Character Information - Who is who?

Because I have created quite a variety of characters, I will now create little cheat sheets before a chapter for the characters who will appear in the chapter, but not for those who haven't. Please open the spoiler if you need some reminders. (Be careful, it can be a spoiler for the chapter!)

Marisia S. Leonandra (Wolf-kin)

* Lady of the Leonandra household

* A user of the wild-demon energy

* Mother of the MC

* Golden eyes

* Crimson red fur and hair color

Scarlett J. Leonandra (Wolf-kin)

* Former Lady of the Leonandra household

* A user of the wild-demon energy

* Mother of Marisia

* Golden eyes

* Crimson red fur and hair color

Aro Leonandra (Butterfly-kin)

* Head butler(servant) of the Leonandra estate

* Specialized in management, hr, and logistics

* Rainbow-colored eyes

* Black hair color

Anastasia I. Ramputt (Bunny-kin)

* MC's private teacher

* Specialized in teaching, philosophy, history, and politics

* Blue eyes

* Black fur and hair color

...

Letter from Scarlett J. Leonandra to Marisia S. Leonandra

Greetings, dear daughter,

I am writing you in a time of great turmoil. As you probably heard, the Silver-Tail fief was in chaos while I was there.

Bartholomew, the shadow son, is trying to overthrow the current lord and lady. I dearly hope he succeeds. However, I was asked by the former lord to refrain from putting my nose into their business since he said that he had complete trust in his grandson to bring their fief to old glory.

While I find it quite intriguing, I am, of course, aware that this is incredibly irresponsible, but I trust this old monster's instinct fully.

With this, I also informed you of the request of the former lord. However, you can act as you see fit since we shouldn't intervene in the politics in the East, but if you trust me, sit still and wait.

Now to more exhilarating news: I am informing you that I will travel towards the Nine-Fire household and later to you with some great girls! Don't worry; I will only choose those who will fit my grandsons well, going by the descriptions you sent me in the previous letters.

I hope Alexander and Narsiz are doing as well as you described. Also, please apologize in my stead that I couldn't find any boys for my granddaughters till now since, as you know, there are not as many out there and even less as talented as my wonderful grandsons!

Please await my excellent matchmaking skills to find the perfect partners for my talented grandsons, as they deserve nothing less.

Cheers, my dear daughter,

Your lovely mother

...

Leonandra estate, Marisia's office

Marisia laid down the letter she got from her mother after reading it and looked into the void till she was interrupted by Aro, who was about to serve her tea, "Is everything all right, my lady?"

Marisia looked at him and sighed, "My mother will be coming in the next weeks."

Aro stared at her for a second. His antenna twitched slightly as did his wings. Marisia knew he was as distressed, if not more, as her since such small gestures were his only signs of panic.

"Should I call the lord back?"

"Yes, Kairo is perfect for this if things go haywire."

Aro smiled at her, "The lord surely has a certain charm that can't be denied."

Marisia raised an eyebrow and leaned back, "Just call him rude and wild... however, this is what I need right now. Mother is always a little..." She rubbed the place between her eyebrows, "...how should I call it?"

Aro continued for her while serving tea, "Rude? Invasive? Parasitic? Oh, I know..."

Marisia stopped Aro, "It's fine. Let's call her a typical Leonandra..."

She smirked at how she insulted her own household, but it was true that they were eccentric regarding certain things. It barely changed with her and would probably continue with whoever would take her place in some decades after she reached the first body modification.

After clearing her throat, she continued, "Ahem, with this announcement, we need to get Narsiz ready for the coming visit, and not even the circle will know how many girls she will bring over from the Nine-Fire."

Aro was stoic, as always. However, how he poured tea showed his nervousness. The little shake in between made it very clear.

She knew why he was so worried: Scarlett was anything but subtle in her approach to bringing the guard households closer together. She also assumed that her mother somehow facilitated the coup in the Silver-Tail fief and manipulated one of the heirs to overthrow the current rulers, who were strangulating their people metaphorically.

"Why only prepare Narsiz, my lady?"

Marisia looked at her head butler with a slight smirk, "You want to prepare Alexander? I don't see any reason to do anything since he is purely interested in what he finds fascinating and will hyperfocus on these things. Whoever my mother brings will be nothing more than a distraction for him, and I truly hope he doesn't ruin it too hard."

After arranging his lady's plate, Aro straightened up and looked at her solemnly, "I think it is necessary to prepare him. Canine-kin females develop much faster than males, so even if she is one or two years older, it would mean that Mr. Alexander could be overwhelmed by adoration. Please don't forget that we are also talking about the Nine-Fire household, which is not the most subtle, considering the current head."

Marisia waved her hand in dismissal but stopped suddenly, "You are right, Aro... Ori is crazy, and only the endlessness knows who my mother will pick up and bring here."

Aro suggested, "My lady, how about I teach Mr. Alexander to be a real gentleman? I think Anastasia..."

She knocked on the table once and found the idea fitting, "You both should do it and no need to be discreet. Just call it what it is. Go and tell her that she should teach the law lessons later and concentrate with you on how he should behave, but what to do with Narsiz then..."

