Half a year had passed since I received permission from the Grand Duchess Eliad.
During that time, I enjoyed the privilege of coming and going from the Eliad mansion without an invitation.
Of course, that privilege always came with tension.
For now, as Ruena's first friend,
I was a guest officially permitted to visit by the lady of the house.
But...
"You can come out now."
"Did he leave?"
"Yeah."
It wasn't the same for Grand Duke Eliad.
He still didn't acknowledge me in the slightest.
For now, I was a guest permitted by the Grand Duchess.
The Grand Duke didn't outright forbid me from entering.
'...He just glares at Ruena murderously.'
The Grand Duchess always said it was fine,
but I wasn't foolish enough to think the Grand Duke truly welcomed me getting close to his daughter.
He didn't do anything harmful to me.
He simply wouldn't even glance at me when we were in the same space,
and if we happened to cross paths, he'd turn away with an expressionless face as if he'd spotted an unwelcome intruder.
And he'd leave that cold gaze lingering on Ruena especially long.
'Don't get too friendly with him.'
A silent warning.
It was more pressuring than any words could be.
Ruena would tremble pitifully every time she met that gaze.
Not wanting to see Ruena like that,
I hid myself whenever I sensed Grand Duke Eliad's presence, to avoid running into him.
Just like now.
Well, I understood.
He probably disapproved of treating Ruena as a friend in the first place.
Though we were both from founding meritorious families,
the Eliads were a grand ducal house, while we Noirs were only a baronial house.
Moreover—
Unlike Ruena, who was the heir to the prestigious Eliad house,
I was the third son of House Noir, merely a candidate for succession at best.
With my eldest brother bearing all the expectations, my turn was a distant prospect.
'I never had any intention of inheriting the house anyway.'
On top of that, someone like Grand Duke Eliad
would instantly know just how pathetic the mana flowing through me was.
Kasian Eliad, Grand Duke of Eliad.
He was a thoroughly pragmatic and authoritative man.
He didn't form relationships without benefit and couldn't be approached without cause.
To him, I was...
Clearly just useless baggage loitering around his daughter.
'Even when we bumped into each other briefly the other day, he treated me like I was invisible...'
He was the type who didn't hide his dislike at all.
But that was better, in a way.
Much better than smiling while hiding a dagger behind their back.
I emerged from the wardrobe and resumed our tea time.
"He stayed a bit longer today."
"...Yeah."
"Good thing he came in before I brought out the dessert. Let's eat."
I took out today's dessert from the paper box.
A tart topped with honey-pickled peaches over yogurt cream.
The refreshing tang of the yogurt cream paired with the sweet juiciness of the peaches,
moderating the sweetness just right for a pleasant finish.
'This one's my masterpiece.'
Rapina sis had snatched three pieces, so the taste was guaranteed.
I set the tableware as usual—
then carefully placed the tart in front of Ruena.
"How is it? Delicious?"
"...Yeah."
"Good. I brought plenty, so eat more."
Ruena nodded and put the tart in her mouth.
Half a year with her.
Maybe because I visited at least three times a week,
I'd gotten to roughly read this expressionless girl's reactions.
'Her eyes are sparkling. At least 9 out of 10?'
I observed Ruena and memorized her tastes one by one in my head.
About an hour passed like that.
Today, too, she finished every bit of the dessert I brought.
Whether it suited her tastes or not,
Ruena always tried her best to cleanly finish what I brought.
It was truly appreciated.
It meant she respected my effort.
'...Though it caused me trouble at first.'
Whether she liked it or not,
since she ate everything without distinction, I initially thought that was just her palate.
But I realized before it hit five times.
"Ruena."
"Yeah."
"Not tasty?"
"..."
That when eating something not to her taste, her pace slowed subtly.
Her expression looked the same at a glance,
but upon closer inspection, the corners of her mouth drooped just a bit.
Her words decreased even more,
her gaze dropped below the table,
and the spark in her eyes dimmed slightly.
'Well, with my sharp eyes, I noticed.'
The difference was so subtle that you wouldn't know without looking closely.
I chuckled and cleared the empty dishes.
Judging by her reaction, today's dessert was at least 9 points,
and I was confident I could aim for 9.5.
'Feeding her what she likes extends the time I can see the future.'
I hummed a tune while cleaning up when a small voice came from across the table.
"Celen."
"Yeah?"
"...Thanks. For coming all the time."
"No need to thank me. I come because I want to be with you."
I folded the paper box and glanced at Ruena.
Ruena met my eyes awkwardly, then turned her head away.
The tips of her ears were red again today.
'Cute.'
A chuckle escaped me.
