Lonia stood up from her chair, one hand on her hip while she gestured around the parlor with the other.
“Fine. Since you're going to be coming here every week from now on, I'll introduce you to everyone. That way you won't embarrass me by getting their names wrong.”
Rafina stood up from her chair, her tail swishing gently behind her.
Lonia dragged her over to the pastry table. Fema was currently stuffing a fourth slice of honey cake into her mouth, her fiery-red eyes glaring at Lonia.
“This is Fema, from the Flame Demon Court. She claims she doesn't like sweets, but she always eats the most. She's incredibly high-maintenance.”
“I am not high-maintenance!”
Cake crumbs sprayed from Fema's mouth, with one piece landing right on Lonia's sleeve. Lonia flicked it off expressionlessly.
“And she's rude.”
Fema's crystalline scales crackled twice.
Swallowing the cake in her mouth, she turned fiercely toward Rafina, scanning her up and down for a couple of seconds.
“Tia just told me... you're Rank Five?”
“...Yes. But my control is still very poor.”
“Tch, even so, you're still Rank Five. I'm only Rank Three.”
Fema's brow furrowed, but then her gaze softened slightly.
“...How old are you?”
“Eight.”
“Oh.”
Fema nodded, grabbed a slice of honey cake from the plate in front of her, and slapped it into Rafina's hand.
“This flavor isn't too sweet. It's actually pretty good.”
“...Thank you.”
“What is there to thank me for? There's plenty anyway, and I just didn't want to eat it anymore.”
Lonia dragged Rafina along to keep moving.
On a couch, Tia let her misty-gray long hair spill over half the seat. Her eyes were half-closed, as if she were lost in thought.
“This is Tia, from the Nightmare Court. She always has a pipe in her mouth but never actually smokes it. She just likes to act mature.”
“Lonia is as cute as ever. I really want to see what you'll look like when you grow up~”
Her pipe rotated half a turn in her mouth, and her eyes finally opened completely, landing on Rafina.
“Thun. How interesting.”
“...Are you familiar with this surname?”
“No. But I once had a dream where someone mentioned it.”
The corner of Tia's mouth curled upward.
“A lot of people. But I can't remember the details clearly, so I do apologize. Anyway, welcome to this noisy place. You're going to need a lot of patience. Especially when you're sitting next to Fema.”
“I heard that!”
Fema's angry roar echoed from behind. Lonia rolled her eyes and dragged Rafina toward the low table.
Ellie had already sat up from the table, her heart-shaped pupils sparkling as she stared at Rafina.
Sera sat beside her older sister without saying a word.
“These are Ellie and Sera, sisters from the Succubus Court. One is too enthusiastic, and the other is too cold.”
“What do you mean 'too enthusiastic'? I'm just being friendly~”
Ellie slipped out from behind the low table, grabbed Rafina's hand, and leaned in until her face was less than a hand's span away from Rafina's.
“Your eyes are so pretty~ They're red~ Not like Lonia-chan's at all. She looks so fierce, but you look so soft~”
“...Thank you?”
“And your horns! They're actually translucent! You look just like an angel from a book...”
Sera expressionlessly grabbed her hair and gave it a sharp tug downward.
“Sister, angels are bad guys.”
“Ah! That hurts... Sorry, sorry!”
Ellie pressed her hands together in apology to Rafina while wiping away her tears.
“It's fine. Nia once said that when light passes through these horns, you can see really pretty patterns. Would you like to see?”
She tilted her head slightly, trying to adjust her angle so that the rainbow-like light refracted through her horns.
“So pretty~ Sera, look!”
Sera's indigo eyes rose from her knees, sweeping a glance over Rafina.
“I see it.”
Then she looked away.
Lonia continued leading Rafina around the parlor.
“Those over there are from the Shadow Demon Court and the Gargoyle Court. I didn't bother remembering their names since they never talk to me anyway.”
“That cloud of white mist is from the Wraith Court. Don't be scared; they're actually pretty quiet.”
“The people from the Scavenger Court and the Lich Court have never shown up, and nobody cares. As for that prince from the Demon Court...”
“Ah, him... He seems to really dislike Lord Demon King...”
“Huh?” Lonia felt a bit surprised.
“Isn't he also the Demon King's student? Why would he hate him?”
“Um, I'm not really sure why... It's just that he doesn't seem to like me either. He has never spoken to me...”
The introductions were complete, and there were no conflicts.
