This is Aura's sister!

　It's true that their faces are vaguely similar, but their moods are completely different... No, if it was Aura when she was wearing a cat at the beginning of their encounter, her moods might be similar... That means Aina is the same inside as Aura. What the.....
　As I was thinking about this, Aina turned to me.

''It's nice to meet you, Temma-sama. I'm sorry that this foolish sister (Aura) is always causing you trouble. My name is Aina, my sister........By the way, do you have something strange on your mind?

　Aina's good instincts and keen gaze made me think my heart stopped for a moment.

''No, I just thought she was as beautiful as I'd heard about,''

　The words came out of my mouth as quickly as they came out of mine, and Aina's expression didn't twitch.

''I'm honored by your compliments,''

　With that graceful and elegant courtesy, I took a glance at Aura on my back and sighed.
　Seeing me in such a state, Aura's movements became intense again.

''Hey, hey, Temma-sama! What's that sigh!

　Aura hurriedly got off her back and stood in front of me, pointing at Aina.

'Temma-sama is being tricked by your sister! That thing on the inside is positively brutal! And on top of that, it's too late!

　An excited Aura was pointing at Aina and talking badly about her in a big way.
　Such Aura hadn't noticed. Aina smiled like a noh mask and that she was standing behind Aura.

''Surely you're fierce, wife getter, geez!

　Aina's blow (chop), which seemed to be accompanied by a thud and a sound effect, was decided on Aura's brain as she tried to continue with more bad language.

''Aura, you always talk to your master in such a way.......................you should know your place!

　Aina took her rear as it was and tightened it up to entangle herself in Aura's body.
　That technique was once, ''How are you?! It was said to be synonymous with the people of........

Cobra Twist!

　Not reacting at all to our surprise, Aina tightened up on Aura.
　Aura seemed to be unable to speak in too much pain and her face was red.　　

'Aina, what are you doing!

　While everyone was dumbfounded, the one who interrupted the one-sided sisterly quarrel was Cliffe.
　As a steward, I can't help but stop this tragedy, can I?
　However, it was Mr. Clife-san (this guy) who went above and beyond my expectations.

''If you're applying the technique with such a beautiful posture, you'll be removed eventually! Put more weight behind you!

　Taking that advice, Aina began to gradually put her weight back. At the same time, Aura's breathing became smaller and smaller.
　I thought that Aura's life was in danger any longer, so I tried to stop her, but Aina released Aura before I could stop her.

''Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the disturbance. It's been a long time since I've been able to play around with my sister, and I couldn't help but get carried away.

　Aina bowed her head to everyone and lightly placed a hand on Aura's shoulder as she barely stood on her own.

''Aura, don't mess around too much. And also you should know your place in the world or it will hurt more next time.

　Hearing those words, Aura began to rattle and tremble.
　Seeing Aura like that, Aina made a satisfied face, and now she turned to me and said

Dear Tenma. Please let me know if it (Aura) gets carried away again. I'll train her properly........no, I'll educate her.

　The words were a little disconcerting, but Aina quickly restated them and smiled.

''Well, that's about as far as I'll go in fooling around. Your Majesty is waiting for you.'

　It seems that Mr. Cliffe has decided to lead us to where the king is waiting.
　As we began to lead the way, Mr. Cliffe gave Aina some instructions to get her to step back.

'Hey, Jeanne,'

What, Temma?

'Aina's anger was definitely not Aura's attitude towards me, right?

Well, it's definitely because of what Aura said about going backwards.

I'll be careful.

'Yeah...'

　While we were having this conversation, we arrived at the audience room on the fourth floor of the castle.

'We have brought you all here. Please open the door.

　Mr. Cleif approached the soldier who was standing in front of the door.
　The soldier took one look at us and then opened the door.

''The Grand Duke's party has arrived, sir.

Mm, let me through.

　As I walked into the room with the Grand Duke leading the way, I saw the king sitting in a luxurious chair in front of me. He looks somewhat older than he did when he was there before, but I still feel a sense of supremacy emanating from his body.
　In the chair next to the king, there was a beautiful woman sitting. Perhaps it's the queen. I've heard that she was about the same age as my mothers, so she must be the same age as the king, but the queen looks younger than her age.

