This is how I was invited to a Tea Party

24 December 422

Today was supposed to be a busy day for me.

It started with a daily dose of the workload, then continued into making sure that Priscilla and her entourage spent the next few days in relative peace with the permanent occupants of the castle without causing problems.

Alice was quite easy to handle considering that she preferred to keep close wherever I went. Sure, there was a degree of limitations to that very development, especially for bathroom's privacy and the lessons with Miklotov.

Speaking of this latter restriction, I was still surprised how the elder's tune changed when I started to bring up more about 'my world'. His fascination grew as he tried to understand how many parallels and similar precedents existed between my world's past and this one.

Major events like wars, rebellions, and the conception of new ideologies that sometime ended up clashing with each other. Of course, I was careful enough to not extend myself too much over things like Communism, Nazism, Fascism, and things like the French Revolution.

Considering how 'antiquate' and 'aristocratic' this nation was, I really wasn't feeling the need to bring this much radicalism just yet. Or maybe not completely, especially with how many terrible ramifications the mere mentioning of those would cause.

Economy was a topic that domineered the most out of the fact that the world had still to develop a modern understanding of studying nation-wide economies.

Macroeconomics, the particular subject that delved in that kind of madness, was only developed after the Great Crash of 1929. Microeconomics failed to understand the causes that ended up crippling the United Stated for several years, thus a new understanding of the matter was developed from this disaster.

I doubted Lugnica or any of the other nations here were ever going to suffer through that devastating recession, but I wasn't certainly going to wait for it to happen to see it develop properly.

Miklotov seemed quite keen to pick up on this topic and soon he ended up making his first steps in what I could only summarize as... Lugnica's Enlightenment.

Sure, there were no philosophers, nor there were Cafes built to house intellectuals within the capital, but the crucial bit of it all was modernizing the nation's policies.

The old man just mentioned that a plan to introduce to the rest of the council an ample taxation reform was currently being worked on by himself and those under his command. He wasn't a military man, but the presence of numerous educated administrators helped in elaborating an acceptable change of pace.

It was quite partial considering what I had in mind to introduce but... tiny steps against a possible council-based opposition.

Nobles were going to receive a substantial cuts to their taxes too, so I couldn't exactly see them lament this kind of changes. Same for merchants from Lugnica and members of the military.

What really was exchanged for this was the creation of stable taxation rates for each 'class' and the introduction of severe punishments for those that could economically afford to pay the taxes but refused to do so.

It wasn't much different from what I got running in Erindor, but it was limited by the chances of being killed during a reunion of the Sages. Which is why, despite my irritation to how little of a change it was, I still considered it something.

The Kingdom was going to breath a fresh amount of freedom for once.

With nothing to worry about this specific situation, I found my attention divert away from economics and to another issue that Miklotov himself was unsure how to solve.

The Witch Cult has been a troublesome element of inner politics that was never dealt with because of the political instability within the nation. But now that I was there to make the difference, I wasn't planning to allow this predicament to persist and I wasn't going to wait until I had a firmer control of the post.

My suggestions were more than enough to get the old man to plan out something to do about the matter. I didn't expect much, but I did suggest to bring Reinhard van Astrea to the matter.

As it was right now, the red-haired swordsman was the only one capable of killing all the members of the Cult without getting screwed by their Authorities. All except for Pandora.

I was unsure how I was supposed to deal with the dangerous girl. I wasn't fully aware of her story, her weaknesses, and her power's limits to be able to make a proper assessment of her dangerous self.

Then there was the issue created by the Mabeasts. Daphne was the prime responsible for these monsters, creatures that hunted down humans without any hesitation nor restriction over their hunger. But it was the reasoning behind that left me the most perplexed.

While not 'much' is known about the Witch of Gluttony's personality-wise, there was something in the conception of these monsters that highlighted a degree of sympathy for mankind. It wasn't out of kindness, but out of understanding the 'simple plight' of finding things to eat.

Mabeasts were supposed to be the solution to world-wide hunger. Animals that weren't meant to be carnivore or preying on humans, but sustaining themselves by absorbing natural magic and reproduce as quickly as possible.

