Mareena smiled at Kingston who blushed while averting his gaze.

“Of course, that’s alright. Not just one—but two, or even three days would be fine!”

“No, you’re busy, so a single day is fine.”

“…What an understanding child.”

Mareena pulled Kingston into a hug and kissed his cheek.

***

After leaving Mareena’s room, Kingston went back to his room to sit down and stare into space.

“…Sir Lewis, huh?”

That was the second time he had heard that name from his mother. Furthermore, she said that after glancing at him. Therefore, his mother must’ve mistook him for that man.

“Who is Lewis…?”

From the latest aristocratic directory he had asked Johan to procure, he learned that there were several people named Lewis or possibly had that as a nickname.

Using the process of elimination based on age range, he had narrowed the numbers down to three people. However, two out of three didn’t have the same features or silver hair as him. As their children were also enrolled in the same academy, hehad also seen their faces.

…Only a single man remained—

—Lewis Patchett, a former aristocrat who resided in the city. His father—a former head of a family—had gorgeous silver hair.

“…A commoner.”

Finding a commoner would be difficult, if not plain impossible.

Although, Johan might have a clue.

Then when he tried to leave the room, he halted—

—Will Johan tell me anything?

After all, without his mother’s permission, Johan was unlikely to divulge anything to him.

“Well, let’s try.”

Encouraging himself, he headed to Johan’s office.

Inside the office, Johan was calculating the servants’ wages. With payday approaching, he was busy.

“How have you been, Young Master?”

“I-I seem to be intruding…”

“Hahaha, what are you talking about? You aren’t intruding anything, so it’s fine.”

“No, as expected, I’ll just visit another time…”

“How unusual of you, Young Master.”

“I’m a man who can read the atmosphere. Only a child would get in the way of his busy steward.”

“Hahaha, I appreciate the sentiment. Well, I’d like to take a break, as well. By the way, I have something called chocolate. Recently, it’s been popular in town.”

“Eh, chocolate!?”

…Even after saying something that was a tad bit grown-up, he was still a child. Chocolate itself was a luxury item that couldn’t be obtained easily. Therefore, it was a very attractive invitation for Kingston despite his reluctance to indulge in sweets due to fearing cavities.

“Well, if it’s only a little…”

“Then, please wait a moment.”

After saying that, Johan left the room and returned with cups of hot milk in both hands.

“Hot milk is best paired with chocolate!”

Kingston’s eyes sparkled.

After enjoying a bite-sized, square piece of chocolate so sweet that it stung, he washed down the sweetness with hot milk. After all, sweetness was often accompanied by thirstiness, and the best solution to that was milk.

…Even so, he just wanted to stuff more chocolate into his mouth.

Is this the charm of chocolate?

“It’s a little too sweet for me.”

After eating a piece of chocolate, Johan only drank hot milk.

“Now then, what kind of business do you have with me, Young Master?”

When asked by Johan, he set down both the chocolate and the milk.

That’s right.

I almost forgot.

This man is too good!

Kingston held back from stuffing another piece of chocolate into his mouth and decided to get to the point.

“I want to ask about my father.”

“I see.”

“I’m already 10-years-old. I think I’ve reached the age where I can meddle in the affairs of adults.”

“Certainly.”

Johan nodded while stroking his pure white beard.

“What will you do once you find out?”

“I’ll go see him.”

“And then?”

“It depends.”

“Hm.”

“After all, I don’t know what kind of person he is. If he’s a hooligan, that’d be a problem.”

“Then, wouldn’t refraining from meeting him in the first place be better?”

“But that’s also problematic.”

“Why would that be?”

“…Because my mother loves him.”

“Did Lady Mareena say so?”

“She didn’t.”

“In that case, it’d be better to not do anything unnecessary.”

Johan’s words rendered him speechless.

He was aware of that—still.

“If you’re doing it for Lady Mareena’s sake, then I can’t allow it.”

“Huh…?”

Then, it dawned on him.

“…I want to meet that person.”

“I see.”

When he stared straight at Johan without looking away, Johan laughed.

“Very well. Then, you should visit the biggest guild in town.”

“The guild…?”

“That’s right.”

“Is my father there?”

“What do you think?”

Johan wasn’t the kind to suggest anything inappropriate.

“Alright, will do.”

“Be sure to bring an escort.”

“…Of course. But is it really alright for you to tell me this?”

“Hahaha, isn’t it fine? I also feel like I would like to retire soon.”

Since he’d like to retire, he wanted to find a worthy successor—was what Johan was implying.

As the Westmont territory grew richer, so did the workload. Therefore, he wanted to hire an accounting specialist, but finding a skilled one was a different matter entirely. Johan’s successor—Alan—had learned a lot about his job, but he was still green.

“In that case, do your best for another eight years. I should be able to do ten-digit arithmetic by then!”

“Hohoho, while ten-digits is quite formidable, are you saying that I’m still not allowed to retire?”

“I’ll become an adult as soon as I can!”

Kingston popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth, shook his hand, and left.

“I’ll be looking forward to it—but, eight more years…”

Johan would turn 76 that year. His stamina was nearing its limit.

---

***T/N: Das how people enjoy hot coco back then? Das just hot choco with extra steps!

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