Roger and I exchanged glances. When I smiled awkwardly, Roger slightly furrowed his brow. Then, thumping footsteps came from upstairs.

“Sister!”

Yune ran to me. She held my hand tightly and shook it.

“I’m glad Sister is here!”

“I’m glad too, Yune. And Yurik.”

Yurik was standing behind her. He smiled warmly when he saw me but turned cold when he saw Roger. Their eyes met.

“…….”

“…….”

As soon as Roger saw Yurik, he scanned him with an unpleasant look. Yurik met Roger’s gaze with his usual impassive face.

‘What, what’s this?’

A staring contest broke out between the two. If Mrs. Fenton hadn’t served chocolate drinks in front of us, it would have been a long fight.

“Here, drink.”

“Lady, where is the Duke?”

I looked around and noticed that the Duke of Fenton was not in the mansion.

“He will probably return in an hour. He had to go to the capital on sudden business.”

“Oh……. Did I come too abruptly? I’m sorry.”

“No, not at all. Would you like to have a meal together? I want to treat Roger as well.”

The lady prepared to go out shopping for ingredients. Even though I told her it was fine, she insisted.

“Then, will Yurik stay with Lise and Roger?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Then, what will Yune do?”

Yune hesitated at the lady’s question. She had been shaking my hand but now hid behind the lady, perhaps nervous at the sight of the unfamiliar Roger.

“Oh my, Yune. Are you shy because Roger is here?”

“…….”

“Then Yune, let’s go and come back together. Kids, play nicely.”

The once lively mansion was filled with a chilly silence. Yurik silently turned his head to stare at the door, and Roger blankly stared at his halffinished chocolate drink.

I was the only one who could break this atmosphere, being close to both Yurik and Roger.
“……Me.”

As my lips parted, Yurik and Roger’s eyes turned to me. I didn’t expect their attention, so I had nothing prepared to say.

“Why, why is it that the lady goes personally to buy the ingredients? Usually, she would send a maid… wouldn’t she?”

“It’s Mother’s hobby. Also, when it comes to ingredients, she must see and buy them herself to feel at ease.”

“I see.”

Silence again.

Roger sipped his chocolate beverage. Yurik sat on the sofa, legs crossed, arms folded. If there was a cold wind outside the mansion, the atmosphere inside would be as cold as ice.

“I’m sorry. For coming all of a sudden.”

“It’s alright.”

Upon my apology, Yurik shook his head.

“Mother and Father wanted to see you too.”

“That’s good.”

And then, more silence.

Yurik unfolded his arms and glanced at Roger. Feeling Yurik’s gaze, Roger raised his head too. The moment their eyes met, the tension that had been momentarily forgotten flared up once again.

This doesn’t look good.

“Um, over there…”

I mustered up the courage to speak.

“……Anyone want to play with me?”

I blurted out whatever came to mind since I had nothing better to say. But after saying it, it seemed utterly pointless. I worried that they might laugh at the absurdity of it.

“Me.”

“Me.”

Before those two quickly raised their hands to respond.

“……Really?”

What’s with them?

Roger and Yurik looked at me with a mixture of expectation, wondering what we would play.

“Um, how about we take turns saying the names of villages? The person who knows the most wins… It’ll be fun. Maybe?”

I said it, but it seemed utterly uninteresting.

“…….”

“…….”

Sure enough, their reactions were lukewarm, but only for a moment. As soon as I mentioned the name of Hosha village, Yurik followed up with another village’s name. It was a light game…

After a while, the look in Yurik and Roger’s eyes changed. They furrowed their brows, struggling to recall the names of unfamiliar villages.

There were unusually peculiar villages, and villages they had never heard of before.

“The, the name of that village in the north? Damn it!”

“If you can’t answer within ten seconds, you lose.”

“……Ki, Kibal village! Or was it? Did it start with Sh?”

“Five seconds left. Hurry up.”

“Ki, Kibal village! Check the map, it’s there. Definitely!”

At Roger’s words, Yurik immediately checked the map and nodded.

‘Do they really want to win that badly?’

Watching Roger and Yurik play felt like attending an international competition that determines the best talent once every three years. Such was the intensity of their competitiveness.

“Damn it…….”

After a long battle, the winner was Yurik. Roger, seemingly angry, gritted his teeth and glared menacingly at Yurik, who was sitting with his legs crossed.

Thinking back, it had been in Yurik’s favor from the start. Fitting for the successor to a trading company, he had shown interest in domestic geography and maps from a young age.

“Isn’t there, isn’t there another game?”

Stung by a painful defeat, Roger’s enthusiasm seemed to grow.

“Alright, how about we bet a prize this time?”

“A prize?”

“The winner gets a wish granted.”

At Yurik’s suggestion, Roger and I nodded.

If the previous game was practice, then now it’s the real deal.