Railer family mansion, the Study.

"Hmm..."

Trickle

"Thank you."

I received a glass of alcohol from Luna's father.

Though I was young, I had no problem drinking alcohol.

While drinking and smoking were prohibited within the academy, they were not legally prohibited in the Empire.

It was my first time drinking since I came to this world, and while I was worried about making a mistake, the anticipation of enjoying alcohol after a long time rose in me.

Lunas father extended his glass to me.

I took my glass with proper etiquette.

Even though my status might be higher, I showed respect to my friends father.

Lunas father drank from his glass, and I followed suit.

Ah...ssp.

The alcohol was strong.

A subtle fragrance lingered in my mouth, and when I swallowed, I felt a tingling sensation.

Also, a warm feeling spread through my insides.

I could definitely tell it was a high-quality drink.

Lets have another glass.

Lunas father refilled my glass, and I gladly accepted.

After pouring the drink, Lunas father quietly spoke up.

What do you think is more important, family or work?

I lifted my head to look at him.

With no particular change in his expression, Lunas father was simply looking at his glass as he spoke.

It was a somewhat abrupt question.

I thought we would talk about Luna, but this sudden change of topic made me curious.

Both are important, arent they?

But still, one must come before the other.

After pouring, Lunas father looked at me.

I took a moment to ponder the question before responding.

I think family comes first.

Why do you think that?

"Just as running a family requires focusing on both the internal and external aspects, work can only be taken care of when the family is at peace, right?"

Upon hearing my answer, Lunas father nodded.

His expression didnt change, so I couldnt tell exactly what he was thinking, but it didn't look like I had given a completely wrong answer.

Without saying much else, Lunas father took another sip from his glass.

I heard you are emerging as a prominent successor of the Astria family.

I swallowed hard at his words.

Yes, I am working hard towards that.

It is a challenging path.

Still, I believe its necessary to protect those around me.

The power of the Astria family.

Apart from space magic, it's a family with tremendous power, wealth, reputation, and strength, lacking nothing.

I believed that as long as I had the familys power, I could protect those around me.

Dont you think challenging Ian Astria might endanger those around you?

It might, but the people around me aren't the type to be easily bullied. I trust them, and I will prevent such a situation from happening.

After I spoke, Lunas father smiled contentedly.

"Here."

Although I'd had quite a bit to drink, I was still in control, so I accepted.

"Theres something Ive been wanting to do."

Lunas father said this as he poured me a drink.

"What might that be?"

"We dont have any other men in our family, do we?"

"Yes...?"

"So, Ive always thought it would be nice to have a son."

Luna's father said, slightly swirling his glass.

"To drink with my son, talk about the empire's situation, have honest conversations like this. Ive always wanted to have that experience. So, I've always been envious of those with sons."

"Oh, I see."

I felt a bit uneasy.

"But having a son-in-law doesnt seem too bad either. Hahaha. Having a drink and a chat like this with my son-in-law is quite fun."

"Huh?"

My mind froze at his words.

Son-in-law?

Why am I suddenly a son-in-law?

"I was a bit upset at first about someone taking Luna away..."

"Uh Sir?"

I knew it was impolite, but I interrupted him.

Lunas father laughed at my words.

"Ha-ha, just call me 'father'."

"Oh, no, it's not that"

I cautiously opened my mouth.

"Why am I considered as a son-in-law?"

"Hmm?"

Lunas father looked at me, puzzled.

"Wasnt that the case?"

"Uh..."

"There was talk of marriage in the letter, wasn't there?"

"What?"

Right at that moment, the door to the room burst open, and Lunas mother and Luna herself were there.

"Dad!!!!"

"L-Luna. H-Honey."

Her father stiffened at their appearance.

"H-How did you find your way here?"

The once dignified father of Luna had now gone pale.

"Oh dear, you!"

Lunas mother strode towards us and hit her husband on the back.

"Ah, honey. I was just trying to have a brief chat!"

"I told you to stay put!"

"H-Honey!"

Her father cringed as he got smacked on the back by his wife.

Luna hurried over to me and asked urgently.

"He didn't say anything weird, did he? Didnt ask you to do anything strange?"

She said this and then glanced at the glass in my hand.

"H-He made you drink?!"

"Uh... I did drink, but"

"Dad!!!"

Luna turned and glared at her father.

"L-Luna. It's, it's not like that."

Her father stuttered, waving his hands.

I quickly said to Luna,

"Luna! I said I wanted to drink! Your father didnt really say anything strange, so its okay!"

