The Grace Duke Family

The situation goes back a few hours.

After laying Riel in her room to sleep, I too fell asleep sitting beside her due to fatigue accumulated during the journey.

With both of us sleeping, I was awakened by Phyllis who came looking for me because I had an appointment in the evening.

“Young Master, you should start preparing soon.”

“Huh?”

Having returned home after a long time, I had been sprawled defenseless in the chair, and when I suddenly got up, I saw Riel rising from the bed, rubbing her eyes.

It seemed that while trying to wake me, Phyllis had also awakened Riel.

“The guests will arrive in an hour. Let’s go prepare quickly.”

“Ah, right…!”

Desperately trying to clear my foggy head after waking up, I remembered that the Grace Duke family was scheduled to visit and jumped up.

Riel, who was also in a daze from just waking up, seemed to regain her senses as she looked at Phyllis and me.

“Are guests coming?”

“Huh? Oh, I mentioned that the Grace Duke family would be visiting today.”

“…The Grace Duke family, you mean Carlena?”

Riel’s eyes widened.

Well, it’s understandable to be surprised if you hear that a Duke’s family is visiting a Count’s family tucked away in this dangerous northern region, with the entire family no less.

“It’s a visit from a Duke’s family, so it would be strange to receive them without any preparation, right?”

“We’re also preparing a small banquet now. After the greetings between the families are over, the guests will also be invited.”

Phyllis’s words were news to me as well.

I thought it would just end with a small tea party at most.

No, is it better to hold a banquet since the time is evening?

Since this visit involves the entire family, the first priority is for family members to greet each other and have time for conversation.

The introduction of other guests comes later, so I followed Phyllis to prepare for receiving guests.

“Ugh, I really don’t like these clothes.”

“Please bear with it. Since the entire Duke’s family is visiting, you need to pay even more attention to formal attire.”

“That’s the problem. It’s just a visit whose purpose is to apologize to a family that suffered damage, so why is the entire family coming?”

A tailcoat with impressive elaborate patterns over a top with lace embroidered all over.

Even a white lace tie around the neck.

At least the pants were normal, but this tailcoat was very uncomfortable for me.

“It suits you well, Young Master.”

“…Are you being sincere?”

“Yes, you look every bit the splendid kingdom gentleman who would not be ashamed anywhere.”

Is that really true?

Thinking this, I looked at my reflection in the mirror in front of me.

Certainly, nobles do dress like this, but whether it suits me, well, that’s debatable…

Well, guest reception attire isn’t something where my preferences matter.

After roughly finishing preparations and going outside, I met Asta who was wearing clothes similar to mine.

…Strangely, although they’re similar clothes to mine, when I see someone else wearing them, they seem to suit them.

“Brother.”

“Asta, you’ve finished preparing too.”

Asta’s personal maid, standing behind him, bowed her head.

Her name was, I think, Sonia?

“It suits you very well, brother.”

“…Yes, it suits you well too.”

Whether it was sincere praise or teasing, I couldn’t tell, but after complimenting each other, we waited for the remaining person who was still preparing.

None other than my younger sister, Kino Wentos.

After waiting for a few minutes, Kino arrived as well.

“Brother Kyo, Brother Asta. I’m sorry for being late.”

“…Did you eat something wrong again?”

Kino appeared before us in a neatly worn mint-green party dress that matched her hair color, and even without her usual eyepatch, looking quite demure.

…Hmm.

Wait, why is she suddenly like this?

“…Well, brother, that kid Kino got severely scolded by mother.”

“What?”

“She asked her to be normal and well-behaved just for today. But that kid isn’t one to listen, is she?”

Mother had been overlooking Kino’s eccentricities usually, but this time important guests were coming.

She asked Kino to stop her eccentricities just for today, but Kino wasn’t a child who would obediently listen.

So…

“…Unable to endure anymore, mother delivered the Celestial Grand Wheel Punishment.”

“Oh my God.”

“Hiik…!”

At Asta’s words, I called out to God, and Kino’s face turned pale as if her trauma had resurfaced.

The Celestial Grand Wheel Punishment, it involves slowly rising into the air by mother’s magic…

…I don’t want to think about it anymore.

What’s certain is that it’s a terrible punishment, enough to extinguish Alukinon of the Blood Wind within Kino.

“…You’ve been through a lot, Kino.”

“Brotheeeer…”

I approached Kino with her pale face and stroked her.

Yes, that must have been very scary.

I know because I experienced it a few times when I was young.

But fortunately, it seems you didn’t suffer the Celestial Reverse Wheel Punishment.

“Since we’re all gathered, shall we go?”

After gently stroking Kino, it was about time for the guests to arrive and since everyone was gathered, we needed to join father and mother.

Leading my younger siblings, I was about to have a family gathering after a long time.

As I was about to do so, there was a voice from behind that stopped me.

“Young Master.”

“Huh? What is it, Phyllis?”

“There’s still one person left.”

“What?”

One person left?

