“Ah!”

A moment later, Camilla ran into Ravi near the dining room.

“Ooh—Ravi.”

“Use my proper title.”

“I did.”

“You’re asking for a beating.”

“Tch.”

I was just being chummy because I was embarrassed, that’s all.

“Still, it’s a relief, right?”

“What is?”

“That my little brother is lighter than I thought.”

“......”

“Weren’t you shocked when you picked me up last night? Our little brother is so light—okay, okay.”

Quit glaring.

The more Camilla talked, the darker Ravi’s face grew.

Fine, I did bother you a bit yesterday. But do you have to look that displeased?

She grumbled to herself about her stingy brother, and then Ravi’s expression turned... odd.

What is with him?

She was about to ask what was wrong when his eyes slid past her, over her shoulder.

Naturally, Camilla turned too.

“—!”

Ludville. At his appearance, Ravi’s mood sank heavier still.

Camilla also felt awkward and ill at ease with him, but she made herself smile.

“Good morning, Brother.”

“......”

“The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?”

At her greeting, Ludville dipped his chin without a word.

“Hey!”

“...?”

Ravi suddenly raised his voice at Camilla. Why? What? Why raise your voice here of all places?

“Why are you playing favorites?”

“What favorites?”

“Why do you talk politely to him!”

What is he on about?

“You’re rude to me, but you’re respectful only to him!”

Wow. Childish little punk.

We’re picking fights about tone now?

Camilla stared at him, exasperated.

You’re the one who keeps going “hey, hey” at me. Is my name “hey”?

“Why ask what’s obvious.”

You bark “hey” at me all the time. Isn’t it the same reason?

“What’s obvious about it! Is it obvious only he gets respect?”

“You’re my older brother.”

“What?”

“You’re my family.”

What? What is that face?

Why are you surprised?

Don’t tell me... you never even thought of me as your sister?

You rotten brat!

Camilla ground her teeth inwardly at the sight of Ravi, eyes wide and at a loss for words.

Why are you surprised I call my brother brother? Is that surprising? Are you joking?

What now? Why are you smiling?

Ravi’s mouth curved up and Camilla was even more baffled. What part of what I just said is funny?

Hm?

A chill pricked her. She glanced aside and flinched.

And you?

Ludville’s mood was glacial. His already blank face had turned to solid ice.

A moment ago things hadn’t felt this bad.

Ravi, by contrast, seemed in a better mood now. There was a trace of a smile in his eyes as he looked at Ludville.

What is this?

What are you two doing?

Watching their atmospheres swing to extremes, Camilla finally let out a deep sigh.

****

“Father, is something the matter?”

The men of this house were a mess today.

The Duke of Sorpel sat at the table with his brow drawn tight and no sign of release.

“Nothing.”

“...?”

Doesn’t look like nothing.

He clicked his tongue at Camilla’s question, plain irritation in his face.

When she didn’t look away, the Duke sighed shortly and tossed out a bare explanation.

“He’s coming.”

He?

“What fresh salt is he coming to rub in.”

Tsk. Annoyance bloomed across the Duke’s face.

Seeing Camilla still perplexed, he deigned to clarify.

“Jevillan. He says he’s coming to discuss business.”

Jevillan? Je... oh!

One of the Three Great Guardians alongside House Sorpel.

“If the Duke himself is coming, it must be important.”

There were plenty of joint ventures; she’d heard the heads of houses met regularly.

If he wasn’t waiting for the usual meeting and was coming in person, then it must really—

“As if. He’s just coming to play.”

She couldn’t deny it; Camilla smiled awkwardly.

It was no secret that the Duke of Sorpel and the Duke of Jevillan were friend-foes, rival-friends who loved to tease and trip each other up.

“But...”

Uncharacteristically, the Duke glanced at Camilla, gauging her.

“Petro is coming with him.”

Petro? Who—oh.

The Jevillan Duke’s son?

She never called him by name, hence the hitch. That lousy redhead.

“He’s coming too.”

Petro ranked in the top five of the most irritating people in this world, in her book.

Whenever I see that man... Hm?

At the mention of Petro’s name, the three men at the table all turned their eyes to Camilla at once.

Phew.

I know. I get it. I know why you’re looking at me like that.

Of all people to like, you liked him?

What a taste.

Camilla had long pined after Petro.

It was so famous that no one didn’t know — her love... no, her obsession was notorious.

