Side Story 53: Older Sister and Fiancé (2)

"Welcome home, Lapiria. And Roa-sama, Wickhart-sama, it's been a long time."

"Lady Riura. I'm the one who should apologize for staying away so long."

While I clung to my older sister, I watched Roa-sama and Mother converse. Then my older sister interrupted them.

"Where are Father and Grandfather?"

"Your grandfather is as usual. Belton, though... he's holed up somewhere."

Mother grinned as she looked back and forth between Roa-sama and my older sister. That seemed to get the message across. Roa-sama smiled sheepishly, looking slightly troubled, while my older sister sighed in exasperation.

"Honestly... Maybe we should just have this discussion without Father."

Roa-sama placated my older sister, whose cheeks were puffed out, saying, 'Now, now.' Seeing that, my older sister smiled and said, 'I suppose it can't be helped.'

"My, my. Showing off right after coming home, are you? I'd prefer you saved that sort of thing until after we'd had our talk."

"Oh, sorry."

"Mmph, it's not like we were being lovey-dovey..."

The two of them immediately turned red, which was rather endearing.

"I was only joking. Though we do need to hear you out properly. Come inside. Reary, Billian, would you go and get your father? If he makes up some excuse and refuses to come out, tell him Lapiria said she'd never speak to him again."

"Mother!?"

"If I don't say something that strong, that man will stay in his room over some ridiculous excuse like a stomachache. Now, you two, I'm counting on you."

"Okay! Leave it to me! Come on, Billian."

"Okay."

I grabbed Billian's hand and ran off. Mother's voice followed us from behind: "Be careful not to trip." This was a job, after all, so I had to hurry and bring Father back.

I quickly went to Father's room and knocked, but there was no response. He seemed to be out. I immediately knew where he was. Father was in one of the three libraries. Whenever something unpleasant happened, he often curled up in a corner of a room and lost himself in a story.

Billian and I split up and checked the three rooms one by one.

The first was a miss.

The second.

Father was curled up in the corner of a dim room with no windows to let in light, presumably to keep the books from being damaged.

"Father, Big Sister and the others are here. Come on, let's go to the sitting room."

He must have noticed me enter, yet Father flinched when I spoke to him.

Then, still facing away from me, he said, "I-I have a little research to do..." As Mother had predicted, I went right up behind him and repeated the exact words she had told me to say.

"If you don't attend the discussion, Big Sister said she would never speak to you again."

Mindful of the ladylike way of speaking I had recently begun to study, I tried to say it that way. Father whipped around to face me. He started to say something, lowered his head, and finally, apparently giving up, said, "Ah, I'll go later."

"N-now, Father."

"Reary... You don't have to imitate Riura's way of speaking... All right, I understand. Let's go..."

Father reluctantly rose to his feet, moving at a pace slower than a baby's. Billian and I pushed him toward the sitting room.

Grandfather and Roa-sama were already chatting in the sitting room. Wickhart-sama stood a little apart by the wall. Seeing this, I realized he had come along today strictly as an escort.

"You're late! What have you been doing?"

Father took his seat while being scolded by Grandfather.

"It's been a while."

When Roa-sama greeted him, Father managed an awkward reply.

"Now that we're all here, shall we hear what you have to say?"

At Grandfather's prompting, Roa-sama straightened his posture. My heart began pounding just watching him.

"I've come to apologize and make a report."

Father swallowed hard at Roa-sama's words.

"Actually, the engagement to Lapiria we discussed before was a sham."

"What!?"

Father froze, his face locked in shock. I was stunned too, my hand still covering my mouth.

"I'll explain the circumstances later, but first, please accept my apology."

"W-w-w-what!? Wh-what do you mean!?"

Right before my eyes, Father rose to his feet, visibly shaken.

But then I noticed Grandfather and Mother. Huh? Neither had changed expression at all. They were looking at Roa-sama as though they had known about this in advance.

"I understand how you feel, Belton-sama, but please let me finish. Although the engagement we discussed last time was a sham, I have come here today because I now wish to take Lapiria as my lifelong partner."

"Guhhh!"

The moment Father heard Roa-sama's words, his knees gave way and he crumpled to the floor.