Father and mother would have gone ahead and would be waiting, and all three siblings were gathered.

My grandparents passed away long ago, and there wasn’t particularly any other family that should gather.

At that moment, there was a sound of a door swinging open and footsteps.

I turned my head at the sound.

“Did you wait?”

“Huh?”

So that’s how the situation returned to the present.

Next to me was Riel, dressed in a red party dress, clinging tightly to my arm.

I wondered if this was really okay, but neither father nor mother said anything particular.

Kino was surprised and showed a slight resistance, but ultimately closed her mouth, overwhelmed by Riel’s force.

First, we welcomed the guests, and starting with father, each of us introduced ourselves and greeted them.

Self-introductions from father, mother, and us three siblings including me, the eldest son.

Especially Kino, completely abandoning her usual “Alukinon of the Blood Wind,” introduced herself very normally.

Looking at her now, she presents the image of an ordinary, exemplary noble young lady.

After how much effort I put into trying to remove that dark history mode, the Celestial Grand Wheel is truly terrifying.

With an uneasy heart, I looked at the Grace Duke family, but as expected of a family well-versed in socialite affairs, they introduced themselves without changing their expressions at all, despite Riel’s presence.

The family head, Duke Grace, and his wife Rose Grace, who was originally a lady from a Count family.

Following them, their two daughters, Carlena Grace and Vaniella Grace, also greeted us.

The Grace Duke family has no sons.

Therefore, the title was to be inherited by the eldest daughter, Carlena, and she was working hard accordingly.

It’s no wonder she always ranks among the top in academics.

Just as the self-introductions were over and we were about to move to a place for simple conversation, there was a child who touched on a part that no one had touched.

“But who is that person over there?”

None other than the Grace Duke family’s second daughter, Vaniella Grace.

Well, Carlena knew about Riel, and the Duke and Duchess probably knew her face at least.

However, Vaniella Grace was a girl even younger than Asta and Kino, and since she didn’t know Riel’s face, it might be unavoidable.

“Ah, I’m sorry for being late. I am Riel Ignis.”

“Ignis…? Why is a member of the Ignis family here…?”

Nevertheless, Vaniella Grace knew about the Ignis Duke family.

Of course, the Grace Duke family had already visited the Ignis Duke family before coming here.

The families to whom the Grace Duke family had to apologize were the Ignis Duke family and the Wentos Count family.

So they visited the nearby Ignis Duke family first, and then came to our Wentos Count family.

By chance, Young Master Andrew, who was busy rebuilding the Duke’s family, and Eve were at the Duke’s mansion, so they visited there first to apologize.

Although Riel, the party who should receive the apology, wasn’t there.

“I thought I was fully qualified to join this visit.”

“That may be so, but that should be after the meeting between the two families is over…”

“And I’m also going to be a member of the Wentos family in the not-too-distant future.”

“My goodness.”

It’s not “my goodness”; according to principles, regardless of when, it’s still technically out of bounds.

However, Carlena, including the Duke and Duchess, didn’t seem to mind at all.

Carlena aside, I have no idea why the Duke and Duchess weren’t bothered.

“She’s already practically family. Right, Kino?”

“…Yes, Sister Riel.”

Kino answered Riel, forcing a smile and pulling up the corners of her mouth.

Reflecting once again on mother’s greatness, I pondered how to handle this somewhat awkward situation.

With introductions finished, we moved into the main conversation.

There wasn’t really much to talk about.

The apology for the Grace family’s mistake wasn’t much different from what I had already heard from Carlena, and the discussion about compensation was something for the adults to handle.

However, the discussion about the disposition of the elves who had attacked us was something I was hearing for the first time.

“In negotiations with the Empire, it was concluded that the disposition of the attacking elves would be at the kingdom’s discretion.”

Thus, the three elves who had attacked us were processed according to kingdom law.

Originally, all three were to be executed, but the male elf, who was presumed to be the oldest, offered a plea bargain, providing all the information he could provide, starting with their origin and the location of their base, in exchange for sparing his younger sisters’ lives.

In response to this, the kingdom executed the male elf, while the two female elves had their magical power sealed and were bound with restraints to live as slaves for the rest of their lives, but they were able to save their lives.

There was concern that their elf clan might come to rescue them, but Duke Grace said that the Rampid clan, to which they belonged, was not a clan with enough affection to rescue those who had been defeated in battle.

Rather, they would despise the women who clung to life after defeat.

Suddenly, I recalled the elf sisters who had attacked us.

Living a life of slavery forever—with my lingering modern human sensibilities, I felt a bit of pity, but it was ultimately their own doing.

They should be grateful that they didn’t die.

Whether not dying and living as slaves is a good thing or a bad thing for them, I don’t know.

By the way, although the negotiations in the Empire had concluded, unlike Duke Grace, Princess Aine stayed in the Empire for a few more days.

She was said to be on her way back to the kingdom after leaving the Empire now.

…She’s probably coming to this County. There was also talk of hellish training.

I pulled myself together as my body trembled just at the thought.