Madly enough, the idea wasn't bad. In fact, considering how difficult it was to find normal wild animals in this world, I could see the purpose behind this decision.

And yet the good intentions driving Daphne's plan ended up creating a nightmare the moment she lost control of these monsters.

I wasn't sure where the young Witch's soul was being kept by Echidna, but I wasn't planning to visit her wherever she existed considering how dangerous was to be in her proximity because of her Authority.

A single glance from one of her usually hidden eyes could get anyone to be 'devoured' by the need to eat. Even if the 'food' is their own body.

Her creations were going to be a pain to destroy, especially the Kurohebi and the Oousagi. With the former being a single black serpent that was capable of injecting a thousand diseases on its target, and the latter being a carnivorous posse of horned fist-sized bunnies that was known to be as numerous as 'water drops in mist'.

That was going to be horrible to face, but I knew that its frail state in small groups was going to be enough for someone like Reinhard to take on.

Hakugei was the 'least' dangerous to the three main monsters. The size and its capacity to create hallucinations was enough to make it still a formidable opponent, but it would be lying to say that it stood at the same level as the other two. The large size was also a weakness considering that it made for a big enough target for enormous barrages of magical spells.

The rest of Mabeasts was going to be easy to face for any modest-sized groups of knights with medium-to-high magicians assigned to them.

With that entire lecture wrapping up with this final argument, I decided to take this free time to check on the twins and Sphinx.

With the Winter Festival happening tomorrow, I still to finish all the preparations over the gifts and my glorious entrance as Santa. Pillows were bought for the occasion to fill up the missing belly, and I was happy to learn that the Royal Tailor was interested with the little project I had offered to him.

Saint Nick was going to make his first appearance here in Lugnica and... I had yet to get the mischievous trio from trying to ruin the surprise and the anticipation by making plans of capturing the jolly fat man.

I tried to explain to them that the elder was nice and he was known as a patron to children, but Alice proved difficult to convince when she started to drill out questions over the 'genuineness' and the 'trust' that was given to such a 'stranger with a creepy smile on his face'.

Making my way through the mostly empty corridors of the palace, I tried to get my pace up to swiftly find the three individuals I was searching for. At least just in time to get to them before it was proper lunchtime.

I sighed as I found out from Hannah that the two demi-humans had gone to the nearby courtyard to play around with a leather ball. The woman was busy with her son, Felix asking what kind of gift he was going to get considering how 'good' he had been.

He pestered me for some time, but his pressure didn't get much out of me. Defeated and 'humiliated' by my mighty resilience, he sought solace by teasing his mother about her interest for a certain old knight.

Hans was the dirtiest of the two, with mud and dirt staining all over his pretty clothes and his hair. Fritz was a little better, with the damage being restraining to only the cloth.

Both looked guilty over the various holes they had created around the place. And when asked about this strange activity of theirs, their response was-

"Treasure hunting. Fourier said that there were artefacts hidden in the castle!" Hans proclaimed with some interest. "He said that nobody ever found any of the 'trinkets' in there, so I- we thought that something could have been hidden underground."

That's an interesting take on this curious aspect of the castle. Sure, there were many magically-enchanted objects in there, but I failed to see how someone wouldn't actually try and check through this route before the two tiny explorers.

"And what did you find?"

Fritz smiled a tiny bit, a degree of childish naughtiness flashing in his eyes. "Dirt."

I cracked a small smile in return, the softcore sass always getting me amused.

"Maybe you should retreat and get yourself cleaned," I muttered mirthfully. "This is a tedious task, and I know you don't want to be tired out before finding something great."

They shared a hesitant look to each other, their animal ears twitching in a moment of self-conflict and then...

"Fine- but you're gonna help us too, Papa!" Hans demanded sternly. "Promise us!"

I really wanted to enjoy some time resting after lunch, at least before I had to deal with anything regarding the private lessons I was meant to give to Fourier but...

"I promise. But only after lunch and if you both go to clean yourselves before that."

They didn't offer any other response after this, darting together out of the courtyard and to where our living quarters' bathroom was.

After fixing up the man-made holes through the same shovel used to create those, I resumed my 'hunt' to find where Sphinx had gone.

