Chapter 79

Everyone knows it, but once I focus, it's hard to get out on my own. My parents told me that I am good enough to stay focused even if there is an explosion next to me.

However, it cannot be an advantage, and it is a feature that can be a disadvantage depending on the situation. For example, there were many cases of skipping meals without even knowing that it was time to eat.

That is why, unless it is possible to be alone, I rarely show concentration. The reason I concentrate on reading in the guest room is because I expected Sebastian to call me later.

"Is your young friend interested in history?"

"… …"

"I usually read Zeno's biography, but it's interesting."

And now, my outstanding concentration turned out to be a disadvantage, not an advantage. Even that could be the worst.

I exchanged glances with a middle-aged man looking down at me with a kind smile in front of my nose. From the impression of gentleness and sharpness coexisting, to the pure white hair with a hint of blue.

If we were to express the image of a 'gentleman', wouldn't it just be the man in front of us? In addition to his neat appearance, the suit matched very well.

'…Huh?'

The man's words, which I do not know whether it was a compliment or an indirect criticism, took a moment, and I took my eyes off him and looked at both sides alternately.

Sebastian, who was standing in a neat posture, and Marie, who had a somewhat pathetic expression on his face, caught my eye. It was only then that she was able to figure out the situation later, and at the same time, she couldn't help but panic.

The owner of the family and Marie's father, Duke Requilis, came to visit me while I was resting in the guest room.

'What, what? Why do you leave the drawing room alone?'

Sebastian brought me to the guest room, not the parlor. It is a space provided by the owner of the house to give guests a more comfortable rest, and is a kind of rest room with various things to enjoy.

If the owner of the mansion wants to see guests, it is normal to have an employee invite him to the reception room instead of directly visiting the guest room. I also knew that part, so I was able to focus on the book with peace of mind.

But the Duke of Requilis did not do that. For whatever reason, he did not invite him to the drawing room and came by himself.

Of course, it is not that the owner of the house was rude when he came to the guest room. If it is not possible to hold a formal meeting due to circumstances, there are not a few cases where they come directly like now.

However, it was only my mistake that I did not know that the 'Duke' of Requilis would do that. My unique concentration has sublimated into a weakness.

"I think I was concentrating on reading, and if I disturbed you, I apologize."

While he was sorting his head one by one like a skein of thread, Duke Requilis opened his mouth with a shaky voice.

I would have said it timidly to others, but the reverberation tube itself may be large, but the volume is quite large.

Thanks to that, my head, which had been tangled like a skein of thread, was cleared. With my head clearer, I was able to accept the current situation more accurately.

"…ah!"

I immediately thawed my frozen body and got up from my seat in a hurry. You have already committed a rude offense once, but you can't do it twice.

When he got up, he realized that he was about the same height as Sebastian. I wondered where Marie's height came from, but it must have been hereditary.

After putting aside all the useless thoughts, I was embarrassed and apologized to him.

"Oh, no. It's my fault for not noticing the Duke's arrival."

"Then I think you've got an apology. It's amazing that a young friend has that much concentration."

It may sound like a compliment to others, but at least it sounded like this to my ears.

Even though the elders of the family have come, he is said to be a gnome who is devoted to his work. It is truly a moment of dread.

The first impression is a long-lasting company, but the first impression seems to be rolled up. I blamed myself and once again offered my apology.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault."

"Hahaha. You don't have to do that too much. It wasn't a joke, it was a compliment."

Duke Requilis, who burst out laughing out loud, gently stretched out his hand afterward.

About the time when his gaze went to the hand covered in white gloves, Duke Requilis opened his mouth softly. It's a softer tone than before.

"Nice to meet you. As you may know, my name is Dmitry Housen Requilis, the head of the Duke of Requilis. He is also Marie's father. Welcome to our mansion."

"Ma, it's an honor to meet you. My name is Isaac Ducker Michel, the second son of the Michel family."

"Hmm. Michelle family…"

As I politely shook hands and introduced myself, the Duke of Requilis, Dmitry, looked down at my head.

Red hair is uncommon and I'm guessing it reminds me of my father, Hawk.

"Is your father's name Hawk?"

"Yes, that's right."

"It's fun."

what's fun Contrary to my heart burning in real time, Dmitry smiled softly.

If you see a strong force applied to the hands that are holding each other, it may be trying to instill a subtle sense of pressure.

As I let out a bitter laugh inside, Dmitry loosened his hand and shook his hand. As soon as I let go of the handshake, I hid his throbbing hand behind my back and repeated clenching and opening.

It must be the same literature as me, but the basic grip strength is no joke. Although adults are usually strong, it still hurts a little.

"First of all, you may be wondering why I came to the guest room myself. Actually, my wife is using the drawing room right now. The other one is being remodeled and can't be used."

"That's right."

"Let's have a seat first. Apparently, he was so absorbed in reading that he didn't even touch refreshments."

In fact, on the table in front of me, various foods were laid out. From square biscuits to teas that still smell steamy.

It seems that the maid came and went for a while while concentrating on reading. I let out an awkward laugh once more and tightened my tension inside.

Every word that Dmitry brings out feels like a dagger and stabs in my chest. I can't help but be even more scared because he's my girlfriend's father.

"Let Sebastian wait outside until I call. And Marie sits next to me."

"Okay. Call me if you need it."

At Dmitry's instructions, Sebastian bowed and walked out of the room, and Marie without a word moved her feet and sat down next to me.

Glancing at Marie, she had a pouty expression on her face. I think I made that face because of the ugliness I committed earlier.

It was a time when I was a bit sorry and just stared at you.

"Let me ask you this one thing right away. What's your relationship with my daughter?"

