suddenly overturned the table, but he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

In a place where such a friendly conversation and uncomfortable atmosphere came and went at the same time, the Marquis suddenly threw out a word.

“So, which one of these is Lord Valdez’s partner?”

“?!”