At first I thought she had taken refuge in the Royal Library, but, as soon as I would discover by entering inside the large room, she wasn't there as I had hoped for.

Confusion turned to worry when I started to ask around to a couple of guards if they had seen the elusive young girl.

Reports of her wandering around the castle silently and with what could be described as an 'absent-looking' expression plastered on her face was enough to make me realize that this wasn't a silly hide n' seek game.

My pace increased and so did my concerns over what was going on.

Alice hadn't shown anything suspicious when she first arrived yesterday, and I was sure of this considering how tight and close she had been all the time.

So what exactly happened for her to snap into this strange 'chase'? And why I felt like I was going to bit more than I could chew?

Despite my usual prudence, I took a moment to address some of the guards and request them to contact Reinhard. The OP swordsman should be able to track me down if I flared my magic around.

I wasn't planning to stop now that I knew that something big was happening with Sphinx. Something was pulling her towards a strange section of the castle.

And my dread only intensified when I reached a corridor that was supposed to be a deadend... only to see a large hole opening a completely unknown part of the building nobody knew about.

Cobwebs, dust, and darkness highlighted how ancient this bit was, so I was cautious for any ambush set along the way by animals that could be living in there.

I continued to walk, trying to catch up to the faint energy source coming from Alice and... I found her inside what looked to be a large office.

It was similar to Miklotov's own office, but abandoned and in a state of complete decay.

The girl was distracted, but she was trying to reach out for what looked to be a tiny orb.

I stared for a moment at it, only to realize that it wasn't a sphere. It was a gap, an opening within space-time. It was a portal to somewhere else.

"Sphinx!"

Rushing toward her, I saw her head turning quickly to greet me. The distracted look shattered to reveal a confused Alice.

"Brother? What is- W-What?!"

Her mind took just an instant to realize that she was being pulled inside the portal, her other palm reaching for me as I thrown myself and took hold of it.

I started to pull, adding my own magic to enchant my strength and hold within this reality.

At first I thought I had it won... but then the pull became painfully stronger and I lost my footing as I was yanked inside that portal together with Sphinx.

The world exploded and I felt my entire body growing cold as I slammed onto a smooth surface.

I didn't have the time to try and fight back the cold and the blinding effects of this warping that I found my consciousness stolen from me.

The last thing I heard were... footsteps. And a giggle.

"And now, let's see what we got here..."

"Young man, buongiorno!" Someone yelled at me. "I wish that you enjoyed sleeping through my lesson."

I snapped out of my slumber with a panicked look, staring up at the familiar face of...

"P-Professor Silicia?"

Wha- HOW?!

Former teacher at the local University, Federico Silicia had been my Latin Teacher for three years during my turbulent time at High school.

Hated by his students for being the purest example of the 'most arrogant and jerkish teachers', the man became kind of an issue that more than once tried to get me suspended from school for making the wrong first impression.

The man smiled tensely, holding back what felt to be anger behind his gritting teeth. "Good, at least we've confirmed you've not suffered from amnesia. Now please, can you tell us what I just finished saying about Cicero?"

For a moment I froze in panic, feeling all the dread I was subjected during my high school years drowning my capacity to answer that query.

Then my incoherent thoughts went completely silent as I realized that something was indeed wrong about this scene.

"Professor, we did Cicero last year," I reminded with a confused tone. "I'm quite sure because you did ask me about his entire life and his works during the final exams."

The professor's smile dropped for a moment, numerous emotions flashing through his eyes and soon he was out of my proximity, walking back to the desk without uttering a single word.

I stared at the sight with incredible confusion, but before I had the chance to think more about this strange case, I found my attention stolen as someone tugged at my sleeve.

"You sure showed him who's boss, bro," The young man sitting beside me commented, a friendly grin matching up with his jovial attitude. His hair were a dark-brown and gray eyes. "I mean, this is a first! Silicia is a bastard and see him crawl away like a-"

"Ennio!" I chided sternly, his name burning in my head as I recalled him. "There is no need to gloat about it. You know that's how we usually get detention with him."

Ennio Branca, one of my closest friends during high school, continued to grin like a moron.

