Because I've Been Reincarnated As A Girl I Just Want To Do Yuri Things, But Things Aren't Going Well Chapter 266

Published at 29th of March 2023 07:56:56 AM

After entering the town of Steltin, we entered the inn and unloaded our luggage. Today we will stay overnight in Steltin, so we have free time after that. Shall we go sightseeing with everyone in our party? Or would it be better for Helmut and Christa to go on a lovey-dovey date with just the two of them?

We all gather once to discuss what to do from now on. All I need is my wives, but Marquis Reingen is our guest, so I can't leave him and his family alone. Shall I entertain the Lord and Lady Reingen while leaving Helmut and Christa alone?

“Today we're staying one night in Steltin, so what are you going to do with your time from now on?” I asked. “Would you like to go sightseeing?”

“Um… Lady Carruthers… I'm not feeling well, so I'd like to rest in my room…” said Christa's mother, Marianne, as she pressed a hand to her face.

Even though our special carriage is harder to shake than a normal carriage, that doesn't mean it's a completely smooth, tremor-free ride. Moreover, regardless of the lack of shaking, people who are not accustomed to it seem to get sick easily because of just how quickly they can go.

Karl seems to be used to it to some extent because he often uses carriages for work, but it was a bit tough for Marianne, who only rides in carriages that run leisurely in the city streets.

But we're going to board a ship from tomorrow, so… it's more swaying than the carriage, so if you get sick in the carriage, you'll get seasick too, right…? I didn't mind because the usual faces will be fine, but if you're going to invite others on a boat trip, you have to take that into consideration.

The Hulk Sea is analogous to the Mediterranean Sea, an inland sea, so it's still calm, but if you go out to the open sea with this, the swaying will become quite violent. I haven't gotten seasick yet, but if I go out to the open sea from now on, I might get seasick then. Wouldn't it be better to start thinking about such measures from now on?

Anyway, it's not good to bring someone along when they already feel sick, so I'll let Marianne take a good rest.

“I understand,” I said. “It seems that the journey has been too hasty. Lady Marianne, please take a good rest. I will have someone to accompany you, so if you need anything, please ask them.”

“Please excuse me…” said the slightly pale Marianne as a maid accompanied her.

I suppose a frail woman would be like that. We didn't have such women at our home… but we still didn't pay enough consideration to her…

“This is my first time in Steltin,” Karl said, visibly excited. “I'm interested in inspecting this port town. I'd like to see if I can't learn… ah… I'm a retired man now, aren't I?” he said, his voice suddenly faltering. “I don't have any business being there but I do want to talk a look around.”

“Understood,” I said. “Then, Lord Karl, you will be joining our Steltin sightseeing.”

After ruling as the Marquis of Reingen for many years, Karl must have been interested in the port town he saw for the first time. He just wanted to use it as a reference for governing his realm… but he was depressed when he remembered that he had already retired and had no such realm to govern anymore.

Many of the then-House Heads of the Bayen Faction have already retired. What's more, it's not a punishment or atonement, it's a temporary measure, and it's like depriving them of their authority to keep them from doing anything unnecessary thing during the trial. Even though House Reingen's sins are fairly minor, there are various compensations to pay, and it will be very difficult for Karl who was the House Head, as part of the consequences was a forced retirement.

“Sightseeing… I see… sightseeing, is it…? That's right! I want you to guide me on a sightseeing tour,” Karl said.

As a former Head of the House, no longer the ruler of a territory, it is no longer an inspection. But when it comes to tourism, position, and status are irrelevant. Karl nodded and urged us to leave early. He's like a child. A rather large child, but still…

“Father, please calm down. It's embarrassing,” Christa said.

“What are you talking about, Christa?” Karl said. “I've never been out on the town in such a sunny mood before. Now then! Why haven't we left yet?!”

Christa seems to be ashamed of her father's attitude, but I don't think it is something to be embarrassed about. The problem is more than that…

“Are you sure, Christa? You can go alone for a stroll with Helmut, you know?” I said.