　There are three men standing three steps down from the king's chair.
　The first, unlike the other two, is dressed in ornate clothing, but is otherwise unremarkable.
　The second is a slender man with glasses, who looks at me as if he were valuing me rather than us...or rather us.
　The third one is a head and a half taller than the other two and has a body that is evident even from the top of his clothes that he has worked out a lot. This one is looking at me too, but his face is quite scornful and he looks like he's up to something.

'Good work, gatekeeper. You may step back.

　At the king's words, the soldiers who had been waiting inside all walked out.

'Well,'

　The king slowly got up from his seat and walked down the stairs to us.

'Long time no see, Temma. 'Have you been well?'

　Unlike the king I remember, he spoke to me with a voice full of dignity.
　There seems to be something going on, but I can't neglect to say hello before the king calls me.

''It's been a long time, King. I'm sorry to have caused you so much concern...

　I was in the middle of greeting the king when an arrow flew from my side.
　I grabbed the flying arrow and ran in the direction it came from.
　I went around the shadow of the pillar where the person who shot the arrow was supposed to be, and there was one man in a flat position.

''What is this?''

　A little irritated, I tossed the arrow away and stared at the kings.
　The people who were surprised by the series of events were the Queen and the first and second men.
　On the contrary, it was the king and the third man who were laughing.

''No - sorry, sorry. It's just a little prank. Forgive me!''

　The king laughed and apologized. The third man was also apologizing with a gesture.
　I was about to protest, thinking that it would be too much of a prank, but the queen approached the king before I did and swung her staff in her hand.

'Ugh!'

　With a thud, the queen-sama's blow hit the king's buttocks and he fell down, holding his buttocks down.

'What do you think you're doing! Lyle, come over here for a minute!

　Lyle would be the name of the third man. The man called Lyle came fearfully with cold sweat on his forehead.

'What in the world do you think a grown man, even if it's called 'Lord Warlord', would think of shooting an arrow at a child to play with!

'No, mother. I didn't mean to play...

I won't talk back!

Yes!

　Apparently, the man called Lyle is a war lord a war minister.
　

''I'm sorry.

　Saying that, the queen-sama grabbed my arm and turned to leave the room.
　Everyone else was dumbfounded, but the queen wasn't particularly bothered.

''What are you doing?'' You're welcome.

　He beckoned for Jeanne and the others to come over and call them over. Puzzled, Jeanne and the others followed, followed by Grandpa, the Grand Duke, Tida and Luna, Mr. Cliffe, the first man, and the second man.
　The Warlord was about to follow the second man all together, when the Queen turned around.

''Lyle, if you want to join us, you should prepare some sweets and tea....................not half as much as you would like.

　The Warlord saluted and ran in the opposite direction to where we were heading.

'Come on, let's go.'

　The queen was smiling and pulling me along, but when I asked her if it was okay for me to leave the king alone, she kept a straight face.

'You can leave that man alone. It's too much of a joke to shoot arrows at a guest you've called, and that's too much of a joke for a child. Never mind Temma.

　It was a good idea.
　It was true that the prank was past, but the cloth was wrapped around the arrowhead, so it must have really been a test of skill... that didn't mean he was allowed to do it, though.
　For now, I decided to forget about the king as the queen said.

　The king, in fact, is still unable to stand up to the queen's blow.
　We had a moment of eye contact earlier, and then the queen pushed me out of the room, hiding the king who was crawling on the floor and reaching for me.



'Here. Come on, come in.

　The queen brought me to a room at the end of one floor below the audience chamber.

'This is the visitor's room, so there is no need to be in awe.

　And then the Queen said. She offered us a seat. The queen doesn't seem to mind that Jeanne and the others are slaves, so she pulled the hands of Jeanne and Aura, who were hesitant, and forced them to sit next to me.

''Doesn't the queen care that Jeanne and the others are slaves?

　When I asked the queen, who was smiling at Jeanne and the others, a question arose in my mind, and she didn't think for a minute.

'Because these girls are Temma's family and the guests I've invited into this room. You don't need to worry about them now.

　He laughed.
　Apparently, he knew he was a slave and invited her, so he doesn't care about her now, but I'm worried that if the other nobles...especially the reformers find out about it, they will become an attacker.

　As if he read my thoughts, the first man opened his mouth on behalf of the queen.

He said, "It's not your concern. In fact, if the reformers have anything to say about it, it's easy for us to undermine them.

