Two hours later...
“The Ricca Guild’s pasta was delicious!”
The group had finished eating lunch at the Ricca Guild’s restaurant. But before they returned to the office to resume their assistance with product development...
“I’d like to do some shopping,” Rio said.
“What are you buying?” Latifa asked, tilting her head.
“That’s up to the four of you to decide. It’ll be a gift of gratitude.”
“Of gratitude? For who?”
“For Latifa and Liselotte, who planned all of this. And for Aki and Miharu too.” Rio shrugged lightly to hide his embarrassment.
“You say that, but...”
“Me too?”
Aki and Miharu were bewildered, as they thought they had no reason to accept a gift.
“I said I was fine without one...” Liselotte said reservedly.
“I’m in the mood to give gifts to you all. Please accept it. If you don’t think you have a reason to do so, then think of it as a show of appreciation for always thinking of me,” Rio said bashfully.
Latifa looked up at him hesitantly. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for acting as the bridge between us.” Rio gently patted her head.
“Tee hee. Then I want clothes! Something I can wear whenever. Oh, but won’t the others get jealous if we’re the only ones who get gifts?” Latifa asked, worrying about the others waiting back at the mansion.
“In that case, we can always come back with the others another day. Maybe even tomorrow or the day after,” Rio said.
“Okay!”
That’s right. It didn’t have to be today. The fun days would continue tomorrow, the day after, and further into the future. Latifa nodded happily.
“I’ll lead you to the section for women’s clothing then,” Liselotte said with a warm smile.
Thus, Rio and the girls moved to the women’s clothing section of the Ricca Guild. While Liselotte showed Miharu and Aki around and chose clothes with them, Rio kept Latifa company in her clothing selection.
“Say, what do you think of this one?”
“It’s cute.”
“What about this one?”
“That’s cute too.”
“And this?”
“Cute.”
The other three had tactfully created alone time for the two siblings. Latifa stood in front of a mirror, bringing various outfits up to her body while seeking Rio’s opinion.
“Onii-chan, that’s the only thing you’ve been saying. Do you really think they’re cute?” she asked with an unimpressed glare.
“It’s what I truly think. You’re cute no matter what you wear,” Rio said with a slightly guilty grin.
“I see. I guess I can forgive you.”
Latifa gave an unnaturally arrogant reply to hide her embarrassment.
“But still, I want to wear the one Onii-chan thinks is the cutest,” she added pleadingly.
Rio scratched his cheek awkwardly. “I’m not very good at choosing clothes. Especially when it comes to women’s clothing.”
“But it’s a thank-you present for me, right? That’s why I want you to choose.”
“I see. That makes sense. I’ll do my best then.”
After that, Rio started taking clothes into his own hands and seriously considered what suited Latifa the best. The sight of the two siblings chatting harmoniously brought smiles to the faces of the store attendants and passing customers. However...
“If it isn’t Amakawa.”
The alone time between the siblings was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of an outsider. It was Duke Gregory.
“Good day, Duke Gregory. It’s been a while. And...”
He was a duke, so Rio greeted him politely, despite the strong sense of wariness he felt on the inside. But what was more troubling was the man beside him.
“Stewart Huguenot. Long time no see.”
It was a confident, high-handed voice. He was staring at Rio with unnatural intensity, to the point of rudeness. Although he was the eldest son of a duke, a disinherited child had no business taking that tone against an Honorary Knight.
“Long time no see.” Rio immediately moved forward and hid Latifa behind himself.
“Yes, it’s truly been a long time.”
Fortunately, Stewart paid no attention to her, as he was busy staring hard at Rio.
He really does seem similar. When I look for the resemblance, I can definitely see it.
Whether it was hostility or scorn, either way, there was a blatant negative emotion in his eyes. Stewart had already tried to mess with Rio in the past at Amande, and Duke Gregory was also someone who tended to pick fights with Rio.
What’s going on? What are they trying to do?
Rio immediately sensed something was odd, increasing his wariness further.
“What a coincidence meeting you here,” Duke Gregory said.
“Yes, a coincidence.”
Rio immediately thought he was lying. There was no way this was a coincidence. It was also strange for two men to come to the women’s clothing section of the store—not impossible, but he couldn’t see these two coming here to shop.
