Chapter 58

“Sis Tamaki, these snacks are great. You can find happiness just by eating something yummy. Cheer up.” It was Kokoko who ended up comforting her despondent coworker. “Have I done something wrong…? Anyway, we must go. Farewell, Shijou.” “Oh yeah, we need to go! See ya later, you two!” In the parking lot was a black car that was probably way more expensive than Ryouta could ever imagine. “I was originally thinking about sending the car to your house, but you live on castle grounds. Even if it’s only the gardens, it would still be disrespectful to send a car in.” “Oh, yeah, I guess so…” As the chauffeur drove smoothly along, Ryouta took in the scenery outside and inside the car. This wasn’t just a luxury vehicle; it was an expression for a noble’s peculiar interests. The thing was covered with custom designs—maybe rococo or something. “We’re going to a noble manor…” Even though Ouka had once given him a tour of the castle, he felt a different kind of nervousness. “No need to be so tense. Bloodlines do matter to my family, but I doubt they will discriminate against you simply because you are a commoner. More importantly, you are one of the emperor’s personal guard, which legally makes you a noble.” “Most real nobles probably wouldn’t want to acknowledge a noble by technicality, though…” He would need to project confidence, he knew, but he still couldn’t find peace of mind. “By the way, is the Toraha family a branch of the Tatsunami family or something?” Ryouta still wasn’t sure what kind of position her cousin held. “No. They were originally an independent family, until my father’s younger sister—my aunt—married into the Torahas. A good majority of the noble families moved here after the Empire was established, but the Toraha family has lived here for generations.” “I see. So now that your cousin’s really strong, he has to get married?” “He will be treated as a groom marrying into my family. The Toraha family has plenty of boys, so they are not concerned with succession. They are fully capable of protecting their family line.” This was a very “blue blood” kind of conversation, which made Ryouta feel small. The car continued north and out of the downtown area, and the view changed into something more pastoral. They then turned west and entered the mountains. “Wait, you’re coming to school from all the way out here…? We’re already more than three miles away from the castle…” “Yes, and that’s nothing in a car.” “But should one of the emperor’s personal guard live so far away?” “I stay in the castle on days I have night duty, but it is not wartime. I commute from my territory.” “Wow, your ‘territory’… I feel like I’m back in the old times…” Finally, a large mansion at the top of a small hill came into view. “That’s more of a castle than a manor.” “Indeed. It is built to be safe and defensible if the time calls for it.” The car stopped just inside the large gate, before what Ryouta assumed was the main building. Before they could enter, however, a gentleman with a magnificent beard and a kind-looking woman came out to greet them. “Ah, so you are the candidate,” said the man. “My, thank you for coming out all this way,” said the woman, who reminded Ryouta of Sasara. “This is my father Maxwell, and my mother Elsa.” “Oh, hello,” said Ryouta. “I’m honored to be a classmate of Tatsunami’s.” Ryouta hurriedly bowed to them. He was easily flustered in these situations; his only experience with nobility was Sasara and Ouka, and they barely counted. “No need to humble yourself. This is all to see if you are stronger than the man we’ve arranged. That is all.” Whoa, so strength really is all that matters here… Even though he wore the sword that Ouka had given him to display his noble status, he was still unsettled by the idea of fighting with it. This was a real sword, so winning would mean wounding his opponent. “Then I shall be going into the manor. Ry…Ryouta, please go ahead to the meeting spot…” “Y-you called me—? Oh, right…” The sudden shift to his first name left him taken aback, but she couldn’t exactly call the man she supposedly wanted by his full name. I bet she really hates this… Her face is all red… She must be so embarrassed… He couldn’t just keep staring at her face, so he quickly made his way to the annex, which was a Japanese-style building with a tiled roof. Inside, there was a long table sitting in the tatami room. “I guess the matchmaking meeting is going to be Japanese-style. The Sacred Blood sure like to mix cultu—” “Who’re you?” someone asked warily. Ryouta saw a boy with a sharp gaze, sitting there alone. His hair was long, definitely long enough to tie back. He seemed to be just a bit younger than Ryouta. Wait, did Sasara have a younger brother…? She’s never mentioned him. The boy also had a katana sheath sitting on his belt. “You’re not…Toraha, are you?” “I am indeed Masatsuna Toraha. Who are you? My apologies, I’m about to have a matchmaking meeting here, so could you leave?” “No, Sasara told me to come here…” After all, if a member of the family wanted him to be here, there should be no problem, right? “What?! What?! How rude of you!!!!!” Toraha took several steps back with a look of extreme shock, as if he’d just stumbled across a murder. “Rude? About what? Oh, you’re a noble, right? I’m Ryouta Fuyukura, the lowest of lowest nobles.” “No, I don’t care about that! How dare you address Lady Sasara by her first name?! And without her proper title, no less?!” “Oh, right. She’s my classmate… Wait, let me correct myself. Lady Sasara’s my classmate.” “You call her by her first name simply because she is your classmate…?” “Ah, you’ve got a point… Uh, Lady Tatsunami is my classmate. Ugh, that doesn’t feel right…” “Honestly, children these days… I cannot believe this…” “I’m pretty sure we’re the same age.” If anything, Ryouta was getting the impression this kid was one or two years younger than him. “When I was a child, the rule was that once children reached seven years of age, boys and girls were no longer permitted to sit with one another. The boys were on the right side, and girls were on the left. We were not allowed to play with each other.” “Hold on! What year is this?!” “It was such hard work fetching water from the well in winter, splitting firewood…” “When were you born?!” “But the fried potatoes we would eat by the brazier were delicious. The snacks of long ago were all potatoes.” “Who cares about the era—your past doesn’t sound noble at all!” He couldn’t imagine a noble family living like that. “The virtues of the Toraha family are austerity and fortitude. Plus, status and money are separate things.” “Now that you mention it, you’re right.” “We do have our fair share of assets, but the majority of it is land. Mountains and forests alone do not bring money. Yet it is the inheritance of our forebears, a precious gift, so we have no intention of letting it go.” So despite their status, they weren’t exactly loaded with cash.