The ceremony has gone smoothly since it started and was going well until the end. The ceremony ended after a few hours.
After it ended, I got some time to chat with some of my acquaintances, such as Seth, Gauss, and Serdean, Alexander and his family went home immediately as soon as the ceremony ended.
From what I had heard from them, they had all been busy with their own lives after they stopped courting my sister upon learning the truth about her.
Though they still practiced the things I taught them and built themselves stronger, they became so strong that they proudly told me they defeated some of their seniors. But those were not enough to be acknowledged by Sister, who refused to challenge her again.
We did not go anywhere else after the closing ceremony ended, so we were currently inside our carriage, leaving the venue and making our way home on wheels.
“Louise really gave us surprises.” Mother cheerfully remarked with clasped hands. “I couldn’t believe that Louise was the top student of her year.”
“Don’t sweat it, Mother. I, too, was surprised when they told me that I am the top one of first-years.”
“Don’t look down upon yourself. Your achievements are completely understandable since you are my daughter after all.”
“Thanks, Mother.”
While the carriage was rolling its wheels on the streets of the Imperial Capital, we were having a short chat about some things, but mostly about today. .
Inside the magic carriage, in order from left to right, Mom, Mother, and Gabrielle were sitting on the rear seat. On the other hand, the front seat was occupied by Mary, Sister, myself, and Sophia, in order.
But even though my sister and I were sitting next to each other, she seemed to be still avoiding me by sidling closer to Mary. In addition to the internal space of the carriage, there was a hell of a gap between Sister and me.
“Hey, Louise, aren’t you a bit too distant with Raphael?” Mom told Sister. “You two haven’t settled your siblings quarrel yet?”
“… It’s not as easy as you think, Mom.” My sister answered without looking at Mom or me. “He broke our promise and hurt me a lot. I cannot just forgive him since the trust that was ruined cannot be mended yet.”
“Yet? In other words, you will still want to forgive your brother in the end.”
“…Hmph.” Sister pouted as she was folding her arms. “So annoying.”
“Um… Louise, it might not be right for me to casually immerse myself in a familial matter.” Gabrielle then chimed in with the discussion. “But I think you should open yourself up and listen to your mothers more. Maybe as well as giving them the respect they deserve?”
“She is right, Louise.” Mom corresponded with Gabrielle. “If you have something that is bothering you, we are here for you.”
“…”
“I know that you have been suffering from the things Raphael did, but I can relate to that since I also went through something like that a long time ago.”
When Mom said that, Sister slowly turned her head and looked at her. Sister unfolded her arms and then put her clenched fists on her lap with her head down.
“I apologize, Mom, Mother.” She said before raising her head again. “This day should be wholesome and happy, but I am making it gloomy because of my actions.”
“It’s okay, Louise. You have been harboring quite a burden, so it is understandable that you are not in a good condition right now. But I am hoping you will find your tranquility in your heart not long.”
“Thank you, Mother, that helps me a lot. But about my matter with Raphael,” Sister then glanced at me. “Let’s talk about it later, got it?”
“Of course, Sister, I got it.”
Sister averted her gaze from me without saying anything and did not talk to me throughout the ride. After a few minutes of riding, we safely arrived at our estate and extended the celebration of my sister’s return after we took care of her baggage.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Sophia joined us for dinner and then decided to stay over tonight. We did not forget to send a letter to the Raeven residence about Sophia’s change of plans, of course.
With Gabrielle being added to our family, the seating arrangement for dining was changed. Mother was still at the top as the current head of the family.
The change was that Gabrielle was now in the first column with Mom. The second column of the table was now being used by my sister and myself, with me sitting beside Mom.
Next to Sister and me were Mary and Sophia, respectively. We wanted to treat Mary as a member of the family, so we had her eat with us at the same table. She insistently refused the idea, but we managed to convince her to eat with us in the end.
However, even after we finished our dinner, there was still no interaction between Sister and me. I wanted to engage, but she had been constantly distancing herself from me. I guessed that I had to wait until she was ready.
“Raphael.”
As I was in the living room with the whole family, Sister finally approached me and interacted with me. I was sitting down with a cup of coffee in hand beside Sophia while Sister was standing in front of me with crossed arms, but she was visibly mad for some reason.
“What is it, Sister?”
“We need to talk. Right here, right now.”
“I understand.” I nodded.
Sister then turned around and faced Mom, Mother, and Gabrielle. “Mom, Mother, I want you to participate as well. I have this feeling that you two are involved with this.”
“? Okay, I guess?” Tilting her head, Mother responded. “What do you want to talk about, Louise?”
“Well, earlier, I came to a sudden realization.” She said, and then turned around to look at everyone. “Long ago, before my departure to the academy, I asked Raphael to prolong Mary’s life…”