CHAPTER 23: ACQUAINTANCE

The entire time it took us to reach the estate felt like pure hell to me.

And worst of all, the quest was still ongoing. Even with an effort of will, I couldn’t bring myself to stop and let the girl out of the carriage. Angela sat next to me in the adjacent seat and stared out the window, mesmerized.

Until then, the only means of transportation she had used was a village cart. Finding herself in the interior of an expensive carriage for the first time, the girl couldn’t help but feel excited.

I gritted my teeth.

"Little one, where do you live?" I asked kindly.

"Um... My dad and I live in a village on the edge of the empire. This is my first time in the capital!"

"I see... Then you must find everything interesting."

"Mm-hmm! This city is so beautiful! I want my dad to find me soon so we can walk around together."

I smiled as I looked at her innocent expression.

"I’m sure you’ll be reunited very soon."

When I turned to the window, my eye twitched. I wished it would all be over soon...

Edison was waiting for us at the gate of the Weinstein estate. When the butler saw an unknown girl get out of the carriage after me, his eyes popped out of his head.

"Madam, is this...?"

"Her name is Angela," I explained with a smile. "She got lost in the city, and I allowed her to rest at our estate."

The old man stared at me in shock.

"Madam, you have never been known for your charity!"

I could see the unspoken emotion on his face.

"I’d rather believe that you stole this child than took her in!"

I pursed my lips. We were in agreement on that. I also thought I had gone a little crazy.

"So you’re saying this child is going to stay here...?"

I nodded.

"Most likely, when a child goes missing, the first thing anyone would do is go to the police station. I’ve already given them our address."

"......."

A silent dialogue took place between Edison and me.

"Madam, you’re clearly out of your mind."

"I know that without you telling me."

"Then why are you doing this?"

I sighed. I was forced to... Could I say those words to him?

Grace Weinstein, a stingy woman with extremely selfish principles, suddenly became Mother Teresa today. It was completely unlike me. The poor old man thought I had obviously lost my mind.

Angela looked at us with concern.

"Is something wrong?" the girl asked anxiously. "Maybe I’m in the way...?"

I responded immediately.

"Of course not!" I dispelled her doubts. "Meet our butler. His name is Edison. He’s a very nice man, if a little strict."

The butler smiled stiffly.

"Nice to meet you, sir!"

"Me too..."

An awkward handshake lasting a couple of seconds.

"Ahem... It’s quite windy today," I cleared my throat. "Let’s go inside."

As a result, our strange company stumbled into the estate together. Edison went to the kitchen to instruct Nura to prepare lunch. I felt more excited than ever.

As expected, it wasn’t even a couple of seconds before footsteps were heard on the stairs. Rubiella personally saw me off and welcomed me back every time. I could already hear her cheerful voice:

"Auntie, you’re finally..."

The girl stopped mid-sentence. When the main villain saw Angela, her eyes widened. Especially when she saw that she was standing next to me.

"........"

A deathly silence fell over the living room. As much as I wanted to say, "It’s not what you think," I couldn’t.

"Auntie, who’s this?" Ruby asked cautiously.

"Ruby, say hello, this is Angela. It just so happens that she... Ahem... Will be staying with us tonight. I hope you two get along."

"........"

The two girls exchanged glances. Quickly reacting, the heroine hurried to introduce herself:

"H-hi, nice to meet you! My name is Angela!"

She sincerely wanted to make a good impression on Ruby. But Ruby, in turn, did not shake her hand in response. Instead, she just said:

"...Nice to meet you."

This pause turned out to be much more awkward than I had imagined. Rubiella walked past and, as usual, pressed her cheek against my hand. She simply ignored Angela.

"Auntie, you look tired," the little villain remarked.

"Oh, yes..." I sighed. "I had a lot to do today. I’m glad you’re worried about me."

"Of course! Ruby always thinks about her aunt."

Our welcome hugs went as usual. Ruby’s mood seemed unchanged. Well, I’m glad everything is going smoothly so far...

"Lunch and dessert will be ready soon!" I announced with a happy smile. "I’m sure you’re both very hungry."

They nodded in unison.

"Ruby, do you mind if Angela stays in your room for a while? Show her your toys!"

In fact, putting them in the same room was far from the best idea. But what could I do? Now that I looked more like a talking doll than a living person, I couldn’t even sneeze at will.

Damn story quest...

"Of course," my niece smiled, "I don’t mind sharing my toys with my little sister."

Wow... Rubiella was already calling the main character her sister. It was unexpected, but much better than if their relationship had been filled with animosity from the start.

"Then I’ll go help Nura prepare the snacks! You guys have fun in the meantime."

After these words, my feet automatically left the floor and headed in the right direction. I sighed... Okay, if I have to cook, I have to cook. After all, it’s not so scary to leave them alone for ten minutes.

Angela and Rubiella were left alone. Without saying a word, Rubiella turned and started to go upstairs to her room. The heroine hesitantly followed her.

The girls went into Rubiella’s room and the door closed.

The heroine stood there awkwardly.

"Sis, do you mind if I..."

"What?" Ruby cut her off coldly. "How dare you call me that?"

Angela’s eyes widened.

"B-but... You just..."

"Shut up. Call me that again, and I’ll cut your tongue out."