Zeroad Was Disappointed

I jumped down from the carriage that had just arrived.

“Welcome home, Zeroad-sama.”

“Yeah. Rowen, is Father here?”

“Yes. He is in his office.”

As I asked Rowen, who had been waiting for me, about Father, I heard a sound behind me as a woman stepped down from the carriage.

It was my fiancée, Cecilia Wilder, who had not spoken a single word during the entire journey here.

“My, my… Cecilia-sama came with you as well.”

“She insisted on coming.”

“Good afternoon, Rowen-san. Thank you for having me.”

“I’m sure Madam will be delighted as well.”

“Rowen, hurry up and show us in.”

“Yes, sir. At once.”

The moment I told him to do his job, Rowen immediately responded with brisk, efficient movements.

We entered the manor, and I followed behind Rowen.

“Has anything unusual happened?”

“No, nothing in particular.”

“…I see.”

He continued guiding us and showed us into a reception room.

Leaving Cecilia there, since she was planning to meet Mother afterward, I headed toward Father’s office together with Rowen.

“Has Father said anything about this year’s social gathering?”

“He has very high expectations. He believes that you, Zeroad-sama, will make it a splendid gathering.”

“Hmph. I see.”

Frankly, the other nobles were insignificant compared to House Fols.

That was why preparing for some pointless event like a social gathering was a pain, but if Father had ordered it, there was nothing I could do.

Once I became head of the family, though, I thought it should be the first event I abolished.

“Then I shall leave you here.”

“Yeah.”

I parted ways with Rowen in front of Father’s office and knocked on the door.

A voice immediately came from inside, and I opened the door.

“…Zeroad?”

“…Father.”

At the far end of the room, sitting behind the desk with his head in his hands, was the head of House Fols, Travis Fols.

There was barely a trace left of the stern, confident man he had once been.

Now he looked utterly exhausted and completely drained of spirit.

“…Regarding the social gathering, preparations are proceeding smoothly for the most part.”

“…I see. That’s good to hear.”

There was no feeling behind his response.

That bastard Rowen—what the hell did he mean by saying Father had high expectations? He clearly didn’t.

“…We have also been sending invitations in turn to the nobles who should be invited. The weather forecast for the day is favorable as well, so at this rate, I believe the event is certain to be a success.”

But Father was still the head of House Fols.

No matter how pathetic he had become, he was not someone I could speak too boldly to.

Annoying as it was, I continued giving my report in a properly respectful tone, when Father suddenly reacted.

“…What about Nova?”

“…What?”

“You are sending Nova an invitation, aren’t you?”

What the hell was he talking about? Irritation began to rise inside me.

Father looked at me as though seeking reassurance, but that gaze was not really directed at me.

It was directed toward that failure. That irritated me beyond reason, and I answered in a low voice.

“…We have never sent Nova an invitation in previous years.”

“This year is different! You will absolutely send one! Absolutely!”

Father, who had looked like an empty shell moments ago, suddenly started shouting like a madman.

I clenched my fist tightly and glared at him.

“…Is that… because the head of House Ark Gate will be there?”

“…Yes. But even setting that aside, he is family. Of course we should send him one.”

What the hell did he mean, “of course”?

From the time that failure was born until the last gathering, he had never once attended.

A failure did not participate in celebrations hosted by House Fols.

That was practically an established rule—an unspoken understanding.

“…Are you really that afraid of House Ark Gate?”

“…………”

“You are the head of the mighty House Fols, Father… Aren’t the great nobles of the north and south supposed to be equals?”

“Zeroad, watch your mouth. Do you know who you’re speaking to?”

Father glared sharply at me, and the look in his eyes irritated me.

I knew the reason his usual pressure had weakened was because he was afraid, and I knew that woman was the cause of that fear.

It was all because of that woman. Ever since she became involved, Father had changed.

The proud, imposing Father I remembered was gone.

It was all that woman’s fault, and that failure’s.

“…If House Ark Gate scares you that badly, then you shouldn’t have welcomed that woman into the family in the first place!”

“Zeroad! You insolent—!”

“!”

Father slammed both hands onto the desk and shot to his feet.

The instant he did, an enormous amount of Aura bore down on me, forcing a startled sound from my throat.

But so what?

I was already Father’s equal. I wouldn’t lose to him even in a clash of Aura.

Just as I thought that and prepared to release my own Aura, the pressure pouring over my body suddenly dispersed.

“…Haa.”

Father let out a long breath and held his head.

“I’m sorry. I lost my composure… Zeroad, I’ve told you this many times, but this is for House Fols. If sending a single invitation to the social gathering can prevent a major problem, then surely that’s preferable, isn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s all there is to it… Thank you for coming to report today. Since you’ve made the trip, you should relax here at the manor for a while.”

“…Yes. I’ll take you up on that.”

“…Good.”

Throughout my conversation with Father, I had kept my fist tightly clenched.

I couldn’t accept what he had said at all.

And I was just as annoyed that he’d unleashed his Haki on me, only to pull it back the moment I was about to retaliate.

If we’d kept going, maybe I could’ve done something about this unbearable rage boiling inside me.

I forcibly turned on my heel and left the office.

Damn it. I couldn’t stop being pissed off.

I shut the office door behind me and strode quickly down the corridor.

I felt like having a drink, anything to blow off some of this frustration.

Oh, right. Cecilia was here too.

She got fussy about all sorts of things when she was around me, which was a pain, so maybe I’d ask Rowen to give us separate rooms.

Still, Father really wouldn’t shut up about Nova this, Nova that.

Was he really that terrified of the woman who married Nova?

I’d met her before, but she was tiny and did nothing except stand behind Nova.

Even accounting for that curse, I couldn’t understand at all why Father was so afraid of her.

“…Maybe Father’s just getting old.”

He had been looking especially aged lately.

Wouldn’t it be better if he just handed over the position of family head already?

As I thought about that and rounded the second corner,

I felt an impact and a sudden coldness around my waist.

When I looked down, my clothes were soaked as though someone had dumped water all over me.

“I-I’m sorry!”

When I looked over, I saw the maid who had just ruined my clothes.

She was holding cleaning tools, and apparently what had been splashed over me was water from her bucket.

“…………”

A mere maid had bumped into me and spilled water all over me.

“…Huh?”

You’ve got to be kidding me. She dirtied my clothes? Rage exploded through my head in an instant.

I kicked the small maid away.