Jin and Elsa were also racking their brains over the matter of the bailiff that Moritz had consulted them about.
Even when a house lacked a mistress, an ordinary noble family would usually delegate such responsibilities to a trusted retainer who had served for many years, such as a steward or a head butler. However, the current House Randol possessed no such retainers.
To be precise, while they had trustworthy servants like the lady's maids to handle household chores, there was no one left with the administrative capability to manage an entire territory.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say their numbers had gradually dwindled.
When the house had been abolished, half of the staff—primarily the younger ones—had been dismissed, and they had not been rehired when the family regained the status of baronet. Consequently, the loyal retainers who had remained from the beginning had grown older with each passing year until they eventually retired. Currently, Moritz was managing every aspect of the estate's operations by himself.
"Ani-sama, do you have any plans to remarry?"
"Eh?"
Faced with Elsa’s blunt question, Moritz was taken aback for a moment, but he eventually replied with a somewhat lonely smile.
"...I don’t think I have it in me anymore."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. As for the family line, I can simply adopt one of Fritz’s children or one of yours. If worst comes to worst, I could even take an heir from the main branch."
"..."
Elsa was left speechless by Moritz's answer.
"Are you... really okay with that, Ani-sama?"
"I am. When the house was stripped away from us, those kinds of desires just vanished..."
At that time, Moritz had turned pale and become bedridden. It seemed as though something fundamental inside him had changed during that period of despair.
For the time being, they set aside the topic of Moritz's remarriage and returned to the issue of the bailiff.
"Could we... perhaps ask Loubel?" Elsa suggested.
Loubel was the steward who had served Elsa's family for many years. He had remained with them even after the viscountcy was abolished, serving her father Georg and her mother Marlene faithfully until he retired on good terms last year due to his advancing age.
"Let's see, he must be sixty-eight or sixty-nine by now."
"That's right. I certainly think we could trust him with the job, but it would be asking too much to have him serve as bailiff at his age," Moritz noted.
"Mm." Elsa agreed.
"...What about... Cedric?"
Elsa recalled that Cedric should still be in his forties. He was another loyal soul who had stayed after the family's demotion, serving as Moritz's steward.
"Ah, I see... I suppose that was a lapse in my judgment," Moritz sighed.
According to Moritz, Cedric had been in poor health for about two years, and he had finally been given leave at the end of last year.
"I hadn't heard....Is he sick?"
The Cedric Elsa remembered was a robust, middle-aged man; she couldn't imagine him being in failing health.
"No, I don't really know the details. He saw a healer himself, but they apparently couldn't find a clear cause for his decline."
"...I see."
If that were the case, Elsa decided she would visit him later to check on his condition, as he had looked after her a great deal in the past.
"That would be excellent. I would be truly grateful if his health improved enough for him to return to duty," Moritz said.
Thus, the matter was settled for the moment with a plan to first sound out their former steward, Cedric.
Meanwhile, Fritz was riding through the territory on horseback with Gloria.
"Look, if we climb that hill over there, you can see the entire territory spread out before us."
"Oh, the view is lovely."
"I used to play in those woods catching bugs when I was a boy."
"Fufu, I suppose all boys are the same in that regard."
Fritz felt a sense of quiet satisfaction in showing Gloria the land where he had been born and raised.
Back at the house, Yuu and Mio were also quite content, having been doted on by their grandfather and grandmother for the first time in a while.
"Gran'ma, read book!"
"Yes, yes, of course."
"Gran'pa, let's play!"
"Ho... ho... alright."
Georg and Marlene were all smiles, cherishing the time spent with their grandchildren. Georg seemed to be in higher spirits than usual; the moments spent with the children evidently had a healing effect on him.
But the pleasant afternoon eventually drew to a close.
By 3:00 PM, Yuu and Mio had exhausted themselves and were fast asleep. Fritz and Gloria had returned to the mansion and were now engaged in a family meeting—though it felt more like a casual chat—with their father Georg, their mother Marlene, Moritz, Elsa, and Jin.
"...Father, Big Brother. It’s a bit late for me to ask this, but was it really for the best that I became 'Fritz Allstatt'?"
Having learned that Moritz had no intention of remarrying, Fritz was now worrying about the succession of House Randol.
"Yes... if Moritz... says it is fine... I do not... mind," Georg managed to say.
Hearing his father—who had once been the very embodiment of worldly ambition—say such a thing left Fritz with complicated feelings. He hadn't liked his father when he was obsessed with social climbing, but seeing him now, lacking all of his former spirit, felt equally tragic.
"For my part, I think it's enough as long as the Randol bloodline continues in some form," Moritz added.
"I-I will do my very best!"
When it was suggested that if they had two or more children, Moritz would like to adopt one of them, Gloria spoke up with sudden enthusiasm before turning bright red.
"I'm sorry, Ani-sama," Elsa apologized. Since Yuu and Mio were twins, she had explained that she couldn't bear to separate them for adoption.
(Hmm, I still think the best solution would be for Moritz-san to remarry,) Jin thought to himself.
Then, a sudden idea struck him.
(That's it. He can find a suitable candidate while he's working at the Royal Palace....Maybe I should quietly ask Her Majesty to look into it?)
Jin, who usually felt a bit out of place in the middle of family discussions, remained quiet as he turned the idea over in his mind.
"Oh, that was so much fun, Dear."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
A little before 4:00 PM, Konron 3 took off from Ekishi with Fritz and Gloria on board. Elsa remained at her family home with Yuu and Mio.
"It’s just a light snack, but let's have some dinner."
Jin laid out sandwiches and citran juice on the table inside the airship. The sandwiches had been prepared by the staff at Elsa's home, while the citran juice was chilled, straight from the refrigerator on Konron 3.
"Oh, this is much appreciated."
"Thank you for the meal."
Since the ship was propelled by a force generator, there was almost no vibration, allowing them to enjoy their meal in comfort. Outside the windows, the sky grew darker by the minute.
"It's impressive that you can fly so confidently in this darkness," Fritz remarked, looking out at the void.
"Edgar has night vision, after all," Jin replied, keeping his explanation brief.
At 8:30 PM, Konron 3 arrived at Avalon slightly ahead of schedule.
"Thank you, Jin-dono. This has been a huge help."
"Let us meet again soon."
With Elsa and the children waiting for him, Jin prepared to head back immediately. On the return trip, with only Jin, Reiko, and Edgar on board, they made full use of the force generator's power. They arrived back in Ekishi in less than an hour.