Master Rid, I have brought Lady Bizika with me."
There was a knock on the door of the office and Capella's voice echoed through the room.
I immediately answered in a slightly louder voice to him.
"Thank you, Capella. Come in, both of you."
"Excuse me."
As soon as he answers, the door opens and Capella and Bizka enter.
I smiled and they approached me, bailing.
Then, Bizika noticed how Aria and the others were calmly eating pastry cookies and rolled their eyes a little.
'This is a surprise, isn't it? I didn't think they could be this quiet ......."
"Ha ha ...... the power of sweets and Diana."
They look at me and Bijika a little bit resentfully when they hear our conversation, but when Diana catches a glimpse of them, they huff, correct their posture and continue to eat their cookies carefully.
With a wry smile at the smiling girls, I shifted my gaze to Aria.
'Well, Aria. I'm sorry to interrupt your sweet tooth, but now that we've got all the people here, can you tell me what you were talking about earlier?"
'...... Yeah, okay.'
Aria finished eating the cookie in her hand, nodded and began to explain to us as if she was trying to remember something.
To be honest, her explanations were difficult to understand and not to the point in many cases, and Elia and Cilia had to add to it along the way.
But even so, when the information from the girls was put together, the whole picture became clear.
The girls are related to the tribal chief of the Bird People tribe, but they seem to be a 'branch' of the tribe.
Their family name is said to be 'Padgley', but Aria and her family are not allowed to take the name.
They have different mothers but the same father and half-sisters, so they are known collectively as the Lia sisters.
They are then put through a variety of rigorous training, and are checked for any physical problems. They were managed by thoroughly examining their talents and attributes.
In the process of controlling them, the strongest children were eventually selected from among the sisters born at the same time.
The one chosen in this process was Aria's twin sister, 'Ilaria'.
However, the children who were not selected became known as 'failures' or 'disappointments', and life was said to have been difficult from then on.
Aria and the others continued their explanation with a sad look on their faces.
"Also, ...... I don't know, but they said that we sisters are not suited for 'Botai' when we grow up,...... so we don't want any 'failures' other than 'Ilaria'. ......"
The moment I heard Aria's words, I felt disgust and more than a little resentment towards those who said they were managing these girls.
But I don't show it and speak to her gently.
"I see, it's been hard for you. But I'm very happy to have met you all. Thank you for coming here."
'Yeah, thanks for ......, big brother."
The girls nod at my words and their faces light up a little.
But there was something about Aria's explanation that bothered me a little, and I asked her politely: '
'Aria, this may be painful, but what happened to your sister 'Ilaria', who you say was ...... selected? I don't think she came here."
"My sister ...... Ilaria remains in the territory of the Bird Tribe. She's the one who told them to sell us out of the country, saying we were an eyesore as sisters of the Failed ....... ......"
Aria looks down with a downcast face, but soon looks up with tears in her eyes.
'But ...... but the truth is different ...... , Ilaria said that we are unwanted children and that we will be 'disposed of' if we don't do something about it. But she cried that Ilaria would do something about it and that it would be all right. ...... Then, even though we couldn't see each other, ...... but I met big brother and big sister like this, so I am sure that you will be able to help us. I.."
She is unable to speak from the middle of the sentence and begins to sob, covering her face with her hands.
When Cilia hears her words, she looks surprised and turns over and mutters quietly.
"That's ...... I didn't know. ......"
'..... I didn't know, either."
As if following Cilia's lead, Elia turned over as well and let out a few words.
Aria is wiping away the tears that keep appearing around her eyes with her hands and arms.
I can't help but be saddened by her desperate appearance, and I gently called out to her.
"...... Aria, stand up and come over here."
"'Yes. ......"
As she staggered up to me, I stood up and gently hugged Aria and patted her on the head as if to soothe Mel.
"I feel sorry for reminding you of the hard things you've been through. But it's okay now. I'll protect you guys. I'll protect you and your sisters. You've been protecting your sisters so desperately until now.'
'Big brother ...... uuuu...... uuuu "
After that, Aria cried loudly for a while, shaking her little body in my chest.
