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Tearoom, Leonandra Estate

The light from the French windows fell into the tea room, illuminating the waxed mahogany table, beautifully carved and painted in flowery patterns. The patterns weren't only there for decoration, but it was also an enchantment that produced visible translucent butterflies hovering over it. Sometimes, they would fly directly over the table. Other times, they would sit down on the cutlery or food. It was comforting and enchanting.

This table was a gift to the Leonandra household from the Cathedral after giving them the allowance to open an office inside their fief in Wolfsteeth. It wasn't worth mentioning, but because the Cathedral had a very diverse staff, their offices usually also housed people from races with whom the ruler was at war.

So it was possible that a human or high-elf, for example, could visit the office for various reasons, and for that, they needed the security guarantee of the Lord and Lady. Thus, presents were given frequently as appreciation for their consideration.

The head butler shook himself awake from all those useless thoughts and looked meticulously at how the servants positioned the tea set. It was made out of pure white porcelain and was only brought out for special occasions as the color symbolized something very special.

'Hm...'

After they were done, they started to bring out the sweet pastries and tea. It smelled fantastic, and he would also later take some and bring it to his wife and caterpillars, 'They will surely be overjoyed.'

The food and tea were expensive but worth every coin. It sometimes felt like after eating a piece of cake, you couldn't eat any other sweets for weeks as the memory of the taste was just so perfect, and everything else would feel too inferior. Conversely, the tea was bitter but would give the right amount of stamina after drinking one cup of it and was a perfect accentuation for the cake. Such luxury would even make the lower nobility salivate.

The tea party arrangement was surrounded by three couches with six wolf-kins sitting on them. All were in different attires and with mixed moods.

The Lord was in his casual but elegant white linen attire. He was usually not this well dressed since he often changed into all kinds of monsters or animal-like creatures. When that happened, all his clothes would get loose, fall to the ground, and get dirty or rip apart if he changed into something much bigger.

However, even though he was wearing nice clothes, fit for a noble, it was visible that the Lord couldn't entirely discard his commoner side. He had the shirt open, showing a V-neck, which was an unsightly sight for someone of his status.

Yet, the head butler didn't mind it too much since he was a great husband to his Mistress and a great father to their caterpillars, as clearly seen on his tail. It was cutely beaded with all kinds of wooden ornaments, which one would usually see in the hair of young girls. He probably played with his youngest daughter and let her decorate him, 'Hehe, how cute.'

He looked away from the Lord to the servants and how they acted toward him. They were cordial and careful around him even though he didn't like it and behaved towards them very casually, which made a lot more situations more complicated, but this was his job, as a head butler, to educate the servants thoroughly never to drop their manners, even though the Lord or Lady wishes it.

Usually, when commoners married into noble houses like theirs, the servants had problems behaving toward them appropriately. Most came from jealousy or envy as they were practically born into the same status. With the Lord, though, it was very different. Besides him being a highly respected member of the Temple, which already would garner high respect from every servant as he also held weddings and burials, he had strength, even a notch above the Lady. So, he was not differently treated by everyone as if he was a pure-blooded noble.

He heard how the servants were done with setting up the table. They all left the room while he walked toward the corner of their circle and waited to be as helpful as possible if they needed him. When the door closed, he immediately heard how the servants started to gossip, 'How unsightly. I guess I will need to educate them later.'

He ignored his subordinates quickly, concentrated on his assignment, and was inwardly overly happy. As a close retainer of the Lady, he was one of the few who were allowed to stay and hear the news first. He already knew what it was since she had done something like this thrice before.

After the door closed, the Lord declared loudly, "Good to have the whole together in private!" His rough and bassy voice traveled through the whole room, sounding joyful.

The head butler smirked inwardly, 'Private? Not if you, my Lord, keep talking like that.'

The Lord laid his big hands over the ones of the Lady who sat beside him. She wore a white summer dress, which was rather cute and far from the strict dresses she usually wore, which fit her status much more. Her scarlet red hair was not in any way made and loosely hung down her shoulders. However, even though the adornment was very simple, it enunciated her already natural beauty and made her look like she was 20 again. She was the opposite of him. Everything was dignified about her: The posture, mimic, and aura she had, but as she sat beside him, she looked like a princess kidnapped by a bandit.

