Chapter 6

Ming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

"Exactly what is going on here!"

Muska Tavanus, the young lord, grumbled in a rough voice.

"The quantity delivered is less than last month, isn't it!"

The delivery report fell roughly onto the table.

"…Tavanus young lord."

Across from him, Baron Kerata pressed his furrowed brow with thick fingers and patiently explained the situation. This was already the third time he had done so.

‘Does the Duke feel this way too?’

Felio often looked at people with a world-weary expression. For the first time in his life, Baron Kerata fully empathized with his feelings. Dealing with someone unreasonable really made one's blood boil.

"It's the season when reindeer give birth in the spring."

Reindeer mate in the fall and give birth the following spring. As a result, they cannot produce leather during late spring and early summer when they are raising their young.

"It's reduced too much, isn't it!"

Despite the detailed and kind explanation repeated three times, Tavanus young lord still did not understand. He was still dissatisfied with the delivery quantity. Baron Kerata summoned his last bit of patience from deep within his thick belly.

"Have you forgotten last year?"

At the mention of the cave-like, low voice, Muska Tavanus hesitated.

"Didn't the number of monsters increase significantly?"

At the word 'monster,' Tavanus young lord visibly flinched. Baron Kerata noticed this but pretended not to.

"At that time, our Kerata family also suffered."

In fact, this was a lie.

A few months ago.

'The Tavanus Trading Company is doing business with them.'

After the harsh blizzard of winter finally subsided. Baron Kerata, who had come for a regular report, received an unexpected order.

'Slightly reduce the delivery quantity.'

'…Yes?'

'And on the day I instruct, release the items you have been stockpiling to the Tavanus Trading Company all at once.'

Confused by the inexplicable order, Baron Kerata was greatly taken aback.

Felio did not interfere in the affairs of other nobles unless there was a major problem. He didn't even care. The most representative example was the new etiquette teacher of Boreot, the famous northern noble. The fact that he sent a couple in the middle of a separation to teach his cherished daughter was a clear indication of his lack of interest in others.

'…Understood.'

Instead of asking for a reason, Baron Kerata bowed his head and accepted the order. The amiable and dignified Baron Kerata responded with a friendly smile.

'The Kerata family will not be harmed.'

Perhaps because he accepted it so readily without suspicion, Felio was confident of the Kerata family's safety. Baron Kerata, who had been following Felio's incomprehensible orders with a calm demeanor, felt a great sense of relief.

And he understood Felio's intentions. In fact, there was nothing to understand. Boreot had chosen the Tavanus family as prey and was now moving to drive them. When the master of the north gave an order, it was the duty of a pure-blooded noble to follow without doubt. As he complied, he naturally came to understand.

That some northern nobles, including the Tavanus family, were involved in the noisy breeding season of monsters last autumn, and that they had kidnapped and gathered the monster cubs somewhere.

So, he casually mentioned 'monsters' a moment ago, and there was a definite reaction.

Baron Kerata clicked his tongue.

'Monsters usually become adults after six months.'

The black beast would hunt, and the day was just around the corner.

Yet, it was truly amusing how he couldn't pull himself together.

'There's someone behind him.'

He was certain who that 'someone' was without even seeing.

"…Tavanus young lord."

Baron Kerata, who had momentarily lost his patience, called out to the young lord in a heavy voice. Muska Tavanus, who had been constantly expressing dissatisfaction, hesitated.

"Then, let's do this."

Without hiding his frustration at the young lord's stubbornness, Baron Kerata carried out the final order given by Felio.

"We can't catch reindeer right now. Disturbing reindeer raising their young is a matter of life and death for us. We also need to increase the reduced number of reindeer."

So, he asked for some time.

"…Until when?"

Tavanus young lord asked cautiously. His attitude was noticeably more polite.

"At least until the calves weaned."

It would take less than a week, and Baron Kerata gathered his last bit of patience to smile.

"Damn!"

After Baron Kerata left.

In the office left alone, Muska Tavanus drank from the bottle and cursed. He was ashamed of being intimidated by Baron Kerata, whom he had underestimated.

"What a lousy brat…"

He looked stupid, but he was hiding a dirty mind.

Feeling ashamed and embarrassed even when he thought about it again, Tavanus young lord slammed his fist on the table with all his might. However, his anger was not just because of Baron Kerata. Recently, whenever Muska Tavanus tried to do something, an invisible wall blocked his path.

Looking back, the starting point was strange.

It was the tea party hosted by Duke Boreot.

'Could he have noticed?'

The alcohol that had been subtly rising was instantly sobered. There were too many things that didn't add up to dismiss it as a coincidence. From the trading company to the businesses the Tavanus family invested in, they either went bankrupt or the other party showed reluctance and kept their distance.

