Chapter 86
The moment the words disappeared, a chill filled the room, and it felt as if the temperature inside had suddenly dropped.
“Did we make a mistake…?”
Baratheon scratched his head awkwardly.
“Are you mad because we call you ‘little one’ every day?”
“Little one isn’t the problem! I was shouting, shouting at him.”
“I bring him papers every day…”
After a brief moment of self-reflection, silence returned. The room felt even colder than before.
“Um…”
In the frozen atmosphere, Baratheon cautiously raised his hand.
“Does anyone know how to reconcile with a younger sister?”
Sishey snorted and leaned back in his chair at Baratheon’s question.
“Who would know? It’s my first time having a younger sister and first time getting this awkward.”
Reconciliation was the advanced stage of relationships.
For the three brothers, who were just entering the early stages, this was a problem with no easy answer.
Disappointed with Sishey’s answer, Baratheon turned his gaze to Lucas.
“You’re smart. Isn’t there anything in books about what to do in situations like this? They say books have everything.”
“Hmm, I don’t usually read books about human relationships…”
“See? Reading books all your life won’t help. That’s why I don’t read books.”
Baratheon’s attempt to justify his shallow reading habits was promptly shut down by Sishey.
“Theon, you can only make excuses like that after you’ve read at least ten books.”
“Hey! I’ve read about ten books too!”
“What are the titles? Say ten here, and I’ll acknowledge it.”
“Hah. Do you think I’m joking? I can do that easily!”
“Then do it. Ten titles, now.”
Sishey raised both hands and held up ten fingers in front of Baratheon.
Baratheon swallowed hard, rolling his eyes left and right as he desperately tried to recall his past readings.
“So… The Knights of the Flame, Swordsmanship Theory, Snow White, and…”
“Three.”
When Baratheon struggled to continue, Sishey neatly folded three fingers and shrugged.
“One’s a novel, one’s a swordsmanship manual, one’s a fairy tale. Now I clearly know how your knowledge is structured.”
“Hey! How many have you read?”
“Really curious? You’ll feel seriously inferior once you hear it.”
“Well…”
Baratheon’s voice dwindled as he stared into Sishey’s eyes.
Sishey tilted his head as if to say “see?”, and Baratheon slammed his hand on the table and jumped up from his seat.
“I’m avoiding this because it’s gross, okay? It’s not because I’m scared! Got it?”
“Of course, of course.”
“Theon, Sishey.”
Lucas sighed as he watched his younger brothers’ childish quarrel and tried to intervene.
“Now is not the time to fight. Are you planning to stay like this with Danae?”
At Lucas’s remark, the two young men clamped their mouths shut and stared at the floor.
The only one capable of giving a solution to his deflated brothers was, naturally, the eldest, Lucas.
“At the New Year’s Eve dinner.”
Baratheon and Sishey, who had been pouting, lifted their heads at Lucas’s words.
“Danae will have no choice but to dine with us. Why not reconcile properly at that moment?”
“So, how exactly do we reconcile?”
“I’m not sure either, but you have to be honest about your feelings. Say you want to understand why she avoids us, and that you don’t like being treated this way.”
“Is that all it takes?”
Baratheon tilted his head doubtfully.
“All it takes? Expressing honest feelings is hard!”
“?”
Lucas’s gentle voice left Baratheon still confused as he glanced at Sishey.
“Hey, Sishey, you’re really annoying.”
“What? Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?”
Sishey frowned, attacked out of nowhere, but Baratheon’s gaze had already shifted to Lucas.
“Brother, being honest is actually really easy.”
“Even if Danae is sitting right in front of you?”
“Uhhh…”
Baratheon turned back to Sishey.
Sishey glared at him with eyes that dared him to attack, but this time Baratheon couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“…Weird. Why can’t I say it?”
“See? I told you.”
Seeing Lucas smile faintly, Baratheon finally nodded with a vacant expression, understanding at last.
“Ah, so this is pretty difficult.”
“Yet you can do it with me just fine.”
Lucas patted Sishey’s back as he grumbled, organizing the situation once more.
“It’s the New Year’s Eve dinner. Everyone, have your words ready for Danae by then. Understood?”
Finally, New Year’s Eve had arrived.
I entered the dining hall with a determined expression. The staff sitting with me looked equally tense.
“Is everyone here?”
“Some are still on their way, Miss.”
“Really?”
Dinner was scheduled for 7 PM.
But the staff and I had gathered an hour early to prepare a surprise party.
Everyone moved carefully, trying not to alert the perceptive three brothers to our secret gathering.
Our vigilance paid off; the brothers had no idea about our plans.
“Time is short, so let’s start preparations.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“And the most important cakes and candles?”
“They’re ready. All three have the young masters’ names engraved.”
I smiled proudly at the three-tiered cakes on the cart.
The chef had created a masterpiece, tailoring the flavors to each brother’s preferences.
All ingredients were organic, premium quality, the same as those supplied to the royal family.
This single cake costs more than a mid-level official’s monthly salary.
“What about the petals for when the brothers enter?”
“Prepared as well.”
A maid handed me a black pouch secretly.
Inside were deep red flower petals.
These weren’t ordinary petals; they were from a sacred plant that blooms once every five years.
One handful costs as much as a month’s household expenses.
“The band?”
“They’re already waiting.”
I turned to see a group of musicians in tuxedos, looking tense.
They were the empire’s finest, specially invited to perform the birthday song.
Phew. New Year’s Eve dinner… I paid a fortune to get these guys in this peak season.
We had managed to pay a much higher sum than expected without it being awkward, thanks to some last-minute negotiations.
At 7 PM, when the party started, the food and drinks would be served, all prepared from the finest ingredients.
Even the meals and drinks for the townspeople were prepared the same way as these.
In other words, an enormous amount of money had been spent this New Year.
Despite the extravagant spending, Dean and Marina didn’t stop me.
“Providing the same meals and drinks to the townspeople? Truly the mark of a noble! Until last year, some dismissed servants embezzled, making the food subpar… This year everyone will be delighted.”
This was Dean’s reaction.
“Such sibling affection! Truly a blessing of Asinov. How beautiful!”
This was Marina’s reaction.
Both looked so moved, even tearing up, and actually encouraged my spending.
Thanks to them, I could indulge in extravagant spending freely.
Surveying the dining hall and seeing the results of my efforts made me even prouder.
Now it was 7 PM, all that was left was for the three brothers to arrive…
Then, the door burst open, and someone who shouldn’t have appeared yet stepped inside.
“Hey! Little one!”
It was Baratheon.
He stomped across the hall, looking only at me.
Behind him were Sishey and Lucas, both with their gazes fixed on me.
Why are they here already?
I glanced at the door, and a servant bowed awkwardly, clearly caught trying to sneak them in.
The fun of a surprise party is in the secrecy… and we got caught.
“There’s supposed to be a 6 PM dinner? What do you mean? I saw them heading here, late for their promise with the lord!”
“Really? Actually…”
“What did I do wrong? I was going to apologize today! Were you planning a separate dinner?”
“…Apologize? What apology?”
