“Young…Master?” Ian turned his head and stared at me, as I had walked up behind him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I shrugged my shoulders at the stares that Ian and Sera shot at me, “Well, it seems like you were talking about me…”

I looked away from Ian and to Stein, who was standing there with a serious expression and arms crossed--he seemed to be annoyed.

“Young Master!”

Ian and Sera’s faces suddenly entered my view as I was exchanging looks with my father.

“Huh, yeah?”

“Where…just where have you been?!”

“Yes! Do you know how worried Ian and I were?”

Their faces were filled with worry.

Ian and Sera’s expressions were completely different; Ian’s face had gone red, as if he were about to cry, Sera’s face had gone snow-white and she looked like she was about to go hysteric.

They seemed so worried, and while I didn’t like the old man, I didn’t want to worry him too much. As for Sera, she was Mother’s maid, and she was very attractive--my first crush--so I didn’t like worrying her either.

As I was thinking, Ian suddenly grabbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

“I-Ian!” Sera was right next to Ian and managed to support him before his legs gave out.

“I-Is he alright?” I felt an unexpected worry, stepping forward and asking Sera.

She quickly checked his pulse and then sighed in relief, “Haah, he’s just unconscious…”

Slowly, she turned her head and peeked behind her, “…”

She seems to have forgotten that Count Stein was still standing there, silently, watching events with an unreadable expression.

Sera quickly bowed to him, silently asking him to forgive Ian for his shameful display.

“Riley.” Stein said my name.

“Yes.” I replied instantly.

It would be annoying if he were to get angry right now.

“What’s that?” Stein asked, pointing at the paper bag that was still in my left hand.

“Huh? Ahh, this?”

Well, I expected that he would notice it, since it made a muffled sound whenever it moved.

“It’s popcorn.

“Pop…corn?”

Of course he seemed confused, this food isn’t natural to this world, so he had never heard of it.

“It’s a snack made from corn, and I wanted to eat some today, so I made some. I was intending to share it with mother…but would you like some as well?”

“Young Master, you’d go to the kitchen alone, when there are assassins around, for that…” Sera’s sapphire-blue eyes widened.

It was obvious that she was glad that Ian wasn’t awake to witness this.

“But, there was no one when I went to the kitchen…Young Master, wait, what’s that?” As she was pointing out the fact that there was no one in the kitchen when she inspected it, she tilted her head.

She saw the stain on my sleeves.

“This is…I accidentally ate to much, too quickly and threw up.”

I avoided her eyes, I didn’t want to see the exasperation on her face. I explained that I had wiped it on my sleeves, and then I apologized before she could scold me.

“...Stop.”

Before Sera could say anything else Stein opened his mouth, “Sera, you may go back to Iris’ room.”

“But…” She bit her lower lip, she was worried that I was going to be severely punished by the Count. She continued to fidget in order to stay behind, to leave some words in my defense, but Stein would have none of  it.

“You can’t hold up Ian forever, right?”

“...” Sera looked at Stein, and then at Ryan and Lloyd, who were standing by his sides. She especially looked into their eyes and noticed that the two had malicious looks--which was probably because the incident with Lady Orelly.

“Right?” Stein asked once more.

Worry was written plainly on her face--she wanted to help, but…she couldn’t disobey her master, “…Yes.”

She finally nodded and began to move.

“Young Master, please don’t anger them too much…you know what I mean, right?” She whispered to me as she slowly walked past me.

I smiled reassuringly at her, and nodded.

“...Riley.”

With Sera and Ian gone, I was standing alone on my side of the corridor, “Yes.”

“From what I’ve heard, that ‘paper’ Ian brought to me…It was you who found it?”

Well, it wasn’t a secret, so I replied honestly, “That’s right.”

I showed respect to my father, standing straight with my hands clasped behind me. As I moved my hands, the popcorn made muffled sounds.

“You…” As if the quiet sounds annoyed him, Lloyd came forward with a strained look on his face, “Our mother has just been banished, and you think it’s alright to eat snacks?!”

I had done more than had Orelly banished…her body would probably already be food for the wild animals. Of course, I wouldn’t let them know about that--I had already thought of a plan where I acted oblivious.

I replied with a question, opening my eyes wide and trying to looked both confused and shocked, “Ba…nished? Lady Orelly?”

“Don’t act dumb! Riley!”

“No, what just happ-…”

“Riley!”

“...” I deliberately flinched at his shout.

If someone who didn’t know the real me were to see this, it would simply look like a confused little brother scared of his older brother.

“That paper, didn’t you fabricate it yourself?”

Well, it seems that Lloyd was too angry, logic and reason had disappeared from his mind.