181 Third: Dormitory after a long time (2/2)

I thought I'd get to see Frank in a rare moment of temper tantrums, but...

So what's up with you?

For the past year and months ...... I've been back in the territory.

Yeah. So, what's going on at home?

I knew it. What did your parents say to you?

You know I'm ...... the next head of the family, right?

Yes. ......

Frank is the second son, but he couldn't be head of the family because of his brother's bad behavior.

Father said I'd have to have at least one fiancée to be the next head of the family. Dad said I'd have to have a fiancée or something.

Your fiancé. .......

'Yeah. Really?　Well, is that true when you're the next head of the family?　My brother Alex was engaged to Fiona when he was about our age, and I heard he was engaged to Fiona when he was about our age: ......

They've been friends since primary school.

It's nice to know that you've been devoted to each other since you were little.

I'm still in elementary school too, so I guess that's the same. No, I'm not sure if that's the same.

”No, Dad, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get a partner. ....... I don't think he wants his brother to take over.

Can you prepare a partner?　No, it's more like .

.” ”Is it really that bad that your parents hate you so much that you're a problem child ......?

Isn't the son of a dumb aristocrat usually the result of a lax parent?

If you were able to think that far ahead, why did you let it go until you were in trouble?

Shouldn't the eldest son of your own family be a problem, and shouldn't he be a duke?

I don't know, I've been banned from seeing him for years now . I was originally a little disliked among the ...... nobility because of my bad behavior. But at first my father let me go because I was the oldest son. But when he was in primary school, he did something that made his father very angry.

I knew he was spoiled.

But something was done by Frank's brother that was too much and he couldn't do it to the head of the family: .......

'What did you do to him?'

'Well?　I'm too scared to ask. Even though there's a lot of tension in the house over who's going to be the head of the house, me or your brother.

Huh?　Is the Baudelaire family in that situation?

The head of the family made the decision, and yet people are still pushing for the brother?

If that's the case, Frank would have a hard time staying home: .......

I certainly don't want to hear it under those circumstances. All right. So I'll ask my brothers. You used to be around Frank's brother's age, right?

I think it was ...... yeah. Maybe he was the same age as Leo's oldest brother.

Brother Ivan. Okay. I'm sure Brother Ivan will have plenty of opportunities to meet you.

Brother Ivan often comes to the territory for meetings in the run-up to the war or something, so I'll ask him about it at the next meeting.

''I'll look after you. ....... I'm the only one at home who doesn't know what's going on. ......

I don't know. Seeing the look on Frank's face, I felt sorry for him.

Good thing my brothers are so nice and good at what they do.

Okay, well, let's see what your brother Ivan has to say first: ......?　Come to think of it, we were talking about likes, weren't we?

Oh, by the way, how did we get to talk about Frank's brother?

'Yes. . We went from talking about liking each other to talking about my fiancé, and then we got to talking about Frank's house.

Hermann cleared up all my doubts right away.

Yeah. That's right. It was about liking ...... Hermann, answer for me.

Me!　Why?　My mentor has a lot of experience in this area: ......

Don't talk about experience.

It's nothing. Tell me about true love. Huh?

I'm not a consistent person, you know.

”Hmm?　Could it be that ...... helmsman has a counterpart at ......?

Why?　Does my master know about my relationship with Alma!

Oh, I was right.

From what Barus said, I was thinking it was suspicious.

So you were already together.

”Sickled: ......

'Alma is ...... that knight of Leo?'

Yeah. You remember it well.

We only saw Frank for a little while during his induction exam, didn't we?

It's true. Anyone who saw the tryouts will remember them.

Well, I'm sure that's true. So, Hermann, tell me more about what happened with Alma.

This information is something I need to know as an employer.

It's not like I'm curious or anything, okay?

'Ugh ...... it's no big deal?'

Don't worry about it.

Don't be shy. We're you and me, right?

Come on, come on.

'All right, I get it: ....... You know that Alma and I used to compete every day, right?

