59 Meeting the Family (1/2)
”I suppose that we should introduce ourselves before we start, though. It would be awfully disheartening if you did not know our names, dear brother,” said the handsome young man.
There it is again… Why is he calling me his brother? It's kind of unnerving being called that by this guy…
”Hmmm... I must be seeing things. There's no way. Not from these little ants. That couldn't be possible…” murmured Lacrima, in a half-concerned tone. She snorted coldly and said, ”The only conclusion is that these meddling insects are counterfeits. The audacity! But they couldn't have accomplished this alone… who helped them?”
Couldn't it be possible for what? Counterfeits? What are you talking about?
Lacrima snickered and said, ”These clowns are fakers, impostors made by someone with forbidden knowledge. Imitations. You need not fear pathetic beings such as them. If anything, pity them — these poor, little bugs…”
The young man took a seat across from Reed and said, ”My name is Kanosis Dragoncrest, the eldest of my siblings. I am the one who invited you to this gathering through Princess Violett.”
He closed his book and said, ”It seems you are quite a reserved fellow, brother. We've sent several invitations to you through our associates, but you always declined.”
So you're the source of those annoying invitations?! You're a persistent motherfucker, aren't you? You know what? Fuck. You. Asshole.
He had initially planned to remain polite for Violett's sake, but the revelation was too much for him to handle. The bastard had just casually admitted that he'd been the one who'd been ruining his mornings. Every damn day, he'd receive multiple invitations and then get hounded by Arcano, the perfect butler, until he read them all to him.
Frustrated, Reed said, ”I couldn't be bothered. After all, who'd want to attend a stuffy-ass party like this? But you got me in the end, so it's your win. Congrats.”
Kanosis dryly laughed and said, ”I feel the exact same way, but they're useful for a variety of reasons. They mainly keep the sheep outside pacified and docile, among other things… but that is a topic for another time. Allow me the honor of introducing the family, brother, before I forget again.”
He silently gestured at one of his siblings, a gorgeous young lady with overflowing long hair that spilled out onto the floor when she stood up. She had a small, lovely smile on her face when she lightly bowed toward Reed. ”It is good to see you in good health, brother dearest. Please make yourself at home; what is ours is yours as well.”
”This is Sigurda, the second eldest. Pay no mind if she suddenly falls asleep at any point forward. She possesses a unique constitution and often requires to dream in order to use it. Sister Sigurda is a Dreamseeker; she is one of few who can sometimes divine the future through dreams.”
A genuine sleeping beauty, huh. That's a little nifty, I guess.
A tall, bulky man stood up and said, ”Greetings, brother. I am just as delighted that you have finally come! Do not hesitate to call me if you need an extra hand if the sheep outside give you any difficulties, heh…” He patted his thick, stocky arms and grinned, as if to imply what his solutions to life's problems were.
”This is Sverre, the third eldest,” said Kanosis with a slightly annoyed voice. ”As you can see, he is very energetic and prefers to solve issues in rather… direct ways. I would greatly appreciate if you could just ignore anything that comes out of his mouth.”
Sverre simply sneered in response and ignored Kanosis as if he didn't exist.
Oh, this looks familiar. There's nothing as universal as the war between the older brother and the younger one.
A young, slender girl with a cold expression quickly stood up and said, ”It is good to finally meet you, brother. I hope we can get along in the future…” and sat down just as fast. Her hair covered one of her eyes, a style that was oddly popular among the youth, and wore casual, revealing clothes unlike the rest of her siblings.
Why do they cover their eyes like that? Wouldn't you want to see where you're going? I don't get the fashion in this world…
”Ingvild, the fourth oldest. I ask that you do not take anything she says to heart, brother. She is in that phase of her life, where one finds it 'cool' to rebel against one's own family. I'm sure you understand our…” Kanosis sighed, not even finishing the sentence.
The frustrated oldest sibling reclined on his seat and said, ”The one next to you, playing a game on that device, is Rune. He is the fifth oldest and as you can see, he is an unruly little—” Kanosis sighed yet again, unable to even find the will to speak.
This one's probably the most normal one of them all. Who would have thought…
”I'm next, aren't I?! Right?! I'm Eir, big brother!” An adorable young girl popped out from behind Reed's seat and hopped on his lap as if she belonged there.