Chapter 354.9

Playboy [Part 9]

"Our fief people are tight-lipped. Right, Mr. Harold?"

However, Harold, who was named by George to support his statement, greatly lost his composure before the prince and Arthur.

"Hey? Don't you 'Mr. Harold' me!"

Harold faintly guessed from their appearance that they were nobles who sucked at disguise, but he never expected they would be a prince and a child from the Four Great Ducal Houses...

Harold glared at George reproachfully before making the children line up neatly.

"Look here, you guys! This is the [vassal bow]. I will do it first, so remember it now. Do it at once!"

Harold did a perfect [vassal bow] to Prince Edward, who hid his black hair with a hat. The children imitated Harold and bowed, but as it was their first time doing it, their bows were a little clumsy.

"I deeply apologize, Your Highness. I haven't taught these guys... ahem, these children [vassal bow]... I beg your leniency for our discourtesy."

If they neglected [vassal bow] before the Royal Family, they could receive a death sentence in the worst case. The lives of slum orphans with no backing could easily be disposed of.

"No, don't mind it. It's my fault for dressing like this."

Edward allowed them to stand up straight with an awkward face upon hearing Harold's apology. Edward wanted to say that [vassal bow] was not necessary for private spaces, but if he told them that, he couldn't guarantee their lives when they met other members of the Royal Family by some chance.

Because some royals believed in royal supremacy, like his father's older brother, who attempted a coup d'etat.

"Mr. Harold, was it? If anything, I think it's more intriguing that someone who isn't a noble can do a [vassal bow] with such accuracy. Don't you think so?"

Arthur was surprised at the refined gesture of Harold's bow that could put aristocrats to shame.

"Our Big Brother knows everything, you knowww?"

"He's also knowledgeable about nobles, after all~"

The children happily boasted after seeing Harold get praised.

"Hey, don't say unnecessary things! Ah... I'm like this now, but there was a time when I used to draw portraits of aristocrats for matchmaking purposes...."

Harold mumbled an excuse with his eyes darting around. As one could have guessed from a man who chose to settle in the slums, he might have had some questionable past.

"Hmm... In the Royal Capital full of nobles, it might be better to learn etiquette first before reading and writing. Emma and William are busy going through the documents on Over, so I guess I should try asking Mother and Grandmother to be the etiquette teacher..."

Judging from the Commoner District people's reactions to Arthur and the prince who dressed like [green and rich noble young masters coming without an escort to carry out crooked schemes] and the matter with Harold's injuries when the three siblings first visited the slums, George concluded that nobles brought more misfortune around here than thugs.

If the children learned the bare minimum of etiquette, they could avoid offending nobles out of ignorance.

Emma said she wanted to build an educational institution, something like the commoner version of the academy, in the slums. But George thought it would a good idea to build the institution larger than planned. He visualized the slums' map and made a rough blueprint in his mind.

As George had experience and knowledge as a construction foreman in his past life, he undertook the challenge of repairing the slums, but it seemed like the scale of the construction would be larger than he thought.

Even so, doing this was much better than reading the piles of documents on Over (some of which were in the Ancient Imperial language).

As George was immersed in his own thoughts, he heard lively voices from behind him.

"Huhhh? It's George-samaaa."

"It's George-samaaa!"

"Woww. George-samaaa, good afternoon〜"

It seemed the girls just returned to the slums after finishing their work at the tailor shop. They ran happily towards George upon seeing him.

"Heyyy. Welcome backk. Have you been in the tailor shop since morning?"

The girls were so eager to chat with George that they were still holding the fabric they brought back to dye with Harold's special paint and forgot to put it away first.