Recollections of a young Alexandra, whom I had never seen before, were interrupted by the chatter of fairies.

“Wait, you’re saying Alexandra can actually laugh?”

“So I’m not the only one who finds it surprising?”

Roan, who had never seen Alexandra laugh like that, also seemed taken aback, his usual calm expression slightly cracked. It was understandable. Both Roan and Alexandra were known for their sardonic and mirthless smiles.

As all eyes in the garden turned to her, Alexandra, perhaps becoming self-conscious, cleared her throat and wiped the smile from her face.

“I don’t know why you’re all making such a big deal out of this. It’s just so ridiculous. If you’d heard your silly conversation, you would have laughed too.”

Despite her annoyance at the attention, Alexandra seemed a bit uncomfortable, and she scolded us. The fairies, noticing she was back to her usual self, resumed their chatter.

Though her usual cool and icy demeanor was still there, there was something different about her that even outsiders like us could sense. It was clear that a subtle wind of change was blowing through her.

“It suits you well,” I commented honestly on her unusual smile. It was true; despite rarely smiling, it suited her as if she had always been someone who smiled frequently.

“Laughter suits everyone,” she replied dismissively.

“To be honest, the silly conversation was all thanks to him. What’s with ‘sister-in-law’? Just thinking about saying that makes me…”

Jude shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. Was it really that horrifying to even imagine? What was so wrong with ‘sister-in-law’? How did he address his mother and brother, then? I gave Jude a disapproving look.

“So you’re saying you’ll keep addressing me informally forever!”

I had never expected Jude to call me ‘sister-in-law’ from the start, but as a matter of human decency, couldn’t he say it just once? Right? We all have a sense of respect.

Besides, since he used titles like Roan and Alexandra freely—although not excessively—it made me want to hear it even more when he stubbornly refused to address me as such.

“Frankly, you don’t look that much older,” Jude said.

“Me? Do you think there’s much difference between me and Roan?” I stupidly mulled over his words, only to realize the implication, which hit me hard again.

“So you’re saying Roan and Delis don’t look different in age?”

“Frina, that’s not what he meant,” Cindy answered Freena, who seemed to be thinking the same thing I did for a moment.

Roan and I were actually only a year apart, so we didn’t look much different in age. This had to be about mental age. Yes, that’s right. If I were to be honest, I might appear slightly less mature than Roan, who had been through a lot.

“Hah, but saying there’s no age difference isn’t right.”

“You call Roan by his name too. Isn’t he older? Why do you call him by his name?”

Jude tilted his head annoyingly, as if he couldn’t see the difference.

I found myself speechless again. If someone asked why I called Roan by his name… well, it was as natural as the earth and sky. What kind of answer was expected? To me, it was like asking, “Why do we breathe?”

“Then you should call my brother ‘oppa’ instead of Roan.”

“…….”

“…….”

An inexplicable silence fell between Roan and me. Jude’s suggestion left me speechless again.

“Then I’ll call you ‘sister-in-law.'”

Oppa? Brother.

I had never, not even in my dreams, imagined calling Roan that.
The term “oppa” is one that is used almost exclusively between siblings, so it didn’t quite fit between Roan and me.
However! While they had the same meaning, the impression they gave was completely different. In this world, “brother/sister” is a very common term used by most siblings, even those who don’t meet often, like Cain, whom I had rarely seen since coming here. On the other hand, “oppa” somehow conveyed a feeling of intimacy and affection.
I was certain that such a term would not be used among nobles who maintain a certain degree of formality and politeness unless they were very close siblings. If they weren’t siblings, it would be even less likely. It was clearly something that lovers in the midst of a passionate romance would use.

“If you can call him that in front of others, I’ll also recognize the importance of family titles and call you that.”

His words were smooth. Was this his way of saying he’d never call me ‘sister-in-law’? Was he aiming to be a great negotiator when he grew up?

If I were to call Roan ‘oppa’… yeah. It would undoubtedly be highly embarrassing. I might want to run away immediately.

“Well, I hope your conscience isn’t so full of holes that you’d lie about something like this.”

