“That’s right.”
When Arcmund confirmed it, Riersha’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“So Pernoa sent it.”
Arcmund clicked his tongue.
He couldn’t imagine why the man had suddenly taken to doing something so out of character — apparently, the whole family had decided at once that they wanted to make a statement.
The brooch that had arrived that morning was set with rubies.
The design was bold enough that it could have easily looked garish on the wrong person, yet Arcmund wore it with effortless elegance.
“Harabuji, it really suits you.”
“And you look absolutely lovely today, Riersha.”
“Hehe.”
Riersha grinned as she took his hand, and the two of them walked out of the ducal estate together. When the retainers caught sight of the grandfather and granddaughter strolling hand in hand, warm smiles spread across every face watching them.
“We stand ready to escort you, Your Grace.”
A knight who had been temporarily assigned to Arcmund’s guard in Oberon’s absence stepped forward.
Arcmund shook his head.
“That won’t be necessary. I have no wish to have our time interrupted.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Understood.”
At Arcmund’s instruction, the knight quietly melted away — though Riersha knew he would be watching from somewhere at a careful distance, keeping an eye on the two of them all the same.
Grandfather must be happy that I came to visit.
Riersha smiled brightly as her gaze kept drifting sideways to the brooch he wore.
To think Papa gave him that as a gift. I hope the others are wearing theirs too.
Her heart fluttered with anticipation as she walked on.
Before long, the entrance to the banquet hall came into view.
The crowd around them had grown steadily thicker.
Still holding Arcmund’s hand, Riersha craned her neck in every direction, searching for the rest of her family — and then she spotted them near the entrance: Pernoa and her brothers, who had clearly just arrived. She waved her free hand in the air.
“Papa!”
Pernoa turned at the sound of his name, and the moment his eyes landed on Arcmund, his expression pinched into a frown.
He was dressed in a white formal suit, and fastened to the left side of his chest was a brooch that matched Arcmund’s exactly.
Beside him, Risideon, Ricador, and Riscal were all wearing the same one.
All four of them standing together — dressed in their finest, each one breathtakingly handsome — looked less like a real family and more like a painting that belonged in a gallery.
“We all have the same flower!”
Riersha pointed to her own dress as if to say, look, look!
Ricador let out a quiet laugh at how thoroughly delighted she was.
Risideon smiled too, charmed by how endearing his little sister was — and then:
“What’s there to be so excited about over something like this.”
“You took off the brooch you were originally going to wear and switched to that one. Don’t even pretend.”
“Riscal, seriously—”
Riscal had been grumbling in that surly way of his, but the moment Ricador called him out, he flinched and whipped his head to the side.
As Riersha came fully into Pernoa’s reach, he held out his hand.
“Come here. Let go of that hand and come to me.”
Arcmund’s expression soured.
⁂
Today was a momentous occasion — the official public introduction of the youngest daughter of House Arachrene.
The nobles who had received invitations had cleared their schedules without a second thought and made haste to attend the young lady’s birthday celebration.
“You understand, don’t you? Their youngest daughter is the same age as you, so you absolutely must make friends with her.”
“Yes, Father.”
A pair of nobles overheard a father and daughter exchange those words in hushed tones, and one of them wasted no time leaning down to issue a similar warning to his own timid child.
“Try to look a little more cheerful today, won’t you? This is House Arachrene, of all places.”
“…Yes. I’ll try.”
“Tch. At this rate, I wonder if you’ll manage to make even a single connection.”
One unusual feature of this particular party was the noticeable number of young children in attendance.
This is a rare opportunity to forge ties with House Arachrene.
Every nobleman present shared the same private calculation.
Cultivating a relationship with House Arachrene — which was openly planning its expansion into the capital — was the paramount goal. And since today was one of the rare occasions when the entire Arachrene ducal family would be present, nobles had brought along children of comparable age to the Arachrene heirs.
A friendship between children has a way of growing into something that connects their parents.
Those who had no young children to bring felt the sting of that disadvantage keenly.
They say the young lord dotes on his daughter beyond all reason.