The head butler always asked himself why they loved each other. Not because he was jealous but out of pure curiosity. They differed too strongly, but somehow, it was a fitting combination if known long enough. One was aloof and loved to delegate, while the other was controlling, and if she could, she would do everything herself.

He came out of his thoughts when she started to speak. It was always stoic and neutral, but because of the occasion, there was cheeriness in there as well and a subtle smile, "I am also delighted that we could make it happen since we all are very busy with our dealings."

The first to answer was Narsiz, the second offspring of the Lord and Lady. He was sitting elegantly with one leg over the other on the couch while wearing his usual attire, accentuating his golden eyes and already golden-colored fur and hair. It was quickly losing its white after the legacy, and for the last few days, he tried to find new clothes that would fit the color, and it seemed to work out.

Narsiz took the teacup sophisticatedly and replied like the Lady, "I am also pleased about having such a lovely time with the family."

The head butler was very proud of him as he followed the footsteps of the Lady and tried to copy her, 'I am sure mistress is flattered, hehe.'

Beside him came a grumble from his older sister, Lorient. She looked at him with her similar golden eyes and waggled her tail, which had the same color as the Lady, her Mother, slightly in annoyance. She took casually a cookie and threw it in her mouth while complaining, "You guys could at least take another time since I had to skip a sparring session with Larry."

He suppressed a frown and could see the Lord's influence on her. Even though she looked like a younger copy of the Lady, she acted like a commoner, and even though he tried to guide her on how to act right, she only became bored and wanted to play outside 'Hopefully, when she is older, she will become a proper Lady.'

Narsiz held his teacup with one hand and straightened up his suit with his other while turning to his older sister. His tone was mocking, "Lorient, you need to calm down, or else I will be killed for sure this time, hehe."

The head butler shook his head inwardly as Narsiz, for some reason, didn't lay down his cocky nature fully. It became much better with time, but there were sometimes outbursts like these here and there.

Lorient stared daggers at him and became clearly agitated, which probably came from her unstable condition for which she was under house arrest, "Narsi if you don't want me..."

Sarah interrupted their little scuffle, "Please, you both, could you not just enjoy our time together like Alex? Am I right, little Pup?" She tried to sound cheery, but one could hear her worry that this tea party could go out of control.

She was sitting across the table with Alexander, the youngest, on her lap, who was already looking at the piece of cake he held with glee. The head butler was the one who helped her choose the clothes for this occasion since she always had problems deciding which one to pick because of her very unusual hair and fur color, which was primarily white, since she didn't go through her legacy, with pastel green streaks. However, even though uncommon, it fitted perfectly her green eyes. He chose for her a summer dress with a flowery and colorful pattern, which accented her youthfulness.

Alexander, on the other hand, wore a simple shirt with some pants which looked like that he picked up from the floor. For this, he would later reprimand his maid. Yet, from experience, he knew that the caterpillar was hard to deal with since he didn't care for his appearance.

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He almost frowned but at least was happy that it fitted his pure snow-white fur and golden eyes, 'I need to talk to her later. She can't have him look like a commoner, or he will become like Ms. Lorient...'

Even though he was very young, he was also brilliant, so he would need to be educated much earlier than his siblings. However, sometimes, one could see his very youthful behavior in a situation like this.

He was caressed while gulping down the cake. When Sarah poked his sides slightly as he didn't hear her, almost spitting out his cake, "Wha'?!"

Sarah smiled at him and took out a handkerchief to clean his face, clearly enjoying pampering him, "Hm, Alex, you are so sloppy."

Lorient, who wore her training outfit as a rebellious act, sighed in defeat, knowing she should enjoy this occasion, "Fine, my bad. I will try and enjoy it." As she said it, she bound her hair to a ponytail together, as they looked very messy.

Narsiz looked at Sarah and nodded towards her as a gesture of gratitude while she smiled widely at him as she accidentally poked Alexander's eye with the handkerchief, "Ow!"

After Lorient bound her hair together, she spoke in annoyance, "I hope this will not be like the other noble tea parties, where we sit for hours. I really need the training."

Alexander was the first to answer Lorient directly after swatting Sarah's hand away and rubbing his hurt eye, "Don't overdo it, big sis. Take it from the one sitting with an anti-mana collar now, hehe."