"How about both of them take the lessons together? I think they can help each other. However, I don't think Mr. Narsiz will have many problems since he is an introvert and will probably be..." He suddenly shook his head, "... never mind, I fear that he actually could be easier manipulated because he never really got any adoration besides from this family."

Marisia nodded, "Go to Anastasia and plan the next lessons till my mother arrives and concentrate on how to avoid certain manipulations they could do..." Suddenly her voice changed to one full of hate, "...if one of the vixens manipulates one of my sons, I will personally crack their head open like a waln..."

Aro interrupted her in a hurry, "My lady, please stop. I know you had bad experiences with the former lady, but I don't think she will choose the worst girls."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Marisia looked sternly at Aro but sighed after a short thought. If she would give her mother the benefit of the doubt, then she could admit that there was no way that she wanted her grandsons to be unhappy.

"Fine, I will try and trust her. However, I want to control the overall situation, so ensure my sons are prepared."

Aro nodded and left the room immediately. He left Marisia, and while she looked cold on the outside, her inner self was in turmoil as she remembered what her mother had tried to do to her and her sister.

She mumbled, "If this bitch tries something similar with my sons, I will make sure she will regret it... I need Kairo here asap."

Kairoso was, even though much weaker in every aspect, from strength to decorum, able to defuse most situations with his nonchalant charm, and even his provocations were sometimes even charming. Somehow her mother and husband, putting the status beside, looked like good friends who teased each other for fun.

Marisia immediately started to write an emergency letter to her husband. While she wrote, she remembered her past and why she had issues with her mother.

When she was twelve, her uncle became a little too clingy to her, and her mother ignored it not to put him in a weird situation. It only resolved after her father almost cut him down after hearing about it.

The feather cracked as she used too much force, 'Damn it. I am too stressed.'

Marisia took another one and kept writing while trying to dismiss her memories, but the cries she heard of her sister even now. After her father put his foot down, her uncle had another target: Her sister. The result was that he raped her while she didn't even go through her first mating season.

This, in turn, resulted in an uproar and a power struggle between her mother and uncle. The whole household was disgraced by that scumbag, who sadly was highly talented and only left after being almost killed by her father.

The Leonandra household took a hit and only recovered after years of stitching everything together.

However, when her sister became unwell, Marisia was suddenly trained ten times harder as the new heir, but her talent wasn't even close to her sister's.

There was also the problem that her mother wanted to marry off her sister to someone else, who was, at that point, a nervous wreckage from the failed demonic baptism. Only through her intervention and making a deal with her could she stop the marriage from happening and get her out of the estate.

It was hell for her and her sister. Only nature itself knew what went through her mother's mind. After she married Kairoso, she went silent, and only a lot later did she try to pull something off with Narsiz.

'Why now?'

Marisia wished her mother would come after Alexander's legacy. Still, she knew that she wanted to try to marry off her sons to other nobles as early as possible.

She probably thought that the influence of having a noveau noble, her husband, could push her puppies into the arms of other commoners or make them more appealing. So, she would try and intervene early on.

'This will be stressful.'

...

Later evening at the dining area for higher servants

It was a relatively lavishly decorated area where servants of high status dined. They were the ones who lived at the estate but weren't only the personal ones of the noble youth or the rulers.

Usually, everyone with some status could decide where to live if their master or mistress permitted it. For example, Alexander's personal maid, Melina, chose to live with her master inside his mansion. At the same time, Salyna, the estate's head accountant, preferred to get some distance from her mistress after a work day.

However, there were also temporary guests like the bunny-kin who was flirting with one of the higher in command of the Leonandra military, a falcon-kin, and feeding him some meat.

"Say ahh. You will need all the energy tonight, my dear."

The falcon-kin opened his mouth while he visibly enjoyed getting fed, especially during the end of the mating season when all the emotions went wild for the last wave, and romantic feelings came like a battering ram without any announcement for everyone.

Those who were older just enjoyed the time, and if they found someone they fell in love with while the season was ongoing, their feelings slowly subsided after it, and reality came crashing in. It was common sense to have a partner beforehand with whom one could enjoy the time so they wouldn't fall out afterward.

For the ones who were married or for a long time together, the month was like a break where they could go back to their youth and feel how they did as they met for the first time.

However, the youth had other problems, especially when they met their love during the mating season. Both promised each other the world; afterward, only an ugly breakup awaited them when reality came crashing down.

So, as Aro walked through the dining room, he almost frowned when he saw dozens of young ones doing precisely that. While the mating season was chaotic inside the estate, where servants couldn't take their eyes and hands off each other, afterward was much worse. Screams, fights, and a lot of broken tableware were the results.

The head butler always organized to have a healer on standby for the time after the season, whom he had to call for the stupidest reasons. Most of the time, it was simple violence, like some broken bones. Other times even stabbings occurred.

'This will be a headache.'

However, he inwardly shook himself awake from the thought and went straight to Anastasia, who he saw and heard even from far away. He needed to clarify all the details with her about Narsiz's and Alexander's particular lessons.

