By Zephyria 
“It’s been a while, Young Master Hamilton.”
“Haha. It has been. Have you been well, Lady Beatrice?”
It had already been two months since he had met Lady Beatrice. They exchanged short letters at least once a week or met in person at least once a month, so it was indeed a long time, as the Lady said.
“Hmph, well… I can say I’ve been doing okay, except for being upset by a friend who doesn’t even bother to keep in touch, not knowing what’s keeping them so busy.”
The precious daughter of the prestigious Duke Grachio, whose power had become so strong as to threaten the imperial authority, moved her lips quite haughtily against the backdrop of the antique drawing room. Strangely, I, the foolish ‘friend’ sitting in front of such a Lady, burst out laughing. It was because I was sure that the high-ranking Lady would not punish me for using foolishness as an excuse.
“I’m sorry, Beatrice. I’ve been too busy lately.”
“All the autumn leaves have fallen while Noah hasn’t even replied once! I even begged my father to get me a villa with outstanding scenery.”
Well, it’s not like I was planning to take Noah there to see the autumn leaves, so don’t get me wrong! The way she elegantly sipped her tea while rattling off words quickly was very charming and cute.
Two seasons had already passed since we, as the same dominant Omega, were grouped together as candidates for the Crown Princess, and the Lady and I had become quite close. Everyone outside saw us as rivals, but in fact, neither of us particularly adored the Crown Prince, so that might be why.
Anyway, all of that was a secret situation that only we knew, and on the surface, the Lady, backed by Duke Grachio and the Empress, was still the overwhelmingly dominant candidate for the Crown Princess. Duke Grachio, whom I had encountered a few times whenever I visited the Lady, looked me up and down, carefully examining me, as if I had no desire at all, and then just nodded his head in satisfaction, as if his daughter had found a trustworthy right hand man.
“…So.”
“Yes?”
“What was the reason you were so busy?”
The Lady still pouted her lips and asked as if she was being resentful.
“Ah, that’s right. My second eldest brother, Frederick Hamilton. Beatrice knows him well, right?”
“If you’re talking about the winner of this year’s martial arts tournament, I’ve heard about him so much that you can skip the other explanations.”
“Yes, yes. Anyway, I don’t know what wind blew into Frederick, but he suddenly decided to go on a warrior’s journey. It’s not like he’s going for a couple of months, but for at least a full year. That colt-like…, ah.”
“Continue, Noah.”
“Yes, that hot-blooded dog-like…, no, no. Why do I keep doing this. Anyway, my second eldest brother secretly left almost like running away, even though my mother tried to stop him. My mother was so surprised that she ended up collapsing. Because of that, I had to take over all the major and minor affairs of the family that my mother was in charge of.”
At my words, which were filled with a deep sigh, the Lady forgot about expressing her disappointment and quickly made a face as if she was worried to death.
“Oh dear… Is the Countess doing okay?”
“Her condition quickly improved. She’s currently down in the territory for rest and relaxation.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s really ‘that’s a relief’. Beatrice knows, right? I’ve never learned or been in charge of anything like this before. I’m doing it because I have to, but it’s so difficult and there’s so much to do… I spend my days in a daze, and then I collapse and fall asleep, that’s all I do these days.”
The Lady, who had been taking care of the Duke’s household instead of the Duchess, who had been weak since long before she became an adult, seemed to understand my situation perfectly. She said that she was almost out of her mind for about a year when she first took over the family’s affairs.
“If you had such a situation, you should have told me sooner! I could have helped you with something!”
“Haha… I’m grateful just for the thought, Beatrice.”
As I met the Lady’s earnest gaze, my conscience, which I thought had been ruined long ago, seemed to prickle.
Frederick’s warrior’s journey, which was close to running away, the Countess’s deteriorating condition due to it, and the household affairs that I suddenly took over due to the situation, were all things that I had experienced countless times, just like the other countless elements. I was at the point where I could get up in my sleep and rattle off what major and minor events were happening at the Count’s estate around this time, and how to handle the work.
So this was just an excuse. There was another reason why I was so busy that I was neglecting the ‘friend’ I had made for the first time in my life.
“I’ll probably be busy until my mother returns to the mansion, Beatrice. We couldn’t see the autumn leaves together, but let’s definitely see the winter scenery together.”
“…That’s really mean. Who on earth can refuse if you ask so kindly with that face?”
“I wonder. The eminent Lady Grachio?”
“If only you couldn’t talk.”
The Lady burst into laughter and personally escorted me to the carriage.
“Oh my, but that’s not the Count’s carriage today?”
The place I had to go wasn’t a place where it was good to reveal that I was a noble, so I deliberately rented the best one from the carriage rental place… As expected, the Lady was quick-witted. I didn’t panic and started rattling off the reason I had thought of in advance.
“Some of them are in poor condition, so we decided to inspect them all at once. I urgently secured something that was good enough to ride.”
“Ah. I see.”
“Then I should go now. Please stay well, Beatrice.”
“You too, Noah. I’ll send you a letter, so be sure to reply.”
I greeted the Lady and turned around and got into the carriage, and immediately started changing my clothes.
“…Are you really going again?”
“Yeah. Would I go again for fake?”
Nicole, who was waiting for me, asked as if he didn’t like it, but my intention was clear.
“Come on, let’s go quickly. Nicole! Nicole said he was dying to meet his father too!”
“I never said that…”
“Huh? Uh-huh? Uuh-huh?”
“Ugh… I understand… I lost… But you absolutely must not leave my side. Understood?”
“Of course!”
The carriage wheels slowly began to turn. The destination was the imported goods trading company run by Nicole’s father, Mr. Seymour. The real reason I’d been so busy lately: to arrange a meeting with Lennox.
To briefly explain what kind of guy ‘Lennox,’ the third target character of , was, one word was enough: Allen-crazy. It meant a guy crazy for Allen. A very small number of game players all called him that.
Of course, all the target characters were, in a way, crazy for Allen, but this guy was a bit extreme.
A great mage of commoner origin, he was a Beta until the mid-game. Then, because he couldn’t feel Allen’s Pheromone and couldn’t calm Allen during his Heat cycle, he kidnapped, threatened, and imprisoned a high-ranking priest to get a blessing.
In front of Allen, he would melt with a sweet smile, but in front of others, he would raise his thin eyes coldly and act like a real madman.
‘What a pity. He certainly resembles Allen. But damaging this beautiful shell is inefficient. What do you say, Young Master Hamilton? If you’re going to die anyway, why not die by my hand? I promise to kill you without pain or damage. After killing you without a single flaw, I can taxidermize you nicely and use you as eye candy to replace Allen.’
Wow… Even thinking about it now gave me the chills. In the previous playthrough, when the other target characters were raging and gnashing their teeth, ready to kill me for attacking Allen, Lennox looked down at me and said such things calmly. Judging by his gleaming red eyes, it was clear he wasn’t just trying to insult me.
He was definitely a bad kind of madman, but strangely, I didn’t hate him that much. Maybe it was because I knew he wasn’t always so twisted.
Lennox was originally a street urchin who grew up in the same orphanage as Allen. Around adolescence, he ran away from the miserable orphanage and became a drifter in the back alleys.
The orphaned boy, with no one to rely on, barely survived by begging. Fortunately, with his innate sense and extraordinary mental agility, he managed to get a foothold in an information guild that anyone couldn’t just enter.
His life, which was supposed to end as a mediocre low level guild member, changed completely when a black mage visited the guild on a request, recognized Lennox’s innate talent, and chose him as his disciple.