"Father?"

Luna looked surprised as I referred to him as 'father'.

In a hurry to speak, I used an odd form of address, but for now, it was more important to defuse the situation.

I havent been here for long! Nothing really happened, so......

When I clarified the situation on behalf of her father, Lunas mother approached me with a smile.

"Rudy, Im sorry. He's somewhat immature even when I tell him to stay quiet in front of others. Ha ha.

Oh, not at all.

I responded with an awkward smile.

After nodding her head, the mother smiled at me.

Its getting late, you can go back to your room.

Yes I understand.

After saying this, I looked at her father and walked out of the room.

Expressing his gratitude, he gave me a thumbs-up.

The next day.

I woke up early in the morning and stretched my body.

Having drunk alcohol, I had fallen asleep early and enjoyed a deep sleep.

So, despite having slept well, I woke up early in the morning.

I left my room and, while stretching, reminisced about the conversation from the previous day.

A letter, huh

What on earth could this letter be about?

Thinking it through, the only answer seemed to be a letter from Luna.

After all, she is the only person related to me from the Railer family.

But then, what could possibly be in the letter that Luna sent, which made her father react that way?

Thinking about it, it was a bit strange.

Even when I met the butler in front of the Railer mansion, he reacted to my name, Rudy, rather than the name of the Astria family.

I thought it was no problem that people in the capital knew about me these days, but it was strange that he reacted to my name when I introduced myself.

Hmm

It didnt make sense that Luna would send a strange lie to the mansion.

That was not in her character.

Rudy?

When I turned my head, I saw Luna.

She was wearing a thin shawl over her shoulders and a simple white dress.

The dress, which looked like sleepwear yet was quite ordinary, suited Luna very well.

Youre up early?

Luna spoke to me with a gentle smile.

Seeing her like that made me smile as well.

I went to bed early, so I woke up early.

Oh, did you fall asleep right after getting back yesterday? Well I was tired too, so I went straight to sleep.

Luna nodded understandingly as she said Yes! Yes!

More than that, Im sorry about what happened yesterday with my dad

No, its fine. Nothing happened.

As I shrugged my shoulders, Luna took a quick glance at me and opened her mouth to speak.

That Dad didnt say anything strange, did he?

I pondered upon hearing her question.

Should I tell her about this?

It seemed like her father might have misunderstood something, so it might be good to let Luna know.

"He called me a son-in-law

What?

Lunas eyes widened.

My dad? Why would my dad suddenly

Luna spoke with a puzzled expression on her face.

He mentioned something about a letter?

Leletter?

Luna furrowed her brow in confusion.

Seeing her reaction, as if she knew nothing about the letter, I tilted my head in confusion.

You dont know about the letter?

Oh that

Luna stammered before lowering her head and speaking.

"I... sometimes exchange letters with Mom... but I specifically told her not to show the contents to Dad... Did Dad talk about the letter?

He didnt exactly say it outright When I asked why I'm the son-in-law..."

My mom wouldnt say something like that

Luna muttered to herself, looking embarrassed.

I looked at Luna, who was in such a state, and smiled faintly.

So, what did you write in that letter?

Uh, what?

Luna, taken aback by my question, looked up.

I spoke in a playful tone.

"You didn't write something like a lie, did you?"

No! Absolutely not!

Luna shook her head vigorously.

I didnt think she would lie, but I just wanted to tease Luna a bit.

Then, what did you write that made your father misunderstand?

As I continued to ask, Luna glared at me with her face turning red.

"Well, I wouldn't know what that is!"

"You don't know?"

As I continued to tease her, Luna frowned and opened her mouth.

"I wrote about how much I like Rudy."

"Huh?"

How I came to like Rudy, what I like about him, and what I want to do together with him!

It seemed that my continued teasing had upset her as she talked about the letter.

I even talked with my mom about what it might be like if we got married later on! Why!

Although Luna spoke boldly, her face turned red as if she was about to burst into tears.

Hearing such words from Luna right in front of me made my own face feel like it was turning red.

I didnt expect to hear such words right in front of me

It felt like I had been the one played, even though I was the one trying to tease Luna.

I couldnt look Luna in the eyes and slightly turned my head away.

There wasnt a need to say all that

You told me to say it!

Luna, unable to meet my eyes either, turned her head to the opposite side.

For a while, we both just sat there, faces red, unable to look at each other.

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*Uhm a lot of the honorifics/formal/informal language... sorry if I messed any.