Chapter 6

6

The carriage ride to the capital went smoothly.

Not only me, but Eila and Lucia also showed unprecedented excitement.

Eila seemed to be trying not to show her excitement, but her skill at hiding it was as poor as her ability to avoid looking at me.

Eila, who had been abandoned by her husband for five years, seemed pleased that he had finally called her.

Lucia, on the other hand, seemed excited at the prospect of seeing her father, whom she had seen more often in portraits.

I felt sorry for them, but their images only made me dislike the noble even more.

“We have arrived, young master.”

The carriage stopped, and the coachman's voice rang out.

After a two-day journey, we had finally arrived at the Eslande family's mansion, located in the upscale residential area on the outskirts of the capital.

Stepping out of the carriage and looking around, the scenery, exuding a sophistication and splendor far beyond that of the rural estate, caught my eye.

The mansion, though smaller than the one on the estate, was much more luxurious.

The Eslande family's mansion, which had been passed down from their impoverished days, was internally opulent but externally worn out.

Not only me, but Eila and Lucia also looked around in amazement.

Meanwhile, the maids and coachman who had followed us, and the servants who had come to greet us, began to move the luggage.

“Welcome. Young master, madam, miss.”

An old man, easily recognizable as the butler, approached and greeted us.

“I am Roland, the butler of this mansion.”

“Nice to meet you, Roland.”

Eila replied with a smile.

“Please come in. It’s still cold outside.”

We followed Roland’s suggestion and stepped into the mansion.

“Where is Father?”

As I asked Roland upon entering the mansion, he hesitated for a moment.

“Lord Eslande is on a business trip due to an urgent matter.”

Wow, our lord is really something. I can only admire him.

It didn’t matter to me, but Eila and Lucia’s expressions visibly darkened.

“Did you think Father would be waiting for you here? I guess losing your memory was real. Well, standing here with that woman is proof enough, isn’t it?”

At that moment, someone descended the stairs and threw a sarcastic remark.

Wavy blonde hair, fair and white skin, a handsome face that exuded a cold demeanor but was undeniable in its attractiveness, and a tall, slender build. A man with a flawless appearance.

And that man was my exact double.

Despite having different mothers, we looked so similar.

That man was my older brother, Leon Eslande.

“Brother...”

“Hmph, you may have lost your memory, but you still recognize me. You couldn’t help it, could you? After all, we look just like Father.”

I brought up Leon’s status window.

Until now, checking the status windows of those around me had been meaningless as none of them were proper, but Leon was the first to provide me with meaningful information.

The existence of skills.

Leon had two skills, something I didn’t have at all.

“Where did Father go on his business trip?”

Leon’s expression darkened at my question.

Was it the content or the tone?

I don’t know how the real Luke would have handled it, but I don’t expect him to use formal language with me.

I usually dislike handsome guys.

It’s not that Leon is too unlucky to look at, but I almost felt like spitting.

“Business trip? Father? Think what you will. You might see his face in a few days.”

With that, Leon glanced at Eila and Lucia.

He didn’t glare at them as if to devour them, but his gaze was as indifferent as if they were cattle or chickens.

“Tsk, Father is at it again...”

Eila tightly embraced Lucia’s shoulder upon hearing this.

Seeing her hand tremble made me uncomfortable.

How did they endure living in such a household?

“Behave yourself.”

With those words, Leon left the mansion, radiating coldness.

Well, if I had been as cruel to this mother and daughter as I was in the past, I’d feel guilty even though I didn’t do it.

“I will show you to your rooms.”

As Leon disappeared, Roland seemed to try to change the awkward atmosphere.

Lord Eslande is a character I really want to meet.

* * *

Phew... In my new room, I was trying to clear my thoughts and calm my frustration when I encountered another obstacle.

Ella, who had come in to organize my personal belongings, kept wandering around with a dark expression.

I thought she might not be feeling well after sitting next to the coachman for two days, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes? Why, young master?”

Well, this girl seems to have developed a habit of answering twice in surprise when I call her.

I signaled her to come closer by wiggling my finger.

Catching my bad mood, she approached with an anxious look.

“Eh? Young, young master...?”

I grabbed Ella’s cheek and started to apply pressure.

“Aaah...! What are you doing, young master?”

Ella tried to pull away from the pain, but it was no use.

“Explain why your expression is so sour. I’m counting to three. One, two...”

“No, no... I don’t...”

Gaaah.

No use arguing.

“Aaaah! It’s killing me, it’s killing me!”

I finally released her cheek.

Ella, freed from the pain, dabbed at her cheek with a tearful eye.

An intrusion alert suddenly popped up, but I didn’t feel like dealing with it right now.

I confirmed that the intruders were only two and left the dungeon window to the monsters, closing it.

I needed to clear up the things that were bothering me to have a proper dinner.

“Stand up. Attention.”

Ella, who had been dabbing her cheek, immediately stood up and assumed a rigid posture.

“Explain in detail. Execute.”

“I... I was worried about my younger sister left behind in the Eslande estate. I thought it would be difficult to see her again... I’m really sorry for causing you concern with my personal matters. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Hmm, was it my fault?

I had impulsively decided to bring someone familiar and comfortable, but I hadn’t considered that it could feel like a bolt from the blue to the person involved.

Thinking about how she must have been notified suddenly to follow us to the capital, packed hurriedly, and left without even seeing her sister, I felt quite guilty.

“What about your parents?”

“...They passed away.”

Damn.

Every step I take, I step on a minefield.

What should I do?

I thought about sending her back but shook my head.

Sending her back after bringing her here might make it seem like I was just being mean, and even if I showed consideration, I didn’t think the housekeeper would look at me favorably.

Most importantly, I didn’t want to send away the familiar Ella, the only maid I could pinch without hesitation.

“Younger brother? Younger sister?”

“Younger sister.”

“How old? What does she do?”

“...14 years old, and she works on the farm. Young master, why are you asking...?”

“Why didn’t she come with us?”

“It’s hard for a commoner to become a maid in a noble household... At least I could come here, and after our parents passed away, my sister and I didn’t starve. I’m really grateful.”

Good, I have a solution.

“Haa... If you keep walking around with that face, I’ll be the one to collapse from worry. Why don’t we bring your sister here to work as a maid?”

“Me...?”

Ella, looking dazed, repeated my words as if she hadn’t understood.

“I’m bringing your sister here.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

“Absolutely. So please, can you at least smile and walk around? Everyone around me is either watching me or picking a fight, and it’s really tiring.”

“Thank you so much, young master! Thank you, thank you!”

Ella didn’t seem to hear my request, but it didn’t matter.

She was already beaming.

“...”

After finishing my conversation with Ella, I tried to check on the intruders with a light heart but was taken aback by the floating message.

Well, I did earn points, so it’s a gain rather than a loss, but wasn’t my action just now a good deed?

Seeing this, I started to think that negative points might not just accumulate from bad deeds.

It’s a problem I need to investigate thoroughly when I get the chance.

But the immediate issue wasn’t this.

I skipped the message and moved the viewpoint inside the dungeon.

The intruders were already gone.

I thought there might have been a battle, but there was no damage to the monsters.

If the monsters had handled the intruders without damage, there should be negative points.

I wondered if they had just given up and left after watching, but it felt uneasy.

There was nothing I could do about it right now, so I closed the dungeon window.

When my view returned to the room, I saw Ella humming a tune as she organized the items.

Phew, it felt a bit better to have someone smiling around.