"Uhm… Hey." Ren said awkwardly as he lifted a hand in a small wave.
Alina immediately flinched, her shoulders jumping like she expected him to throw a book at her, mostly because he usually did.
Jordan winced internally.
'I don't remember the original Ren hitting her,' he thought, guilt swirling in his chest like cold water but before he could process the emotion, a familiar notification shimmered into view.
『Affection Mode has loaded successfully』
『Character is being analyzed…』
Jordan blinked as a full character bar unfolded in front of him like a police report.
『 Name: Alina Crowhurst 』
『 Age: 15 』
『 Race: Human 』
『 Relationship: Younger Sister 』
『 Affection Points: 89 / 100 』
『 Hearts: 2 』
『 Emotional State: Nervous, Cautiously Hopeful 』
『 Likes: Drawing, Quiet rooms, Warm praise, Sweets, Books about magic creatures 』
『 Dislikes: Loud scolding, Having her drawings mocked, Sudden shouting 』
『 Special Notes: Has mild fear of her brother due to past teasing, responds well to kindness and gentle tone. 』
Then the system added a snarky personal note.
『Note: She is your damn sister. I didn't send you over here for some sweet home Alabama.』
Jordan nearly choked.
He had expected instructions, maybe advice… NOT the system telling him off like his personal morality supervisor.
'What the fuck?' he thought, staring at the glowing note. Ren had been bullying this girl and yet she still had high affection? 'I guess it's because she's a calm loving sister.'
Trying not to look guilty, he cleared his throat. "Can… can I see your drawings?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Alina's eyes widened in pure shock, like he had just asked if she wanted him to buy her a kingdom.
The poor girl didn't know how to process it. Her voice trembled, but this time it held a tiny spark of confidence. "Do you really want to? Or are you trying to make fun of me again?"
He blinked. "I really want to."
She stared at him suspiciously… as if waiting for a punchline but when he didn't insult her, she finally exhaled and gave a small nervous nod.
"Come on…" she said softly, turning around and heading down the stairs.
Jordan followed with his hands in his pockets, feeling a weird mix of guilt and amusement.
'I said I wouldn't try fixing Ren's messed-up family ties… but having a real little sister? One who's not sarcastic, petty, or trying to scam me? Yeah, I'm not passing on that.'
Alina's thoughts were practically visible on her face as she walked. 'I really hope Big Brother doesn't insult my drawings again.'
Her tiny shoulders tensed with every step.
The truth was, the whole reason she started drawing was because of him… back when they were kids.
Ren used to praise her endlessly, telling her she'd be the best artist in the Empire. She clung to those memories like a warm blanket but once Ren hit his teens, everything changed. He teased her relentlessly and mocked her drawings.
He even called them "scribbles from a bored chicken."and it crushed her confidence entirely.
Now, she sat at the small table in the living room, placed her sketchbook on the table like she was presenting a sacrifice, and sighed dramatically. "Prepare for your eyes to look upon shit."
Jordan gave her a sharp look. "Don't say that…"
"Why? You say it all the time." She pouted, cheeks puffing adorably. Her golden eyes glared at him with annoyance.
"It's not nice for a girl to say," he said, tapping her forehead gently. "Especially if you're cute like that. Are you trying to drive away any guy that might like you?"
Her cheeks instantly turned pink. "I'll stop… but only because you said it nicely."
She opened the drawing book, flipping it toward him. "Just look…"
Jordan braced himself for childish doodles then his jaw nearly hit the table.
Holy.
Hell.
The drawings weren't just good. They were incredible… detailed… expressive… and full of emotion, far better than what any AI could cook up.
The shading alone looked like it came straight out of a masterpiece gallery. These weren't amateur sketches… they were professional quality. The Mona Lisa would feel threatened. Hell, this girl could draw emotions better than half the manga artists Jordan had ever read.
Then, just as he started admiring a breathtaking portrait of a Dragon, his thoughts dropped a gear.
