Now that I walked up to the table and placed down the food, I didn’t really know what to do, or how should I appropriately act in front of a noble dwarf, who at the same time was a member of my new family. My brother, to be more precise. In my previous exchanges between the other house members, each and every one had quite a domineering or eccentric personality, making it easy to talk to them following their lead, but such was not the case this time around.

The man who was staring at me seemed to finally realize the awkwardness in the air, pulling himself together and graciously waving towards a nearby chair. — “Oh, please take a seat, my lady, or should I call you sister as well?” — His teasing voice could not hide his subtle annoyance. I did not hold it against him. Bella’s enthusiasm about me was somewhat uncomfortable, even for me. I can only imagine how he feels about her little sister treating a stranger with such warmth.

I nodded and followed his instructions, taking my place on the opposite side of the table. All while being painfully aware about the strangeness that was sitting down wearing a skirt for the first time in my life. I was darn thankful that there was not much of a wind or breeze in this giant underground cavern while forcefully reminding myself to keep my damn thighs closely together. Wearing a skirt was turning out to be quite tricky.

As the seconds passed in painful silence, I was starting to seriously worry about this situation. I would have to be a complete retard to not see that this man in front of me hardly enjoyed my company. As he was staring at me with a strict expression that seemed to be less and less amused by the seconds and similarly more annoyed.

He started to open his mouth to finally say something, when my stomach gave out a loud grumbling noise, causing the man to freeze in his seat, his mouth still halfway open.

Seeing the disbelief and shock plastered over his face while his chin hanged in the air. It was just too hilarious to witness. I was never good at holding back my laughter, not even back in school in my previous life. This particular trait of mine naturally didn’t change, causing me to burst out in a chuckle that I, with considerable effort, managed to subdue into a loud snort if only for a few seconds.

As if coming to my help, the red-haired menace that was hiding behind her brother’s chair until now came over to me, giggling erratically, and started to climb into my lap. That… took me by surprise.

“Hey? Aren’t you a bit too big for this?” — I asked, bewildered by her sudden action. Alas, my inquiry was ignored, and I decided to help her settle in my lap, facing towards the table before she manages to knock both of us over, chair included. Uff… this little girl is not so little anymore, well that… and I am a lot lighter compared to what I used to be.

This body is far from being weak, in any sense, but weightlifting is definitely not its strong suit, especially compared to the way dwarven bodies were built. Dwarfs in this world didn’t look like what you would imagine a dwarf to be.

Regarding body proportions, they are very similar to humans. While they aren’t unreasonably thick, they have definitely a more muscular body on average. That includes men and women as well. This means the average dwarf looks like some sort of bodybuilder compared to your average human. The difference is even more obvious when you compare dwarfs to elven characteristics. Elven muscles are built with stamina in mind, while dwarven bodies are built to deliver short but powerful bursts of energy. While humans remain somewhere between the two.

Of course, there are differences between elven races and specific individuals as well. Not that I know what these specifics are. What I know, however, is that Aria’s body, compared to mine, is visibly toned. I suspect that has to do a lot more about her personal background as a spear wielder than her race, but I can’t be absolutely certain about it.

Of course, with the now properly settled seven-year-old in my lap, I could not be allowed to be lost in my thoughts for long.

“Big sister is hungry… we made all this food together in the kitchen just now. You can eat some as well, brother, and stop being mean to her!” — She said while reaching for some of the bacon and bread then placing them on a plate that we brought from the kitchen along with the necessary cutlery.

She grasped her fork and knife, one in each hand, and said in a loud voice. — “Blessed be the Guardians who keep us from the forces of chaos, blessed be the Gods who cherish the life of the just.” — She finished her statement and looked at us expectantly.

Her brother, seeing this, sighed exasperatedly, and spoke in a mild tone. — “May their light shine even in the depths of darkness.” — Finishing his words, he threw me an annoyed glare. Simultaneously, I was poked in the ribs by Bella, who was sitting in my lap.

“Ugh, what?” — I asked, rubbing the sore spot, and the girl sighed, rolling her eyes openly. — “You are supposed to repeat the line” — She whispered exasperatedly, her expression quite similar to that of her brother’s seconds prior.