Something is coming together with the feeling that everyone should be together. Since it's a chance, Christa and Helmut can go on a date alone, but…

“I know,” Christa said. “But it's necessary for me to mediate between Father and Helmut-sama, yes? There's plenty of time for just the two of us.”

Whoa! What a good daughter. And to say such a thing with a slightly blushing face… what is she planning with that alone time? That was loaded with meaning, wasn't it? Is it when you go “chu, chu” and the “kishim” sound effect blares? I'd like to hear a little more about it, you know?

“Miss Flora…”

“…………”

A terrible aura wafts from behind me. In a sense, this is as frightening as the special training with Mother. I started preparing to leave as quickly as possible to escape from the pressure building behind my back.

In the end, we all went out to see the sights of Steltin together. I said that it would be fine to give Helmut and Christa time for a date, but it seems that they are okay even if they don't get time for the two of them in a place like this because they are already in love. They didn't say that explicitly, but is that the point? Huh?! What about them doing lovey-dovey, giggle-gasp stuff? I'm not jealous at all!

“As expected of a free city…” Karl muttered.

“I agree,” I said.

I can't ignore him. But I don't know what he means. My impression is that it's a normal townscape. I wonder if it's a reasonably big and fine port town to others.

Of course, compared to the towns and ports of the Knights of Caan, the population is large. Our territory has just been developed and the population is small. But what can I say about the townscape… I wonder if I should say it's an old European brick townscape. In particular, it's a very common thing that looks like everywhere else.

Compared to our house, it's bigger and has more people, but I guess you could call it the atmosphere of the good old days…

“Oh! Is this the town's port? It's a splendid one,” Karl said as we arrived in Steltin's harbor.

“Yes… yes, it is…?” I said.

But hold a moment. The Steltin harbor is small. Moreover, the facilities are old and the water depth is shallow. We are inferior in terms of town size, port size, and population, but our territories were built with the aim of becoming a transportation node and hub with the comings and goings of large ships.

The port facilities are huge compared to the size and population of the town, and in order to deal with the future, from the start of construction we ensured water depth and allowed large ships to dock. I think Steltin is a good old port, but our ships, even the current galleon, can barely fit in it. If the ships get any bigger than they are now, this place may not be able to handle it.

“Flora dear, Mother is hungry,” Mother said.

“… Understood. Let's find a place to eat,” I said.

I look for a restaurant to eat at for the time being. We've arrived at the port, but our ship hasn't arrived yet. That we stay overnight in Steltin is to fit in with the ship's schedule. Things have calmed down a bit now, but during the war, the ships were in full operation. The schedule was so tight that it was impossible to change it just because an important person was on board.

I have some leeway now, but it's still difficult to change the sailing schedule for my convenience. So I have no choice but to match the timing of their travel.

According to the schedule, it will arrive in the evening of today and will depart tomorrow. However, there are many kinds of conditions at sea, so it doesn't always go according to schedule. It is for that purpose that we go ahead of them and stay overnight at their port. And in the worst case, we are considering the possibility of being delayed by several days.

“Is there a good shop somewhere?” I asked.

“Shall I go ask around for a bit?” Helmut said.

Certainly, it might be quicker to ask the locals than to search poorly here. However, even though this time we're dressed simply, we still look like aristocrats. You wouldn't think there was a high-ranking aristocrat like a marquis, ah, rather a former marquis, but he still looks like an aristocrat going incognito.

I don't think there's a nice place for a noble to eat in a port like this…

“Flora dear! Flora dear! Mother wants to eat at the stalls here and there!” Mother said.

“Mother……”

What should I say… this mother of mine is… if it's just me and my mother, is that okay? Even though we are a margraviate, we are rural people. I don't mind standing and eating at a street stall. But it would be bad if Karl and Christa were also there. It's important to let a high-ranking aristocrat from another place do no such thing.

