Isaac's magnificent crying eventually caused a commotion within the Frenzel family.
Upon hearing the cries, the knights rushed over, each one taken aback to see Isaac holding his head, squatting in front of Riezel, and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Young Master Isaac!"
"Someone attacked Young Master Isaac!"
"Quick! Surround him!"
Without hesitation, the knights drew their swords, encircling Riezel, and assigning a few to protect Isaac.
"Charge!"
The leader of the knights immediately ordered, ready to lead the charge and capture Riezel, but, just as an unnecessary conflict was about to erupt, a sudden voice stopped everyone in their tracks.
"You shall not be rude to my elder sister's guest!"
With that rebuke, all the knights came to a halt.
Riezel also lifted his gaze, looking toward the source of the voice.
Walking briskly from the manor's gate was a figure, a figure of a young girl.
She bore a striking resemblance to Yuri, with bright silver hair cascading down her shoulders, swaying gently as she walked, giving off a sense of standing tall against the wind.
However, unlike Yuri's ever-changing demeanor, sometimes innocent like a child, sometimes cold like a queen, and sometimes elegant and noble like a noble lady, this girl's expression was overly serious, her gaze too stern, giving off an impression of early maturity.
"Young Lady Mediste!"
Seeing the approaching girl, the knights one after another kneeled on one knee.
"El-Elder Sister Mediste?!"
Isaac, who had been crying heavily, abruptly stifled his tears, as if he had seen something terrifying.
The girl, known as Mediste, reached Isaac and showed a severe look.
"Isaac, what trouble are you causing now?" Mediste asked with a severe tone.
"I-I'm not causing trouble!" Isaac shook his head like a tambourine, then pointed at Riezel, complaining and arguing. "It's all because of him—"
Before he could finish his sentence, however, she slapped his hand away from pointing at Riezel.
"I don't recall teaching you to point at guests." Mediste glared at her younger brother. "It seems you need to retake some etiquette classes, Isaac. Make sure to free up some time tonight."
"No, please, Elder Sister Mediste!" Isaac cried out loudly, tears streaming down his face once again.
"A man isn't allowed to cry at the drop of a hat!" Mediste said mercilessly. "Can you still call yourself a member of the Frenzel family by acting like this?! Alright, you must clear the schedule for tomorrow night too!"
Upon hearing that, Isaac rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground, feigning unconsciousness.
Ignoring her younger brother's playacting, Mediste turned to Riezel and gave a nod of respect.
"Sorry for this inappropriate display."
She spoke with her tone now notably different from before. It wasn't stern or harsh but rather carried a sense of openness and grace. Her manners were impeccable, neither too formal to make Riezel uncomfortable nor too casual.
It was evident that this etiquette was honed through rigorous training, showing her dedication.
"You're Yuri's little sister, right?" Riezel finally spoke, his voice softening a bit as he looked at the seemingly mature young girl.
"Greetings, I'm Mediste Frenzel, the fourth daughter of the Frenzel family." Mediste nodded reservedly. "Our family head, Yuri Frenzel, is my elder sister. And this boy lying here is my younger brother. Sorry for the trouble he's caused you; I'll make sure to give him a strict lesson and make him apologize to you later."
At the mention of a 'strict lesson', Isaac, lying on the ground, couldn't help but twitch involuntarily, followed shortly by trembling, resembling someone trapped in a nightmare.
This made Riezel cast a slightly sympathetic glance at the boy on the ground, but it only lasted a moment before he withdrew it.
Truthfully, this boy was too arrogant.
While it could be attributed to youth and immaturity, displaying such an arrogant demeanor at such a young age made him wonder if this boy might grow up to be a spoiled brat like those Chinese young masters in wuxia novels.
So with that in mind, he decided to 'bully' the boy a bit, perhaps to let him experience some of society's harsh realities and understand its complexities.
However, witnessing Mediste's stern attitude toward Isaac, Riezel realized he might have been worrying unnecessarily. With an elder sister like her, if this boy still managed to become a spoiled brat in the future, he would actually be impressed.
Nodding inwardly at Mediste's stern attitude, Riezel smiled faintly before responding to her apology.
"No need for apologies. Young Master Isaac is right. I'm just a mere commoner, so a noble like him doesn't have to apologize to me. Please, Young Lady Mediste, just educate him properly."
'Then I'd rather apologize!' Isaac, lying on the ground pretending to be dead, roared in his mind.
