“Rochenia?”

When I repeated the name in question, the maid who first spoke clenched her fist.

“She’s the eldest daughter of the Iscal Count family, one of the branch families. The master once proposed marriage to her. Even after being rejected, whenever she comes here, she acts like she’s the mistress of the house…”

Another maid jabbed her in the waist to stop her. The maid who had been speaking passionately then looked at me and lowered her head.

“I-I’m sorry, my lady.”

“It’s alright. But be careful from now on.”

Although the maid was somewhat excited, it was better to know this before meeting the branch family members for the first time.

‘He proposed to Jade?’

Well, in Langrangsha, only marriages up to first cousins were prohibited. Since they were more distant relatives, it was acceptable to propose.

‘…I wonder what kind of person she is.’

To act like the mistress of the house even after being rejected for marriage, she must have quite a personality.

“My lady.”

The butler knocked and entered.

“What is it?”

“The guests have arrived in the dining room… But the master hasn’t arrived yet.”

It seemed I would have to greet the branch family members alone, without Jade.

‘But I can’t keep those who have already arrived waiting indefinitely.’

With no other choice, I picked up Blanche, who had been waiting for me while reading a fairy tale book, and went downstairs.

As I entered the dining room, the branch family members were chattering loudly, exchanging greetings with each other.

Blanche, bothered by the noise, covered her ears and hid in my embrace.

I deliberately made noise with my shoes to draw attention and bring order to the situation.

Only then did the branch family members turn their heads and look me up and down.

As if by agreement, they suddenly fell silent in front of me.

It was clear from their silence that they intended to pressure me.

I sat down in the center with Blanche.

‘With Jade absent, I am the highest-ranking person here right now.’

I waited for the branch family members to greet me first. Greeting them first would only create a situation where I might be disrespected.

“Earl Boston. I didn’t know you were here. You’ve been so quiet.”

Unable to contain himself any longer, a young man sitting across from me spoke in a displeased tone.

The butler informed me that he was the second son of Earl Iscal.

Perhaps feeling that I had taken the place his sister should have held, his expression was particularly unfavorable.

Moreover, Sharlin Winst, who had been the previous fiancée, was at least of the same race.

I, a sparrow beastkin, was merely a foreigner who had appeared out of nowhere from their perspective.

Their attitude suggested that it wounded their pride to acknowledge such a foreigner as the mistress of the family.

Furthermore, with Jade absent, they were acting even more disrespectfully.

“I am sitting here as ‘Lady Rowe’, so please address me correctly.”

“‘Please’?”

The second son of Earl Iscal let out a mocking laugh as he repeated my words.

“Should I, the mistress of House Rowe, use honorifics and make requests to you?”

“…Ha!”

“Moreover, if it’s a greeting to Earl Boston, he too should be courteous. Is that not so? The earl who is allowed to speak informally to me is your father, after all.”

The second son of Earl Iscal turned his head abruptly, his face reddening.

“Lady Marchioness. My elder brother’s expression of familiarity was excessive. Please forgive him.”

The woman holding his arm spoke in a clear voice.

‘If she’s calling him elder brother… This woman must be Rochenia.’

Rochenia stood up, placed her hand on her chest, and bowed her head.

“Our father, Earl Iscal, could not attend due to poor health. My elder brother and I are here to greet you in his stead. I am Rochenia Iscal.”

“I wish for your father’s swift recovery.”

Rochenia’s words seemed polite, but there was a hidden meaning.

That they were attending on behalf of their father, so they were as good as Earl Iscal himself. Therefore, my earlier rebuke was not correct.

‘Calling her elder brother’s rudeness merely an expression of familiarity…’

It was actually quite amusing. If he were truly unwell, the eldest son who would inherit should have come.

‘The head of Iscal and his heir are refusing to acknowledge me.’

It was their maximum display of aggression.

The other branch family members also hesitated for a moment before beginning to introduce themselves.

“Lady Marchioness.”

As the introductions were coming to an end, Rochenia spoke up again.

“Now that the branch families have finished greeting you, would you show us the young lady of Earl Boston?”

She pointed at Blanche, who was hiding in my arms.

“It’s such a shame. There will no longer be the sound of a child’s cry in the marquis’s residence, and even this one young lady has such a quiet personality.”

Rochenia was mocking my inability to bear Jade’s child.

‘Blanche is registered in the Rowe family register as Gloria. But that fact is confidential.’

