The next morning, Sophie and I slept in and woke up before noon.
“Sophie, how are you feeling?”
“…Well. Last night, Hal-sama penetrated me intensely with his penis, so my lower abdomen has a dull ache. But that was the true act of man and woman, wasn’t it? It was very different from using a dildo. Even though I was penetrated during the ‘First Night Ritual,’ it only hurt. In the supplementary session, I felt a little. This is my first time feeling something when penetrated. So I’m a girl too…”
Sophie spoke with a hint of sadness, but what was going through her mind?
“After a few nights of duty, Sophie’s vagina will remember the shape of my penis, so the pleasure of womanhood is yet to come.”
“For me to be held by a man… it feels strange.”
“Now Sophie can have proper sexual relations. Also, work hard on your rapier training. ‘Princess Harem’ will welcome you.”
“Thank you, Hal-sama.”
“Well then, let’s get ready and go to the dining room on the first floor.”
“Yes! Now that you mention it, I’m starving.”
We then had breakfast together amicably, but Sophie decided to rest today for her recovery.
However, after breakfast, Sophie was apprehended by Ly and Liliana, and it seems they were interrogating her about last night’s events.
Well, it’s her own fault, so she’ll just have to be quiet for now.
Meanwhile, I had business at the Raymond Mansion that afternoon, so I quickly left the ‘Princess Harem’ base mansion, found a carriage on the main road, and hurried to the Raymond Mansion in the Imperial Capital Granza.
By the time I returned to the Raymond Mansion, it was before teatime.
Alicia, accompanied by the housemaid Marcy, was at the entrance, eagerly awaiting my arrival.
“Hal-sama, welcome back.”
“Hal, you’re late. We have a guest.”
Upon seeing me, the housemaid Marcy bowed deeply and greeted me.
Alicia informed me that Nicola Osuf had already arrived, but seemed somewhat exasperated by my tardiness.
“I’m sorry, I overslept and the main road was crowded. Shall we head to the reception room immediately?”
“Hal-sama, haste makes waste. Please tidy yourself up first.”
I went to my room, and with Marcy’s help, I changed into formal attire befitting the young master of the Raymond Trading Company, then accompanied Alicia to the reception room.
“Excuse me, I am Hal.”
“…Hal, you’re late. The guest is waiting, so come in.”
I knocked on the reception room door and asked for permission to enter, and my father’s voice responded, granting me entry.
Accompanied by Alicia, I entered the reception room. My father, Dalos Raymond, my mother, Shakura Raymond, and my sister, Myuki Raymond, were seated on the sofa.
Opposite them sat a large, warrior-like man, a young boy who looked like the son of a noble, and two similarly featured young beautiful girls who appeared to be twins.
“Father, I apologize. The main road was crowded.”
“Hal, I informed you through Alicia about today’s schedule. Make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“Oh, Dalos, Hal is reflecting on his actions. Right Hal?”
“My apologies to both Father and Mother.”
“Brother, you shouldn’t be late.”
“Sorry, Myuki.”
I apologized to my family and took my seat. My fiancée, Alicia, sat beside me.
Then, as if on cue, the housemaids collected the empty teacups and brought in new ones filled with tea and plates of cookies, which they placed on the table.
“It seems everyone involved is here. Shall we begin the meeting?”
The young man, dressed in splendid noble attire, started the conversation.
This must be Nicola Osuf. This is why the housemaid Marcy changed my attire from adventurer style to formal wear.
I couldn’t afford to lose in terms of appearance before the meeting.
“Hal, this young gentleman is Nicola Osuf-dono, who has proposed to Myuki. Nicola-dono explained that he was captivated by Myuki when I took her to a slave trader’s gathering.”
“Hal Raymond-dono, I am Nicola Osuf, whom you were introduced to. Please call me Nicola.”
“I am Hal Raymond, Nicola-dono. Please call me Hal. I look forward to working with you.”
Thus, the meeting to discuss the proposal of Nicola, who wished to marry Myuki, began.
As for why Nicola was wearing noble attire and looked so good in it, it was because his mother, Miranda Osuf, was a former noblewoman from a fallen count family.
Miranda, like Alicia, was nearly sold as a Level 2 Slave by the Osuf Trading Company, but his father, who took a liking to her, arranged for her to be married into the family in a manner that maintained the appearance of her coming down from the count’s family.
Miranda, now the wife of a commoner and a slave trader, provided her beloved sons with an education befitting nobles. She wryly admitted that the reason she particularly liked Nicola to wear noble attire was that.
This morning, as it was an important meeting to find a suitable companion, Miranda had put in a lot of effort.
The burly man was a skilled adventurer named Danton Dapper, who served as Nicola’s bodyguard.
The beautiful girls, who looked remarkably alike, were introduced as Miss Sasha Cronamina von Clafuhride, the elder sister, and Miss Ilisha Ilizia von Clafuhride, the younger sister, daughters of a fallen baron’s family.
Furthermore, they were both eleven years old, the same age as Myuki.
Incidentally, they were described as identical twins due to their striking resemblance.
While I understood the purpose of Danton, the escort, I couldn’t grasp the intention of the twin baron’s daughters being present.
