“Rachael and Angela?” She gave me a look that said, Why ask me when Albert’s right here? But once I explained Albert’s condition, she gave me an exasperated look and agreed to talk.
“Let’s see, I’ll start with Rachael. She was always laid-back and had this really gentle, calming presence. She’s really beautiful and has long, silver hair that really stands out. I remember that she was graceful and always had a soft smile on her face, but she wouldn’t back down when it counted, not even against the teachers,” she explained.
Rachael had been popular with pretty much everyone at the academy, and Kriss said there had even been a few unofficial fan clubs for her. The description she gave me was very different from Albert’s.
“And Angela was this cool, big sister type. Gorgeous but tough. There’s this one story about how she saw one of the girls in the lower grades being harassed by an older guy, and she slapped him right across the face. And when he tried to yell at her, she verbally destroyed him so thoroughly he was left speechless.”
Okay, that sounds a lot like Albert’s description.
Kriss continued, saying how before Angela had slapped the guy, she’d made sure to hear both sides. She had only slapped him after deciding he was wrong, especially since he’d started threatening her in the middle of their conversation. Some of the boys hadn’t liked her, but she had been very popular among the younger girls.
Once I heard all that, I thought that Angela might be a lot like Kriss. Maybe that was the reason Albert was so hopeless around her—Kriss reminded him of Angela.
“So when’s Angela coming to the capital?” Kriss asked, probably planning on making herself scarce while she was in town.
However, I was hoping to drag as many people into this as I could. “The letter just arrived today, so it’ll probably be a while,” I told her.
“Angela married into a family that lives pretty far away from the capital, right? It’ll probably take a while for her to get ready, so I bet she won’t even get here for a month!”
I had no idea where she lived, so I just gave her a “Yeah, maybe,” in response. Angela’s father and Albert knew her better than anyone, and they had said there was a chance she could show up any day now, but I had no reason to mention that to Kriss.
Even if she did get here earlier than that, it wasn’t like Kriss was guaranteed to stop by on that specific day. And if she just so happened to run into Angela, well, that would be her own bad luck.
I was just about to head back to my room when...
“I’m staying over tonight. I’ll just borrow a room!” Kriss announced, and then she walked off towards the one she always used. She was being almost as bold as the king lately, but at this point, it was such a regular occurrence that I wasn’t even surprised. Technically, she was here as a liaison for the royal family, but she did pay for all her meals, so it wasn’t like she was freeloading.
Jeanne showed up next. “Tenma, there’s someone waiting for you at the gate. They said they have a letter to show you directly. I asked them for identification, and they showed the Sanga family crest. They don’t seem suspicious.”
“Got it. I’ll be right there. And Jeanne, don’t tell anyone about this. That’s an order.”
For some reason, every time Kriss stayed over, something bad seemed to happen to her. And this time, the dark cloud was already on our doorstep.
The letter was from Angela, just like I expected. It started with an apology for reaching out all out of the blue and for the trouble Albert had caused. She also wrote that she wanted to offer her thanks and apologize in person, and she asked if she could visit on a day that was convenient for me. She’d written this letter after having come to the capital, and she’d even said that she could be here today if that was all right with me. I told the messenger that today was too soon, but we would be happy to receive her tomorrow morning.
Later that night...
“Yuzu is amazing! You can toss it in the bath or into your drink! It’s perfect either way!” Kriss said.
Leni agreed. “Some people complain that yuzu ruins the alcohol’s original flavor, but I think it just gives it a different kind of charm. The only problem is that it makes you drink more.”
The two of them were having a great time sipping on yuzu-infused drinks, and both were a little tipsy as a result. They were feeling completely relaxed, convinced that Angela wouldn’t arrive for at least another month.
Gramps was probably off drinking by himself in the bath. I’d provided him with a huge stash of yuzu, booze, and snacks, so he was likely experimenting with different combos by now.
Albert had gone back to his room early, saying he was exhausted. He’d mentioned that he had a bad feeling about something as he’d wandered away. He’d most likely sensed that Angela was near.
Jeanne kept sneaking glances at me, curious about the letter she thought was from the duke. Meanwhile, Aura was watching Jeanne and seemed to have gotten the wrong idea, thinking that something was going on between us.
As for the others... Amur had finished the snacks Leni made and was now rummaging around the kitchen looking for more food. Shiromaru and Solomon were sticking close to Kriss and watching Amur out of the corner of their eyes, waiting to see if they could swoop in for any leftovers. And Rocket was busy collecting empty dishes and taking them back to the kitchen. Every now and then, he would snack on the leftover yuzu rinds—maybe he’d developed a taste for them.
Basically, it was just another ordinary evening at our place, but to me it felt like the calm before the storm. Still, the first poor soul who’d be facing the storm was currently getting some much-needed rest, and the runner-up had nowhere to run.
Honestly, I was just hoping we could keep the peace going until the storm hit.
Then, the next morning...
“Nice to meet you, Master Otori. I am Angela von Cagliosto, the second daughter of Duke Alsace Sanga.”