It was a  little after lunch the day after I returned from learning my Innate Type, and I decided to read instead of napping.

I had decided that Nainiae’s new job was to be my hug-pillow at night--so I could actually sleep; she didn’t mind the job.

Pulling my mind back from remembering how she had assisted me with Annabelle yesterday afternoon--they thought I was asleep--I looked back down at the book in my hand.

It was a book on Magic, one that Nainiae had insisted that I read it during her time working and training with Sera; it was for my Magic lesson with her after she was done.

“...Young Master.”

I was turning the page of the book when Ian spoke, I lifted my eyes from the words and met his.

“Have you heard?”

Well, that was a rather general question.

I looked away from him and back at the book in my hands. Of course, since it was an assignment from Nainiae for my Magic lesson, it was a book on Magic--one of the few in the mansion.

For a mansion with a comprehensive library, it had very few books on Magic.

It was a fiction title ‘The Legend of a Certain Mage.’ Half of it was true--which is the half that Nainiae wanted me to figure out and learn from--the other half was something I wouldn’t let Iris catch me reading.

I would have given it a higher score, if it wasn’t the part about a ‘Magic Swordsman’ that seemed to have only been forced into the story just so that there was enough swords that it wasn’t completely rejected from the library.

“During yesterday evening…” Ian continued.

“What happened?” I didn’t bother to look up from the book.

“Nainiae obliterated the training dummy--she cut it clean in half with a single strike.”

“Hmm?”

That got my attention and I looked up at Ian--this sounds like it would be more interesting than the overly unrealistic romance arc I was currently in the middle of reading.

I grabbed the cup of tea that Ian presented to me, “She shouldn’t have managed to do that--she’s a Mage, and still rather frail.”

“I agree.” Ian Riley suddenly smiled widely and said, “By the way…”

Unlike his smiling face, his voice was serious.

I looked more closely at him.

“The training dummy that she struck…was brand new--except when a ‘certain someone’ struck it once, a few weeks ago, before saying ‘I’m sick of it’ as he left.”

“...”

“No matter how talented Nainiae may be--she has difficulties with her hand. So, how do you think she managed to cut it down so cleanly?” Ian’s eyes stayed glued to mine as he mumble and stroked his beard.

“Well, I heard she had perfect form, because she learned from Sera.” I rolled my eyes at him and said.

“Young Master…By any chance, do you know anything about this?”

“...I’m not sure?” I turned back to the page and answered nonchalantly.

“Could it be that she used Magic? Sera doesn’t know much about Magic, so maybe that rascal was sneaky about it and tricked her,”

I was ignoring him and still looking at my book, and Ian sighed, and poured more tea into my cup.

“...Oh my? Young Master Riley?”

A clear, female voice sounded from behind.

“This is unexpected. You’re reading today instead of sleeping.”

The woman was wearing a pair of high-heeled, very shiny and fashionable, shoes--which she impressively managed to use to navigate the soft grass of the garden.

Annabelle Morgred, Ryan’s fiancee, made an entrance.

Ian briefly lowed his head, to pay his respects, his face hardening.

“Since you can’t hold a sword, if you do something like reading, it’s not so bad--it looks much better than you taking a nap.” Annabelle looked down as she was speaking, to see what I was reading.

After having a quick glance at the contents of the book’s open pages…her face flushed a deep crimson and she staggered back a step, “Y-Young Master Riley…You read such things in public?”

She happened to look at the page, in one of the worst sections.

With a sigh, I rolled my eyes and showed her the cover in the book.

Covering her still steaming face with a fan, she spoke, “Umm? Magic? Young Master--you’re not serious about it, right? Magic in Iphelleta House? Ahahaha! You just read it for t-those kinds of s-scenes…don’t you?”

I ignored the woman, and opening the book again, I started reading --which was surprisingly difficult to do in front of a woman. I was glad that neither Sera nor Iris were here.

Annabelle quickly looked at the tree trunk above me, and continued talking, “I heard that you even received a Medal of Honour from Solia Castle, that you apprehended Grand Mage Astroa with a Mage--is that why you became interested in Magic?”

Her voice was a little shaky and her eyes swam…though she pretended to be fine as she antagonized me--I saw her rapidly glance at the book in my hands a few times.

“Even Magic takes talent, don’t you think? How should I say this…It seems a little h-ha--…” She coughed, “…Difficult for someone like you, doesn’t it? Well, either way, I don’t think that you will be getting a good result.”

