So You've brought Some Guests

Umh… How did this happen?

Currently, I am in one of the waiting rooms of the Whiteheart mansion. The room was spacious, but not too empty. Pictures sprawled on each wall, depicting beautiful landscapes and, underneath, a cream carpet covered almost the whole room. In the center, there was a large and elegant table, made of highly polished wood, free of either dust or clutter. Two couches, inlaid with fine red silk and embroidered flowers delicately, were arranged to each side of the center table.

I was sitting in the middle of one of the couches, feeling tension and anxiety building up in me. At my right, there was Yoko. She was comfortably seated as she crossed her arms in front of her, leaning on the backrest of the sofa with her feet on the table. At my left, Harri. His legs crossed, he was resting his head on his hand, his elbow placed on the arm of the couch.

They totally made themselves at home.

In front of us, on the opposite sofa, there were Uncle Jack and Aunt Nora. My uncle has always been a serious person. I don't think I've ever seen him smile. But right now, his expression couldn't appear any more serious than this. Fingers crossed in front of him, he is looking at me as if I just brought the downfall of the family. Please stop looking at me… On the other hand, Aunt Nora won't stop clenching her teeth. Her face turned completely red. I'm not sure if she is angry or frustrated right now, but she is clearly not pleased by my guests.

Standing on the side of each couch, there were Ivy and Yao. Ivy was as stiff as a stick as she kept shivering, unable to withstand the tense atmosphere, while Yao won't stop hissing at us.

I am not sure how long it has been since it began, but currently, we are pretty much having a staring contest. No one is saying anything; we just stare at each other in silence. While Harri and Yoko stand their ground without flinching, a huge smile on their face, I, on the other hand, can't maintain the eye-contact.

What's with this situation? As I thought, it was a bad idea to bring Harri and Yoko here. This is bad. Forget about my cheat stats; if this tension doesn't subside quickly, I might die of nervousness. I can't stand long silences.

Anyway, to explain this situation, I guess a little flashback is necessary. Returning to one hour ago, I left the Adventurers' Guild with Harri and Yoko, looking for Ivy.

◊◊◊

"YOUNG MISTRESS!" Ivy cried out.

I was approaching the plaza where I first met Axis and where I ditched Ivy. As she noticed me, Ivy ran to my side, grabbing both of my hands.

"Young mistress! Where were you?! Do you know how much time has passed since you disappeared? You can't leave me behind like this! I almost died of concern! What if something had happened to you?! What would I have done?! And how would I have explained this to the Lord?!" She exclaimed in panic, with tearful eyes.

Hearing her complaints, I could feel guilt slowly building up in me. I did say I would be right back after all, and yet… Such a reckless behavior from me could cost her her job, or maybe even worse. "Sorry…" I muttered with a small voice.

Seeing my regretful expression probably calmed her down a little as she let out a relieved sigh, but she wasn't over. However, as she was about to resume her lecture, she noticed the two figures standing beside me: Yoko and Harri. Her eyes widened, she just froze in place, staring at them. Her mouth opened slightly, probably trying to say something, but she just couldn't successfully utter anything. She slowly turned her gaze on me, clearly expecting me to explain the situation.

"Uhm, Ivy, this is Yoko, and this is Harri," I introduced them. "Yoko, Harri, this is Ivy, my attendant."

"Attendant? Is she your servant?" Yoko asked.

"Something like that, yeah. But to be precise, it's my family she serves," I explained.

Harri suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Ivy's hand, forcefully drawing her out of her confused state. Putting one knee on the ground, he gently kissed her hand before standing again. Is he going to do that to every female he meets…?

"My deepest apologies, My Lady!" He exclaimed. "It seems that we caused you trouble by borrowing your young mistress at our convenience, without warning. Hopefully, this small gift will be enough to appease your anger."

As he said this, a rose suddenly appeared in his hand. He gently put it in Ivy's hair.

"There. As I thought, this flower shines even more on you. If roses could speak, I am sure this one would be crying in jealousy. The depth of your eyes easily outshines its beauty," he added, with a charming smile.

… Of course. I had almost forgotten that Harri was… Harri. I sincerely hope that he won't do anything similar at home.

Startled by his actions, Ivy turned to me in distress, clearly asking for help.

"Sorry, he's a bit special but he's not a bad guy," I said. "Anyway, Harri and Yoko are… my friends… sort of. I was thinking of maybe bringing them home?"

Her eyes squinted, Ivy finally managed to say something. "Friends?"

Yeah. I know what she is thinking. 'Young mistress, you don't have any friends, you've never brought anyone home before,' or something like that. I am not sure what she is the most surprised about, though. The fact that there is a demi-human among them, the fact that my 'friends' are abnormally perfect, or the fact that they have the same eyes as me. She is going to think that I am starting a 'Golden-eyed people' club, isn't she?

