An Enthusiastic Tanya

“Good work enduring that suffocating discussion and meal.”

After the discussion and lunch had ended, I returned to my room, where Tanya, who had come back with me, said that.

She seemed to be in a bad mood after what had happened during the discussion.

“But I do feel a little more at ease now.”

“Since the head of House Ark Gate herself has proposed marriage to you, even Master Travis and the others can no longer ignore you, Nova-sama. Though as for that bastard, he was still looking down on you as usual, and it made my blood boil.”

“Ah, haha…”

It was obvious that the “bastard” Tanya was referring to was my brother Zeroad, but I decided not to point that out.

She would probably only get even more irritated.

I tried to change the subject, but Tanya beat me to it.

“…Nova-sama, you’ve been thinking about this constantly ever since Master Travis told you about the marriage proposal.”

“…You noticed, huh?”

I had spent the past few days with Tanya in this manor, but she had never once brought up Shia.

I could tell that she had deliberately been avoiding the subject for my sake.

But perhaps she could no longer stand watching me agonize over it endlessly.

Taking advantage of Tanya’s kindness, I opened up about what was troubling me.

“Even if they suddenly tell me it’s a marriage proposal… And my prospective partner is now the head of House Ark Gate. Father told me she’s apparently not just the most influential noble in the north, but one of the most powerful nobles in the entire country… Meanwhile, even though I’m technically a noble too, I’m nothing more than a third son.”

Ten years ago, on that day, I hadn’t known anything.

But over the course of those ten years, it felt as though the distance between Shia and me had grown enormously.

I couldn’t help wondering whether accepting Shia’s marriage proposal would actually be bad for her.

“…Nova-sama, you still love Shia-san, don’t you?”

Not the head of House Ark Gate, but Shia-san.

That was how Tanya had started referring to her after hearing my story about the past.

She stared straight at me.

She used to tease me about it, but now her expression was completely serious.

“Huh? Well, of course…”

I stumbled over my words, but I already knew the answer.

She was the girl I had thought about for ten years, to the point that I even dreamed about her.

And when we finally reunited, my heart had leaped with joy.

But saying it aloud was somehow embarrassing, so I remained silent, prompting Tanya to let out a long sigh.

“Then everything else is trivial. Who cares about status? Who cares about family? Listen carefully, Nova-sama. Things like that mean nothing in the face of love.”

“O-Okay… That was surprisingly convincing.”

“I’ve seen it happen up close, after all.”

Maybe she knew someone who had married despite a difference in social status.

If anything, I found myself wanting her to introduce me to them.

“So, Nova-sama, you should stop thinking about complicated things and simply spend time with Shia-san now that you’ve reunited. If your feelings grow stronger, then you can think about the marriage proposal afterward.”

“Yeah. Shia said the same thing, and that’s what I intend to do.”

The moment I answered, Tanya’s eyes flew wide open.

“Then have you decided exactly what you’re going to do?”

“Huh? Let’s see… It’ll depend on Shia’s schedule, but how about going somewhere together? I know Saria pretty well, so I think I could show Shia around since she’s from Norzampshon.”

Since I had never felt like I had a place in my family home, I had often slipped out of the manor to play in the city of Saria, so it was practically my backyard.

I thought walking around there together with Shia might be nice.

“…………”

Tanya fell silent. Had my idea not been very good after all?

Or perhaps she had somewhere else she wanted to recommend.

“That’s wonderful!”

“Whoa! You startled me.”

“In other words, this is a date!”

“I-Is that… what it is?”

Hearing her say it so plainly was a little embarrassing, but Tanya’s enthusiasm showed no signs of stopping.

“In that case, may I tell Shia-san myself? I’ll tell her that Nova-sama wants to invite her on a date! Knowing Shia-san, I’m sure you’ll be able to go on a date together in Saria as soon as tomorrow!”

“Y-Yeah… Please do…”

Overwhelmed by her sheer intensity and enthusiasm, I gave her my answer.

For some reason, Tanya was even more fired up than her master. Saying, “Then I’ll get right on it!” she dashed out of the room.

Watching the door slam shut behind her, I found myself thinking that she had certainly cheered up quickly.

Alone in the room, I thought about what she had said.

“Stop thinking about complicated things and simply spend time with Shia-san now that we’ve reunited, huh?”

Tanya’s words settled naturally into my heart.

I was glad I had talked to her.

She was right. Shia’s current status, our social standing, and our families were all important, but what mattered most was surely Shia’s own feelings. I found myself accepting that.

Besides, if tomorrow I really could go on a… well… date with Shia, I was looking forward to it.
As I thought back over everything that had happened today, something suddenly struck me.

Wait… Why does Tanya have Shia’s contact information?

I found it strange, but then figured that someone like Rowen-san had probably given it to her and accepted that explanation.