She had trailed him everywhere, hovered around him, even stolen his belongings, and tossed letters he’d received from other women without permission.

Isn’t that stalking?

Stalking is a crime, you idiot! What’s so great about that redhead!

Even that hair-pulling brawl with the young ladies at the party had been because of him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

That day she’d finally mustered the courage to ask Petro to attend the party with her.

That was brave, really brave.

Even though she chased him openly, Camilla had never been able to speak to him directly.

She had feared being refused, being ignored and dismissed, and losing even the flimsy existence she had now.

She’d built up the courage to ask him to be her partner — and the result was bad.

Petro declined, saying he already had a prior engagement. He said it very politely, as if he were truly regretful.

But...

The woman on his arm that night was Jewelra Bakes, the one who had the worst relationship with Camilla.

As she entered, Jewelra smirked at Camilla. Then she approached and spoke.

“I heard you asked the Jevillan heir to escort you and got turned down?”

“He said he had a prior engagement with Miss Bakes...”

“That’s not true.”

“What?”

“I asked him to be my partner two days ago.”

“Ah...!”

“My, Petro is something... If he didn’t want to, he could have just said no.”

“...”

“Really, what man would want to partner with a fake noblewoman. Know your place.”

The last words were tossed almost as if to herself, but loud enough for Camilla to hear — meant for her to hear.

Camilla grabbed Jewelra Bakes by the hair on the spot, while the other ladies tittered.

That infamous party disturbance.

As always, Camilla hadn’t told anyone the full story, and it ended as another uproar caused by her “rough” personality.

The reason she kept quiet was obvious.

She wouldn’t want it known that they called her a fake noblewoman.

She didn’t want those words — fake noblewoman — to pass her own lips to the Duke or the family.

In the end the Duke had to compensate the families of the young ladies who’d been struck.

You grabbed someone’s hair over that jerk?

If you were going to grab hair, you should have grabbed his red hair. Stop playing with people.

Of course, everything Jewelra Bakes said that night had been a lie.

He did have a prior engagement with her; the story was spun just to ridicule Camilla.

Tsk.

In any case, unlike the original Camilla, she didn’t like that redheaded bastard at all.

But the Duke, Ludville, and Ravi didn’t know that yet, so of course they were worried.

The three men were giving her anxious looks, as if they couldn’t even imagine what bizarre thing she might do next.

“Don’t worry.”

Camilla smiled and folded the slice of bread in her hands — snap!

“I folded it.”

She took a big bite and chewed.

Gulp.

“I folded up my feelings for that man. So don’t worry.”

They all stared, startled, then their faces turned indifferent again — the look of as if you could.

“Business is a pretext; he’ll just come to show off his Guardian again.”

The Duke clicked his tongue, muttering that he couldn’t see why someone would preen so much over a single Guardian, though there was a hint of hollowness in his face.

The situation of a house that had lost its Guardian was suffocating.

I do have to find it, don’t I.

Watching him, Camilla thought of Hersel at the cemetery.

She wasn’t even a good swimmer...

“Camilla.”

“Yes?”

“Is something on your mind?”

Her long sigh slipped out before she knew it; three pairs of eyes turned back to her.

“It’s just... Father is upset, so I’m upset too.”

She ignored Ravi’s aghast look that said, Now you’re doing this, too? and put on a suitably troubled face.

At that, the Duke’s mouth softened.

“Don’t worry about it and eat. The food will get cold.”

“Yes. You eat plenty too, Father.”

At that moment Chef Jellard personally brought out several new dishes and set them carefully before the Duke.

“What’s all this?”

“Special dishes Miss Camilla requested.”

“Camilla?”

The Duke examined the plates set only before him, puzzlement in his eyes.

“The colors...”

They were all dark.

Strangely colored drinks whose base ingredients were indiscernible, and desserts speckled with dots.

“Black beans.”

“Beans?”

“Black beans are good for hair loss.”

“Hair loss?”

Camilla smiled serenely at the Duke, who seemed to want further explanation.

“They say it’s not hereditary, but there’s no harm in being careful early.”

“...?”

Well, bald wasn’t bad either. For example, Hersel at the cemetery...

He had a beautiful skull.

Good-looking people were handsome even with a shaved head.

Still, better to have a full head of hair if possible. Her eyes slid, just a glance, to Ludville.

Should I feed him some too?

Catching her look, Ludville blinked, not understanding.