The atmosphere is always awkward when meeting for the first time.
The same could be said for the group. Particularly, the Lady Virgin Saint, Senior Elsi, and Ceria were especially struggling to adjust to Percus Manor. The three of them wore somewhat tense expressions.
The only ones maintaining calm expressions were I-an, Reto, and Celin.
It was natural for I-an to react this way since he had returned to his family home after a long time, and Reto and Celin also felt at home as they had visited since childhood.
It would have been strange if they didn’t feel comfortable.
In fact, unlike I-an’s worries, Ria didn’t scold them as soon as they met.
Worrying that he would be scolded severely, I-an’s face naturally brightened.
After finishing a brief greeting, Ria took the lead in guiding the group. She spoke in a polite tone.
“As it happens, there is a room left in the manor, and I hope you will stay. Of course, it may not compare to the places you stayed before…”
“It’s fine, Sister,” the Lady Virgin Saint replied, as gentle as ever.
Ria’s golden gaze flickered towards the Lady Virgin Saint.
“I have stayed at the orphanage helping Brother I-an. My origins aren’t from a noble place, either. So, you don’t need to worry too much.”
At that, Ria smiled with a gentle expression.
“…I see.”
The Lady Virgin Saint beamed with satisfaction at Ria’s response, while her gaze occasionally glanced at I-an, as if boasting about her abilities to him.
I-an couldn’t help but chuckle.
It would not be a typical reaction for a younger sister.
“However, there is one concern that troubles my heart. As a Lady Virgin Saint, you should be staying in the temple… I worry that the old temple may be uncomfortable, and that the Percus family may be overreaching.”
“…Yes, yes?”
The Lady Virgin Saint was taken aback by Ria’s fluent response, as if she had prepared it.
She was certainly not foolish enough to be unsure of the intent behind such words. Rather, her perceptiveness, honed in the treacherous political realm, was impressive.
Yet the Lady Virgin Saint was confused because she couldn’t understand why Ria would keep a check on her.
Ria Percus was a merchant.
And one of the most important assets of a merchant is connections. The Lady Virgin Saint, being at the top of the Holy Kingdom’s hierarchy, was an opportunity that a merchant could not afford to miss.
Even a tiny connection could yield immense profits.
Having dealt with countless merchants, the Lady Virgin Saint assumed Ria would do the same. In fact, Ria was treating the group very respectfully.
However, the side of Ria she was showing now was different.
She was rather hostile towards the Lady Virgin Saint.
What was supposed to be a favorable interaction between the Lady Virgin Saint and I-an’s sister now felt oddly resentful.
“Well then, it seems there is no need to specially prepare a room for you, Lady Virgin Saint. I’m afraid it may become a disruption to your service activities. I will guide you to the temple separately afterward…”
“…Ria.”
While the Lady Virgin Saint was stunned, I-an let out a sigh and stepped forward in the conversation.
Ria’s cold gaze turned to I-an.
The man shook his head with a wry smile.
“She’s my guest.”
“…Hmph.”
That response from a man to his respected older brother was rather cheeky.
Just a simple scoff.
Nonetheless, surprisingly, Ria obediently followed I-an’s words.
“Then, you, Lady Virgin Saint, can stay in this room. Next…”
As Ria politely guided the manor, Senior Elsi walked beside I-an, gripping his sleeve with an anxious expression.
Her steps were particularly stiff.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say this was the most nerve-wracking moment of her life.
With a confused look, Elsi tugged on I-an’s sleeve.
“M-Master…”
“Senior Elsi, please don’t call me that.”
I-an spoke solemnly, but Elsi’s voice was strangely trembling.
Huff, puff, Elsi took deep breaths to calm her heart.
“W-What should I do? What if Master’s family doesn’t like me?!”
“Surely they wouldn’t…”
I-an wanted to reassure Elsi, but he trailed off.
To be honest, he wasn’t so sure himself.
A pet claiming to be the daughter of a noble family?
This was more than an issue of personal preferences; it was a question of how to accept such a being. Noticing I-an’s troubled expression, Elsi seemed even more anxious, her deep breath frequency noticeably increasing.
On the other hand, Ceria, who had heard a lot from Celin beforehand, seemed a bit flabbergasted.
“Senior I-an, that person is… your sister, right?”
“Yeah, my little sister. She’s two years younger than you.”
In other words, that meant she would come of age next year.
Despite I-an’s answer, Ceria whispered with disbelief.
“B-But… she seems quite…”
“Polite? Well-mannered.”
Realizing it might be an impolite question, Ceria’s face turned slightly red. Hesitantly, she nodded.
I-an had to suppress a chuckle.
“Just wait. She usually behaves like that to others.”
The tour of the manor, which felt both short and long, didn’t take much time.
“…Finally, this is the room I am staying in. If there is anything uncomfortable, please call a servant anytime.”
After finishing her statement, Ria’s demeanor was nothing but composed.
The guidance was flawless.
While there were occasionally subtle checks, she was polite, and unnecessary explanations were boldly omitted to help understand the general structure of the manor.
However, there was one unique omission that made Ceria tilt her head.
“…Ria Percus?”
“Yes, Lady Yuridina.”
At the academy, they would have spoken on equal ground, but this was not the academy.
Naturally, one of the five noble families of the Empire, Yuridina, was entitled to more respect. It was the context in which the terms ‘Young Lady’ and ‘Lady’ were used.
“It seems you haven’t guided us to Brother I-an’s room.”
At Ceria’s observation, the Lady Virgin Saint and Senior Elsi naturally nodded.
This was only possible since their goal was the same.
They had come to spend time with I-an, and it would be troublesome if they didn’t know where his room was.
The women all had their respective motives in seeking that information.