“Hou… A street stall? I'm a little curious. We don't mind that. Right, Christa?” Karl said.

“Yes…. that's right… shall we go get some food at the stalls?” Christa said.

Is it really fine with them? Is it okay for someone like the Former Marquis of Reingen to stand and eat at a street stall for commoners?

I don't mind much because of my previous life, so I don't really care about it, but… is it okay to let a guest do that? Won't it be known by someone somewhere and become a strange rumor?

Well, fine by me…. if they want it, there is no reason to force them to stop. Besides, Karl has already retired and is a former marquis. He's not the current marquis, so it's fine.

Since we decided to look at the stalls, I walked along the street where they were lined up while blending in with the crowds. After all, there are many types of seafood on offer because it is a port town. There are some shops and stalls that sell meat and vegetables, but that's only part of it. Because it is a street market near the port, there are many shops that seem to be grilling seafood. The good smell of it was wafting in the air.

“How do you eat this?” Christa asked.

“Oh! Do you want to buy some, young lady?” the stall owner said.

Perhaps lured in by the smell, Christa was dazed and drawn to the grilled fish stall. It's a simple thing, just skewered and grilled.

“You hold the skewer like this and bite into it,” the stall holder said.

“Huh?! By hand!?” Christa said.

Sit at the table and eat what is on your plate with a knife and fork. Christa was surprised that there would only be such dining habits. But I think you eat crepes with your hands too? In the first place, you see these walking around the city of the royal capital, right?

“You eat crepes with your hands, right?” I said. “Besides, I think there are stalls like this in the royal capital as well…”

“Crepes are like that from the beginning…and they are made to be easy to hold… but I've never had fish skewered, grilled, and eaten with my hands…” Christa said.

“Ah~…”

Well, things like skewers in the royal capital are mostly meat. There is meat on skewers and grilled, but there aren't many fish stalls. In the royal capital, fish may be bought and cooked at home. Is there a freshness issue?

It's true that crepes are made from the beginning with the assumption that they'll be eaten by hand, so they're made to be easy to hold and eat. In the first place, if you eat like that from the first encounter, it will become natural.

Compared to that, if fish were always cooked and served on a plate, it might be surprising to eat grilled food from a stall like this with your hands.

The stalls around here had meat skewers, fish skewers, and some kind of stew-like food stalls. Unlike modern Japan, there is not a rich menu, and it is not prepared after ordering. It's almost like you're just selecting what the shop already made and is offering for sale in exchange for payment.

“Let's all have a seat over there,” I said.

“Right,” Christa said.

We randomly bought at some stalls and secured a bench in the square. Other people are avoiding us a little because we are aristocrats. They must be thinking that it would be a big deal if they got into some sort of dispute. If trouble is avoided from the other side, there is no complaint.

""

If I were to too bossy, we might end up getting a painful rebuke, but now that I have a guest, it's best not to have a useless fight.

“Christa, here you go,” Helmut said as he spread out his handkerchief on a seat.

“My… Thank you very much, Mr. Helmut,” Christa said.

That's the way, Helmut. I was the one who taught him that. There doesn't seem to be much of that kind of consideration in this world yet. So I told Helmut that if he did that to Christa, she would surely be happy. It looks like he was eager to test it the soonest as he got the opportunity.

And the eyes that look at Christa's Helmut are so passionate. The effect is outstanding. This time, me as well… I thought, but all the wives have already seen it. Even if you do the same thing, it will be thought that it is an imitation of the original. Moreover, it's like I imitated Helmut, so I'm a little hesitant to do it to my wives…

“Delicious!” Christa said.

“Mhm… for certain… it tastes better than any fish dish I've ever eaten,” Karl said.

They seem to be enjoying the street fare they've bought. Actually, the fish dishes they've eaten so far are probably more delicious, but eating freshly caught outside in a place like this is the best spice for cooking.

Seeing everyone eating so well, I thought that sometimes this kind of thing wouldn't be bad, and I also ate the street fare.

Chapter end