The Falco family (1)

Count Falco lives in a manor out of the city he administers. I guess he also has a residence in town, by the way.

Travelling every day takes a lot of time, and the nights can be very dark in this region of Alba.

Ignis is his second son, so he won't inherit the title. His first son, Ignis's brother, will.

Since my husband was born with hair red like fire, they preferred to have little to do with him. They were frightened of a curse or some crap like that.

Ignis told me about it when we were children. He said his father didn't care about him, so he was sent to us in Narith to spend some time.

It happened only once, so I never actually caught words about the relationship between Duke Bursio and Count Falco. I wasn't too curious when I was a child, and I didn't even know Ignis's surname.

But then, it must have happened that the two were driven apart because father never met Count Falco as far as I remember.

Oh, well, I will meet him soon as Ignis's wife.

Will he be surprised to see his second, forgotten son being married to Veronica Bursio?

«Don't worry, they don't bite,» Ignis says, noticing my nervousness.

I started playing with the bracelet, and my eyes never stopped too long on a single thing. I'm transparent, aren't I?

«I'm not worried,» I reply. «I'm wondering what the purpose of this visit is. You weren't too close to your family when you were a child. Are you here to show me off?»

«You caught me,» he chuckles. «Actually, things got better during the years.»

«When you became a Royal Guard?»

Ah, listen to this.

He becomes something, and his family suddenly warms up to him. They don't deserve him...

«Before that,» Ignis says. «Hey, don't judge them too nimbly. Your opinion is important to them, so please don't be too harsh.»

«They treated you in such a way, Ignis. How can I be less harsh?»

«They're my family,» he replies. «But, if you don't like them, you won't be asked to have anything to do with them. Just don't form an opinion before meeting them, all right?»

«It's your fault if I have an opinion already. You told me about how they treated you! Was that all a lie?»

«A lie? No,» he sighs. «It was just a child's overstatement. While growing up, I understood many things. Now, let's go. You need to rest in a real bed.»

I follow him while the servants get out to greet us.

«Take care of the luggage,» he says absent-mindedly.

The maids bow and run to the carriage. They look a bit nervous as if they were afraid of Ignis.

Oh, well, he's their adventurous young master. His achievements must have gained him some reputation. Also, he went to war.

I guess this is the cause of so much deference.

When we step into the hall, a butler takes our coats without a word.

In front of us, two people are standing. I guess the Count and his son.

Count Falco isn't very tall. He's around my height, more or less. He has dark brown eyes and black hair, a fluent beard that makes him look like a sage, and pointy ears that appear and disappear from his thick, curled locks.

His son is his spitting image, minus the beard.

Oh, weird. For some reason, I was expecting them to be blonde. I don't know why since Ignis never described them to me. It was all my own imagination.

«Welcome home, bro... brother,» the future Count stutters.

He's even more nervous than the personnel.

Are these the people that bullied Ignis for years? For real?

I glance at my husband and check his unfazed look. He's not surprised by this welcome.

The Count moves a few steps in our direction, and he pats Ignis's shoulder. He's so delicate that it's difficult to stop the laughter.

What in the world? This is hilarious. Why are they so nervous, for goodness?

«Welcome home, son.» Oh, the last word is pronounced slowly, almost as if it was painful to say.

«Hello, father, brother,» Ignis replies. «I'm here to introduce my wife to you.»

Their smiles are awkward, and they don't know how to talk with me.

Indeed, they're Counts. I'm from a Duke's family.

Yet, I'm the daughter-in-law.

It's a complicated situation. I better take the first step and try being on amicable terms. Not for me, as I don't care.

For Ignis.

He seems to mind them a lot, regardless of what happened in the past.

I lift my skirt by a centimetre, and I curtsey to him.

«Good evening, Count. My name is Veronica. I'm Ignatius's wife.»

«Veronica Bursio?» the brother murmurs. «It's a pleasure to meet you.»

«Likewise.»

Ignis nods to signal me I'm doing it right. However, his gesture seems to calm the other two as well.

It doesn't look like the return of the least loved child. Even if he married me, it's not like anything changed for him.

Oh, he lost his job. His position is even worse at the moment.

I expected at least some unpleasant remarks.

Yet, nothing.

It's as if they don't know what to do. The Count is even a little scared. What has Ignis done to him? Was he this terrible as a teenager?

The brother is a little calmer but still at a loss.

«Shall we... Shall we eat?» he offers, getting out of his daze. «We knew you were coming, so we prepared everything. I'm happy to finally meet my sister-in-law.»

I smile in response.

Maybe, I don't know Ignis as much as I thought. After all, ten years is a long period. How much can things change in a decade?

«I'm happy to meet you, too, father, brother,» I reply. I'm behaving like the perfect new bride, right?

I glance at Ignis, and he's content.

The other two, by the way, are still sweating. They even startle when I talk to them.