Chapter 6. The Mosteros Duchy (3)

A long while after Michaela entered the bathroom where El was.

The three siblings of the Mosteros family gathered in the reception room, waiting for Michaela and El.

“Why isn’t Sister coming?”

“I suppose it’s taking some time.”

Riello, who had finally returned to human form, pretended to be well-behaved while constantly checking the entrance to the reception room.

He rolled his cold blue eyes around and puffed up his cheeks, which still retained some baby fat.

Just as Riello was looking around restlessly, Rapellian and Briel, who had been elegantly drinking tea, turned their heads simultaneously.

The gazes of the three men, sitting in the glow of the lazily setting evening sun, fixed on Michaela as she entered the reception room.

“I wonder where everyone leaves their eyes.”

Michaela chided as she sat in the most prominent seat prepared in the reception room.

Once she was seated, Rapellian personally lifted the teapot and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“That you tried to wash her yourself…… My goodness.”

Michaela shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it.

“What happened?”

“How exactly do you view that child, or El as you called her? What were you thinking?”

Michaela stared intently at her brother’s profile as she asked.

The question stemmed from her curiosity about whether he might have other intentions.

“I consider her someone to whom I owe a debt of gratitude and must repay faithfully. What else could there be?”

Rapellian responded slowly as he poured the tea.

His tone carried a hint of puzzlement, as if wondering why she would ask such a question.

‘He seems to have no other thoughts, yet also seems to have different intentions. Since he’s so good at hiding his true feelings, how can I know?’

Michaela decided she needed to observe Rapellian more closely and slightly changed the subject of conversation.

“I knew the moment I saw her.”

“Knew what?”

Briel and Riello were equally curious, so this time the twins asked simultaneously.

Michaela glanced at Rapellian and spoke as if she found it ridiculous.

“That she’s a girl.”

“What?”

Rapellian, who had seemed incapable of being flustered, became embarrassed.

As a result, the teapot he was setting down made a somewhat loud noise.

“She looked just like these guys when they were young.”

Rapellian’s gaze fell on Briel and Riello.

The current twins had grown more masculine in their features, but they still looked pretty.

Especially Riello, who resembled Michaela more than his twin Briel, had the most delicate and beautiful face among the three brothers.

And was it just Briel and Riello?

When Rapellian was born, people thought Michaela was his younger sister.

Now, of course, that misunderstanding seemed absurd as his features had become more defined, making him simply a cold, handsome man.

In any case, the beauty of the Mosteros family, regardless of gender, was famous throughout the Empire.

“She’s a girl.”

“I see. She felt similar to these guys when they were young, so I thought she was a boy.”

“And it’s not quite right to call her a child.”

“What……”

“She’s not certain, but she said she’s about seventeen this year. Her birthday is in January, so she’ll soon be eighteen. The following year, she’ll be of age. I can’t believe you tried to personally wash a fully grown young lady.”

“Ah……”

Rapellian felt more embarrassed about El being seventeen than about her being female.

At seventeen in human years, among nobles, some were not only engaged but even married.

It was an age closer to adulthood than childhood by anyone’s standards.

‘If El were a beastman, she would be just one year younger than me. What have I done?’

Rapellian rubbed the back of his neck as embarrassment and awkwardness washed over him.

The spot where his hand passed turned hot and red.

“She was fundamentally different from a boy. If you had looked more carefully, you would have noticed right away.”

“I should apologize.”

“But she’s so small for her age that the misunderstanding was understandable.”

Though it was amusing to see her brother embarrassed, Michaela felt she shouldn’t tease him further. She concluded her playful banter at this point.

Rapellian was wearing an awkward smile when he turned his gaze toward the entrance at the sound of a small presence.

“Madam.”

Irina, who had just entered the reception room, stood in an uncharacteristically awkward posture.

“Ah, you’re here. What did Melson say?”

“He said there are abrasions and bruises, but no major injuries. He said applying medicine properly should be sufficient.”

“That’s fortunate.”

While everyone’s attention was on Irina in response to Michaela’s question, Rapellian’s gaze was fixed behind Irina.

There stood El, the cause of Irina’s awkward posture.

Soon, Michaela gestured toward El, who was standing closely behind Irina, wearing clothes much larger than her body.

“El, come here.”

El, who was behind Irina, peeked out with just her eyes.

She rolled her eyes, scanning the reception room and gauging the atmosphere.

‘How did I end up……”

Still dazed and unable to believe she was receiving such lavish treatment, El hesitated and couldn’t move readily.

“El, go on.”

Irina gently pushed El’s back as she struggled to move.

“Ah, yes? Oh. Yes!”

Still not accustomed to her new name, El was in a daze before startling to attention. She found it ticklish and embarrassing to be called by a proper name as she looked up at Irina before reluctantly stepping forward.

But after taking just a few steps, she couldn’t proceed further and stood awkwardly.

“If everyone stares like that, she’ll feel shy. All of you, lower your eyes.”

Michaela leaned back in her chair arrogantly and commanded.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the three men quickly lowered their gazes.

Michaela, satisfied, raised her eyebrows and once again gestured toward El.

Following the gently waving hand, El slowly moved her feet.

“Looking at you again, to think such a small body could show such great courage.”

Her stride across the spacious reception room seemed less than half that of the men in this household.

Michaela very carefully grasped El’s hand, as if fearing it might break if held too tightly.

“How can you be so tiny and pretty? Hmm?”

El had no idea what was dainty and pretty about her bony arms and hands. Faced with an unfamiliar experience, she was too busy being flustered to even respond.

“El, would you like to sit here?”

Michaela tapped El’s nose gently and patted her thigh.