'Yeah. . there's a hell of a lot of draws, right?

I don't know what kind of draws we've had in the last two years or so .

''Yes . After the ...... game was over, we used to have a long talk after the ...... game, which we called a review meeting. It was fun and ...... I found myself falling in love with it.

Huh?　That's it?　No, I'm not supposed to say that.

'Oh, yeah ...... something, didn't you two go through any difficulties together or something?　For example, we could take on a dungeon I built, just the two of us.

You have at least one episode where you fell in love with him in the suspension bridge effect, like Ivan's brother and Eunice, or something like that.

''No. . Now that I've grown up, I won't do something so reckless as to challenge Master's dungeon with just the two of us, will I?

If you ask me, that's what I mean: ....... I knew I missed the difficulty setting, didn't I?

Yeah, you're right: ...... Sorry.

Yeah, I thought there would be more dramatic drama.

I didn't expect to be interrupted by a dungeon of my own making.

Oh, don't apologize!　Yeah, right!　The Master wanted me and Alma to traverse the dungeon alone, right?　I wasn't even aware of that: ......

'No, no. ......'

That's not what I'm saying.

All right. I'll tackle the dungeon with Alma as soon as I get back. It may take some time, but I'm sure we'll move through it. You're on it!

Umm, yeah, ...... I'll look forward to it.

Well, if you're willing to challenge me, something might happen, okay .

'I'd love to hear more about how Leo built the dungeon ......, but can you tell me a little more about Hermann's story?　S-So, how did you communicate that ...... favorite thought?　You confessed ......, didn't you?

What is this naive boy?

Aren't you supposed to be a little cooler?

I'm not going to listen to you with a reddish face, that's just creepy.

”Well, well, ...... in the course of the conversation, we talked about how Master has many wives, and I told Alma about the story of his wives and how he had a lot of them I was.

'Mrs. Ta(t) or ...... that's a story that's going to be very long.'

It's not your wife yet, and don't bother emphasizing the 'we' ...... Sure, it's going to be a long one, but .

''Yes . Well, that day was the first time in a long time that the Knights had finished practicing in the morning, so we were able to talk for that long.

You really were together the whole time.

That's what Vals says when he tells me he's hot.

Yeah. So, what happened after you and Leo had a nice talk about your wife?

Alma said ...... I wish I could marry someone as strong as my mentor. ......

Oh, okay. So you were in a hurry to confess that you thought Leo was going to take you, right?

Huh?　Was I supposed to do that?

Sure, you might have a lot of wives, but you're not a scrappy man who's going to mess with ...... people's women.

Now that I think about it, maybe it was: ......

Huh?　Seriously?　I didn't have that much faith in you?

What a shock. .......

''Of course . It's not that my master is terrible or anything . It's just that my master is stronger than me. ....... I can't help but let my master take me away from him.

If you want to say it's not terrible, don't say it's taken!

I was pretty banged up.

Oh, I don't think love has anything to do with physical strength or strength. I know.

Yeah. 　After all, you have to play it by how much you like that person.

Is that right?　It's helpful.

Ho, are you really going to reference that?

Your eyes are hostile!

So what's up with Hermann after hearing Alma's words?

I ...... am sure that no matter how hard I try to beat my master, I will never be able to win. That's why I told ...... Alma that I was going to tell her. Right now, I'm even with Alma, but ...... he asked me to marry him one day if I could win three in a row against you.

Huw~

So cool!　That's my protégé!

'So what did he say back to you?

I was surprised at first, but after a short pause ...... he said, ”If you can do it, do it.

'What's that ...... response is too cool too.'

Totally, you two are a good match.

But it's three wins in a row: ...... Well, I guess Hermann can do it.

(Leo?　Can you come get me?　(I'm done cleaning up.)

Hmm?　Sherry.

(Is it over already?　I'm coming. I'm coming.

I'm sorry. I'm going to go get you both.

It would have been nice, but I promised I wouldn't have to.

I apologized to them and went to get Sherry and the others.