Nonetheless, she didn't say anything. Instead, she awkwardly greeted them, before going ahead, leading us home. From time to time, she would give a quick glance in our direction.

On the way, I firmly explained Yoko and Harri the rules they needed to follow once we would arrive at the mansion.

"No matter what happens, you can't display any hostility. Obviously, you are not allowed to attack or disrespect anyone. The words 'God,' 'Goddess,' 'Divine,' and 'Creator' are forbidden, and you have to address me by my first name, Lynett. We are friends, nothing less, nothing more. We just happened to meet randomly in the marketplace. You helped me with a thief, and I thought of bringing you home to thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. That's a lot of rules just for a visit," Yoko complained.

It's not like if I had the choice, considering their character. "Is that clear?" I asked.

"Sure," they answered, with a dull voice.

Not too convincing… Are they even listening? Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind, as a wicked grin slowly stretched on my lips.

"And you guys are a married couple," I added.

"WHAT?!" They both exclaimed indignantly.

"What kind of a bad joke is it?!" Yoko growled. "Why do I have to pretend to be in a relationship with this idiot? Look at his stupid face and his skinny body; there isn't a slight hint of manliness in him! And his personality is even worse, a disaster! A real fool! He is the last man I'd want to be with!"

"I am the one you should feel sorry for!" Harri protested in his turn. "This minx isn't even a woman! It's a fox! She doesn't have the kindness or the gentleness of women, and she is as brutal as a demon! She is not worthy to be my wife!"

So they were listening after all. That strong refusal, though.

"It's just acting, guys. It'll make our story more believable. Besides, you'll be a perfect couple! Ok?" I said, unable to hide my devilish smile.

The two of them looked at each other for a while. Then, Yoko's face distorted in disgust, while Harri placed his hand across his face, sighing. I will take that as a yes. Mufufu… I am looking forward to it.

"Tch! Creator or not, one day, I'll make you pay for this…" Yoko grunted quietly.

"Thinking about it, should we change your names?" I asked, ignoring her.

"No need," Harri responded. "Having a few people named after Gods isn't particularly rare among humans, especially if they were blessed. And Yoko and I aren't as famous as Naia around here, so it should be fine. Besides, you already gave our names to your servant."

Right. I had forgotten. But with all this, everything should be fine, right? Nothing should go wrong…

As we kept approaching the house, I tried calming this unsettling feeling of nervousness in my chest, repeating the rules over and over to Yoko and Harri, making sure they had understood.

When we arrived at the gates of the mansion, we were greeted by Mairin, the head housemaid. Maririn is one of the rare servants who still hate me. As the head housemaid, she has been here longer than most of the employees, ever since my father was a child. Having served the family for this long, she is extremely loyal to them and shares their values. So she clearly doesn't like my presence, as she sees me as a potential threat.

"You're late," she said.

Her cold stare then directed on Ivy, who immediately lowered her head in shame. She was clearly blaming her for failing in her duty and was probably thinking of how to punish her. Sorry, Ivy… I will definitely make up later.

"What's with that flower in your hair?" Mairin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly remembering the rose Harri gave her, Ivy quickly picked it and violently threw it on the ground, ignoring Harri's grief. "It's nothing!" She exclaimed, her ears reddened in embarrassment.

Noticing Harri and Yoko, Mairin slightly widened her eyes, but she did not react any further.

"So you've brought some guests," she muttered, with the same emotionless voice, as she returned her gaze on me. "I will warn the Lord. He has been waiting for you."

Uncle Jack has been waiting for me? That can't possibly be good.

"Ivy, lead our guests to the waiting room," Mairin ordered.

"Yes, Madam."

And just like this, the four of us ended up in the waiting room. As soon as we arrived, without being asked twice, Yoko and Harri immediately sat comfortably on one of the couches, starting to inspect the room curiously. I wish I was just as relaxed as them… Following their example, I sat between them.

I was starting to seriously regret bringing them here. For some reason, I just felt that they were going to make a mistake and screw everything up, blowing up the cover that I struggled to keep for years. Thinking about it, my pulse rate went up. Before the panic could eat me alive, I managed to regain a steady heartbeat by slowly breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the mouth. However, just as those breathing exercises started to help me relax, I heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor, and my pulse rate shot up once again.

When the door opened, I saw three figures enter the room: Uncle Jack, Aunt Nora, and Yao. I stood up to greet them. Astonished by my guests, their bodies instantly stopped moving. They just froze, staring wide-eyed at them in silence, their mouths shut tight in a straight line, as Harri and Yoko simply smiled at them. They remained like this for a while before the shock finally began to melt away. Without breaking the eye-contact, Uncle Jack and Aunt Nora sat on the opposite couch, as Yao stood next to it.