Unfortunately, Mediste couldn't read her younger brother's mind.
"I will..." Mediste nodded earnestly as if she had taken on a sacred mission. "But please don't call me 'young lady'. You are the guest of the family head, my elder sister. So, please, just call me Mediste."
"Is that okay?" Riezel asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm just a commoner, y'know?"
"It doesn't matter if you're a commoner or not..." Mediste shook her head. "You are considered a valued guest by my elder sister, and so far, you're the first. In that case, we cannot be disrespectful to you."
Upon hearing that, Riezel understood.
This fourth child of the Frenzel family, Mediste, seemed not only intelligent and attentive to etiquette but also deeply respectful of Yuri.
No, it wasn't just Mediste; Isaac, the youngest child, was the same.
Otherwise, why would Isaac immediately question whether he was a man brought back by his elder sister? Upon closer inspection, his unfriendly tone at that time did indeed carry a hint of jealousy.
Could it be that this boy, out of admiration for his elder sister, imagined that she might be taken away by a bad man, and out of jealousy, came to pick a fight? If that were the case, Riezel couldn't help but think that this boy was much cuter than he had imagined.
But—
"You said I'm the first guest Yuri has ever brought home?" Riezel raised his brows.
"Yes." Mediste confirmed without hesitation. "There have been plenty of guests who came to visit her on their own initiative before, and they've been treated well by her as well. But it's the first time she has brought someone home like this on her own initiative."
As she spoke, Mediste couldn't help but sneak a glance at Riezel.
When she first found out that her elder sister had brought someone home, especially a young man, she was equally surprised. But after the initial shock wore off, she became intensely curious about this man.
What kind of man did his elder sister bring home?
Could he be her future brother-in-law?
If so, that wouldn't be too bad.
After all, this man looked pretty good. Despite being a commoner, he showed no signs of subservience or flattery when facing a noble. He remained calm throughout, even managing to subdue Isaac, who was quite a troublemaker. This kind of composure surely indicated competence.
Since her elder sister said this man was her schoolmate, it meant he was a student at Spriller Academy.
Being able to attend one of the top four academies in the Akasha Continent, suggested he had significant potential as a magician. He might even have the potential to become a Tactical-Class Magician. Once a magician reached this class, they would immediately be recognized by the royal family and become a noble.
Even if he were just a minor noble like a viscount, not comparable to major nobles like the marquis family of Frenzel, given his young age, it wouldn't be difficult for him to earn merit on the battlefield and be promoted to a count later on. Moreover, once he became a count, he would be a genuine major noble, only one rank below a marquis.
With such qualities, he could be considered suitable for her elder sister.
At this moment, Riezel was unaware that he was being analyzed and evaluated by Yuri's younger sister, whom he had just met, with even his future prospects being considered.
If Mediste hadn't concealed her thoughts well, Riezel might have suspected that he was being treated as Yuri's secret boyfriend, being judged and evaluated by her family members.
He simply silently took note of Mediste's words, gaining a deeper understanding of Yuri's oppressive life at home.
Yuri, who seemed to enjoy chatting in front of him like a friendly lady, really seemed to have no friends.
Riezel sighed inwardly, then turned his gaze to Mediste's face.
"In that case, I'll just call you Mediste directly, and you also don't have to use honorifics with me. I don't like that kind of formality."
"Uhh... Okay." Mediste wanted to refuse politely, but seeing his calm gaze, she paused and softly agreed. "Since it's your request, I won't be formal anymore."
She was not only intelligent but also adept at reading people.
Riezel's evaluation of Mediste rose another notch.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the pretended-dead boy was quietly squirming, evidently intending to leave this troublesome situation behind.
"Isaac." Mediste calmly and composedly spoke.
"Yes!" Isaac straightened up instantly, as stiff as a bamboo pole. In his eyes, his elder sister seemed like an executioner.
"Clear your schedule for the night after tomorrow as well, understand?"
"I... understand..."
At this moment, Isaac felt the urge to run away from home.
In the next moment, a maid suddenly appeared and quickly approached the three of them.
"Young Lady Mediste, Young Master Isaac. Master and Young Master Sefaz have returned." The maid informed respectfully while bowing her head.
Unexpectedly, after the maid finished speaking, the somewhat relaxed atmosphere immediately shifted.
Isaac fell silent, while a gloom passed over Mediste's face.
"I understand..." Mediste said with her head lowered. "We'll head over right away."
