A pinch of Esine leaves (1)

Servants and maids were standing in two lines in front of the big mansion's gate. Between them was a red carpet with exquisite golden thread embroidery. Rays of sunlight could be seen radiating from behind the mansion; it was as if the mansion itself was shining.

Black cars stopped in front of the mansion's magnificent gate. One of the guards standing by the gate stepped up and opened the door.

A black-haired young man got out of the car. Though his features were that of a teenager, he did not look innocent or immature at all. The young man was handsome - it wasn't hard for one to guess his identity as a noble even if he was disguised in a commoner's clothes.

However, what really stood out was his eyes. The glassy shade of blue was shining like gorgeous jewels.

The young man's beautiful eyes scanned past the two lines of servants. His focus was on the on-duty blonde knight standing guard at the mansion's main entrance, who nodded slightly before giving him a respectful half-bow.

'It's good to be 'home', I guess.' The man thought.

"Welcome back, young master."

"Welcome to Winford, dear esteemed guests."

As if given the ultimate signal, all the servants presented bowed at the same time while giving their greetings in unison.

Turned out, Alfred wasn't the only one being welcomed. His close friends were also there for a short visit before their hunting trip the next day.

"Now that's a big house.", a man with red hair exclaimed admiringly. He was your usual energetic type – the type that would get excited at anything.

"Sorry to break it to you, Kinsley, but that is a mansion. The place where your parents live is also called a mansion.", the serious reply came from another young man with a monocle.

"When will I get to meet the spoiled younger sister then? The one that not only got our heir all worked up, but also Anthony himself?"

"Anthony gets excited at everything, just like you."

"But the spark in his eyes when he talked about his 'young lady' was not normal, you know. If I didn't know it was about someone 10 years younger than us, I would have thought of her as his first love or something."

"Stop with the nonsense. My young lady's charm is out of this world, you'll see."

The conversation between the three young men was going well, but all Alfred did was smile. It was his signature warm smile that would never fail in getting a good first impression.

Alfred did not participate in their discussion because he was in a hurry. It had been a year since he last saw his younger sister. Letters and small gifts were sent with the help of Pandora's Box, but that was different.

"Take care of the guests for me." was the only instruction the old butler got. Before he could even urge out a reply, his young master had already walked past him like a wind.

The old butler sighed internally.

"Greetings, young master Anthony. I hope both the Viscount and Viscountess are doing well?"

"Ah, uncle Kev. Yes, they are well. Thank you for the grand welcoming."

"It is this old man's pleasure. Our young master is busy at the moment, so I hope the esteemed guests wouldn't mind letting this old body take over the welcoming work. Sorry for the imprudence, young master Kinsley, young master Sebastian."

"Of course." Kinsley's red-brown eyes lit up in delight. Coupled with the bright red hair color, he looked just like a walking burning flame, "We don't mind at all."

"…thank you for your hospitality," added Sebastian with a monocle.

"Then please allow this old man to guide you to the tea room. I hope all the preparations are up to your taste. The young master and young lady will be meeting you there soon."

"Our servants will be taking care of all your belongings so please do not worry. This way please, young masters."

It was a pleasant morning within the Winford's mansion.

ΘΘΘ

"Adelaide, you've grown a lot."

"It's only been a year, brother."

The beautiful doll-like girl with fair porcelain skin could be seen holding hands with her much older brother as they walked in the garden. Red roses were blooming all across the arched hallway; splashes of bright red created a harmonious contrast to its green leaves. Tiles that were beautifully crafted were lined up below their feet, serving as a path to Winford's greenhouse.

"How's your study, Adelaide?" asked Alfred in a gentle voice. As if realized that the walk might be too long for his ten-year-old little sister and her small legs, he bent down and picked her up.

"Everything's going well, brother."

"I heard the duchess gave you extra work?"

"She did, but I could manage that."

"You don't have to 'manage' anything. I told you this before." Alfred frowned. "I'll fix this once I get home from the hunt. Stop being so obedient towards her – I know you're not the cowardly type."