“So, I instructed Hal to compete and convince me before he could get engaged to the still young Myuki. Have you decided on the nature of the competition?”
“Yes, Dalos-sama. The competition has been decided as a ‘Lady Education Competition’ using these twin sisters.”
“What! You intend to use noble young ladies as pawns in a competition, even though they are still young? Wouldn’t that be considered an insult to the nobility of the Espana Imperial Kingdom?”
My father sat up in surprise. Looking to the side, Alicia’s eyes were wide with astonishment, and I also felt a headache coming on as I tried to anticipate what would happen next.
“Dalos-sama, it’s alright. The Clafuhride barony has already fallen, and they approached the Osuf Trading Company to see if we would buy these sisters. So, for this competition, I bought them with my own money. However, their status is not that of Level 2 Slaves, but I have made them adopted daughters of the Osuf family. Their removal from the noble registry is a provisional measure, so for now, they are treated as common citizens like us.”
Alicia seemed to relax and breathe a sigh of relief that the twin sisters were not Level 2 Slaves.
The twin sisters were currently wearing splendid dresses, and there was no sign of their previous hardship.
“Now then, what is the method of competition and how will the winner be decided?”
My father Dalos immediately confirmed the competition method and judging criteria with Nicola.
“Hal-dono and I will each take one of the sisters and provide education befitting a noble lady, such as etiquette and social dancing. By the way, due to circumstances in their family, these girls have received very little lady-like education from the Clafuhride barony.”
“Is that so…”
I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
“The education period will be two years. By the time the competition is judged, they will be thirteen years old and should have grown to an age suitable for debut into society. The victor will be determined by their reputation in society. It’s a win-win situation because even these impoverished girls will receive lady-like education, don’t you think?”
“So, who will be in charge of whom?”
“I don’t mind either way, but since I am younger than Hal-dono, may I choose the elder sister, Sasha-jo?”
“Then, I will be in charge of the younger sister, Ilisha-jo. …Understood.”
Thus, the ‘Lady Education Competition’ began, with the engagement between Myuki and Nicola on the line.
Visually, Sasha-jo and Ilisha-jo were indistinguishable.
The only difference was the color of the hairbands holding their hair: the elder sister, Sasha-jo, wore a red one, while the younger sister, Ilisha-jo, wore a white one.
Nicola and I would spend time over the next two years educating Sasha-jo and Ilisha-jo to become splendid noble ladies.
Also, it goes without saying that Nicola and I alone couldn’t practically provide the lady-like education, so the means of education were not limited, such as entrusting them to the Royal Academy, which had a boarding system, or hiring private tutors.
In other words, the judging would be based solely on their finished results.
Regarding the judging criteria, it seemed that noble ladies who debuted in society were evaluated and ranked by the discerning eyes of high-ranking nobles trying to draw them into their own circles, and by young nobles seeking potential spouses. The results of the assessment could be inquired about from familiar nobles later.
This was the natural consequence, as status and hierarchy are highly valued in noble society.
Alicia, who had also been unable to debut in society due to her family’s circumstances, smiled wryly.
In two years, Nicola will be fourteen and my sister Myuki will be thirteen, an appropriate age to announce their engagement.
According to Nicola’s calculations, he joyfully explained his vision of marrying Myuki after he attains adulthood next year.
Furthermore, when I inquired about the sisters’ disposition after the ‘Lady Education Competition,’ he shrewdly stated that they would be demoted to Level 2 Slaves and sold by the Osuf Trading Company.
Since there was no benefit for me in this arrangement, I arranged to receive the sisters if I won.
“Then, Hal-dono, let us compete fairly. Shall we go, Sasha? Come with me.”
“Yes, Master.”
Thus, the ‘Lady Education Competition’ to decide Myuki’s engagement began, and Nicola departed with Danton and Sasha.
I was left with Ilisha.
Looking at Ilisha’s appearance again, she had curly, bright brown hair and unusual green eyes.
She had a slender, delicate build, perhaps suffering from malnutrition due to poverty.
“Nice to meet you, Ilisha. I am Hal Raymond, and I will be in charge of your lady education. Please call me Hal.”
“…Hal-sama, no, Master. I am inadequate, but please treat me well.”
Ilisha had remained silent during the meeting, perhaps due to nervousness, but after Nicola left with Sasha, she greeted me with a lovely voice.
“Hal, can you really educate this young girl into a lady?”
My mother, Shakura, looked worriedly at me.
“Mother-in-law, I will help too, so please don’t worry.”
“Yes, with Alicia-chan here, I’m relieved.”
“Hal, I’m sorry to trouble you, but please.”
My father seemed to realize he had caused me trouble, so this counts as one favor.
“Hal big brother, do your best! Myuki doesn’t need to be engaged yet!”
Myuki gave me a blunt cheer.
She seemed to have no awareness that she was the one involved.
With words of encouragement from my family, I, along with Ilisha and Alicia, headed back to the ‘Princess Harem’ base mansion.
Thank you for reading.
Episode 25-4: Beautiful Girl, Tragic Fate ①
is scheduled for publication on October 25th at 0:00.
