Chapter 364: The Banquet

After exchanging greetings with Rosso, Panamera walked over to me.

“Long time no see, Boy.”

“You haven’t changed a bit, Ms. Panamera.”

“……I feel like there is a hidden meaning in those words? I assume you mean I am beautiful as always, correct?”

“O-Of course!”

I replied while breaking out in a cold sweat under Panamera’s flat, suspicious gaze. One must never show weakness to Panamera.

“Miss Arte, it has been a while for you as well. Have you been well?”

“Yes. Thanks to Lord Van, every day is fun.”

“Ooh, is that so? Then marriage must be just around the corner, right, Boy?”

Hearing Arte’s reply, the spearhead of the conversation suddenly turned toward me. It was a retort loaded with implication. Perhaps flustered by this, I made a grave error.

“Geez, aren’t you the one who should get married, Ms. Panamera? It’s about time you…… Gasp.”

It was an unnecessary remark. No, it was a complete slip of the tongue. One could even call it verbal abuse.

“……Boy. You’ve certainly learned to speak your mind. I see, you are a Viscount now, aren’t you? That would explain why you’re getting carried away……”

“N-No no no! That’s not it! I’m not getting carried away……!”

Panamera opened her eyes slightly and formed a smile. I felt like I was being stared down by a carnivore as I stammered my excuses. However, there was no escape.

“I have to teach you a lesson!”

“Gweh!”

She moved behind me with lightning speed and wrapped her arm around my neck. Damn it, why is Ms. Panamera wearing armor? If I was going to make a slip of the tongue, I should have done it after eating.

Although she wasn’t putting that much force into it, seeing me held firmly in a headlock caused panic among Arte and the others.

“L-Lady Panamera……!”

“Lord Van is going to die!”

Perhaps satisfied seeing the flustered figures of Arte, Till, and Khamsin, Panamera relaxed her strength and released me.

Seeing this, Rosso laughed, showing his teeth.

“Wahahaha! You all are truly close!”

“I am humbled. I felt like Viscount Van might surpass me soon, so I thought I should establish mental superiority.”

“I see. That is certainly true. Alright, perhaps I should establish mental superiority over Lord Van as well.”

“Please spare me!”

Faced with the playful bullying of two high-ranking nobles, I replied feeling like a young comedian dealing with veteran stars. Is this that feeling where no matter how high you rise, you can never go against your mentors or scary seniors? No, no, regardless of that, it is impossible for me to become higher ranked than Rosso, so please let me off the hook.

After that, I enjoyed Rosso’s prized lavish banquet alongside the tyrant. It was then that Panamera finally noticed the existence of a certain person.

“Oh? I wondered who that was. Isn’t that the son of Marquis Fertio?”

When Panamera asked with a smile, Sesto, who was sitting at the edge of the table as if trying to erase his presence, jumped, his shoulders twitching.

“A-A-Yes. My name is Sesto Ele Fertio……”

To Sesto, who replied while hunching his shoulders in fear, Panamera nodded.

“Umu. I am Panamera Carrera Cayenne. I have been indebted to your father in various ways.”

“I-I-Is that so……”

Panamera tried to engage him aggressively, but I felt like Sesto was distancing himself further with every word. It was the same with Rosso; Sesto seems to shrink away when talking to people in power.

I mean, regarding the meeting with Mondeo, Rosso and I handled the main correspondence, so it couldn’t be helped that he had no presence there. But where was he during the shipbuilding and the meals with Rosso? Was he perhaps shutting himself away in a room at the manor?

As I ate my food while worrying slightly about my brother’s future, Panamera knitted her brows and turned to me.

“Lord Sesto is a quiet person, isn’t he?”

“……I suppose so. He is probably the quiet type.”

Not knowing how to answer, I gave a vague reply. At that point, Panamera’s interest shifted from Sesto to me.

“So, Boy? How was the ship? I left as soon as the news arrived, but I missed it by a narrow margin.”

Panamera spoke with a hint of frustration. Indeed, a fast horse must have been sent to Fortress City Cayenne as soon as Sesto arrived in Seatoh Village, but there is simply the distance to consider. Calculating the travel time, she marched to Tribute with incredible speed. She likely wanted to speak with the envoy from the Kingdom of Fiesta herself.

Sensing her feelings, I decided to explain about the ship somewhat politely.

“Rest assured. We prepared thoroughly this time, so I believe we were able to check every nook and cranny of the ship’s structure. We start shipbuilding tomorrow, so please look forward to it.”

“Hohoh, that is something to look forward to! Well, it is a shame I was late, but if I can see the crucial shipbuilding process, I suppose that will suffice.”

Saying that, Panamera shook her shoulders and laughed. Rosso is looking forward to it as well; I have to build a magnificent ship tomorrow.

I steeled my resolve and stuffed my cheeks with bread.