Jasmine went back to the library and found her brother, Jamie, standing there reading the opened books about healing formulas.
"Is Lady Ponterise sick?"
"No, she asked me something."
Jamie raised his eyebrow and scoffed, "Of course, she would. She's an idiot."
Jasmine slapped her brother's arm.
"If you continue that, I'm really going to get mad."
"Alright, alright." Jamie raised his hands in defeat.
"But Jamie, seriously, why are you so hostile towards her?" Jasmine crossed her arms and stared at Jamie. "I haven't seen you like this since you first met me."
"Oh, that." Jamie tilted his head and smirked. "Why do I have to tell you?"
Jasmine gasped and furrowed her eyebrows. "Because she's my friend! I don't like that my brother is being like that to her."
Jamie sighed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before saying, "All I'll say is that our first meeting wasn't pleasant. I doubt she remembers it since she didn't look alarmed when she met me."
Jasmine pursed her lips. "But Nera is such a nice person... how would she have a bad first impression? Was it during your coming-of-age party? When you told me she was an idiot?"
Jamie nodded, "But what did Lady Ponterise ask you?"
Jasmine blinked a few times before answering, "You really don't want to tell me about it, huh?" She sighed. "But...you're curious?"
"You should ask when I'm not."
"Lady Ponterise."
"Yes, not curious about meatheads at all."
"Jamie!"
Jamie chuckled and shrugged, "You said so."
Jasmine groaned out of frustration and glared at her older brother.
"Well, what is it?"
Jasmine smirked and mimicked his words, "I don't have to tell you that."
Jamie had a poker face on and was about to walk out of the room, only for Jasmine to grab his sleeve.
Jasmine sighed. "Fine, fine. You will be able to help me help her so I'm going to answer," Jamie chuckled at her explanation. "She was curious if there was another way to heal without magic."
Jamie's eyes showed shock and his crossed arms fell down to his sides.
"Lady Ponterise was curious of something as complex as that?"
"It's not as complex if you heard it from her. She told me she got curious about it because she wanted to know the common illnesses and noticed that magic was used to heal everything."
"...That's right. It is used to heal everything. Why would we need something else?"
Jasmine sneered at her brother's continuous questions. She knew that he was going to answer the same things she said to Nera, and he was going to be curious about this too.
"What if there was an illness that couldn't be healed by magic?"
"Impossible,"
'He's my brother, alright. He said the exact same thing I said.'
Although they have been only family for three years, they immediately had a connection and they got close by talking about various things with the same level of intelligence.
Jamie covered his mouth and furrowed his eyebrows, "But what if indeed?"
"We'd be in big trouble." Jasmine sighed, then tapped the table in front of her. "But you know... she also mentioned if plants could be that alternative."
"Huh?" Jamie's expression was full of suspicion and confusion. "Plants, specifically? What does that have to do with anything she mentioned?"
Jasmine shrugged and closed the books in front of her. "I have no clue either, but judging from how she told me, it looked like she was sure it was going to work."
"Then why ask you to do it?" Jamie tilted his head. "Not only is she an idiot, but also suspicious."
Jasmine furrowed her eyebrows at his use of adjectives, but for his suspicion, it wasn't out of the blue. "I don't mind it for now since if plants are effective to help people, this is going be revolutionary." She pointed a book at him with a serious look.
Jamie sighed and closed his eyes. "...I'll give this point to Lady Ponterise."
"Told you, she's not much of an idiot as you think."
"Just ten points, so now she's up with zero points."
Jasmine rolled her eyes, "Enough with your pointing system... Just help me with this."
Jamie laughed at her words and they both continued to work on the words that Nera gave them as guidance.
***
Nera arrived at the Ponterise estate but as she went out of her carriage, she saw another carriage in front of her.
The carriage was white, clean of any dirt, with a crest that had the head of an elephant, tooting its trunk upwards with white flowers around it.
"Vanderwale crest?" She mumbled and then walked inside the house with haste.
"Why didn't you talk about me with your daughter!? Answer me, old man?!" Duke Ian's cries were heard even from the entrance.
Peryani immediately noticed her daughter and waved at her from the lobby.
Nera saw Duke Ian pulling Marquess Namilde's collar. Her father looked as nonchalant as ever in opposition to the Duke having full of expressions.
"What's happening?" Nera asked her mother.
"Oh, dear. Friend quarrel."
"So, Duke Vanderwale is really best friends with Father?"
Peryani pointed her fan towards the one-sided arguing men, "You can be the judge."
"Ah..." Nera awkwardly laughed.
If they weren't best friends, the Duke must be full of bruises by now. Not that the Duke is weak but the Marquess is way stronger than him, but since the Marquess wasn't fighting back by any means, that just lead to the real meaning of their relationship.
"But why did father keep it a secret from me?"
"He makes decisions one day and holds them for as long as he can."
"Huh?"
"It's best if you hear it from them." Peryani pushed her daughter in front of the arguing men that didn't notice the child in front of them.
"...!"
"Welcome back, Nera."
"I'm back before dusk, as you said."
"She's already 18 yet she still has a curfew? Unbelievable, Nami." Duke Ian let go of his friend's collar and crossed his arms.
"Only because she went to your house."
"What the--?"
"Enough." Peryani gently smiled and waved her fan in front of her face, but despite this, she was giving off immense pressure, which gave the three people in front of her goosebumps. "Stop acting like children and explain everything to her."
"Yes, Peri." Duke Ian bowed and Marquess Namilde nodded.
Only the Marchioness Ponterise can control these two masters in front of her. Peryani then glanced at her daughter and gestured to the seats.
"So, why did you not tell me anything about the Vanderwales, father?"
"Because Ian is an idiot."
"Hey, I'm way smarter than you."
"I'm way stronger than you."
"How does that add to the argument?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to say I'm better at you at something."
As Nera watched them bicker at each other, it reminded her of how she talks with her brothers. The way her father was acting in front of the Duke was foreign to her too. She has never seen him this childish before as her father was only always serious. This must mean they're closer than best friends, she thought.
Peryani stopped them from talking nonsense once again with her hitting her fan on the table.
'My mother is scary to be able to control them like this.'
Namilde cleared his throat and regained the posture he would always have in front of his daughter. Ian snickered at his actions.
"Are you acting like you're serious now?"
"That's the way father always acts..." Nera interjected which made Ian's laugh grow larger.
His laugh was short-lived as he received a hit on the shoulder from Namilde.
'I must not know much about my father then...' Nera looked down on the floor and it showed on her face that she was a bit disappointed.
"Oh no, look, you keep on lying to your child that it makes her sad."
"...!" Namilde looked at Nera immediately and saw the expression that she has. "Nera..."
"Huh?" She looked toward her father and gave him a small smile. "Yes, father?"
"I'm sorry... I lied to you all this time."
Nera tilted her head.
"Why? It's fine if you act differently in front of me, it wouldn't change how I think about you, father." She smiled.