Chapter 51

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Victor and I met in the capital at the end of summer, around the beginning of autumn.

We had agreed to meet again two months later. I thought it was still about half a month away.

When I returned to the mansion with Mr. Utsunomiya, holding Regulus's hand, I saw four figures in the entrance.

The one who was about two heads shorter was probably Mr. Rottmayr, and the others were likely Mr. Romanov and Victor. But if that's the case, who is the remaining figure?

As I approached, I saw Mr. Rottmayr looking confused, Mr. Romanov with a sour face, Victor pouting and looking away, and a person with a physique similar to Mr. Romanov, with a right temple adorned with intricate braids, known as cornrows, and the other side with wavy, chin-length platinum blonde hair, twirling it with their fingers.

The atmosphere was so eerie that I almost wished Mr. Utsunomiya would break it with his usual brightness.

"Mr. Rottmayr, I've brought the young master!"

"Oh, Mr. Utsunomiya! Your voice is so loud, it's indecent!"

Mr. Rottmayr, who seemed relieved, moved away from the three to scold Mr. Utsunomiya.

The platinum blonde person stopped twirling their hair and looked at me.

With pointed ears, they must be an elf.

Their long, slanted violet eyes were beautiful, and their plump, lustrous lips were charming. Elves are truly all beautiful.

"So, you are the round one, just as the rumors say."

"…Huh?"

"Yeah, I'll call you 'round one.' The one behind you is 'chick,' right?"

With a voice higher than a man's but lower than a woman's, they casually called me round.

I was speechless, and Victor raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'round one' all of a sudden!? Arita has a proper name, Phoenix!"

"Vitya's 'Arita' is also a questionable term, isn't it?"

"Ha!? Alyosha, are you on my side or Lala's!?"

"I'm on Phoenix's side."

Mr. Romanov, who calmly deflected Victor, made the violet-eyed person chuckle.

Tall and slender, with a sword at their waist, long limbs, and a physique as graceful as Mr. Romanov's.

"Ah… welcome, Victor. And…?"

Instead of asking, I directed my gaze at them, and Victor cleared his throat.

"It's been a while, Arita. This rude person is the 'Lala' I mentioned before."

"Oh, the talented 'Lala'!"

"Right. Lala, introduce yourself."

When prompted, they dramatically placed a hand on their chest and bowed.

Their gestures were so charming that I felt my heart skip a beat.

"I'm Ilario Rabinovski. Nice to meet you. You can call me Lala. I don't mind that name."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kikunoi Phoenix. Welcome to Kikunoi."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Regulus!"

Lala shook the hand I offered. Their hand was calloused and firm, more similar to Mr. Romanov's than Victor's.

Regulus also shook hands, but he held Lala's hand and looked up.

"Big… sister?"

"Oh, you figured it out, chick."

"Huh?"

What does that mean?

As I stood there dumbfounded, Lala's lips curved into a crescent.

"Indeed, I'm not a big brother but a big sister. However, I prefer being called Ilario Rabinovski to Ilaria Rabinovska, and I like being called 'big brother' more than 'big sister.' But that doesn't mean I want to be a man."

Lala winked, hitting me and Regulus with a charm. However, only I seemed to be affected by the beauty beam, as Regulus remained calm.

So, Lala is a woman who enjoys dressing as a man.

Still, with three human-favoring elves gathered, the sight of three beautiful faces is not just impressive but dazzling. Adding Regulus and Mr. Utsunomiya, who are also handsome, even the white pig wants to run away.

But Regulus, who is shy, is clinging to my waist, so that's impossible.

Noticing my hesitation, Mr. Rottmayr, who had finished scolding Mr. Utsunomiya, timidly spoke up.

"Young master, the tea is ready…"

"Ah, right. Please lead the way."

"Understood."

Thus, I left Lala and the others to Mr. Rottmayr and went to prepare myself and Regulus.

We hurried back to our room, washed our hands, changed clothes, and rushed to the parlor.

Regulus, who usually plays while changing, cooperated today, which was a relief.

"We can't keep the guests waiting, Regulus is a good boy today."

"Yay! Regulus is a good boy!"

"Let's go, then."

We wore matching bow ties made from the fabric left by the princess, tied in the same bow around our necks.

The parlor door was open, and I could hear Mr. Romanov, Victor, and Lala's voices from inside.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

As I called out, their gazes turned to Regulus and me.

Since my parents are absent, I sat on the host's sofa with Regulus, and Mr. Rottmayr stood behind us.

"The person behind us is Rottmayr, who manages everything in this household. If you need anything during your stay, please ask me or her."

"I am Rottmayr. Please let me know if you need anything."

She bowed, gently lifting the hem of her black dress.

Though not as elegant as Maria, Rottmayr's posture was very beautiful.

Lara and Victor nodded, and Mr. Romanov spoke.

"I've already informed Rottmayr about Vitya and Lala. The only thing left is for Phoenix and Regulus to greet them."

"Ah, I see."

I turned and saw Rottmayr nod.

So, the introductions are over. I wonder why they visited today and what the reason is.

I'm curious about Lala.

I glanced at Mr. Romanov, who nodded.

"Vitya called me before the agreed two months. When I met him…"

"Because Lala was pestering me to let her meet Arita!"

"It's fine since I had business here anyway. Besides, I was moving here in half a month."

"That's not the issue. The Kikunoi mansion needs preparation."

Huh?

Did I just hear "moving"?

Tilting my head, I asked Victor.

"Didn't you say you'd give Arita singing lessons? So, you were planning to move here in half a month and stay at the Kikunoi mansion?"

"Huh? Is that true!?"

"Yeah. I wanted to surprise you, so I've been preparing slowly with Alyosha and Rottmayr."

"Wha!? Is it okay to do that!? What about the court musician…!?"

"Don't worry. I can use transfer magic and can go to the palace if called. I've never been to the Kikunoi mansion, so I need Alyosha to bring me."

"Oh, that's why Mr. Romanov was called…"

Nodding, Victor, and Lala, who had been sipping tea, raised the corners of her mouth.

"I was there, and since I had business, I was brought along."

"That's not true! You used a familiar to whisper in my ear for about a week, saying, 'I have business with the Kikunoi heir, call Alyosha!'"

"Because Vitya kept saying, 'The agreement is in two months, I don't want to.'"

Ignoring Victor's glare, Lala turned her head and raised her chin.

Mr. Romanov, looking exhausted, shrugged.

"I'm caught up in these two's arguments, and here I am."

"Ha… I see…"

I don't quite understand, but Lala has business with me, and Victor's move-in date seems to be earlier?

In any case, if there's business, I should hear it.

Thinking so, I looked at Lala, who smiled and took a letter from her pocket.

Receiving it through Mr. Romanov, I saw an introduction letter on the front and "Maria Crow" as the sender on the back.

"From Maria…!?"

"Yes, from Maria… Marie."

Lala's casual laugh was so cool that I couldn't help but stare.

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