First Impressions...
Some time after the incident with Snowy, our family welcomed two new members—adorable twins, a boy and a girl.
Light chestnut hair, blue eyes. [Lila Lampail] Second daughter of the Lampail family. Joan's younger sister.
Honey-blonde hair, navy blue eyes.
The arrival of the twins sent everyone except the doctor, me, and Nancy into complete panic. Father even rushed to contact Grandmother by fast horse, and the very next day, Grandfather and Grandmother hurried over to help. Of course, Mother had already informed Grandmother, so the only one truly flustered was Grandfather.
The day after that, Mother’s parents—my maternal grandparents—arrived, along with my tutor, Aunt Rose.
[Harold Ballist] Joan's maternal grandfather. Head of the Ballist Viscountcy.Earth attribute. [Patricia Ballist] Joan's maternal grandmother. Viscountess Ballist.
Wind attribute.
This was my first time meeting my maternal grandparents.
Grandfather looked meticulously put-together, from his hairstyle to his attire—my first impression was that he seemed highly strung and probably not fond of children. Grandmother, on the other hand, was pleasantly plump with a gentle smile.
But first impressions can be deceiving...
In reality—
"Aww, they're just the cutest widdle things~! So tiny and sweet, I could just gobble them up~! Maggie and Rose were just as adorable when they were born, weren't they, Patty?"
"Oh yes, absolutely precious~! But look, their eyes take after Lord Stanley—Hugo's going to grow up so handsome, don't you think~?"
Far from disliking children, Grandfather seemed utterly smitten. That stern face of his was now cooing in baby talk. Brother Noel, Brother Gene, and I—who were meeting him for the first time—were completely dumbfounded...
Once the twins fell asleep, we all moved to the living room.
"Ahem. Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Joan, the eldest daughter of the Lampail family. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I bowed to my maternal grandparents.
"Oh my, our little Joan has grown so much~! Children grow up so fast~."
"Joan... we've met before, don't you remember? How sad..."
"Huh!? My apologies... when was this?"
"What? Right after you were born!"
[…………….]]No way. Absolutely no way.
There's no way a newborn would remember that!
"Ahem. Father, that's impossible. Even as bright as Joan is, no one remembers being a newborn!"
Aunt Rose shut him down firmly.
"Hmm~ But maybe just a little? Right?"
"I’m sorry. I really don’t remember."
Ah—Grandfather slumped dejectedly. What is this?
Honestly, this is exhausting. But I should probably smooth things over.
"But I’d love to learn all about the Ballist family from now on. I want to make lots of memories with you, Grandfather."
Grandfather Harold's face lit up instantly.
"Yes! That’s right! We’ll make so many memories together! Come here, Joan!"
He spread his arms wide with a grin so bright I half-expected to see a wagging tail.
I glanced at Father, who gave a wry smile but nodded.
"Excuse me."
After a quick apology, I settled onto Grandfather’s lap.
"Joan~ You don’t need to be so formal with me."
"Underst—... okay. Grandfather Harry."
"Mmm, that’s better~!"
"Ohhh, you’re hogging her~! How unfair~!"
"It’s nice to meet you properly, Grandmother Patty."
"Yes, lovely to meet you too~!"
I’d worked in customer service in my past life—I knew how to handle requests.
Later, over tea, I revealed my secrets to Grandfather Harry, Grandmother Patty, and Aunt Rose—things they hadn’t known.
My Null attribute, my past-life memories, my irregular skills… and Snowy. Since even Grandfather Will and Grandmother Lindsey hadn’t been told about Snowy yet, both sets of grandparents were shocked.
"My apologies. I thought it would be rude to explain via letter, so I waited for a chance to meet in person… which ended up taking far too long."
Father bowed his head to Grandfather Harry.
"No, it’s fine. We’ve been busy with our own territory too—we share the blame for not visiting sooner."
"That’s right~! Little Joan’s situation is surprising, but it’s nothing bad, so it’s fine, isn’t it~?"
"But Joan, I’m your tutor. You could’ve told me, couldn’t you?"
"I’m sorry, Aunt Rose. Your lessons were so fun that I kept wanting to learn more and more… I just never found the right moment."
"Oh my~ Was my teaching really that good?"
"Yes! Especially how you explained the kingdom’s history from different perspectives—it made everything so interesting and easy to understand."
"... Well, I suppose I can’t blame you for forgetting, then."
[…………….]Aunt Rose, you’re so easy. Too easy.
Just look at everyone’s faces—they’re all dumbfounded.
Grandfather Harry and Grandmother Patty had plans early the next morning, so they returned to the capital with Aunt Rose—via our family’s teleportation gate, of course. They’d be staying at the Ballist family’s townhouse tonight.
Before leaving:
"Next time, come visit our territory! Noel, Gene, Joan—we’ll be waiting~!"
"Yes, yes, we’ll visit~! See you all soon~! Come visit us too~!"
"Take care. Joan, don’t forget your assignments. And thank you for these—we’ll enjoy them as soon as we get home."
Aunt Rose held a basket filled with my homemade dried fruits, sweet potato chips, and a multi-tiered lunchbox I’d prepared.
The Ballists left in a flurry of activity.
That night, they were delighted—and stunned—by how delicious Joan’s handmade treats were.
The next day, startled by sudden changes in their health and waistlines, they postponed their plans and rushed back through the Lampail teleportation gate...
Though Joan and the others, who had seen them off, didn’t know that yet.
"Huh? Father, did we forget to tell Grandfather Harry something?"
"Eh? Probably just your imagination."
"... Maybe? Oh well. I wonder if the twins are awake yet~? I’ll go check."
What do you think about this chapter?
