From then on, I had various conversations with Dimitri, and the field that we delved into the most deeply was undoubtedly history. Dimitri boasted a wide range of knowledge as a Duke of Requilis, and I also had a considerable amount of knowledge that was not inferior to a professor despite not being at a professorial level.

    Thanks to this, there was never a lull in the flow of our conversation, and it went on for so long that Marie even expressed her boredom.

    In particular, Dimitri had a deep knowledge of the culture of other countries. He explained in detail why that culture came about, and what form it has taken up to the present day.

    I took out my magic pen and notebook that I always carried with me, as if I couldn’t miss this unexpected opportunity, and recorded diligently.

    Even though I had read a lot of books compared to my peers, there were many ways in which I was lacking in accurately grasping the culture of other countries.

    “Do you always carry a pen and notebook with you?”

    Dimitri glanced at my magic pen as I was taking notes, and raised one eyebrow.

    He seemed interested in my habit of recording in a notebook rather than just looking at the pen.

    I stopped recording for a moment and answered in a blunt voice.

    “Yes. I have a habit of recording important information so that I don’t forget it.”

    “You have really developed a great habit. My daughter should learn that too.”

    “Hmph. I don’t forget what I’ve heard at least once, you know?”

    Upon hearing Dimitri’s complaint, Marie quickly turned her head and expressed her dissatisfaction. She had no choice but to complain because he treated her like a sack of barley while only talking about boring history.

    “Did that kid ask you to borrow the notebook?”

    “Hey!”

    Marie immediately yelled, interrupting his unnecessary question.

    I laughed a little at Marie’s reaction, who couldn’t hide her shame and was huffing with her face completely red.

    Dimitri also burst into a rare hearty laughter. Only Marie couldn’t laugh within the cheerful atmosphere.

    Knock-knock-

    “Master, it’s almost lunchtime now.”

    Sebastian’s voice came from outside the door, interrupting the good atmosphere. Both Dimitri and I checked the clock in the guest room.

    Was it right to say that they didn’t even realize time was passing? Upon checking the time, it was already approaching lunchtime.

    Sebastian must have known that I would not eat lunch and just go home. However, it seemed like he wanted to confirm that lunchtime was approaching.

    Dimitri pursed his lips as lunchtime was approaching and looked at me.

    “Is it really that time already? Are you really leaving without having lunch?”

    “Yes. I want to see my family as soon as possible. I plan to get takeout and leave.”

    “Just take the food our chef made and don’t spend money. I’ll tell him to prepare separately.”

    “If that’s the case, thank you.”

    “Sebastian.”

    Upon my approval, Dimitry called Sebastian, who was waiting outside the door, into the room. Sebastian came in and approached Dimitry’s side.

    Dimitry commanded Sebastian in a low voice, sitting up straight next to him.

    “This friend won’t have lunch and will return home, so there’s no need to prepare anything separately. Instead, tell the chef to prepare something simple to take out. He’ll eat it on the carriage.”

    “I understand.”

    “And stop by my office for a moment and bring the ‘remover.’ There should be a new remover in the drawer.”

    “Yes.”

    Sebastian received Dimitry’s instructions and walked outside the door.

    As I watched Sebastian’s back walking away with steady steps, I became curious and asked Dimitry a question.

    “Your Grace, may I ask what a remover is?”

    “It’s something you’ll like.”

    “Something I’ll like?”

    “Well... you’ll definitely like it.”

    As I looked at the object with a puzzled expression, Marie sitting next to me nudged me. This made it even harder to figure out what the object was.

    After a little while, Sebastian returned with a long, white object in his hand. I fixated my gaze on the familiar-looking object. Meanwhile, Dmitry had received the object from Sebastian and showed it to me.

    “This is called a Remover. It’s a device that contains magical formulas like your magic pen.”

    “What’s it used for?”

    “Miss, it’s time to go back now.”

    “...I understand.”

