Chapter 62
The infamous Lesser Demons of Sperom.
Ciel and Noel were stunned upon arrival at the much-anticipated Halbern Manor.
“No, that’s not-!”
“No, not that-!”
Arellin’s eyes were literally glued to the paintings, statues, and ornaments that hung in the corridors, columns, rooms, and halls of the building that she usually passed by without a second thought.
“Why is this precious child here!”
At every turn, there were treasures of immense value laid out and hung haphazardly that caught his eye.
Is this Halbern?
Not even Sperom’s mansion is like this!
“The Halbern mansion is a treasure in itself.”
So said the Duke of Sperom, who had once told them.
Indeed, Ciel and Noel were overwhelmed with emotion.
“Noel, I think I could die here today and be happy.”
“Ciel. Me too.”
Ciel sobbed, and Noel’s eyes were filled with tears.
Their Golden Eyes glittered, and in an instant, they estimated the value of everything in sight.
The figures were moving.
“I’m going to die here.”
Ciel declared.
“Me too.”
Noel agreed.
“No.”
Arellin was the only one who disagreed, grimly.
***
“Who’s here?”
“Sperom’s twin.”
Mehen lowered the papers he was looking at.
“What did they say was the reason for their visit to…?”
“They say they’re here to help Lady Arellin with the preparations for the Fellowship Tea Party.”
Mehen gulped.
It was the tea party that had worn Mehen’s already busy mind and body down, and caused his eyes to glaze over.
Mehen frowned at the comms still not reaching the northern castle today.
“Why isn’t anyone receiving communications?”
They had tried every means of communication, not just the direct line, and the Northern Province remained unreachable.
At any other time, he would have thought it was another monster wave, but he didn’t have the patience for that right now.
“You said you sent an invitation.”
“Yes. He’s her father, though, and it wouldn’t look good to omit him, so I included him on the invitation list. The imperial family will probably send out invitations.”
He is pretty sure it’s coming from the imperial family, but it’s still not as reassuring as seeing it in person.
He already sent the date of the tea party and a brief recorded message to the Northern Province’s communications center, but they’re still bugging him.
‘Really, this guy.’
He wonders if he’s mellowed since his last call, but he’s still the same.
Mehen didn’t hide the resentment that had built up over the past hour.
“Dylan.”
“Yes, Mehen.”
“I must kill that bastard Valar, someday.”
“You’re getting more murderous by the day.”
Dylan smiled wryly at Mehen, who no longer called him Lord.
Krakk.
The overloaded and weakened magical communicator was finally smashed in the hands of an enraged Mehen.
Despite the gruesome scene, Dylan nonchalantly pulled a new communicator from his arm and handed it to Mehen.
“Here you go.”
Sadly, this was the twentieth such shattered communicator in the past three days.
“I’ll have to order another one.”
Dylan nonchalantly ordered a large quantity of expensive magical items in the name of the Grand Duke of Halbern’s supplies.
[Purchase List: Magical Communication Port_Installed_Peak Output_Full Power_Electromagnetic Wave Compatible×50]
He didn’t have this luxury.
‘Well, it’s the Archduke’s fault after all.’
Dylan blamed the Archduke of Halbern for the loss of Gasan without a trace of remorse.
***
“I apologize.”
The man who introduced himself as the butler of House Sperom, and the twins’ exclusive nanny, bowed to her.
“Browning, you must bow more!”
“Browning, apologize more profusely!”
The twins could do no wrong, so she stood beside him, watching Browning’s posture and casting belly down.
“This is Browning!”
“He’s in charge of apologizing for us.”
“We don’t even know why he’s apologizing!”
“Because it’s… you.”
You conscienceless bastards.
Once the rambunctious twins had been apprehended and brought back to the parlor, the users of Sperom, who had been dying of exhaustion, were finally at peace.
She marveled as she watched the captured apples and their post-processing as if she had been waiting for them.
“You are indeed a shameful lot, no matter where we put you.”
“Ashamed of us?”
“Oh, no.”
He asked again.
Ciel narrowed her eyes.
“You were a little hesitant to answer.”
“I sensed your hesitation.”
“Are you ashamed of us?”
“What are you doing to us?”
Ugh. Those devils.
“Stop grunting and come here.”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh! Hehe.”
She sighed deeply as she watched the twins return like obedient dogs.
“You’re giving me a lot of trouble with these no-answers.”
“Huhu. Hmph.”
What in the world has she done to these nice people, that they’re crying after just one word?
“Wow, she’s crying.”
“Arellin, what have you done?”
The twins blinked their eyes, casting ‘we don’t know anything’ with angelic faces, which was pretty abominable.
“You must have done something bad.”
The twins looked innocent, innocent of the world.
It’s a look that a stranger would have no idea what it’s really like, so she clicked her tongue because she thought they’d be fooled even if they knew the truth.
Today, she realized something new.
The twins were ten virtues.
And very dark ones at that.
“Ah, the Tenth Moon of Lord Grander the Great!”
“Is that the Third Moon?”
“It’s amazing! Two of Lord Grander’s Moon Series paintings, which he left as his last will and testament, are hanging side by side like this.”
“I can see the same style of painting as Grander did three hundred years ago. It’s unmistakable! It’s authentic!”
The greeting was brief, and the twins were distracted again.
“I’m sorry.”
Browning apologized again.
The twins chuckled absentmindedly as Sperom’s vassals were dying in real time.
“Arelliriiiin.”
“Allelirin.”
“What.”
“Can’t you give this to me?”
“No.”
He snatched the small statue from Ciel’s hand.
“Chii.”
“Not so sweet.”
“Hing.”
“Not through.”
“Ciiing!”
“Cute doesn’t work. Go away.”
Noel pouted his lips.
“Allelirin is too strong!”
“Is it made of steel heart?”
“No, it’s made of ordinary protein cells.”
The sight of the angelic beauty fluttering about was absolutely pathetic, but knowing that this was the beauty world, she could only snort.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for her, as she with Pession, a celestial beauty, every day.
“Why didn’t you tell us you had such a great thing at home?”
“Allelirin, bad!”
Why… should she… tell them… that…?
“There! Don’t touch the decorations!”
“Oops, I’ve been caught!”
“Ciel, I thought you said we wouldn’t get caught!”
“Oh, I sure wasn’t looking.”
As her glare intensifies, the twins pass the buck.
“Ciel asked me to do it. It’s not my fault, it’s his fault.”
“No, it was Noel who said let’s try it first.”
Ugh, these no-answers.
This is not working.
“Enough with the excuses, let’s go to the parlor. You’re guests, aren’t you, appraisers?”
“Yes, but!”
“There!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Hmm.”
The twins gave her a sad look on their angelic faces.
“You want to get kicked out?”
They finally succumbed to the majesty of the landlord.
***
The twins, who had been captured so meekly, began the meeting surprisingly obediently.
“I’ve got something for Arellirin!”
An assortment of samples from the top of Sperom’s organization were displayed in the parlor.
It looked like a department store.
“This is all your top stuff?”
“Yes! How’s that for a meeting with us?”
She shrugged, seeing the twins’ faces beaming with pride.
But there were too many samples… all over the parlor.
“If you’re going to do this, wouldn’t it have been quicker for me to just go to your mansion?”
“Perhaps?”
“It would have been quicker, wouldn’t it?”
“But why did you guys come?”
The twins exchanged glances, smiling meaningfully.
“That’s because we want to see the Halbern mansion!”
“Because we wanted to see it!”
The twins smirked, a villainous grin on their faces, like they’d just succeeded in their evil plan.
What a bunch of smug bastards.