'Not like I ever had enough money or time to see the Mona Lisa anyway…' he muttered internally.
Tragic but true, still… This was ART.
Alina watched his face anxiously. "You're not smiling… If you don't like it…"
"I think this is pretty nice." Jordan said firmly, gently returning the book to her then he smirked. "But you haven't drawn one thing…"
She blinked. "Which is?"
The happiness blooming in her chest was obvious. Her brother actually praised her? Her heart felt warm, fluttery, and a little overwhelmed but she was curious… what else could he possibly want?
"Me."
Jordan dramatically swooshed his hair backward and posed arrogantly like the noble peacock he was, flashing a grin. "Aren't you going to draw your brother?"
Alina froze then something warm dripped onto her lip.
Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her face.
She was nosebleeding. The pure audacity of the pose… He was too much.
"S-sure… I'll draw you," she mumbled, her voice small and shy. "Take a pose."
Jordan straightened proudly and the system exploded.
『Ding!』
『"Alina Crowhurst"'s affection bar has currently been maxed out』
『"Alina Crowhurst"'s hearts have currently been maxed out』
『You have completed a Hidden Mission: Max Out An Affection Bar』
『You have earned a new title: Employee Of The Week』
Jordan's smile twitched. Employee of the Week?! What was he, a cashier at Destiny Mart?
Still… he felt weirdly proud.
…
And somewhere several meters away…
A mature woman crouched behind a bush outside the window, holding a pair of magic binoculars. Her expression was pale.
She was terrified, confused, and concerned all at once. Her hair was the same shade of blue, though styled elegantly, and her golden eyes were fierce.
She was Stella Crowhurst… The Lady of the House and also Ren and Alina's mother.
'He's acting weird…' she thought, gripping the binoculars tighter. 'Why is he posing for Alina? Why is he letting her draw him? Why is he… smiling?!'
Her breath hitched.
'I need to call the priest.'
…
Jordan truly had no idea how the entire day sped by so quickly.
One moment he was posing like a narcissistic noble model for Alina's sketchbook, and the next… he was in the grand dining hall, sitting at a polished mahogany table beside her.
Night had settled outside the large glass windows with several chandeliers glowing softly overhead, and Jordan found himself waiting for dinner like a civilized human being instead of the feral goblin the original Ren apparently lived as.
There were four chairs around the long table, which meant Stella Crowhurst… his new mother, and his new father would likely be joining them soon.
The thought made a bead of sweat trail down his spine.
'Damn…' he thought, fingers tapping the table. He was still thinking about the drawing Alina had made of him earlier.
She'd captured his features perfectly… His narcissistic instincts were screaming.
He wanted to frame it, hang it on a wall and worship it. He'd never admit that out loud, but the desire was real.
As Jordan was in the middle of imagining himself walking past the portrait like a smug aristocrat, the head maid entered the room with several other maids trailing behind her.
Despite the years on her face, the head maid wore her uniform neatly and proudly. They moved in synchronization like a trained military unit, lowering plates and unveiling dishes with such grace that Jordan momentarily forgot how to breathe.
"Good evening, Young Master," she greeted warmly as a line of steaming delicacies landed before him. "I didn't expect to see you in the dining room."
Jordan stared at the table.
He stared harder.
'What the fuck… I haven't had a meal like this in years,' he thought as his eye twitched.
He wasn't even sure he'd ever had a meal like this. Maybe once, when his parents splurged during Christmas, but even that didn't compare. These dishes looked like something a fantasy king would eat after winning a war.
Back on Earth, his diet consisted of instant noodles, whatever snacks were on discount, and water that tasted like metal.
It was good food as long as it helped him survive, so he wasn't sure he could get used to having all this handed to him on a silver platter.
Jordan swallowed, completely stunned.
His parents in his old life were well-off, technically, but they were so stingy they could give a dragon a run for its money.
They gave him money only when absolutely necessary… like when he needed to fix that damned washing machine while still in college. Otherwise? Nope. Good luck, son.