　Unsure of what he meant, the man thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

'Do you think you'd want to be friends with someone who made fun of those kids?'

Oh, I see.　

　When I agreed, the men laughed. But Jeanne and the others didn't seem to understand what he meant, and the men began to explain to Jeanne and the others.

'Look, you're just slaves now, but soon that reputation will be reversed. And that too, dramatically.

　In addition to Jeanne and the others who were tilting their heads, Tida didn't seem to understand either.

'You two would be described as the hero's followers of the dragon slayer. A former nobleman who fell into slavery and had his life saved by a hero, what a story people would love to hear....including the relationship between the two men and women.

'Did your grandmother and your father invite Jeanne and the others to join them in order to curry favor with Miss Temma?　

　The man called father laughed at Tida's toothless manner.

'I don't really mean it, but I suppose it can be taken that way from the side. But that's okay, this is a win-win situation.

　Tida's father the crown prince said so, but the queen had a look on her face that said she was heartbroken.

'Oh, I'm not. Temma is my best friend's child, and since I saw how Temma treated these girls, and it seemed to me that the treatment of them was not towards slaves, but towards family, I only invited them to be my best friend's child's family.

　He was a little angry. The Crown Prince laughed bitterly at this, but he seemed to think that he was not mistaken and had no excuse.

　Just as the air in the room was about to become delicate in this way, the door suddenly opened with great force.
　When everyone turned back to the door in surprise, the Warlord from the other side of the open door appeared from behind it.

''Sorry I'm late! I've brought you tea and tea cakes!

　The Warlord has a basket under his arm that does not match his mood. Behind him, I can also see Aina following him with a set of tea utensils and a sandwich on a wagon.

'I just remembered there was a pastry that arrived in my room yesterday... here it is!

　Saying that, the Warlord pulled out of his basket a small cream puff, the so-called petit puff.

''They're popular in Gunjo City these days, and I asked the Duke of Sangha to order them for me at the behest of him!

　Only Tida and Luna were (...) pleased with the boastful warlord, but the rest of them were smiling bitterly, and even the queen-sama sighed.

''Lyle ... disqualified!

Why not?

　At the warlord's shout, the queen sighed again and pointed to the petit choux.

'What (...) is this pastry called?'

'Well it's a petit choux...'

No, no, no... what brand (...) of candy is it?

Huh, I don't know, the Tenma Seal or something... oh!

'What are you going to do with your petite puffs, bringing them to the inventor of those petite puffs you should be more considerate.　

　The Warlord did it! He had a face like that, and at the sight of his face, Grandpa and His Excellency the Grand Duke stifled their laughter, while the first and second men looked dumbfounded.

　I couldn't help but laugh, as his appearance was so far removed from the military lord I had imagined him to be.

''I'm sorry.......I myself haven't tasted any of the sweets from the Manchuria Pavilion since I set out on my journey, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

　Then he took one of the petite puffs in the basket and put it in his mouth.

'Yeah, yummy! I knew your dad was good at it! Thank you for your concern, Warlord.

　Hearing my words, the queen-sama also took one of the petit puffs and put it on her plate.

''Well, as long as Temma is good, it won't be a problem.......Lyle, just because you're a military officer, you shouldn't forget your concern as a nobleman.

'Yes I'll keep that in mind...'

　Seeing that the queen took the petite puffs, Aina distributed the petite puffs to each of the plates and poured the tea.
　Aura just watched, so Aina didn't make tea for herself and Aura only.
　After she finished handing out the tea, Aina called Aura over to her.
　Aura approached her with trepidation, wondering what was going on, but when Aina told her to make tea for both of them, she began to make tea with confidence... but...

Shit!
Not enough steam!
Too much steam!
'I didn't warm the cup!

　And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on.
　As I was thinking that I was being a little too strict, Aina turned to me.

'Temma-sama, please leave your sister's breaks and free time to me. I won't say she's one of a kind, but I'll train her to be a better maid than she is now.

　Suddenly he proposes such a thing. Hearing this, Aura is desperately pleading behind Aina's back with a gesture to refuse.
　Seeing Aura like that, I responded immediately.

''I look forward to working with you.

　Seeing me with my head bowed in pecking order, Aina looked surprised for a moment, but instantly tightened up and nodded in satisfaction.
　Behind her, Aura slumped to the floor with an expression of despair, as if she had witnessed the end of the world.
　Looking at Aura like that, a doo-doo replayed in my head, but I didn't have any particular feelings about this.

