The day after I talked with Caron. About halfway through the morning and halfway through the afternoon, I decided to take care of the other problem.
Orca and I are sitting at the same table we used last night.
Orca, facing me, was as stiff as ever. His body was rigid and her ears and tail are fully stretched out. He was on full alert.
Even if I tried to approach him, it would be difficult with such a stubborn attitude. First of all, I had to do something to get him to relax.
"Orca, this tea has a relaxing effect. If you don't mind, try it."
"I-I understand…"
Orca nodded his head with a voice that sounded as if it was about to disappear.
He then slowly sips the tea.
It seemed to suit his taste better than he had anticipated, and despite his slightly surprised expression, he continued to sip the tea. In a blink of an eye, the cup was empty, and with a huff, he sets it down on the saucer.
From what I could see, it seems that Orca's tension has eased. The power of tea was greater than I thought.
"Did you like it?"
"...! Y-Yes!"
Hmmm, still no good, huh? As soon as I called out to him, he stiffened up. I guess I'll have to spend more time with him.
With a wry smile, I poured more tea for Orca from the pot on the table.
Seeing this, Orca sat up with a panicked look on his face.
"Here. If you like it, you can have some more. There's plenty more where that came from."
"Y-You don't need to pour the tea for me, Zechs-sama! I-I can do it myself!"
"It's fine, don't worry. This is something I do all the time."
I often leave it to Shion, but I pour tea for each other at every tea party with Caron. If necessary, I also do it at social gatherings with the servants, which I hold irregularly. Of course, I do this on the assumption that the information will not be leaked to the outside world.
And to begin with—
"I'm the one who blended and prepared this tea, you know?"
—This was one of my hobbies in my previous life. That being said, I had multiple certifications in tea-related fields. There were similar varieties in this world, so I have been experimenting with different blends. This tea was one of them.
Orca seems quite astonished by my comment that his eyeballs look like it's about to spill out.
Well, I'm aware that it doesn't suit me, but isn't it a bit too much to react like that?
"Was it really that surprising…?"
When I asked him, she let out an "Ah." and bowed his head vigorously.
"I-I'm very sorry! I-I didn't mean to disrespect Zechs-sama's hobby—!"
"I-I'm not accusing you, so please raise your head. You don't need to apologize because I was just wondering…"
The reaction was so excessive that even I was flustered. I approached him as he was bobbing his head up and down, and nudged him to calm down.
He is obviously afraid of me. I wonder what they told him before he came to Foranada?
With some dismay, I waited for the right moment and asked the question again.
"Once again, Is it strange that I enjoy blending tea?"
"I-It's not like that, but…"
The way he shrinks back with slightly teary eyes is so adorable that I can't believe he's a guy. I'm not happy at all, though, because it's the result of him being scared of me.
I then shrug my shoulders.
"I've been telling you from the beginning, don't be too formal. I want you to choose the right time and place, or TPO, but in general, I want you to be more open-minded."
When I spoke to him in a gentle, admonishing manner, he seemed to finally understand that I meant what I said. After a pause, he begins to move her mouth.
"I-I was surprised because you were different from a son of a high-ranking noble that I imagined."
A high-ranking noble refers to a title above that of a count. Orca's previous family was a baron, and therefore a lower nobility. Orca's previous family was a baron, and therefore a lower ranking.
"Imagined?"
"Uhh…"
"I won't be offended by anything you say. I swear to God."
"Ehhh…"
In the Holy Kingdom, a religious nation, vowing to God is inviolable. It is not something that can be easily broken, and if an aristocrat violates it, it will be capital punishment.
Orca was frightened by my heavy words but continued speaking.
"Uhmm, that's…H-Higher-ranking nobles tend to be arrogant and treat others as if they were toys…a-and they also take pleasure in bullying those of lower status…"
"Ah…"
I gave him a distant look.
I had an idea of the son of a high-ranking nobleman who would do such a thing.
Of course, they are the Foranada siblings in the game. They treat commoners as if they were tools, and they have no qualms about hitting nobles of lower rank than themselves. They enjoy the misfortune of others, and the day they see someone happy, they plot behind the scenes to crush it. They were complete outcasts.
And Orca's image of the upper nobility is not far off the mark. Not all of them, but there are those who are corrupted by their status. For example, the aristocrats that looks down on Baron Byakudai, Orca's family.
However, I have come to understand many things.
Perhaps Orca was harassed by the sons of a rival faction from the time he was in Baron Byakudai's territory. In addition, I have a feeling that my parents have heard about his backstory.
Knowing all about the ugly side of the human with Higher-ranking, it was only natural that he would close his heart to us, who are children of the same ranking.
However, Orca's attitude up until now cannot be tolerated.
Of course, the root of all evil is the aristocrats who look down on others.
However, it is not good to assume that just because you have encountered a bad precedent, others will follow suit. Even as an aristocrat, you have to be able to shake hands with someone you dislike with a smile.
It may be unreasonable to ask this of a six-year-old, but the nobility cannot use age as an excuse. Baron Byakudai's lack of education is probably to blame in this area.
So, what should I do about it? It takes time to wipe off the adhering ideas once they have become ingrained. It was a difficult task, although I thought it would be somewhat quicker since he's still a child.
I guess he'll just have to get used to it little by little. I should consider a yearly plan.
I decided that this isn't possible to do this with a few tea parties. At the earliest, it would take about a year.
For now, all we can do is tell him sincerely that we are on his side.
"Orca."
I looked at Orca and said the word in a serious tone of voice.
He immediately tries to look away, but I stop him by calling his name again.
"I don't think you can believe it right now, but we Foranada are on Orca's side. On paper, we're already a family. Is there anyone who hurts a family?"
"No, but…"
Orca answers timidly.
I wonder if the "but" will be followed by deep-rooted thinking like, "The higher-ranking nobles are different..."
I hold back a sigh and continue.
"We won't betray you. At least, Caron and I are definitely on Orca's side. Because the three of us are siblings."
"Siblings…"
I believe he had two older brothers. He must have recalled memories because of the various ties he had with the Byakudai family. Orca let out a somewhat emotional voice.
"That's right… Even if you don't believe me, get involved. If you don't know anything, you don't know if they'll betray you. I want you to talk to us, like friends, and not just be on guard all the time."
People are creatures that grow more likable the longer they interact with one another. Even if it isn't possible right now, the more he talks with us, the more he will open up.
"....."
Orca nodded silently in response to my words.
I guess that's about it for today. What happens next will depend on future efforts.
From that day on, Orca no longer reserved and exchanged more words. I think the day is not far off when he will fit in at Foranada.