◇
Once Aria calmed down, Bizika told the girls about her life back home and her diet.
She asks them to tell her what they know about their mother and father, and a question-and-answer exchange goes on for a while.
When Bizika finishes roughly listening, she shifts her gaze to me.
"Master Rid, may I have a moment with you?"
"Yes, sure."
Bizika moves to a corner of the room where Aria and the others cannot hear her.
I was about to move there, too, when Diana called out to me.
"Master Rid, ...... very much, may I join you in listening to what is being said, if I may be so presumptuous? That ...... I would like to know, as I am to be the 'sister' of Aria and the others."
"Of course, thank you."
The two of us went a little further into the room to where Bizika had moved.
Aria and the others are eating quietly, heeding the advice Diana had given them earlier, as Capella brought them more 'sweets'.
When we gather, Bizika looks at me with a difficult expression on her face.
"Rid-sama, the girls are definitely of the 'enhanced bloodline', as I had initially predicted. The fact that they are not suitable as 'mothers' when they grow up probably means that their blood cannot be further thickened. In the history of the Empire, there are records of princes whose blood was too thick in the imperial family, who were weak from illness and died prematurely, so it would be the same."
I see,...... and by the way, does the frailty also have an effect on their lifespan,......?"
'Enhanced bloodlines' and 'frailty' are things that no amount of memories of a previous life will help me with.
The only thing I can do is to support them and watch over them.
Bizika continued to explain with a difficult look on her face.
"I honestly don't know about that. But when we examined them, they didn't seem to be extremely different from the other children. Perhaps the fact that they can't be 'mothers' is another way of saying that they are in an 'enhanced bloodline'. We'll have to wait and see how it progresses, but I don't think it's anything life and death related right now."
"Okay. The girls will be treated normally like other children, and if a problem arises, we will deal with it. Is that right?"
The girls are not the only ones who have been affected by the incident.
'Yes, I think that's fine for now. But I would like to find out more about the 'enhanced bloodline' for the girls at some point, wouldn't I?"
"'I'm glad to hear you say that. Thank you, Bizika."
The girls are then invited to eat a pastry.
After hearing the answer, He bowed politely and approached the girls who were eating sweets and spoke to them kindly.
'I'm sorry for asking you so many questions,' . I'll take my leave, but if you feel unwell, come to the infirmary immediately or tell someone."
"Yes, sure."
"Okay."
"...... got it."
Aria and the others respond to Bizika respectively, but they are more preoccupied with the sweets than him.
With a snicker at that, he turned her gaze to me.
'Well then, Master Lid. I will leave you now. I will share the contents of this meeting with Sandra, so please don't worry."
'Yes, okay. Thank you for today."
"No problem. I'll leave you now."
As soon as Bizica bows to me on the spot, he leaves the office.
When he left the room, Deanna looked relieved and relieved.
'I am relieved to hear that those girls will be able to lead a normal life. I, too, will make sure that they can protect themselves, and as an 'older sister' I will make sure that they train their bodies and minds well.
'Uh-huh. ......? Please be gentle with them."
I then returned to my seat with Diana, and as I sat down on the sofa, I turned my attention to the girls.
"Well, thank you all for sharing your tales with me. So, Aria. I have one favour to ask you: ......."
"Hmm ......? What, big brother?"
Aria tilts her head in puzzlement in response to the question.
"That ...... 'big brother', I want you to be careful not to use it when you call me in public."
'.....? But big brother is big brother, no?"
Aria was left in a daze, unable to understand the intent of the words.
I chuckle at the situation and continue talking.
'Haha ...... that's right. Let me explain a little."
I then explained to Alia in detail about my position and what to call me, and managed to get her to understand.
But needless to say, she got angry with her cheeks puffed up and it was hard to soothe her.
Incidentally, the other children don't know that I bribed Aria with a large amount of 'sweets' to calm her down.
When I told them that there was no problem with them calling Diana 'big sister', they were happy.
It was a pleasant sight to see Diana looking happy and embarrassed at the same time.