He was a transfer student that joined this class last year. We started to knit a close friendship considering how 'ignored' we were by the other classmates.

Charismatic, loyal, but also a joker from time to time. He wasn't usually this childish. In fact, this was a... surprise?

"Bah! Let him try! I will prank him to death if he tries to do something like that."

"That sounds incredibly stupid. Stupider than you usually are," I pointed out calmly. "Sure, we got a win over him but-"

"But nothing!" He interjected giddily. "That's so going to be remembered by our descendants. The legendary Sasa and his noble companion, Ennio, vanquishing the evil itself!"

...

"Okay, I think this is... enough," I said, this time my interest moving away from the now-confused looking companion. "I'm impressed for the attempt to replicate the past and... I really have to be a jerk and say that you failed miserably."

...

Silence? I can still talk some more.

"His name wasn't Ennio. The bastard's name wasn't Professor Silicia. I'm quite sure that nobody at school ever used the 'Sasa' petname with me and... who the fuck is trying to get roasted today?"

...

"Hehehe," 'Ennio' started to laugh. "I- I suppose I should've been a little less panicky with my name selection but your memories are well-protected from me."

"I'm glad to know that most of my past is a secret... especially from people like you."

"Rude!" The voice exclaimed irked, with the rest of the class suddenly devoid of people. "Rude, but funny."

The humming was the final clue to patch up the mystery that saw me sent to this world of illusions.

She was sitting on the desk, her legs waving. Wearing a dark-blue blouse, a black skirt, a pair of knee-long white socks and a pair of grey shoes, Echidna stared at me with the smuggest look possible.

Maybe she was expecting me to express my shock over her appearance, the distress at being before the Witch of Greed herself.

But I merely stared at her, a perplexed frown on my face as I addressed her presence with confusion.

"How?"

She blinked, her head tilting to her left as she sported a surprised look.

"Well, that's quite... private," The white-haired witch admitted. "I don't recall exactly but... I'm quite sure there was a man and a woman involved. They found a bed, or maybe they did it on some floor and-"

"Reiteration: how the hell are you here when you should be sealed away in Sanctuary?" I interrupted with a grimace. I really wasn't in the mood for this kind of games.

"Language!" She chided softly, her smugness returning for the occasion. "And the answer is... I'm still in Sanctuary. Like you two currently are."

"What?"

"Strange portal, you and my little puppet ending up away from the castle and back here," She explained, almost adding a 'duh' to show how bored she was about the topic. "I mean, I'm surprised that I managed to attract her to find the office once owned by Flugel's followers, but I'm glad that things turned out this... brilliant!"

Flugel's... followers?

"I thought Shauna was the only apprentice," I muttered, knowing that Echidna was going to answer it.

"She wishes that was true," The girl said while grinning. "That little leech was just the first one. But there were those that were given a tiny fraction of Flugel's knowledge each."

Sounds like a can of worms within cans of worms.

"But why you brought us here?"

Her grin widened. "Why, to get my prime body back for me to inhabit!"

...My jaws dropped as I realized what she just said.

The main purpose behind Lewes Meyer's cloning was the creation of a perfect body for Echidna to take over. Something for her to use to return in the plane of existence as a living being.

Her real body was sealed deep in Sanctuary in a pseudo-cryogenic crystal, while her soul was in control of her main lair as she waited for the best choice among the clones.

Sphinx was faulty, or at least she had been so when she was first created. But now that everything was fixed? She was a delightful chance for Echidna to take and return to life.

"No."

"Yes~!" Echidna rebuked giddily. "Sphinx is one of the first constructs too. She was a faulty one, sure, but now she is ready to be used for her main purpose."

Gritting my teeth at that cheeky tone, I was tempted to blitz at her and pinch at her cheeks. Punching would be too much, and slapping would be too 'arrogant'. And she was planning for me to react at her inflammatory words.

...But I wasn't going to headbutt the challenge without making it easy for me to win.

And I knew what to say to get a win out of this absurd situation.

I wasn't expecting this madness to unfold, not like this. I tried to keep away from Roswaal's lands just because of this and yet someone was impatient to 'know me'.

