Having left Rafina’s suspicious gaze behind, I arrived at Eliard Manor.
As befitted Ethercia’s most influential family, a sense of overwhelming grandeur emanated from the very main gate.
Manicured gardens, a lavish main gate, and even the formidable soldiers standing guard before it.
It was as if the main gate itself declared, ‘We are simply not of your caliber.’
‘Was this a noble’s residence or a formidable fortress?’
Swallowing a dry gulp, I felt the oppressive grandeur weigh upon me.
My gaze fell upon the strawberry custard cake I held.
Its flavor, both familiar and distinct, reminded me of the tart I had given her upon our first encounter.
This single cake held the potential to shape a future where my very life hung in the balance.
‘Surely, she would appreciate this as well.’
I recalled Ruena, savoring the tart with such unexpected delight.
Her usual impassive face had been adorned with cream as she eagerly devoured it.
It had been strangely captivating,
and, in the slightest, most minuscule way… adorable.
A mere whisper of cuteness.
Feeling an inexplicable tickle in my throat, I scratched it absently as I surveyed the manor.
‘I wonder if they would even open the gates for me…’
Despite our prior arrangement, an entire week had already elapsed.
Could she have possibly forgotten our agreement?
Truthfully, given the passage of a week, such a lapse would be entirely comprehensible.
Furthermore, I was attempting to enter without the courtesy of a formal invitation.
‘I might have no recourse, even if unceremoniously turned away at the gates.’
Just then,
“You’ve come.”
I turned at the sound of a familiar voice.
There, where my eyes landed, stood Ruena Eliard.
How long had she been standing there, unnoticed?
Beyond the formidable, wrought-iron gates, Ruena observed me with her usual impassive expression.
Utterly devoid of any discernible presence,
as if she had been an immutable fixture of the landscape from the very start.
Though slightly disconcerted, I offered a bright smile and lifted the cake box.
“I brought dessert.”
“…Dessert?”
“Yes. As promised.”
Ruena’s gaze lingered on the cake box as she murmured almost imperceptibly.
“…You didn’t forget.”
Her words, so utterly unexpected, caused me to falter for a brief moment.
Yet, I quickly recovered, offering a nonchalant smile and a nod.
“There’s no way I would forget. I did tell you I wished to befriend you.”
“Right….”
A subtle flicker, almost imperceptible, stirred within Ruena’s pink eyes.
Whether this was a mere trick of my perception or a genuine display of emotion, I could not discern.
After a moment of observing me, Ruena took a single step forward.
“…Come in.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality.”
The firmly sealed main gate began to move with a slow, deliberate grace.
****
A moment later—
The grand gate, which I had imagined would remain impenetrable, swung open with surprising ease.
Perhaps it was simply the weight of the Eliard name.
Though seemingly an ordinary event, my heart throbbed with an inexplicable excitement.
Composing my expression once more, I stepped into Eliard Manor.
‘Since I’ve come all this way, I must uncover as much as possible before I depart.’
While my head remained pointed forward,
my eyes instinctively darted to the sides, taking in my surroundings with a subtle sidelong glance.
The Noire family’s mastery of peripheral observation had been honed since childhood.
For matters of true importance invariably lay in the periphery.
Thus, while our family members presented a facade of directness, their true attention invariably lay elsewhere.
‘The garden… possessed an unnatural, almost unsettling tidiness.’
The Noire family’s primary venue for receiving guests was the grand glass dome at the heart of their garden.
Consequently, the Noire family meticulously cultivated their garden, understanding its crucial role in shaping their initial impression.
While the Eliards likely operated under a similar philosophy,
theirs transcended mere formality, instead exuding an aura of absolute control and oppressive grandeur.
‘As if even the faintest hint of imperfection would not be tolerated…’
Every element within the garden was meticulously refined.
It possessed a mechanical precision, devoid of even the slightest human touch.
This chilling perfection somehow evoked the very image of Grand Duke Eliard himself.
And,
the small girl standing before me was no different.
Ruena offered no words.
She merely walked a few paces ahead, in utter silence.
The silence deepened, stretching between us.
Yet, within that profound stillness, a torrent of information flowed into my perception.
