SS #36 Regina Bayer (4)

“Hmph, still as small and scrawny as ever.”

“Brother, saying that with that look on your face just makes you look pathetic.”

As Amber spoke in a low voice, Aiden flinched. Realizing how forced his own words sounded, he quickly tried to fix his awkward expression.

But it was too late, and frankly, it didn’t matter much.

Regina was the only one who had glanced at Aiden, and even that was just for a moment.

“It’s been a while, Yuria.”

“It’s been a while, Amber-unni.” [A respectful term for an older sister or female.]

Amber and Yuria exchanged greetings with smiles—to be more precise, Amber smiled elegantly, while Yuria offered a very small smile.

Both were girls of outstanding beauty, and their smiling faces alone created a radiant picture.

But for some reason…

Regina felt a distinct coolness—no, an iciness.

A strange current flowed between the two.

Amber had been in a subtly bad mood for a while now, and Yuria, for some reason, wore a faintly cold expression, unlike when she had been alone with Regina.

Is… is it because of me?

While she couldn’t be sure about Yuria, Regina could guess why Amber was pouting.

She had ditched them, saying she was waiting for Yuria, and had run off.

When they had suggested she tour the mansion with them instead, she had refused that too and headed to the main gate alone.

No, what am I, Aiden?! Pouting over something like that?!

Besides, it had been two whole years since she’d last seen Yuria.

Regina herself was now thirteen, so she was finally meeting Yuria after a period that amounted to one-sixth of her entire life.

Couldn’t they understand her prioritizing Yuria, just this once?

Mmm… but I guess I can kind of see why.

Regina figured she would feel a little hurt too if Amber or Aiden suddenly started paying more attention to Yuria.

But there was a big difference between feeling hurt and actively pouting.

Come to think of it, wasn’t Amber a full four years older than Yuria?

Yuria was only eleven, which meant Amber had lived a third of a lifetime longer than her.

“Regina, what have you been doing?”

“Regina?”

“Huh? Oh, uh.”

Startled, Regina looked up from her trivial calculations on her fingers.

Amber, Aiden, and Yuria were all looking at her with worried expressions.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Anyway, it’s been a while, right? We’re all cousins. Let’s all get along. Okay?”

Regina spoke to her nieces and nephew with a rare aunt-like expression, but they didn’t give her the reaction she wanted.

“Aunt Regina, what are you suddenly talking about?”

“Yeah, Regina. That makes it sound like we were fighting or something.”

Yuria spoke with a straight face as if she genuinely had no idea, while Aiden, as always, just huffed.

Amber, however, slightly furrowed her brow as she watched Yuria’s foxy act.

Grr, just a moment ago you two were practically shooting daggers at each other with your eyes!

But if she were to say, “Hey, the atmosphere between you two was terrible until a second ago!” it wouldn’t establish her authority as an aunt and would only make things truly awkward. So, Regina decided to be patient.

When she thought about it, though she was young, wasn’t she the most adult person in the room?

Hah, yes. I, the adult, must be patient.

Sweeping her hair back, Regina let out a soft chuckle. Aiden narrowed his eyes.

“Auntie, are you on something?”

“Of course not! This is an adult’s smile!”

“You don’t have a fever.”

As Aiden placed his large hand on her forehead, Regina growled for him to get it off. Amber and Yuria turned to look at each other again.

Amber, who mostly resembled Gale but had also inherited the blood of the Golden Yaksha, Adelia. And Yuria, who had inherited the blood of none other than Yuder himself.

Amber was an elegant noble lady, while Yuria was a doll-like girl of the so-called “cool beauty” type.

Amber’s expression held a hint of displeasure, while Yuria’s was calm and composed—which somehow had the effect of irritating the observer.

The moment their gazes clashed in mid-air…

“I trust you are all resting well.”

The door burst open, and a large, red-haired man appeared.

The Great Count Chase.

Red Storm, Arthur Chase.

“Grandfather!”

The instant Count Chase appeared, Yuria’s cold expression vanished as if it were all an act. Her face lit up with a bright—truly sweet, cute, lovely, and adorable—expression as she ran to Count Chase and hugged him tightly around the waist.

