Sibling Rivalry

Kyra's father, Lord Sivillion, was a man well over 6 foot tall with wide shoulders and a well built body hid under that fancy suit he wore. I could see the outline of his muscles, hidden beneath the many medals and accolades that decorated said suit.

He was the spitting image of what a proper noble should be, sophisticated and easily approachable despite his size and status. He had an aura about him that made me shutter and I wasn't sure if others were just used to it or if they couldn't feel it. Maybe both?

Either way he had a handsome face, slightly hidden behind a full blonde beard and neatly made crew cut that helped emphasize his strong jaw and neck lines. His stoic, gentle appearance was helped out by his eyes, the same sweet brown eyes Kyra had.

He looked at each and every one of his children for a moment with the same straight face, even as Kyra looked at him in fear as she held a strange creature. Either he didn't care or see me as a threat, but he completely ignored my existence and turned back to his first born.

"Edgar, how are preparations going?" He said in a monotone voice.

Kyra curiously bent forward to see her eldest brother, giving me a quick glimpse of him. Similar to his father, he had crew cut blonde hair, a bit longer than his father's, with a clean shaven face. His eyes were either a dark brown or black and he seemed just as well built as his father, almost like a copy of him, only younger, more in his late 20s compared to their father's 40s+ age.

I couldn't help but look to see the Mistress of the house, to find her scowling ever so slightly.

"Preparations are just about done my Lord Father. We will be ready to head out in two days at the earliest." Edgar put his forearm across his chest and bowed slightly. Unlike his father, a smile never left his face, showing off his handsomeness to his siblings and the servants much to the Mistress' dismay.

"Good," Lord Sivillion said simply, "Eradessa, I presume you are ready to depart as well?"

The woman next to Edgar curtsied beautifully in her simple, yet elegant bright blue dress. It wasn't nearly as gaudy as the Mistress' but seemed specifically made to highlight her natural beauty. She wore notably less makeup with a small smile that seemed more like their father's, as spoke soft and efficiently while keeping her confident blue eyes on her father.

"Of course, Lord Father. I have been prepared to leave since last week in preparation for your return. I am ready to assist you in the capital whenever."

Eradessa reminded me of a fairytale princess straight out of a storybook, with her stepmother, the Mistress being the wicked mastermind behind her distress in life. The scowl the Mistress presented wasn't any better than Edgar's so I assumed the two eldest weren't hers. The internal strife of this family were already starting to build in my head.

Edgar and Eradessa seemed to have a couple years between them in age, with both of them in their late 20s early 30s, while there was a noticeable gap between the first daughter and second daughter.

"Maléne, how are you studies going?" The Lord asked the next child after nodding to Eradessa.

The Mistress's scowl lessened noticeably so it was possible she was her child, however she didn't seem very fond of her either. It was more of a disappointing look that slightly crept on the her face as I looked back to the pretty silver haired woman who was probably in her early twenties.

"They're going great father! Graduation is getting closer so I'm making sure I keep my top spot this year!" She said with a pep in her step.

She was a lot more bubbly and less refined than her older siblings but she was still able to keep herself in check, not allowing her voice to be too high or her movements be too exaggerated that it would make someone look on in surprise or shock.

She seemed to know how to ride that fine line between noble etiquette and improper behavior. She wore a light pink dress, closer in gaudiness to the Mistress, with her hair down to show of its curls that bent the light of the room.

She had cute dimples to accompany her beauty and multiple necklaces to help bring attention to her very generous chest, something she didn't quite get from her mother.

The Lord continued on to the next two children who I assumed might have been fraternal twins with their similar light brown/dirty blonde hair colors and matching facial structures. They both had brown eyes and a notably less fancy attire than their other siblings, opting for simple black suit/dress, which also went for the other younger siblings, minus Kyle.

"Ceren, Cilia, how's business moving along?"

"Its moving forward as expected," Ceren said in a deeper voice than I thought he would have.

"The framework will be finished in 3 months time." Cilia finished for him.

These two were probably the least memorable of Kyra's siblings if it wasn't for the fact that they were twins. They seemed like the perfect 'forgotten middle' children, yet still seemed successful in their early adulthood, probably not much younger than Maléne.

Next was brother of the year, Kyle, who confidently straightened himself up and completely ignoring his younger sister who bothered him earlier. I could see the Mistress smile a lot more realistically than her fake smile, confirming my suspicions on if she was the mother or not. Not that the hair and eyes didn't give it away.

He kept his hair a bit longer, emphasizing its pretty color that contrasted well with his eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I watched the young man try his hardest to act just like his father.

He tried to keep his face as straight as possible, and when he spoke to his father, kept a similar tone and simple responses. At the same time, he was more well dressed than the other younger siblings and I wouldn't be surprised if his outfit was more expensive than all the other children's outfits combined.

It was a bright white suit, with silver jewels adorning the edges of it and a pitch black tie to contrast and emphasize a large red gem just like his mother's. I could tell who dressed him up and it was a shame he looked so pathetic in my eyes since he seemed like he was really trying. Maybe it was just my opinion though and everyone else thought it was fine since nobody really glanced around at him.

"Kyle, how's the Academy?" the Lord asked.

"Its great, Lord Father. I've been told I have amazing talent in both swordsmanship and magic, making me strongest among my peers."

I couldn't help but cringe as it felt like a child with stage fright read off their speech notes rigidly. Even his mother seemed to cringe slightly before quickly switching back.

"Oh my~ That's wonderful isn't it my Lord?" The Mistress couldn't help herself as she unfurled her fan as she gazed up at her husband.

"Mmm. Good work." Was all he said without looking at his wife before turning his attention over to Kyra.

Kyle definitely looked like he wanted to say more but he only opened and closed his mouth once and shut up. It seemed his father was not someone he had the confidence to speak up to. Kyra wasn't any better as she jumped and squeezed my shell more.

She shrunk back a bit under her father's gaze and looked more like she was admiring his shoes rather than acknowledging his presence.

"Kyra," He called out, making her flinch again, "How's your magic training with Madam Serene going?"

"Uh um... its fun..." Kyra stumbled around to find her words.

I found her nervousness cute but the rest of her siblings didn't seem to think as much. The Mistress wasn't even bothering to hide her scowl with her, with her son giving a smug grin like he won the best child award or something.

Her other siblings either didn't care, gave a disappointing look, or also narrowed their eyes at her behavior unfitting for a noble. Not to mention the strange creepy creature that I was sitting in her arms.

Come on guys, give her a break. She's what? 7? That's a lot of pressure for a young girl. None of them seemed to take her age into account. She also stood out a lot due to her striking red hair while also sporting the same eyes as her father.

"I'm glad to hear that," her father said, "Have you conjured anything yet?"

I saw a few of her siblings widen their eyes for a split second before returning to normal while the Mistress wore her heart on her sleeve and snapped her fan shut in annoyance. It made Kyra jump but she was able to look up at her father this time for a moment and answer.

"I-- I did. I c-conjured my first W-Waterball spell today." Kyra seemed a little more excited to answer.

"Very good." Lord Sivillion said after stroking his beard and looking off into the distance for a moment.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched his reaction, and while it was hard to tell, it felt like I could see the corner of his lip rise ever so slightly. It disappeared just as quick, making me think it was nothing more than his beard playing a trick on me but perhaps he cared more for his children than he first led on.

Just as he seemed ready to turn and leave, he locked eyes with me. I shivered violently again, forcing Kyra to shift her grip again and making her turn pale in fear for doing something so unsightly.

"And, what is this creature doing here?"

His voice went an octave lower than I thought was possible, making it seem like a demon was looming over me, deciding what my fate would be.