It was during the dinner time.
Lloyd came to the front of Ryan’s door and knocked on the door a few times.
“Big Brother, it’s me.”
He wasn’t sure how long he waited after he knocked, but he could hear the reply a little while later.
“…Come in.”
After getting the permission, Lloyd carefully opened the door and entered the room. It appeared Ryan was not the only one inside the room.
“Sister in law, it has been a while.”
“Oh dear… Sister in law… I’m so embarrassed.”
The woman who was called as the sister in law by Lloyd, the woman wearing a graceful dress, responded as she blushed.
“It has been a while since I saw you last, Young Master Lloyd. You look so different compared to how you were several years ago. I think it would be difficult to joke that you look like a child now.”
Annabelle Mogared.
It was the name of the woman who was engaged to Ryan two years ago. To the people, she was a woman more well known as the daughter of the Mogared House.
“So. What is she like?”
After Lloyd and Annabelle greeted each other, Ryan quickly walked next to Lloyd and asked.
He was asking about Nainiae, the one who Riley brought in as a new servant.
“Well, she was as we expected.”
Lloyd shrugged with a confident face.
He didn’t have much to report.
As expected, that was all.
“It seems she is just a lass with nothing extraordinary about her. I went and took a glance at how she was doing in her sword training taught by Sera… It didn’t look like she was particularly good in her sword skill either.”
“Hm.”
“Big Brother. You worry too much. If I must point out anything unique about her, there was a disgusting scar on her face that almost made me puke, and she is missing two fingers on her right hand.”
That horrible scar.
Those disgusting fingers.
Other than those, it could be said Nainiae had quite a fair face, but those problems were cutting down even that one good thing about her appearance.
“Honestly, even I think it is strange, and it makes me wonder too. I’m talking about why that runt Riley brought in a lass like that and made her work in the mansion.”
Lloyd continued as he shook his head.
Even on his second thought, he just could not get used to that face.
“Afterall, Riley’s taste in woman was always a mystery. If he has a thing for something like that, well…that would explain why he brought in a lass like her and made her settle in the mansion.”
As if he was trying to say he had no idea of his brother born from a different mother liked that kind of woman, Lloyd murmured as he wiggled the corners of his mouth.
“I’m sorry I’m not able to maintain the expression on my face. I couldn’t help myself because it was so funny when I just thought about it.”
Lloyd was thinking about paying back Riley for making a fool out of him with the medal when he returned to the mansion from Solia.
Lloyd was thinking he would be able to make fun of Riley with this, so he was not able to hold himself from laughing.
“Still, it is so strange. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something wrong with all this.”
“Seriously. Big brother, you doubt people too much. He isn’t called the Lazy Sword inside and outside the mansion for no reason.”
Having heard what his older brother said, Lloyd stopped laughing and shrugged.
It was because it looked like there was no need to mind it no matter how many times Lloyd went over it. He felt that there was no reason to worry about Riley or the lass named Nainiae that he brought.
“In that case, should I take a look for you as well?”
Lloyd was looking at Ryan, but after hearing the question, Lloyd turned his head toward Annabelle.
“Sister in law, would you like to?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I visited Iphalleta mansion, so I have to greet young master Riley as well, so… Tomorrow, I can whenever I find the time.”
“Will you be all right?”
Ryan looked at Annabelle with a gaze of someone that genuinely worried about his beloved.
In response, Annabelle gave a refreshing smile and she put forth an expression on her face that said not to worry.
“Of course.”
***
Nainiae’s schedule for the day was pretty busy during the morning when Ian was next to Riley.
“Now… Is it the right timing?”
“No. The tea is not quite brewed yet. Try again.”
With Sera supervising, Nainiae's maid training and tasks were completed within that time. Also, in middle of all these, she was also trained in swordsmanship.