“Oliver Wellider, that person is the craziest I’ve ever seen.”

Nigel Ars, who was speaking jokingly, quickly opened her mouth when she saw that Rifne’s face had frozen colder than ice.

“Of course, not in a bad way, but in a good way.”

Only then did Rifne’s expression warm up. Nigel continued speaking with relief.

“I’ve never seen anyone enjoy academy life more amusingly than him.”

Rifne, with wide eyes, listened silently to Nigel’s story and then quietly muttered.

“…I see. Even as he’s aged, Oliver is still the same Oliver.”

As she finished speaking, Rifne, who had been expressionless throughout the conversation, slightly raised the corners of her mouth and smiled faintly.

Nigel was momentarily overwhelmed by that shy smile, then grinned.

“Rifne, you just smiled, didn’t you?”

“When did I ever.”

Rifne immediately returned to her expressionless state.

“If you say so. Then now you’ll tell me the information I want, right?”

“No.”

“Thank… What?”

Wondering if he might have misheard, Nigel blinked several times.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I won’t tell you.”

“…Thanks for nailing it so kindly.”

“You’re welcome.”

Nigel, his legs weakening, slumped down on the floor and looked up at Rifne.

“You clearly said that if I answered, you’d find the book I wanted.”

“Yes, as you said, I only ‘said’ it. Haven’t you learned yet that you could build mountains with the historical figures who trusted verbal contracts and were betrayed?”

Rifne gestured with her chin towards the book in Nigel’s hand.

『The History of Betrayal』

It was a book he had been reading to cool his head and pass the time.

Rifne, with her chin elegantly raised, exuded an authority that couldn’t be found in Oliver.

But.

“What do you mean not alike…”

Rifne’s innate eloquence, manipulating people with just a few words, was undoubtedly that of Oliver’s sister.

“What did you just say?”

“I said you and your senior are incredibly alike.”

Nigel slowly got up from the floor.

“…There’s no hiding that, we’re bound by blood.”

Rifne had somehow transformed from a young viscountess into a shy girl of Nigel’s age, hiding her smile.

“Nigel Ars.”

Of course, she was still stiff towards Nigel.

“If you want information, you’ll have to help me a bit more.”

Nigel, who had shown all his cards to his opponent, had no choice.

“Alright. What do I need to help with?”

“…I want to improve my relationship with Oliver.”

Rifne slowly gazed at the window where sunlight filtered through the trees.

“Oliver and I weren’t always like this. He used to chatter excitedly, running around the library, just like he does with you, Nigel Ars. The event that completely silenced that voice was the succession.”

“Succession?”

Rifne nodded slightly at Nigel’s question.

“When Oliver passed on his rights as the eldest to me, it seems he thought he had dumped his burden on me. I didn’t mind at all. No, I felt sorry, wondering if my capabilities had stolen Oliver’s place.”

The monotone voice left a deep trace of loneliness as it passed.

“That’s simple.”

Nigel intentionally spoke in a bright voice.

“We just need to trick Oliver into creating a situation where you can talk to him.”

“That’s right.”

“You’ll keep your promise this time, right?”

Nigel extended his hand to Rifne.

“Yes, I promise on the Wellider name.”

The two young ladies’ hands touched. And simultaneously, bright smiles spread across both their faces.

“So, freshman! What happened with Lord Beselion at the ball?”

Luring Oliver Wellider, who was always thirsty for fun, was easier than eating cold soup.

Nigel smiled guiltily as she watched Oliver, who had followed her to the garden pavilion without any suspicion.

“Don’t tell me you still can’t trust this reliable senior? It’s okay, so don’t hesitate and spea… k.”

A calm presence resembling its owner. Nigel recognized who it was without even turning around.

“…Rifne.”

“Hello, Oliver.”

Within those brief greetings, courage was crouched and hidden.

Oliver’s playful smile, which had been busy teasing Nigel, disappeared, and his back, which had been comfortably slumped in the chair, straightened more rigidly than the marble pillars surrounding the pavilion.

Then, turning only his head, he silently stared at Nigel.

Nigel easily ignored the unspoken pressure demanding an immediate explanation of what was going on.

“Wow. What a coincidence. Since it’s come to this. Why don’t you siblings have a chat?”

And she spoke with an intentionally forced intonation.

So that the sharp Oliver could easily figure out why and how this situation had come about.

Surprise and unease clouded Oliver’s eyes as he read the reason.

The fear that if they talked unnecessarily, their relationship, which had been maintaining the status quo, might completely break down.

