62: [The Inspection Event]
The next event I would be involved in was, like the [Horse Riding Event], a [Common Event].
An event that occurred regardless of the choices made in the story.
The first encounter with me, her older sister, where she was recognized as a member of the ducal family, and the [Ceremony of Recognition] where that was formally acknowledged by the royal family, were also common events.
However, since [Moonlight Liberium] was a romance simulation game, the highlights were, naturally, the romantic events.
And the next event, like the horseback riding one, was a [Choice-Based Individual Event] where she would choose one of the three [Capture Targets] to become closer to.
The events with the unchosen ones would be erased.
It was an unusual structure, but there were stories with different versions depending on the era or edition, so it was probably similar to that.
There were three such [Events], and the outcome determined the [Ending].
I wondered what would happen if she chose each of them once, but the fate of those who tried to please everyone was well-known.
…However, I wasn’t sure who my sister had chosen in the first event, the horseback riding one.
There were only so many pitfalls I could prepare. Since I couldn’t be seen at the decisive moment, I had triggered the [Falling Event] early, but I wasn’t sure if that was the right decision.
However, my sister was unharmed and well.
As long as she was safe, everything would be alright.
“――”Tailor”.”
I summoned “Tailor” to the same drawing-room where I had previously had her take my sister’s measurements.
She was tall, but, as was the fate of tailors, she was hunched over.
She wore a white shirt, black vest, and black trousers. She wore no accessories, not even a tie, tie pin, or cufflinks. In her breast pocket, instead of a handkerchief or a pocket watch chain, was a fountain pen for noting measurements. The pockets of her vest and trousers held only a measuring tape and a large notebook.
Her simple, unadorned attire, sewn by her own hand, was apparently meant to showcase her skill as a tailor while also allowing her to remain in the background.
Indeed, seeing her tall, slender figure, which wouldn’t fit in ready-to-wear clothing, and her ample bosom, all perfectly accommodated by her clothes, was impressive.
When I called her name, a glint appeared in her pale blue eyes, half-hidden behind her long, drooping bangs.
“Lady Adelheid, your orders? I assume there’s a reason I was summoned, right? Right?!”
She waved her seaweed-like black hair, her long, slender, spider-like hands twitching with anticipation, and I sighed.
“…Calm down.”
“How can I be calm?! ――Is it a travel outfit? For you, Lady Adelheid? Or for Lady Leticia? Or perhaps… perhaps… for both?!”
“It’s for an inspection, not a trip. ――I’ll say it again. ‘Calm down.’”
“Tailor” knelt before me.
“—Yes, ma’am. My apologies. Your orders, please.”
I recalled the day, shortly after I became the head of the family, when I scouted her and made her our exclusive tailor.
Communication had been… challenging.
At first, I thought it was simply because she was a foreigner, unfamiliar with the Eustasian language.
While she could be a bit difficult to handle, she possessed irreplaceable skills, and her loyalty was unquestionable.
I felt like she was more devoted to some divine being of clothing, but the fact remained that I provided her with a budget and opportunities to showcase her skills, which ultimately benefited our family.
Knowing how to utilize people effectively was an essential skill for the head of a noble family.
I wasn’t sure if I was utilizing “Tailor” effectively, though.
“Um… Elder Sister… an inspection?”
Leticia, who was also present, spoke hesitantly.
“The Vanderwaals family conducts an inspection of our northern territories every year around July. It usually takes one or two weeks, including travel time.”
We also conducted winter inspections, but the transportation was too inconvenient for the head of the family to attend personally.
Summer was the most pleasant season in Eustasia. With a good carriage and well-maintained trade routes, we could travel relatively quickly.
Some nobles apparently spent up to two months there as a summer retreat. How elegant.
“The northern territories… That’s where the Vanderwaals’ exclave is, right?”
“Yes. It seems you’ve been studying. Make sure you’re prepared before we leave.”
The Vanderwaals’ territories weren’t limited to the area around the capital.
Our northern territories, in particular, were the largest.
The first head of the Vanderwaals family was from that region.
However, when the founding king chose the location for the capital and established it as our base of operations, the Vanderwaals’ place became the capital.
While it had been nothing more than a rural village before becoming the capital, it was now a central hub for trade.
The location was well-chosen: a vast plain in the center of what was then the Kingdom of Eustasia, with snowfall that didn’t accumulate excessively, and rivers essential for transportation converging nearby.
Even so, the north was better for wool production, while the south was better for grain.
We couldn’t favor either side.
The scales had to be constantly balanced.
That’s what it meant to govern a nation.
Well, I would leave those matters to His Highness Prince Konrad, the future king.
My role would be over after the [Guillotine Event].
“Um, so, will I be…?”
“—You will accompany me on the inspection. As a member of the Vanderwaals family, as a noble of Eustasia, you should broaden your horizons.”
“Is that… alright…?”
“What do you mean?”
I responded instinctively to Leticia’s hesitant tone.
“I’m… not a real noble…”
I sighed.
Leticia flinched and lowered her gaze.
She was usually so assertive, yet she was strangely timid at times.
“Duty and loyalty. —Have you forgotten your oath? Your words before His Majesty made you a noble. And besides…”
I chuckled.
“…Besides?”
“All nobles are… of questionable origin, if you trace their lineage back far enough.”
“B-Big Sister, you can’t say that!”
“Call me ‘Elder Sister.’”
This exchange also felt… nostalgic.
Lately, Leticia had been more careful with her language.
“Even so, we have our duties—our roles. We pledge loyalty to this country, share responsibilities, and work for its prosperity. That’s what our noble privileges are for.”
There were talented individuals who were denied opportunities due to their humble origins.
And there were foolish individuals who enjoyed privileges simply because they were born into noble families.
Yes, this world was unequal. I had to acknowledge that.
However, it was also a noble’s duty to recognize talent, regardless of origin, to remove those unworthy of their position, and to support those who were sincere, even if they weren’t exceptionally talented.
If there was no perfection in this world, we would bear the burden.
…At least in exchange for enjoying our privileges.
Powerful groups had emerged throughout history, and there was a need to oppose them.
Sometimes forming alliances, betraying each other, shedding blood, fighting, and destroying each other.
We wouldn’t let anyone disturb the peace we had built at the end of that bloodshed.
Not even fate.
But fortunately, fate seemed to be on Eustasia’s side.
And on Leticia’s.
“Someday, you too will play a vital role in this country… Leticia von Vanderwaals, repeat after me—duty and loyalty.”
Fate is on your side.
So, don’t make the wrong choice.
Don’t choose the wrong future.
You can overthrow me. You can send me to the guillotine, and follow fate.
But please…
Protect this country, the one the Vanderwaals… the one I, my father, and the heads of the family before us, have pledged our loyalty to and protected.
“Yes, Elder Sister.”
My sister nodded firmly.
“—Duty… and loyalty.”
The noble’s motto suited her now.
While it was a shame I wouldn’t see her future, I felt a deep sense of pride in my sister’s growth.
“Good.”
I smiled.
I had thought it would be a long time before I had to raise the next head of the family.
Did my father, my mother, and even Ciel, feel this way?
It might be presumptuous of me, since I was only six years older and hadn’t seen her grow up…
But she was my sister.
My pride and joy.
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