After my mother gave birth to my younger brother, she developed problems with her mind and has been unable to get out of bed.
My older brother is going to school to study so he can take over the store.
My little brother is a baby so a nanny is watching over him.
Apparently I’ll go to school when I turn 10.
But, I’m only six years old now, so I stay at home.
My dad thinks I might be lonely, so he takes me to business meetings, but…
Honestly, I think it would have been better if I’d stayed at home or at the store.
Even if I am taken there, I end up just staying in the carriage, and it’s boring inside the carriage.
However, if I accidentally get spotted by the child of a nobleman they are doing business with when I get out of the carriage, I will be ridiculed simply because I am a commoner, and in the worst cases, I may even be physically assaulted.
I’ve been bullied so much that lately I’ve started to hate the way I look.
Because my eyes are small, people make fun of me and say they can’t tell if my eyes are open or not.
My fluffy, unruly hair also makes them wonder if there’s something living inside it.
I hate aristocrats because they’re arrogant and mean.
I wish I could tell my dad that I don’t want to go, but I know that he works so hard for us and that he’s worried about me because I’m the middle child of three and tend to get left behind, so I don’t want to worry him and can’t bring myself to say it.
Today, my father took me to the mansion of Duke Rottenstein.
The grounds are large, and it takes 10 minutes by horse-drawn carriage from the gate to the mansion.
Even though it’s just inside the gate, there are trees and woods. Oh, there’s even a stream running through it.
This is no longer a “garden”.
Apparently, duke is the highest title, second only to royalty.
The current Duke of Rottenstein is apparently the country’s “Prime Minister,” and his wife, Duchess Rottenstein, is the current King’s sister.
It seems the Duke and Duchess had called my father to give a birthday present to their eldest daughter, who had married the crown prince of a neighboring country.
The crown prince is that one, right? The one who is set to become the next king, right?
That means the eldest daughter is the next queen of the neighboring country, right?
Isn’t the Duke of Rottenstein a very powerful man?
Ah, that’s terrible.
I imagine there will be more arrogant and mean people in this house than in any of the noble families I’ve met so far.
I definitely won’t get out of the carriage today.
─────That’s what I thought, until four hours ago.
………The Duke and Duchess take a long time shopping.
I knew it would be a long trip after bringing three wagons, but I didn’t think it would take more than four hours.
Unable to bear it any longer, I got off the carriage.
I squat down in a place where I won’t get in the way of our staff who are putting products up and taking them down.
Ah, a line of ants.
It’s quite amusing to see the ants carrying food to their nest and the store clerk going back and forth between the house and the wagon carrying the goods.
“What are you looking at there?”
It’s like singing, such a beautiful voice.
When I looked up at the voice, I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.
Her shiny blonde hair looked like gold coins melted into threads.
Blue and deep, yet captivatingly clear eyes.
Her long golden eyelashes brighten and decorate her eyes.
White, translucent porcelain-like skin.
A fairy? Or maybe just a child goddess?
Why is she here?
Why is she looking at me with such a happy, joyful look on her face?
Come to think of it, I think I was asked something.
What was it? ………She asked me what I was looking at……right. I think. Maybe.
“………………ants?”
Oh, that turned into a question.
What if this beautiful girl thinks I don’t know what I’m looking at?
Ignoring my worries, she puts her hand to her chin, her eyes sparkle, and deepens her happy smile.
What kind of amazing thing could possibly happen to someone to make them look so happy?
Somehow, even I, watching it, feel happy and excited.
“So that means!! You must be bored!! … Yes!! Okay!! Let’s be friends!! …Okay!!”
……………….
……………………….
……………Huh? ………………………Why?
Did she just say “let’s be friends”?
To whom?
To me?
Huh? Me?
Why me?
……………I don’t really think I’m good enough to be her friend .
While I was thinking, she was looking at me with sparkling eyes full of expectation.
“Ummm… First of all, who are you?”
Judging from the expensive looking dress and the fact that she is in this place, I think she is probably related to the Duke’s family.
I think so, but……she doesn’t seem to be used to the language or the behavior of a noble’s daughter living in the royal capital, so I’ll check it out.
“My apologies … I am the third daughter of the Duke of Rottenstein. My name is Isabella Allie Rottenstein.”
She was the third daughter of the Duke’s family…
She looks more like the daughter of a military officer just starting to learn etiquette than the daughter of a prime minister, but this metallic hair color is proof that she has royal blood, so I guess she’s not lying.
However, that would make it difficult for me to become her friend.
Unfortunately, I’m the second son of a merchant, so I have no chance of becoming friends with a duke’s daughter… especially one with royal blood.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m the second son of the Schneider Company. My name is Ursch Schneider. Thank you very much for the very honorable invitation. However, I am a commoner, so I would not be able to become Miss Rottenstein’s friend. I am very sorry, but I think I will decline the invitation.”
Is it okay like this?
I hope I haven’t said anything rude… Thinking this, I check on Miss Rottenstein.
While I was worried that she might get angry, Miss Rottenstein turned her head and began to do something.
“Ursch… Ursch? Hmm? I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before… No, I can’t remember. Well, what do you think?”
For some reason, she seems to be curious about my name.
The Schneider family is a trading company and is also mocked as Fenrir’s kin, so you may have heard of them before.
But she was interested in my name. It was my given name, not my family name.
Is there something in my name?
I’ve never heard of anyone with the same name as me, so it’s hard to imagine that she knows anyone with the same name… So, I wonder if there’s something to do with the name itself.