Master Rid, I have brought Lady Bizika with me."
There was a knock on the door of the office and Capella's voice echoed through the room.
I immediately answered in a slightly louder voice to him.
"Thank you, Capella. Come in, both of you."
"Excuse me."
As soon as he answers, the door opens and Capella and Bizka enter.
I smiled and they approached me, bailing.
Then, Bizika noticed how Aria and the others were calmly eating pastry cookies and rolled their eyes a little.
'This is a surprise, isn't it? I didn't think they could be this quiet ......."
"Ha ha ...... the power of sweets and Diana."
They look at me and Bijika a little bit resentfully when they hear our conversation, but when Diana catches a glimpse of them, they huff, correct their posture and continue to eat their cookies carefully.
With a wry smile at the smiling girls, I shifted my gaze to Aria.
'Well, Aria. I'm sorry to interrupt your sweet tooth, but now that we've got all the people here, can you tell me what you were talking about earlier?"
'...... Yeah, okay.'
Aria finished eating the cookie in her hand, nodded and began to explain to us as if she was trying to remember something.
To be honest, her explanations were difficult to understand and not to the point in many cases, and Elia and Cilia had to add to it along the way.
But even so, when the information from the girls was put together, the whole picture became clear.
The girls are related to the tribal chief of the Bird People tribe, but they seem to be a 'branch' of the tribe.
Their family name is said to be 'Padgley', but Aria and her family are not allowed to take the name.
They have different mothers but the same father and half-sisters, so they are known collectively as the Lia sisters.
They are then put through a variety of rigorous training, and are checked for any physical problems. They were managed by thoroughly examining their talents and attributes.
In the process of controlling them, the strongest children were eventually selected from among the sisters born at the same time.
The one chosen in this process was Aria's twin sister, 'Ilaria'.
However, the children who were not selected became known as 'failures' or 'disappointments', and life was said to have been difficult from then on.
Aria and the others continued their explanation with a sad look on their faces.
"Also, ...... I don't know, but they said that we sisters are not suited for 'Botai' when we grow up,...... so we don't want any 'failures' other than 'Ilaria'. ......"
The moment I heard Aria's words, I felt disgust and more than a little resentment towards those who said they were managing these girls.
But I don't show it and speak to her gently.
"I see, it's been hard for you. But I'm very happy to have met you all. Thank you for coming here."
'Yeah, thanks for ......, big brother."
The girls nod at my words and their faces light up a little.
But there was something about Aria's explanation that bothered me a little, and I asked her politely: '
'Aria, this may be painful, but what happened to your sister 'Ilaria', who you say was ...... selected? I don't think she came here."
"My sister ...... Ilaria remains in the territory of the Bird Tribe. She's the one who told them to sell us out of the country, saying we were an eyesore as sisters of the Failed ....... ......"
Aria looks down with a downcast face, but soon looks up with tears in her eyes.
'But ...... but the truth is different ...... , Ilaria said that we are unwanted children and that we will be 'disposed of' if we don't do something about it. But she cried that Ilaria would do something about it and that it would be all right. ...... Then, even though we couldn't see each other, ...... but I met big brother and big sister like this, so I am sure that you will be able to help us. I.."
She is unable to speak from the middle of the sentence and begins to sob, covering her face with her hands.
When Cilia hears her words, she looks surprised and turns over and mutters quietly.
"That's ...... I didn't know. ......"
'..... I didn't know, either."
As if following Cilia's lead, Elia turned over as well and let out a few words.
Aria is wiping away the tears that keep appearing around her eyes with her hands and arms.
I can't help but be saddened by her desperate appearance, and I gently called out to her.
"...... Aria, stand up and come over here."
"'Yes. ......"
As she staggered up to me, I stood up and gently hugged Aria and patted her on the head as if to soothe Mel.
"I feel sorry for reminding you of the hard things you've been through. But it's okay now. I'll protect you guys. I'll protect you and your sisters. You've been protecting your sisters so desperately until now.'
'Big brother ...... uuuu...... uuuu "
After that, Aria cried loudly for a while, shaking her little body in my chest.
