“Then let’s proceed with this matter as we discussed yesterday. I’ll leave the minor details to Uncle Gil.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare a report on the progress.”

“I feel a bit guilty handing over so much work like this every time.”

“Haha… It’s my job, so don’t worry about it. In fact, I feel rejuvenated, almost reminiscing about the days when I served as the head of the family.”

“I can’t even imagine how difficult things would be without Uncle Gil.”

It’s already quite a handful managing the work as the head of the family, but with becoming a Duke, the influx of work was beyond what I could handle alone. And I couldn’t just brush it off, so I had no choice but to sit at my desk, holding back tears.

Fortunately, there were plenty of people willing to help me with the duties that overwhelm me. Of course, there was Uncle Gil right in front of me, but besides him, I had many capable people around me.

In particular, I learned a lot from Selian, who expertly managed the House Deretia as the head—not to mention she was proficiently handling affairs unlike I was.

“Well… So there’s nothing urgently needed to be signed right now?”

“Thanks to your hard work since this morning, you can relax.”

I had already double-checked two or three times, but I asked just in case. After all, today was particularly important.

“Then I hope you have a lovely date.”

Ugh. They’ve already caught on. I guess with all my rushing around handling tasks since morning, it was obvious.

After Gilbert left the office, I returned to my room to prepare for going out. I put aside the blanket I was wrapped in and removed the comfortable clothes I had been wearing, tossing them into the laundry basket.

What should I wear? I’m sure whatever I choose will be said to look good, but still… it’s human nature to want to present the best side to someone you like.

Choosing an outfit I had already worn on our last date felt a bit lazy, so I was unnecessarily worried about that.

“Zeno!”

“Ah?!”

While I was deep in thought in front of my wardrobe, the door swung open with a shout calling out to me. I was only in my underwear, so I quickly covered myself in surprise.

“Sister?”

But there was really no need to be shy. There was only one person who could barge into my room like this—me, the head.

“You startled me with your yelling! What’s up?”

I let out a sigh of relief and asked about my sister’s purpose for coming. She puffed her cheeks out for a second, then answered with a pout.

“That’s unfair! You’re leaving me behind again, aren’t you?!”

Oh dear. Having such an intelligent younger sister can be quite troublesome. My sister just wouldn’t leave my side.

“Well… but you still have classes left today.”

“That’s why! Why do I have to study alone? What about you, Zeno?”

“No, I already know everything, so there’s no need for me to listen.”

Even so… I had brought in a private tutor for my sister, who had been stuck with the Demon King for a long time, so her common sense was still stuck in her childhood. Luckily, her mental maturity is not as juvenile.

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to sit through class alone! I want to be with you, Zeno!”

…Isn’t that a bit much?

Eventually, recognizing she couldn’t win the argument rationally, my sister started to throw a tantrum. Although it was painfully cute, typically, I would have indulged her stubbornness, but today I unfortunately had a prior engagement.

“How about this? Since you have no classes tomorrow, let’s go on a picnic together. I’ll prepare lunch and make it official.”

As I held out my pinky to make a promise, she hesitated for a moment, but then broke into a bright smile and linked her pinky with mine in agreement.

“Okay! It’s a promise! We’re definitely going for a picnic tomorrow!”

“Alright. So hurry back before the teacher comes looking for you.”

Knock, knock.

However, before I could send her off, I heard a knocking at the door. Once my sister was in my room, I didn’t even need to ask who it was.

Throwing on a few clothes haphazardly, I opened the door to see a familiar face.

“Boss.”

“Yep. I’m here to catch the runaway student. She must have run off here again…”

Indeed, the tutor I had hired for my sister was none other than Frecia. After defeating the Demon King, she took a position in the Church but came to live in our mansion as our family wizard.

Reviving her experiences as a professor from Griffin Academy, I asked her for help with my sister’s studies.

Despite it being a bothersome task, Frecia thankfully agreed to my request. Of course, Frecia also had her weaknesses unless it was in her area of interest, so I had to set aside time to fill in those gaps myself.

“…I’d like to say that’s not true, but you’re right. Still, I have a prior arrangement with my sister, so today, I will dutifully attend class.”

“Eh heh…”

As I stepped aside, my sister, who had been hiding behind me, revealed herself.

Given that she was in trouble, she gave a bashful smile while glancing cautiously at Frecia.

“It’s okay. Since you missed class, we can just assign more homework.”

“Ah, no! Frecia’s homework is always too hard!”

Well, you should’ve thought about that before running away, Sis. Or at least be careful not to get caught.

But what can be done? What’s done is done. Eventually, my sister followed Frecia back for class, clutching Tokki and Gomtaengi in her hands.

“Phew.”

It felt like a storm just swept through. Nevertheless, since the unexpected situation ended well, it was time to redirect back to the main topic.

…So what should I wear?

*

“El! Over here!”