Ria appeared to consider the question for a moment, resting her finger on her lips before letting out a soft exclamation.
“…Ah ha.”
Then the girl wore a lovely smile.
“I moved Brother’s room not long ago.”
“…What? I haven’t heard about that?”
“I’ll guide you now.”
Though I-an reacted with disbelief, Ria ignored it.
The group exchanged blank stares and had no choice but to follow Ria once more.
Only I-an had the expression that this was starting again.
The atmosphere among the group, initially full of questions, changed in no time at all.
Not only had Ria made it to the manor’s lobby, but she was also stepping outside.
The doubts in the group’s eyes grew even stronger.
It felt as if question marks were floating above their heads.
Yet Ria’s strides remained unfaltering. With such overwhelming confidence, the group couldn’t protest and just followed her.
Moments later, the group arrived at a large pit situated in the backyard.
Judging by the amount of soil dug out, it appeared to have been created recently. In front of it, Ria gripped a shovel handle and plunged the blade deep into the ground.
With a beaming smile, Ria said, “Now, this will be the new room for my brother.”
At her bright voice, the group felt as if their minds had gone blank.
Only I-an, along with Celin and Reto, let out deep sighs.
It had long been after her previous polite demeanor had vanished.
Ria’s hand was clearly pointing to the pit.
I-an rubbed his face with his hands and pleaded, “Ria, please… it’s in front of the guests…”
“…In front of the guests?”
At those words, the smile that had graced Ria’s face cracked.
The corners of her mouth began to tremble.
“Thanks to you, do you know what kind of guests I had to welcome? Should I enumerate how the Treasury of the Empire dresses for a conquest?”
“W-Well, Ria…”
I-an let out another deep sigh.
“I’m sorry. But, I really couldn’t help it…”
“Stop joking.”
As her smile gradually faded, Ria tightened her grip on the shovel.
With a thud, the blade dug back into the ground, causing soil to fly up.
The girl was trembling with her head bowed. It wouldn’t take long until that trembling turned into a scream.
Her blazing golden eyes floated in the void.
Then came the choked cry.
“…D-Don’t joke with me!”
Without a chance to stop her, Ria lunged at I-an.
With an familiar motion, Ria’s hand grabbed I-an’s hair. In the confusion of the group, Ria yanked his hair randomly while shedding a few tears.
“Do you know how many years I’ve spent cultivating the company?! And yet, it went bankrupt! W-What am I supposed to do… my three years! I’ve worked late into the night for it! For none other than you, Brother!”
Ria tugging at I-an’s hair showed no trace of the elegance she had before.
It was as if the cold golden eyes were now filled with tears.
Even I-an seemed to show signs of familiarity with the situation in which his sister had a hold on his hair.
He winced in pain and tried to explain.
“I-I couldn’t help it! If I didn’t, the world would be in peril…”
“What nonsense is that?!”
But I-an’s words were drowned out by Ria’s wails.
Before long, Ria’s eyes were spinning rapidly, a sign that her emotions had reached their peak.
Up until then, the group had just stared, dumbfounded, at this other side of Ria.
It was far too different.
It felt as if her entire personality had shifted.
“The world is ending?! W-Why would someone like you get caught up in such a thing? It’s dangerous! D-Do you really want to get scolded?! And what about my company… w-what am I supposed to do with my company…”
Finally, tears began to flow freely from Ria’s eyes.
“Be responsible for my life! You have to support me for the rest of my life! Be responsible for my life!”
As the two siblings continued to squabble, the group’s bewildered gazes turned toward Reto and Celin.
Celin had already turned her eyes away, wearing a painful expression, while Reto merely shrugged with a vague smile.
“That’s how she usually behaves.”
As he looked back and forth between the deeply dug pit and I-an, Reto added, “…Because she really likes her brother?”
It was truly a perplexing statement.
Eventually, it was quite a while later that I managed to break free.
Fortunately, the magical power was able to strengthen even the hair follicles. Taking solace in the fact that the number of pulled hairs wasn’t high, I sat in the reception room, appearing quite disheveled.
Ria was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, sniffling.
In truth, it wasn’t that sad, but it was a strategy to elicit my sympathy. Ria had been particularly attached to me since childhood.
I was not unaware of her intentions. Still, as an older brother, there were times when I had to yield.
As I sat there in a daze, Senior Elsi sulked next to me.
“That, th-that… it’s okay…”
“…I’m fine.”
The answer came from an unexpected spot.
Ria, who had finally stopped crying, was regaining her composure.
“Brother, I know everything about you. So, you’re okay. I learned it through experience so far.”
“…That’s bragging. It’s bragging.”
I made such a timid retort as I sank into the back of the seat. It was a relief that, for now, my hair was somewhat arranged.
Once things seemed to calm down, I had to voice a question that had been troubling me.
“Ria, more importantly, where are Mom and Dad, and Brother?”
At my question, Ria looked at me as if to question what I was saying.
So, I had to respond, even more dumbfounded.
“It’s strange for the head of the house and the heir not to come when guests arrive. Why are you the only one here in the manor?”
“…Didn’t you hear?”
With slightly narrowed brows, Ria glanced at me and Senior Elsi alternately.
Suddenly, my heartbeat sank.
It was a kind of intuition.
An ominous feeling was piercing my heart. Elsi seemed to share the same sentiment, looking at Ria with an expression laced with both wonder and tension.
In a bewildered voice, Ria said, “The Rainelle Clan’s magic troops are supposed to arrive today. So, they went to greet them; it’s the official exchange between the families… w-was that summoned by you, Brother?”
Not a chance.
Right now, Senior Elsi and I were essentially in a state of escape.
Immediately, my hand slapped my forehead.
Surely, the connection with the Rainelle Clan would continue at Perkus Manor.
