Well, this is quite the turn of events...
He was younger than she remembered, but the resemblance was unmistakable. And given that this was Ben Draco’s private residence, it was safe to assume the boy was indeed one of the game’s romanceable characters.
“Young master,” Paul called.
The boy flushed the moment he saw Liliana. Then his gaze slid to Petra, and his expression soured. He turned without a word and tried to march toward the lobby, but Paul closed the distance in a quick stride and caught him by the collar.
“Forgot your manners, little brat? Need me to remind you?”
Paul kept his voice low—probably for Liliana’s sake—but she heard every word. Beneath that gentlemanly veneer, it seemed, was someone who grew rather foulmouthed when annoyed. The boy squirmed, but he was so much smaller than his captor that the scene resembled a kitten being held up by the scruff.
Ignoring his struggling, Paul turned to Liliana and bowed with exaggerated courtesy. “Please accept my apologies for his behavior. This is Berasta, House Draco’s youngest son. Young master, this is Lady Liliana of House Clarke. Now—what do you say?”
The last line was steeped in menace. Berasta must have felt it; as soon as Paul released him, he bowed his head, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I’m Berasta Draco. A pleasure to meet you.”
Liliana’s suspicions were confirmed. In the game, Berasta possessed extraordinary magical talent and would become the youngest Minister of Magic in history. Yet even in his route, Liliana had been doomed, either killed by him or assassinated for other reasons. It was hardly an encouraging future.
The boy’s sulking only made the vein on Paul’s temple throb harder. “I’m truly sorry,” the steward said. “I’ll teach him proper manners after this.”
His hellish tone made Berasta go pale.
Liliana was genuinely surprised that Paul was responsible for the boy’s upbringing. Berasta clearly hated it, but learning proper etiquette at his age was for his own good. Even in the game, he’d felt inferior to his gifted elder brother and carried a quiet resentment he only managed to overcome through talks with the protagonist. He had also struggled with nobles after becoming minister.
Oblivious to Liliana’s thoughts, Berasta stood frozen under her graceful smile, his eyes darting awkwardly.
Paul shot him a sidelong glance and made a quiet, cautioning sound through his nose. Then he instructed the boy to wait in another room, straightened his own collar, and turned back to Liliana.
“Allow me to escort you to the master’s room.”
“It’s fine,” Petra said, having watched the exchange with folded arms. “I know where it is.”
Paul didn’t budge. “It is my duty. I cannot allow guests to wander on their own.”
The mage shrugged, indifferent either way.
Paul led them upstairs, and after a brief walk down the corridor, they stopped outside a heavy door. The steward raised an eyebrow and glared at the lower panel. It was badly dented, no doubt from Berasta’s kick. From the irritated twist of his features, Liliana could practically hear him muttering, “That stupid brat even put magic behind it.”
He seemed to remember her presence a beat later, clearing his throat twice before opening the door as if nothing were amiss.
“You have guests, Master.”
“Myyrylainen and Lady Liliana, right?” the vice minister called. “Let them in.”
“Understood.”
With Paul holding the door, Liliana and Petra stepped inside. The room was cluttered, though not nearly as bad as Ben’s office at the ministry. Liliana suspected that was thanks to Paul. Even with the little she’d seen, she could easily imagine the steward scolding Ben while tidying around him.
Ben Draco rose from his chair to greet them, still wearing a robe despite being in his own manor.
“Please, take a seat on the couch,” Paul said. “I’ll fetch you all some tea.”
For some reason, the steward took the initiative, not the head of the household. It must have been routine, for Ben showed no sign of objecting. He sat across from Liliana and Petra, a broad, joyful smile spreading across his face as he watched the steward efficiently prepare the tea.
“There’s only Paul in this manor,” Ben said. “He’s my butler, my chamberlain, my secretary, and my coachman. Sometimes he’s also a gardener, a pâtissier, and even a guard.”
That was far more responsibility than Lilianna would have expected of any steward. Yet everyone in the room behaved as though the arrangement were perfectly ordinary.
“I keep telling you there’s only so much one man can do,” Paul said. “You ought to learn to take care of yourself.”
“I want more of those sweets,” the vice minister replied, ignoring the protest entirely. “What were they called again? Baba?”
“I can make more, but only if we buy rum or kirsch,” the steward answered curtly.
Liliana hadn’t tasted the sweets herself, but the liquors immediately brought savarin to mind. In her previous life, it had sometimes been called “baba” as well. Brioche was soaked in tea-flavored syrup, cooled, and then covered with rum and kirsch—one distilled from sugarcane, the other from cherries.
Does Ben like alcohol...?
The game had revealed almost nothing about him, but few people who disliked alcohol enjoyed savarin. Either way, it seemed perfectly normal in this household to make desserts rarely seen in Slivegrandia.
Paul set out the snacks for tea, bowed, and left the room. Petra waited until his footsteps faded down the hall before speaking.
“That door has a dent in it.”
“Oh, that. Berasta’s doing. I told him to stop getting physical when he’s upset, and it only made him angrier.”
“You do enjoy provoking him, don’t you?”
“Younger brothers are adorable when they’re that much smaller than you. He’s definitely in his rebellious phase, though.” Then, without a shred of shame, Ben added, “Oh, and younger sisters are cute too.”
Liliana tilted her head at the mention of younger sisters. Petra caught the gesture.
“Berasta has an elder twin sister—Tania,” she explained.
“We all dote on them,” Ben said. “They’re the youngest in the family.”
“They sound lovely,” Liliana replied.
“That they are,” Ben said, beaming. He was clearly delighted she agreed.
Liliana smiled as though she found the moment heartwarming, but something else preyed on her thoughts.
Tania Draco—I’d almost forgotten that name.
In Berasta’s route, Tania had appeared as the protagonist’s rival. Unlike Liliana, though, she wasn’t a villainess; to reach Berasta’s ending, the main character had to raise her affection as well. You could even grow close enough to unlock her friendship ending.
“So, about what we agreed on for today...” the mage prompted.
“Don’t worry. I have everything ready,” Ben replied.
“Good, good.”
All Liliana knew was that they would be practicing hexes here at the estate. Ben apparently collected books on hexes that would have to be burned if the public ever learned they existed. This was the only place he could freely pursue research forbidden at the ministry. Liliana also had to consider her father’s ties with the minister; visiting the ministry too often risked drawing the wrong kind of attention.
“All right, let’s get to it,” the vice minister said.
Ben and Petra rose and passed through a heavy door into an adjoining room. Liliana followed close behind.