It was unmistakably treating her like a child.

That was understandable since Michaela was 220 years old this year.

Even if El were seventy-seven, to Michaela, who had lived over two hundred years and twenty more, she would still be just a very young child.

El, following Michaela’s hand with her gaze, was shocked as if struck by lightning and shook her head vigorously.

“Whyyy? You hate it?”

Michaela drooped her eyebrows, pretending to be pitiful.

El panicked and twitched her lips nervously.

Finding this so adorable, Michaela slapped her thigh and laughed heartily.

As she laughed, El, who had been staring with surprised eyes, eventually joined in with her own laughter.

Taking advantage of this moment, Michaela pulled El onto her lap.

El, who had seemed to relax slightly, immediately stiffened because she had never sat on someone’s lap before.

Michaela skillfully helped El adjust her posture and called for Riello.

“Riello, come here and pay your respects.”

“Yes!”

Riello, who had been unusually well-behaved today, jumped up at the call and stood before Michaela and El.

He flashed a hearty smile and knelt on one knee to meet El’s eye level.

“I, Riello Adolf Mosteros, owe my life to you.”

Though Riello was an unpredictable child who could bounce in any direction, he was also one who did things properly when needed.

However, from El’s perspective, regardless of his decisive actions, she was still confused as she couldn’t quite match the furry bundle from earlier with the being now before her.

“Pardon?”

“Ah! I was that white furball earlier. Rolling around on the floor.”

“Aaah. I see.”

El nodded, finally understanding.

As she did so, she thought that he had been pretty as a white wolf and was very pretty as a human too. Everyone in this household was uniformly beautiful, handsome, and radiant.

Unlike herself.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Riello expressed his gratitude, gently took El’s hand, briefly kissed it, and bowed his head.

At his gentlemanly courtesy, El’s cheeks flushed bright red, and she rolled her eyes around, looking at her surroundings as if to confirm whether this was appropriate.

“I, too, thank you for saving my brother, a child of our clan. We are deeply indebted to you.”

Michaela, whose eyes met El’s, also gently bowed her head.

Briel, Riello’s twin brother, also rose from his seat and silently bowed at the waist in greeting.

“No, I……”

El didn’t think she had done anything remarkable, but receiving such formal greetings one after another left her not knowing what to do with herself.

She was about to wave her hands saying it wasn’t necessary, but seeing the sincerity in the eyes looking at her, she shyly bit her lips.

“Tell me what you want. What can I do for you? I’ll do anything you desire.”

“That’s right. Tell us what you want. I, Riello, will fulfill anything for you.”

Riello proudly shook El’s hand vigorously as he spoke.

“Riello, control your strength. Humans are different from beastmen.”

Rapellian, who had been silently observing until now, admonished Riello.

Only at his brother’s rebuke did Riello notice the frail arm swinging within his large sleeve.

“Sorry, sorry. El, did it hurt?”

“No, not at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Riello is still young, so please understand. And Riello.”

“Yes?”

“This isn’t the time for you to be grinning and acting innocent, is it?”

Michaela looked at Riello with a fresh smile.

At her lovely smile, Riello felt a chill run down his spine.

“Sis, Sister.”

“Riello.”

Michaela called her brother in a very soft voice.

It was an extremely gentle call, but Riello knew well that he shouldn’t take it at face value.

“Yes!”

Riello stood up straight with military discipline as he answered.

“I understand that you must have felt confined since outdoor activities became difficult after your second growth phase.”

Riello and Briel, being born as twins, were weaker than typical Mosteros bloodline members.

Additionally, Riello had become even weaker after suffering from a plague fifty years ago, resulting in a particularly severe imbalance between his body and strength, requiring extra caution.

“Thank you for understanding.”

Riello bowed his head deeply. Now that Michaela showed understanding, Riello felt less afraid of the impending punishment.

“However, that doesn’t erase your wrongdoing. You are confined for a month starting tomorrow. Not a single step outside the mansion is allowed.”

“Yes.”

Riello nodded, secretly relieved at the lighter than expected punishment.

“If you violate this, be prepared to go to the ducal castle.”

“What?!”

Riello, who had been answering obediently until now, widened his eyes in shock.

This ducal residence was a relatively new construction, built to improve accessibility to the city center.

The Mosteros ducal castle, passed down through generations, was a two-hour drive from here, further north.

Located on a steep cliff, it was a place where one could say there was nothing but snow around.

“I’ll send you there alone. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“And Irina.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“Even if he was determined, to lose track of this little one. You failed to fulfill your duty, so one month’s pay cut. For Riello’s attendants, make it three months.”

“Yes, Madam……”

“Sister, it was my fault.”

Before Irina could finish accepting the order, Riello interrupted, thumping his chest.

He meant that it was his mistake, so why should others be punished for it.

“Riello. This is the consequence of your rash action. You need to understand that your words and actions don’t end with just you. With all that you possess, you must never act lightly.”

“……”

At Michaela’s stern voice, Riello drooped his shoulders and bit his lip hard. He seemed to be pondering something deeply, then deeply bowed at the waist.

“I was wrong.”

He then apologized formally to Irina as well.

“I am sorry.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“If you’ve learned from this incident, that’s enough.”

Michaela, who had been endlessly gentle with El, sternly decided on the reprimand for Riello and those involved.

Riello became a bit dejected, but there was nothing to be done about it.

“Now, Riello, go back to your seat.”

“Yes.”

After confirming that Riello had gone to sit beside Briel, Michaela turned her gaze to El and returned to today’s most important matter.

“You’ve waited long? Let’s return to the main point now. El, tell me what you want.”