Julian used to say just watching me eat made him feel full. He would nibble on tiny portions, like a bird, and push his plate away.
‘At least his clumsy table manners are keeping him from eating too fast...’
I discreetly whispered to Julian, pointing at the correct utensils— That fork next. No, use that knife instead.
And then, just as the main course was finished—
Grandfather’s gaze shifted to me.
“From today on, you are officially a Noart who attends the family breakfast. Therefore, I will give you your seal.”
At the same time, the butler approached and presented the seal to me.
It bore the Noart emblem, with the word Noart engraved upon it.
Everything was identical to Julian’s seal—except mine was pink.
I accepted the seal with excitement.
“From now on, stop using your fingerprint as a signature. It was cute, but it won’t hold much authority externally. I only trusted the letter because it came through Shulva, not because of that fingerprint.”
Grandfather’s remark reminded me of the letter I had stamped with my fingerprint, and I grinned sheepishly.
“The Noart emblem is a raven. I chose it myself.”
Grandfather’s voice dropped lower as he explained.
“No particular reason—except that the Temple declared ravens as an ill omen.”
The room fell silent as the family listened with solemn expressions.
“I thought it would be fitting to build a family with a raven crest and make it prosper. That way, our very existence would diminish the Temple’s authority.”
I clutched the seal tightly and nodded.
“Thank you, Grandfather. I’m truly honored. I won’t forget the meaning behind the emblem.”
Grandfather’s lips curled into the faintest smile. It was the first moment of warmth at the breakfast table.
Roystan suddenly cut in.
“Yesterday, Grandfather gave you a bracelet. Why aren’t you wearing it?”
His eyes glinted with malice.
“Since it was personally made by Grandfather, I thought you’d wear it to commemorate your first official breakfast.”
So it was Roystan who destroyed my bracelet.
This was a deliberate scheme to ruin the breakfast atmosphere and create awkward tension between Grandfather and me from the start.
‘Well. I expected as much. Surviving here was never going to be easy.’
Every gaze in the room turned toward me.
I stared at Roystan for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
Then, I hesitated, as if flustered.
Sensing an opportunity, Murloc jumped in to back his son.
“What’s this, Rosie? Don’t tell me you already broke it? A bracelet that Grandfather personally—personally—made?”
Even through his hangover-induced grimace, Murloc looked thrilled to join the attack.
“Even if it was an accident, even if you didn’t mean to, that’s a serious mistake for a child!”
As Murloc raised his voice, Grandfather sighed deeply and waved his hand dismissively.
“So what if she broke a bracelet? Do you really think I’d get worked up over something so trivial?”
Grandfather clicked his tongue in irritation, but Murloc wasn’t finished.
“No, Father! That wasn’t just any bracelet! How could she treat the first gift from the head of the family so carelessly? Naturally, she should be punished with at least a few days of confinement!”
Before Grandfather could say anything else, I quickly intervened.
“Oh... So you really think so, Uncle Murloc?”
“Of course! Father made it himself! He even altered his schedule for it!”
I slumped my shoulders as if genuinely troubled. Then I let out a deep sigh and asked,
“Do you... not remember what happened yesterday, Uncle Murloc?”
I shook my head slowly and murmured,
“I didn’t want to say anything... but since things have come to this, I have no choice.”
Turning away from Murloc, I looked directly at Grandfather and spoke softly.
“Grandfather, the truth is... the bracelet you gave me was broken yesterday.”
Grandfather said nothing, simply watching me with a steady gaze.
I continued speaking calmly.
“I was passing through the back garden and ran into Uncle Murloc. He was heavily drunk... and he snatched my envelope before stomping on the bracelet.”
The moment I finished, Murloc shot to his feet.
“What? What the hell?! Are you accusing me of that nonsense?!”
With every word he shouted, the stench of alcohol grew stronger.
Ethan, trembling slightly, raised his hand.
I smirked internally.
"Just stick to the story at breakfast."
"Of course. This all started because of me, so naturally, I have to step up, too."
Now, all eyes were on Ethan.
“Uncle Murloc was drunk and stomped on it... Rosie didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to go near the back garden on a day like yesterday since she’s been staying in the annex this whole time...”
Ethan spoke as if he had gathered all the courage in the world.
“If I hadn’t run to pull her out, she probably would’ve gotten hit, too...”
He trembled slightly, as if the mere thought horrified him. His acting skills were unnecessarily good.
With a heavy sigh, Ethan placed a hand over his chest and continued,
“And then Rosie, grateful for my brave rescue, promised that from now on, I would be her favorite older brother...”
That part... was not in our plan.
Julian’s jaw practically hit the table in disbelief, but Ethan wasn’t done yet.
“I mean, it took real courage to rush into the back garden, a place even the servants avoid, just to save Rosie... Rosie was so moved that she clung to me and sobbed for ages.”
Julian and I exchanged dumbfounded looks.
But in this situation, there was no way we could correct him by saying, "It wasn't that dramatic."
“Lies! This is slander! You little rats, what the hell are you up to?!”
Murloc jumped up, cutting Ethan off.
“You’re just using the fact that I was blackout drunk last night to frame me, aren’t you?!”
“Ohh, so you were blackout drunk last night.”
“It only happened last night, so it hasn’t even been that long, and you can’t remember it... Oh!”
I widened my eyes as if a brilliant idea had struck me.
“I just thought of a great way to prove it! We can check the bottom of Uncle Murloc’s shoes and the grass in the back garden! It’s only been a few hours!”
Murloc’s eyes darted around in panic. His expression screamed, Wait, did I really do it?—as if even he wasn’t sure anymore.
Last night, Ethan and I had intentionally visited the back garden—without Julian, since his crutch would slow us down.
Sure enough, we found Murloc, completely wasted, throwing a drunken tantrum.
We had discreetly scattered some of the broken seashell fragments on the grass and waited.
And right on cue—Murloc stomped all over them before we left.
Grandfather, his voice icy, gave a simple command to the nearby servant.
“You heard her. Go check.”
The servant immediately left.
As we waited, Murloc’s face was twisted with unease.
Roystan, on the other hand, simply bit his lower lip, looking utterly trapped. He couldn’t step in now and admit he was the real culprit.
“My Lord, I’ve confirmed the evidence. There are traces of ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the broken seashells on the grass in the back garden, and also on the soles of Lord Murloc’s shoes.”
The servant presented the shoes.
Sure enough, the soles of Murloc’s shoes were covered in crushed seashell dust.
Murloc let out a furious roar.
“You little brats! You set me up! You planted that there, didn’t you?!”
“Oh dear, Uncle Murloc... That’s quite the self-centered assumption... Are you really saying I went out of my way to orchestrate all this just to frame you?”
I let out an exaggerated sigh and answered calmly,
“At most, you’ll only be put on house arrest for a few days. Do you think that’s a fair price for the bracelet Grandfather personally made?”
A few days of confinement.
That was exactly what Murloc himself had suggested earlier.
He had said that even if it was an accident, even if there was no intent behind it, whoever broke the bracelet should be confined for a few days.
I spoke in my usual slow, deliberate tone.
“I’m not stupid enough to deliberately break a gift from Grandfather and ruin the atmosphere of my first breakfast, Uncle Murloc.”
Then, with the most pitiful expression I could muster, I added,
“In fact... if Roystan hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have even brought it up.”
Roystan’s face instantly went pale.
‘So don’t mess with me, Roystan.’
I shot him a sidelong glance, smiling slightly at his ghostly complexion.
‘Even without Julian, I can protect myself just fine.’
Even as I openly smirked at him, Roystan could do nothing but grit his teeth in silence.