‘This place truly… it’s profoundly different from Noire. There are many people, yet it feels utterly deserted.’
Indeed, this place radiated a far greater sense of secrecy than Noire.
While Noire strove to project an image of utmost normalcy, its outward presentation was, surprisingly, rather relaxed.
Here, however, every single aspect was meticulously controlled.
Corridors where not even the faintest whisper of a breath could be heard.
It felt as though every single one of my footsteps was under surveillance.
Furthermore—
Even the occasional servants I glimpsed,
each performed their duties with an unwavering, expressionless demeanor, devoid of any conversation.
Their breaths were suppressed,
their movements refined,
their footsteps metronomic.
Every element exuded the unmistakable scent of restrained power.
‘Perhaps I should inform Father. This place certainly presents a more imposing image.’
It was fortunate, indeed, to have gleaned such valuable information for our own family’s image cultivation.
Having concluded my initial survey of the manor, I turned my attention to Ruena’s retreating back.
Her posture was impeccably straight,
her steps unwavering.
Though she was but a small, young girl, she exuded no sense of incongruity whatsoever.
On the contrary, she seemed to belong here with an unsettling perfection.
To such an extent that it was impossible to discern whether this space had been molded in Ruena’s image,
or if Ruena herself had become an intrinsic part of its austere design.
Just then—
Ruena turned, and our eyes met.
Ruena regarded me with her customary impassive gaze.
“Let’s go to the room.”
“The room, meaning your room?”
“Yes.”
Though her face remained perfectly impassive,
I caught a fleeting glimpse of her anxiously and discreetly surveying her surroundings.
‘She truly… dislikes him. Grand Duke Eliard.’
The Eliard family forged no relationships devoid of profit, nor could one approach them without substantial justification.
It seemed even the heir’s friend was no exception to this stringent rule.
I offered a bright smile and a slight nod.
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
“…….”
“Ah, thank you for allowing me into your chambers.”
“……Yes.”
As I followed Ruena down the corridor, the oppressive aura seemed to dissipate ever so slightly.
The lighting grew brighter, and the wall decorations softened, gradually adopting a warmer hue.
It was akin to passing through a formidable outer shell into a more delicate, inner sanctum.
Yet—
Even this newfound delicacy was merely relative to the manor’s exterior.
Compared to the Noire residence, it remained stifling,
a space where every single step felt as though it required meticulous caution.
Presently, Ruena gestured towards the innermost door.
“Here.”
“I’ll enter, then.”
With a soft push,
Ruena raised her hand and gently nudged the door open.
“…….”
It was, to say the least, unexpected.
In stark contrast to the sterile corridor,
the room within was, surprisingly, rather ordinary and neatly kept.
It was neither grand nor ostentatious, possessing instead a subtle touch of human warmth.
A neatly made bed,
a desk adorned with a modest stack of books,
and, quite unexpectedly, a small teddy bear.
“Do you like teddy bears?”
“……!”
Ruena swiftly moved to the bed, concealing the teddy bear behind her back.
Her expression remained unchanged, yet,
the faint blush staining the tips of her ears betrayed her considerable fluster.
‘How endearing.’
Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of her usual impassive face with this newfound hint of cuteness that I found so intriguing.
With an air of practiced nonchalance—
I made my way to the small tea table in a corner of the room and set the cake down.
It was fortunate I had thought to bring forks and plates, just in case.
“Here, come and eat the cake.”
“…Yes.”
Stealthily—
Ruena, having carefully tucked the teddy bear further beneath the blankets, slowly approached.
‘I can still see the teddy bear’s leg poking out.’
However, good manners dictated that I feign ignorance.
This was, after all, a lesson imparted by my eldest brother—the most ‘normal’ among us—making it utterly trustworthy.
Ruena quietly settled into the chair opposite me.
I let out a soft chuckle and extended a fork towards her.
Ruena hesitated for a moment before carefully taking the fork.
A friendship commencing with a small fork—it was not a bad beginning at all.
“How is it?”
“…Pretty.”
It was a succinct observation, characteristic of her.
Yet, her gaze upon the cake was anything but brief.
‘This, indeed, had been the correct choice.’
