Chapter 21: Of Children and Consequences
The balcony doors clicked shut behind Regulus, sealing him in relative quiet. Mistress Elaina stood with her back to him, her gloved hands resting on the stone railing as she gazed out over Vespera's glittering skyline.
"My apologies," she said without turning. "I underestimated how… noticeable your presence would be."
Regulus arched a brow. "Let me guess—Hebe Familia doesn't usually employ men, and now the nobles are inventing scandalous reasons why I'm here?"
Elaina's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. "You're observant. Unfortunately, that doesn't solve our current problem." She turned, her expression unreadable. "You're being reassigned. The children's pavilion needs supervision."
"Children?" Regulus blinked. "What children—"
She gestured toward a secluded garden terrace below. A group of teenagers in ornate formalwear lounged near a fountain, some sipping wine, others engaged in what appeared to be a very intense debate over sword stances.
Regulus' eye twitched. "Those are children? They look my age!"
Elaina sighed. "They're the guests' offspring. Fourteen to seventeen, by our records."
"Fourteen is—" Regulus cut himself off, suddenly remembering the conventions of this world. Right. Japanese light novel logic. Sixteen is practically middle-aged.
His deadpan stare seemed to amuse Elaina. "I see you're beginning to understand. Treat them as you would any noble guest—just ensure no one duels to the death over dessert."
Regulus descended into a den of teenage aristocracy:
A silver-haired girl critiquing a servant's sword grip with alarming expertise.
Twin boys debating trade tariffs like seasoned merchants.
A petite blonde who looked twelve but was apparently the heir to a mercantile empire.
One particularly sharp-eyed youth took one look at Regulus and announced: "Ah, the Hebe Familia's mysterious man. Are the rumors true, then?"
Before Regulus could respond, a familiar shadow stretched across the pavilion stones.
Nyx leaned against a nearby pillar, swirling a stolen wineglass. "Oh, this is too good. The great Regulus Nihil, reduced to babysitting nobles' brats."
Regulus ignored her, focusing on the teens. "No dueling. No political sabotage. And someone put that ceremonial dagger back."
The silver-haired girl pouted. "You're no fun."
While Regulus played reluctant babysitter to Vespera's most dangerous teenagers, more consequential events unfolded elsewhere in the manor:
The Rosewind Study
Cordelia—no, Fillian Hellis—slipped through a hidden panel behind a tapestry, emerging into a dimly lit study where two figures waited. The scent of aged parchment and iron-gall ink hung heavy in the air.
"Report," said the taller figure, their Athena Familia insignia glinting in the candlelight.
Fillian's merchant smile fell away like a discarded mask. "The guild's position is secure. We'll have the votes when the Congress convenes." She hesitated. "Though Hebe's... pet project complicates matters."
The second figure, a woman with knife-scarred hands, chuckled. "A man in the Hebe Familia? How deliciously scandalous." Her fingers tapped a rolled parchment against her palm—the eighth vote writ, sealed in black wax.
The Rafters Above
A silver-haired god lounged across the banquet hall's crossbeams, one leg dangling as he observed both scenes below:
Regulus confiscating a dagger from a giggling noble girl
Nyx's shadow stretching further than physics should allow, creeping toward Cordelia's hidden study
The children's increasingly dangerous "games"
"Now this is entertainment," he murmured, popping a stolen grape into his mouth.
The Pavilion's Edge
Nyx pretended to examine her wineglass while her shadow slithered unseen along the walls. She could leave—should leave, really—but something about these brats set her teeth on edge.
The silver-haired girl was watching Regulus with entirely too much interest.
"See something you like?" Nyx purred, materializing behind her.
The girl didn't even flinch. "He's interesting. You should take better care of your things."
Nyx's smile turned razor-sharp. "Oh, precious. You've mistaken our relationship." Her hands coiled around the girl's wrist, not quite touching. "He's not my pet." A beat. "He's not your prey."
The girl finally paled.
Back with Regulus
As he broke up the twins' attempt to forge trade documents using dessert jam as ink, a chill ran down his spine. The air smelled suddenly of ozone and something older—
Thunder?
Then a scream.
Regulus turned toward the scream just in time to see the silver-haired noble girl stumble backward, her face pale as fresh parchment. Nyx loomed over her, shadows curling like smoke around her shoulders—not quite threatening, but far from friendly.
Regulus was at their side in three strides. "What happened?"
The girl opened her mouth, but Nyx cut in smoothly. "Oh, nothing dire." She plucked a dessert knife from the girl's trembling fingers. "Our young lady here simply forgot her manners."
The girl—Lady Aurelia, if Regulus recalled correctly—swallowed hard. "I was only—"
"Asking questions above your station," Nyx finished for her, twirling the knife between her fingers before handing it back, handle-first. "A dangerous habit."
Regulus glanced between them. The tension was thick enough to carve.
"Right," he said flatly. "No interrogating guests. That's my rule, by the way." He shot Nyx a look. "And no terrorizing children."
Nyx rolled her eyes. "She's fifteen. In this world, that's practically a dowry-ready spinster."
Lady Aurelia bristled. "I am sixteen—"
"My deepest condolences," Nyx said dryly.
Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough." He turned to the girl. "Go find your governess. And maybe avoid sharp objects for the rest of the night."
Aurelia opened her mouth as if to argue, then thought better of it. With a last, lingering glance at Nyx, she vanished into the crowd.
Nyx watched her go, then smirked. "You're welcome."
"For what?"
"For ensuring she doesn't try to stab you in your sleep later." She plucked a grape from a passing tray. "Teenage nobility? Always vengeful."
Regulus exhaled. "Remind me why we're here again?"
Nyx's grin turned razor-sharp. "Because, little moth, while you were playing nanny?" She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Cordelia just slipped into a meeting with Athena Familia. And our favorite eavesdropping deity is very interested."
A beat.
"So. Still think babysitting was beneath you?"
Regulus stared at her for a long moment. Then—
Flick.
His finger snapped against Nyx's forehead with perfect precision.
"I never thought of it like that," he said blandly.
Nyx blinked. Once. Twice.
"...I did," she muttered, rubbing her forehead.
And for the first time that evening, Regulus allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.