Given the situation, she deliberately singled out Blanche’s status in front of the branch families.

‘I can’t reveal that Blanche is Jade’s biological daughter either.’

Her methods were no different from her elder brother’s, which was unpleasant.

“Rochenia Iscal.”

At that moment, Jade entered with a heavy voice. The branch family members tensed and held their breath at his appearance.

“Lord Marquis!”

Rochenia stood up, stretching the corners of her mouth into a curved smile.

Jade handed some documents to Rochenia.

“Lord Marquis, what is this…?”

“Are you blind? You’ll know if you look.”

At Jade’s sharp reply, Rochenia’s face reddened as she barely managed to speak.

“Adoption…?”

“Yes. Blanche is now a ‘Rowe’ with the same position as a legitimate daughter, so keep that in mind.”

“Lord Marquis! How could you handle such a matter without our consent! The marriage is one thing, but this is clearly…!”

The second son of Iscal protested, looking pitifully at the shocked Rochenia.

“Please stop, elder brother.”

“No, Rochenia. How can I stop-”

“The Emperor’s seal is on it. Please.”

The face of Iscal’s second son, who had been trying to stop Rochenia from restraining him, hardened.

‘Since the Emperor has approved it, opposing it would be tantamount to Iscal rebelling against the imperial family.’

Rochenia seemed to be quick to grasp the situation. She had been acting rudely throughout but quickly became submissive.

“It wouldn’t have mattered even without the Emperor’s seal. How dare you run your mouth?”

As everyone bowed their heads at his fierce warning, Blanche got down from her chair.

Blanche clung to Jade’s leg, reaching out to be held.

The branch family members all murmured at Blanche’s actions.

Knowing his usual dislike for children, they seemed to expect him to refuse, looking at Blanche with pity.

But when Jade easily picked up Blanche, they couldn’t hide their surprise.

“Papa, I’m scared. Don’t do it.”

“…Alright, Blanche. The rest of you, eat quietly and get out.”

Jade rebuked the branch family members and led me out of the dining room, holding my hand.

“I’m sorry for being late. The council meeting ran long.”

“It’s okay. But is it alright to leave like this?”

I was quite worried that the banquet seemed to have been ruined.

“The more courteous you are to them, the more they think they’re superior. Besides, today they all just sent their children. How ridiculous.”

Just as Earl Iscal had sent only his second son and Rochenia to show his refusal to acknowledge me, the other branch families seemed to have done similarly.

‘There were only young people in the dining room.’

Realizing that they didn’t consider me the mistress of the house, his expression remained grim.

‘It can’t be helped. I didn’t expect the Rowe branch families to be friendly towards me.’

He said that before he took his position, they had tried to bring him down by any means necessary.

As the maids had said, with their high-and-mighty attitudes, there was no way they would accept me from day one.

Yet Jade still looked displeased.

“Jade. You handled it well, though. You came and showed them Blanche’s adoption papers, so things will gradually improve.”

“Papa, smile! If you keep frowning like that, you’ll get wrinkles and become a grandfather!”

Blanche poked both of Jade’s cheeks. He chuckled at her words but suddenly became serious again.

“…Oh right, I have something to tell you. In this council meeting, the age for entering the academy was adjusted to 5 years old.”

“5 years old?”

I had heard about it before at the sorority meeting. That the age for early admission to the academy might be adjusted.

“Wasn’t early admission only for those who wished to take the test? But why…”

“It changed from optional early admission to mandatory. It seems the late emperor had been preparing this for a while. To have the imperial grandchildren and Blanche meet at the academy.”

It was certainly too intentional. Not only changing it to 5 years old, but making it mandatory as well.

“Then Blanche will soon receive a notice too…? Since her birthday has passed?”

“That’s right.”

My head was complicated. Blanche was still too young to go to the academy.

“Gasp, is Shu Shu going to the academy?”

Blanche was purely excited, unable to hide her anticipation as she ran up to her room.

I watched her retreating figure and sighed.

“Jade, are there any children around Blanche’s age in the branch families? Or any already attending the academy?”

“…In the branch families?”

Jade thought for a while and then rubbed his forehead.

“The son of Viscount Iscal is the same age as Blanche. I’ve also heard there are a few others already attending.”

I was already uneasy about sending her to the academy, and now I worried about Blanche clashing with the branch family children.

‘I hope she won’t be bullied by the branch family children…’