When I arrived in my room, I laid down on my bed and rolled around for a bit, mulling about what to do.
Eventually the maid that attended to me this morning came to dress me up somewhat to receive my sister and fiancée-to-be.
I was dressed in a light, well-fitted coat of pale linen over a crisp white shirt, the cuffs accented with subtle gold embroidery. Fitted trousers and polished boots completed the ensemble, softened only by a slim belt.
After being dressed up, I had no idea what to do next.
I just stood around like an idiot for like five minutes or so before a servant informed me of the arrival of my sister and soon to be fiancée.
After following them to the entrance of the Astrea estate, two breathtaking beauties waited for me. They both blew the maid who attended to me out of the water.
One had long, straight dark-violet hair tied mostly into a ponytail, while her curtain bangs framed her face, the side pieces falling to shoulder length.
The hair did not obstruct her striking amethyst eyes that were the same hue as mine, its haziness mesmerizing.
If my mind had not assimilated with Aurelius' I might've had some immoral thoughts right about now.
The other girl's hair was two-toned, with bright crimson on the outside layer and orange-blonde beneath, cascading wildly down her shoulders and back.
Three loose bangs fell over her face, a short one between the eyes and two long ones parted to the sides of her eyes. They lightly framed the sides of her vibrant emerald eyes.
They both wore special Intis Institute's first year uniforms, reserved only for the first and second ranked cadets respectively. My sister's uniform had a golden insignia at the area where her heart rests along with accents of gold throughout the sky blue blazer. Evelyn's uniform and insignia was bronze on the other hand.
"Uhh—welcome…" I awkwardly greeted.
That was the best I could do. I felt like I should say something noble-like at this moment, but nothing popped up in my mind. So, I said whatever that was.
"Tssk—hehehe…" They both attempted to suppress a laugh, putting a hand to cover their mouth, yet still immediately failed, giggling softly at my terrible greeting.
With a soft smile, "You're always the same huh?" my sister remarked at my ever awkward self.
"I wouldn't be so sure…" I muttered while returning a warm, uncharacteristic smile, surprising both ladies and making Evelyn slightly blush.
'Cute–!!' They both thought. 'This has to be one of the few times he's openly smiled, is it not? Did something happen?'
"Oh—did you miss us that much?" My sister asked with a teasing tone.
"Huh? Who said I missed you people?" I shot back defensively, the warm smile on my face turning into a cute frown.
'Wha…? Why's he acting like a tsundere? What happened when we were gone? Oh—is it because we didn't visit enough while we were attending the academy? Teehee~ He really misses us, but he doesn't want to admit it,' Anastasia and Evelyn mused to themselves, wryly smiling while coming up with their wild theories.
"What?" I questioned, scrutinizing their creepy smiles before annoyedly ushering them inside.
"Ugh, let's get inside already, it's so hot outside today."
"Greetings Young Master! Welcome back, Young Lady and future Lady of the House!" Entering into the estate, the servants stationed outside greeted us in practiced unison.
As I led them to the living area, we made conversation.
"That's right! After tonight, make sure to always address me properly as 'big sister'!" Anastasia teased with a happy expression on her face.
"Hmph, in your dreams!" Evelyn responded, crossing her arms with an unamused expression on her face.
"We're only getting engaged, Evelyn's not truly a part of our family until our marriage. So, you're going to have to wait a few years longer," I chimed in from the side.
"Ahh… I guess you're right. I'll make sure to pressure dad and mom to make the marriage happen as fast as possible then!"
"HEY! I am not calling you 'big sister' ever! Not before or after marriage or whatever."
"You did it when you were a kid… Ahh—you were so small back then, it was so cute when you followed behind me everywhere like a duckling…" Anastasia reminisced with a blissful expression.
"That never happened." Evelyn declared, embarrassed, turning her face away.
"Ah—do you remember when we were getting vaccinated as children?" A pained wince seemed to flash on Evelyn's face although it was difficult to tell from my angle as I brought up the topic.
"Mom told me that you ran around screaming, attempting to escape when you realized the doctor was going to give you a shot. Your personal guard had to pin you down for the doctor to properly administer the vaccine!" I recalled delightfully.
Anastasia laughed, "haha! I remember that—she was always such a crybaby. She grew out of it surprisingly quick though, I think that was because of you—younger and always so stoic. Mom teased her about it a lot, forcing her to grow up."
"I hate this whole family," Evelyn muttered under her breath, loud enough for us to hear. My sister stifled a giggle while I lightly smiled.
Then, a short, comfortable silence lingered in the air as our footsteps echoed.
"Hahaha, till getting lost in our home after living here for 19 years?" My sister chided me after I took a wrong turn and ended up in the servant's quarters. "Even Evelyn knows the estate better, I'm pretty sure!"
I rolled my eyes at her and let out a snort filled with mock contempt. "One who always knows the way never experiences the joy of finding their way when lost," I spouted, making both women giggle at my poetic(?) statement.
We soon entered the living area.
It was rather simplistic, contrasting with the grand estate, giving the area a cozy feeling.
A small coffee table with four intricate wooden chairs surrounding it stood at the centre of the room. There were also sofas, cabinets, bookshelves, and other tables around the room.
An elegant chandelier hung from the tall ceiling of the room, but it was turned off, allowing the flow of natural light to illuminate the room from the many windows.
"Chyros tea." I commanded a servant who understood immediately and quickly left to prepare the tea.
It was just the three of us now, we sat around a small, rectangular coffee table with my sister and I both sitting on the same side. A moment of silence hung as they looked at me, expectantly.
"... So… How have you been?" I asked, slightly embarrassed because Aurelius did not like showing affection and/or worry towards . However, after such a long time apart, it was natural for me to ask now that we're in a private environment.
It was currently early August.
They were finally free after finishing their assigned missions during summer vacation. I had not seen my sister since spring break, and the last time I saw Evelyn was at the new year's celebration last year… or this year?
"Teehee, I'm doing great—though there is so much work for me as the Primarch of the first years," my sister whined.
"It feels like there's an endless mountain of work for me to do. I want to burn it all! Ahh, I wish I could switch places with Evelyn, just a rank down makes such a huge difference."
"No you don't. And she's also exaggerating so much about the amount of work, it's not that much. On average, she only spends around 90 minutes with Primarch duties everyday."
"90 minutes?!!" I exclaimed, slightly shocked, with a sympathetic expression adorning my face as I placed a hand on Anastasia's back to comfort her.
"Mmm—see? I knew he'd understand," she murmured while moving my hand to her shoulder.
'She wants me to massage her shoulder? Ugh, fine.' Aurelius' tsundereness couldn't stop me as I began to massage. Seeing her body visibly relax gave me a sense of contentment.