'But I am. Well, it's true that I'm not afraid of that bitch.'

Adelaide did not reply but nodded as she leaned her head on her brother's shoulder. She had been taking sword arts lessons for four years so the walking distance was nothing to her, but her lazy ass would never refuse a free ride.

"I'm not scolding you." Alfred sighed, his free hand patting her back. "You're smarter than kids your age – I honestly don't know if I should be happy about that or not. Studying too much at this age could hinder your growth so don't endure. You know I have a way to terminate the unnecessary lessons even if I was a student back then, right?"

"I'm happy that you're such a bright child, but I don't want you to be a small adult, Adelaide. It's like you're a grown-up trapped inside a kid's body."

'I'm touched, but please stop being so perceptive, brother.'

Adelaide felt relief once again at the fact that she was transmigrated into a child's body. If this body was older, then it would be hard to the point of impossible for her to deceive Alfred.

'Not that I'm deceiving him now. I knew him longer than that unfortunate soul, you know.'

She also knew very well that despite him being a boarding student back then, Alfred still had ways to reduce her workload should she had complained. Her brother also knew about his sister's circumstances (for starters, he had a CCTV called Samuel), but whenever he asked, all his sister said was "Everything's fine."

If her tone was forced, he would've known and taken action nonetheless. However, the thing was that she sounded normal. No stress could be detected, and she was mentally happy and healthy. Alfred knew she was all right, but like a doting parent, he could not help but worry.

"I'm all good, brother. I'm happy and well. I guess her intentions went against her." Adelaide hummed. "I got good genes from you, after all. Though mine aren't that superior."

"Again with the meaningless joke." Alfred laughed in a low voice.

"So will I meet the other older brothers soon?"

"What older brothers. You're not related to them in any way."

"Then, the other young masters?"

"Why should my sister, a princess of this duchy, address them so formally?"

"…then how do I call them? I can't just call them all uncles, can I?"

'What's with this weird pride of yours?'

Before her transmigration, Adelaide was an only child, so she had no idea how siblings work. To her observation, their bonding sessions were basically fights over even the smallest of things. Sometimes, the older one even felt unfair having to compromise with the younger.

However, Alfred never fought with her. If anything, he had always been the gentle and doting older brother.

'Maybe it's because of the age gap? We're seven years apart, after all.'

"Just call them by their names." Alfred said, "Like how you call Anthony."

'Anthony's different. You want me to call the dudes 10 years older than me by their first names? And they're all nobles and heirs from rich families at that?'

'Not that I really mind.'

"Your wish is my command, brother."

Adelaide replied while saluting with her right hand as if she was a soldier getting orders from her superior. The angle of her hand was right and her expression was serious, but she looked cute with her small face all scrunched up.

Alfred shook his head and let out a small laugh.

"So what are their names, brother? Is it fine if I greet them formally the first time we meet? I want to give all your friends a good first impression."

'Since they all probably thought of me as a spoiled brat, anyways. Except for our sweet Anthony, of course.'

"Yes, if you wish. Let me see, you know Anthony. The other two are Kinsley Williams and Sebastian Arison."

"And can I know more about their family?"

"You don't have to try so hard, Adelaide. They will like you. No, they have to." Alfred mumbled, but he did not refuse his sister's request. "Fine, the Williams family…"

Alfred continued to explain carefully to his younger sister, who was listening with full attention, about his friends' families. His pleasant baritone tone was comfortable to the ears.

'Ah, this is nice.'

A sudden thought appeared in Adelaide's head as she spotted faint rays of sunlight creeping through the green leaves and ended up landing on her brother's back.

Tiny dewdrops shone like diamonds. The fresh fragrance of roses lingered around her nose. The occasional breeze that brushed past her face. The sound of her brother's light, but steady footsteps.

'Too bad it will be chaotic soon.' Adelaide thought with her eyes half-closed.

Even after years, this was one of the rare moments in Ly/Adelaide's lives where she actually felt peace from the bottom of her heart.