I Reincarnated As the Third Son of a Count’s Family, Only To Find a Series of Funerals

26 – Dining Etiquette

“Come on, let’s get on this.”

“Wow…”

As I stepped out of the Duke’s mansion to head towards the palace, there was an incredibly elegant carriage waiting outside the castle gate. It was much larger and more luxurious than any carriage I had ever ridden before, with a black base adorned with golden accents.

“Is this the design that’s popular nowadays?”

It’s such a magnificent carriage that one might think it only appeared about 300 to 500 years from now, in the transition from the Renaissance to the modern era if we count my past life.

Seeing me marvel at the carriage, my great-grandfather laughed and said,

“I suppose you’ve never seen anything like this. I just obtained it two months ago.”

“You bought it recently?”

“No, it’s a gift.”

“From whom?”

“This old man regularly supports the artisans in the city of Presswick. They sent it to me as a token of gratitude.”

Presswick is a free city not far from the Duke’s territory. It is known for attracting many craftsmen who gather there (even the name of the city is derived from the press machines used by metalworkers), and it’s a neighborhood where they create various items that cannot be found elsewhere.

Moreover, due to the affluent class living in Presswick, there are many impoverished people who scavenge for their remnants and clerics who manage them, trying to benefit from their leftovers.

Hence, even artists with a hint of prosperity reside in Presswick and it is where the most renowned art university, Whitesstone Art University, is located in this country.

Anyway, one can imagine that in such a town, if there are any remarkable inventions in this world, almost ninety percent would be considered developed in Presswick.

“If you want to greet His Majesty the King without being ridiculed by those nobles, you have to match this level of appearance. Don’t you think so?”

“Well, compared to this carriage, mine seems quite shabby…”

“Once you earn money later, buy one like this. Since I’m an artisan, I can introduce you anytime. Now, let’s stop the useless chatter and get on quickly. The Princess will be joining us.”

“Yes…”

“I will gladly take up your offer.”

Even though Niecesera and I had already boarded the carriage, my great-grandfather didn’t close the door.

As I wondered why, he grabbed Satrisa, who was about to mount her horse outside, and spoke to her.

“Hey, young mercenary girl. Get on the carriage with us.”

“What?! But I am supposed to act as the Marquis’s escort…”

“It doesn’t matter; my soldiers will do all the guarding. Don’t make me say it again.”

Satrisa looked bewildered by my great-grandfather’s words, but I tapped my palm on the empty seat next to me and said,

“Just sit here as the Duke suggested.”

“Is it really okay?!”

“If you say one more word, it’s blasphemy. Get on quickly.”

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After I spoke, Satria stumbled and got on the carriage.

“You reminded me of someone, Your Grace…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

I roughly ignored Nerucera’s nonsense and thought to myself.

I don’t know why my great-grandfather suddenly allowed Satria to get on the carriage. Normally, people of different social ranks like nobles and commoners don’t ride together. If it were another noble who got on this carriage instead of me, it could be seen as an insult. Though Nerucera is technically classified as a commoner, nobody thinks of her that way, so let’s just move on.

“Does my great-grandfather know something about Satria?”

It seemed possible if it was my great-grandfather. Lurrein Duke’s information network surpasses anyone except the King of Yurmania.

If my great-grandfather knows something about Satria, it wouldn’t hurt to ask him later. Because besides the fact that I was a noble of the Fairfield family, I know nothing else.

Until now, I didn’t think it was necessary to dig into Satria’s secret, so there were things I didn’t find out. I don’t even know which family the Fairfield family is attached to.

I did consider asking the court officials or my tutor, but I didn’t want to openly investigate Satria’s secret in her presence. Even if I cautiously asked, if the other person doesn’t know about the Fairfield family, it would be pointless, and the person being questioned might ask someone else, “Do you know what the Fairfield family is?” Then Satria might suspect that someone is investigating her secret. If I try to prevent that by saying, “Don’t ask others,” it would look even more suspicious.

But it’s different if it’s my great-grandfather. I should ask him later in an environment where we are alone about Satria’s family.