Standing behind her, he cleared his throat, "Ahem, Ms. Anastasia, do you have a moment?"

Her ears and nose twitched while she turned around with a smile, "Aro? Oh! Two men at once? I feel like a student again!"

The falcon-kin recognized him immediately and knew he wasn't here for something so trivial, "Excuse me, Ana, I have something to do."

As he stood up and left, the blushed bunny-kin wanted to stop him, "Bernard, wait! Come later to my room! I will do the thing you like so much!"

The falcon-kin suddenly stopped when he heard what she said, his wings slightly fluffing, but he kept walking again after a second.

Anastasia turned toward Aro while pouting, "If you are the reason why I have a boring night, you will accompany me!"

Aro broke the facade as he couldn't believe how the prestigious teacher acted and frowned, "I need to disappoint you, but I already have a spouse."

The clearly horny bunny-kin frowned while in thought but shrugged in the end, "Harem-play is fine. However, I want to be first!"

A vein popped on Aro's forehead, "Enough with this ridiculousness! I came here clearly with intentions other than having intercourse with you!"

Everyone in the dining area now noticed him, and with that, they began to whisper to each other. Aro could already assume he needed to prepare his partner for the coming rumors.

Anastasia jerked when he screamed and came slowly down from the combinations of too many hormones and alcohol, "Ok, fine, jeez. Can you not scream like some bat-kin who is looking for their kits? What do you want?"

Aro sighed and tried to straighten himself. The mating season also sometimes made him lose control of his emotions, "It is about Mr. Alexander and Mr. Narsiz."

She propped her head on her hand and looked at him like he was an idiot, "This is why you interrupted me? Are you actually insane?"

Aro forced a smile, "It is confidential for now. Please show me your room where we can talk in private."

...

5 minutes later, Anastasia's room

The bunny-kin threw a bottle of wine on the bed and afterward herself, "So, what do you want actually from me? If it is about teaching him law, for this, I need a week to prepare the lessons, or if it is how I talk with him while teaching, I will keep it to my discretion."

Aro looked at her sternly and said to himself for the hundredth time that this person, who appeared to be no better than some cheap red district whore, was actually a prestigious and excellent teacher, "We will have some unexpected visitors in due time. I want you, together with me, to teach the caterpillars how to see through manipulations of the young ladies visiting."

Anastasia raised an eyebrow, "Who exactly will arrive? Girls? From which family? I know that the guard dogs only mingle with each other, so who will be the lucky one to try and tame Alex, hehe."

Aro's tone became serious, "Scarlett and young ladies from the Nine-Fire family."

The bunny-kin tilted her head slightly, "Scarlett? Where did I hear the name?"

"It was the previous lady of the estate. Scarlett J. Leonandra."

Anastasia's eyes became as wide as saucers, "Wait?! You mean the crazy bitch who fought the high nobility in the capital city?!"

Aro shook his head, "The rumors were exaggerated."

Anastasia laughed manically, "Hahaha, exaggerated?! She decapitated a marquis and ripped his only kit's, who was an infant, head off the shoulders in front of his wife. What about this is wrong?"

"He..." Aro closed his eyes and opened them slowly while inhaling, "...the marquis took her husband as a prisoner and blackmailed her into becoming his concubine."

Anastasia suddenly remembered, "Wait, her husband was imprisoned? Didn't a massacre happen at the same time?"

Aro shrugged, "He was made drunk and brought to a cell. After he woke up, he became furious."

She couldn't believe what she heard, "Furious?! He killed every single prisoner and hundreds of soldiers and guards. Only the royal knights could stop him because they sacrificed one of them."

He sighed, "Roland was always a little emotional regarding family."

With this, Anastasia woke up fully from the alcohol and hormone trip she had for the last week, "Ok, Scarlett will arrive, and what does the crazy bitch want? Only marry off the boys to some girls from the Nine-Fire household?"

Aro shook his head, "She only wants them to meet each other and know better."

She raised an eyebrow, "So?"

"The boys are very insulated, especially Mr. Narsiz, who will be susceptible to whoever Scarlett brings. Thus, he could be easily manipulated. Especially since he is very introverted."

Anastasia nodded, "Ok, what about Alex?"

"I... don't know exactly, but it would be better also to teach him how they could manipulate him. I think he doesn't have the emotional maturity that comes with age to see through this."

She nodded, "I agree..." She smirked at Aro, "...and you want to teach them with me? How cute."

Aro nodded and ignored her sarcastic comment while opening the door to leave, "I will leave now since I informed you. I will see you tomorrow morning since..." His upper lip moved upwards in disgust, "...you are now not in the right state of mind."

Anastasia chuckled while holding a hand before her mouth, "Hehe, truly a gentleman. However, before you leave, could you tell me if Scarlett is as crazy as the rumors say? I know I have no hope for retribution if she comes after me since Count Moorgrel looks after you like some cute kits."

Aro turned around with a smile, "She mellowed out with age. However, don't provoke her."

The door closed, and Anastasia plopped on her bed, "How reassuring..." Without looking, she tried to find the wine bottle she had brought to the room, "...damn it, what a shit night."