"What are you doing? Why are those flowers crooked?
"There's dust on this glass, clean all the glasses to ensure peak maintenance.
"Why's there a hole on this table-sheet? Who wishes to bring shame to Duke Juggu's name? I shall fire him!"
Mugam chuckled seeing the head maid, donned in clean white maid clothing, scurrying around leading all the arrangements.
"Quite busy you are, Claire."
Claire paused and seeing Mugam, smiled and bowed, "The day demands it, Madam."
"Certainly." Mugam nodded and as Claire pardoned herself and turned to leave, she called out to her and asked in a calm manner, "Uh, Claire! Have you been notified of today's guest list?"
"Aw!? Uh! Yes, yes madam." Claire nodded and after a moment of silence, started mentioning some names.
"Hmm. Is there, by any chance, Juggu's brother arriving too? Duke Ululus I mean."
"Oh yes, certainly." Claire nodded.
Mugam's eyes glinted, "I see. Carry on your duties then, we must certainly offer our best to him."
"Yes madam." Claire nodded and started to direct her keen eyes around.
"Quite busy." Fria muttered, peeking from the gaps between the balusters.
"Hmm!" Enix nodded, "Hectic."
"Just looking at all this tedious makes me sleepy." Fria turned round and leaned against a baluster, "I wanna see today's match between Sir Dukharam and The Crooker."
"Who are those?"
"Uh? You don't even know Sir Dukharam?" Fria asked in disbelief. Making Enix shake his head.
"Sir Dukharam is the soon-to-be captain of the royal guards. His technique with swords is something I feel to be unmatched in the whole kingdom thus far. Whilst The Crooker is a rising mercenary, he is strong, formidable with his large blade. But I believe Sir Dukharam will not even have to blink before the crooker gets crooked." Fria chuckled.
"He's that strong?" Enix asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Fria assured.
"I logically find that impossible." Enix shook his head in dismissal.
"Logically?" Fria paused and turned to stare at Enix with widened eyes.
Enix stared back dumbly, his eyes fluttering at her vivid surprise, 'Did I say something odd?'
As he muttered out his thoughts, Fria chuckled dryly and shook her head, "No... it was surprising just.
"You don't hear the word logic much in the outside word... so hearing it just felt different." Fria chuckled.
"Oh!" Enix stared into her firey eyes, eyes that seemed earnest as raging flames— earnest in the sense of burning anything that dared to approach— and fell in thought, 'Logic is rare... huh? I guess... I guess in a world where there is magic. Logic is... what is logical anyways?'
'The world looking at me as a girl as my father wants... is it illogical? Me being as I am... is it illogical? I guess... I guess...'
"Though I think..." Fria started, beckoning him out of his head, "That nothing honestly is logical... anyways.
"Just the way nothing is ever illogical."
Her words were words. Enix heard them as mere words.
And, for some reason, as he iterated them under his breath. They started to turn into something more than words.
Fria, seeing him go all silent, scratched her head with an exasperated sigh, "What I mean is... as Gruis or Papa says it... you make your logic. And you destroy your logic.
"There's nothing wrong if you believe what you are doing is correct. And there is nothing correct if you consider it wrong"
Silence fell again, despite Fria trying to divert the conversation. After a while, feeling irked, she sneakily drifted away.
Leaving Enix alone to think his mind, 'Then for father... he believes that turning Fria into a boy. Or me into a girl is nothing wrong. It's... logical for him.'
'So... according to what he is teaching Fria... it means it is totally reasonable for me openly reject him. Declare myself as who I am.
'I can go against my mother's words. I can stop hesitating on the consequences of Houre or whatever she might do or say against me. I can... I can be Fero!
'So the question comes... why am I allowing my life's decision to be made by others? Or by what they would think?'
As time passed, staring into the wall, Enix muttered, "Fria must think it logical... or fine about what father is doing. She gets to be more assertive than the women of this world after all."
He chuckled, making Mugam, ascending the stairs, to pause and smile, "What are you doing here alone, Enix?"
"Noth–" His voice trailed off as he saw the suit in Mugam's hand, "–ing."
Seeing him glued to it, Mugam smiled, "Like it? I thought it would look lovely on you?"
"...With that grey and white color. It will indeed look nice."
With all things settled. Enix passed the rest of the day alone and silently in the library with Houre.
But for some reason, despite him having taken a book that piqued his interest, and his motto of never taking up a same book twice, he still didn't even manage to move past the preface.
It was only when Fria came to inform him that Mugam had requested him to be readied did he finally place the book down and headed off with Houre.
As he passed by the hall, with stairs on both the sides, in front of the passages leading to the library and the servant quarters and few other rooms.
He saw that one of the walls had vanished. And the arrangements dragged to the edge of that side with the outside providing some fresh air.
It was a simple banquet, but despite its simplicity, Enix knew it was still more than needed.
Becoming a 3 year old was the first milestone of a child. Many things changed upon ascension to it.
But, kids 3 year old could barely go to toilet and clean their poopy bums at best. So despite everything, it was usually a small feast within the house. And for nobility, they would have a few relatives come over.
Sure Fria and Enix were twins. But still, this rather fine banquet was still in acknowledgement of their maturity at their meager age.
And, the most curious thing was, for Enix, was the gathering-to-be.
As Houre, supporting him to her shoulder, walked up the stairs. Enix asked, "There will be lots of people, right?"
Houre directed a fluttering pair of eyes toward him and nodded.
"Lots of people..." Enix muttered, 'It shall surely be a... fresh experience.'
It wasn't that Enix hadn't seen his relatives before. But it was when he was young.
And besides, he hadn't left his home at all in about... 2 years.
Slowly, under the circumstances of his family. His expected easy-going, happy go lucky isekai life filled with beautiful girls was getting further away.
Even to the point he had detached from Fero himself.
Fero and Phoenix were two different people.