After saying that, she flashed an apologetic look toward Riezel.
"No need to worry about me, just go ahead." Riezel said, nodding with a gentle smile upon noticing her expression.
Mediste apologized briefly before leading the hesitant Isaac away.
Riezel watched them leave, lost in thought.
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Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of the Frenzel main residence.
This was a huge room located on the top floor of the central building in the Frenzel main residence.
The layout of the room was simple, but the decor was quite luxurious. The furniture and carpets placed within were all high-end items of considerable value. Especially notable was a round table situated in the middle. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, and the quality was superb. The wooden tabletop was so polished that it was almost shining, capable of reflecting clear images like a mirror, making it highly ornamental.
"Excuse me."
"Ex-Excuse me."
Mediste's polite voice and Isaac's timid voice resounded at the same time from outside the meeting room's door.
*Creak—*
The door was pushed open by two knights standing outside, allowing the two to enter.
Upon entering, ignoring Isaac who kept his head low, Mediste was the first to notice the people right next to the round table.
There were three men of different ages.
Among them, two were seated, and one was standing, clearly indicating their status.
Mediste's gaze primarily fell on the two seated men.
Seated on the left was a young man around twenty years old, with dazzling golden hair tied into a small ponytail. Despite his handsome appearance, he had a careless demeanor, constantly glancing around, giving off an air of frivolity.
He was Mediste's elder brother, the eldest son of the Frenzel family—Sefaz Frenzel.
Seated beside Sefaz, occupying the main position at the round table, was a man with hair as golden as Sefaz's, aged over forty and in his middle years. Yet, traces of his youthful charm remained evident, as there wasn't a single wrinkle on his face, and his noble attire lacked any creases.
He was Mediste's father, the oldest of the Frenzel family in this generation, and the former family head—Alderman Frenzel.
"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Elder Brother." Mediste greeted, solemnly bowing her head, seemingly trying to conceal her emotions
"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Elder Brother..." Isaac also followed suit, finally coming to his senses and hastily joining his elder sister in the courtesy.
"Mediste and Isaac, huh?" Alderman lightly uttered.
"Well, well, Little Brother, Little Sister, how have you been?" Sefaz exclaimed warmly as if it had been ages since he last saw his younger siblings, enthusiastically greeting them.
In truth, he had indeed been away for a long time.
He often stayed out all night, disliking staying at home and preferring to stay at his so-called friends' houses, his whereabouts highly suspicious.
He once claimed he was out doing business and couldn't return home due to inconvenience, but Mediste knew he was lying; otherwise, their paths wouldn't have crossed on the street the last time she went out.
At that time, his carriage seemed to be heading toward the city gate, and later on, she learned that he would often leave Undine without knowing where he was going. Of course, she had no intention of revealing these things.
"We've been doing well." Mediste replied politely. "Isaac has been obedient, and everything at home has been peaceful. Thank you for your concern, Elder Brother."
"That's good, that's good." Sefaz smiled, seeming quite content, and repeatedly nodded.
However, Mediste, who was adept at reading people, could sense the insincerity and perfunctory nature of his words.
Needless to say, his warmth was faked and his concern nonexistent. His face was like a mask, making her hesitant to trust his every word and action.
Compared to her elder brother, her father, Alderman, always maintained a stern demeanor, appearing awe-inspiring.
"What about Yuri?" Alderman coldly asked. "Calling us back in such a manner, only to be absent herself. It seems like becoming the family head has really boosted her confidence, completely disregarding my exist—"
Before his words could finish, however, a voice interrupted from outside the door.
"I'm here."
With the arrival of the voice, the doors of the meeting room were once again opened.
Yuri arrived, accompanied by Marilyn, entering the meeting room together.
"Elder Sister..."
"Elder Sister!"
Mediste felt a sense of relief and quickly bowed her head to Yuri, while Isaac seemed to find his backbone and let out a joyful shout.
"Mediste, Isaac, you're already here?"
Yuri didn't even glance at Alderman or Sefaz, only focusing on Mediste and Isaac. As she glanced at her two younger siblings, a faint smile finally appeared on her cold face.
At this moment, Yuri seemed to have returned home, seeing her own family. Mediste and Isaac were equally delighted to see their admired elder sister. In contrast, Alderman and Sefaz seemed like outsiders.
The relationships among the Frenzel family members, who got along well and who didn't, were evident from this scene.
Alderman simply looked on with indifference and spoke up.