The head butler would raise an eyebrow if it wasn't unsightly. He found Alexander more fascinating as he was empathic towards his sister and used his rather little experience to warn her, 'How interesting.'

Something itched him to instruct him thoroughly and adequately, but since he was not his butler, it would be the job of his maid, 'What was her name again? Melina?' He wanted to train her so she would do the same with Alexander, but before that, he would need to do a lot of other things.

He came out of his thoughts after hearing Lorient being a little aggravated, obviously knowing that what Alexander talked about only happens to the most gifted ones and was called Natural Break, "Alex, not everyone can be like you and Sarah, especially not me. This is..."

Interrupting her was Sarah, who looked solemnly at her, obviously not liking what her sister was about to say, "Lorient, what Alex said makes sense. You are very gifted. It is just that your talent is exceptionally niché!"

Narsiz nodded at this and calmly spoke as if what Sarah said was self-evident, "Absolutely, so calm down and just enjoy some peppermint tea..." He then looked at Alexander sitting on Sarah's lap and enjoying his second cake piece while being caressed, "...we also have some genius who even we three together couldn't dream of reaching."

The head butler smiled inwardly, 'Hm, is Alexander the reason why he stopped being petty and starting fights for no reason?' It made sense to him. The moment someone came who was much better than everyone else, one would give up and, in the best case, what also happened with Narsiz, work on yourself to the best of their abilities.

Everyone in the room looked at Alexander. He noticed it and thought for a minute about if he should say something, which he did in a matter-of-fact tone, "This discussion is dumb. Such specializations are actually really good since you will have a field where nobody can be better than you. The same goes for Narsi, too."

Sarah looked at Lorient, too, with an adorable smile, "See? Nobody will be better at fighting against demons than you! And big brother will be a great diplomat!"

Clap

A clap resounded throughout the room, and a slight breeze fluttered everyone's hair. Everyone looked at the source. The Lord was grinning from ear to ear, clearly enjoying this talk between his caterpillars, "We actually got you here so we can announce something!"

The Lady was also visibly delighted that such a talk could occur openly. Even though they gathered at breakfast or dinner, there were also the lower servants who served them, and talking like that in front of them rarely happened.

Yet, there was also a comfortable silence when one could think without getting looked at by half a dozen servants, who waited for an answer so they had another topic to gossip about. Right now, everyone was silent and fell into their thoughts, probably thinking what the Lord meant to announce.

The head butler was very familiar with every one of the young masters and mistresses of the household and could probably guess what they were thinking.

Narsiz most likely thought that the next heir would be announced since it was his previous goal he wanted to achieve, which would be a ridiculous proposition to declare it so early while everyone was so young and inexperienced. Even the Lady was barely fifty and would probably reign for another fifty years. However, only youth were allowed to come to such conclusions. What was youth without grandiose fantasies?

However, it was an exciting topic. Looking at Narsiz, it was apparent that he had given up on this as he suddenly lost his confidence when the Lord said he wanted to announce something. Interesting, though, he also looked at Alexander. Since the youngest was sick, he spent a lot of time with him, and their talks were exceptional with topics that would make his head spin, 'Does he think that his little brother will take the helm and he will help him? This would be cute.'

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, especially since he stared at Alexander with an intense glare that showed no animosity. Still, it was one of a subordinate hoping that their master would do well, 'Fascinating.'

If the brother duo indeed took the lead, it could bring unseen prosperity, but he wasn't sure about it yet. Alexander was too young, and no one knew what kind of mindset he would develop. Time, though, would tell if he could truly become someone who could take the title.

His eyes moved towards the next youth. Lorient was eating another cookie while looking incredibly nervous and in deep thought, almost biting at her fingers. Through his observations, he knew that she was wildly hyperbolic in her ideas and probably thought about the current demon run going out of control or the high demon emperor invading them, 'She is really amusing.'

He remembered how, as a young lady, she was constantly training and mumbling about how she would be ready for the demon run if the Lord or Lady fell sick. It was truly a cute sight.

However, she suddenly bit her lips and looked around, especially at her siblings, 'Oh, she truly can't overcome her jealousy.'