"Do you usually serve food like this…?" Jordan asked, attempting to sound casual. He even tried to say her name, but the original Ren had never bothered learning it, so he had nothing to work with.
"Yes, my lord," the maid replied. "Although you usually say you'd rather starve than come down to eat with the rest of them."
She lifted a dish cover, revealing a perfectly roasted chicken with sauce that smelled like actual heaven.
Jordan felt tears form.
The maid continued without skipping a beat.
"I'm guessing you changed your mind, my lord. That's good, because I will be stocking you up with vegetables so you can impress the Saintess with an even more muscular figure."
Jordan froze with the imaginary fork halfway to his mouth.
He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. The Saintess? The Hero's love interest? Why would he want to impress her? If anything, he was planning how to seduce the Hero's aunt.
That was where the real points were… he could directly undermine the hero later. Mature women were usually harder to approach, but desperation made them… flexible.
According to the novel, the Hero's aunt was thirty and looking for a man who ticked every single checkbox on her ridiculous list and Jordan was about to become that man.
Before he could fully drift into his strategy, Alina stood up and bowed politely. "Ah, Mother. Welcome."
Jordan looked toward the door, and… oh.
He suddenly understood where Ren's looks came from.
A tall, elegant woman swept into the dining room.
Stella Crowhurst was undeniably beautiful… mature and dignified, with sharp golden eyes and silky blue hair tied elegantly behind her shoulders.
Her beauty was the kind that made maids tremble and nobles revise their standards.
She was hot and Jordan hated himself for noticing because holy hell, this was his mother now.
His blood mother… His brain short-circuited for a moment as he tried to force himself not to think about it in any other context.
In the end, he cleared his throat, pointedly staring at the table.
Stella took her seat across from them, nodding politely as the maids stepped aside.
"Thank you, Duvy. The food looks excellent," Stella said, and the head maid… Duvy brightened with pride then Stella's eyes slid to Jordan.
She observed him for a long moment with both of her brows drawn together.
And Jordan? He was staring at the chicken like a starving wolf. He wasn't even pretending… His eyes were sparkling like a child on Christmas morning and that was enough to make Stella narrow her eyes suspiciously.
"And my son…" she began slowly. "It's rare to find you in the dining room. I wonder what brought this change of heart. You usually insist on eating alone in your room to avoid being stained…"
Jordan nearly dropped the knife he had been holding.
He quickly shuffled through Ren's memories and yes… the original Ren really did avoid the dining room.
He ate in his room every day, insisting that dining with "common people" referring to his own family and maids was beneath him. The desire to appear stoic and noble had overridden everything, including enjoying actual food.
The loss was entirely his because Jordan was currently looking at plates piled with roasted meats, grilled vegetables, buttered bread, soups, cheeses, and desserts that made his stomach weep with joy.
He forced a polite expression.
"I realized… I'm not eating enough," he said casually. "And besides, we're a family, right? We should be eating together."
It was sincere then he made his fatal mistake.
"Though I have to ask… where's Father?"
The fork slipped out of Stella's hand, Alina's eyes widened comically and every maid in the room froze.
You could hear a pin drop across the mansion.
Jordan stiffened. "…Did I say something wrong?"
For a full second, nobody spoke then Stella stood so fast her chair screeched.
"PRIEST!!" she screamed. "HE'S HERE! COME PURIFY HIM! THIS IS NOT MY SON! IT'S SOMETHING IMPERSONATING HIM!"
Jordan's soul left his body. 'WHAT?!'
Footsteps came thundering from behind him. Before Jordan could turn around, someone placed a firm hand on his head.
"Don't move," a voice commanded.
The priest… Of course…
The universe had dragged him into the villain's body, into a noble mansion, and straight into an exorcism attempt on the first day.
Warm, tingling magic began to pour over his scalp, crawling into his body like holy water soaking into sand.
A new notification popped up in front of him.
『You are being purified』