For an initial endeavor, opting for a safer approach over a gamble was always prudent.
Rich cream and an abundance of strawberries.
A dessert akin to the strawberry tart I had offered her previously.
Yet, it offered a softer, sweeter variation through the inclusion of cake and custard cream,
surpassing the tart in its delicate sweetness.
When seeking information from another,
one introduces subtle alterations within familiar contexts, ensuring the recipient remains oblivious.
This, too, was a method of the Noire family.
I offered a warm smile, pushing the cake closer to Ruena.
“Try it. I’m sure you’ll find it delicious.”
“…….”
“Is something wrong?”
“…What about yours?”
This was, quite unexpectedly, a considerable surprise.
Ruena Eliard, concerned for my portion?
At her words, my heart skipped a beat, reacting a fraction of a second too late.
‘…Oh.’
My breath hitched briefly at the unforeseen situation, but I quickly recovered my smile.
“I’m fine. I already ate with my family before coming.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. So don’t worry about me; just eat.”
Ruena’s gaze returned to the cake.
The silver fork, suspended in the air, delicately touched the cream.
And then—
A bite-sized piece of cake was offered to me.
“……Huh?”
“Eat.”
Her face remained as impassive as ever.
Perhaps that was why my heart thrummed so strangely.
‘…No, this isn’t fair.’
My expression faltered slightly, but I quickly donned my usual composure and smiled.
“Then I’ll just have one bite.”
“Okay.”
To prolong my future by even 0.1 seconds,
Ruena ought to consume every last crumb of the cake.
However, I simply couldn’t refuse her first act of kindness, so I took the cake into my mouth.
“It’s delicious.”
“…Is it?”
“Yes. You should hurry and try it too.”
Nodding, Ruena finally took a bite of the cake.
Her expression subtly brightened.
I felt a sense of relief, realizing I had made the right choice in going to such lengths to select this particular cake.
‘Though I’ll likely become my sister’s plaything for a while…’
Letting out a tiny sigh, I watched Ruena eat the cake.
A trace of cream remained on the tip of her fork and lightly smeared her lips,
yet she made no move to wipe it away, simply savoring the cake.
Silently.
Yet, with an undeniable urgency.
It seemed Grand Duke Eliard denied his daughter even such simple desserts.
Her demeanor, in that moment, stirred a pang of pity within me.
“It’s alright. Eat at your leisure.”
“……?”
“I’m quite attuned to presences. There’s no one around.”
Ruena offered no reply.
However, the slight deceleration of her eating pace indicated that she trusted my words.
Her meal, more relaxed than before, slowly drew to a close.
Everything vanished except for the strawberry stems.
I gently wiped away the only remaining trace: the cream at the corner of her lips.
“Ah….”
“Was it delicious?”
“……Yes.”
“That’s good.”
Yes, it truly was good.
For the more delightfully the recipient ate, the greater the benefit received in return.
‘This time, please, let it be a useful future…’
Feigning to clear away the remnants, I subtly peered into Ruena’s future.
A twilight steeped in crimson.
Burning rooftops and crumbling spires.
And, a corpse lying in a pool of blood.
It was,
me.
Ruena stood, holding a black sword,
her face devoid of all emotion as she gazed down at my lifeless body.
There, the future ended.
‘…Am I going to die?!’
For a moment, I almost slammed my hand on the table.
Fortunately, I managed to maintain my composure, continuing to tidy the table as if nothing were amiss.
Hadn’t the atmosphere just been rather warm and pleasant?
Hadn’t I thought she was adorable just moments ago?
I covertly glanced at Ruena before steeling my resolve.
The future was a certainty, yet not the absolute truth.
For the future seen by the Noire family was always susceptible to change with even the slightest alteration.
‘I must prevent dying by her hand, no matter what.’
The future self I saw was still in the prime of life.
I hadn’t yet indulged in leisure, nor had I truly enjoyed life.
Above all, I had absolutely no intention of dying so pointlessly young.
‘I will change it. Whether through flattery or, if necessary, by groveling on the floor. By any means necessary.’
Just then—
One of my shoulders subtly twitched.
I sensed a presence approaching from further down the corridor.