Everything had been difficult since the tea party.

'If only I hadn't been caught there…!'

Tavanus young lord grumbled, blaming it all on being caught by a brat when he tried to sneak into Felio's office.

"Still, they're both the same in being lousy."

They looked and acted the same. It was annoying how he could glare defiantly and tattle on him without fear.

"Lord."

At that moment, one of the aides entered.

"What is it!"

Muska Tavanus, who was extremely sensitive, asked fiercely.

"Lord Merioka and Lord Gries have arrived."

Muska Tavanus, hearing the names of the visitors, instructed them to come in with a calmer voice. Soon, the two entered.

"Are you worried about something?"

Lord Merioka asked as he sat down. He noticed the half-empty bottle of alcohol. Without a glass, it seemed he had drunk straight from the bottle.

"It's nothing serious."

Muska Tavanus answered briefly. In fact, it was Lord Merioka and Lord Gries who looked unwell. Especially, Lord Merioka, who had been ignored by a young man of his son's age, looked terrible.

Lord Merioka's status had changed. Having been firmly marked by Duke Boreot due to his arrogant daughter, he could not assert himself despite being the highest-ranking noble among the three. Felio's warning was that terrifying.

Thus, while they criticized Boreot, they unconsciously followed his authority. It was a strange phenomenon.

"We received a message from the capital."

Lord Gries took out a red envelope from his pocket. Tavanus young lord, who took the envelope, slowly opened it. Inside was a single white swan feather.

"They are looking forward to it."

A reluctant smile appeared on Tavanus young lord's face as he looked at the feather in the envelope.

* * *

"Ugh…!"

Leonie's face was about to burst from the effort.

"Look at that ugly face."

Felio, who was watching from the side, made a mischievous comment.

"Hey, I'm concentrating here!"

Leonie, who glared with half-closed eyes, yelled and then focused her strength again. The effort was so intense that her high ponytails trembled.

The Boreot mother and daughter were training the Beast Fangs in an empty training ground. Soon, a golden shape rose behind Leonie. Now, Leonie could freely summon the Beast Fangs, a result of consistent training.

Felio carefully examined Leonie's golden shape. He was prepared to summon his own fangs if she lost control, but he was now confident that it was no longer necessary.

"Ugh…!"

Leonie, who had crouched down at some point, strained to summon the last bit of strength. Suddenly, her eyes opened, and her black pupils, shimmering with a golden mist, sparkled.

"Ya!"

Leonie immediately jumped up.

Her well-developed limbs stretched out forcefully. The golden mist transformed into fangs and then faded away. Only the echo of Leonie's loud battle cry remained in the training ground.

"…What."

Felio gave a short comment.

"It was funny."

"Just mocking me…"

Leonie, who felt embarrassed even to herself, covered her face with her hands. Her red ears were visible between her black, high ponytails.

"Even if I wanted to laugh, I was too exhausted."

Felio had never seen anyone summon the Beast Fangs with such a ridiculous battle cry. It would be quite amusing to write it in the history of Boreot.

"Where did you get that 'Ya'?"

"I was desperate."

"Where?"

"Are you going to say 'Swear' next time if you keep provoking me?"

Swear, swear!

Leonie pouted and grumbled, showing a rebellious expression. She had grown quite a bit between last winter and this spring and now looked like a six-year-old. Although still smaller than her peers, she was gradually closing the gap.

"I can make one at a time…."

Leonie demonstrated by creating four fangs one after another on her back. Each of the four fangs had a slightly different shape.

"To use them perfectly, you need to create all four."

Felio showed his own fangs. Four sharp, blood-red fangs gleamed.

"Only then can you use their full power."

"I know…."

Leonie grumbled as she retracted her fangs.

The Beast Fangs, a special ability passed down in the Boreot family, had four fangs, two on the top and two on the bottom. Each of the four fangs possessed a different power, which varied slightly depending on the owner.

'Author's favor…'

Leonie, recalling the original content, mocked the author's favoritism towards the main character. However, she wasn't annoyed because she was also benefiting from it.

"You're like Regina in this way."

Felio mentioned his cousin's name for the first time in a long while. Surprised, Leonie asked what he meant. Felio casually replied that it was nothing.

"Regina also struggled a lot with this when she was practicing her fangs."

She could easily create one fang at a time, but had difficulty creating all four simultaneously. Additionally, her learning speed was slow.

"Am I slow too?"

"You're fast, Leonie."

Your learning and mastery speed were similar to Felio's. Felio's face was full of satisfaction as he said this. Leonie smiled at the sight.

"Now that you're starting to form the shape, you'll soon be able to create them perfectly."

"Okay! I'll work hard!"