“Are you here shopping with your sister?” Duke Gregory asked, gaze going to Latifa hidden behind Rio’s back. His words also directed Stewart’s attention to her. Rio was standing in a way that obscured their vision, but...
“Does your sister have no manners at all? Ignoring a noble of higher ranking without so much as a greeting,” Duke Gregory scoffed.
Rio glanced over his shoulder behind him.
Latifa’s face was pale, and she was understandably trembling like she was afraid.
This isn’t good...
Rio opened his mouth to wrap up the conversation as quickly as possible.
“Hey, stop being rude to Duke Gregory. At least show your face!”
But Stewart angrily walked around to the other side of Rio to look at Latifa’s face. At his sudden appearance before her and the sound of his voice, Latifa was clearly frightened.
“Eek!”
“Hey, Latifa! Show me your face.”
“What am I to you?”
“Your dearest big brother, right?”
The trauma of her days as a slave that had been sealed deep in her heart came flashing back.
“N-No! Don’t come near me!” Latifa crouched on the ground, protecting her head with her hands.
“Huh?” Stewart was taken aback.
“Excuse me! What are you doing over there?”
Just then, Liselotte noticed the abnormality and came running over.
“Y-You’ve got it wrong. I haven’t done anything! She just started acting out all of a sudden!”
Stewart pointed at Latifa, who was cowering on the floor, and asserted his innocence.
“No! No! Nooo!” Still cowering, Latifa trembled from head to toe.
Rio had a sour expression on his face. He had realized that the trauma hidden behind Latifa’s smile was more serious than he thought.
What’s with this girl? And where have I seen her before...?
Stewart was feeling an indescribable feeling of déjà vu. Didn’t he know a little girl that feared him like this? The moment Stewart had that thought, a certain girl came to mind.
“Eek! D-Don’t come any closer!”
“S-Stop— Stop hitting me! Please!”
“Y-You’re my big brother.”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Forgive me, please!”
Back when Stewart was attending the Royal Academy, there had been a rare werebeast slave kept beneath the Huguenot estate in the capital. Stewart didn’t know if his father had been doing anything to the girl, but he had often visited her for his own amusement. Whenever something unpleasant happened at the academy, he would dote on her to release his stress. That little girl had been his toy.
✦ ✦ ✦
✦ ✦ ✦
The girl on the floor before him had none of the traits of a werebeast. But for some reason, he was sure it was her—you could even call it an instinctual sense. Yet at the same time, he was confused. Why would she be here? How did she end up becoming this man’s little sister? It made no sense at all.
But the greatest emotion Stewart was feeling was excitement. An intense feeling mixed with joy and anger overwrote any other feeling he could have. Stewart swallowed his breath and opened his parched mouth.
“Hey, don’t tell me... Are you Latifa?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Roughly half an hour later, Duke Huguenot visited Christina’s office in the guest house of the Galarc Kingdom.
“May I have a moment of your time? There’s something I wish to discuss in private. If you could please clear the room.”
Vanessa was in the room with them, but Duke Huguenot bowed his head and requested her dismissal from the room.
“Very well. Vanessa, you wait outside the room. Do not let anyone through until we’re done,” Christina ordered. She presumed there was something important to discuss.
“Understood.” Vanessa bowed respectfully and left the room, leaving the two of them alone.
“Now, what did you want to discuss?”
“I agonized over this all night. Sir Amakawa is at the root of the matter, but please allow me to confess my own sins first.”
“Your sins? That sounds ominous,” Christina said, observing Duke Huguenot’s expression.
“I’m afraid it’s a fairly grave matter. If I said it has to do with the outdoor drill that was held around five years ago, I think you would understand, no?”
Christina’s face turned grim. Just then, someone knocked on the door in a panicked manner.
“My deepest apologies for the interruption. I’m coming in.”
Vanessa entered the room.
“What is it?”
Entering despite the clear orders not to let anyone in meant something unavoidable had occurred. And sure enough...
“King Francois has summoned both of you. An incident has occurred, and he needs both of you present immediately,” Vaneesa reported with a panicked look.