Part 1

“Hey, wake up.”

I stood beside Elaina, who tossed and turned on her bed. This was her bedroom and it was about 10 o’clock in the morning.

You should be awake, what are you, an owl?

“I don’t want to…”

She hugged her face in her pillow, showing her back to the ceiling.

“It’s morning, you have to wake up.”

“I refuse!”

“If that’s the case then… Pwah!”

I pulled the blanket from her body, letting the cold to freeze her all over her!

“Aaah! What’re you doing?!”

She shouted a forceful protest, though the sight of her curling into a ball negated the intimidation effects.

“I’m waking you up, this sleep schedule is extraordinary unhealthy.”

It was about 10 o’clock.

There’s nothing to do but read books, but I’ve already read two of them, sneaking some into my room.

Even I can get bored of reading.

“No! I don’t want to! Let me sleep!”

“Haah.”

I sighed as I approached the bed, princess carrying this sleeping Elaina and placing her onto a wooden chair.

“Wake up already.”

I lightly smacked her face.

“Uwah…”

Her eyes were half opened as she dozed back to sleep.

Well, this is good enough.

I circled around, standing behind the chair.

I grabbed some suspicious-looking tools that I’ve only seen the maids of the Osoric Estate use every morning.

A hairbrush.

What was I doing?

Cella taught me how to brush someone’s hair and explained to me how it’s important, especially for women or other people with long hair.

Looking at Elaina, I could tell she slacks off with doing that all the time.

I can’t let her hair get bad...

...Alright, here's the real reason:

Reading books forever is boring!

Of course, I love reading, but there's a limit even for me.

I want to try something new.

Let’s experiment~

As I held onto her blue hair, I started brushing.

Elaina yawned, paying no attention to what I was doing.

“Mm, why does this feel so good?”

I muttered as I brushed her hair, the feeling of it was satisfying. Almost like running your hand on a smooth surface.

Elaina yawned again, a spec of tears falling from her eyes.

She rubbed her eyes before speaking:

“You’re doing it wrong, it’s too rough.”

She took her hands and grabbed ahold of mine, teaching me the proper form of hair brushing.

Ah, I get it now.

Seeing the technique, I took the brush back and began to brush her hair again.

“Aah, that’s it.”

Elaina moaned in satisfaction, drooping her head downwards.

After doing this for about 5 minutes, I tilted my head to the side.

“…”

“Good morning, maid Emily.”

Emily, who looked to be Elaina’s morning maid stood at the doorway to her room.

She was about the same age as Aerich, 16 years old and had long blonde hair, she belonged to the Aran Estate.

“Good morning, Master Reign. What are you doing?”

“I’m brushing the Young Lady’s hair.”

I said in a jokingly servile tone.

“…I have to tell everyone this.”

Emily hid her grin with her hand as she rushed outside.

“W-Wait!”

Before I could stop her, the door already shut as her footsteps echoed through the hallway.

“-Well, there’s no stopping it now.”

I muttered as I continued to brush the sleepy Elaina’s hair.

After finishing, we were ready to go out.

She was wearing the same clothes she usually does, even in her sleep, so other than leaving the hairstyling to her, we were done.

Part 2

“Mm, I heard everything.”

“What exactly did you hear?”

Lord Runo crossed his arms with his fingers straight-laced on his chin, his thumb and index finger were shaped like an L on his chin.

Above that was that same annoying grin.

“Aah, to think I would have to let go of my daughter at the age of 10, don’t worry, I’ve already prepared for the marriage ceremony.”

Go die, Lord Runo.

“Wait, I wasn’t doing anything suspicious, I was just brushing her hair.”

“Who in the right mind would do that? Well, in the case if you did anything to my daughter, you’d suffer a serious fate.”

Lord Runo’s face tensed and he looked quite serious for a few moments before dropping it.

“Of course Lord Runo, I wouldn’t do anything to get myself kicked out.”

I had no romantic plans for Elaina.

How do I say this?

She’s my uncle’s daughter? My little sister?

My heart was yet to be taken by anyone... That was a line from a romance novel I read.

“Well, I’ll put it under the assumption you’re acting as a good friend.”

As Lord Runo said that, a maid from the side called out to the both of us.

“Breakfast's ready!”

—

Breakfast was with Grandfather Segast, and it was particularly suffocating.

What was discussed the most was the plan to fight against the Tyrat house.

I just shut my ears and ate.

And then, breakfast ended.