“Well, maybe my great-grandfather simply allowed Satria to ride the carriage without much thought because she is also a girl and one of the heroes who protected Silverwood with me…”

Or maybe it’s another one of my great-grandfather’s schemes to awaken my masculinity, like when he asked me before in Silverwood, “Who do you choose between Eilen and Satria, based on the portrait you drew?” Like saying, “Let’s see if you can stay still between two beauties?”

“If he took Satria on the carriage for that purpose, it was all in vain, Great-grandfather.”

I’m not particularly conservative or lack s*xual desires. I’m definitely not gay. (Seriously)

Just the day before leaving Silverwood, I comforted myself in my room and slept comfortably.

I guess I… How should I say it? Except when I was a kid, I didn’t respond unless it was a situation where I could really “do it” with a real pretty girl.

It’s not like I’ve been obsessed with 2D, but more like a feeling of “What’s the point since it has nothing to do with me?”

If there’s almost no chance of actually “doing it” with someone, the delusion of romance or s*x wouldn’t work from the start.

So, even when I saw a very pretty girl or the latest trending girl group idol, I didn’t feel excited. Come to think of it, when a girl group performed at the school festival, I watched them expressionlessly, and my friends teased me and asked if I was gay. Dumbasses.

Anyway, I think I put on all sorts of airs when a normal girl was nice to me, just because I wondered, “Is there a chance?” It’s like I resigned myself to my own cuteness. It feels like I can’t even dare to imagine being involved with a woman who is much higher than me in terms of appearance, wealth, or social status.

So maybe even in this world where I became a viscount, I don’t react to pretty girls. It could be heavily influenced by my previous life.

I just want to clarify that it’s not that I have a fetish for average-looking girls. If I date someone, I prefer pretty girls too.

It’s just that due to the mindset of “There’s no way that girl would be involved with a guy like me,” I don’t have any response.

To avoid misunderstandings, it’s not that I’m completely uninterested. Especially now, as a viscount in this world, if I set my mind on it, I could enjoy women. Just look at my brothers, who couldn’t control their desires even for a moment under Mother’s nose.

But I don’t feel the need to do so. It’s simply because I don’t recall the time when I visited a brothel in the medieval simulator I

Anyway, I think this tendency will naturally be overcome as time goes by, because my temper has become quite high and I don’t think it’s now, but it’s still a little bit of a tendency from a previous life.

Thud!

“?”

Suddenly, a sound came from the back seat of the carriage. When I turned my head, I saw Lena, the maid I had seen at the castle, fitting into a hole big enough to fit two people.

Conscious of my gaze, Lena quickly bowed and greeted the other two of us.

“Oh, hello! I am a maid, Lena! I will take care of you during your trip!”

“Uh, yes. I look forward to it.”

Come to think of it, there was a back part of the carriage. It looked narrower inside than I expected when I got in… Maybe that was why…

Maybe Lena’s compartment had travel supplies, snacks, and tea. What a complete car trunk. Driving with a young woman stuffed in the trunk…medieval, barbaric times…

“Well, let’s go!”

Grandfather called out loudly to the people heading for the palace.

Wait, why isn’t that gentleman getting on the carriage?

“Sir! Why aren’t you getting on the carriage! There’s still space!”

I opened the window of the carriage and shouted to my grandfather.

Grandfather just laughed at my shout and replied, “I’m embarrassed to squeeze in between two young women who are not even family! And these days, my man’s back is not good, so I’ll just ride my horse!”

‘No, then tell Patricia to ride…’

Was this matchmaking to target me after all?

Even if I said I would ride a horse, I’m sure they would stop me for various reasons, so I just relaxed and leaned back against the backrest.

“It’s not because I got on the carriage, is it? Maybe if I get off and you get on, sir…”

“Never mind, the sir is stubborn, so even if you try to get off, he won’t allow it.”

“I see…”

Patricia looked despairing at my words. Maybe she felt like she was sitting on thorns because it was her fault that grandfather didn’t get on the carriage.