…a question that was difficult to answer came rushing in. I clenched my fists on my knees.

It was Dmitry who had the smell of a daughter-in-law from the beginning, so this was expected enough. But when I get asked the question, my mouth doesn't come off easily.

"Dad. I told you not to ask such a question. I already heard everything from the butler."

When I couldn't keep my mouth shut, Marie was screaming next to me. She looks at her and crosses her arms with one of her cheeks inflated.

Dmitry smiled broadly at his daughter's reprimand, which was full of dissatisfaction, and then waved his hand forward and apologized first.

"Hahaha. I'm sorry about this. I had no intention of trying to beat you. As my daughter said, I've already heard from the butler."

"Ah… Then…"

"As I said before, you don't have to be so nervous that I'm a duke. As you know, our duke family is very far from authoritarianism. So you're dating my daughter…"

Dmitry, who continued to speak softly, shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

"…I can't. No matter how much I think about it, this is an unacceptable problem."

"Dad!"

"Of course I'm joking, Marie."

A joke is not a joke at all. I can't say anything to the fight between father and daughter, only keeping my back straight.

'It seems like he's trying to make the atmosphere more comfortable in his own way…'

If the other nobles, even counts, were above the rank of count, there is a high possibility that they would be furious from the moment they found out that their daughter was dating the baron Yeong-sik. But Dmitry didn't.

Rather, he is trying to calm the atmosphere by throwing a joke in the middle. Marie knew instinctively that he was joking, so it must have been that she reacted so violently.

It's good to be considerate, but it's a bit difficult to be considered. Although the line was clearly drawn, I didn't know how to act.

For now, it seems that it would be a wise choice to answer only the Duke's questions as much as possible. I felt sweat dripping from my clenched hands, waiting for the next question.

"Are you planning to stay overnight in our mansion?"

"…No. I'm here for a visit today."

"Hmm. I see. But, as far as I know, it takes more than 10 hours by carriage from the capital to the Michelin estate. Is that ok? If that doesn't work, it's okay to stay overnight."

"Thanks for the favor, but that's fine. I was planning on leaving before lunch."

"Is that so? That's very unfortunate."

sorry? Shouldn't it be considered lucky?

I couldn't understand why the yangban, who had the nuance that he would not let her go if he touched his daughter until recently, had changed his attitude. As if reading my eyes, Dmitry said with a smile.

"No good reason. Recently, my daughter has hardly invited anyone to her mansion. It's also men."

"…Dad."

Now Marie's voice was hoarse. There was a gentle anger that made everyone next to me startled.

With that or not, Dmitry shrugged his shoulders skillfully and immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry, daughter. Was I too harsh? Apologize if I'm offended."

"Don't say things like that in the future. How nervous must he be? Oh, look at this sweat."

Marie comforted me and gently grabbed my hand that was on her lap. Sweat is sweat, but as soon as she grabbed my hand, she could see Dmitry's under eye twitching slightly.

Am I saying this is Meg? I smiled awkwardly as I grabbed Marie's soft hand. In fact, it was difficult in many ways because it was no different than indirectly proclaiming that it was a romantic relationship.

"…well, no one else and you made your own choice, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Dad will respect your choice."

"thank you."

"However, there are conditions."

The warmth flowed for a while, but at Dmitry's words that there were conditions, the atmosphere became heavy in an instant. As soon as I heard him speak as I was about to be relieved, I grabbed his string of tension again.

Then Dmitry looked at our still holding hands and fixed his gaze on my face. Blue eyes that seem to be observing an interesting object are looking straight at me.

As the atmosphere changed in an instant and even Marie was unable to say anything, Dmitry smiled softly and opened her mouth quietly. However, the reverberation was so loud that even his quiet speech could be heard loudly.

"I've seen a letter from Marie before. You're the one who taught me the history that Marie hated so much. Am I right?"

"It's a lack of skill, but it's true."

"You don't have to be humble. I like it. We, the Requilis family, value history more than anything else. History is a way to communicate with the past and glimpse the future."

To be honest, I couldn't help but be surprised. Dmitry's words were remarkably identical to those of his previous life.

This means that the Rechilis family has prioritized history from generation to generation. For the Rechilis family, history would be both a belief and an honor.

"Teaching others means having such a broad knowledge, so I won't ask when, where, who, or what did it. This is the basics of the basics. Let's ask another question instead."

"…Yeah."

"Looks like you've been holding the pen for a long time, haven't you?"

Saying so, Dmitry pointed to my hand with a chin. He must have noticed a pen hump on my middle finger.

So, while I was habitually rubbing the nib of my middle finger, Dmitry said to me.

"Then let me ask you one thing as a 'pen holder'. Historically, those who held the pen put those who held the sword under their control."

"…that's right. Conversely, when the sword becomes stronger, a coup d'état occurs, resulting in social chaos."

"I know for sure. Then I'll ask you a question here."

Dmitry paused for a moment and looked at me with sharp, polite eyes, as if he was going to dig me out. I stood proudly with my back, not paying attention to the gaze of a predator that would not miss a single thing.

I have a feeling that I will not be able to speak properly because I will be suppressed by the momentum if I step back. So you can never back off.

Then, in the silence of a mouse, Dmitry, who had been staring at me for a long time, quietly opened his mouth.

"If the person holding the pen could change the world beyond the country, what would you do?"

"… …"

"Are you going to stand still, or will you fight to stop it?"

I answered the question without any hesitation.

"I don't think either of them makes sense."

"Why?"

Here's one thing Dmitry doesn't know.

"Because that's a natural phenomenon."

That I am a reincarnation born and raised in a more socially advanced civilization than this world.

"History proves it."

Now is the time to shave your snout.