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Chapter 159
Right now, it was just an empty plain, but it seemed like the kind of land that would definitely grow into a major city once developed.
“This is the land Simon wanted to sell, but he kept holding onto it.”
“Um… okay…”
“I’ll build a city here. For you, my daughter.”
“A city?”
“Yes, a city named after you.”
Dad gave a small, smug smile.
“….”
I had expected at most some jewels or a rare treasure.
A city… as a birthday gift?
I didn’t know what to say in this unexpected situation. Though, of course, previously when asked what I wanted for my birthday, I had answered without thinking.
“House and land.”
At the time, I didn’t think that answer would ever become reality—it was simply a worldly, ordinary desire!
“The city plan has been prepared. Our lord has no expertise in this area, so I’ve been coordinating with Sperom to develop it as a commercial city. Would that be alright?”
“Uh, yes….”
“The scenery here is quite nice, so we plan to build a large-scale residential district, and Arel’s mansion will be constructed here.”
“My mansion?”
“Yes, someone wants to give Arelin a house.”
Mehen pointed to Ludwig. Ludwig met my gaze and said bluntly,
“I’ll build the most beautiful mansion.”
“Oh.”
“If it were Pyital, we could have given even more…”
No, this is already way too much.
These people’s sense of scale is terrifying.
Regardless of my fears, Mehen continued explaining.
“In this area, Sperom’s affiliated merchant guilds and banks will be established. The automobile headquarters will also be here, and we plan a large logistics warehouse over there.”
Mehen, who rattled off the development direction, major industries, budget allocations, and so on—most of which I didn’t fully understand—patted my head.
“The city is named ‘Relin.’ Do you like it?”
It was an unmistakably blatant name. Anyone could tell it was my city!
Caught between feelings of awkwardness and pride, I found myself quietly chuckling while the three men waited to hear what I would say.
“Can I change the city name?”
“City name?”
Dad’s eyebrows twitched, but I was firm in my decision.
“I want to name it myself.”
“It’s your gift, so go ahead.”
I wrote the name I had thought of on the map Dad had drawn.
El Sionel.
A simple phrase from the ancient language widely used during the Age of Faith, now defunct, meaning “in honor of Sione.”
“….”
Both Dad and the godfather’s expressions shifted simultaneously.
“Arel, this is…”
“I want to remember it.”
When I smiled, Mehen traced the letters and laughed.
“Mom, you’re not upset, right?”
“No. Don’t worry.”
Seeing the proud look in her eyes made me giggle.
“But I’m curious… what exactly did Mehen gift me?”
“My labor.”
“…?”
You mean… physically?
I blinked in surprise, and Mehen burst out laughing.
“Happy birthday, Arel.”
“You’re teasing me!”
“Forgive me, Arel, you’re just too cute.”
What Mehen handed me was a fountain pen—an elegant, premium line engraved with my name, Arelin.
“Wow.”
As I fumbled with it in open admiration, Dad rested his chin on his hand and grumbled.
“Why does it seem like you like Mehen’s gift more than mine?”
It’s just your imagination, Father.
Coincidentally, my birthday and Pession’s were exactly three days apart.
“Happy birthday, Your Highness!”
“Congratulations!”
Pession’s birthday party.
Though it was supposedly a “small” gathering for close acquaintances, compared to my birthday party, it was like night and day.
“Is this the ‘simplicity’ of royalty?”
I was deceived again.
“Your Highness, so popular~!”
“Lucky, huh?”
The twins first offered their congratulations and gifts to Pession, then clung tightly to my side.
“But why is Harun here?”
“Shouldn’t he be next to Your Highness?”
“….”
Harun made a face full of indignation.
Ah, that expression!
“The expression that says: ‘Too many people here, I can’t get close!’”
Nod.
“Exactly!”
“Wait, Arel, can you read Harun’s expression?”
“How did you do that?”
“Hohoho. Witness my prowess, younglings! This is my true power!”
“…?”
The twins kept making him pose various expressions.
“This is the ‘why are you making me do this?’ expression.”
“Wow, Harun, that’s mean!”
“Not really…”
While continuing to guess and tease, our eyes met Pession’s.
“….”
For some reason, his gaze was full of displeasure.
“…?”
Why does he look so upset?
“Seems like Your Highness wants to play with us.”
“But he can’t come here, right?”
“Today, the protagonist is Your Highness!”
No matter how much we stared, there was nothing we could do.
If Pession had been alone, maybe it would’ve been different, but the Empress Ajeni, Lord Sirua, Prince Therion, and every member of the royal family except Emperor Edward were all present.
It was a completely different atmosphere from the cozy birthday party I had with just us.
“Oh?”
Amid the crowd, I spotted the only familiar, welcoming face.
“Uncle!”
“Oh! Arelin!”
A strong voice called me, different from all others. A neatly handsome man, like someone you’d see on the news, approached with a bright smile.
“My little bluebird!”
“…?”
Me? Perhaps a misunderstanding?
The Duke of Idikels held my hands and kept thanking me.
“Thanks to you, it’s all thanks to you. Really, thank you!”
When the Regent came to our house, the confrontation with Halbern was officially suspended.
Thanks to that, the male empire, which had been like a ticking magical bomb, returned to neutral status, and the Duke of Idikels’ mission was complete.
“Congratulations.”
“Truly, thank you!”
The Duke said he was delighted to see his family after such a long time.
“So, you’re going on leave now?”
“Yes, I plan not to respond even if the Emperor summons me for a while.”
Compared to when I saw him at Locke Castle, the Duke now looked chubbier and glossier, laughing heartily.
“Since we haven’t seen each other in a while, shall we test our favorability again?”
-
The Duke of Idikels, unable to forget the embarrassing –50 from our first meeting, eagerly asked, and I smiled in response.
I wonder what it will show this time.
[♡ 5 Caution]
“Ahh…”
The Duke shivered with excitement.
Ridiculous.
“Are you really that happy?”
“Of course! The thrill when someone who doubted me begins to trust me, the pleasure when someone who didn’t like me starts liking me! I will chase this joy all my life. Always new! Always thrilling!”
What… this person is weird.
“Next time we meet, I’ll make you like me even more.”
“That’s a bit of a misleading statement.”
As expected, Dad, forcibly attending thanks to Mehen, appeared, radiating a fierce aura.
“Terence, what are you trying to do?”
“…Valer, it’s a misunderstanding.”
A minor mishap occurred, but it was eventually resolved. After explaining to Dad, the Duke handed me an item, as if he had anticipated this encounter.
“This is what I promised.”
“Why are you saying it like that?”
It felt like some shady underground deal, but the Duke of Idikels, freed from the male empire and brimming with energy, shrugged.
“Isn’t this more thrilling?”
Still, the “promised item” piqued my curiosity immensely.
“Favorability Scanner!”
A collaborative creation of the desires of many coveting Idikels’ abilities and research at the Tower of Magic.
“Unfortunately, there’s a margin of error and a usage limit, but it’s a very useful item.”
Only about ten of these are produced yearly, and I had one.
“Registration is complete. You can use it about a hundred times safely.”
“Wow, that’s a lot!”
Although it only scans how I feel about someone and how they feel about me, that was enough.
“Can I scan you, uncle?”
“Of course!”
Weeiiing—
The scanner glowed, briefly scanning the Duke of Idikels.
The result appeared immediately.
[♥ 49 Enthusiastic Favor]
“Oh…”
I felt terrible for giving him –50 on our first meeting.
