Weren't Karvaldr's siblings staying at the Town House in the Capital? Why are they waiting for here?
The question naturally ca to mind, making hesitate.
Still, I couldn't very well refuse to board the carriage.
So after climbing inside, I took a proper look at the passenger who had arrived before .
Her long, pure white hair fell smoothly down her back without the slightest curl.
Her eyes were entirely violet.
Her expression wasn't so much cold as devoid of emotion, and the gaze she directed toward her younger brother was equally detached.
Karvaldr's features were said to be an exact match for the portrait of the late Duchess.
The woman before was a perfect copy of the Duke—not only in appearance, but also in her eyes, expression, and even the atmosphere she carried.
"I heard the news. You've lost your mory?"
As the carriage began moving, Ragfrid spoke first.
"...Is that why you ca to et ?"
"Our schedules simply happened to coincide. I finished my business in the Capital on the sa day you were returning."
She could have at least offered the empty courtesy of claiming she'd co because she was worried about her younger brother.
Then again, if she had even that much concern for him, she would have found ti to visit before I left for the Academy, no matter how busy she was.
Travel didn't take days.
There were Gates.
Yet neither of my older siblings had shown their faces even once.
The realization struck anew.
"Even so, wasn't waiting here a waste of ti?"
"Setting aside separate ti to speak with you would have been a greater waste. Waiting a little allows us to talk during the journey. It is more efficient."
"Did you have sothing you wanted to say?"
"Hm..."
Ragfrid paused.
"I should correct myself. I did not particularly wish to speak. I wished to see the newly born familiar with my own eyes. While I was at it, I also intended to inspect the condition of my younger brother who supposedly lost his mory."
Co to think of it, I'd skipped over that detail because it wasn't particularly important.
A few days after Yor was born, I had received a letter from this body's family.
It instructed to visit during the weekend and bring my familiar with .
"I heard the rumors, but I found them difficult to believe. Your eyes really are sky blue."
So the rumors had spread beyond the Academy after all.
In any case, I had been planning to return during vacation.
Refusing had been the correct choice.
There was no reason to waste ti traveling back and forth unnecessarily.
"To , this child is a precious family mber whom I would not trade for anything."
I hugged Yor tightly and glared at Ragfrid.
The aning behind my gaze was simple.
If she spoke carelessly about Yor, I would not remain silent.
"To show hostility toward , your real family, while saying that. Even with your mories gone, don't you think that's sowhat excessive?"
"To begin with... No, older sister, it's not as though you and I ever had a particularly affectionate relationship."
"You claim to have lost your mory. How can you be so certain?"
"If I had possessed even a single family mber I could rely on, then the person I was before losing my mories would never have attempted suicide by drinking poison."
I t her gaze.
"That's why I'm certain."
For a mont, Ragfrid fell silent.
Then she nodded.
Her expression remained as impassive as ever.
"That is a reasonable conclusion."
"Has your inspection ended, then?"
"Not yet."
"Please continue."
"Do you..."
For the first ti, she hesitated.
"...intend to attempt it again?"
She omitted the subject, but there was no difficulty in understanding her aning.
"I have no intention whatsoever."
I stroked Yor's mane.
"Because there is now soone for whom I must take responsibility."
"The familiar?"
"Yes."
"I see."
"..."
"...What is its na?"
"Jörmungandr."
"I see."
And that was the end of the conversation.
Afterward, I simply sat there, holding Yor and idly playing with {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the Baby Dragon's mane.
Ragfrid gently scratched her leopard familiar beneath the chin and gazed out the window.
A long ti passed in silence.
Eventually, the carriage ca to a halt in front of the Ducal Castle.
Only then was I finally released from that painfully awkward atmosphere.
"Welco ho, First Young Lady, Third Young Master. Was your journey uneventful?"
Unlike the day I departed for the Academy, quite a crowd had gathered.
The one who greeted us on behalf of the group was an elderly head butler.
Since we frequently crossed paths within the castle, I recognized him imdiately, but—
They're not here to welco .
The people gathered before the entrance could be divided into two groups.
Those who supported the First Young Lady as the next Duke.
And those who wished to remain on her good side.
The butler had included "Third Young Master" in his greeting only because I was standing right there.
He certainly wasn't sincerely welcoming Karvaldr ho.
Without responding, I walked past him and stopped in front of a young attendant standing off to one side.
Among everyone present, he was probably the only one who had actually co to greet Karvaldr.
"Yohrn. Were you waiting for ?"
"Yes...! Because I'm the Young Master's personal attendant!"
"I see."
I gave a slight nod at his energetic answer and started walking toward my destination.
Unfortunately, I didn't even manage a few steps.
"Youngest, where are you going?"
Ragfrid's voice stopped .
"To my room."
"When returning ho after a long absence, proper etiquette dictates that you first pay your respects to the head of the family."
Her tone was calm and instructional.
Apparently, she believed her amnesiac younger brother had forgotten even basic manners and was about to commit an unintended discourtesy.
"I know that much. However, if the person receiving those respects would only feel inconvenienced, wouldn't that itself be rude?"