"No," I remarked dryly. "She's not."

A huff left the witch's lips. "And why not? She's mine. Her body is mine, her soul is mine, and you can't do anything to-"

"She isn't Lewes Meyer, nor she can be considered part of her original biology any longer."

Her mouth opened to offer a counter to that but... she closed it.

"Elaborate on that."

"I might not know the clauses of the contract you built with the girl, but I'm quite sure the main contractors were you and Lewes Meyer," I explained calmly. "My argument is, while Sphinx was once a clone of Lewes Meyer, she stopped being such when she accepted to be treated with the procedure that stabilized her magic, her soul, and her mind."

"So you're saying that since her Gate was fixed, she is recognized by magic as an entirely different being than her original framework," Echidna added on her own. "I... I should be mad. I know I should. But then again, that's an astute way to keep my hands off of her. But what if I want to seize her as mine?"

"Then you will have to fight me, and no contract can protect you from me."

"Bold words from a simple humans," She commented mirthfully, dropping from the desk and walking up to my chair before sitting by Ennio's former seat. "But I really want to know... how are you going to 'hurt' me."

There was a degree of lewd that got me frown in disgust. It didn't help that she was winking at me.

"I'm not interested."

"In punishing me?"

"In dealing with that craziness of yours," I rebuked dryly. "And please, stop it."

"Stop 'what'?" She pressed on with, biting her lower lips as she leaned towards me. "I don't see anything worth stopping. In fact, how about we talk thoroughly about your own knowledge and- Gwah!"

Her 'attack' was broken when something reached for her face and pinched at her nose. I blinked, surprise replacing panic as I had to waste just a moment to realize that the saving grace was actually an Unseen Hand. And it was coming from behind... me?

I reached for behind, only now realizing a detail I had forgotten about. Since this wasn't the palace, then the mirror...

"Wh-Who?" Echidna demanded with quite the funny accent because of the hand on her nose.

"S-Someone that will stop you!" A familiar voice half-stuttered as I moved the mirror out of its previous location.

Satella was... furious. Her irked expression dignified her frustration directed at her fellow Witch, the greedy girl's eyes widening as she finally got glimpse of her 'torturer'.

"Y-You!"

"Yes-"

"You and you," Echidna interrupted by pointing at me and then at the Witch of Envy. "You two know each other!"

"Yes?" I answered nervously as her eyes widened even more at the news.

...

"Oh! OOOH!"

The restrained girl allowed herself in a giggle at the strange escalation, and I took a moment to look at Satella.

"Is- Is she alright?"

She gave me a surprisingly calm look. "Much to my regret, yes. This is actually normal."

"This- This makes things much more entertaining!" The Witch of Envy finally proclaimed. "To think that this would explain many strange things, but also open up plenty of new thoughts to explore. But mostly, the teasing!"

"N-No," Satella weakly replied.

"Yes!" Echidna said before cackling. "This opens up to much more than initially planned. But now- now that I've the chance... I can't ditch the opportunity!"

She snapped her fingers and the world as a whole collapsed around us.

"W-What is-"

"J-John, hide me or-"

"No, you don't!" Echidna tried to remark, trying and failing to reach for the mirror and snatch it out of my clutches. "I need this, you need this- they all need this."

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded sternly as we were now falling towards what looked to be a garden. "Who is 'they' and-"

We landed onto the patch of green, but instead of pain I was regaled with... surprise, confusion, despair, and relief.

"B-Brother?"

Alice was the first one to react, rushing to reach for us while the other 'inhabitants' of this place merely stared.

I gave a hug to Sphinx, patting her back... while my wide eyes regarded the situation in front of me as the worst case scenario possible.

"Why did you have to pull our guest here like that! If it had been a real fall then-" A young woman with blonde hair chided the Witch of Envy.

"It's not that bad, big sis," A green-haired little girl with tanned skin rebuked. "I'm quite sure big bro is actually tougher than he looks."

"Hmm? Food?" Another girl, this one with gray hair, commented distractedly as she continued to be stuck a strange contraption. Her eyes were hidden by a blindfold.