“Ah…” — I realized, and quickly repeated the phrase. — “May their light shine even in the depths of darkness.”

The man on the other side of the table seemed to become more amused than annoyed by this point. Some of his previous tension was clearly swept away by our antics. — “It seems the rumors were true after all…” — He stated in a thoughtful voice. — “You are unlike most elves I ever met, and I have met quite a few. Is it because of how young you are, or because you were raised among humans, as my father says? Perhaps the fact that you are a white elf?

I looked at him, confused, until I remembered the fake backstory I told Emrum on a whim a while back, about me being raised among humans leading to my apparent un-elfish behaviours. Who would have thought that he remembered that part… Great job Selora…

While I internally patted myself on the back, the dwarf seemed to remember something. — “Oh, but where are my manners? I have yet to introduce myself. I am Erirmun Dimhollow, the sole son of Emrum Dimhollow, currently thirty-one-year-old.” — He paused for a while, looking at Bella sitting comfortably in my lap while gulping down her food. — “You seem to be well acquainted with my sister already. She clearly took a liking to you. It is quite rare that she acts so comfortably with anyone new, especially on such a brief acquaintance.” — He observed with a calculative look in his eyes. At last he waved towards me with a light gesture.

It took me a few seconds to catch on, but I did, and so I started to introduce myself as well.

“I am called Selora, and I am a magic caster.” — I stated, unsure what else to add. He already knew that I was a white elf, and because of that, I found myself hesitant about what to tell him.

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There was half a minute of heavy silence following my words. Then the man sighed. — “Quite the short introduction for an elfmaid who just squirmed her way into a noble warrior clan, don’t you think?” — He stated in a barely neutral voice.

“Brother! Don’t be rude!” — Bella scolded him from my lap almost immediately, causing his brother to raise his arms in a slightly defensive gesture.

“What? I am merely stating the facts here!” — He argued back, not letting the topic slide this time around.

It was my turn to furrow my brows at the man. This was why I didn’t want to start my morning with socializing. There was no way any sane person would so easily acknowledge my addition to this household, well, aside from maybe Emrum and Bella. I already had a strained conversation with Nerha last night about this… I hope it’s not going to become a trend. — “Look, it was not exactly my intention to…” — But I was cut short before I could finish that sentence.

“Oh, yes. I heard the story in the council meeting as everyone did in this house. They were arguing quite fiercely about you, along with that other elf. They even managed to draw into the argument some of the elders. It was quite the ridiculous sight.” — He narrowed his eyes at me before continuing. — “Some things, though, did not add up in that story I heard.” — He sighed.

“The thing is, I know that my father can be quite impulsive, and he undeniably lacks the necessary mindset for politics. Still, he is a great warrior and an honorable man. While he could make awkward mistakes, and these wouldn’t even be the first or last ones. The same I can’t say about Balgrun Rekaven. The commander of the outposts. Based on his insightful advice to father regarding the matter of taking you into the family to compensate you for supposed damages against your reputation.” — He paused for a while, waiting for any reaction on my part, and only after he was certain that I won’t say anything did he decide to continue. — “I believe that he, by that I mean Balgrun Rekaven, intentionally attempted and succeeded to tie you to a noble house with the motive of monopolizing your magical talent for the dwarven kingdoms. I am quite certain that your accident was less of an accident and more so a premeditated outcome. Meaning that all of us have been played.”

My eyes widened unnaturally while listening to his words.

My first instinct was to deny any possibility of such ridiculous notions, but the more I thought about it, the more it actually started to make sense. While Tymur and Emrum were indeed honest to the bone dwarfs, with more sense of stubborn honour than survival instinct. That was not to be said about the commander.

He was clearly a cunning man, which I suppose was a necessary quality for a man in his position. I was initially surprised, too, when his advice to those two sounded so outlandish, almost purposefully stupid. However, I looked over it, not knowing the commander enough to properly judge his character.

Could it be that he truly orchestrated such an accident? Then again, he was quick to tie me into the Bronze Company as a magic caster, offering me a wage that was considered very generous by Emrum. Still, I can’t seem to think about Balgrun as a man who would wish to harm me. Based on his actions so far, he seemed to be a man of principle. If he truly played a part in this and chose to manipulate the two people who I was closest with to play a hand in, also proves that to be true.

