Chương 13: The Noble House of Rozen, Part 5

Mary, sighing, watched Izalia stride away. When she had reached the stables, Mary finally turned back to Rie. Stiffly, she gestured at the door of the manor. "This way," she said as if she had a lemon in her mouth.

Looking at the large, somewhat ornate brick building, its four visible floors decorated with numerous large windows, many chimneys, and inlaid metal sculptures on various, seemingly random locations on its facing.

They all were busts of different figures all wielding one common item: a twisted cane, bearing a jewel on its head. Many of these figure were human, but she swore she spotted other races, such as an elf, a dwarf, and a few races of what she supposed were other 'beastmen'. One had scales and an elongated jaw, another bunny ears, dog ears, fox ears, and even her own, a cat's ears.

Mary's sharp words shook her out of her observations. She had said something before, clearly, but Rie had not noticed.

"Are you deaf? This way!" She had already walked halfway to the front door, and now seemed insulted at her lack of immediate obedience.

Not wanting to see just how angry this woman could get, she jogged over to the door ahead of Mary, not looking back at her. She looked back at Mary, self-consciously holding onto her own tail. The sensation was similar to holding onto your own hand, but it calmed her. The fur was soft and long, but not overly fluffy.

Mary, sighing once more, walked slowly up to Rie, an odd look in her eyes. Rie mentally prepared herself for a tongue lashing, but nothing came of it. Mary just held out a hand to her, and she softly put the hand not clinging onto her tail in Mary's offered hand.

Together, they walked through the front door of the large manor, and into a wide entry hall. The hall had an immediate impression of grandeur, with white walls adorned with portraits of presumably past nobility of Rozen, as well as intricate tapestries. A set of wide wooden stairs dominated the center of the room, forcing the eye up it to see a family portrait. It depicted Izalia herself, as well as a lean, brown haired, mustachioed man, and two children. They were a boy and a girl, both elegant in their poise.

This time, Mary was not harsh on Rie for staring at everything.