I turned to look at her.
"You have business to report regarding your work in the Capital. For you, eting Father is appropriate. For , it is not."
"Then what etiquette do you believe you should observe?"
"For soone as troubleso as myself to interrupt Father while he is busy rely to offer greetings would only be an annoyance."
I shrugged.
"Therefore, waiting until Father summons when he has ti is, I believe, the greatest courtesy I can offer."
"Why..."
For the first ti, genuine uncertainty entered her voice.
"...have you begun thinking that way?"
"As you know, older sister..."
I smiled faintly.
"Didn't I decide to stop behaving like a spoiled child?"
The words were deliberately vague.
Only a tiny handful of people within this castle knew the truth about Karvaldr's poisoning and mory loss.
"So after giving up everything I wanted from Father, I finally understood."
I t her eyes.
"I understood what Father actually wants from ."
Fortunately, Ragfrid seed to grasp my aning.
Then again, anyone aspiring to beco Duke should have been capable of understanding sothing this obvious.
"Therefore, I shall rest in my room until Father summons ."
"...Do as you wish."
For the first ti, hesitation surfaced on her otherwise expressionless face.
It seed she wasn't entirely convinced.
Still, she allowed to leave.
Most likely because she couldn't think of a rebuttal.
As I turned away from her and headed toward Karvaldr's room, the faces of everyone gathered there—including the elderly butler—passed through my field of vision.
Karvaldr possessed a defect in his Ether Attribute Ability.
As a result, he had no chance whatsoever of inheriting the title of Duke.
One day, he would inevitably leave this family.
That was why people treated him as sothing halfway between a family mber and a guest.
It wasn't that they particularly hated or despised him.
So they pity .
Contempt disguised as pity was unpleasant.
But genuine sympathy itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
At least, that's how I saw it.
Just look at the young attendant trailing after .
Wasn't he proof that such feelings could sotis be useful?
Being viewed as a pitiful young master who gave up seeking his father's affection is far better than being viewed as an insufferably arrogant third son ignored by the Duke.
There were practical advantages, too.
As long as Hárðr didn't summon first, I wouldn't need to et him.
Today's greeting could be skipped entirely.
If I ever needed sothing, I could simply send a servant or a butler with a ssage.
There was no need to humble myself and plead in person.
Pride didn't put food on the table.
I truly couldn't understand why Karvaldr had rejected such an easy solution.
If he'd behaved as I did now, he could have received sympathy, concern, and attention from countless people.
"Ah...!!"
The mont I opened the door to my room and stepped inside, Yohrn suddenly cried out.
"What is it?"
"I forgot to unload your luggage from the carriage, Young Master! I'll go get it right away!"
"No need."
Apparently that was all.
I removed the Yeouiju bracelet and handed it to Yor.
Then I asked the Baby Dragon to take out the luggage.
"Nyang~!"
Yor cheerfully accepted the task.
The Yeouiju reverted to its true form with a soft jingling sound.
The next mont, a suitcase popped out.
"Wooow!!"
The young attendant's eyes widened.
"Where did you get sothing so amazing?!"
"My familiar was born carrying it."
"Then do other familiars have artifacts like that too? Why have I never heard of it?"
"Because no familiar has ever been born with such an artifact before."
"Heeh..."
Yohrn alternated his gaze between Yor's eyes and the Yeouiju.
Then he made a strange noise.
I had a feeling he was suspicious.
Yor's eyes weren't violet, after all.
He was probably wondering whether I had sohow obtained a precious artifact and was using it to disguise Yor as so extraordinary existence.
Bringing that suspicion into the open would only make things awkward between and my personal attendant.
There was nothing to gain from it.
So I chose to pretend I hadn't noticed.
"I want to wash up, eat lunch, and then get so rest. Make the necessary arrangents."
"Yes! I'll prepare your bath imdiately and notify the kitchen!"
"One more thing. My familiar prefers properly plated als and uses cutlery, so inform the kitchen of that as well."
"...Pardon?"
"Prepare enough human food for two people."
I pointed at Yor.
"And bring two sets of cutlery."
"Ah...? Y-yes..."
Though clearly bewildered, Yohrn carried out my instructions faithfully.
By the ti I finished bathing and erged from the bathroom, two complete als and two sets of utensils had already been arranged on the table.
The attendant's face, previously split between suspicion and curiosity as Yor climbed onto a chair, transford into pure astonishnt.
I never had a suitable opportunity to ntion it before, but—
Despite possessing a hand structure completely different from a human's, my Baby Dragon grew more skilled with tools every single day.
As a result, the handwriting that had once been crooked and childish now resembled that of a master calligrapher.
Its table manners had beco nearly flawless.
Not a single drop of sauce was spilled during the al.
And when it finished eating, it elegantly dabbed the corners of its mouth with a napkin.
The entire performance practically radiated refinent.
Naturally, Yohrn could only stare with shining eyes while repeatedly exclaiming,
"Whoa..."
"Whoa..."
"Wooow...!"
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