I glare at the door, hoping the person on the other side will feel my complete reluctance to deal with them and go away. The knocking continues. Sigh.

Kierra chuckles as she lets go of me and opens the door.

“Good evening, Lady Atainna!”

Geh. I recognize that deep voice but it rarely has that much energy in it, usually a lazy drawl that reflects its owner’s reluctance to do any work. I move to her side.

Sure enough, it’s Peter Ironcast standing in the doorway, one of the ‘esteemed’ Tome family knights. His brother, Potter, is standing next to him but he’s too busy grinning at my wife to say anything. The two brothers are both terrible examples of the knightage. With their bulging stomachs, unshaven faces, and lax attitudes, my father mainly hired them for bodies in shiny armor, not for any kind of ability.

At least, they used to be. The two have changed immensely since my return home. My wife’s presence makes them self-conscious in many ways. Their half-hearted attention to their appearance transformed into clean-shaven faces, neatly cut hair, and new armor refitted to hide their bulging bellies. Though even that may have changed. After an embarrassing sparring session with Kierra, I noticed them continuing their morning training and, saints witness, practicing their spells. I’d go so far as to call them respectable knights now.

I get it. Good for them that she literally knocked some sense into the brothers before it was too late. Neither of them are getting younger and I’d have rated their chances of having relationships of their own before my return as a solid never.

Maybe now they can finally find themselves women and permanently upgrade from being degenerates. I was more than happy with their transformation. I was. Then they started making moves toward Kierra.

I mean, come on! I’m usually standing right there but they ignore me. The fact that she’s married doesn’t slow them down one second. They think it’s some kind of joke. In a society with an expectancy of unions for the sake of heirs, two women getting together can’t be taken seriously.

Bastards. Saints give me patience, this is going to end up with me squaring off against them in some kind of duel. No one’s going to get the message until they get hurt.

Bet they’re pretty confident about that. Unfortunately, they don’t know that one of my forms is a lot bigger and attractive than they are. At least to my wife. Hehe.

“Sir Peter, Sir Potter.” Kierra grins and opens the door wider. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“The pleasure is ours. Lou.” He nods his head toward me dismissively. I used to insist on dropping formality but I think I’ll have to change my mind. “One moment. The lord is taking a little longer.”

Hey, now. What are you two doing? You can’t leave the lord you’re charged with protecting just because you’re eager to see someone else’s wife. Father really needs to discipline these idiots.

Huffing and puffing announces the arrival of my father. We all step aside as he steps through the doorway, collapsing onto one of the couches, the knights following him as Kierra closes the door. Sigh. That’s going to smell like man sweat for a while. He’s drenched. Saints give this man some strength, it was barely a ten-minute walk from the road and a little hill.

“Honored Father.” My wife’s voice is pleasant. Only I, who spends almost every minute of every day with her, can tell that she’s being sarcastic. “Can I offer you some water?”

“Yes.” He sucks down deep breaths and composes himself. He’s also changed since I’ve returned home. I’d like to say my sudden disappearance devastated him, but he was no worse for wear when I returned. However, Kierra’s appearance has had a profound effect.

I take after him strongly, except for my long, wavy hair that I inherited from my mother. Saying that, I’d say he’s a good-looking man but the usual sneer and lack of energy make him unattractive.

That’s been replaced by a gleam of ambition.

I prefer the old him. This one is annoying.

“Thank you,” he says as Kierra hands him a glass of water. He gulps it down, letting out a deep sigh. “I don’t know why you insist on living in this…place so far away from the village. There is plenty of space in the manor.”

“We prefer our privacy.” Seriously. There aren’t a lot of people on the Tome estate but between my father, the servants, and the knight brothers, I got tired of people stalking us and peeking in. Kind of hard to do certain things while under constant surveillance.

“That’s not good enough. Someone of Lady Atainna’s status should have more fitting accommodations. If necessary, I can arrange for another building on the estate.”

Haha. So, it’s fine for your daughter to stay in what you clearly think is a dump, huh? Should have never told him she was related to a queen. Just slipped out. Got to admit, I was bragging. Next time someone asks about my wife, I’m going to keep my mouth shut.

I take the seat across from him, Kierra settling next to me. “Did you come here to discuss our living situation?”

“No.” Father smiles. It’s such a rare sight that I’m taken aback. “Your uncle has invited us to his estate in Summer Spire for the winter.”

Ah. After the overwinter crops are harvested, life slows down in the country. People stay inside to avoid the chill and the occasional snowfall. Nothing would be happening here.

Summer Spire is a different beast. As the kingdom’s capital, it’s always bustling. It’s also where ambitious nobles congregate to buddy up to potential allies and decimate potential enemies. For my acclaim-seeking father, it’s heaven. And for his brother, the current patriarch of the Tome clan, to be inviting him, it means he’s getting another chance to get back into the ring.

Hmm. I wonder why? Not.

