Chapter 12: Sorry, We Just Want To See The Ships Set Sail

If one were to ask when Roel was the happiest each day, the answer would certainly be right now.

At the entrance of the mansion stood a silver-haired girl with arms spread wide. She hugged her brother, who had just returned from an exhausting day at his internship. Her slightly shy demeanor and exquisite looks formed great chemistry, producing an irresistible charm that drew others in.

“I’m back, Alicia.”

Feeling a bit gleeful from receiving the slightly awkward little girl’s sweet hug, Roel reciprocated by returning the hug while patting her head dotingly.

As things would have it, Roel had a role to play in Alicia’s current reaction.

It was not too hard to imagine that Alicia was far from the kind of person who would actively hug others. She had a reticent and composed nature, and her family had brought her up to be a well-mannered and graceful lady. Other than her deceased father, she had never hugged anyone else before.

But her cool demeanor was met with Roel’s warmth. Every time he returned from work, he would greet this little girl with a warm hug. At the start, Alicia would stiffen up under his embrace, suffering from the culture shock. As time went by though, she gradually grew used to it, and in the recent two days, she even began to hug Roel on her own accord.

Under Roel’s influence, she was gradually becoming more proactive in expressing herself. Roel felt that this was one of the two important signs that Alicia was starting to accept him, the other one being how Alicia was addressing him right now.

“Big brother Roel, it’s itchy. Hahaha!”

Roel mischievously blew at Alicia’s neck, tickling her a little. Under his attack, the little girl who had matured earlier than her age ended up breaking out in laughter.

Alicia changed the way she addressed Roel around a week after their first meeting. It was bound to happen given how quickly they grew closer to one another. However, it was only when no outsiders were around that she would address Roel as ‘big brother’; on other occasions, she would go with a more formal ‘Lord Brother’.

In any case, these changes were a good sign as it showed that Alicia was slowly beginning to open up.

“My apologies. Did you dislike it?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

Hearing Roel’s concerned question, Alicia quickly shook her head, her shimmering silver hair swaying along with the movement. Her desire for warmth instinctively drew her to Roel, and after a moment of hesitation, she carefully buried her face into Roel’s shoulders.

Just like that, the two children continued hugging one another. The maids around couldn’t stop themselves from smiling upon seeing this sight, and the green light of Affection Points glowed above their heads.

The young master and miss are as close as always~

As someone who had witnessed how the relationship between the two children slowly developed ever since their first meeting, Anna was the de facto captain of the ‘Roel X Anna Ship’, and she prayed fervently with all her heart that this ship would eventually set sail.

Roel took a discreet glance at the green light around him, pausing for a while, before finally and reluctantly parting with the adorable Alicia. It had been a while since this bizarre phenomenon started, but for some inexplicable reason, every single time he doted on Alicia, the nearby maids would suddenly release a wave of Affection Points for him.

What was even more astonishing to him was that the amounts they were giving out were steadily growing over time!

This had been a shocking discovery to Roel. As baffled as he was by this occurrence, he welcomed it with all his heart. After all, this meant that he was able to harvest some extra income from the side mobs on top of the main boss.

That all being said, Roel wasn’t just getting close to Alicia for the sake of earning Affection Points. This was also necessary to protect her.

Based on the information he had gathered from the game in his previous life, Alicia’s fate was intricately linked with the Ascart House and Roel. In fact, one of the tragedies that happened to Alicia later in the game was that she got sold by Roel in exchange for some sort of benefit that was required for the declining Ascart House to remain afloat.

While there was no way the current Roel would do anything like that, he still felt a little uneasy about the matter, especially since he was unsure of the exact circumstances surrounding that event. There could have been some sort of extenuating circumstances at play then.

In order to completely eliminate the chances of that event occurring, he would have to earn enough Affection Points and prevent the decline of the Ascart House. This way, Alicia wouldn’t have to go through that tragedy, while Roel would be able to avoid his death flag too.

Was there a more justifiable reason than this to get close to a cute girl like Alicia?

“It’s getting late now. Let’s head over to the dining room to eat.”

“Yes, big brother Roel.”

“What did you do today?”

“In the morning, I had etiquette lessons with Viscountess Heffen. In the afternoon, I had literature, history, and math lessons. After that, I spent my day reading in the study room until evening.”

Hm? She’s actually so hardworking?

A certain incompetent young master faltered a little upon hearing Alicia’s words, and a sense of shame rushed through him.

Nobles did enjoy privileged lives, but they weren’t like the nouveau riche who indulge themselves in decadent pleasure. Every single noble carried a heavy responsibility on their shoulders—to prepare the next generation to shoulder the pride and glory of their respective houses and to carry the mission on to the next generation—so that their houses could continue and prosper.

After years of trial and error, they concluded that the best way to do so was through education.