“I missed you so, so much!”

Speaking in a slightly cutesy voice, Yuria rubbed her cheek against Count Chase’s waist. Amber, Aiden, and Regina stared wide-eyed at Yuria’s sudden change in expression.

Wha-what was that?

Aiden was too shocked to even form a complete thought, but Amber was different.

Snapping back to her senses, she looked at Count Chase. From his expression—stern, solemn, and serious, yet barely suppressing a smile—she sensed that her fears were coming to pass.

“Hmph, you’re still as small and cute as ever.”

Hmphing, Count Chase stroked Yuria’s hair, and for a brief moment, a pleased, mushy smile appeared on his face.

At that, Yuria puffed up her cheeks and said with a slight pout.

“No, I’m not. I’ve grown a lot. Yuria isn’t small and cute, you know?”

The way she huffed was incredibly cute and lovely.

Even Aiden, who had been hostile toward Yuria, blushed for a moment.

Amber was just as surprised.

Part of it was because Yuria’s charm was far more powerful than she had imagined, but it was also because of the technique Yuria had used.

Referring to herself in the third person!

It was a secret technique that Amber, who was now fifteen, could no longer use—it was far too embarrassing.

But Yuria was only eleven.

Though she looked more mature than Regina, she was undeniably eleven, and thus, she could shamelessly use the embarrassing technique of referring to herself in the third person.

And as expected, its effect was tremendous.

“Ahem, hmm.”

Count Chase let out a series of coughs.

It was the only way he could hide his expression.

But a deep smile he couldn’t conceal broke through, and the moment Amber and Regina spotted it, Yuria, with shrewd foresight, went beyond mere observation and landed a follow-up blow.

“I love you so much, Grandpa! Do you know how much Yuria missed you? My heart was pounding the whole way to the capital!”

It was a bit much.

This time, it was a little over the top.

But that was merely the opinion of ordinary people.

After all, Count Chase was a grandfather—and a grandfather who doted on his grandchildren.

“H-hmph. It seems your ladylike patience is still lacking.”

The fact that he couldn’t manage a smooth “hmph” and instead stuttered “h-hmph” was proof of it.

In response to his comment, Yuria didn’t launch another attack like, “No, no, Yuria is a lady.”

She had already used that attack once.

Yuria, who had strongly inherited Yuder’s blood, knew exactly what the most effective means of attack was at this moment.

“But I just like you so much, Grandpa. Yuria likes you so, so much.”

And Yuria hugged Count Chase’s waist tightly again.

And Count Chase, pleased, stroked her hair.

“Hmph, you little rascal. By the way, I picked these up on the way.”

Producing a pile of items that made one wonder how on earth he could have just “picked them up” while walking down a mansion hallway, Count Chase filled Yuria’s arms with gifts, as he always did.

“Play nicely together now.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

As Yuria gave a deep curtsy, Count Chase let out another “hmph” and left the room.

A single “hmph” must have meant he was extremely pleased.

And then, one second, two seconds, three seconds passed.

As Yuria’s expression reverted to her initial cool beauty—a cold city girl—Regina and Aiden blinked.

It felt as if they had just been dreaming.

But Amber was different.

She glared at Yuria as if she were looking at a three-tailed fox. Yuria met Amber’s gaze directly and said in a calm tone.

“My father told me. You have to do it when it’s necessary. And…”

Yuria trailed off, then closed and opened her eyes before speaking with a small smile.

“I really do love Grandfather. And I really love you too, Regina, Amber, and Aiden.”

It was the same radiant smile Regina had seen at the mansion’s main gate.

The unadorned, natural smile was incredibly beautiful, and Regina and Aiden instinctively blushed.

No, it wasn’t just the two of them. Yuria’s smile was so clear, pure, and lovely that even Amber blushed.

Of course, if Scarlett had been there, she would have blushed while exclaiming, “Look, look, look! Look at that black-hearted smile! She’s definitely Black Cloak’s daughter!” But alas, she was not present.

And there was one clear difference between Yuder and Yuria.

