Gray panicked suddenly when Riddell so openly revealed her true feelings.
"Um, Sister Riddell, I… I'm not…"
"Hmm? Lying isn't good, little Gray." Riddell said, tapping Gray's head. "Do you think I'd scold you? For liking your big brother?"
"Well… because Sister Riddell is… Brother's wife, right?"
Riddell shook her head. "Not certain yet, just a candidate for now. But even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare not marry me—back to your own matter, liking your brother isn't anything special. Why would you think I'd scold you?"
"Because… well… I feel it's not right. I'm his little sister, and liking Brother like that…"
"It's something that happens, and it's not wrong either. Little Gray isn't a Magus, just like your brother. He doesn't have the typical Magus mindset; his thinking leans more toward an ordinary person's… I don't think it's a problem."
"Huh?" Gray was slightly surprised. "Sister Riddell thinks this is okay?"
"Rather than right or wrong, it's more about courage. I can't speak for ordinary people, but among Magus, sibling marriages aren't unusual. Some families, to preserve their bloodline's purity, often practice inbreeding. So, there are plenty of examples of siblings becoming spouses, though most don't have pure feelings for their sibling like you do."
It might sound absurd, but what Riddell said reflected the reality of some Magus families. These were ancient, deeply traditional, and conservative families who viewed their bloodlines as supreme and refused to let them be tainted by foreign ones, thus maintaining the tradition of inbreeding.
Of course, most of these families now barely clung to survival, and a small fraction had already collapsed or gone extinct.
"Ahem, we're getting off track." Riddell cleared her throat twice to steer the conversation back. "Anyway, does your brother know you like him?"
[You think that super-dense blockhead who won't react unless a woman confesses directly can see it?]
Add spoke with a resigned tone.
Riddell strongly agreed, as she herself was a direct victim of that situation. If she hadn't taken the initiative yesterday, Naoki might never have noticed her feelings.
"I don't dare tell Brother… that's one part. The other part is, I feel… staying like this is fine too." Gray explained. "Whether Brother knows my feelings or not isn't important to me, as long as I can always be with him."
All this time, Gray had thought this way. Nearly ten years of being together had made her accustomed to Naoki's presence. Even when Naoki once said he might leave her someday, Gray couldn't accept it.
But now, with Riddell's sudden arrival, Gray felt something—a fear that her brother might leave her, that she couldn't always be with him.
(Because my arrival made her feel threatened, afraid I'd take Naoki away?)
Riddell could see Gray's thoughts, or rather, Gray wasn't hiding them at all. Just like her brother, she couldn't conceal certain important thoughts.
Sighing in resignation, Riddell patted Gray's head. "Don't worry, Gray. I won't take your brother from you. You don't need to be afraid. No matter what happens, you two will always be together—I can guarantee that."
"R-really?"
"Absolutely. I have no reason to take your brother from you. He's not someone who stays in one place, just like Touko and Aoko."
People with the wind magic attribute are often free-spirited wanderers, unbound by place, drifting wherever they go. Though Riddell could hold him for a while, Naoki would eventually leave for places she couldn't reach, for various reasons.
"When that time comes, only you can stay by his side, Gray. So, you don't need to worry like this."
"I understand."
Gray nodded slightly. "Thank you, Sister Riddell. I… think I know what I need to do next."
"Good to know I could help. By the way, about your feelings for your brother, this is just my personal advice—find a chance to talk to him about it." Riddell said. "Suppressing your feelings is painful. I've been through it, so I can somewhat understand how you feel."
"Ugh… I-I'll try, but I still need some mental preparation."
"No rush, you two have plenty of time. I'll head downstairs now. You come down soon too—the lunch we worked so hard to make will get cold."
After speaking, Riddell jogged down the stairs to the second floor.
Once she left, Add, under the cloak, began trembling violently.
[Looks like the time for battle is near, silly Gray. How about I help you plan what kind of look would drive a man crazy? I'm an expert at this! Or just find that damn succubus—she'd love it!]
"Sister Merry… it's still too early. Brother has to focus on the Holy Grail War; my issues shouldn't distract him."
Gray shook her head. "I'll wait until Brother finishes everything he wants to do and has some free time. Then I'll explain it to him. For now, I'll hold back."
[Fine, whatever you say. I'll always be on your side anyway.]
"Thank you, Add."
Putting away the cage, Gray followed Riddell back to the first floor.
At the dining table, seeing Gray smiling again and no longer downcast, Naoki's previously anxious heart eased—he'd been worrying too much. Gray didn't have any major issues; she could handle herself.
"You okay now, Gray?"
"Yeah, sorry for making you worry, Brother."
"I told you Gray would be fine. You were overthinking, Master."
Seeing Gray seemingly find her answer, Rei also seemed to understand something and subtly signaled her thanks to Riddell.
(The problem solver must be the problem maker, something like that. But this is only temporary. For a permanent solution, Master and Gray need to have a heart-to-heart… Before that, Master needs some mental preparation.)