After grabbing Elaina’s hand, forcing her outside the estate and waving Lord Runo who was in a cheery mood away, Aerich, Elaina and I stepped foot in the Resident’s District again.

“What are we doing here, Reign?”

Aerich’s gaze travelled from house to house, looking everywhere.

Because this was the Resident’s District, there were a lot of houses. Some were small and big, but the most common trend were the materials they were made out of.

Polished stone and wood.

Also, there has been a breakthrough.

I finally convinced Aerich to call me by my name “Reign” instead of “Young Lord”.

It feels good to be treated as an equal by someone I’ve known since I was born.

Though I feel bad for Papa, Radyn still continues to call him Lord Lukyus.

“Yeah, what’re we doing here? You’re ruining my morning sleep schedule.”

“You’re not supposed to have a morning sleep schedule.”

I continued after retorting:

“-Last time we went to the resident’s district we were attacked by some very bad people, we were trying to go to the park to meet some other kids to play with. But now that those bad people are gone, we can visit the park in peace.”

“But do we have to make friends?”

Elaina shrugged her shoulders, saying something very pessimistic.

“Definitely.”

After that, we made our way to the park.

It was empty and deserted.

Only the playground obstacle courses and swings were there, with no one playing around with them.

“Ah, this emptiness pains me but we have to face reality and accept it, let’s go back home-“

Elaina exaggeratingly placed her hand on her heart and the other on her forehead, playing the role of a despaired actress as she urged me to bring us home.

“-No, let’s go somewhere else.”

“W-Wha?”

Elaina stopped her act and pouted.

—

I led both Aerich and Elaina towards a certain shop.

A cafe.

The cafe was pretty small and served this beverage called coffee, though I was more interested in the variety of other drinks they sold.

Besides, it would be my first time eating out.

As we entered the cafe the bell rang, an employee met us and led us to our seats.

We had a full clear view from the huge window beside us of the outside.

Besides that, another employee arrived.

“Anything you’d like, Lord Reign, Aerich and Young Lady Elaina?”

…How does he know us by name?

I quickly looked up at the face of the employee.

Seeing this, the employee spoke again.

“-Yo, it’s been a few days, kid.”

The employee was a man and had a tied up ponytail, he looked to be the same age as Papa.

His scruffy beard was all too noticeable.

“Aethet?”

“That’s right, that’s my name.”

Aethet Mort was working here.

Aethet wore the cafe’s employee uniform and looked very eccentric. Because he was an Exquisite Class Dualist, his muscles also showed through his outfit, making him a sight for anyone interested.

Couldn’t you have chosen a more baggy outfit?

Looking closely, if he cut his hair shorter and shaved his scruffy beard, he’d look like those princes in those fairytales.

But for some reason, he enjoyed the scruffy lifestyle.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m working.”

I was confused, why would he be working here after Papa let him free?

“Why?”

“Both Radyn and your Papa got just a tiny bit angry when they learnt I almost killed Aerich, so they gave me enough to rent an inn for a day instead of what I would have gotten.”

Aethet made a gesture with his index and thumb finger into a tiny letter “c”, signifying the “tiny” part.

Ah, that’s right.

Aerich almost died, if Radyn hadn’t arrived and used a healing scroll on him, he would have seriously been dead.

“-As a result, without expenses to leave the Capital I decided to work in my favourite cafe, isn’t that right, breasts manager?”

A woman with a blessed figure… Huge parts, stood behind a counter near our table, listening in.

“Shut up, don’t call me breasts manager. Who do you think you are?”

“I am your servant.”

“Go die, trash.”

As both Aethet and the manager fought, Elaina nudged my arm with her elbow.

“Oi, who the heck is Aethet? How do you know stranger adults? And what did he mean by almost killing Aerich?”

“He’s my Papa’s friend, an Exquisite-Class Duelist. He fought Aerich once and almost killed him, though he didn’t know it was Aerich.”

I summarised what I know about Aethet to Elaina, who robotically shifted her gaze towards Aethet.

Aethet was flirting with the manager.

“…That disgusting creature is an Exquisite-Class Duelist?”

“That’s right, though it’s rude to call him a disgusting creature.”

I replied to her.

Looking over to Aerich, his expression was stone-cold as always, not bothered by the fact that the man who almost killed him just so warmly greeted us.

“-You’re as stunning as always, please marry me.”

“-Go kill yourself.”

“-I’ll do it if you kiss me.”

“-How many fingers am I holding?”

The manager held up her hand, pointing up the rude finger.