“Don’t feel pressured, Oliver.”

However, Rifne’s small courage easily overwhelmed Oliver’s fear.

The moment he heard those words, Nigel sensed that her help was no longer needed and stood up from her seat.

When she reached a distance where the siblings’ voices could no longer be heard, Nigel looked back.

There, in the beautifully adorned pavilion, sat the siblings who had grown distant due to the succession issue, trying to be considerate of each other, now smiling brightly.

Nigel raised the corners of her mouth along with them, and naturally thought of someone.

When she came to her senses, Nigel’s steps had stopped in front of the communication stone.

Nigel entered the code into the communication stone.

−Yes.

A sharp voice matching the sensitive personality contained in that brief answer.

“Zeronin, it’s me.”

Seeing those two, she suddenly felt like hearing Zeronin’s voice.

−What’s the occasion? You didn’t contact me once during the entire vacation. What business do you have this time?

Hearing Zeronin’s voice, now devoid of sharpness, Nigel belatedly realized that she had never contacted Zeronin without a purpose.

‘Falling in l… ove and getting all emotional.’

Quickly pushing away the embarrassment, Nigel searched her mind for a reason to communicate.

“…Um, I was wondering if the illegal distribution of Leparo I mentioned before was well resolved.”

−You mean the case of the dismissed Count Lumen?

“Yes.”

−I was just about to report on that. We tracked the list of Leparo buyers and removed all those involved with Lumen from the list. However, we found that besides the Leparo put up for auction, a few more Leparo had flowed into Count Lumen’s side.

“Then, do you also know for what purpose Lumen used the Leparo?”

−No. Unfortunately, the Lumen Count case was handed over to the imperial family, so we’ll never know the whereabouts of the Leparo.

“…!”

The Shining Rose.

Nigel’s instinct, which was only accurate with bad news, was telling her that this group had taken the Leparo.

−…More importantly, Nigel.

Those words snapped Nigel out of her thoughts.

−You’re sure we don’t need to worry about your magic addiction symptoms, right? You said you discharge enough in your magic department classes, but I need to be able to trust that.

Sensing that this nagging wouldn’t end in just an hour, Nigel quickly added.

“…Zeron? What did you just say? I can’t hear you very well.”

At that moment, a vivid sigh of exasperation came through the communication stone.

−Nigel. You do know that your communication stone code is that of the Wellider Count family, right? And that the nobles’ codes use the best communication stones distributed by the communication bureau, so communications don’t get cut off unless there’s a natural disaster-level event.

Of course, she knew. She had just been inwardly praying that Zeronin hadn’t looked closely at the code.

And so Nigel, unable to make a peep, listened to Zeronin’s endless nagging and once again realized why she never contacted Zeronin without a purpose.

Dinner time.

The two siblings with noticeably brightened expressions and Nigel, looking as if she had endured a week of hardship, sat together amicably for the evening feast.

As the head of the family was absent, the head seat at the table naturally belonged to Rifne, the successor.

The news of Oliver and Rifne’s reconciliation seemed to have spread quickly, as the chef couldn’t hide his smile throughout serving and explaining the dishes.

Rifne still expressionless and Oliver busy teasing Nigel, they appeared no different from usual, but the two conversed ceaselessly.

At the end of the meal when dessert was served, Oliver quietly muttered thanks to Nigel.

“So, what do you want to know?”

In Rifne’s study, visited after the meal.

As soon as Nigel took a sip of the well-brewed tea and set down the cup, Rifne, with her arms crossed, spoke directly.

“You’re going to tell me instead of pointing me to a book?”

“Yes. It’s more efficient for you that way.”

The moment of being touched by Rifne’s unexpected thoughtfulness was brief.

The Shining Rose, the temple, divine power, and other essential information complicated Nigel’s thoughts.

“Do I… really have to say just one thing?”

So Nigel asked pitifully. Making the pitiful face that worked well on Heres and Handel.

“Depends on how you do.”

But her opponent was Rifne. Even Oliver, who wouldn’t stop his tongue even in front of Widrun, was careful with his words around Rifne.

Nigel finally prioritized the information with a deeply furrowed brow.

“…I want to know about the Shining Rose.”

Nigel’s voice burst out like a sigh.

“The Shining Rose, you mean the plant that disappeared due to human greed?”

‘Even the Wellider family’s successor wouldn’t know this much.’

It was the most desired information and the question least likely to be answered.

As Nigel was regretting wasting her precious opportunity, Rifne’s mouth slowly opened.

“…Or do you mean the group that’s been stirring up the empire recently?”