The bodies of Esther and his wife had already been processed, and the burial was complete. However, the funeral had been postponed because various procedures needed to be handled urgently.
The funeral for Esther and his wife, held in the Baldia territory, was attended by nobles who had admired Esther, and among the noble attendees, Arwin and Berlutti were also present.
The funeral was conducted in a solemn atmosphere. After the funeral, as the attendees were leaving, Arwin and Berlutti offered words of condolence to Reiner, but his heart remained heavy.
After the funeral, when everyone had left, Reiner told Galun that he would “work in the office” and left the place. He arrived at the office door, slowly opened it, and sat at the desk. Esther’s personal belongings were still around the desk.
Suddenly, Reiner picked up a pen that Esther had used and gazed at it, muttering sadly.
“I wonder how Father would handle a situation like this…”
When he had heard about the band of thieves from Esther, wasn’t there more he could have done? Wasn’t there some way he could have saved at least his mother, Trett, in advance? Even though Reiner himself knew it was meaningless self-questioning, he couldn’t help but ponder.
At that moment, there was a knock on the office door. When Reiner responded, the office door opened, and Galun bowed, informing him that a visitor had arrived. As Reiner wondered who would come at a time like this, Galun told him the visitor’s name.
“…The visitor is Lady [Nunnaly Ronamis].”
“Nunnaly… Nunnaly Ronamis!?”
After being shocked by the fact that Nunnaly had come, he immediately went to greet her.
When Reiner went to the mansion’s entrance, there stood a woman with beautiful red hair – undoubtedly Nunnaly Ronamis herself.
“Lady Nunnaly!! Why are you here!?”
To Reiner, who wore an expression of surprise, Nunnaly politely answered.
“Lord Reiner… When I heard about Lord Esther and Lady Trett, I couldn’t sit still. My father, Tristan, who couldn’t be here, is also heartbroken. Please accept our deepest condolences.”
“Lady Nunnaly… I’m deeply touched that you’ve come all this way. The journey by carriage from the imperial capital must have been difficult. Would you like to rest in the guest room first?”
Reiner felt his heart brighten somewhat at seeing her. Nunnaly smiled gently.
“I apologize for coming so suddenly. I have a lot of luggage, so if it’s not too much trouble, I would appreciate being shown to a room.”
Feeling some confusion at her words, Reiner asked with a perplexed expression.
“A lot of luggage… If I may ask, how much exactly?”
“…? I thought I had informed you in my letter, but it’s my dowry set.”
At this point, Reiner was taken aback by her words but simultaneously remembered that Galun had mentioned several times that letters had arrived from the Ronamis family. Reiner apologetically explained to her that he hadn’t read the letters.
“Lady Nunnaly, I’m sorry. It’s no excuse, but I’ve been so busy with recent events that I haven’t had a chance to look at the letters I received…”
Even after hearing Reiner’s words, she didn’t seem surprised, but rather showed a mischievous smile.
“Fufu… I thought as much. That’s why I came. Also, this is a letter from my father, Tristan, addressed to you, Lord Reiner. Please read it.”
As she spoke, she took out a letter from her luggage and handed it to Reiner. After receiving the letter, Reiner obtained Nunnaly’s permission and carefully opened the seal to examine its contents on the spot.
The letter contained words of condolence from Tristan and details about the marriage to Nunnaly Ronamis.
It seemed that the engagement and necessary procedures for their marriage had already been applied for and accepted by Esther and Tristan. Therefore, according to imperial documents, Nunnaly was already Reiner’s wife.
Lord Reiner. When alone, you must have many things to worry about. Nunnaly strongly expresses her desire to be your strength as your wife. Though she can be spirited at times, she is our proud daughter with a strong core and a kind heart. I feel sorry for imposing on you during these difficult times. However, please understand our daughter’s intentions. And I also have something I’d like to discuss with you eventually. Please, take care.
After reading the letter to the end, Reiner placed his hand on his forehead and shook his head slightly. Seeing this, Nunnaly’s expression turned worried.
“…As your wife, I wanted to be of some help to you, Lord Reiner… Am I a bother to you?”