Then a woman with red-pinkish hair regarded us with a single 'meh'.

"A-Are you sure this is a good idea, Echidna? Why would you need to- to-" A shy-looking girl with light-pink tried and failed to comment.

"It's Satella!" The Witch of Greed exclaimed while aiming an open palm at the mirror.

If before this host of Witches had been neutral over my sudden intrusion, now their mixed attention was directed at the mirror I was holding.

Satella groaned, hiding her face with her hands in an effort to keep her panicked look away from those she didn't want to see this 'soon'.

Yep, it would seem like I crashed onto a scary-tier tea party.

Afterthoughts: Some explanations are needed, I'm sure. While these chapters have been a shocker after another, I've been thinking of spicing my content up a little more than usual. Why? Well, let's just say that after this tea party I will create a final arc before the 'big timeskip' that is supposed to be a mix of a Volume EX and something I'm creating from the 'unfinished' lore of this series. Things sure are spicier than usual!

But now, let's go for an omake!

Omake 10: Flatmates AU (1?)

It was early in the morning when I woke up to notice that a strand of blond hair tickling at my nose.

I allowed a couple of seconds to pass silently as my brain properly rebooted over this strange awakening. It wasn't anything new with my usual routine, but I was starting to find this situation kind of unbearable.

Especially since it was summertime!

The blond resting over me seemed to tense up as I grasped at his cheeks, sensing the danger but failing to react properly to it as I started to pinch.

A yelp echoed across the bedroom, with a certain red-eyed dolt rolling off the bed and face-crashing onto the floor.

Groaning in sudden pain at that poorly-planned reaction, the 'prince' of Lugnica Inc. stared up at me with a betrayed look.

"Why?"

"I told you to not sleep on me. It's awkward to wake up with you snoring in my face," I remarked dryly. "And shouldn't you be preparing for today?"

He wanted to protest the first bit, but his eyes widened again as he remembered that he had to prepare for today's inauguration.

Rushing out of the bedroom and towards one of the two bathrooms available to the flat, Fourier allowed me some peace to recollect my thoughts as I prepared for a long day.

Seriously, who made me think that sharing a flat with Fourier would've been a brilliant idea?

I knew him since childhood, and even back then the guy was quick to latch onto me as if his life depended on it.

But before I begin this absurd story, let me introduce myself.

I'm John Bukharin, 21, I'm currently single and I'm not the only owner of this modest-sized apartment.

Fourier was just one of the three flatmates that currently lived in this place, but he was by far the one that created the most chaos among them.

While one could easily mistake me as the average college student, the truth was completely different. I aim to surprise, shock, and possibly please whenever possible or if I genuinely wanted.

Working for the trade company owned by the blond's family, the Lugnica Inc., I was the Supervisor for the Erindor's branch.

The title itself was quite important since I was unstoppable over any directives enforced over my own group of workers, if not confusing for me to have at my young age considering that other Supervisors for the company were beyond their 40s.

The reason that saw me take on this daunting job was connected to one of last wishes asked by Fourier's recently deceased father.

The Erindor's branch was one of the few sections that was deemed as 'cursed'. Supervisors came in with a limousine and left in a coffin. The reasons of their death was unknown, and the local police couldn't do much with the lack of substantial clues over the 'crime scenes'.

I was to take on this challenge and burden, while also trying to discover what really caused all those deaths, while also making sure that Fourier 'grew into a fine man and ready to create a family with the woman he loved'.

The expectations were a lot higher than the usual high-tier workplace, especially with Director Miklotov himself paying close attention to each step I took either in my job as Supervisor or as the moral compass for naive Fourier.

The 'prince' wasn't stupid, but he was incredibly innocent of the hardships of norma lives because of the sheltered childhood that his parents wanted for him.

In fact, it was impressive how I ended up befriending little Fourier when we were both 10 and 7.

An oddball even as a child, I still remember how much of a troublemaker he would turn once his freedom increased to places beyond those owned by his father's organization.

But time passed, and... nothing changed. He was still a lovable pest with a close attachment to chaos itself, that would drag me to face some absurd troubles from time to time.

My only saving grace in this maddening situation was that I wasn't the only one keeping an eye out for him.