''That would be nice! Oh yeah, and while you're at it, Jeanne can get Aina to teach you a thing or two!

Whew!

　At the queen's sudden suggestion, this time Jeanne froze.

'Look, Jeanne is a girl of her age and I think she needs that kind of experience! Think of it as bridal training.

　At the urging of the forceful queen-sama, Jeanne nodded, losing her momentum.

''I'll tell Your Majesty to allow Temma and the others to come and go at will in the royal castle! In the meantime, let's start the first lecture around noon the day after tomorrow. That's nice, Aina.

Sorry, Mary.

　Jeanne just listened and nodded, unable to interrupt the schedule that was being set one by one.

'Oh well, Mother. More importantly, we haven't even introduced ourselves. It would be rude to proceed with the conversation without introducing ourselves....

　The first man advised the queen.

'Oh my goodness, I'm excited beyond my years I'm sorry, I'm Maria von Bluemail Krustin. Your mother, Shelia, and I were great friends with your mother, Shelia, nice to meet you.

　The first man after the queen tried to open his mouth and I rushed to stand up, but the man stopped me from standing up with his hand.

'Stay where you are. I am Crown Prince Caesar von Bluemail Crastin. I see my son and daughter have caused you some trouble, I'm sorry.

　Saying that, Prince Caesar bowed his head. Although it was an unthinkable situation under normal circumstances, he didn't seem surprised by the Queen and the other royals here.　

''I guess I'm next, the Minister of Finance, Zain von Blumeyl Krustin, who is also Her Majesty's second son.　

　This one was just a simple greeting. Somehow, he's still wary of me.　

''I'm sorry about earlier. I was just wondering how the rumored Temma would react! I'm Lyle von Bluemail Crustin!

　He's as bold as he looks, and he has an air of how he's a military man.
　Out of the three of us, he feels most like a king.

''I'm late to greet you. I am.........

Wait a minute.

　The queen stopped me as I was about to greet her.

'Although we have never met before, we owe each other a debt of gratitude. On top of that, you are my best friend's child, and I don't need a formal greeting. Unless you're in public, speak in your normal language.

No, but...

Use your normal language.

Yes, I understand.

　Satisfied with my reply, the Queen was quick to continue her greetings.
　I looked at the Crown Prince to see if he was sure, but he smiled.

The crown prince smiled. Besides, I heard you called His Majesty an old man. Then it's a bit late for respectful language, isn't it? Oh, and I don't need the crown prince for me either.

　'The Crown Prince the Master Caesar is laughing at me for bringing up my old days.

'Then you can call me Lyle, too. I'm not used to being called a minister by a kid!'

　Master Lyle came on to Master Caesar, too.

'Oh my! Then I'll be Maria, too. You got it, Temma.

　The royalty in this country are apparently quite light on their nature. Most of all, though, it may have been in their own family.
　In such a situation, the finance minister was the only one who didn't open his mouth... Normally, I feel that it would be right for the royalty to have this kind of attitude, but for the sake of this occasion, it's strange that it looks strange.

''I am Temma, the adventurer. It's nice to meet you.

　Following me, Jeanne and Aura also greeted me, but the two of them read the air properly and used respectful language throughout.
　Well, it is natural to say that it is natural. An act that lacks decorum to the royalty would normally be punished by death without question.

　In such a situation, Aina's eyes were quite stern as she watched Aura's greeting.
　I didn't understand it, but apparently there must have been some kind of mistake.

Hmm, so everyone has allowed their names.......then I can call you by your name too. Go ahead, call me by my name.

　The Grand Duke said that and told me to call his name, but I couldn't.
　My grandfather, seeing this, interrupted me from the side.

'My lord, did you tell Temma your name?'

Yes, that's right.

　From there, the two of them began to curse each other, as usual.
　

　As I was making such a fuss (only two people were making a fuss, but also the oldest person in the place), the door slowly opened.

''Isn't that awful.......you're leaving me........''

　The king was opening the door with his staff, but before he could say anything, Mary went to the door with a quick movement.

'I didn't call for you,'

　When he interrupted the king's words, he pushed the king, who looked inexplicably weak, out of the room, closed the door and even locked it.