Startled by her words, Reiner looked up, showing a slightly brighter expression than before.
“No… that’s not the case at all. When I met you, Lady Nunnaly, I felt somewhat relieved inside. I shook my head earlier because I was exasperated with myself for not being prepared to welcome you.”
“Is… that so…? Then, may I stay here?”
Reiner smiled gently and said:
“Yes, Lady Nunnaly… no, Nunnaly is my wife, so I would be delighted if you could stay by my side forever.”
“…!! Ah, um, well, Reiner… thank you…”
This day, although a sad day of parting with family for Reiner, also became a day when he welcomed an important new family member.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Nunnaly’s dowry was temporarily brought into the guest room. This was because Reiner hadn’t given instructions to prepare for her arrival, and nothing was ready, including the room that should have been prepared for her. Upon hearing the situation, Galun, unusually exasperated, gave Reiner a stern look.
“…Lord Reiner, I understand you were busy and had a difficult time. However, I must say it’s quite inappropriate to leave the letter I delivered unattended and make no preparations for your lady’s first welcome.”
“Ugh… don’t look at me like that.”
Ideally, they should have instructed Galun to clean out Trett’s room for Nunnaly to use, but that would take time. Until the room was ready, Nunnaly would stay in the guest room. She smiled brightly at Reiner and Galun’s exchange.
“Please don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. More importantly, you must be the butler, sir Galun. I’m Nunnaly Ronamis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Lady Nunnaly, I am the butler. You are to be Lord Reiner’s wife. There’s no need for you to address me as ‘sir.’ Please feel free to call me ‘Galun’ from now on.”
Galun finished speaking and bowed to Nunnaly. She nodded at his gesture and replied with a smile.
“…I understand. Galun, it’s nice to meet you.”
On the day Nunnaly came to the Baldia household, the mansion was bustling due to the sudden guest. However, at the same time, everyone in the mansion felt that the darkness that had been permeating the house was slightly dissipating, showing signs of brightening.
That day, at Nunnaly’s request, Reiner guided her to the graves where Esther and Trett were buried. She tearfully spoke at the graveside about how much she had been looking forward to living with the two of them.
That night, after dinner with Nunnaly, Reiner returned to his study to finish some remaining work. How much time had passed? When he noticed, it was completely dark outside the window.
“Hmm… I should go to bed soon.”
Reiner stretched while still seated and tidied up the documents he had been reviewing. Then, he left the study and returned to his room. He hung up his coat and was about to lie down on the bed when he noticed something. There was clearly a human-shaped bulge in the bed. Puzzled, Reiner lifted the blanket, and there was Nunnaly, breathing softly in her sleep.
“…!? Nunnaly!! Why are you here?!”
“Uh, uhh… Eh? Oh, Reiner, welcome back…”
At Reiner’s words, she sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. However, she was clearly still half-asleep. Reiner, slightly flustered but trying to remain calm, inquired:
“Um, Nunnaly, what are you doing in my room?”
“Huh…? Oh, that’s right!! I wanted to talk to you leisurely, so I asked Galun about your room and came to visit. But you weren’t here, so I was waiting for you.”
Reiner was taken aback by her unexpected initiative. However, he couldn’t dismiss her feelings, given that she had come this far. He took a deep breath and smiled gently.
“I see… I understand. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“…If it’s not too impolite, could you tell me about your parents, Lord Esther and Lady Trett?”
Reiner looked puzzled, not quite understanding her intention. However, seeing Nunnaly’s serious expression, he thought she must have some reason of her own.
“I understand… Then, I’ll tell you as much as I can, as a special case.”
“Really?! In that case, I’d like to hear about when you were a child, Reiner.”
Smiling wryly at her request, Reiner began to tell Nunnaly about his parents. However, the more he spoke to her, the more he realized how great a father Esther had been to him, and how much love Trett had showered upon him. The feelings he had tried to forget in his anger and busyness began to overflow from within Reiner.
“…I’m sorry, I can’t continue…”
Feeling that he might not be able to control his emotions from the overflowing memories, Reiner tried to end the conversation. However, Nunnaly took his hand and shook her head slightly.
The poll is open again, please vote!!!
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome