The lingering white light of teleportation slowly faded, leaving silence in the living room of the Altavis family mansion in the capital. The air here felt different from Lazavis. It was warmer, yet also quieter, as the mansion was not staffed by many servants at night.
Elisa let out a long sigh, stretching her stiff shoulders.
"Kazien, I'm going to rest first." Elisa said, breaking the silence. She glanced briefly at the two documents she had to bring the next day. "First thing tomorrow morning, I have to register Erica and Arken at the academy, then head to the palace to handle their adoption papers so they become legally official."
The woman walked wearily out of the living room toward the stairs.
"Yes, Aunt Elisa. We'll be going to bed soon too." Kazien answered politely. Then, he remembered something. "By the way, what about Erica? Where will she sleep tonight?"
Elisa paused on the first step, then turned around. Her gaze softened as she looked at the purple-haired girl standing awkwardly near the sofa.
"She can sleep in the room next to yours!" Elisa answered. She then looked at Erica intently. "Erica... from now on, you can call me 'Mother.' And please, don't hesitate if you need anything from me, okay?"
Erica jolted slightly. The title felt foreign on her tongue, but the warmth in Elisa's voice made her feel accepted.
"Y-Yes... Mother." Erica answered softly, her voice trembling a bit from a mix of nervousness and emotion.
Elisa smiled with satisfaction, then turned back around and climbed the stairs to her room on the second floor. The sound of her footsteps slowly faded, leaving Kazien, his three fiancés, and Erica in the spacious living room.
As soon as Elisa disappeared, the formal atmosphere instantly melted away. Alvin immediately threw his body onto the plush sofa, followed by Allen who sat on the armrest.
"By the way, aren't we still on break tomorrow?" Alvin asked while staring at the ceiling. "Why did we rush back to the capital so early?"
Kazien walked toward the window, opening the curtains slightly to look at the capital's night scenery. "Didn't you say you wanted to take on missions at the Adventurer's Guild? Besides..." Kazien turned with a small smile. "I wanted to pick up the letter Ritalia sent. I promised I'd reply as soon as possible."
Allen snorted in amusement at that excuse. "You really are weak when it comes to your own family, aren't you?"
"Hahaha." Kazien laughed crisply, not denying it. "You know it yourself, Allen. I can never be the 'strong' one in front of my family. You are all my most precious treasures in this world!"
"You're such a troublesome future husband!" Arken chimed in with a teasing yet affectionate tone. "But, well... that's also part of your charm."
The four of them laughed together, enjoying the warmth of their barrier-free interaction. However, in the corner of the room, Erica stood frozen in silence. Her fingers twisted the hem of her shirt. She felt like a stranger who had walked into a perfect family portrait.
Kazien accidentally glanced over and realized his new sister's awkwardness.
"Erica?" Kazien called out gently. "What's wrong? Why are you so quiet?"
Erica snapped out of her daze. She looked down at the cold marble floor. "It's... I..." She hesitated for a moment, then gathered the courage to look at Kazien. "I'm going to be an academy student starting tomorrow. But honestly, I'm not confident in my magic skills. I've only been self-taught all this time."
She took a deep breath. "Could you... could you teach me how to use magic? I don't want to embarrass the family name."
Hearing that sincere request, Kazien smiled broadly and nodded firmly. "Of course! No need to worry. Tomorrow, I'll split myself. One of my bodies will be dedicated to guiding you all day long until you understand the basics of magic properly!"
The weight on Erica's shoulders felt instantly lifted. "Really? Thank you, Brother Kazien!"
Seeing the look of relief on the girl's face, Alvin, Allen, and Arken smiled as well. To them, Erica was no longer a stranger, but part of their small circle that needed protecting.
"Well, we can think about studying tomorrow. For now, let's go to sleep! I'm So Sleepy." Alvin suggested as he rose from the sofa.
They began walking together toward the main bedroom corridor. However, they stopped when they realized Erica was still trailing right behind them, instead of turning toward the room Elisa had mentioned.
"Why are you following us in here, Erica?" Alvin asked, confused.
Erica twisted her fingers, her face flushing red with embarrassment. "Tonight... may I sleep with the four of you? The guest room is too big and quiet... I'm not used to this new place yet."
There was a momentary silence.
"What?" Allen suddenly laughed softly, a mischievous grin appearing on his face. "Are you sure? Don't tell me you also want to sleep on top of our fiancé's body too?"
Erica's face instantly went beet red. "W-What did you say?! Of course not, Brother Allen!" she shrieked in panic, her eyes widening in shock. "Isn't he your fiancé?! How could I think of something so wicked!"
Allen waved his hand casually. "It's no problem! Besides, you're our sister now. No matter how beautiful you are in Kazien's eyes, he will never be interested in women. That is an absolute fact."
Allen stepped closer, patting the shoulder of the still-shocked Erica. "It would be a different story if you were a boy. If you had a shaft in your crotch, the three of us would definitely be on high alert around you!"
"He's right!" Alvin chimed in, nodding in agreement. He pointed at Allen's face. "You see Allen? His face is cute, right? If you were a boy, your face would be just as cute as his, or even more so. That would be a real threat to us. But since you're a girl... well, you're safe."
Erica was utterly baffled. Her mouth hung open slightly, unable to believe their way of thinking. In the noble world generally, women would elbow each other out of the way for a man's attention, especially a man as strong as Kazien. But they were relaxed, as if Erica was just harmless furniture.
The confusion made Erica unable to hold back her question.
"How can you be that relaxed?" Erica asked in frustration. "Why aren't you wary of me even if I am family? You should be more suspicious! What if someday a wicked woman approaches Brother Kazien, pretends to sleep with him, then frames him for defiling her? Or secretly steals his seed? Wouldn't that be dangerous for your position?!"
Erica voiced the worst-case scenarios often found in the royal romance stories she had read.
However, her worry was answered with a calm smirk from Arken.
"No one can approach our fiancé without our permission, Erica. Especially strangers." Arken answered casually but with emphasis.
"Arken is right!" Alvin added. "Wherever Kazien goes, the three of us or one of us will always be by his side."
They really are incredibly confident, aren't they? thought Erica, shaking her head in disbelief. What if I really had bad intentions? Ah, never mind. I really don't understand the logic of their love triangle. This is too complicated for me.
"Alright, enough of this debate!" Kazien's voice cut through the conversation.