"Mr. Adam Carter, I'm surprised you chose to beco that lady's knight. You must be having quite a difficult ti now."
Wilhelm maintained his elegant and gentlemanly deanor as he tactfully expressed his concern for Adam. He was careful not to speak ill of Emilia or tarnish her image.
This thoughtful consideration endeared the old man to Adam, though Adam himself wasn't concerned about Emilia being a silver-haired half-elf.
He let out a deep sigh and said wistfully, "Yes, raising a daughter is truly exhausting, both ntally and physically."
"Raising a daughter? Do you already have children, Mr. Carter?" Wilhelm looked at the young man, puzzled by the connection between Emilia and Carter's supposed daughter.
"Ah, pardon my unclear words." Adam laughed softly. After a mont's reflection, he continued, "To be honest, Emilia isn't yet a qualified ruler. She lacks firm conviction and determination. But she's growing quickly, and she'll soon beco a worthy ruler!"
Wilhelm observed thoughtfully, "It seems you have great confidence in Lady Emilia."
"Do I?" Adam winked and said, "Well, of course I have confidence in soone I've raised myself."
It was then that Wilhelm finally grasped the aning behind Adam's earlier comnt about raising a daughter.
"...So you're treating that lady like a daughter and raising her?" Even Wilhelm, known as the Sword Demon, was taken aback by Adam's remarkable statent.
Yet his well-practiced manners and composure kept his surprise hidden.
Still, his estimation of this young man grew even higher.
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While Adam and Wilhelm were engaged in conversation, a casual voice interrupted from behind them.
"Must be boring waiting out here all this ti. Care for so tea?" They turned to see Natsuki approaching with steaming cups, "This is the mansion's finest tea, brewed by yours truly."
His proud deanor made Adam's face twitch.
From the aroma, Adam recognized these as the sa premium tea leaves Ram had previously asked Natsuki to practice with.
What a wastrel!
It wasn't using the premium leaves that bothered him — it was Natsuki's inadequate brewing skills failing to do justice to such fine tea.
What an utter waste!
Still, the gesture showed the young man's earnest attempt at hospitality for Emilia's sake.
"And you are...?" Wilhelm inquired politely, glancing at Adam for an introduction.
Before Adam could speak, Natsuki eagerly jumped in, "My na is Natsuki Subaru, and I'm a servant of this mansion's master."
"Ah, so you're Natsuki Subaru. I'm Wilhelm, pleased to et you," Wilhelm said with a nod, "Though, I hear you're quite close with Lady Emilia..."
"Really?! Do Emilia-tan and I look like we have a special relationship? Really, is that how it looks?!" Natsuki bead at these words, hastily serving Wilhelm so tea.
"Tan?"
"Ah, it's my term of endearnt for Emilia."
"I see..." Wilhelm's curiosity at the unusual honorific was evident, though he chose not to pursue it.
Natsuki served tea to both n.
They sipped simultaneously.
"It's good." Wilhelm remarked with surprise, "This has quite a nice flavor. I imagine this tea must be quite expensive."
"Indeed." Adam nodded, also recognizing the rare premium variety. However, he added, "It's just a sha that the crude brewing thod wastes these premium leaves."
He shook his head, visibly pained.
"Oh? Is Mr. Carter knowledgeable about the art of tea?" Wilhelm asked with interest, "Actually, I too am well-versed in tea brewing and often prepare it for my master. If you have ti, we should exchange ideas. I believe we'd have much to discuss."
"Of course, if Sir Wilhelm has the ti, I'd be delighted to oblige." Carter readily accepted.
Feeling suddenly sidelined, Natsuki protested, "Wait, how did I suddenly get excluded?"
"Oh? Are you knowledgeable about tea ceremonies as well? If so, you're welco to join our future discussion."
"No, that's not what I ant!"
Though Wilhelm had politely extended the invitation, Natsuki hadn't brought the tea to discuss tea ceremonies with them.
"Perhaps you brought this precious tea hoping to learn sothing from this old man?"
Wilhelm realized his attempt to change the subject had failed. Unlike the mature knight beside him, the young man hadn't noticed Wilhelm's subtle attempts to avoid the topic.
"I want to know why you're visiting today." Natsuki asked bluntly, "Please tell sothing — even just a little bit."
"I apologize, but I cannot share those details." Wilhelm replied firmly.
With such a direct approach lacking any tact, rejection was inevitable.
Still, his response confird that he definitely knew their visit's purpose.
Hearing the firm refusal, Natsuki understood that Wilhelm wouldn't budge no matter how much he pressed.
His shoulders slumped in defeat.
"It seems the ti has co." Wilhelm said, turning toward the mansion's entrance where his ssenger was erging from the count's residence — a sign their mission was complete.
Adam and Natsuki followed his gaze.
"That's Rem and... wait, who's that?" Natsuki whispered, his eyes fixed on the mysterious ssenger.
It was a Beast Human of the Cat-People race.
The figure had dium-length flaxen hair tied with a white ribbon and wore a blue-white dress outfit. For a female, they would be considered quite tall and slender, with a notably flat chest.
Their large eyes sparkled with curiosity as their cat ears twitched adorably. A tail swayed gently behind them, and every movent carried a feminine charm — or perhaps it was more of a mischievous, imp-like aura.
Upon erging with Rem, they imdiately noticed Natsuki's stare, and a playful smile spread across their face.
"Hey~ I know I'm a beautiful lady and all, but isn't it rather rude to stare like that, nyaa!"
That's what he said.
Just from that playful greeting, you could tell he was going to be a handful.
His na was Felix Argyle, a Cat-Tribe Beast Human.
And yes — he was male!
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T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
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That's it and happy reading! /mrblackwing
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