I bow my head together with Miss Rottenstein in front of the line of ants.
My family…the Schneider family have always given their sons first names that start with a sound similar to ‘u’.
The names of myself and my brothers, starting with the eldest, also start with a sound similar to “u”: “Walter,” “Ursch,” and “Wesley.”
In the case of daughters, it seems that they are given names that are related to the bride’s or groom’s family , but there are exceptions, and sometimes children born into the Schneider family who may possess a “skill similar to appraisal” are given names that start with a sound similar to “u”, even if they are daughters.
Incidentally, the standard for determining this possibility is to use the [Appraisal] skill on the newborn baby girl before she is given a name, and estimate whether or not she would repel it.
My aunt, who passed away at the young age of about 10 before I was born, was able to repel [appraisal] when she was a newborn, and it was determined that she possessed a ‘Skill similar to Appraisal’ as she grew up.
I heard that my aunt’s name was “Wendy,” which started with a sound similar to “u.”
I don’t know why that is the case now.
I seem to have features from my father’s side of the family, and not the beautiful features of the Schneider family, so cute outfits don’t suit me…and so even though Mother wasn’t interested in me, I heard that she didn’t give up on my name.
My older brother “Walter” and my mother’s favorite, my younger brother “Wesley,” were named by my grandfather, but for some reason she insisted on naming me, the one she showed the least interest in, herself.
I was happy about it so I didn’t think too much about it.
But now that I think about it, I wonder why that is.
I wonder if there’s something to my name, “Ursch.”
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Miss Rottenstein has a feeling about my name.
Unable to come to a conclusion on my own, I decided to wait for Miss Rottenstein to reach a conclusion.
However, Miss Rottenstein seemed unable to reach a conclusion to her question, so she stopped thinking, raised her head, and turned to me:
“Well, It’s fine. By the way, it doesn’t matter if it’s ‘suitable’ or not. I don’t have any friends. Would you be so kind as to be my first friend…?”
“But the difference in status is too great. I think friendship is only possible between equals.”
“Hmm. I’m sure Mother did say so too. ‘Women are creatures that won’t accept anyone as a friend unless they truly consider them to be an equal, so be careful.'”
Miss Rottenstein, perhaps imitating her mother, expressed in her gentle and fluffy manner the strong thoughts that her mother had said.
“Just to be clear, there might be some misunderstanding, but I’m a man. Also, I think that thoughts and values vary from person to person, regardless of gender…”
I heard that Duchess Rottenstein was a former princess. I don’t know what she learned from her life’s interpersonal relationships, or how she came to that conclusion, but I felt like I got a glimpse into the relationships between aristocratic women. It’s scary.
“I understand that you’re a boy, of course. Although you do resemble… ‘Miss Sloth’ a little, I am not mistaken about Ursch’s gender.”
After saying that, Miss Rottenstein observed me and muttered under her breath, “Now that I look closely again, I realize they look quite similar…”
“Miss Sloth? I don’t know who that is, but I don’t think you could be friends with me, who has a different social status and gender.”
I said, trying to get her to give up, but Miss Rottenstein looked as if she had just come up with a brilliant idea, spread her arms wide and declared:
“Okay, I’ve decided, Ursch. From today onwards, you’re my friend!!”
As soon as she said that, before I could comprehend what was going on, she tackled me.
“Foggghhh?!”
Then, using the momentum of the tackle, she hoisted me onto her shoulders and took off running with ease.
…? Huh? What?
No no no no… What? You’re kidding!
What do you mean? Huh? What’s the situation now?
Wait a minute? What is this? What is happening to me??
I am now encountering a situation that I cannot fully understand, even with all the experience and knowledge I have gained in the past six years of life!!
Even though the Rosereal Kingdom places great importance on combat power, the Prime Minister is a civil servant, right?
Even if it’s not a hereditary position, the fact that it has produced a prime minister means that it must be a family of civil servants, right? Right? I hope so!!
And that young lady, who is about my age, was running with me, a boy, on her shoulders??
I was supposed to be a little taller.
Miss Rottenstein is wearing shiny, hard-looking shoes with low heels that emphasize design, yet she is running somewhere with ease!!
“Hey, hey!! Where… where are you going?!”
As I wobble on her shoulders, I question where I am being carried.
Miss Rottenstein noticed my question and answered without stopping her running.
“Alfred or Sean Jr.’s place!!”
“Who?! Who’s Alfred?! Who’s Sean Jr.?!”
That’s fine, but the answer just leaves me even more confused.
All I know is that the man called Sean Jr. is probably the son of someone named Sean!!
What are you planning to do by taking me to those people?!
Or rather, at this point, it is still undecided where to take me?!
“It’ll be fine. According to my predictions, it should go well… I have a feeling!!”
I’m not okay at all!! I’m not okay at all!! There’s a big problem right now!!
Moreover, even though you said it’s okay, “should” is no good! “It feels like” is no good!
“I don’t know! I don’t understand anything!”
“So please leave everything to me!”
“I can’t trust you!! I can’t trust anything to you!! It’s no good, our conversation isn’t flowing!! It’s scary, scary, scary!! We’re supposed to be speaking the same language, but it doesn’t feel like we’re understanding each other!!”
And so that day, when I was six years old, I was kidnapped by a duke’s daughter, who was also six years old.
So it’s Ursch and Isabella’s first meeting from the very first life/loop. It’s different yet similar to how they met for the first time in the current loop.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