Lonia had originally prepared herself to shield Rafina from any skepticism or questioning.
Questions about her bloodline, her background, and all that other nonsense.
But those doubts never came. From the youngest, Sera, to the oldest, Tia, no one said anything too harsh.
Perhaps such prejudice existed mainly among the older generation. To these children who grew up in the Ten Courts district, interacting with peers of various bloodlines from a young age, her mixed-blood status was far less shocking than her being “Rank Five” and “the Demon King's disciple.”
If anything, with those two titles backing her, who would dare look for trouble?
“...That was surprisingly boring.”
Lonia returned to her chair and sat down, crossing her legs as she stared at the center of the parlor.
Rafina didn't follow her back.
Her silver-white twin tails were now by the pastry table. Fema had sidled over at some point, her fiery-red head huddled close to Rafina's silver-white one as they discussed something. Lonia pricked up her ears to listen.
“The cake is good, right?”
“Yes, it really is delicious. I've almost never eaten anything like this before...”
“Then try this one. This pudding is also great. That bitter-loving idiot Tia is always mocking my taste!”
“That is matcha. It was introduced by Lord Demon King, and it's a flavor only adults can appreciate.”
“Not you too!!!”
Sitting in her chair, Lonia watched Fema yell at Tia before turning back to share all her favorite treats with Rafina.
Rafina took small bites, her face lighting up with surprise as she praised the desserts.
Lonia stared Fema's smug grin, the corners of her own mouth dipping down by a millimeter.
“...”
Ellie had also joined them at some point.
“Rafina~ Look, look~ This is my drawing of the Drunken Moon Tavern~ Is it pretty~”
“...Is this the Drunken Moon Tavern?”
“Yes~ That crooked moon by the entrance is the sign~”
“...At first glance... it's a bit hard to recognize.”
“It looks like a maggot,” Sera added from the side.
“It is not a maggot! It's a moon! A crescent moon!”
“Well... it does look a little bit like a moon,” Rafina offered with a helpless smile.
“Right, right~ Rafina is the best~ Sera is so silly~ She couldn't even tell~”
Ellie laughed happily. Sera glanced at Ellie, showing a rare hint of annoyance.
“Rafina, Tia said you used to be a library archivist. Have you read 《An Introduction to Runic Construction》?”
“...I have. In Chapter Three, Master Wald's classification of rune hierarchies is very interesting.”
Sera's expression froze for a moment.
“Then, in Chapter Three, Section Seven, regarding the material compatibility of different runic constructions, what hypothesis did he propose that earned him the seat of Grand Mage?”
“‘Once a mage's understanding and comprehension of the world reaches a certain level, they no longer need to be restricted to using ores and crystals as mediums. Instead, they can use the air as a foundation, drawing runes with wind and water, and letting spoken words bestow efficacy to make them take effect...’ He verified this theory at the age of eighteen and named mages of this tier ‘Word-soul Casters’.”
The stagnant pool of Sera's eyes finally rippled.
“Incredible...”
“Not really. It was just because I was too bored, so I read those books...”
“Then...”
Lonia simply sat in her chair like that.
Voices from all around the parlor flooded her ears.
Fema was recommending new foods, Ellie was showing off her drawings, Sera was discussing books Lonia had never even heard of with Rafina, and Tia was smiling as she watched it all unfold. Even the three shadow demons, who usually never got involved, couldn't help but cast their gazes toward Rafina.
Everyone was looking at Rafina.
Everyone was talking to Rafina.
She was knowledgeable, polite, humble, and cute...
Far more popular than Lonia.
Lonia watched Rafina, her lips thinning into a straight line.
She wasn't angry. After all, she had known for a long time that she wasn't popular.
But...
“Rafina~ So how did you and Lonia meet?”
Ellie's voice broke through Rafina's thoughts.
Rafina's expression changed. Her previous shyness and gentleness transformed into something bright and sparkling.
“It was... in the library archives... Nia was the one who approached me...”
“...She initiated it!”
Ellie was shocked.
“...She approached you?”
Fema was bewildered.
“...She went to a library...”
Sera expressed disbelief.
“Hey! What is that supposed to mean!”
Lonia shouted back at them, only to receive four bizarre looks in return.
But the gaze directed at her from the center of those looks—entirely different from the rest—made whatever little resentment Lonia had completely melt away.
“...Fine, whatever.”
Rate on N.U.
