Brother Aran
The royal guard escorting me was someone named Ryuk—Brother Aran’s academy classmate, and his fellow royal guard. A refreshingly handsome, lean-and-muscular man who looked perfect in the guard uniform.
Ryuk guided me to the royal castle’s dining hall.
The place looked just like a university cafeteria from my previous life, with people lining up at the counter with trays in hand. A quick glance at the menu showed it was a cafeteria-style setup with three meal options today. On the opposite side, a glass wall revealed terrace seating as well. For now, Pearl was waiting on the terrace—understandable, since I couldn’t just bring an animal into a dining hall I didn’t know.
In the spacious back of the hall, three royal guards were eating together. Around them, ladies-in-waiting had deliberately left a few seats open and were sneaking glances at them while eating.
Ughh… being stared at while eating like that would be unbearable. Like a panda on display…
“Umm… is it always like that?”
“Ah—yeah, we’ve gotten used to it by now.”
Ryuk smiled wryly.
As we walked toward the guards, the maids’ eyes followed us like hawks guarding their prey from a poacher.
S-Scary… I should’ve waited outside until they were done eating, or had Ryuk go get Brother Aran for me…
“Huh? Ryuk, skipping out?”
A ruggedly handsome man with rust-colored short hair and deep gray eyes joked with Ryuk.
“No, no, Melvin. This young lady said she had business with Aran, so I brought her along.”
“““Young lady? ………!!”””
The three guards hadn’t noticed me behind Ryuk’s shadow and looked around confused—only to be surprised by the girl peeking out from behind him.
“Um… hello.”
Clatter. “Huh? Why are you here?”
Brother Aran was so shocked he dropped his utensils.
“Ehehe. I came to see you.”
“‘Came to see me,’ huh. Are you here alone?”
“No, I’m with Father. He’s in a meeting right now.”
“Ah, thought so.”
The royal guard who normally didn’t even smile politely to women, wouldn’t make eye contact, or even greet them, was now chatting casually with a girl. The other guards and even the maids nearby who had been sneaking glances were stunned into silence, simply listening in on the conversation.
Brother Aran seemed to notice the attention.
“Hey, Joan. Let’s head out to the terrace. Excuse us, just for a bit—”
“Can we come too?”
The royal guard who had teased Ryuk earlier interjected before Aran could finish.
“I’ll be coming too. I have to escort the young lady afterward anyway.”
“… Fine. Ryuk, go get Joan something to drink.”
“Got it.”
We moved to the terrace seats, and once Ryuk returned, Brother Aran introduced the other guards to me.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Joan, eldest daughter of the Lampail family.”
“Oh, the daughter of Marquis Lampail. So… what’s your relationship with Arandolph?”
The red-haired, brown-eyed, tough-looking Eugene asked, and—
“She’s his girl—ow!”
He got chopped mid-sentence.
“Who’s your girl, huh!? Who!?”
“Brother Aran, no violence!”
“““Brother Aran!?”””
“… She’s my cousin. My mother is the sister of Joan’s father, Marquis Lampail.”
“““Ahhh, got it now.”””
“Oh! I came to thank you, Brother Aran—for the birthday present.”
“Ah, you got it from Vince then. Wearing it?”
“Yup. Look.”
“Good. Make sure you always keep it on.”
He said, smiling kindly like before, and gently patted my head.
“““““““Kyaaaaaa!”””””””
From behind me, back in the dining hall, a chorus of shrieks echoed. I tried to turn around, but Brother Aran put his arm around my shoulders.
“Don’t turn around.”
“““““““Kyaaaaaaa!”””””””
Hearing that, I nodded silently.
Yup… I won’t look. I can’t. I’m too scared.
“Oh! And I brought you a gift, Brother Aran.”
“A gift?”
“Yep. We made kusamochi together recently. If you'd like, everyone can have some… Here.”
““““Gah!!”””””
“J-Joan… w-where did that come from?”
Ryuk asked, startled.
“Hmm? From my storage. Ah—sorry. In my case, I can just pull things out by visualizing them.”
“Haah… Joan, you’re as abnormal as ever… Sorry, but let’s keep this a secret, alright?”
The guards chuckled and nodded.
““““Delicious!!””””
“Joan’s stuff is always so good.”
“Aran, you eat stuff like this all the time?”
“Not lately. I haven’t been back to Lampail territory in a while… Oh, but those dried sweet potatoes and cookies Ryuk steals now and then—those are Joan’s too.”
“Ah, those! I thought they were store-bought… Wait, how did you know I’ve been eating them?”
“We share a room, don’t we? Of course I’d notice.”
“Ahh, right. Still, I’m surprised. Joan, you’re a noble young lady and so small, yet you can cook?”
“… Small.”
“Ahahaha… Ryuk, Joan may be small, but she’s still ten years old.”
“Eh—oh, sorry. I just meant… you’re adorably petite.”
“Gahaha! Ten years old, huh? So you’ll be entering the academy this year. Think you’ll be okay, being that tiny?”
While Ryuk panicked, Melvin burst into hearty laughter.
“I’ll be fine. Soon I’ll grow whoosh! and have a boom chest, a snap waist, and a pop butt… Ow!!”
I tried to demonstrate my boom-snap-pop transformation with gestures, but Brother Aran chopped me again.
“Oww… But really, I’ll be okay. I’ve already registered as an adventurer.”
“You did?”
“Yep. Look.”
I pulled out my guild plate from my collar.
“““Lampail Guild…”””
“And your rank?”
“E-rank.”
“Nice job.”
Brother Aran grinned and gave my head a slightly rougher ruffle than usual.
“Ehehe… Wait—hey, Brother Aran! You’re messing up my hair!”
““““““““Kyaaaaaaa~~~!””””””””
What do you think about this chapter?