But Jude was mistaken about one thing. I was someone who could endure such embarrassment with great dignity.

Jude probably said it, thinking that someone as aristocratic as me would never call him that, but the important thing was that I wasn’t originally a noble. In my previous life, it was a common title, strewn about like dirt on the ground. Although I never had the chance to use it, I decided to put that aside for now.

“What do you think?”

Seeing Jude’s face clearly expecting me to back down made me even more determined.

Just then, Roan, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Stop teasing her. Enough already…”

I covered Roan’s mouth with my hand as he spoke.

“Of course. I’m not someone without a conscience. Roan, who’s listening, will be my witness.”

“……”

Roan turned to me with a face mixed with confusion and doubt. He was wondering if I was really going to do it.

“…Fine.”

Jude’s eyes wavered slightly, probably not expecting me to accept so readily. I stifled a laugh. He had clearly underestimated me. Initially, it was half a joke and half serious, but now, I was determined to hear it.

Alexandra’s chuckle reached my ears. She laughed in that indifferent way of hers and asked Jude,

“By the way, when’s your birthday?”

“Birthday?”

“Yes, the day you turn nine.”

“I don’t know. I’ve heard I was born in winter, but I have a tentative date for the sake of counting my age. November 4th.”

Alexandra lowered her gaze, which was shadowed by the dense green foliage, and seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“Then let’s keep that date as your birthday.”

I was puzzled by Alexandra’s sudden mention of a birthday.

“Why the sudden interest in his birthday?”

“I was thinking of introducing him to society on that day.”

“Society?”

Oh, right. I had forgotten. Since Jude was now a member of the Bannister family, he would have to be presented to the world eventually.

“Yes. In his case, the sooner he’s known, the better. His recovery has been faster than expected, and he seems to be learning quickly, so there’s no problem with announcing him then. What do you think?”

Alexandra gently inquired of Jude. Honestly, I was a bit worried. I was concerned that Jude might get hurt again.

“…I don’t mind.”

Jude replied with an inscrutable calmness.

“Ah, Jude. When you go out into society, you can’t keep calling me ‘hey,’ so start using my name from now on. My name is…”

“Delis.”

Jude answered without hesitation. Oh, so he did know. I was surprised, as I had been 99% sure he wouldn’t know.

“That’s right. Call me that from now on.”

“Got it. Delis.”

Well, that was much better than ‘hey’ or ‘you.’ I was quietly satisfied and looked to the side absentmindedly.

“Roan, what’s wrong?”

“…Huh?”

I noticed that Roan, whom I glanced at absentmindedly, had a displeased expression—though no one else would have noticed since his expressions were so subtle.

“You don’t look well.”

“It’s nothing.”

For some reason, Alexandra’s chuckle and Reb’s tutting seemed to echo in my ears.

“You should all go to bed early today. You know there’s a Founding Anniversary banquet at the palace tomorrow, right?”

I didn’t know. How was I supposed to know when the Empire was founded? Banquets happened all the time. Seeing my expression, Alexandra nodded as if she had expected it.

…She seemed to take it for granted.

“Soon, you won’t be able to go to bed early anyway.”

Alexandra said something cryptic. I had to ask.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Your scheduled conjugal night date is in four days, isn’t it? Didn’t you know?”

…I didn’t know. At this point, I felt a sense of futility, wondering what it was that I actually knew.

“……”

“……”

A silence, which I felt we would experience again in four days, hung between Roan and me.

Who would believe that we had never consummated our conjugal night? Maybe the maids who cleaned the room had an idea…

I tried to lighten the mood, which I wanted to escape from immediately, by laughing.

“Haha. Mother, there are children and little fairies here who know nothing. What are you talking about…”

“I know! I grew up where I grew up, so I learned early. Men and women together… mmph.”

I hurriedly covered Jude’s mouth, who had thoughtlessly interrupted.

“Yeah, I’ve heard enough about your vast knowledge.”

“We know too! We’ve lived quite long!”

“Of course we know.”

Ah, right. These fairies had lived longer than Alexandra. Because of their cute and charming appearance, I often forgot that fact.