But as far as I know, my grandfather never really liked carriages. Maybe he’s really sensitive about his back. This time, when I asked him if he didn’t ride the carriage because of that, he didn’t think my honest question was big enough, so I thought he would ride it. I explained this fact to calm down the trembling Patricia.

“And anyway, your grandfather doesn’t like riding in carriages. Don’t worry, it’s not because of you.”

“I see.”

After my words, Patricia barely seemed to understand and didn’t say anything more, just crouching in a corner of the carriage.

“Baron. Anyway, we will arrive at the palace in a few days, so let’s review and check the palace etiquette one last time.”

“Okay.”

I readily accepted Nicerera’s offer to review because I still had some vague feelings about certain aspects of court etiquette.

Most court etiquette is not much different from the etiquette shown to the dukes, except that it is a bit more formal. There are a few more things to pay attention to.

So, I roughly imitated my great-grandfather a few times, and for the most part, it was easy to learn.

The problem lies in dance and dining etiquette.

In my past life, civilization only reached the early to mid-Medieval period, but somehow, the frivolous Renaissance-era-style balls that were popular around that time became entrenched in court culture. Whether I liked it or not, if I went to the palace, I had to practice ballroom dancing.

So, while I was in Silverwood, I practiced ballroom dancing with Nicerera, but I still don’t know if I can perform well in real situations. I’m not as physically coordinated as I thought.

But since I can’t practice dancing in a carriage, I’ll skip it for now.

Secondly, dining etiquette.

Originally, people from Yurmania, especially men, ate everything with their bare hands except for finger foods.

In other words, they would just grab a steak and tear it apart with their hands. So as long as you didn’t fuss, there was no separate dining etiquette.

But about 30 years ago, the wicked objects called knives and forks from the Dallier Kingdom in western Yurmania started to enter Yurmania, and the situation changed.

That’s when the f*cking dining etiquette bullsh*t started.

You had to place your utensils down with the knife on the left (otherwise, they would think you’re done and take them away), you couldn’t hold the knife and fork facing upwards, and you couldn’t put your hands under the table…

In addition to these countless dining etiquettes, practicing with Nicerera made me so frustrated that I couldn’t tell if I was eating with my mouth or my nose. Paying attention to every move, I felt like I would develop hypertension from the stress of eating.

In fact, I’m still relatively good at using forks and knives in our household.

Other members of our family were accustomed to eating with their bare hands, so they just ate that way. It’s just that I prefer using a fork based on my memories from my past life.

Not only our family but most other people, regardless of nobles or commoners, still eat with their bare hands. It will probably take hundreds of years before everyone starts eating with forks and knives.

But of all places, I have to go to the Yurmanian palace.

The palace is very sensitive to the latest trends, and the Dallier Kingdom, which is considered culturally superior to Yurmania, imported forks and knives long before Yurmanian royalty did.

Naturally, the Yurmanian royal family also imported those f*cking dining etiquettes along with the forks and knives. In order to avoid being treated like a bumpkin, who only knows how to stab and use forks, I had to study dining etiquette while desperately clutching my aching head…

“Well, Count, can I cut the bread with a knife? Can’t I? Let’s try to match Satricia as well.”

“…Can I?”

“I don’t think you should…”

“Why? We use knives for meat.”

“Ah, Count, I told you it didn’t work last time! When Changsung descended to Earth in human form, he said during a meal with his disciples that bread symbolizes his body and wine symbolizes blood. So cutting bread with a knife is considered sacrilege!”

“It’s okay to tear it apart with your hands, but why not with a knife?”

“Don’t say unnecessary things. Next question! Can you pour wine into your own glass at a banquet?”

“Is there a reason why I can’t?”

“…Shouldn’t you wait until the servant does it for you?”

“Why? I have my own hands.”

Count! I told you it’s not proper, it’s not acceptable because it’s against etiquette! You have to wait until the person who invited us to the party or his servant follows us!

“Why on earth…”

In the creaking carriage, we chatted and headed to the Urmannia palace.