She was saying that either way, be it Magic or the sword, I would fail.

I could see Ian start steaming from the ears, barely containing himself, he seemed to have reached his breaking point…these were the signs that he would say something idiotic soon.

Suddenly, having passed the awkward scene in the book, I found something hilarious and couldn’t help but break out in laughter, “This is nonsense. If Enda saw it, she would be rolling on the ground!”

Then I saw the note that Nainiae had written next to it; she wanted me to figure out what was real and what wasn’t--but she added a note to make sure I didn’t accidentally think that it was real.

I think Ian thought that my finding something funny was that I hadn’t realized the situation, “Young Master?”

Hmm, I can use this to insult her--and annoy her…If someone tried to make me angry, I would return it two-fold.

“Umm, what? If it’s about the training dummy, I’ll talk to Nainiae later.”

“You have a guest…”

At his words, I deliberately looked up slowly, as though confused; I could see the rage in Annabelle’s eyes, thinking that she had been completely ignored.

I finally turned my head enough that my eyes met Annabelle’s.

She was the first to greet me, “Ah, how do you do? Young Master Riley.”

Of course, this was the second time she had greeted me.

Her cheeks twitched a few times, before she managed to tilt her head to the side and smiled sweetly--or at least tried to. The way that her cheeks and corners of her lips twitched, made it obvious that it was a forced smile.

I stared at her face with a  ‘confused’ look and looked to Ian, quietly asking, “…Who is this?”

He suddenly started sweating, “It’s Miss Annabelle.”

“Anna what?”

Annabelle’s fingers started twitching, the ones holding the now closed fan, began to loosen and tighten rhythmically--she looked like she wanted to attack me.

It took all my years worth of experience with acting to not break out in laughter--I never did practice acting, but 1,018 years of life meant you could pick up on some skills even without practice.

“She is Miss Annabelle, Young Master Ryan’s…”

“Ahh!”

I was sure that Ian would see through the look of ‘revelation’ on my face--but he didn’t seem to. He had been living at my side for 18 years, yet couldn’t read me well yet. It was sad.

But, of course, I wasn’t done irritating the noble daughter before me.

“Is she my big brother’s maid?”

“...”

“...?!”

“N-No, Young Master…Miss Annabelle is not a maid…”

“--That’s enough, Ian!”

Annabelle turned around before either Ian or I could say anything more, she took firm steps back towards the mansion.

Watching her back, I couldn’t help but let out a smirk.

“Y-Young Master?” Ian asked with wide eyes.

“Annoying woman.”

I only let out two words before opening the book again.

Ian at first looked like his head was going to explode, followed by shock and awe--and a gamut of emotions.

***

Inside the mansion, Nainiae had just finished washing the dishes, her last job for the day. She was on her way towards the training arena to have training in the sword, with Sera, but she saw Annabelle walking towards her.

“How dare he--How dare he…” She was muttering in an incensed tone, breathing hard and storming along.

It looked like something had happened.

Nainiae noticed Annabelle and looked in the direction that she had come from.

‘It looks like she is coming from the garden. Did she run into master?’

It was a straight corridor, so Annabelle, even though she was stomping along and ranting in rage, saw Nainiae standing at out of the way and against the wall with her head lowered.

Annabelle’s brows furrowed.

When their eyes met, Nainiae acted on Sera’s teaching and lowered her head.

“Hmph!”

Annabelle had the thought of making a fool out of Nainiae, since she was Riley’s servant, but she just snorted and stomped away.

“He dared to ignore me? Just wait. I’ll make him regret it. How could…How could the Lazy Sword dare too…” Annabelle mumbled as she stalked past Nainiae.

With the voice finally fading behind her, Nainiae lifted her head. Turning around, she narrowed her eye as she glared at the back of Annabelle’s retreating form.

“Nainiae, did I keep you waiting?”

Sera, who went off for a quick errand and gone somewhere else for a moment, rushed back and tapped Nainiae on the shoulder.

“Nainiae?” Sera was standing right next to Nainiae, and when she couldn’t hear any response, she checked the look on Nainiae’s face and tilted her head in confusion when she saw the annoyance and determination.

“Miss Sera, could you please wait in the training arena?”

“Pardon?”

“I was suddenly struck with the feeling that I hadn’t cleared out the last of the garbage, so I need to go and check it out.”