Lorient was not always like this. Even after Narsiz showed exceptional intellect, she cared little, probably because it was far from her forte. However, after Sarah, she became sadly jealous to a great extent and always wanted to have the most potential. She probably knew that, at some point, her younger sister would become more powerful. Hence, this was perhaps the reason for her ignoring her mental fortitude and entirely focusing on her prowess.

Envy could sometimes drive one to heights. Other times, it would blockade them like now. However, he hoped that a mountain of talent like Alexander would calm her and make her more insightful, which was the case. Yet, one couldn't truly change so quickly, and her relatively mild response now was a good beginning.

But he also knew that it was not the only reason and not even the biggest. Because Lorient attacked her siblings and almost harmed Narsiz, she became much more careful in her approach, always searching for ways to better her mental fortitude.

He observed how she could barely eat after the tragedy, even though her siblings didn't hold it against her. Yet, she blamed herself obviously and wanted to grow much faster than what was good for her well-being. It was a fight that she would need to fight with herself and grow on it. Even the Lady only helped her partly, as she also knew that Lorient couldn't thrive if she couldn't overcome her current mental blockade.

The head butler smiled inwardly, 'Well, from experience, I can say she will, sooner or later.'

On the other hand, Sarah looked much more worried than all her siblings. He knew the reason for this, as one couldn't overlook it. She wanted the Lord to stay as long as possible at the estate and probably feared that he needed to leave earlier than expected. For the last months, all she did was to either be with her siblings or her parents together. There was not a day where she wouldn't try to visit them, trying to bond as much as possible, probably making the time up when the Lord wasn't at the estate.

Yet, he smiled inwardly, seeing how she tried to suppress showing her fangs while acting overly worried. While Sarah had a very maternal and nurturing personality, her fierceness appeared here and there when she wouldn't get what she wanted: In this case, it would be having more time with the Lord. She also showed it at her training. She would usually fight till she would drop down, not able to stand up again.

He knew this kind of expression, but much more subtle, on the Lady when she was younger. When she became a Mother, she wouldn't let anyone even touch Lorient except the Lord, 'She truly is like the Lady in this aspect.'

Sarah was the most family-oriented of the siblings, as she always tried to hold onto a peaceful atmosphere. However, it worsened some time ago for some unknown reason, and she became much more aggressive in holding everyone together, 'What could be the reason?'

He couldn't know, but he thought that she would slowly calm down again after some more months of bonding with the Lord. It was sad that he would need to leave at some point, but the time should be enough to calm the poor little Lady down.

Even though he would leave, the news would surely calm her down, and with Alexander together, she would change her focus quickly.

His eyes focused suddenly on Alexander, who was very thoughtfully staring at the pastries. He didn't believe he was thinking something banal as what he would eat but should have the most profound thoughts of them all, 'Did he find it out? Wouldn't be surprised.'

However, he readied himself to feed this gluttonous little Lord, who was funnily called archmage puppy at the estate, later as he was indeed the son of the Lord who would eat five times what the Lady ate. Every time they ate, he needed to ensure that the kitchen would bring more than enough food for him, as he would always ask for more.

The head butler came out of his thought when his Mistress inhaled, wanting to announce at last. He smirked inwardly, 'The last she was much quicker. She is probably enjoying this moment too much.'

She smiled cheerfully, "I am pregnant."

Everyone became overly surprised.

"Another one?!"

"What about the demons!"

"Another puppy, yeah!"

"Cherry, it is... wait... what?!"

The loud bassing voice echoed through the room as the Lord laughed heartily. He was visibly amused as he heard what his caterpillars blurted out, "Guhaha, what did you all think about?!..." He turned towards the head butler, "...Aro, bring the expensive sweet stuff we need to celebrate."

Aro bowed and walked slowly to the door so he could watch their cute reactions.

Sarah almost started crying out of happiness. She sat Alexander down on the side, stood up, and hugged the Lady, "Congratulations!"

Narsiz and Lorient looked baffled but also congratulated her. They obviously couldn't process it after thinking about the most fantastic possibilities the Lady wanted to announce.

Only Alexander was staring at them, 'Oh, how cute, he doesn't know what it means.'

He opened the door and heard how happy everyone was. Having another little Lord or Lady at the estate was indeed a happy occasion, which even brought a smile to his face.