"And don't shout strange battle cries."

"I didn't do that on purpose, you know?"

Leonie grumbled while holding Felio's hand. Despite her good progress, she always ended up in an argument.

'But this is how Dad shows his affection.'

People are still quite awkward.

'Maybe I should improve a bit before meeting Varya…'

To avoid making a bad impression on her future partner, Leonie seriously considered making some adjustments. Of course, it didn't have to be Varya specifically. She just hoped to have a good relationship with whoever was a good person. It would be a shame if Felio raised her to be alone for the rest of her life.

"Lord, Miss."

Koni greeted the mother and daughter as they left the training ground.

"…Ah, right."

Leonie, remembering her appointment, said she would go first.

"Are you really going there?"

Felio, who knew where his mischievous daughter was going, still looked puzzled.

"I'm the lady of the house in the Boreot family now, aren't I?"

Until Felio brought in a wife, the official position of the lady of the house in the family naturally fell to his daughter, Leonie.

"So, I have to go!"

Leonie huffed and puffed, showing off her acting skills. After quickly washing up and getting dressed, Leonie headed to the appointed place to fulfill her role as the acting lady of the Boreot household.

It was a regular tea party for the northern noblewomen.

"Oh, Miss Boreot!"

"We've been waiting for you."

"Thank you for coming."

"What a beautiful dress."

In the north, there was a regular tea party exclusively for noblewomen. Unlike the capital's social circle, known as the second power of the empire, this was a simple tea party for socializing.

However, considering that most of the participants were pure-blooded nobles, except for the Viscount Pardus and a few recent immigrants, the term "simple" was somewhat misleading.

"Did I travel back in time?"

But to Leonie, it wasn't a big deal.

"The noblewomen look younger."

The innocent joke from the seven-year-old made the ladies laugh. No one disliked flattering or being told they looked younger.

"You're good at making jokes, Miss."

"Still, it's nice to hear!"

"Where did you learn to say such things?"

"If only my husband could learn to say such things…"

Leonie, with the help of a maid, sat in the seat of honor. A soft cushion was always placed on the seat for the child. No one complained about this; they considered it quite natural. After all, Boreot was Boreot, regardless of age.

Leonie enjoyed the tea party with the noblewomen. Although she looked like a child, she wasn't one inside, so she found it very uncomfortable to play with other children. She could play with her only peer, Flomus, but not always.

Then, by chance, she attended a tea party with her etiquette teacher, Baron Bosgruni, and discovered a new world.

They could communicate.

Their mental ages were similar.

Moreover, unlike the capital's social circle, where people spoke in roundabout ways, here the noblewomen simply enjoyed each other's company.

'I love it here!'

It was like finding a cozy cabin in the snowy wilderness.

The main topic of the tea party was gossip.

"My son, you see…."

This time, the subject was Baron Bosgruni's son. The baron complained about his eldest son, who was planning to leave for the capital, just like his father had done, abandoning his family.

"Especially, he says he will take the title when he returns later."

The baron looked ready to smash his son's head with a teacup if he were there.

"Oh, why is that?"

Leonie handed a handkerchief to Baron Bosgruni and comforted him.

"Raising children is useless. They don't appreciate the kindness of being raised."

The ladies strongly agreed with this.

"How can he say such things, knowing how you have protected the title and the family?"

"If I were you, I would sew his mouth shut."

"Did you just let him do that? Remove him from the family register."

Baron Bosgruni's face relaxed. Even if his son were in front of him right now, he was so relieved that he would only tap his head with a teaspoon instead of a teacup.

"Um, excuse me…."

At that moment, a shy young lady raised her hand timidly. Everyone's attention turned to her. She fidgeted, embarrassed by the attention.

'Ah, it's her.'

Leonie immediately recognized her. She was the new wife of Lord Tedros, who had married Lady Merioka. Her shy and delicate appearance made Leonie worry if she would adapt to the north.

'She's from the east, right?'

Her hair, tinged with blue, was exotic.

"Um, well…."

Lady Tedros gathered her courage and spoke.

"I learned a method from my mother, you see…."

Lady Tedros carefully held a butter knife for spreading on scones with both hands.

"She said this can be used to silence a nagging person. With magic, it can be done quickly without bleeding…."

Blushing, Lady Tedros demonstrated the motion of silencing someone.

The northern noblewomen gathered there smiled warmly.

"Lady Tedros."

Leonie felt the same way. The young lady was a natural fit for the north.

"Welcome to the north."

It was truly a delightful tea party with endless smiles.

* * *

Pleasant gatherings always end too soon.

"See you next time…."

Leonie waved enthusiastically from the carriage window, feeling a bit sad. Her innocent and gentle appearance was quite different from the