Chapter 147

Chapter 147

* * *

By the next afternoon, there was a different sort of buzz in the castle’s rose garden. As they had already broken the ice at the previous night’s banquet, various clansmen were walking about the castle and interacting in the garden that day under an abundant air of camaraderie.

“Good day, Miss Pedelian.”

“Good day to you as well, Black Master.”

Both Jeremy and Sylvia continued to serve as the catalysts for the overwhelming number of intermingling guests. Just as she did in most civil exchanges, she returned his greeting with a warm smile. She looked undeniably stunning that day wearing a blue dress meant to signify her clan, while her flowing locks were ornately decorated to embellish the silver color the Pedelians were famous for.

The tea party scheduled for that third day was in full swing. The majority of the attendants were composed of each clan’s younger members. A number of the young men were hovering about the periphery and doing a poor job of concealing their interest in Sylvia. When she had first arrived with Cassis, there were even more people surrounding the two of them, but once he and the hopeful men who had used him as an excuse to get close to her left, she found herself alone for a brief moment.

Jeremy’s arrival had proven well-timed as he had managed to avoid the Blue Heir entirely. There also wasn’t much awkward tension between him and the Blue Princess since he had served as her escort at the banquet. He unknowingly returned her smile before taking the seat at her table. It was the sort of smile he could muster even when he was concealing unpleasant thoughts.

She sure does look a lot like that Blue bastard. The very sight of her irked him immensely, but contrary to his past self, he was careful not to let it show. Since his sister had expressed a desire to finally bury the hatchet with the Blue clan, he had set his mind to doing his best to facilitate that goal no matter how offensive it proved.

“Did you have a good night’s rest?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you for asking.”

As he reclined casually in the garden chair he resembled a sleek jaguar due to his clan’s all-black attire. To Roxana, who only ever regarded him as her sweet younger brother, he was more like a kitten. But to any and everyone else, he was as formidable as the large and powerful feline.

Although his deep-blue eyes managed to offset his jet-black hair, dark apparel, and crooked smile, they also seemed to add to his roguish charm. It was likely the very reason one of the other guests would glance over at him every so often before deciding to move on. Of course, the other reason for their stares was likely due to how he looked sitting across from the Blue Princess. Any keen observer would agree that the two did make an exceptionally handsome couple. His black outfit was also accented with blue adornments to match his eyes, but next to her gown, it was easy for anyone to make the mistake of thinking they had coordinated to match.

“I wonder... Will Lady Roxana not be joining you today? Does she not plan to attend the tea party?”

“Correct. Big Sis said she wanted to rest today.”

Upon answering her questions, he began to frown as he pondered why Sylvia suddenly appeared so distraught. In truth, he had every reason to be upset since as the youngest clan leader, he was obligated to make an appearance at every last one of the mind-numbing events during the gathering. Even so, he couldn’t fathom what could possibly be troubling the younger Pedelian sibling.

As he was unaware of the connection his sister had forged with the Blue Princess, he couldn’t do much else but wonder. Then it suddenly occurred to him that she had inquired about Roxana the night before as well.

Well, I guess it’s only natural since everyone loves Big Sis Xana. Once he accepted that as the apparent reason for the princess’s sulking, he lowered his mental guard. Jeremy was so infatuated with and affected by his sister that just thinking about Roxana calmed him.

“You’re quite close to Lady Roxana, are you not, Black Master?”

It was more of a statement than a question, which gave him pause as he began to consider Sylvia somewhat intrusive and annoying for even questioning his bond with his sister. Still, the corners of his mouth turned up before he answered.

“It shows that much, eh, Miss Pedelian? Well, you’re absolutely right. I’m the only one of our siblings she cares about.”

His answer crossed the line of simple fact into boasting far too easily due to his unnecessary tacking on of the supplemental “only.” Of course, Sylvia was in no way at fault for not realizing just how readily Jeremy would flaunt just how much Roxana treasured him at every chance he had before asking such a question.

He was still under the spell of what his sister had assured him of that first night of their reunion as she held his hands tightly in her grasp. It was purely owing to the fact that he wished to cherish that moment all to himself that kept him from stopping the tea party to shout of his overwhelming joy at the top of his lungs. But rather than find their bond impressive, Sylvia felt herself scowling at the young leader.

What is this... irritating feeling? It’s almost as if I feel... jealous. She had hoped to befriend Jeremy since they were the same age and since he seemed precious to her future sister-in-law.

Judging by how easy he had been to talk to the night before, she was sure that was the course they were on. It also helped that he was like a moth to a flame when it came to his older sister, so he would quickly answer just about any question she lobbed at him. The young Pedelian found him amusing and cute in his own way. However... In that moment he had exhausted about half of her goodwill toward him.

“W-Well, she said I could call her Big Sister too!” Sylvia felt a bit uneasy suddenly throwing out this point since she had yet had a chance to greet Roxana since arriving with the rest of the Blue clan the previous day.

Something about hearing Jeremy boasting of how close he and his sister were had irritated her beyond her senses. But she was not immature to forgo social protocol, and thus immediately tried to cover up her brief bout of pettiness with an innocent chuckle.

“I could see just how close you two were from the moment you entered the hall together last night.”

Jeremy almost instantly began to beam as if the annoyance he had started to feel toward Sylvia never existed.

Guess she’s no fool. As if the very thought possessed the miraculous ability to alter his vision, he decided that upon closer inspection she didn’t resemble her brother all that much at all. But just as his opinion of her was beginning to improve, her next words erased every positive sentiment that had materialized.

“I did notice, however, that there’s hardly any resemblance between the two of you.” Then with an innocent smile, she added, “I doubt most people would think you two were siblings, but I trust you hear that all the time.”

Tch! The veins were beginning to show on his temples as he clenched his jaw. He was suddenly reminded of Roxana’s only full-blooded brother Achille and the offensive puppet that had been made from his corpse, which only infuriated him that much more. Of course, he was aware that he hardly resembled his sister since they had both taken after their respective mothers rather than their father, Lante. As upset as he was, he swallowed his anger and chose to keep his response curt. “I wouldn’t say that. No one else, and I mean no one, resembles her as much as I do among all of our sib— No. In the entire world.”

“Hmm... I’m not so sure about that.” Once again, she smiled brightly at him and almost seemed to be mocking his assertion.

At this point, he was beyond livid and just barely keeping himself from turning the table over in anger. Thankfully, all the practice he had exercising patience in front of the other clan masters was proving fruitful. He managed to calm himself down almost right away without the slightest hint that he was on the verge of throwing a fit.

“Well, either way, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that I’m the only sibling she actually cares for.”

That much is true, so who cares if we don’t resemble each other? I’m someone Roxana can trust and depend on.

“Come to think of it, your only sibling is your brother, correct?”

Once again, his recollection of the conversation he and his sister had the previous night provided him some peace of mind. He reclined in his chair with ease and smiled as he completed his thought.

“I have a number of older brothers and sisters, and a whole bunch of younger siblings as well, but even a hundred of them wouldn’t compare to one Xana. To be honest, I pity those who don’t know just how wonderful it is to have someone as precious as her as their sister.”

Then as if he exclaimed “Aha!” in his mind, Jeremy sat up straight to allow all four legs of his chair to meet the ground again.