The story from the Crown Prince’s banquet had already spread through every corner of society.
First, Pernoa had reportedly cleaned out every toy shop in the empire. Then, the following morning, he had carried his sleeping daughter in his arms to another party, and personally seen to her himself when it was time to leave. That was the rumor that had everyone talking.
The nobles cast sidelong glances at the banquet hall doors, watching with the focused patience of predators.
They had not been waiting long when the doors finally swung open and word swept through the room.
“The Duke of Arachrene, the Young Lord, and the heirs of House Arachrene make their entrance!”
⁂
Riersha gripped Pernoa’s hand, taut with nerves.
Everyone else looks so relaxed.
Unlike her, her brothers were walking with the calm ease of people who had done this a hundred times.
Am I the only one who’s trembling?
Riersha straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, determined to carry herself with dignity — and at that moment, Risideon glanced at her with a gentle smile.
He asked quietly, his voice soft.
“Nervous, Riersha?”
“Yes. A little.”
“I was the same way the first time.”
“You were?”
“Mm.”
Knowing that even Risideon had once felt the same way gave Riersha a small but genuine measure of comfort.
Ricador, who had been listening to their exchange from beside them, kept his gaze forward as he spoke.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Everyone here is going to be extremely well-disposed toward you.”
“…Toward me?”
“If anything, they’re all going to be falling over themselves to impress you. See for yourself.”
Riscal picked up where Ricador left off, gesturing at the crowd around them with a casual tilt of his head.
Now that she looked, there really were an unusual number of children at this party.
Riscal’s face said he found the whole thing exhausting.
“Riersha.”
Riersha looked up at the sound of Pernoa’s voice.
He had been watching her — she wasn’t sure for how long.
“You can manage the greeting, can’t you?”
“Yes!”
She had practiced it more times than she could count, so she nodded without hesitation.
As the dais drew closer, Riersha’s expression shifted into one of solemn resolve.
“Let’s go.”
Pernoa guided her forward with a gentle hand, and Riersha stepped up onto the dais and looked out at the sea of faces below.
Every single one of them was looking back at her.
Oh — it’s Uncle Marcella!
Riersha spotted Duke Marcella waving at her from the crowd, and a radiant smile broke across her face before she could even think to stop it.
When she smiled like that, the assembled nobles exchanged startled looks.
Children being formally introduced for the first time usually went stiff with fright — some even burst into tears — and yet this child stood there glowing.
“It’s very nice to meet everyone. I’m Riersha Arachrene. Thank you so much for coming to my birthday party.”
“…”
“I hope you all have a wonderful time.”
Not a single trace of nervousness showed on Riersha’s face.
The nobles were privately staggered.
The young lord has already made his move.
The pink dress — deliberately chosen, clearly, as though he had known full well that questions about the child’s bloodline were coming — the way they all stood together as one family. The matching brooches they all wore.
It was a message that could not have been plainer.
A gracious warning to every person in that room: do not entertain even a single doubt about this child.
“Then I hope everyone enjoys themselves and goes home well.”
The moment Riersha’s greeting was finished, Pernoa smiled his most effortlessly charming smile and added those final words.
It was the signal that Riersha’s birthday party had officially begun.
⁂
“That was a fine greeting.”
The moment Riersha stepped down from the dais, Duke Marcella made his way over to her with an easy grin.
He was dressed more lavishly than anyone else in the room — resplendent in something gold-embroidered and brilliantly shining from every angle.
“Happy birthday, Riersha.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I’ll keep that invitation you sent me safe and sound. It made me laugh a great deal.”
“Hehe.”
Riersha beamed, and Duke Marcella’s lips curved into a faint smile in return.
Then he glanced around at the room and said something that carried a curious note to it.
“I don’t think I need to worry.”
“About what?”
“Your brothers have been steadily warning people away. No one can get near you.”
“Hm?”
Riersha tilted her head and looked over at her brothers. Sure enough, a child had been trying to edge closer to her, and Ricador had sent them retreating with nothing more than a mild lift of his brow.
“They’re afraid you might get hurt,” Duke Marcella said simply.