The fact that Cordelia’s blood also flowed through Yuria’s veins.

Yuria’s smile was truly pure, and her words about loving everyone were also true.

“Hmph, well, a cousin is a cousin.”

As Amber pouted and muttered, Yuria’s smile grew even brighter. Regina was reminded once again that the blood of House Chase also flowed through Amber.

*

“Are you learning swordsmanship, Yuria? Not magic?”

At Amber’s question, who was hugging Regina like a doll, Yuria slightly narrowed her brow and replied.

“I’m learning magic too, but I like swordsmanship more. You’re learning magic, right, Amber-unni? Aiden-oppa too.”

“Magic suits our aptitude. Aunt Regina will inherit the Sword of Wind.”

Gale had looked quite dejected when both his twins chose magic, but it had only been for a moment.

Just as Amber said, Regina was there to inherit the Sword of Wind.

“I’m going to become one of the Ten Sword Masters someday, too.”

When Regina declared her ambition with a clenched fist, Amber clapped her hands, and Aiden huffed as usual.

But Yuria’s reaction was a bit strange.

“Huh? Yuria? Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

She couldn’t possibly say that her mother—Cordelia—strangely disliked the Ten Sword Masters.

—Don’t forget, Yuria. If you meet one of the Ten Sword Masters, you must be suspicious of them first. Understand, sweetie? This is a statistically proven fact, so be very careful.

—Yes, Mom. I will.

Briefly recalling the conversation with her mother, Yuria lifted her teacup to hide her expression.

It was at that very moment.

“Lady Maia and Lady Dahlia have arrived.”

Regina’s personal maid, Luna, announced, unable to hide her excitement.

The same went for Amber and Aiden.

Dahlia, the Angel of Protection, and Maia, the Angel of Beauty.

The two who were the originators of the “Angel Dolls,” one of the Holy Nation’s most popular products!

Aiden, who had not only Maia’s photo collection but also a figure of her at home, hastily straightened his clothes. Regina and Amber also fixed their hair in front of a mirror.

Only Yuria, who saw the two every day, remained composed.

A short while later, in the mansion’s drawing room.

“Your Excellency, Count Chase, it is an honor to greet you again after so long.”

The Angel of Protection—Dahlia, whose long hair now suited her perfectly—showed her respects. Maia, seated next to her, also bowed, and Count Chase responded as he always did.

“Hmph, you seem to be in good health.”

“It is thanks to your concern, Your Excellency.”

Dahlia smiled brightly, while Maia, as always, simply bowed her head quietly with only the faintest of smiles.

At the sight of her beautiful figure, Regina instantly realized who Yuria’s usual expression resembled.

Her base is Lady Maia!

Maia, the Angel of Beauty, was not only Yuria’s godmother but also her wet nurse.

It’s not a new thought, but she’s really amazing.

To think that Yuria was the young lady cared for daily by the Angel Dolls who had shaken the continent.

Regina herself had quite the impressive specs—daughter of a Sword Saint and a Wild God, and a Wild God herself—but she felt she was somewhat outmatched by Yuria.

It was only natural. Yuria’s father was the Pope, a Guardian of Pleiades, and a god who had attained divinity on his own. Her mother was a Heavenly Archangel, the incarnation of a goddess, and an actual goddess.

Come to think of it, she’s just a god. A god.

Yuria was a real angel.

A real god.

Just as Regina was lost in her thoughts.

“Your Excellency, we’ve been told that the Young Count Hresvelg will be coming to pay his respects.”

“Hmph, as he should.”

It seemed that Maia and Dahlia had encountered the Hresvelg family’s carriage on their way here and had been told they would come to greet them after unpacking at their residence.

The Young Count Hresvelg.

Lucas Hresvelg.

The Heavenly Sword Saint, hailed as the strongest in the Sailun Kingdom.

Snapping back to her senses at Dahlia’s words, Regina smiled without realizing it.

It had been a long time since she’d seen Yuria, but it had also been a long time since she’d seen the Hresvelg family’s “children.”

And that evening.

The Hresvelg family’s legion—no, children—visited the mansion.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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