“The middle finger, leaving that aside: Please go out with me.”

The manager’s face contorted in cringe as she slapped Aethet.

What are you doing telling a woman you barely know that you love her?

I think I’ve realised Aethet’s true intention for working here.

Elaina glared at Aethet with an empty expression, she then turned over to me.

“We’re going somewhere else.”

“B-But our drinks.”

“We’re going.”

Elaina pulled me from my hand out of the cafe.

I wanted to talk to Aethet just a little bit more.

Oh well.

Part 4

Hello, my name is Aerich Saghurt.

I’ve been tasked with the position as Butler-ship for Lord Lukyus’s son, Reign Osoric Cinage.

I’m 16 years old, with the Young Lord at 10.

Father and Lord Lukyus calls me a sword-genius who became a High-Class Swordsman during my childhood and that takes about 30 years of training, not including the years of childhood, to become a High-Class Swordsman.

But I beg to differ.

My Master, Reign Osoric Cinage, is an even greater genius.

Being beside him the entire time, it was clear he understood words, intentions and meanings the moment he was born.

By 1 he could make out words, by 2 he could make out phrases and by 3 he was able to talk fluently and have conversations.

He also learnt magic and was able to read at three, he hid it from Lord Lukyus and father but I always knew.

He was also extremely intelligent.

At this time, I figured out that he knew simple Arithmetic.

And fast forward, he had become a High-Class Magician, which was impossible by even talented standards.

That was when I truly realised that despite myself being a prodigious child, I was also a fool compared to Reign.

He was intelligent, talented and a genius upon geniuses. That only made me want to serve him even more. I admired the Young Lord, no, the Young Master for his talent his strength and his intelligence.

Let’s put that aside for now and talk about my current life in the Aran Estate-

In short: It’s scary.

The maids follow me for some reason.

The maids eye me weirdly.

Any time I approached any one of them on this matter, they would avert their gazes and blush.

I don’t really understand.

One time, I was invited to hang out with the servants of the Aran Estate, I agreed.

When I walked into the room, about ten maids waited there.

I didn’t mind at first and walked in.

As the hangout went on, they all moved closer and by each passing minute and became very touchy.

They had these scary look on their faces.

Before I realised it, I was sitting in the lap of one of the maids as the others were feeling up my arms and legs.

I was being pampered by these maids as they stroked my hair, touched my face, feeling my muscles that I never really noticed or cared about and my chest.

The Young Master peeked through the door during this time and quickly left.

So I took it upon myself to get free, and I did.

Maids are really scary.

Runo told me not to seduce them, but I don’t really understand.

What does seduce mean?

Oh well, I’ll look it up in the library soon enough.

After this followed the events of me following another maid to where the Young Master was at the time, and he was being constrained by a sleeping Elaina.

—

Leaving that aside, I’m now presently walking behind Elaina and the Young Master himself as they walked around the city.

“-How about we enter there next?”

“-How about we go home?”

Both Reign and Elaina were bickering around.

My job was simple and was drilled into me since I was born.

Protect and serve the heir of the Osoric Branch Family.

So my hand was sitting beside my blade on my hip at all times, my eyes looking around for anyone suspicious.

As time went on, we entered a cafe.

The same cafe we went into yesterday.

“Yo, you brats here again?”

The man who almost killed me, Aethet Mort stood by the door and greeted us.

Despite him almost killing me, I didn’t really care.

I’m still alive after all. Though father did get pretty angry after realising Aethet Mort was the guy who almost killed me.

Elaina rolled her eyes as we were escorted into the cafe.

As we took a seat, Aethet stood in front of us with an ink pen and a notepad.

This man was supposedly a class below me in swordsmanship, Exquisite-Class, while I was High-Class. Despite that, he was able to thoroughly defeat me in battle.

This goes to show how experience can greatly turn the tables.

Naturally, with that amount of skill, he was very fit and healthy, just like me. The only thing that disturbed me was the decision of tight clothing he wore.

That tight clothing of the cafe’s uniform showed clearly his fit stature and caught the eyes of some people around us.

Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?

“So, what are your plans after you get enough money?”

As I was inspecting Aethet, Reign asked.

“-Hm? I’ll go double the amount of money and head down towards the Forest Continent.”

“…Doubling? You mean gambling?”

“-Cha-cha-cha, as expected of the genius. To even know what gambling was, you’re a sick person.”

“Not as sick as the person who does it in the first place.”

