Chapter 7 …

“Really… Is this one clause all you want?”

“Yes.”

I asked cautiously, surprised by how simple the clause was, but received a firm and unwavering reply.

“It overlaps with the first clause I wrote.”

Worried he might not have read the contract carefully and just added something, I pointed it out again.

“What I want isn’t just for you to adapt. Once you get used to life in the duke’s house, I hope you’ll come to consider it your real home.”

“……”

“And maybe… even be happy.”

The duke’s face looked momentarily warm as he said those words. He quickly returned to his usual stern expression, though.

An inexplicable tightness filled my chest.

‘Have I grown soft because I’ve been left alone in a strange place?’

The duke, who still mourns his long-dead wife and couldn’t let go of his lost daughter to the point of adopting a child who resembled her—seeing someone so sincere about family made me miss my real parents back in my original world.

At the same time, I remembered the first moment I returned to this world. The dark alley, the cold sensation of metal… even up to the point where I lost consciousness. If I let myself be swayed by small kindnesses and emotions, I’d lose my head for the second time. If I want to return to my original world, I need to harden my heart.

I touched my neck and reaffirmed my resolve.

But seeing the duke carefully take the completed contract stirred my emotions again.

Even though I had real parents somewhere, it felt strange to be adopted into another family. It was confusing.

Perhaps noticing my unease, the duke spoke, as if to reassure me.

“The adoption paperwork will be processed by tomorrow.”

“That’s… pretty fast.”

Considering this is a medieval-like setting, I thought it would take months.

“Normally, yes. But if the document comes from the Duke of Delphinium, things move differently.”

As expected, high status and wealth change everything.

“Now, you should meet the other children. I’ll arrange an official introduction soon.”

Bang.

Before he could finish, the office door suddenly burst open and someone stepped in.

“Father!”

Startled by the abrupt entrance, I turned to see a boy with light beige hair and pale violet eyes.

As soon as his eyes met mine, he frowned.

‘What the heck? How rude.’

I met his gaze with an equally intense glare. Trying to assert dominance at our first meeting? I wasn’t going to lose.

Perhaps not expecting that kind of reaction, the boy looked flustered and turned toward the duke.

“That’s the one you brought in?”

“Yes. Kaiden, come greet Laratia. From today, she’s your new younger sister.”

The boy, Kaiden, turned on his heel without another word, slammed the door, and stormed out.

An awkward silence fell over the office.

The duke sighed and ran a hand over his face, clearly flustered by his son’s reaction.

“Sorry about that. I thought I explained it clearly.”

You didn’t just drop it on him out of nowhere?

Even I would be surprised if my dad came back from a trip and suddenly declared, “This is your new sister,” having picked up a random girl.

“I get it. By the way, that boy looks about my age. How old is he?”

“He’s two years older than you. Kaiden is my third son.”

Knock knock.

‘Who’s this now?’

At least they knocked first—clearly more polite than Kaiden.

“Father, it’s Lucian.”

“Come in.”

So much for a formal introduction later. I was going to meet everyone here, apparently.

“That’s the girl you said was arriving today?”

“Yes. Her name is Laratia.”

Lucian quickly looked me up and down, then held out his hand.

“Hello. I’m your second brother, Lucian. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you too.”

He greeted me with a kind voice and smile, but his eyes had a chilling edge behind the warmth. I might’ve been the only one to notice.

Like Kaiden, Lucian had light beige hair. But his eyes were gray-brown, just like the duke’s. Unlike Kaiden’s soft features, Lucian’s sharp eyes made him look a bit more sensitive or edgy.

“I’m glad to have such a lovely little sister. I hope we get along well.”

“It makes me happy to see such friendly siblings. Just earlier, Kaiden left without even greeting Laratia. How rude.”

‘Sir… we’ve seen each other for like three seconds. Isn’t it a bit early to call us friendly siblings?’

“You spoiled the youngest too much, Father. I’ll go have a word with him.”

Lucian’s voice was as sweet as could be. But the contrast between his voice and the chill in his eyes gave me goosebumps.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Tia, see you later.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

“No need to be so formal. Just call me ‘brother.’ Or you can use my name.”

Lucian’s hand reached toward my head—or rather, the air above it. His palm hovered awkwardly, as if he didn’t want to actually touch me. But from the duke’s perspective, it probably looked like he patted my head, and he smiled warmly.

‘What was that… ghostly head-pat?’

Speechless, I looked up at Lucian, and our eyes met. His eyes curved slightly into a smile. Uncomfortable with his expression, I glanced away.

Lucian didn’t wait for a response and left after saying his final words. As he turned, I caught a glimpse of his face turning cold.

Reflecting on Lucian’s behavior, I came to one conclusion.

‘…Is this what they call a “realistic sibling relationship”? …I wouldn’t know—I only had younger siblings.’

In my original world, I only had two younger siblings. The sudden appearance of an older brother was foreign and awkward. With no frame of reference, I wasn’t sure how to feel about Lucian’s reaction, so I simply looked away.

Even before a formal introduction, I’d already gotten one rude brother and one shady one.

Now I wondered—what’s the third one like?

“They all seem to have strong personalities. I’m curious now. I heard you have an eldest son too. Where is he?”

“Theodore should be here soon. He must’ve heard that you arrived at the mansion by now.”

Knock knock.

Perfect timing. A boy who looked slightly more mature than the previous two entered. Though still just a kid.

The stern-faced boy looked me over as soon as he entered and said:

“Where did you pick this one up?”

“Watch your mouth. She’s your sister starting today.”

“She looks just like a beggar.”

“……”

And just like that, I was back to being a beggar.

To assess that with just a glance—this eldest son clearly had an impressive eye.

I looked down at my clothes.

They’d washed and dressed me while I slept, so I didn’t look like a beggar anymore. How did he know?

“If you were going to bring home a kid, you should’ve bought her some decent clothes too. Do you not know how sensitive girls her age are to that sort of thing?”

Theodore’s sharp comment made the duke look surprised, as if he hadn’t thought of that. The cold-faced boy looked smug.

“And jewelry—did you buy her any?”

“J-Jewelry!”

“A daughter of House Delphinium with no clothes or jewelry? If the Duke of Marmelo hears about this, we know what they’ll say.”

“Those bastards…”

The duke clenched his fists tightly.

“Isn’t the Bacarys family visiting soon too? With their daughter?”

“Oh… I forgot about that. The Bacarys girl is three years older than Laratia. They could be friends.”

The duke’s expression turned even more serious at Theodore’s words. Then Theodore shifted his gaze to me and said:

“I’m Theodore Delphinium. Your eldest brother.”

“Ah, hello. I’m Laratia.”

“‘Brother.’”

“…Sorry?”

“Try calling me ‘brother.’”

“…Huh?”