As soon as I arrived at the meeting point, Selian spotted me from afar, waving her hand enthusiastically.

Even though I tried to leave a bit early, coming about twenty minutes early, Selian had already arrived before me.

Her dress appeared simple at first glance, but the red ribbon tied around her waist added a cute accent. This made her figure even more pronounced, distancing her from the simple look.

“I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”

“No worries. I just got here too.”

The place we agreed to meet was my territory. I had no grounds to complain about being late when I arrived after Selian, who had to come through the Teleport Gate.

“By the way, El, your territory changes so much every time I come. Just a month ago, it wasn’t like this… The Emperor is quite extravagant, huh? At least for you.”

“Ah ha ha…”

Indeed, as she said, my territory was changing day by day to the point where it was hard to remember its former appearance.

There are various reasons for this, but first, I am now a Duke. The previous territory had been somewhat prosperous, given it had experienced destruction, but it fell short of being called a Duke’s domain.

Of course, as a Duke without a significant source of income, I had no budget for territorial development. But that’s where a promise I made with Cecilia comes into play. After defeating the Demon King, she pledged to help restore the House Frentz, becoming my solid supporter and showering my territory with national funds.

It’s clear that the fact that Cecilia is one of my lovers significantly influenced everything.

Thanks to that, I was able to set up a Teleport Gate in my territory, providing great assistance to friends who were in long-distance relationships.

Although the fees associated with using the Teleport Gate can’t be said to be cheap, as a hero who vanquished the Demon King, I received the benefit of being exempted from various public facility fees, including the Gate.

Understandably, my friends are using that privilege effectively every moment.

“Shall we go see a play today, then? It’s been a while.”

I casually pulled out the theater tickets I had prepared.

“The play title is… ‘The Hero’s Adventure’?”

“I picked them up from the class president when I visited the capital to see Cecilia the other day. It brought back memories, so I got them.”

“Now that you mention it, I did get help from the class president back then. Of course, the sudden appearance of the Emperor spoiled things…”

“Huh? Cecilia?”

“Don’t you remember? That little girl… No, there’s no need to bring up unpleasant memories. Just forget it.”

Now I’m even more curious, having half-started my sentence. A little girl, huh? I do remember a lost child from that time. Wasn’t she the daughter of Isis, the Chief Wizard of the royal family?

“Based on the title, it shouldn’t differ much from what I saw back then… but I guess it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is being here with Selian.”

With one hand holding the theater ticket and the other clasping Selian’s hand, I said cheerfully.

“We still have a bit of time before the play starts, so let’s go buy some snacks and drinks.”

Naturally, in a couple set, I’d “accidentally” grab one straw.

It might seem that I was being too obvious, but Selian, being innocent, wouldn’t catch on to my intentions at all.

But even if she did, what of it? A “couple” indirect kiss is just healthy and wholesome expression of affection.

With these ulterior motives in mind, I felt somewhat nervous as I made my way towards the theater alongside Selian.

…

Originally, my intention was to sneak in some physical contact as we enjoyed the play in the dark theater.

However, I unexpectedly found myself unable to even focus on the play that was being performed by the talented actors. Instead, I had my hands on my face, my head hung low.

Of course, the play being shown on stage was none other than the story of a hero.

The problem is that this ‘hero’ is pointing right at me.

I thought it was just the tale of the first hero, like the play I had seen before!

Honestly, if they were just telling my story normally, I could have turned my head away in embarrassment, but I couldn’t.

Why did I have to be portrayed as a virtuous person who can’t stand injustice?

Even the tale of my solo travels around the continent after the Griffin Academy incident cast me as a hero sacrificing himself to protect my friends from danger.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate, but since I had run away from my friends, I had no choice but to stay low in Selian’s presence.

*

After the play ended, Selian and I went to a restaurant where I had made reservations for dinner. Naturally, the topic of discussion revolved around the play we just saw.

“Hehe… It was a fun play, more than I expected.”

“Just kill me already…”

As embarrassed as I was, Selian wore a gleeful smile, seemingly enjoying herself. For Selian, who knew the actual circumstances, it must’ve been a comedy like no other.

“Come on, why are you so embarrassed? It was actually quite well depicted—you looked way cooler than I imagined. Of course, it was still less than the real El.”

“Ugh…”

No matter how much Selian tried to boost my spirits, I couldn’t escape the embarrassment, so I simply downed the remaining wine instead.

Soon, we were down to just desserts after having more of the main course. Since summer was passing, it was already dark outside by the time dinner was winding down.

Having gone for a walk during our date, watched a play, and shared dinner, leaving it at that after a long time apart felt unsatisfactory.

Normally I wouldn’t even dare to bring it up, but with a little alcohol in my system, I thought I mustered up some courage.

“By the way, I received some nice cheese as a gift… How about we stop by my place for a drink first?”