    As the carriage passed through the Duke’s gate and disappeared completely, Marie followed Sebastian’s lead and walked inside. Still feeling regretful, she turned around before entering the mansion.

    The carriage Isaac rode in was nowhere to be seen outside the firmly closed gate. He really had gone back home.

    “Sigh...”

    Marie let out a deep sigh, already feeling the overwhelming longing. If she had known this would happen, she would have squeezed his soft cheeks after the kiss, but there was no time.

    As she walked into the mansion with a melancholy expression, a familiar voice spoke in her ear.

    “You look disappointed.”

    It was Dimitri. He had been waiting with Marie and Sebastian in front of the gate, pretending not to directly escort Isaac as it would not befit his status as a Duke.

    Marie smiled wryly and replied.

    “Did it show too much?”

    “It doesn’t make sense for a father to not know how his daughter feels.”

    When Dimitry answered confidently, Marie chuckled. To the outside world, Dimitry was a duke who received the respect of the Empire’s citizens, but in Marie’s eyes, he was just a father who loved his daughter.

    Marie looked around and gestured for Sebastian to leave. Sebastian politely nodded and walked away to another area, leaving Marie and Dimitri as the only ones in front of the main gate.

    Marie checked once again to make sure no one was listening, then asked Dimitry in a quiet voice.

    “Dad, do you roughly know who Isaac is?”

    Marie had a natural talent to see through people’s psychology, so she felt a sense of discomfort during the conversation between Isaac and Dimitry, and was convinced when Dimitry gave him the Remover as a gift.

    Dimitry had a vague idea of Isaac’s identity. Fortunately, Isaac was unaware of this fact because Dimitry did not reveal any signs.

    Dimitry shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly.

    “Marie, as you know, I am the Requilis Duke who serves His Majesty the Emperor. I am informed of everything that happens in the Empire, even if it is something the Crown Prince did personally. I have been investigating separately for some time.”

    “When did you find out?”

    “I only became certain recently. Thanks to that, we need to revise the laws to prevent tax evasion. There is ample room for abuse.”

    “What are you going to do now?”

    Marie asked in a slightly lowered voice, ‘Even though he is my naive father, he is still the Duke of Requilis.’

    Like the question she had asked Isaac, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the person sitting confidently in the highest position among the ‘people holding the pen.’

    Even if he personally liked Isaac, she had no idea what he might do. If he did something unnecessary, she would try to stop him somehow, but she was far too weak to do so on her own.

    While Marie was worrying about that, Dimitry spoke in a calm voice.

    “At first, I thought we should take action. Even though people might not know, as the author of Xenon’s Biography, he is very dangerous. But after a few conversations, it seems like it wouldn’t be a big deal if we just let it go.”

    “Why?”

    “Like that kid said, the world changing is a natural phenomenon. Even if we try to stop it by force, we will suffer the most. It’s like trying to block a flowing river. Eventually, the dam will break. But it’s always best to be prepared.”

    After saying that, Dimitry glanced at Marie and then smiled mischievously.

    “Above all, you are that kid’s girlfriend now, right? As a duke and as a father, I approve of him, but if that kid does anything weird, tell me. I’ll take care of him.”

    “Father...”

    For a moment, Marie felt uneasy about Dimitry’s low-quality joke and gave him a pathetic look. By the way, all the vulgar words that didn’t suit the dignity of the Duke were things she had heard from her own mother. Whether she said anything or not, Dimitry never stopped teasing Marie.

    “So, when do you want to get married? If you want to...”

    “Right now.”

    “... ...”

    “I want to get married right now, so send a marriage proposal to Isaac’s mansion.”

    Did he realize that she was serious?

    “...I need to think about it again.”

    Dimitry muttered to himself, unable to even respond.

    “No. Let’s just send a letter. With my father’s influence, we can make it arrive in a day, can’t we?”

    “... ...”

    That’s how Marie’s vacation began.

    Translators note: