Accompanied by Anna, Kedra made her way through the long halls that made up the Deslandes mansion. As she walked along, the servants that crossed her path showed expressions of surprise and bewilderment.
'Those aren't the expressions I was expecting; I can't seem to feel any scorn from their gazes; they're just genuinely amazed.'
"We've reached the dining room, my lady." Anna looked back towards the girl, knocking on the room's door.
"Come on in."
Kedra had recognized Eliseo's voice from within the room.
The maid opened the door and ushered Kedra into the room, quickly closing the door behind her.
Inside the dining room, Kedra's gaze was immediately captured by a large painting hanging above the head seat. It depicted a beautiful woman with long platinum blonde hair and bright gray eyes. Her gaze was piercing yet gentle.
Regaining her senses, the girl's eyes darted around the lavish room. She saw Eliseo and an unknown boy both sitting at opposite sides of the table, taking up the seats closest to the patriarch's. Though they were the only two currently in the room,.
"Ah, Kedra, you're here. Unfortunately, it seems that the other members of our family are a little late, but for now, why don't you take a seat?" Eliseo motioned to the chair next to himself.
'Well, I suppose sitting next to him is better than finding myself next to those shitty twins.'
Without a word, Kedra walked over and sat in the chair, staring at the boy opposite her.
"Ah, right, I should introduce you. Kedra, this is Rae. Rae, this is Kedra; she's the one I've spoken to you about."
The boy was noticeably older than Kedra but was barely a few inches taller than her. He had medium-length, light reddish-blond hair and the same gray eyes as the woman in the picture.
Rae raised up a hand in greeting but didn't say a word, his eyes refusing to meet with Kedra's.
"Pleased to meet you, Rae. As Eliseo said, I'm Kedra. I hope we'll get along."
The boy simply nodded, still refusing to look at her.
'What's this guy's deal? Well, at least he's better than those twins.'
As if the mere thought of them was enough to summon them, both Ansel and Aline came bursting through the door and took their seats; luckily for Kedra, they sat far away from her on the opposite side of the table.
'Speak of the devil, ugh.'
Neither of the twins spoke to Kedra, instead choosing to angrily stare at her.
Kedra looked at Eliseo and beckoned him closer, whispering into his ear.
"Do those two still have a grudge against me or something?"
"I'm afraid so. While I do understand your reasoning for acting the way you did, it seems that they are not as understanding."
Kedra sighed and started looking around the room in an attempt to distract herself from the ardent stares of her siblings.
Eventually, a woman and a young girl entered the room, taking their seats near the twins.
"Ah, you've arrived, mother, and I see you've brought Andra with you. This is the girl that will be integrating our family starting today."
"Kedra, this is Suzanne, our mother, and this is Andra, your sister."
The woman was tall and slender, with a lightly wrinkled face that maintained a certain noble beauty. She had long, dark brown hair and black eyes. The girl that accompanied her had similarly black eyes, yet her hair was of the same crimson red as Kedra, though it seemed like she hadn't inherited any of her mother's beauty.
Both of them displayed immediate and obvious disdain towards Kedra; however, while Suzanne looked at her with a face of concealed disgust, Andra openly displayed a visage of what seemed like jealousy.
'I was expecting that reaction from the mother, but what's that girl's deal?'
Shortly after the arrival of Suzanne and Andra, the door opened once more. Stepping through was a man of average build and height wearing expensive clothing; his most notable features were his medium-length red hair and piercing green eyes.
The man quickly made his way to the head of the table, sitting down and ordering a maid to begin serving food.
"Kedra, this is Duke Friedrich, our father."
'I should probably try to make a good first impression just in case.'
Kedra got up from her chair and curtsied, bowing her head in greeting.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, your grace."
Friedrich raised an intrigued brow at the girl's greeting, simply nodding in response.
The dinner began with an entrée composed of dishes with strong and complex flavors that were not suitable for a child's palate, a fact that was made evident by whining from the younger children at the table.
Kedra, however, calmly ate, respecting the table etiquette she had previously learned with Maria.
'If I just shut up and eat, I can probably get through this without any issues.'
As the meal continued and the dishes were slowly brought out by various maids, Kedra continued to quietly enjoy her food, sneaking glances around the table occasionally to occupy herself.
To her surprise, Eliseo and her two parents were the only ones with table manners befitting nobles of their stature.
It seemed that though the other children had gone through the proper education, their young age was showing in the way that they ate; this was especially noticeable with Ansel and Aline.
Not a word was said during the entire dinner, though between the hateful stares of her siblings and the cold disposition of her parents, Kedra welcomed the silence with open arms.
Once desert was finished, Ansel, Aline, and Andra immediately ran out of the room, shortly followed by Suzanne and then Rae.
Before Kedra could do the same, however, she was interrupted by the patriarch.
"Wait, child."
Startled, Kedra quickly turned around and bowed her head.
"Yes, your grace? How may I help you?"
"You have excellent manners for such a young child; who taught them to you?"
"I studied books of etiquette with the help of my maid, Maria, your grace. I have also studied various fields such as mathematics and history."
For the first time since Kedra had seen him, Friedrich's mouth slightly curled into a smile.
"Wonderful, then we won't have to hire a professor for you before you head to the academy."
"Father, please reconsider! We cannot be sure that she possesses the adequate knowledge to keep up with the academy's curriculum." Eliseo interjected, suddenly rising out of his chair.
"No, this is for the best; the sooner she heads to the academy, the better."
'Holy shit seriously? This is perfect! Now I won't have to worry about getting some random professor's approval.'
"I wholeheartedly agree with your grace. I believe that I meet all of the requirements to enter the academy. Should you allow me to attend this upcoming year, I promise you that you will not regret it."
"Father, I am still strongly against this! She needs time to prepare herself, both academically and socially as well."
"Just leave it, Eliseo; the girl agrees with me; she will be integrating the academy from the upcoming semester onwards, and that is final."
Eliseo clenched his fist, quickly disguising his displeasure with a fake smile.
"Very well, so be it."
Kedra bowed, quickly making her way out of the room while internally jumping for joy.
"Father! This is not what we had agreed upon!"
"I know Eliseo, I know. It's just that, whenever I look at that child, an overpowering feeling of guilt seizes my heart. I cannot bear to remain around her."
Eliseo wanted nothing more than to rebuke him, yet the forlorn expression on his father's face made him hesitate.
"Now that I think of it, I've not even named her."
"It seems that she has taken the name of Kedra."
"Kedra? Wasn't that—no, nevermind. So be it."
Eliseo left the room, leaving Friedrich alone with his thoughts.
"Oh Maryll, I've been so lost ever since your passing; you'd hardly recognize me now."