This was one of my enjoyments, in its own way.
Watching this honest yet dishonest, not cute yet cute kid.
'She might kill me someday...'
In the useful futures I'd seen over the past half year,
they were all scenes of her being called the final boss and turning the world upside down.
With my corpse as corpse number 1 in front of her, of course.
I'd died in so many varied ways,
now I was faintly curious about how I'd die next.
'Still... the future can be changed...'
In fact, just recently—
I'd changed the future where Ruena's pet parrot died.
In the future I saw, the parrot had pecked at chocolate in a drawer and met its end.
So while Ruena was away,
I searched the room thoroughly and collected every bit of chocolate.
'And I warned Ruena not to leave chocolate in the room.'
That parrot was the type to open drawers with its beak.
Its lockpicking skills suited House Noir, not Eliad—a true talent, no, a bird of talent.
I grinned slyly and looked at the parrot in its cage.
"You should be grateful to me."
"Thank you. Thank you."
"You sure mimic words well."
The parrot was quite the chatterbox. Unlike its owner Ruena.
'Over the half year, I think I've talked more to the parrot than to Ruena.'
After clearing the table, I checked the surroundings.
The floor,
Ruena's clothes,
anything else that might get cream on it.
I quickly but meticulously scanned everything and raised the corners of my mouth.
'Perfect.'
After the custard cream incident with the Grand Duchess—
I became serious about perfect crime... no, perfectly erasing all traces of tea time.
That memory was still vivid.
The sharp warning hidden in her warm smile.
'No matter how I think about it, that was too sloppy.'
As a member of House Noir, it was unacceptable.
"Well, I'll be going then."
"...Already?"
"Yeah. The sun's about to set."
"...Be careful."
I went downstairs from the second floor with Ruena seeing me off.
Or rather, I tried to.
Until I sensed Grand Duke Eliad's presence.
'He's gone.'
I held my breath, clinging to the ceiling to avoid detection,
and after the Grand Duke passed, I landed lightly without a sound.
I scanned the surroundings one last time and quickly slipped out of the mansion.
'The only skill that's improving is this one.'
Fortunately, my stealth wasn't the only thing improving.
There was one other area where my skills had clearly grown over the past half year.
A few days later—
I prepared to visit Ruena as usual.
Fresh ingredients bought with my allowance,
the best recipe considering her tastes,
and I put on the rabbit doll and lace apron my sister bought.
'Maybe something soft today.'
I checked the creme brulee recipe steps once more.
"What, it's easy."
"Hmm? Cooking again today?"
"Ah, jeez. You startled me."
I patted my chest at Rapina sis's sneak attack.
She and my second brother always came to steal my desserts,
but sis had the best stealth skills among us, so I was startled every time.
Meanwhile, sis casually inspected the creme brulee recipe as if nothing happened.
"Oh ho, creme brulee today? Pretty standard."
"Standard, but Ruena likes it."
"Hmm, does she?"
Ruena preferred creamy, moist desserts.
She didn't eat dense things like pound cake well.
In that sense, creme brulee perfectly matched her tastes.
'Her eyes will sparkle over 90% for sure.'
Though just cream might be a bit much.
She liked cream but hated anything too rich.
A subtly picky palate.
I sighed while making the custard cream, and sis spoke up.
"So when's this done?"
"Gonna steal it again?"
"Huh?"
"Enjoy your meal, sis."
In the end, I surrendered to sis again today.
No matter how I thought about it, I was the bottom of the family hierarchy. Yeah.
Sis scooped a spoonful of the finished custard cream and smiled in satisfaction.
"Oh ho, delicious as always."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Your skills are improving day by day? Not bad."
"Well, I've been making desserts for over half a year."
Rapina sis laughed amusedly and shrugged.
"Sheesh, that's why I steal them for you."
"No need."
"Right, right. That's our uptight, rigid Celen."
Not uptight and rigid,
just basic moral standards—but when would this sis realize that?
But...
Saying it would just earn me a beating, so I kept my mouth shut.
Sis giggled at me and ruffled my hair.
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it."
"To what."
"Celen's turning 8 soon. In two years, your ability will awaken."
I nodded at sis's words.
In House Noir, unique abilities awakened at age 10.
It could be espionage-specialized like big bro,
thievery-optimized like Rapina sis,
or thievery-utilizing like second bro.
Whatever it was, it would suit House Noir.
"Yeah, something like that."
"Wonder what fun ability will pop out. Something even more thievery-specialized than mine?"
"Haha, jinx."
In the end, I got thoroughly beaten by Rapina sis.
Sure enough, no matter how I thought about it, I was at the bottom of the family hierarchy.