Walking out of my bedroom, I proceeded to nod at the two occupants of the kitchen.

Donning a quarter length light-blue jacket, an orange shirt an a pair of jeans, the green-haired woman with glasses stared up at me and smiled.

Crusch Karsten was the daughter of the current owner for Karsten Real Estate, one of the many groups affiliated to Lugnica Inc.. A young woman with an incredible grasp over economics and philosophy, she was Fourier's first ever friend. They both met when both their fathers decided on setting up a play date for the children.

Fourier took a liking for Crusch when she didn't panic over a fake snake he had thrown at her. It was also amusing when Crusch herself admitted to have punched ickle Fou for pulling that prank back then.

"Good myorning, Johnnyah!"

Standing up and showing his sleeveless blue shirt and dark-blue jeans, the feminine boy with light-brown hair and eyes gave me a quick wave as I approached their table.

Felix Regret was first a close friend to Crusch. Having been saved by abuse by his former father, the owner of the now-liquidated Argyle Agriculture, by Meckart and Helena Karsten themselves, the boy grew with their presence while his biological mother fought against the man that took claim of her child a few days after childbirth.

As of now, the boy was in good relationship with Ms. Hannah, while harboring a known hatred for his malicious father.

"Morning," I returned with a more tired tone. "I hope you're all ready for-"

"The final inauguration before summer break?" Crusch interrupted, her tone hinting at her happy mood. "We know, John. But I really want to know when you're planning to buy a swimsuit."

"For what?" I inquired nervously, having just a hint of what she was alluding to.

"Come on, Johnnyah," Felix jumped with some frustration. "You promised that we would've visited the beach together. Even Prissy wants to do that."

I flinched at that last nickname, but before I had the chance to correct the feminine guy, I was interrupted by another voice.

"It's Priscilla, Regret," A certain orange-haired girl corrected sternly. She was wearing a half-sleeved red blouse and a pair of black pants.

Priscilla Benedict was the heiress to a subsidiary of Lugnica Inc., the Barielle Boats. Nobody exactly knew how she ended up inheriting that company, and the fact the former owner died under mysterious circumstances was enough to fuel a sense of mystery and dread from the arrogant young woman.

"Good morning, Prisca," I calmly muttered. "Let's spend a peaceful morning today."

"For the final inauguration by 'His Highness' for this year?" She asked with a rhetorical tone. "Of course, it's a small price to pay... to make sure that you get at least five pairs of good swimtrunks for this summer."

"Prisca-"

"You made a promise, John, and you don't back away from those," The woman added strictly. "And I will not have my fiance sully his own names for such a flimsy topic."

"I don't recall John ever signing any paper... or even legitimizing this bold claim you got over him, Ms. Benedict," Crusch pointed out with a slightly annoyed tone.

"Semantics, Ms. Karsten. Time will only prove my points, and John will see the truth."

Before a bomb could've exploded from that escalation, our attention was stolen when we heard the doorbell ring.

I stood up, taking the 'burden' just to escape the battlefield that was slowly creating because of the previous subject.

Opening the door, I was half-expecting to find someone from Miklotov to remind us of today's important event... but instead I stared at the most unique individual.

She was wearing what looked to be a dark dress. White-hair flowed down until her lower-back and she had familiar violet eyes.

"Cousin, is that you in a cosplay dress?"

She did look like little cousin Lia, but then as I noticed her confused look at the question and the surprisingly realistic pointy ears, she decided to speak up.

"I-I'm not... My name is Satella," She introduced herself and I blinked at the strangely familiar name. Where did I hear it from?

"Are you perhaps a relative of mine? I mean, there is an entirely white-haired branch that is odd for Italian standards but-"

"Y-Yes," The Lia-alike remarked. "I'm... I need your help."

I frowned. When a relative needed help at my doorstep, it was just instinctual to get them inside and understand what was wrong with them.

But something about this woman was... off.

Still, family. I couldn't ditch her now that she looked so frail, pale, and possibly terrified.

"Sure, come in."

If only I knew that this newcomer was going to put a newer notch to the current chaos theater offered by Fourier...