　From outside the room, the sound of banging on the door and the king's voice asking him to open it~ could be heard, but Maria-sama completely ignored him and sat down in her seat as if nothing had happened and gave Aina another cup of tea.

　A few times after that, the king was bothered by the king, but all of this was stopped by Maria, and finally the king was not allowed to enter the room.

'It's late today, you should stay the night. Aina, get me three rooms.

Yes, sir.

　At Maria's command, Aina left the room.
　She caught a glimpse of the king when she opened the door, but one glare from Maria did not allow her to enter the room.

'Temma, do you have any plans for tomorrow?'

　Master Lyle asks me what my plans are, but when I tell him I don't have any plans for this, he grins for some reason.

'Alright! Then come to the castle yard tomorrow! Just in time, there's a joint training session between the Konoe and the First Order, so join it!

Hey, Lyle. This is way too fast for you!　

　Instead of me, Caesar-sama protested to Lyle-sama, but Lyle-sama didn't bother to continue talking.

''It's just the right time to find out what Temma is capable of. Besides, if Tenma can show the knights his abilities, there will be fewer unnecessary misunderstandings!

That may give you an unnecessary misunderstanding, but...　

　I protested at one point, but it wouldn't be very effective if I had the same personality as the king.

'Don't worry! The Konoe and the First Order have a lot of merit first! Because there are more of us who show a certain amount of respect to those with a certain amount of power than the rest of the Order!

　Lyle-sama is laughing vigorously, but his appearance looks dubious with the king, so the only two words that came to my mind were 'anxiety'.



　Lady Caesar said apologetically.
　Both Lady Maria and the Lord Treasurer shook their heads as if to give up.

'Lady Maria. Your room is ready for you.'

　As Lyle-sama laughed vigorously, Aina announced that the room was ready.

''Alright, thank you for your hard work. Temma and the others are probably tired, so let's call it a day here. Aina, show Tenma and the others to their rooms.　

　With those words from Maria-sama, we were dismissed for the day.
　As I followed Aina out the door, the king, who was hiding behind the door, grabbed me by the shoulder.

''Temma~.......you could have convinced Maria.......''

　The king, who was in a state of half-crying, stood slightly inward, as if Maria's blow was still trailing off.
　As I was smiling affectionately, I heard Maria's voice inside.

'I need to talk to you. Come into the room.

　The king was pale at Maria's words, but the pain in his buttocks prevented him from escaping, and he slowly walked into the room, his shoulders slumping.
　Shortly thereafter, the door was closed when Master Caesar and the others inside also rushed out.　

　Immediately after that, an angry voice was heard from inside the room... but because the door was closed, the details could not be heard. However, for some reason, only the king's scream-like apology could be heard clearly.

''Well, it's always the same. There's no point in worrying about it, we're dismissed for today. Tida and Luna will be preaching in my room, though.

　At Caesar-sama's words, Tida and Luna looked like they were about to cry, but instead of running away, they silently followed Caesar-sama.

'Temma-sama, this way. Temma-sama and Merlin-sama are in a private room. Jeanne and Aura are in the same room.

　As it was, Aina led me to a room at the end of the same floor, with Grandpa's room across the hall and Jeanne's room beside it.

I'm going to wake you up in the morning. I will come to wake you up in the morning and you should have a good night's sleep. If you need anything, there is an attendant in the waiting room over there, so please don't hesitate to let me know.

　Saying that, Aina bowed and turned back the way she had just come.

''I'm tired today, as expected........Temma, let me talk to you tomorrow. Good night.

Good night, Temma. I'll see you tomorrow.　
Good night, Lady Temma.

　Everyone walked into the room one by one.
　Aura seemed to be paying attention to her words, albeit slightly. That's how afraid she is of Aina's punishment.
　I hope she'll continue to be a fine maid but I don't want her to be like Aina. That was a bit scary.

　If I'm thinking too rudely, Aina is going to show up, so I decide to go into my room and go to bed.
　Just before I went to bed, I realized that I hadn't prepared food for Shiroumaru and his friends, so I hurriedly gave them the food I'd made for them in my bag, and they ate it all up in a hurry.

　I didn't know if I should let them out in the room, so I decided to let them stay in the bag for now, and this time I decided to hide under the covers to sleep.
　Hopefully tomorrow won't be a problem...