Education was the key to producing elites capable of fulfilling the responsibilities they were entrusted with. Hierarchy was reinforced by education, too.

The Ascart House, as a long-standing noble house, pulled no stops when it came to the education of its younger generation. The teachers that were brought in were all distinguished figures in the Holy Capital, and the assignments they gave out were also known for their difficulty.

Of course, it was totally tyrant Roel’s style to disregard his teachers and toss aside his assignments, but Alicia was not the kind of person to do that. Despite the huge workload she already had from her studies, she still persisted in reading during her free time too.

Wasn’t this too much for a 7-year-old child to bear?

“Alicia, it’s good that you’re motivated to study, but you mustn’t tire yourself out. You can slowly take your time; there’s no rush.”

“… That won’t do.”

“Hm? Why is that so?”

“… If I don’t work hard now, I won’t be able to catch up with big brother Roel.”

Alicia revealed her motive meekly. She was currently younger by Roel by two years, so if she were to continue her studying at a normal pace, she would never be able to catch up with Roel’s progress. That would mean that they would never get to attend the same classes.

That, in turn, meant that they could only meet each other for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, significantly reducing the time they had together. That was not something that Alicia could tolerate.

Studying was dry and monotonous, but this little wish of hers gave her the drive to work diligently every single day. This train of thoughts seemed so natural to her that she didn’t even notice how attached she was becoming to this brother of hers whom she had only known for a month.

“Is that so? But I recall that the teachers assign quite a lot of assignments. I would usually have to work on them till nighttime.”

“It’s probably because big brother Roel is learning more advanced content. I’m only on the third volume for math. The content is relatively easier, so I’m able to finish the assignments quite quickly..”

“Is that so? You’re only on the third volume… Hm?”

Roel’s footsteps suddenly halted on the spot as he replayed what Alicia had just said in his mind. Following that, his golden eyes slowly began to widen.

Wait a moment, the third volume in math? But I’m pretty sure that I’m only on the second volume right now!

Roel suddenly remembered how he had never attended classes seriously and would often write all sorts of nonsense for his assignments. Due to that, he had already spent more than a year learning the second volume, which was not difficult at all. Otherwise, he should have already been on the fourth volume by now.

With this, Roel was forced to acknowledge the cruel reality that his studies were actually behind Alicia, his junior by two years… and it seemed like she did it easily at that!

Thinking back on the game, Roel suddenly recalled that Alicia was known for her excellent results in the academy too!

Argh! A beautiful appearance, smart mind, and monstrously powerful bloodline; just what in the world was this perfect being?! Had it been the other Roel, he would have surely developed a sense of inferiority against her!

Roel suddenly felt like he had found the reason why the original Roel had ended up oppressing Alicia, treating her with great hostility. As a person who was not very high on the intelligence stat, having to face the seemingly perfect Alicia and be reminded of his inadequacies every single day, it probably heaped a mountain load of stress on him.

To actually be lagging behind a person who looked up to him, onlookers would have laughed at the plight that Roel was in…

No, they really were laughing at him.

(Affection Points +20! Affection Points +30! Affection Points +15…)

Indeed. Despite the dignified and respectful facade of these maids, they were all laughing at Roel at this very moment in their minds⁠—the strained looks on their faces were more than enough to prove that! They knew Roel’s current progress in his studies, after all.

“Pft!”

Anna, who didn’t fear her young master as much anymore after spending the past month together, accidentally let a laugh slip out, but it was quickly stifled by Roel’s sharp glare.

Nevertheless, she was still deeply looking forward to the soon-to-come reversal of roles, where Alicia would become the one tutoring Roel on his studies instead.

It sure is heartening to see the young master and young miss getting along well!

Setting aside the maids’ antics, it was just a pity that Roel wasn’t going to let the old script play out that way anymore, and he had the capability to do it. He was no longer his past self!

It’s lucky that math was my strong suit back on Earth, or else I might have really been done in here! , Roel thought as he continued proceeding ahead.

1 reply – 2 weeks ago

Marquess Carter wasn’t at home today either, so the kitchen staff was waiting for Roel to return before starting the preparations for dinner. As soon as the news of Roel’s return was relayed via the guards, the kitchen immediately got to work.

In the dining room, the little boy and girl sat side-by-side⁠—Roel had already received formal approval from Marquess Carter regarding this arrangement. Feeding Alicia every day was a huge project for him, so he couldn’t allow anything to go wrong! That being said, he had relented on slicing the meat in view of his young age, now entrusting the task to the trusty servants. The only responsibility he had was to feed Alicia.

Roel and Alicia chatted at the dining table as they waited for dinner to come, but surprisingly, a piece of news arrived first.

“Young master, the old master has sent news that he’ll be returning tomorrow with a guest.”

The news was passed through several people, and in the end, it was Anna who stepped forward with a lowered head to inform Roel. The latter blinked in surprise upon hearing the news.

A guest?