Goodness gracious, he could have done that with Regmir, and that would have hit way differently. I mean, I don’t want to think about being his adopted daughter, of all people. That man was annoying as hell. I would go mad in a week if that came to pass.

Considering everything, I looked at the man sitting on the opposite side of the table, asking the only question remaining on my mind. — “Why would he do that?”

The man in front of me snorted and started to shook his head slowly, taking his time to showcase his amusement. — “You are an elfmaid of a lost race, barely older than a century, and if I could believe the rumors, you know about fifty individual spells some that have been proved to be never before witnessed and apparently powerful enough to wipe out an army of goblins in mere seconds. Meaning that you essentially possess enough magical talent to, in time, rival the greatest mages ever walking the surface of Rixa.” — He paused for dramatic effect than added. — “That… might have played a role.”

I opened my mouth and closed it, unable to argue with any of his observations. I had absolutely no realistic expectation regarding the power of average magic casters. I cannot say if what he tells me is true or mere exaggeration.

Seeing this, the man shook his head again. — “Still, the main reason was clearly your childlike naivety and gullible nature.”

“Hey!” — I complained, but was silenced by Bella’s giggles.

“Big sister is stupid.” — She chuckled, extremely amused by the situation. I was completely speechless at this sight.

The man in front of me, I believe his name was Erirmun, sighed. — “You truly don’t know your true worth, do you? An elfmaid with unmeasurable magical talent held by the dwarven kingdoms in a time where a military conflict with the wood elfs seems unavoidable. Your mere presence here can easily change the tides. Even if you refused to join our house, you would have been brought here against your will to be used as a political hostage with the intention to place pressure on the elven kingdom and dissuade them from a meaningless conflict. Naturally, even in that case, you would have been treated well, that is until you won't attempt to harm us. We dwarfs are not barbarians, especially not towards young women.”

He took a deep breath, then continued.

“Instead of that, because of your lack of insight and thoughtlessness, you have officially joined a noble house. You have become a noble of the dwarven kingdom, meaning that you are lawfully shouldering all the responsibilities of that of a noble, and even received a title from a prince. There is no better way to tie a person to a kingdom than giving them official titles, power, responsibility and the necessary wealth.”

Well… damn it. I didn’t see that coming…

The man, seeing my paling expression, quickly added. — “I see that you are finally starting to understand the weight of what you got yourself into.”

He paused for a few more seconds, then added with finality.

“Well, then. I guess that will be all for now.” — He stood up and walked around the table, giving me one last glance. — “Please, continue with your breakfast. It would be a waste to let it go cold. Oh, and also… don’t leave the estate without an escort. The city is quite large. You could get lost easily, especially outside of the noble district.”

I stared after the man, feeling quite irritated by everything that he have thrown at me out of nowhere.

“He is nothing like his father…” — I mumbled to myself, feeling quite disheartened. Still, the feast that was placed in front of me managed to distract me momentarily as I started to eat.

“I wonder if elves can get fat as well.” — I questioned silently, causing the happily munching Bella to look up at me from my lap, a conflicted expression on her face. Her features morphed into that of a focused one, but she dropped it and sighed after a few seconds of fruitless struggle.

“Nope… I can’t imagine sister being fat.” — She said and turned back to her share of the plate as if the entire issue had been solved by her lack of imagination.

I shook my head, while patting her’s in slight disbelief. If only life was so simple as children imagined it.

Still, who would have thought that Balgrun was such a sly bastard? I mean… that was kind of my first impression of him, but still… Being right about it only makes me feel more stupid. So… what am I supposed to do with all these things being revealed?

I mean, in the long run, being a noble of a dwarven kingdom is not a bad thing, considering what I am supposed to do in this world. Gathering influence and making myself known among the nations as a powerful witch will help a lot in uniting them against the incoming tides.

Well, that or my presence could cause some major misunderstandings and erupt into a large-scale conflict, engulfing the land in flame even before I could realize what happened.

Better not think about that part for now…