“We’ll humbly—”

“Wait a minute.” Father holds up his hands to emphasize his words. “You’re right, the invitation is for the exact reason you’re thinking. But before you decline, your uncle plans to host several parties. The Grimoires have confirmed their attendance.”

My spine straightens as I grit my teeth. Kierra notices the change and turns to me with concern, putting a hand on my cheek. “Lou? What’s wrong?”

Father nods across from me. I think there’s a hint of pride in his eyes. “Lady Atainna, as you’ve…married into our family, this concerns you to. The Grimoires are our sworn enemies.

“When the continents were divided and the Harvest family created the kingdom, the Tomes were a prominent family. We contributed greatly to stabilizing the area, our contracted elementals providing knowledge that helped understand the foreign land. More than that, we taught the people summoning.”

He sighs, frowning slightly. I don’t blame him. No member of the Tome family likes what comes next. “Unfortunately, we don’t have strong bloodlines. Our most common affinity is fire. Every now and again, someone is born with earth or water, but that’s it.

“The Masons, who later changed their names to the Grimoires, have a strong bloodline. They are often born with the greater physical affinity. Though spells involving living things are incredibly complicated and hard to master, with summoning, it becomes a great strength as it makes them attractive to a specific kind of elemental.”

“Succubi,” I hiss. “Elementals with the physical and mental affinities. They can delve into someone’s mind and tear out every secret someone’s hiding.”

“I have heard of them. Su’dedia inferari. Mind stealers.” She scowls but it isn’t as fierce as our expressions. “Not even elves are safe from their influence.” The quick glance she shoots me tells me that there’s more to that story that she doesn’t want to say in front of our guests. “They are your enemy?”

“No!” I snap. Hearing the way my voice echoes, I take a deep breath to calm myself. “No. Succubi are powerful elementals. In the past, they were great teachers and their summoners pioneered everything we know about recovery magic. It’s all about how the summoner decides to use them. It’s those shady Grimoires that are the problem.”

“Well said, daughter. I take it you will be accompanying me?”

“Of course.” I get to my feet and he follows. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. I’ve prepared everything. The carriage will be waiting in the afternoon beside your marker.”

“Then tomorrow it is.”

-

Father stayed for a little longer to catch his breath while exchanging a few more pleasantries before he dragged the knight brothers away. By then, Kierra’s stew is done. She sets it on the table in front of the couch along with a few loaves of bread. We both get full bowls before she asks, “What is the real motivation for going to the capital?”

I wince. “Sorry. I kind of made the decision without asking you.” Which I should’ve since she’s the one they want to see.

She waves me off. “Never mind that. Blood feuds are nothing new to me.” Blood feud? Yeesh. I mean, our families hate each other but I don’t think it’s worth being called a blood feud. I’d love to see their whole family as destitute beggars, but I don’t want them dead. They barely even acknowledge us. “It is so rare to see you passionate about anything, but this is clearly personal.”

“Mm. As two of the most prominent summoning families in the kingdom, our families move in the same places and know the same people. Gordon and I practically grew up together. He’s bigger, older, and has more money than I do. Guess what happened.”

She snickers as I take a big bite out of my bread. Just remembering his stupid pranks and constant jabs makes my blood boil. Just because he was born with a greater affinity, he thought he owned the world and never let me forget it. Nor how far out of favor the Tome family is with the rest of the nobility.

What’s worse is that, since his father is one of the king’s advisors, the other noble brats didn’t dare go against him, going as far as to follow in his footsteps. They might have been decent kids, but I never got the chance to find out. That red-haired bandit is the main reason I never had friends.

It sounds so sad that it pisses me off more.

“I see. He was your bully and you want revenge.”

Damn right I do! “Yeah. Is that wrong?”

“Not at all.” She sips down the rest of her broth and refills her bowl. “Anyone who dared to mess with my beloved wife deserves to be fertilizer for the Sacred Tree. I’d be delighted to help you ruin them.”

Aw. I’m not saying I love you but I’m thinking it. “That’s not it though. My father is…well, he’s him but at least he has commendable morals when it comes to summoning. He treats them with the respect they deserve and taught me to do the same. The Grimoires are the exact opposite. Their succubi are tools and because of them, the public has twisted ideas about the art.”

Which probably explains why some random caster kidnapped me and sacrificed me to summon an elemental he could never hope to control. “As long as the Grimoires remain in power, they’ll put the Tomes down and the art of summoning will never progress.” I don’t feel much loyalty to my family, as they’ve never done anything for me, but this issue is dear to me. Especially after my rebirth.

“For whatever reason, I’ll support you. Eat up. We’re going to have a busy night.”

I peer at her over my bowl. She gives me a wicked grin as she bites into a loaf of bread. “After all, we only have one night to pack.”

Oh. That’s what she meant.

“And I want it done as soon as possible to make time for more enjoyable things.”

Hehe. As expected of my wife.