"Since everyone is here, let's all take a seat."
Upon hearing her father's words, Mediste wanted to remind him that the seat her elder sister should be in right now was the one he was currently occupying. As the family head, her elder sister should be the one sitting in the main seat, not her father.
Unfortunately, Mediste knew that even if she said so, it would be useless.
Many who knew the inside story of the Frenzel family understood that, in fact, although Alderman passed the position of family head to Yuri, he himself never completely relinquished the authority that came with it.
Regardless of the situation in the royal capital, here in the Frenzel territory, Alderman was the one who held control, wielding the authority of the territory's lord.
No one in the meeting room found this abnormal.
The reason was simple.
When Yuri became the head of the Frenzel family, she was only twelve years old, not even an adult. At that age, she became a Tactical-Class Magician and was thus summoned by the king.
However, instead of being granted a noble title and forming her own noble family, since she had already assumed the position of the Frenzel family's head passed down by Alderman, she was unable to establish her independence.
During that period, as a declining noble family, the Frenzel family was merely a baron family, and their territory was gradually being reclaimed by the kingdom. Only Undine remained under them, deemed the primary territory of their family.
In the end, after Yuri assumed the position of the Frenzel family's head and became the new Baron Frenzel, she went to the royal capital to receive her award as a Tactical-Class Magician.
Considering she was technically already a noble with baron status, the king promoted her from baron to viscount, thus elevating the Frenzel family's status to that of a viscount family.
It wasn't until three years later when she was fifteen years old and became a Strategic-Class Magician that she suddenly gained overnight fame, causing a commotion throughout the kingdom and even across the entire Akasha Continent. As a result, she was summoned by the king again and skipped the title of count, being directly promoted to marquis.
Despite being regarded as the foremost talent in Jinas, Yuri was, after all, still young. Moreover, after being appointed as a Chief Court Magician, she often had to stay in the royal capital to handle kingdom affairs, leaving all matters within her territory to others.
With such understanding, people believed that Alderman took on the role of Frenzel territory's acting lord for the sake of his still-young daughter.
Only those like Mediste, who knew the inside story, knew that Alderman was never entrusted with the role of acting lord at all, as he never relinquished the authority of the territory's lord in the first place and always maintained a firm grip over the territory from beginning to end.
People believed Yuri Frenzel was the head of the Frenzel family, but they didn't know that the territory of the family had always been under her father's control behind the scenes, never actually passing into her hands as the current family head.
In other words, within the Frenzel territory, the one making decisions was Alderman, not Yuri.
Even Riezel was unaware of this hidden truth since Yuri had never mentioned it.
Yuri herself didn't even care about it in general, paying no attention to her father occupying the main seat, nor did she follow his order to sit down.
"I need an explanation."
As Yuri faced Alderman and spoke those words, the faint smile on her face when facing Mediste and Isaac vanished completely, leaving her with an expressionless face.
The atmosphere in the meeting room plummeted instantly because of her words.
Mediste remained silent.
Isaac didn't dare to even breathe heavily.
Marilyn, like the man standing behind Alderman, watched silently.
Sefaz wore a nonchalant expression, almost ready to put his legs up on the table if it weren't for the tense atmosphere.
Only Alderman and Yuri remained—one with a stern face, the other expressionless, confronting each other.
"I haven't even asked you for an explanation yet, and you dare to demand one from me?" Alderman said coldly. "Look at what you've done in the royal capital. Now the relationship between our family and the Basolo family is completely ruined. Do you realize that?"
"I need an explanation."
Yuri ignored his words and just stared at him, repeating her words, seemingly calmer than before. But behind this calmness lay a terrifying sense of oppression.
"...Is this how you talk to your own father?" Alderman's composed face was starting to look unpleasant.
Yet, she repeated the same words.
"I need an explanation."
Her cold words sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
"Mind your manners, Yuri Frenzel!" Alderman yelled with veins bulging on his forehead, clearly enraged.
To his yell, Yuri didn't say another word, simply turning and walking away, heading toward the exit.
Upon seeing this, everyone in the meeting room had an instant realization.
Once she walked out of that door, things would be irreparable.
Yuri was definitely capable of causing a major incident without blinking since her status as a Strategic-Class Magician granted her that privilege.
"Return at once, Yuri Frenzel!" Alderman couldn't contain himself, abruptly standing up, emanating tremendous magical energy from his body.
At this moment, the entire meeting room shook.
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