Aethet grabbed Reign’s head and shoved his knuckles into his temple as he laughed.

Elaina looked listless and glared out the window as if she wasn’t interested. What was her problem?

After letting go of Reign, Aethet looked towards me.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Aethet sighed.

“…Order what you want, it’s on the house.”

…What’s this? Is this sympathy for almost killing me?

“Thanks, then-“

I ordered my drink and what Reign and Elaina would like.

After receiving the order, Aethet walked behind the counter, passing the note to one of the other employees.

“-Elaina, why don’t you like Aethet?”

Reign noticed Elaina’s disinterest during the exchange and asked her with a curious tone.

Elaina sighed heavily and replied.

“He’s just disgusting, especially when he was talking to the manager. I mean, he looks good but hearing his voice makes me shiver now.”

Ah, so that was it.

“That’s right, he’s a pervert.”

Another man, who was another employee of this cafe stood beside us presenting the drinks.

That was surprisingly fast.

Are drinks that easy to make?

“-But here are your drinks.”

The employee placed each cup in front of us, though it was weird how he knew who wanted which.

“Thank you very much.” x2

Reign and I thanked the employee while Elaina remained silent.

“…”

Something’s off.

“Master, don’t drink it.”

“Eh?”

I stood up and stretched my arm out, grabbing Reign’s drink.

“I thought I told you not to call me master-… What’s the problem? … Ah.”

After the initial surprise, Reign lifted both his eyebrows and nodded, as if he understood what was going on.

As expected of a genius of geniuses, Reign understood what was going on the moment I called out to him.

“Eh? What’s happening?”

Elaina had a confused look on her face, but hearing us, she didn’t take a sip.

“Excuse me, is there something wrong?”

The employee, with a nervous look on his face, asked us.

But before anyone could say anything, a hand fell onto the employee’s shoulder.

“You’re either exquisitely stupid or stupidly bold to try and poison the children of my friends’ children right in front of me, the hell are you from?”

Aethet, with his usual smirk nowhere to be seen, increased the intensity of his grip on the employee’s shoulder by a lot.

“…I don’t know what you mean, but can you let go of me? Your hands are hurting my shoulder. Wait-Aaaaah!”

Without a word, Aethet dragged the employee out of the store.

But before actually leaving, he turned his head and smirked:

“Don’t drink the beverages. you’ll get sick!”

After that, the sounds of someone being beaten up was heard outside the cafe.

Part 5

(Reign’s POV)

The moment Aerich signalled over to me and told me not to drink, I had already grasped the situation.

There are poisons in here, no, sleeping poison. First off, if that employee was an assassin, then he’s a failure. The drinks were made too quickly, which would indicate that it was made magically than manually.

That itself was suspicious.

It couldn't have been traditional poison, there's no reason to kill us. So it would be sleeping poison.

Taking this into account, I came to a conclusion.

The Tyrat House is after us, or more specifically, the heirs of both the Aran and Osoric House Branches. Me and Elaina.

It’s pretty simple to understand if you had the information.

If both the Aran and Osoric House Branches are planning to tear the Tyrat House down it's only natural that the Tyrat House would fight back.

Because they can't fight back directly, kidnapping both Elaina and I would convince Papa and Lord Runo to stand down.

If that happened, Papa and Lord Runo's threat levels would be limited towards the Tyrat House.

And in the end, it would be a Tyrat Victory.

Of course, there are probably unseen factors but that’s as simple as it can get.

There should be no one, with the current context, who wouldn’t be able to infer the current course of events. If there were, I’d give them a stern talking to.

Aethet walked back in, this time dragging an almost corpse-like body. Of course, he was still breathing.

“Yo, did you throw away the drinks yet?”

Aethet asked us with a pleasant look on his face.

This guy doesn’t know what tension is.

“Of course… But what was he trying to do?”

I already knew the answer to this question.

“Hm? Nothing children should know about, I’ll hand over this guy to your Papa. But that was close, if you guys were kidnapped even under my watch, the entire Cinage House would go running for my head.”

After saying that, Aethet walked into the staffroom and changed, leaving the store with the body.

I looked out the window, and he was being questioned by guards.

“Do you trust him a bit more now?”

I turned over to Elaina.

“Just a little bit.”

She averted her gaze and fiddled with her fingers.

“That’s good to hear.”

Ignoring the probably serious situation, I stood up, and with everyone, walked out.

Leave the important business to the adults.

We’re going to explore the Capital City even further!

…With caution of course.