Inside the carriage, Louise wore a pained expression as she endured her hot-tempered big sister.
"Little runt Louise, what's wrong with you? A whole war breaks out and you don't even come home—have you no sense of your own limits?"
Éléonore—golden curls bouncing—pinched her sister's cheeks with pale, slender fingers while scolding her.
"Uu… but I'm fine, aren't I? And… and I'm a knight of Tristain now!"
Louise, eyes brimming, tried to pry her sister's hands off—her cheeks stung, and the all-too-familiar bullying left her feeling wronged.
She and her eldest sister didn't get along; Éléonore's quick temper meant she liked to use her hands at the slightest provocation.
"Still arguing? You're just a little shrimp—I know you better than anyone. You still can't cast a single spell, can you?"
Éléonore kneaded Louise's face again, exasperated. "You're 'Louise the Zero'; any merit you earned was thanks to your familiar, wasn't it? Now be a good girl and come home. Mother will find you an excellent fiancé."
At that, Hayashi Maki stopped being calm, and Louise jolted, protesting at once.
"If anyone's getting married, it should be you, Éléonore. If I recall, your viscount fiancé dumped you."
Éléonore's face went dark.
"Ha… little runt Louise, is this what you've learned at the academy—talking back to your sister?"
Being jilted was her sore spot. Under her fearsome aura, Louise flinched.
"Éléonore, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But I really don't want to go home right now! And about marriage… I… I…—Eek!"
Before she could finish, Hayashi Maki pulled her into his arms.
"Miss Éléonore, I won't allow Louise to marry anyone but me."
"Ha? You're just a familiar. What right do you have to say that?"
Éléonore stared him down, wand at the ready.
Hayashi Maki calmly stroked Louise's hair and lightly cupped her reddened cheeks to soothe the sting before speaking, cool as ever:
"What's this—so out of the loop, Miss Éléonore? I am Duke Hayashi Maki, invested by Her Majesty of Tristain. By noble etiquette, you should be bowing to me. And for the record, I'm not Louise's familiar. Our contract is far closer—we're family."
"I know you care about her, but to Louise this is just bullying. You've pinched her face red."
Silence fell.
Éléonore glared, knuckles white on her wand, as if a spell might fly at any second—but she kept her wits and didn't cast in her own carriage.
Then, abruptly, she laughed.
"Bold, aren't you. So you're a duke now?"
"We haven't had time to confirm—war just ended and our house has been busy preparing for a possible Germanian incursion. I'll be verifying your 'identity' personally."
"Éléonore?" Louise stared, astonished that her sister hadn't blown up at Hayashi Maki and was even speaking reasonably. …Was Big Sis also swayed by that face? No way.
"Hmph. What's with that look, little runt?" Éléonore shot her a glare.
Louise exhaled in relief—that was more like the Éléonore she knew. For a moment she'd thought she'd been swapped.
Hayashi Maki, too, was a bit surprised at how tractable she was; in his memory Éléonore was a volatile woman—dumped by a fiancé, still unattached, flat-chested and foul-tempered. Louise had learned some of her temper from her.
Éléonore pouted at the window, the landscape sliding by, occasionally sneaking glances at Louise—then at Hayashi Maki holding Louise—and feeling a pang. What woman doesn't long for love? Especially one with the humiliation of a broken engagement.
She pretended not to care, but deep down she wanted a handsome, strong man who could conquer her and be gentle with her. And even the "little runt" had someone to hold and protect her, while she was stuck being snubbed by the younger nobles. Her pride stung; her mood dipped.
But Hayashi Maki wasn't wrong about one thing—she did care about her sisters: the sickly second sister Cattleya, and the "Zero" little sister Louise. Because Cattleya was housebound and Louise was mocked as a failure, the oldest sister bore the pressure.
If Éléonore didn't show a strong front, other nobles would walk all over her. So she had to be formidable. Young as she was, she was already a Triangle mage, with real talent in potions and alchemy.
Held in front of her big sister, Louise's cheeks flushed, but she didn't pull away. She actually felt warm inside. He was good—Éléonore hadn't pinched her again with him there.
…She shot a sidelong glare at Siesta, who was happily clutching Hayashi Maki's arm. If only that pesky maid weren't here. As if she didn't know—the maid was clearly after Hayashi Maki.
Honestly, Éléonore—why bring the maid, too? It's not as if there are no servants at home.
"What's wrong, little runt—are you making faces at me?" Éléonore asked coolly.
"N-no!" Louise squeaked, hands waving like a mouse caught by a cat. Éléonore had cowed her since childhood; defiance wasn't in her.
"Hmph. Better." Éléonore flicked her forehead.
"You don't even come home for holidays. Even if you don't like me, what about Cattleya? She's stuck at the manor, alone and so very lonely. You never think to come keep her company."
Guilt flashed across Louise's face.
"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to Cattleya this time."
Éléonore ground her teeth, even more vexed.
"So you do hate your big sister, is that it? Heartless girl!"
She looked on the verge of wailing.
"Hmph. Who keeps bullying me every time? You even sailed the boat out to the middle of the lake and left me there when we were kids! You're awful!"
Louise aired her grievances. Éléonore looked a bit embarrassed.
"I only wanted you to grow. Better to be toughened at home by me than bullied by others outside!"