You're doing something praiseworthy."
Cade slowly took the bread and ate it. Looking at the bread going into his mouth, I asked.
"It's good?"
"Yes. It's delicious."
"Do you want one more?"
"Well. If you want to grow up quickly, you should eat it."
Cade tapped my cheek.
I rubbed it with a smile at the satisfaction of having accomplished something. The atmosphere of the restaurant, which had been subdued, began to come to life again.
Now I can eat comfortably.
I stabbed the pre-sliced meat with a fork and put it in my mouth.
Cade, who was looking at me like that, muttered.
"I feel it every time, but it's worth spending money on things."
"Hmm?"
"What should I buy after this chair?"
"…No, I don't need anything."
I was startled by Cade's question. Because it reminded me of a gift I had received in the past. Even then, he said that it was a gift, but what he gave me was a land that was huge enough to be called a realm.
If something like that happens again, I might lose my mind.
"You're not too greedy." (Cade)
"I suppose it's because she has everything she needs." (Baharn)
"Is that so?" (Cade)
It seemed like a situation where I couldn't keep my mouth shut, but if I said something wrong here, something big would happen.
It was because he had the momentum of a commander in a war. He seemed to bring whatever I wanted right in front of my eyes in a second.
No way....
He wouldn't go that far.
…Would he?
Seeing Cade seriously ponder, my guesses might become a reality, so I kept my mouth shut.
Baharn, who had been in trouble like me, uttered a hint.
"How about the new products of the Marinette Clan?"
"The Marinette?"
"Yes. It seems there are a lot of things that she would like."
Marinette? What kind of clan is that? It was the first time I had ever heard of them.
Cade nodded his head with a face that accepted the suggestion.
"I see. Well, I'm sure it will be worth the price this time too."
"I'm sure it will… but it might take a little while. There are a lot of people waiting in line to buy their stuff."
"Tell them that I'll buy everything that Marinette deals with."
"After all, they do love money. That way, you won't have to wait."
The conversation between the two was very serious. My heart raced at the prospect of the immediate implementation of the plan. It was clear that the amount was beyond my imagination, considering that Cade, who is incredibly rich by my standards, usually buys expensive things.
That was too burdensome.
Then Seth pointed to the chair I was sitting on.
"That chair was also brought from the Marinette Clan, Irene."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Because the emblem on the side of the chair is the seal of the Marinette Clan."
"...Gasp."
Looking at the side Seth pointed to, I covered my mouth. I could feel my confused pupils shaking wildly.
Because it wasn't the first time I'd seen it.
It was a star embedded in the center of several layers of oval circles stacked above each other. In fact, this was something I saw very often.
It was a pattern that was not uncommon to see on objects and toys I used every day.
Were those things so expensive?
...Are you saying that all the things I've been casually painting, pasting, and ripping are ridiculously expensive?
I asked in a trembling voice.
"Uh, how… how expensive is it? A lot of my things have this seal…"
I didn't think much of it because Rosaria held it in my hand as if it were nothing…
As I meekly asked with a tearful face, Seth's lips twitched upwards.
"By general standards, it could be said to be very expensive."
"…Actually, there's a lot of these in my room."
They were piled like a mountain. Rosaria brought stuff every time a new toy came out.
"It will exceed at least dozens of gold coins. After all, the Marinette Clan is famous for having the most outstanding technology on the continent."
In an instant, a series of scenes flashed through my mind.
Some toys were broken because I missed them. Maybe a lot of money went down the drain because of me.
Arban snorted his nose as I made a worried face.
"Don't make such a serious face with only this much. Even if you spend that much money, the Clan won't even flinch."
"...Really?"
"What do you take our family as? Just because you bought a few toys doesn't mean we go broke. It's okay to fill the room."
"Phew, that's good to know."
I sighed in relief and took a deep breath.
Cade, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, said to Baharn.
"Did you see it, Baharn?"
"Yes, I did. I was very moved to see the young lady who is already concerned about the family's finances."
"I guess this is the fun of raising children."
"Then shall I put an order for Marinette in advance?"
"Let's do that."
Cade gladly answered.
Why is the conversation going like this again? I looked at Seth with dumbfounded eyes, and he said.
"Give up, Irene. That'll make things easier."
The meal took much longer than expected.
I rolled my eyes as I watched the desserts come out one after another. After Baharn left to really place an order to the Marinette Clan, the atmosphere became seriously quiet.
I felt again that the people in here did not intend to have a conversation unless someone spoke first.
Besides, after dinner is over, which was the original purpose of gathering, it seemed obvious that everyone would go back to their room without looking back, so I asked Seth.
"Brother Seth."
"What?"
Seth, who was drinking tea, answered slowly.
"What have you been up to?"
"…Why are you suddenly curious about that?"
"Just because."
"What?"
Seth looked at me in silence with a puzzled face.
…Is this not it?
I thought we usually have this kind of conversation when we have a meal together with family. But there was only an awkward silence for a long time.
When there was no answer for a while, Cade's gaze slowly turned to Seth. He seemed to show interest in the topic of conversation.
When everyone's attention was drawn to my question, Seth reluctantly opened his mouth.
"I read a book and took a succession class."
"Really. What else?"
"…When I have free time, I sometimes go for a walk."
"And?"
"No. Why are you asking these questions?"
Seth frowned softly.
He had a look on his face that he could not understand why I keep talking about things that have no meaning or reason.
With this I realized.
Whenever everyone met, it was clear that they had never shared their regards with each other. It was very likely that even such a small exchange should have a reason to exist.
"I was just curious…"
"Why are you curious about this?"
That's... I'm curious because it's a family.
"It's natural to ask about the well-being of your family members, Seth."
"…But even Father didn't ask me."
"I've been watching how you guys are doing, and I know you got a perfect score on all these tests."
At Cade's words, Seth's eyes widened slightly.
He seemed embarrassed but in a good mood. Looking at his reaction, it seems he didn't know that Cade kept an eye on his daily routine.
I was greatly impressed Seth got a perfect score on the test. I knew that the contents of the successor class were very difficult, but he still got full marks.
"Wow. Brother Seth is really smart."
"…It wasn't too difficult."
"Very cool."
"Well done, Seth."
As Cade's praise continued, Seth coughed and looked away. He seemed to have no immunity to being praised.
Still, it didn't seem like he felt bad. This is because Seth did not show any dislike for the trivial questions that followed.
"Where do you go for a walk?"
"…To the indoor garden on the third-floor or towards the annex of the mansion."
"I went there to play too. Why didn't I see you?"
I couldn't go often because it was far away. Seth seemed to be mostly walking away from the manor.
I had a good feeling that the flow of the conversation was going smoothly. I grinned and looked at Arban, the next to be questioned.
Arban, who met my eyes, was startled and confused. He looked slightly nervous as he sensed it was his turn now.
At the same time, he seemed to be expecting a little bit that I would ask him questions. It seemed that Arban had never been asked a question like this before. It was very strange and unique.
Why has no one ever asked them how they've been? I was very curious about how they had managed to maintain the shape of a family during that time.
"What about Brother Arban?"
"Wh-what?"
"How have you been? You didn't skip classes did you?"
"Hey! When did I say I skipped classes!"
Arban shrieked, twitching his shoulders.
Not knowing what to do, he looked terrified for fear that he might be caught if he looked into Cade's eyes.
You sneaked out of class this time too. There was a judging look on Seth's eyes, who looked at Arban as if he was pathetic.
"…I only skipped once."
"I heard that Kasana is having a hard time looking for you every class."
"..."
"You are pretty good."