◇
Once Aria calmed down, Bizika told the girls about her life back home and her diet.
She asks them to tell her what they know about their mother and father, and a question-and-answer exchange goes on for a while.
When Bizika finishes roughly listening, she shifts her gaze to me.
"Master Rid, may I have a moment with you?"
"Yes, sure."
Bizika moves to a corner of the room where Aria and the others cannot hear her.
I was about to move there, too, when Diana called out to me.
"Master Rid, ...... very much, may I join you in listening to what is being said, if I may be so presumptuous? That ...... I would like to know, as I am to be the 'sister' of Aria and the others."
"Of course, thank you."
The two of us went a little further into the room to where Bizika had moved.
Aria and the others are eating quietly, heeding the advice Diana had given them earlier, as Capella brought them more 'sweets'.
When we gather, Bizika looks at me with a difficult expression on her face.
"Rid-sama, the girls are definitely of the 'enhanced bloodline', as I had initially predicted. The fact that they are not suitable as 'mothers' when they grow up probably means that their blood cannot be further thickened. In the history of the Empire, there are records of princes whose blood was too thick in the imperial family, who were weak from illness and died prematurely, so it would be the same."
I see,...... and by the way, does the frailty also have an effect on their lifespan,......?"
'Enhanced bloodlines' and 'frailty' are things that no amount of memories of a previous life will help me with.
The only thing I can do is to support them and watch over them.
Bizika continued to explain with a difficult look on her face.
"I honestly don't know about that. But when we examined them, they didn't seem to be extremely different from the other children. Perhaps the fact that they can't be 'mothers' is another way of saying that they are in an 'enhanced bloodline'. We'll have to wait and see how it progresses, but I don't think it's anything life and death related right now."
"Okay. The girls will be treated normally like other children, and if a problem arises, we will deal with it. Is that right?"
The girls are not the only ones who have been affected by the incident.
'Yes, I think that's fine for now. But I would like to find out more about the 'enhanced bloodline' for the girls at some point, wouldn't I?"
"'I'm glad to hear you say that. Thank you, Bizika."
The girls are then invited to eat a pastry.
After hearing the answer, He bowed politely and approached the girls who were eating sweets and spoke to them kindly.
'I'm sorry for asking you so many questions,' . I'll take my leave, but if you feel unwell, come to the infirmary immediately or tell someone."
"Yes, sure."
"Okay."
"...... got it."
Aria and the others respond to Bizika respectively, but they are more preoccupied with the sweets than him.
With a snicker at that, he turned her gaze to me.
'Well then, Master Lid. I will leave you now. I will share the contents of this meeting with Sandra, so please don't worry."
'Yes, okay. Thank you for today."
"No problem. I'll leave you now."
As soon as Bizica bows to me on the spot, he leaves the office.
When he left the room, Deanna looked relieved and relieved.
'I am relieved to hear that those girls will be able to lead a normal life. I, too, will make sure that they can protect themselves, and as an 'older sister' I will make sure that they train their bodies and minds well.
'Uh-huh. ......? Please be gentle with them."
I then returned to my seat with Diana, and as I sat down on the sofa, I turned my attention to the girls.
"Well, thank you all for sharing your tales with me. So, Aria. I have one favour to ask you: ......."
"Hmm ......? What, big brother?"
Aria tilts her head in puzzlement in response to the question.
"That ...... 'big brother', I want you to be careful not to use it when you call me in public."
'.....? But big brother is big brother, no?"
Aria was left in a daze, unable to understand the intent of the words.
I chuckle at the situation and continue talking.
'Haha ...... that's right. Let me explain a little."
I then explained to Alia in detail about my position and what to call me, and managed to get her to understand.
But needless to say, she got angry with her cheeks puffed up and it was hard to soothe her.
Incidentally, the other children don't know that I bribed Aria with a large amount of 'sweets' to calm her down.
When I told them that there was no problem with them calling Diana 'big sister', they were happy.
It was a pleasant sight to see Diana looking happy and embarrassed at the same time.
