CH 10

And the ‘Beloved Child’s companions arrived by carriage that afternoon.

“Welcome from afar. I am David Grandes Finley, Alfred’s father. Has the snow been kind?”

“Thank you for inviting us. I’m James Cornell Stanley, McWade Cornell Stanley’s eldest son. It’s a privilege to be invited to Marquis Finley’s legendary winter festival. We were able to enter the territory before the snow got worse, so we had time to enjoy ourselves.”

Despite the fact that it was our first meeting, it was clear that James, the son of the commander of the Royal Guard, was more than a head taller than my older brother. He had a strong, well-built body for a ten-year-old, and his neat, red short hair and sharp, determined, golden eyes exuded strong resolve beneath. Although his current appearance was that of a child, he resembled James in my “Memory.”

“Thank you for including me. My name is Martin Raymond, and I am Kenneth Lagrall Raymond’s second son. Thanks to you, I was also able to proceed as planned. I’m looking forward to attending the winter festival for the first time. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Like James, I recognized Martin from “Memory.” When Martin met the “Beloved Child,” he was able to freely manipulate the four elemental magics of fire, water, wind, and earth, as well as the light attribute healing magic. He was about the same height as my older brother, with dark brown hair loosely tied in the middle of his back and stunning blue-green eyes. He has a bit of a “tough girl” vibe, but in high school, it was said that he had a “chilling, cold charm” that made people shiver whenever he smiled. It seems… I guess? Yup. Such a memory…

“Enjoy your time until dinner, Alfred.”

“Yes, father.”

In addition, I’d like to introduce Edward, my son who joined our family late last year. Like Alfred, I would appreciate it if you could get along well with him. Please introduce yourself to everyone, Edward.”

“Hello, my name is Edward Finley. My age is five years. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

In response to my greeting, James was the first to speak up. His family was also a member of a marquis family. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Edward-sama. My name is James Cornell Stanley. I’d been looking forward to meeting you ever since I found out you were Alfred’s adorable younger brother. Please be kind to me.”

I appreciate the greeting, Stanley-sama. I am delighted to be able to join you at the winter festival. Please take good care of me.”

‘Phew, I managed to say it without stumbling. I did my best.’

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Edward-sama. My name is Martin Raymond. I, too, had been looking forward to meeting you ever since I heard about you from Alfred-sama. Please take care of me.”

“Thank you for your greetings, Raymond-sama. I’m glad that we can both go to the winter festival. Thank you very much,” I said, bowing my head, noting that Daniel appeared to be very happy next to my older brother.

“All right, everyone. I’ll see you later. Please excuse me.”

“I apologize for the intrusion,” I said as I followed my father out of the room. After that, I bowed my head once more and started to leave when my brother called out to me, “Eddie, would you like to talk with everyone for a while?”

“Is that all right?”

“Everyone is eager to have a moment with you, Eddie. Is Eddie welcome to join us, Father?”

“I don’t mind. It’s fine, Edward, to carry on as usual.””Yes,” I nodded to which Father also nodded before leaving the room.

What should I do now? Should I go next to my brother?

“Eddie, come sit next to me.”

“Yes…Al nii-sa—aniue .”

“It’s fine to do things as you usually do.”

“Yes, that’s right. Eddie, you can do what you normally do with me, too,” Daniel said with a laugh.

“Uh, but…”

“Didn’t you promise not to bother Eddie during your stay?”

“Danny, don’t trouble Eddie,” said Al.

“I’m not bothering him. Right? It’s fine if you sit next to me and Al. “Come on,” he said as he patted the chair.

“Uh, okay… Dan nii-sama,” I said as I took a seat between Al and Daniel.

The other two sat across from us, looking surprised. Then, as if on cue, tea and sweets were delivered to us, and each of our servants waited by the wall.

“What? Are you already close to Edward, Danny? And him addressing you as ‘nii-sama’ at that?” Martin stated as he looked at me.

“How unusual. “You’re usually such a pain to get along with,” James said, holding his tea and looking at both me and Daniel. Brother Al was smiling wryly beside him.Eh? Was Niel[1] really such a difficult person?

“That’s not nice, Jim[2]. Eddie-kun here is a student of my father’s. He’s very obedient and talented.”

“Really? Howard- sama’s? Howard-lessons sama’s must have been difficult even for a five-year-old.”

“Hehehe, Eddie is a hard worker who is also cute. Since I don’t have a younger sibling of my own, I requested that he address me as “nii-sama” for the duration of my visit.

“Oh, maybe I should ask to be called by name as well. Raymond-sama doesn’t seem appropriate for such a festive occasion, does it?”

I lowered my head slightly and looked at my big brother as I caught a fleeting glance. ‘Al nii-sama, what should I say in times like this? Is it okay for me to be an ignorant five-year-old who doesn’t understand the tricks of the trade? B-But, it’s better to get along even a little bit here, right? I guess?

“If it’s alright with you, please call me Eddie,” I said with a smile, and after a moment’s pause, Martin chuckled.

“Then I’ll call you Eddie-kun. Please call me Martin.”

“Thank you, Martin-sama,” I bowed and glanced at my brother, blushing slightly and giggling. It was all because I didn’t know what to do anymore.

“Good for you, Eddie.”

“Un.”

“Well then, I’ll go by James too,” James said on his own.

‘This is great.’ “Thank you. Jay—mes-sama, I look forward to working with you.”

‘Ah, but it’s a little difficult to say. James-kun[3]. Between in my head and out loud, there’s definitely a difference, huh… Although I thought my pronunciation had improved, it’s difficult to say sounds that I don’t usually use.

“Hmmm… it’s a little difficult to say. Would it be easier calling me Jimmy?”

“…Jimmy-sama.”

“Yes, that’s it. It’s a childhood nickname. “I never thought I’d hear it here,” James smiled, reaching for his tea once more.

“So, Eddie, I’m counting on you. Isn’t everyone here nice? I don’t have any friends who would harm a small child like you.”

“Yes, Al-niisama. Thank you very much. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” I bowed my head once more.

“You seem nervous.”

“You’re so stiff.”

‘Al-niisama, Daniel-kun, it’s a disaster…’

“Well, it’s scary to be surrounded by your brother’s friends, isn’t it? But I was relieved that you could properly greet us and engage in conversation. To be honest, I was concerned that Eddie-kun would be a crying and tantrum-throwing child, but he appears to be doing well.”

“Marty, you’re not showing any mercy to a kid you just met.”

“Huh? But I’m praising him. Eddie-kun seems to be doing well, you know. Hey, Al.”

“Enough, Marty. He’s a really cute younger brother of mine.”

After my brother helped me, we all ate sweets and drank tea together. In a surprising turn of events, I learned that James enjoys sugary treats. And for some reason, I was compared to a squirrel or a rabbit in terms of cuteness.

“Let’s enjoy the winter festival together,” everyone said with a smile.

For the time being, I don’t believe they regard me as a bad kid.

When I left the room, I waved my hand and laughed happily, but it wasn’t exactly aristocratic. However, as I closed the door and began walking, Marie complimented me, saying, “You did well.”

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Footnotes

[1] Edward is addressing Daniel or Danny with another nickname here.

[2] Jim is nickname for James.

[3] Note that since MC here is still 5 years old, he couldn’t properly pronounce certain words correctly, perfectly befitting of a 5 years old.